Tonight's the night Ollie gets to cry it out until he puts himself to sleep, hopefully. We are going to give him at least an hour. This waking up every hour has to stop or we'll all go insane. He's horrible at soothing himself, can't put himself to sleep, very rarely puts himself back to sleep. We are at our wits end. If nothing else, he'll wear himself out.
I'll let you know if we get any sleep tonight.
January 30, 2004
January 29, 2004
My New Best Friend
When Ollie first came home, I made a new best friend. Since that time, my new best friend has come more into my life as well as Tresa's. My best friend is very supportive, especially when we are tired. My best friend has been around more than before. My old best friend, however, has taken a hiatus for the forseeable future. My old best friend was nice, but Ollie ran him out of town. I wish my old best friend would come back.
You see, my new best friend is caffeine. My old best friend, sleep. Ollie reintroduced our friends last night and today. Last night, Ollie went to bed at 7 pm, about 2 hrs. earlier than he has been going to bed. So after his usual hourly waking from 7 to 10, he decided that he wanted to play at 1 am. Tresa got up with him then, I got up at 2 and we all finally went to sleep at around 3. Then he was up at 4:30 again! Every time Tresa or I went in to check on him, he was standing up! It's hard to put yourself back to sleep when you are standing. So, we put him back down, rocked him or put on his vacuum CD...whatever it took to get him back to sleep. I guess rolling into the side of the bed isn't enough any more, he has to stand.
I miss the baby that just wriggled around a little bit. That baby slept a lot better than this one does, at least he seemed to.
On a side note, Ollie is using his walker fairly easily now. He runs into everything, but he keeps up with it at a rapid pace. It won't be long and he'll be walking. I don't know whether to fear that or be happy about it. Maybe he'll start running around in his bed at night instead of just standing.
You see, my new best friend is caffeine. My old best friend, sleep. Ollie reintroduced our friends last night and today. Last night, Ollie went to bed at 7 pm, about 2 hrs. earlier than he has been going to bed. So after his usual hourly waking from 7 to 10, he decided that he wanted to play at 1 am. Tresa got up with him then, I got up at 2 and we all finally went to sleep at around 3. Then he was up at 4:30 again! Every time Tresa or I went in to check on him, he was standing up! It's hard to put yourself back to sleep when you are standing. So, we put him back down, rocked him or put on his vacuum CD...whatever it took to get him back to sleep. I guess rolling into the side of the bed isn't enough any more, he has to stand.
I miss the baby that just wriggled around a little bit. That baby slept a lot better than this one does, at least he seemed to.
On a side note, Ollie is using his walker fairly easily now. He runs into everything, but he keeps up with it at a rapid pace. It won't be long and he'll be walking. I don't know whether to fear that or be happy about it. Maybe he'll start running around in his bed at night instead of just standing.
January 28, 2004
Treats
Everyone has their favorite treats. I love ice cream and Pizza. Ollie gets his share of our treats, he likes shrimp and chicken. Even the cats get little kitty treats.
Everyone with a baby knows that the first thing a baby tries to do with something new is shove it in their mouth. Ollie is no exception. Whenever we are downstairs with Ollie we have to move the cat food off the floor and pick up anything he could grab and eat. Upstairs isn't much of a problem because there isn't much food around unless we bring it up their.
The cats get their treats before we go to bed. Usually they swarm for them when we call 'TREATS'. Most of the time they run for their treats and gobble them right up. Occasionally they will disinterested and just let them be. We give the leftovers to the other cats and it is taken care of.
Last night however the other cats didn't want the leftovers. These are small treats, unless you are specifically looking for them you'll miss them. It looked like they had all been eaten. A little later in the night Ollie was standing up on the foot stools and sat back down. I noticed he was moving his mouth around like he was chewing. I figured he was just grinding his in-coming teeth, which occurs all the time. He kept at it, so finally I tried to find out what he was chewing on. I had to force my finger inside to find out. Of course he didn't like that, so he struggled. I finally won the battle and pulled out a half-eaten shrimp and chicken CAT TREAT! It was all gross an slimy. Ollie wasn't too happy about having his treat taken away. A quick distraction made it all better.
Needless to say, we are going to be looking for cat treat remnants a lot better from now on.
Everyone with a baby knows that the first thing a baby tries to do with something new is shove it in their mouth. Ollie is no exception. Whenever we are downstairs with Ollie we have to move the cat food off the floor and pick up anything he could grab and eat. Upstairs isn't much of a problem because there isn't much food around unless we bring it up their.
The cats get their treats before we go to bed. Usually they swarm for them when we call 'TREATS'. Most of the time they run for their treats and gobble them right up. Occasionally they will disinterested and just let them be. We give the leftovers to the other cats and it is taken care of.
Last night however the other cats didn't want the leftovers. These are small treats, unless you are specifically looking for them you'll miss them. It looked like they had all been eaten. A little later in the night Ollie was standing up on the foot stools and sat back down. I noticed he was moving his mouth around like he was chewing. I figured he was just grinding his in-coming teeth, which occurs all the time. He kept at it, so finally I tried to find out what he was chewing on. I had to force my finger inside to find out. Of course he didn't like that, so he struggled. I finally won the battle and pulled out a half-eaten shrimp and chicken CAT TREAT! It was all gross an slimy. Ollie wasn't too happy about having his treat taken away. A quick distraction made it all better.
Needless to say, we are going to be looking for cat treat remnants a lot better from now on.
January 27, 2004
Anxiety and the Ham
Ollie has started to get separation anxiety in the mornings when I drop him off at the sitter's. He doesn't reach for her when we get there. When I hand him over, he looks back at me and starts to cry. Not hard mind you, but he is upset about it. It doesn't take too long, apparently, for him to return to his normal happy self. Kind of shows you how much he misses us! He still doesn't seem to have any stranger anxiety, so a little separation anxiety shouldn't make him too upset too often.
As his Aunt Lucy pointed out in the comments Ollie is a ham! Every time we get out the camera and call his name to look at us he gets the biggest grin on his face. He loves having his picture taken. When he's not aware we are taking a picture, he'll see the flash, look at the camera and smile. He doesn't quite do this with the video camera. I think his face would be a bit sore if he smiled for the entire filming. But, he gets the idea and looks into the camera intently. So don't be too surprised if he jumps in front of your camera when he's able to run.
As his Aunt Lucy pointed out in the comments Ollie is a ham! Every time we get out the camera and call his name to look at us he gets the biggest grin on his face. He loves having his picture taken. When he's not aware we are taking a picture, he'll see the flash, look at the camera and smile. He doesn't quite do this with the video camera. I think his face would be a bit sore if he smiled for the entire filming. But, he gets the idea and looks into the camera intently. So don't be too surprised if he jumps in front of your camera when he's able to run.
January 26, 2004
Then and Now
A short video of Ollie. It's 1.6 mb so it may take a few minutes to load. It contains images of Ollie from when he was first born to images at Christmas. Windows Media screwed up the images/compression/frame rate, so it looks better when it's a smaller window. You'll need Windows Media Player to watch it. Enjoy!
Click on the smiling Ollie to see the video!
Click on the smiling Ollie to see the video!
January 23, 2004
Ollie's Life Reference's
Ollie will have no reference about the following:
1. A TV without a remote control - Black and white TV
2. Life without PC's, PDA's, MP3's, Cell Phones, DVR, Digital cable, etc.
3. Corded home phone
4. Sept. 11th, 2001
5. Life without 'terrorists' - his version of the cold war
6. Fat Tv's
I'm sure there will be more, I'll add more as I think of them. I'm sure he will see some of the following come to fruition.
1. All cars running on alternative fuel.
2. Internet connected home appliances.
3. Integrated computer home enterainment/network.
4. All flat all digital tv's/monitor's.
5. Holograms.
6. Biotech industry boom.
And many many more. Any suggestions on either subject?
1. A TV without a remote control - Black and white TV
2. Life without PC's, PDA's, MP3's, Cell Phones, DVR, Digital cable, etc.
3. Corded home phone
4. Sept. 11th, 2001
5. Life without 'terrorists' - his version of the cold war
6. Fat Tv's
I'm sure there will be more, I'll add more as I think of them. I'm sure he will see some of the following come to fruition.
1. All cars running on alternative fuel.
2. Internet connected home appliances.
3. Integrated computer home enterainment/network.
4. All flat all digital tv's/monitor's.
5. Holograms.
6. Biotech industry boom.
And many many more. Any suggestions on either subject?
January 22, 2004
The Future
It's amazing what little peeks into the near future you get with a baby. Minor things Ollie will do give us a glimpse of what's to come. Last night, for instance, he was playing with his toy balls that you smash through the hole and they go down a few ramps and come out at the bottom. Inadvertently, he pinch-grabbed the ball. Until now he has scooped things up with his entire hand. Either that or smashed them with his open palm. He's also started opening and closing his fingers like he's waving goodbye when he tries to grab things. He tries to stand up from a crawling position. He tries to sit up from lying on his back. He's as stubborn as his mother and I and he wants to do it all now!
There are also things you miss that he's already passed him by. Staying in 1 place for more than 2 seconds is one of them. Him being smaller than my entire torso. When he would play in his exersaucer and not cry when he realized he couldn't move around the room in it. When didn't know what he was doing in his walker and just sat there. Looking back at old videos it is amazing how much he's changed in 8 months. We have a good idea of what's to come and we are in for some drastic changes.
There are also things you miss that he's already passed him by. Staying in 1 place for more than 2 seconds is one of them. Him being smaller than my entire torso. When he would play in his exersaucer and not cry when he realized he couldn't move around the room in it. When didn't know what he was doing in his walker and just sat there. Looking back at old videos it is amazing how much he's changed in 8 months. We have a good idea of what's to come and we are in for some drastic changes.
January 20, 2004
Tub Boy
Ollie loves his baths. He's become a real water bug. He'll stand at the side of the tub and watch the water run into the tub. If it's still running when he gets in, he has to touch the flowing water. Once the water is off and he's clean, watch out! He crawls, pulls himself up and moves about freely in the tub. Not too badly either. It's still slick, so he does have a few mishaps. They usually result in a slight fall, sometimes he gets his face in the water and swallows some unexpectedly. Of course this results in coughing and crying. That's the end of that bath! If he doesn't have a mishap, he would play in the water forever with his toys. We've talked about getting him into an infant swim class. He'd probably enjoy it as long as he doesn't get water in his mouth. Of course his usual bathroom companion (splatter sits on the toilet and watches his bath) wouldn't be able to make it pool side. I guess he'll just have to get along without her.
January 19, 2004
Sleep Deprivation
Ollie has become the worst sleeper in the world since our X-mas trip. If he goes to bed between 6-7 he is up at least once an hour until, well it has crept to midnight. Then, if we are lucky he sleeps for 2 hours, gets a bottle and sleeps the rest of the night. There have been several nights he's been up every hour. I hope this is related to his teething, but I'm not optimistic about that. Of course, I tell people this and I get horror stories back. One child didn't sleep through the night until he was 2 years old! I realize now how good we had it when he only got up once a night. Silly me complained about that. I'm sure it could get worse, here's hoping it doesn't.
January 16, 2004
January 15, 2004
Busy Bee
Ollie has become quite active since he started crawling. He is pulling himself up with regular ease now. Chairs, entertainment center, couch and his momma and I all make great things to climb. He's even sparingly used his walker. He just turned 8 months this week. His momma thinks he'll be walking by 9! That's a scary thought. Of course he has been doing a lot of things earlier than he's supposed to, so maybe she'll be right. We'd be in real trouble then. In the mean time the cats are still safe from his grasp, unless they aren't paying attention. They can still out run him, but now he follows. It won't be long and they'll be all his muawaaahahaha! And to think it all started with this:
January 14, 2004
Cheeto Poll: Last Day
What do you do after you exit the bath?
A. Squirm, scream and cry because you have to get out of the bath.
B. Spit up all over everything so you have to have another bath.
C. Roll around naked and show your butt off to the world.
D. Eat more cheeto's and start the process all over.
Scroll down for the answer.
C. Roll around Butt naked
A. Squirm, scream and cry because you have to get out of the bath.
B. Spit up all over everything so you have to have another bath.
C. Roll around naked and show your butt off to the world.
D. Eat more cheeto's and start the process all over.
Scroll down for the answer.
January 13, 2004
Cheeto Poll: Day 2
What do you do to clean up after eating Cheeto's?
A. Have parents spray you down with a hose in the front yard.
B. Take a nice relaxing bubble bath with your bubble crown and friends.
C. Taken to a car wash strapped to the roof for a good wash and wax.
D. Given to the cats for a tongue bath cleansing - also good for the soul.
Scroll down for the answer.
King of the Bath Tub
Quite a Ham isn't he?
A. Have parents spray you down with a hose in the front yard.
B. Take a nice relaxing bubble bath with your bubble crown and friends.
C. Taken to a car wash strapped to the roof for a good wash and wax.
D. Given to the cats for a tongue bath cleansing - also good for the soul.
Scroll down for the answer.
January 12, 2004
Cheeto Poll: Day 1
What's the best way to eat Cheeto's?
A. Putting them in your mouth.
B. Smushing them against your cheeks and inhaling the cheesy smell.
C. Dropping them all over your pants and hope they soak through your clothes and skin.
D. All of the above.
Scroll down for the answer.
D. All of the above
Anyone want a kiss!
A. Putting them in your mouth.
B. Smushing them against your cheeks and inhaling the cheesy smell.
C. Dropping them all over your pants and hope they soak through your clothes and skin.
D. All of the above.
Scroll down for the answer.
January 09, 2004
New Tactic
Well, we are going to try a new tactic tonight. Unless Ollie screams bloody murder we are going to let him put himself back to sleep. We're going to turn down the baby monitor so we don't hear the rustling around, but can hear the screams. He woke up several times like this last night and for the first part of the night we helped him get back to sleep. He got a bottle about 1:30 and got moved back to his own bed about 3. At 4 he started rustling around, but he wasn't screaming. He played in his jail cell (bed) for...well we don't know how long because we both fell asleep and so did Ollie on his own. He woke up happy as a camper around 6 am. So, unless an axe murderer is coming to get him, he'll be squirming on his own until he figures it out. Maybe his parents will get more sleep this way.
January 08, 2004
Sleep-Wiggling Baby
You've all heard of sleep-walking right? Well we have the infant version, we have a sleep-wiggling baby. In his sleep he wiggles, rolls and scoots. In the beginning he would eventually hit the top of the bed and wake up. So I started putting him to sleep lower in the bed. Now he hits the side railing before waking up, after he's moved up to the top. He fusses for a bit, but once you move him back to the middle, where he doesn't hit his head, he puts himself back to sleep. We already took his bumper pad off because he would play with it and wake himself up. He also tore 2 of the strings off while playing with it, so that was the end of that. I just wish there was something we could do to prevent him from moving and waking himself up.
The only options we've come up with are:
1. Putting him closer to the top, so he figures out to just move side to side (yea, I know, dumb dadda logic).
2. Putting blankets where the bumper pad was to prevent head bumping.
3. Tying arm, leg and body restraints for night sleep (just kidding).
Any other suggestions?
The only options we've come up with are:
1. Putting him closer to the top, so he figures out to just move side to side (yea, I know, dumb dadda logic).
2. Putting blankets where the bumper pad was to prevent head bumping.
3. Tying arm, leg and body restraints for night sleep (just kidding).
Any other suggestions?
January 07, 2004
Eating Out
Whenever we go out to eat Ollie is usually well behaved. He'll usually get a few of his parents french fries and mash them all to heck while gumming them. He also likes to pre-smash his real food. He takes it in his hand and smashes them on the table over and over. I guess he likes the way his baby food looks.
We took him to Cheddars last night and since he has begun crawling and walking with parental help, he does not want to sit down! He sat in the high chair for a little while, but when he was done with sitting, he was done. Had to be in a standing position for the rest of the meal. If he wasn't, he let us know he wasn't happy. So, we had a quick meal and took him home where he played while crawling and sitting most of the night. Sigh.
We took him to Cheddars last night and since he has begun crawling and walking with parental help, he does not want to sit down! He sat in the high chair for a little while, but when he was done with sitting, he was done. Had to be in a standing position for the rest of the meal. If he wasn't, he let us know he wasn't happy. So, we had a quick meal and took him home where he played while crawling and sitting most of the night. Sigh.
January 06, 2004
Normal
Ollie got closer back to his normal sleeping pattern last night. He awoke and fussed several times before 10 pm (which is unusual). We let him cry it out for awhile and he only got up once during the night. Maybe we're closer to his normal routine. Maybe someday we'll get him to sleep through the night. I only hope it's soon.
January 05, 2004
Trip Totals
1,257 miles - Distance Ollie traveled on his trip
20 hours - Amount of total time spent in our car.
7 days - Amount of time gone.
6 houses - Number of places stayed during trip.
3 rolls - Number of canisters of film taken during this period.
5 Illnesses - Bronchiolitis, ear-infections, flu, diarrhea & Vomiting.
1 nasty fit - Number of nights Ollie was a major pain to get to sleep - more later.
7 nights - Number nights of Ollie slept with his parents during the trip.
0 nights - Number of nights of normal sleep for Ollie since the trip began.
1.5 hours - Number of hours of video tape of Ollie to edit on the PC for posting here dating to his birth.
Ollie was a lot better on this trip for the most part. He wasn't as crabby as he was on his previous trip. He had one nasty night where he wouldn't settle down for the night. For over an hour he cried, screamed and threw a giant fit. Apparently he had enough of the trip. With nothing left to lose we took him on a car ride and got him a bottle. He fell asleep fairly quickly, so we drove around for awhile and he got a small nap. We brought him back in the house, set him in the bed and 10 minutes later he was awake ready to play. We weren't sure what was causing him the problem, so his momma and him went downstairs to play away from the extra people, just in case that is what set him off. For the most part he had a hard time sleeping and maintaining any sort of schedule. Especially when we got back.
It still doesn't seem like any holidays occurred other than we brought stuff back with us. Maybe next year will seem more like Christmas and New Years. Ollie didn't know what was going on and was crabby for the present opening, but it was past his bedtime, so who could blame him. He enjoys his toys though, his parents don't enjoy the annoyance so much. He's also extremely mobile now. The Saturday after we left he was able to get to a sitting position on his own. He's very good at crawling, as the cats found out. He also is starting to pull himself up on things. He'll be cruising in no time.
It all caught up to him when we got back. He was crabby and out of sorts for almost the entire week. He also got diarrhea and vomiting for New Year's Eve. So, his parents got little to no sleep. He has not had a fun 2 weeks. Now his momma is sick from him, hopefully, I don't get it. It made me realize, I wouldn't want to be a stay-at-home parent with babies, never a second to yourself to do anything. We'll see how he is today. He's back on normal food from Pedialyte yesterday. Maybe going to the babysitter will help straighten him out to his old schedule. I hope something does. All of us need the sleep.
20 hours - Amount of total time spent in our car.
7 days - Amount of time gone.
6 houses - Number of places stayed during trip.
3 rolls - Number of canisters of film taken during this period.
5 Illnesses - Bronchiolitis, ear-infections, flu, diarrhea & Vomiting.
1 nasty fit - Number of nights Ollie was a major pain to get to sleep - more later.
7 nights - Number nights of Ollie slept with his parents during the trip.
0 nights - Number of nights of normal sleep for Ollie since the trip began.
1.5 hours - Number of hours of video tape of Ollie to edit on the PC for posting here dating to his birth.
Ollie was a lot better on this trip for the most part. He wasn't as crabby as he was on his previous trip. He had one nasty night where he wouldn't settle down for the night. For over an hour he cried, screamed and threw a giant fit. Apparently he had enough of the trip. With nothing left to lose we took him on a car ride and got him a bottle. He fell asleep fairly quickly, so we drove around for awhile and he got a small nap. We brought him back in the house, set him in the bed and 10 minutes later he was awake ready to play. We weren't sure what was causing him the problem, so his momma and him went downstairs to play away from the extra people, just in case that is what set him off. For the most part he had a hard time sleeping and maintaining any sort of schedule. Especially when we got back.
It still doesn't seem like any holidays occurred other than we brought stuff back with us. Maybe next year will seem more like Christmas and New Years. Ollie didn't know what was going on and was crabby for the present opening, but it was past his bedtime, so who could blame him. He enjoys his toys though, his parents don't enjoy the annoyance so much. He's also extremely mobile now. The Saturday after we left he was able to get to a sitting position on his own. He's very good at crawling, as the cats found out. He also is starting to pull himself up on things. He'll be cruising in no time.
It all caught up to him when we got back. He was crabby and out of sorts for almost the entire week. He also got diarrhea and vomiting for New Year's Eve. So, his parents got little to no sleep. He has not had a fun 2 weeks. Now his momma is sick from him, hopefully, I don't get it. It made me realize, I wouldn't want to be a stay-at-home parent with babies, never a second to yourself to do anything. We'll see how he is today. He's back on normal food from Pedialyte yesterday. Maybe going to the babysitter will help straighten him out to his old schedule. I hope something does. All of us need the sleep.
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