Where has the time gone? I thought it best that I make a comparison between what Babycenter.com says a nine month old should be doing, and what Oliver is actually up to these days so that you could see how he is pretty much right on schedule.

Almost Walking: Oliver is very close to walking—The Grammy’s will testify to that as they constantly lead him around the house by his hands. He pulls himself up on everything and has even begun to take a step between the coffee table and the couch. That is a development that came about on Saturday after Grammy left. I am sure she was hoping that that happened while she was here, but she missed it by an hour or so.

Not in Shoes yet: The topic came up when the Grammy’s were here, and whether or not Oliver should have new shoes. Babycenter says no. I agree as he only kicks them off and I lose them anyway. I am, however, a firm believer in his little Robeez elephant slippers. They are soft sided, stay on with elastic, they are warm and so damn cute.

Playing and Learning: Oliver is right on track with the learning thing. He should be (and is) playing with shape sorters, wheels and big plastic cars. He has not exactly gotten the shape sorter thing down just yet, but with the help of some of the new toys from his Grammy’s he is definitely on the learning fast-track. He still prefers his toys meant for three month olds which is a little disheartening especially since he’s wearing the clothes of a 1.5 year old. Yes the comparison to “Baby Huey” and “Bam Bam” are frequently made.

Separation Anxiety: Oliver will cry occasionally when one of us comes home at lunch and then leaves, but it never lasts for long and it only happened a couple of times. For the most part Super Nanny or one of the many visitors has kept him so preoccupied that he hardly misses us. It’s a double edge sword!

Trying to travel: Babycenter says that it’s tough to travel with a nine month old because they are clingy and apprehensive towards strangers. Oliver loves traveling so far and has not exhibited any negative actions with regards to strangers—except sometimes he has a way of starring people down that is very interesting. It usually happens in restaurants and is directed towards waiters and neighboring tables.

Language Comprehension: Babycenter says that he should be saying “da-da”, “ma-ma” and “ba-ba” but not really understanding their meaning just yet. We have banned the “m” word in the house and he’s been really good about not using it. The others he says regularly and he clearly does not understand them. He also likes to babble incessantly, and stick his tongue out and blow raspberries. I am sure he’ll be cursing like a sailor in no time.

He also has a pretty good hold on the following baby signs: Eat; dog; and flower. He does not know exactly when to use them yet as he tends to do the "eat" sign just before being fed when he is already at the table, and "dog" and "Flower" are really only used when he mimics one of us and not yet used on his own.