A second birthday is a significant milestone in any child’s life, but in Oliver’s case, it is one of several life-changing events coming this month.

We moved to a new house last week, saying goodbye to the home where Oliver learned to crawl and take his first steps and introducing our boy to his new bedroom and a backyard where he can run and play in the grass. Any reservations he might have had about his new home were quickly swept aside when he spotted the ceiling fan in his blue bedroom. My boy is obsessed with ceiling fans.

And in two short weeks – or thereabouts – Oliver will become a big brother. Despite the frequent pats of my growing belly and the visits to the midwife’s office, where he’s listened to the baby’s heartbeat on a fetal doppler, Oliver has no idea his life is about to change. He may be able to say “baby in belly,” but it doesn’t mean he knows one will be coming into the house to share the affections of his mummy and daddy.

Because of all these changes, my husband and I decided to keep Oliver’s birthday celebrations low-key this year. Unlike his first birthday – when there were balloons, cupcakes, party guests and, unfortunately, a running fever thanks to his one-year vaccinations the previous day – we took Oliver to his favourite park last weekend for a morning of jungle-gym fun and we’re planning a family trip to the zoo on Saturday or Sunday, as long as the weather cooperates.

A new toy truck and crayons will greet him on his birthday as well as homemade cupcakes. His last introduction to cupcakes, on his first birthday when he was feeling under the weather, ended with tears and an angry swat. We’re still waiting for the ultimate childhood photo of a grinning, icing-covered birthday boy.

While his birthday may not have all the trappings, there is no shortage of sentiment. Our son, who looked so tiny sleeping in his car seat when we first brought him home from the hospital two years ago, is no longer a little baby. He’s a boy.

With his blue eyes, full lips and light-coloured hair – growing blonder by the day – Oliver is still the spitting image of his father. While all parents say this about their child, Oliver is genuinely a happy kid, prone to grins and laughs. In recent months, he’s shown other shared traits with his dad, including a stubborn streak. We’re hoping this, like the fabled Terrible Twos, is a phase that will pass quickly.

My husband likes to joke Oliver is a mummy’s boy, especially when he clings to me or seeks hugs and kisses when he’s tired, overwhelmed or has scraped his elbow. He does have a sensitive side, covering his eyes or clutching our legs when another child cries. With a baby on the way, hopefully this too will pass.

When it comes to playtime, Oliver is all boy. Toys are most often banged around and knocked over and furniture is meant to be climbed and conquered. He knows only one speed – full speed ahead – and loves nothing more than to be chased around the park or backyard. He loves planes, trains and automobiles and he can hear an approaching streetcar from blocks away.

His vocabulary is growing by the day and Oliver can be a chatterbox at times. (My husband says he gets this from his mother.) While he’s mastered his name and he is finally proficient in “please” and “thank you,” Oliver has also picked up the words, “no” and “bum.” During a walk down Queen St. yesterday, Oliver said “bum” over and over, like a mantra, after hearing someone comment on a piece of art which featured, you guessed it, bare bottoms. There are worse words and I’m thankful he hasn’t picked those up. Yet.

Here’s one phrase worth repeating – Happy Birthday, Ollie.

-- Sarah Green

   sarahg@babyontheway.ca