Victoria Suzanne Sonogram

This is the best picture they could get of Tori. She was facing the front, where as Ollie was facing the side. You can see her eyes, nose, chin and mouth. They labeled one eye and the chin. The other eye is below the labeled one. Nose and mouth are in between the labels. We could watch her open and close her mouth and they left it on her face for quite a while. There she is.

Big Brother, Little Sister

Ollie is going to have a baby sister to horde over and protect. We got to watch her move and open and close her mouth. She was facing right at the machine, where Ollie's side was facing the machine. You could see the heart beat and the bladder. Though she did look a little boney because the fat hasn't started to accumulate yet. We could see her whole face, including eyes, nose and mouth. She also had a melon for a head, but that is normal development. They revised the date to June 24th, so it is only 4 days earlier than the original date.

Ollie has no idea what is coming. He kissed his sister through his mom's belly the other night. He can say baby sister pretty well and can say Tori pretty well. He still has time to practice, I hope he doesn't practice hitting her with things. I'm sure it'll take a bit of adjustment for him, but he'll do fine.

The pictures of the sonogram didn't turn out as well as last time, but I'll scan them in and post them this weekend.

Busy Week

This week has been more hectic than usual for us all. Monday was our only free day. Tuesday we had a window estimate after work. Ollie spent the time with his uncle's upstairs while we were getting the estimate. This lasted from 6 to 8 with the paperwork for the windows. Ollie was getting grumpy and wanted his parents, so he came down and he played for a little bit before we attempted to put him to bed at 8:30. During this time the dryer was making a funny noise, so we messed with it. Ollie didn't take to well with going to bed, so Tresa calmed him down and tried to put him back in bed. The rest of the story is yesterdays entry.

Since I missed class on Tuesday, I went last night at 6:30. Tresa had a hair appt. at 7:30. We also had the window company come and measure our current windows, so they could get the right size for the new ones. We also worked dinner into it. I was dropped off at class at 6:30, Dale took Tresa and Ollie to get her haircut at 7:30 and picked me up from class. We went home for about an hour and did chores until about 8:30, when Tresa was supposed to be done. We got to the beauty shop and Ollie played until a little after 9. We took him home and got him ready for bed. Back in bed by 9:30, he played then went to sleep.

Tonight we have the baby's sonogram, then grocery shopping, then I have class again. I hope Ollie is as good as he was last night. Friday, I have testing for a belt, but Ollie gets to relax at home for a change. Saturday, we have more errands to run. I'm glad this week is nearing completion. The good thing about all of this is that it wears Ollie out and he doesn't have time to be crabby. Luckily, he is a happy camper in the mornings, so far.

Falling Asleep

Falling asleep for Ollie was not easy last night. He was tired and screamed his head off. His mom got him settled down and thought he was asleep, had him in bed with blankets on. When I came in to check on him, he started crying again and got up. I tried to calm him and got him under the blankets in his bed. When I tried leaving the room, he screamed. After attempting to leave the room a few times, I left and we let him cry it out. Boy did he cry! It didn't last long and he was asleep by 9:30.

This morning, he was a mixture of crabbiness and happiness. He didn't eat much, but drank a lot of juice. He was his normal self otherwise. In to everything and causing problems in a toddler sort of way. He'll out grow most of this eventually, it will just take awhile.

More Fun

Since Ollie's 2 yr molars haven't come through yet, it was no surprise when he started grinding his teeth from side to side. He also has a runny nose, small cough and sounds a bit stuffed up. None of it seemed to bother him much, other than the constant wiping of his nose. His hand also turned red from being in his mouth most of the day. He slept soundly, though, which is good for all concerned.

We aren't sure if it is only because of the teeth or cold or both. We've ran a few errands this weekend and Ollie spent the entire trip to the mall in his stroller. He didn't even try and get out. This could be because he misses his stroller rides or it could be because he got a Buzz Lightyear play cell phone from the Disney store for a late Valentines present to keep him entertained. He was fairly good throughout the entire weekend except when he didn't get something he wanted. We're still waiting for him to out grow that. I think we'll be waiting for a long while.

This Thursday we get to find out if Ollie's sibling is a boy or a girl. We think it is a girl, but we don't know. Tresa 'knew' Ollie was a boy before the sonogram, this time we aren't so sure. This doctor only does 1 unless their is a problem, so we have the one shot at determining the sex. Hopefully it will be facing the right direction. I'll post pics of it probably on Friday or Monday.

Airplanes Fly

Yes, airplanes do fly and now Ollie knows this too! His mama taught him that airplanes fly by demonstrating the wings with her arms. Of course our mimic picked up his wings, swayed side to side and told everyone that airplanes fly. Apparently, airplanes fly repeatedly because he entertained his Aunt for quite awhile. He doesn't get the idea that airplanes also run around the room with there wings out. They are stationary in Ollie's world. I'm just hoping the airplane doesn't start dropping bombs in his pants.

I couldn't get him to repeat the performance this morning for the sitter, he always clams up when we get there. After I leave he returns to his normal self within a few minutes. Maybe airplanes will fly at the sitters after all.

Nipples

Naked Ollie has discovered something new, his nipples! While undressing him one day before a bath, he noticed one of them. He touched it and mushed it all around. He then discovered the identical one on the other side.

Now when he gets his shirt changed or gets a bath, he grabs them both and sways his torso back and forth. He then tells you that they are nipples. It has become the nipple dance.

He is also learning other body parts like his arms, elbows, knees and legs. He is confused as to where the elbows and knees are compared to arms and legs. Eventually, his body will be old news to him and he will move onto something new. There always seems to be something new for a child to learn about. It seems to be one constant learning leap. He'll concentrate on one area for awhile, then move onto another naturally. There isn't a conscious start and stop process like adults seem to have, it is just natural curiosity. Adults should retain that curiousity.

Please, Thank You and Horse Puckey

While talking last night with Ollie in the vicinity, I said something like "that is a bunch of bull...crap". I caught myself mid-cussword, guess what Ollie repeated after I said it, BULLCRAP. I then proceeded to get him to mimic "horse puckey", which he did pretty well. He repeated it several more times, so now he has a decent barnyard animal vocabulary about poop.

The mimicking does have its benefits. Please and Thank You have been coming out of his mouth. It is more like Peas as in "mik peas", which doesn't sound like a great combination, but it is a start. He has to be prompted to say them, but he will get the idea soon enough. Thank you comes out similar to 'tank you', but isn't being repeated as often as peas. At least we are on the road to decent manners.

Horsie

My diet has changed recently from normal food to hay and apples. This is because Tresa and I have become horses for Ollie. It all started easily enough. He began by riding our knees and bouncing up and down. It progressed to Ollie bouncing up and down on us while we laid on the floor. After a few jumps of a 30 lb. toddler on your chest, you get a bit sore. The last 2 nights it has progressed to full blown parent on all fours horsie rides. Sunday night Ollie had a spotter while riding around the living room on his steed. Last night, he did well without the spotter on a slow moving horse. He kept sliding to the back. He also doesn't get the concept of holding on to you as he rides around the living room. This didn't cause any problems though, we just had to remind him to hold on.

I'm off to the store to go pick up my saddle and a riding crop for Ollie. Oh the fun.

Ties and Railing

Most of the weekend was mundane for Ollie. There were a couple of incidents that should be mentioned. We've left the gate down to the family room every so often, so Ollie can roam the entire top floor. We keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't fall down the stairs. He'll usually head off into one of the bedrooms and play by himself for awhile, then come back to the living room and head off again.

When he returned from our bedroom one trip, he brought all of my ties around his neck! He came running in the room and threw them on the ground. He picked a few up and put them on, twirled with a few and made me wear one. We couldn't help but laugh, it was too funny. He put a few back on and them took them all off for good. I checked to see what he used to reach the ties, but there was nothing in front of the tie rack for him to stand on. He is tall enough to take them all down and make a quick game of them.

When we are downstairs we put up a gate so Ollie doesn't climb up the stairs without us. The cats can fit through the railing, so they don't have to jump the gate. Apparently Ollie thought he was a cat and tried several times to squeeze himself through the railing. He made it twice! He started climbing the stairs on the other side of the gate. He was caught several times and he discontinued his quest for the time being. Once he put his head through, tried to take it back out sideways and it hurt him. Hopefully, that'll discourage him from trying again. I knew the cats would be a bad influence on him, but I didn't think he'd try following in their footsteps.

Mountain Climber

Climbing mountains seems to be Ollie's latest hobby. He refuses to use any safety equipment. No ropes, no gloves and shoes are optional. He has begun to scale the mighty mountains of barstools, cabinets and steps. Most of the time this consists of Ollie grabbing onto the desired mountain with both hands and pulling himself up, sitting to take a rest and continuing onto the counter top. Once there he gathers the treasures of counter top mountain, the snowy looking substance called salt which is spread nicely to give the natural feel of snow. The car keys, when pressed correctly activate the locator horn of his vehicle at the bottom of the mountain and the napkin flag. These he has brought in bunches. They usually get shredded for enjoyment or used and waved for a parent to grab and throw away. So far there haven't been any fires due to the lighters and cigarettes left by other climbers.

Sometimes Ollie just likes to peak at the top of the mountain, so he grabs his chair from the table and takes it to the nearest viewing point. He'll then scale the chair and point at the valued things on Counter Top Mountain. Sometimes a more experienced climber will retrieve the desired object, but most of the time there is just a lot of hollering and a little echo.

The most deadly of mountains in the range must be Stair Mountain. This mountain is usually gated off from inexperienced climbers, but with assistance and a careful eye, Ollie maneuvers up Stair Mountain without much difficulty or assistance. That is until he gets half-way up and doesn't want to continue. Going down is another story. The descent is much rougher once the peak is reached for Ollie. He usually has to have his hand held and all of his climbing safety gear on. This still doesn't prevent incorrect descent and wobbling on the way down. Unfortunately, this has lead to at least 1 failed descent without any injuries other than an ego and a few shed tears. Despite setbacks, Ollie still ascends Stair Mountain with ease. He even attempts it when the gate is unintentionally left open. So far this hasn't caused any injuries, but the day is coming when a tumble back down the mountain will occur. That won't stop this experienced Mountain climber anytime soon.

Nutrition

A lot of fish have been eaten by Ollie lately. They are varied in variety and color. He seems to love them and calls for them by name. The fish don't have bones, so it is easy for him to chew and swallow. The only real issue is that he eats fish while in the car! These aren't your typical fish out of the river, these are the mighty GOLDFISH! The multi-colored snack crackers. Ollie asks for them by name every time we get in the car. He'll eat a few, rip some of the bag off, say 'uh oh', hand us the part of the bag he tore and continue eating his fish. It then becomes a game, he'll hand the bag to us and ask for it back, then repeat. This seems to be the major reason he doesn't eat much dinner.

He does get dinner, but it usually isn't what we put in front of him. We'll give him a waffle for breakfast, we'll open the fridge for something and he'll ask for cheese. This morning instead of his waffle, he shared his mom's chocolate cake with her. Occasionally, he'll ask for an apple and eat most of it, except the peel, which he spits back in your hand. He'll also ask for a banana, but doesn't want you to open it for him, so he'll bite the banana peel until he gets to the middle and peels the rest of it off. Most of the time he doesn't actually finish the banana. Then there are the Granola bars and fruit chews. He can open neither, we open them for him and he'll dump the fruit chews on the floor, the granola bar gets tossed on the ground to get it out. Then he'll eat part of it and give it to you. Yum, half chewed granola bar that has been on the floor.

Then there is chocolate, like any kid he loves it. We have to hide it to keep him from asking for it. If he sees it, he wants it. This also applies to cough drops, he thinks they are candy. He'll climb onto the stools (he can get himself on them now), then on the counter just to get to them. He'll open one up, chew it for a few seconds and spit it right back out. I can't tell you how many half-chewed items have ended up in our hands. It is going to be a fight to get him to eat better, we just have to keep him out of the kitchen. That way, he won't be able to spot things he shouldn't have, I don't see that happening any time soon.

Up With The Rooster

This morning we had an early wake up call. It was Ollie at a bit before 5:30. This is a bit before my usual waking time, so I wasn't real with it. Tresa brought him into our room and we played while she got a shower. When she was done, I dressed him and got myself ready for the day. It was strange for him to be that awake that early. He wasn't crabby at all and bright eyed and bushy tailed. The thing that made it a bit more interesting is that he didn't actually fall asleep until after 9. He must have gotten one heck of a nap yesterday.

Unfortunately for Ollie I thought he was tired and ready for bed about 7:30. Off to bed he went. About 45 minutes later tresa went to cover him up and he was still awake. He was laying down, but not making any noise, so we had no idea he was awake. He got up and played for awhile longer before finally tuckering out. He didn't sleep long and was wide awake this morning. This version of Ollie is much more tolerable than Crabby Ollie. I hope we have more days like this.

Bed Time

The days of forcing Ollie to go to sleep seem to be coming to an end. At least the routine of forcing him to go to bed seems to be over. He knows when he is tired. We can tell when he is getting tired. We'll ask him if he is ready for a nap or to go to sleep. If we are upstairs and have the gate up in the living room, he'll take us by the hand to the gate and point in the direction of his room. He'll get changed and off to bed he goes without much fuss.

If he takes us to the gate and points downstairs, he usually wants a snack or to go downstairs. He usually loses this battle. He'll also asks for things like a 'snack' or 'choco mik'. Some things he knows by name and he recognizes more thing every day. Everything you say, he repeats the last 2 to 3 words you say. If you ask him if he wants a waffle for breakfast, he'll say 'wafful bekfast?'. He'll even ask for the syrup and get it out for you if you open the door for him. Still not strong or tall enough to open the fridge, thankfully or else we'd have 'chocolate', 'syrUP' and 'piece cheese' all over the floor.

This weekend went well for Ollie, other than the park. He didn't want to be in the sand, he didn't want to slide, he didn't want to swing. So, it was a quick 10 minute trip at the park and then we went home. I guess you can't be pleased with everything all the time. I'm sure next time he won't want to leave the park.

Crab in the Morning, Crab at Night

The sitter must get the good version of Ollie, because the last 2 days we have gotten the crabby rotten Ollie. These times have both been after he has woken, so maybe that has something to do with it. He was a crab when we got home yesterday. He took a nap in the car and woke up when we got home. From then until about 6:30, he did nothing but cry and scream because he wanted to be constantly held and didn't get what he wanted. His bath was even a quick cry fest. Once he was upstairs and distracted from the food in the kitchen, he was better. He also was able to tell his mama when he wanted to go to bed by pointing for his room when he was tired.

This morning, Mr. Crab was back, he got a waffle for breakfast, but didn't want to sit in his chair. Of course he was forced to sit in the chair to eat. He cried, screamed and fought us until he was stuck by his tray. Ollie then proceeded to cry, when his waffle was placed in front of him he threw a fit, when it was taken away, he threw a fit. Repeat same scenario with his milk. His food was eventually put on his tray to his dismay. He threw it on the floor, got swatted, same with the fork. After awhile he calmed down and stopped throwing his food long enough to eat. He ate all of his waffle and had some milk. It came time to go and he eagerly put his jacket on. He had a fine ride to the sitters and was excited to get out of his car seat. He started with the pouty face before I left him. He went and played with the other kids and I was a long gone thought. We are hoping he is better tonight.

Flushed

Prune juice does amazing things for Ollie's bowels. It kicked in last night with full force! He even woke himself up once because of it, he usually doesn't wake when that happens. He had one last night before bed, one while sleeping which woke him up and one this morning. Nasty!

He also woke up in the middle of the night for some other reason. He got to sleep in our bed for a few hours. At least until 2:30 when he rolled sideways and made our little family into a human H. At that point, I picked him up and put him back to bed in his own room. Dummy Daddy forgot to raise the bar on the bed though. He didn't stir, so I was lucky this time. We don't need another trip to the ER.

Mickey

Ollie likes Mickey and Mickey likes Ollie. He can recognize Mickey, Minnie, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, sometimes Eeyore and Mike (from Monsters, Inc.). He knows ducks, birds, frogs, dogs, cats, moo cow, horse and his favorite chickens. A Phone is a 'No' with a long O. Lego is eggo, waffle is wafful, juice - jooce and his favorite chocolate milk is something like chocate milk. Tons of other words and started 3 word sentences like "I see you". Of course, we always spot the "schoo bus" on the way to the sitters while Mickey sat in his chair at home.



Mickey and Ollie Share the Chair