I honestly never knew it was possible to enjoy a baby so much. Don’t get me wrong – I love my babies. BUT…. let’s just say, I’m not really a baby person. They’re cute and (sometimes) cuddly, although mine have never really been. So even though I love my kids, I generally really start ENJOYING them once they’re into toddlerhood (in that brief wonderful respite before they become screaming banshee preschoolers).

This little man has changed all that.

Oliver turned six months old today, and I really have very few words to describe him other than SHEER JOY. He has an insatiable zest for life, people and knowledge. Baby brother has more personality in his little toe than most people acquire in their whole lifetime. He has a smile that just won’t quit, and eyes that gleam right along with it. Buddy has never met a camera he didn’t love and who didn’t love him. And his brain is always in hyper drive, cranking along so much I can just about hear it. Everywhere we go, people are commenting on how amazing he is… whether it’s his dimples, his smile, the gleam in his eyes, or just his conversational abilities. And I’ll admit… I’m just as smitten. He’s a total flirt, and I’m fairly certain he’d have a fairly lucrative career as a used-car salesman cuz Little Man O could sell just about anything to anyone with a wink and a nod.

This little man went from being my most high maintenance baby after birth to being a total trooper. As the third child, his nap schedule is crappy. Some days he gets two, others only one. And yet, he goes a long for the ride, and is thoroughly joyful about it… as long as he’s got someone to talk to and something to play with. Don’t let little mister get bored, or you’ll hear about it.

There really is no middle ground with this guy. We call him “All or Nothing Oliver” because he’s either all on (most of the time) or all off… and there’s not a lot of warning between the two.

At six months, this little man is a highly efficient crawler, and can speed to any corner of the room to find any unsafe particle that his siblings have deposited on the floor. Child-proofing for this one in combination with his two whirl-wind sibs is going to be a NIGHTMARE. And did I mention, he’s a mouther? It’s been a constant in-the-mouth obsession since he was in the hospital. But I actually find myself missing him when he’s not around, which is a big thing for me. Typically I feel kind of chained to my nursing infants and look forward to any moment to myself. But not this guy.

So, to my Little Mister Happy Pants…Happy Dappy Doo…Mister Prince…Captain Adorable… on your half birthday, I just want to say how HAPPY you make me and all the rest of us! We love you!!

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 26th, 2011 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Oliver. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.