“I’m not that worried about his large head, because his dad has a big head as well.”
That, or something close to it, is what Oliver’s doctor told us today during his 6-month checkup appointment. She was taking his measurements, got his head circumference and went over to her table to write the number down. After making a puzzled expression, she came back over and measured it again. Same number. She double-checked her chart. Then she told us about his enlarged melon.
“His head is above the 97th percentile, which can be cause for worry,” she told us.
“Big heads run in Justin’s family,” my loving wife chimed in, as they both gawked at my freakishly large head.
Then I joined in the fun.
“My head’s probably the runt of the Lopinot men,” I explained.
Nothing to worry about. That’s what we were told. He has a big head, and big heads run in the family. End of story.
His other measurements today?
Weight: 19.4 pounds (the 75th percentile)
Height: 28.25 inches (90th percentile)
So the boy is big, but not gargantuan as he was during his 3-month checkup. Just the head. Big, huge head.
Category Archives: oliver
Oliver’s first six months … in video form
Oliver’s 6 month birthday (that counts, right?) is today, so we put together a short video to capture some of our favorite moments. Enjoy:
Party like it’s 1999 (OK, early 2007, but who’s really counting?)
Last night, we partied like it was early 2007. Yes, we had our first Oliver-free night. I obtained a pair of tickets to the Arch Rivalry game (Mizzou vs. Illinois) at the Dome, so we asked Sarah’s parents to watch the boy overnight. To my surprise, they took us up on the offer with no hesitation.
After our near-tearful departure from our child, we headed downtown. It took a while to find the right spot, but we tailgated with a work group before the game. That was fun, but the game was, well, “funner.”
The crowd was extremely loud. My head ached as I fought off claustrophobia and we crammed into the building. Here’s a picture of people awaiting the turnstiles:
That’s a pretty good visual, but to get a sense of the loudness, check out this short video:
So here’s a question for you … Who has the toughest job when his team scores 52 points? Well, it’s the Mizzou mascot of course. That’s because he does one push-up for every point on the scoreboard when the team scores. Here he’s on about No. 45:
And finally, here’s a picture of happy Mommy and Daddy at the game (the night went well, in case you were wondering, and Oliver’s now back with us all safe and sound and snug into this own bed for the night):
Fun with “Grannette’s” camera
I borrowed “Grannette’s” (my nickname for Grandma Annette; grandpa is “Grodney”) fancy Canon camera for a work-related project yesterday, so Sarah, Oliver and I had a little fun with it at home. It was around dusk, so the lighting conditions weren’t ideal, but I think we really captured some great pictures of our little boy. What do you think?
Oliver has a big “lol” moment
Oliver has been laughing for several weeks, but only in the past couple days has he unloaded some really loud belly laughs. It was hard to catch, but I got him laughing last night at Molly. He really got a kick out of watching her wagging tail while she ate. Anyway, thought you all would enjoy hearing Oliver at his finest:
Open letter to the wife regarding prunes
This is an open letter to my wife regarding Oliver’s most recent foray into food: prunes.
Dearest wifey,
A great person (OK, my grandma, who is great by the way) once countless times told us that we should eat prunes because they will keep us regular. Well, her wise words appears to be evident with our son as well.
Yes, the prunes you gave him yesterday went through his tiny body like a Fiber One bar through an unsuspecting 32-year-old. Actually, much much quicker. Yes, that paddy I found in his diaper this morning was, well, quite stinky.
The dry-heaving you heard this morning? That was me. I can’t stand the smell — I’ll be completely honest with you. I don’t think I can handle another prune-based diaper mess. So let’s switch to other, less digestible foods. I think he poos enough on his own and doesn’t need that extra something-something. Don’t you agree?
Since we’re on the same page, let’s stick with safe food choices like green beans and bananas. Just say “no” to prunes. … Please.
Love,
Your hubby
Picnic at the beach (sort of)
We took Oliver to the beach for the first time on Saturday. Well, sort of — it was the beach at Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights, Mo. So nothing too special.
It was a nice day, with a temperature in the low 80s and low humidity. So we packed up a picnic lunch and headed up there. OK, so it wasn’t quite that easy. Did you know that it now takes us about 10 times as long to get out of the house as it did before we had Oliver? Seriously, we thought of a million things while getting ready and even had to run back in the house a couple times before backing down the driveway. Yeesh!
So where was I? Oh yeah, so we headed to the park. We brought Molly along as well. Once there, we put Oliver in his stroller and found a nice table to make our own. Doesn’t this look pleasant:
After eating, we took the dog over to the beach area and let her swim. Sarah and I always get a kick out of watching Molly excitedly and awkwardly swim, but Oliver didn’t seem as amused. Here’s a short video of Molly and Oliver from the beach:
We then took a short walk. After packing back into the car, we decided to stop by this little farm on the way home to pick up some fresh peaches and other goodies. However, as I picked Oliver out of his car seat to carry him into the stand, Sarah noticed gobs of brown stuff (yes, poop) oozing out of Oliver’s outfit. So we had to change him. And man, was it disgusting. Let’s just say that we have been giving him a couple different foods lately and the colored mess he left looked like one of those side-by-side shakes from Steak n Shake. Yuck. But we did make it in, and the peaches are delicious.
What a fun, but tiring day.
Just a little off the top …
As readers, friends and family already know, our boy has a full head of hair. It’s a lot of hair. The pictures don’t usually give it justice. Maybe this next one will. It was taken a few weeks ago, during Oliver’s “punk rock” phase (OK, during bath time, but whatever):
When dry, his hair was starting to curl up pretty good on the sides. It was cute, but Sarah felt it was time for a little trim. Plus, she wanted some hair for the baby book she’s putting together. Sarah’s mom did the honors, giving Oliver his first haircut.
Though it sort of looks like crime scene evidence, here’s the lock of hair (notice how much length was removed):
His clean-cut look is nice, but he still has such long hair. Here’s how he looks now:
Notice the difference? I know, it’s pretty subtle. Either way, it’s pretty cool that he’s now been through the haircut experience. Next thing, I’ll be taking him with me to see my favorite Romanian hairstylist Louise in Maryland Heights every four or five weeks for a real haircut. Scary!
Well what do we have here? A tooth!
Oliver’s been a little cranky this past week for some unknown reason. Well, the reason was unknown until we did a little digging around in his mouth on Friday. Yes, here’s a good one for the baby book: Oliver cut his first tooth on 8/8/08. Check out this picture of the incisor breaking through his gums:
I’ve shown this picture to a few relatives who think it looks like something perverse and not a mouth/tooth at all. So as further evidence, I submit a picture of the awkward (and, to me, somewhat hilarious) pose in which I held Oliver’s mouth open for the tooth pictures to be taken:
It was like our own little makeshift dentist chair. Anyway, I haven’t looked anything up, but it seems kind of early for a baby to be cutting teeth. I mean, he just turned 5 months old a few days ago. For those with babies, how old was were yours when he or she cut his first tooth? Any advice on how to keep the crankiness to a minimum?
We’ve made it five months, and I’m still smiling
Oliver turned 5 months old today. It’s hard to believe that much time has passed. He still doesn’t sleep through the night, as most of you all know, but when he does sleep it’s the cutest thing ever (a guy can say that, right?).
Need evidence? Check out this picture taken using the “nightshot” mode on our camera:
He’s the reason that I get up early each morning and, though extremely tired, keep my head up and a smile on my face (most days). He’s still so innocent and sweet, and he’s starting to laugh at and interact with me a lot more. I’m sure these next five months will be even more amazing. Can’t wait.
Blog Full of Letters 