Lest anyone should think it’s all baby baby baby over here, it’s really not. It’s still mostly Oliver Oliver Oliver! And that’s a good thing. This is his last summer when he gets his parents all to himself, and we’re giving him all we’ve got.

Our recent days are filled with drawing and reading (he “reads” to me as much as I read to him), splashing in the swimming pool and digging in the dirt (at least the swimming gets the dirt out from under his nails that I can’t get with the nail brush!). He loves to take walks; when George comes with us in the evening, they jog/run together on the bike trail for 25-30 yards at a time… then he’ll run back to me… and then run back to Daddy again while I catch up. He is speaking more Hungarian to George, not just single words, but phrases and sentences now. He has become a big fan of orange juice, SuperWhy, and—surprise!—playing with other kids (although he’s still very shy around adults). He knows there is a baby in Mommy’s tummy, and that the baby still has to grow bigger before we can play with him, although I know the idea of adding a real baby to our family is still very vague to him. Still, it’s the sweetest thing ever when he puts his face to my belly and yells at the top of his lungs, “HELLOOOOOO ANDREWWW!”

I think he’s going to make a really great big brother.

The big event of this week was our second attempt at potty training (the first unsuccessful attempt was back in January). We took advantage of a rainy morning on Sunday to let Oliver run around in nothing but a shirt. Between 9:00 and noon, he showed no interest in the potty at all, despite drinking 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of juice during that time. Around 12:15pm he started getting fidgety, going to sit on the potty and then back to the towels we’d spread out on the carpet, back and forth, while I read his books. He finally sat down on the potty around 12:45pm and a few seconds later announced with a grin, “You’re doing it, Mommy!” (he still talks about himself in the second person). And sure enough, he did!! I made a huge production of cheering and clapping for him and then ceremoniously bringing the container to the real toilet in the bathroom so he could flush the big toilet for the first time.

first flush!!

Oliver was with my parents most of today while I worked, and he didn’t want to use the potty there (even though they have the same potty as at our house), but he did use it again here at home before supper tonight! So YAY!!! I’m very proud of him for doing so well this time, and I hope his progress will continue.

His third birthday is less than three weeks away, which is both awesome and horrible. I often bury my face in his curls to hide from the fact that he is over half my height already. I can’t imagine how much bigger he will seem when his baby brother arrives. But for now, it’s still summer, and Oliver is still the blindingly bright center of my universe.