all about oz

at 13 months, oz-man has really taken off. he took his first steps 10 days before his first birthday and now is a bona-fide toddler. i'd say he's vertical about 90 percent of the time and loves to walk just for the sake of walking. often you'll find him traversing the room with b-b and scarlet in each hand (stuffed animal birds that chirp from the audabon society...his favorite!). it still catches me off guard sometimes to look over my shoulder and see my little baby walking around!

ozzy's nickname is peter-pointer. man, he loves to use that index finger! he must point out EVERYTHING to me. the lights, the trees, matilda, ally, the high chair...the list goes on and on. it's so much fun to know he understands so much and knows so many things by their name. he's not calling many things by their name, though. he says dada, mama and nanana (go figure, see below). and he also says, "didi," which i think is for diaper.

if i didn't know better, i'd swear oskar was part monkey. he loves bananas that much. you say the word, or better yet show him one, and you'd think he would burst out of his skin with the excitement of it all. he can easily eat two bananas to himself in one sitting. and now i know why i craved fruit so much during my pregnancy! oskar eats fruit for every meal. we call him a fruit-aholic. and any fruit will do. add some cheerios, kashi waffles, tofu and cheese to to the mix and you've pretty much nailed his diet. the kid eats like a wolf, just like his father. he can't shovel it in fast enough. it really doesn't matter that his cheeks are about to burst, he still can get another bite of waffle or mango in. i've resorted to dolling food out for him or else it's a serious choking hazard.

as far as play goes, he's adventurous and aggressive. he loves to climb the big kids jungle gym to get to the yellow tunnel up top. that's when i go into high gear and whisk up abel (who is attempting to climb the little slide) and run up the jungle gym to meet oskar at the end of the tunnel, which also happens to be at the top of the tall slide. yikes! sometimes there are some hairy logistics when it comes to one mom and two kids at the playground! oz is a master at stacking rings, all sizes and shapes are welcome, and is getting pretty good at building blocks. he also loves books and can sit in front of the book shelf for a good 30 minutes just flipping pages and looking at all the pictures. i give him a book to occupy him on the changing table (or else he's flipped and standing in a nanosecond), or while he's in his crib waiting for his turn with mama before their nap. it cracks me up because it's like he's already learned the pleasure of reading on the toilet and before bed!

oz definitely has a penchant for being attracted to anything his brother is looking at or doing and will walk over and swipe it right out of his hands (or push him out of the way). we're working on that. he now knows that it's not acceptable and he'll look over at me to see if i'm watching as he contemplates making a steal. more times than not, he'll decide to go for something else now. amazing!

the boys are masters at playing peek-a-boo with doors, a game that never ceases to crack them up. we have towels over every door to avoid little fingers getting crunched.

we've also entered tantrum land with oskar, who takes great offense to not getting his way. his style is to lay face down on the floor and cry. it lasts for a few minutes and then he'll notice abie and i playing and will snap out of it, just like that. it's pretty crazy.

oz-man is super affectionate. his play is punctuated with trips to me and/or jordan for a hug or snuggle. he'll walk or crawl over to us and dive into our laps or shoulders. it melts our hearts every time! he can also be very sweet with abie. their new thing is "head butting," which jordan first taught abie. now oz will go over and head butt abie or rest his head on his shoulder or lap! it's beyond adorable.