Big Boy Bed

The last couple of nights Ollie has slept through the night in his toddler bed. I was beginning to think that he was going to be sleeping with us for quite awhile, but it is looking like that won't happen. I'm sure it didn't help that he was teething at the same time that we made the transition. He finally seems to be comfortable in his bed.



Next up is the potty. He still shows no interest in it and hasn't sat down on it unless he was fully clothed. We are hoping it will come soon and he can make that transition as well. Then we will only have 1 child to diaper for the next 2 years.

Eating Habits

You eat it, he wants his own to eat, even if he isn't hungry. He'll put it in his mouth and chew. Then he'll want a drink of something or he decides he doesn't want to eat it anymore. What does he do? Does he swallow? Does he spit it in the trash? NO! He lets it fall out of his mouth right where he is standing.



If you are lucky enough, you have enough time to grab something to catch it in before it leaves his mouth. If you aren't so lucky, you get to catch soggy, wet, chewed food in your hand. Not very appetizing and very frustrating for his dad. He repeats this constantly with Cheese and Hot Dogs. Makes for a very slimy hand. I'm hoping he grows out of this sooner than later. Until then, if you need a bite to eat, I'm sure Ollie will put some food in your hand soon enough.

Siblings

Since we have returned home, Ollie has ignored his sister for the most part. Occasionally, he'll ask to see her when she is sleeping. He has only wanted to hold her once in the past week, so I'm sure he doesn't think much of her. At least he thinks his toys are more interesting than Tori.

One of the few times together

Ollie spent most of the week at the sitters. He seemed to enjoy the time away. We didn't want him getting out of the habit of going to her house every day either. He seemed fine with the arrangement. The real test came during the weekend when we had both at home for the entire day. It wasn't too bad. He was his usual self, running and playing by himself, she mostly slept. Other than that, not much occurred. There were a few new questions asked, like where Dale and Darin were (they moved out). But overall, it wasn't a difficult weekend, I have a feeling those are to come.

Big Brother

So far Ollie seems to like his little sister. He likes having her around and hasn't tried to take her back to the hospital. He wanted to hold her when we visited her at the hospital. He likes the fact that she sits next to him in the car and asks about her when she isn't next to him. He's curious, but likes his toys just as much. So far he's been a really good big brother.

He didn't do to well with the separation from his mom while she was in the hospital. The first night he cried all the way home. He would then cry any time I would leave a room. The next day he was fine with it and asked if 'Momma hospital?'. We visited twice a day for about 3 hours at a time. Ollie got to drive her bed around as well as her tray. All the while he made engine noises. Vroom Vroom. He had had enough by Sunday night and he was ready to go.

Overall, he was pretty good about the whole situation and maybe he'll turn into a decent big brother. There is a link to pictures of Tori on her website if you want to see.

All Night Long

He did it! He slept all night long in his own bed! YEA! Now if only he would go for 2 nights in a row. Doubtful it will happen, but it just might. Now all he has to do is adjust to his sister invading his space tomorrow. Then Potty training! Should be a eventful year.

Daredevil Ollie & The Tractors

Friday night we took Ollie to the Teddy Bear making store to make one for his sister. He was more concerned with going to play on the tractors. Instead of looking at the animals and outfits to stuff, he kept trying to bolt for the door. He is still a carryable weight, so he got drug around the store with us. After purchasing a pink poodle wearing a pink dress and hat named Sally, we made our way to the play area within the outdoor mall.

The first few times we went to the play area, he was a bit tentative. He was intimidated by the other kids and the giant tractors. He wanted help climbing in them and playing on the 'dirt' with a bucket for a slide. Over time he became used to the area and the extra kids around. Last Friday he was all over everything. He climbed the tractors, the 'dirt' and slide and dump truck sand pit. At one point he led 3 other kids in stomping on the 'dirt'. He proved his timidness was gone by climbing onto the top of the cab of one of the tractors. He then tried to get off by going over the side. His legs weren't long enough, so he had to have help getting down. If he didn't it could've resulted in a bad fall. The additional help didn't deter him from returning to the top of the cab a few more times. He crawled through the tunnels and slid off the 'concrete' tubes. Up and down everything in his path.

Eventually, he started tiring from all the running, crawling and climbing. At one point he sat down and just watched the other kids play. We decided it was time to go when we saw him just standing and staring into space. He didn't put up much of a fight and even had enough energy to walk out to the car using his own legs. I wish I could say that all the activity caused him to sleep through the entire night in his own bed, but that has yet to happen. Maybe someday.

Water Boy

It has been extremely hot here lately and Ollie has wanted to be outside in it. We've been able to deter him from wanting to go out on occasion, but he wins the battle other times. He has been in a toddler pool and crawled down a slip-n-slide to cool off. He even managed to spray the kid next door with the hose intentionally.

Usually, he ends up dusty and dirty. Once out of the pool, he'll drag the grass in with him. It usually goes down the drain during his bath. He was so gross the other night the water turned a bit murky while taking his bath. He then proceeded to drink it! Of course, he thought it was a game and when I would try and stop him he would laugh. He probably ingested dirty water. Just don't tell the health department.

Once clean and dressed, he would want a snack. When you are a toddler, all snacks include making a mess of what you are eating. A couple of pairs of his pajamas are stained due to snacking incidents. Then there is the "I want a drink, so I'll spit the food out" fun. This is not his Dadda's favorite fun, it pretty much ticks him off, but boy is it funny to Ollie.

Eventually, he settles down, brushes his teeth and falls asleep in your arms. That seems to alleviate any anger from his prior transgressions during the day. I guess cuteness will do that to a parent.

Almost

Sleeping through the night almost in his own bed almost happened for Ollie. He woke up briefly at midnight, but went back to sleep while I tried to stay awake to return to our bed. He didn't wake up again until around 5 am. He then took a nap with us in our bed until it was time for him to get up.

His molars are still coming in and giving him problems. He grinds them in his sleep, which doesn't make for good sleep. I'm hoping that this is the cause of his restlessness and not his new bed.

Changing subjects:
Every time someone leaves, Ollie has to watch them from the downstairs window. He gets excited while watching them from the window. Apparently, watching people leave is fun.

Sister

Tori is scheduled to come into the world next Friday, June 17 th. Since we are not good at keeping up baby books and remembering milestone, I created this website for Ollie. I have also created a website for Tori the Squirmy Worm. The title refers to her being the busiest little baby in the womb. I'm sure her brother won't mind sharing the cyberspace, but may mind her invading his world. I'll post things about her specifically on her website, I'll put stuff for Ollie here. The shared experiences, I guess we'll see.

Late night

Swimming, crawling and playing with the hose was the big event for last night. Ollie was outside in the water until about 8 pm. Then he got in more water for his bath. He played with his aunt in an inflatable pool and a slip and slide. Ollie crawled down it, instead of trying to slide. He also helped fill the pool by splashing himself with the hose. He mostly ran up and down the hill in the back yard. We thought he had worn himself out.

We were wrong! He was up until almost 10 o'clock. He was having too much fun and was still hungry after all that activity. He had a bowl of cereal for a late snack because he wanted 'mawmawose'. The prince had to be fed by his Aunt, his parents weren't good enough for it last night. Once asleep, we moved him into his bed for the night.

This of course didn't last. He was in our bed by 3:30 and forced his mom to sleep on the couch. We are going to try a real bed for him next week. Maybe the extra space will be what he needs. That'll depend on when Tori comes too. We find out that out today. Ollie's baby sister will be here soon.

The Mice Will Play

Ollie is an avid rider. He rides his "bikes" every where in the house. He has multiple vehicles to ride as well. Tigger, Elmo Bike, Fire Engine, a tricycle and a whatever vehicle that is big enough to support his weight. He regularly rides a small green truck he should push around. He constantly has cargo with him as you can see below.


There is the ever present real keys in the ignition. There is also the mystery of the spatula while riding. He regularly flips up the seat to the truck and carries his cargo around the house. The tricycle has a bucket to carry things as well. The 50 cents we spent on the fire truck was a great purchase. Too bad it is the cause of a few toes being run over. He is definitely mobile on the vehicles. He has told us several times that he is going some where while riding his "bikes" outside. It'll be a long time before he goes on a trip on his own, but he is already planning them. I'm sure his "bikes" will get him there.

Cake

Here are a couple of pictures from Ollie's b-day last month. He started off sneaking a bite of frosting from his cake.



Once we cut up his Monsters, Inc. cake, he didn't want anything to do with it and hardly even touched it. We spent the next few hours outside playing instead.



Maybe next year he'll enjoy it more.

Summer Wagon Rides

Summer has come and the outdoor activity has exploded. Ollie is constantly asking to go outside. He also loves to play in the water, so he grabs the hose and tries to get us to turn it on every time we are outside. There are many other outside toys to play with, which distract him from the hose. There are also 2 kids next door that play with Ollie when he is out occasionally. Matthew is 3 months younger than Ollie, his brother Aaron is 6. Not too long ago they went on a wagon ride together.




This was a first for Ollie and Matthew, they weren't shy around each other and it gave Aaron something to do. Of course, Aaron had to ride with them.



They switched seats constantly and enjoyed many trips up and down our sidewalk. They've done other things together since then. Like make a royal mess out of each other with sidewalk chalk. They always golf and ride their bikes, then they torture the cats. It's all in a day of fun.

Nail and Hammer

In preparation for his sister's arrival, Ollie has decided to finish up some work around the house. He has windows to clean, fix the gutter guards and remove the unsightly cat tower his father built. He felt lucky that he got a bunch of tools for his birthday, because now he can get his jobs done while his parents eat bon-bon's in front of the TV. We are (EOP) Equal Opportunity Parents after all. He gets his 5 minutes of play time of day and the rest is work. Ollie go this gear ready for the weekend and tried it all on. Here he is ready to work.



Dog pajamas are necessary working clothes. The bare feet are optional. This was also the only time we got everything on him. Then the mutiny occurred and his parents are employed as the worker bees again. We'll just let Tori pick up his slack and it'll be back to eating bon-bon's for us.