Sweet Dreams

The little man of the house slept like a rock last night. Not a peep, rumble or tumble to be heard. Needless to say it improved his demeanor this morning and he was back to his happy as a clam self.


Last night he didn't go to sleep very well though. For awhile now, Ollie has gone to bed nice and quietly. We'll lay him down on his back, put his blankets on him. He'll gesture for his 3rd blanket that he likes to snuggle with, after we hand it to him its lights out and he usually goes to sleep without a whimper. Last night he cried for about 20 minutes at full steam, but calmed down and went to sleep. He was one tired boy! I went in to cover him up and he was sprawled out in bed, dreaming away. I'm sure it was to plot his revenge against the cats for biting him. Of course, he's the one instigating the issue by smacking them. Unless he is hurt when the cat's bite him, he laughs. Because, you know, getting bit by a cat is funny! Some day, they'll learn to coexist peacefully, I hope.

Molar Number 4

Last night Ollie's fourth molar was causing him problems. So his lucky mom and I got to get up at 3:30 am for play time. We tried to put him back to sleep and gave him medicine to help with the pain, but he wasn't having any of going back to bed. Instead, we played and had an early breakfast of eggs, cereal and milk. While Ollie played he was crabby the entire time. He eventually got a nap on the way to the sitters. Hopefully he gets a good nap and comes back a happy camper.

As usual, Ollie had a busy weekend. After his short nap on Sunday (probably due to his teeth), we took Ollie to the park to try and rid him of his crabbiness. After swinging, sliding and going round and round on the tire swing we went and got ice cream. Unfortunately, we had to peel him off the swing to leave. He would permanently attach himself to one if he could. At Dairy Queen, Ollie got his first ice cream cone. We figured he was ready since the little booger stole my entire ice cream drumstick earlier in the weekend. Once he got to the cone, he was fine and a little messy as expected. He tried to suck the ice cream and got it all slobbery. He seemed to enjoy it and we'll probably have to get him his own of everything now. I guess that's all a part of growing up. I'm just waiting until he can get his own job!

Smile

Say Cheese!

Young Executive

The young executive must do many things to prepare for work. He must be prepared for whatever may come his way. He must have the information ready for presentation and he must look the part of a young executive. This includes the proper attire, proper hygiene and the proper hair style for the office.

The Young Executive Making Himself Look Good!

While the Young Executive is primping himself for work, there are many things this multi-tasker can be doing. For instance, he can make notes for his presentation, memorize the facts and make any necessary phone calls to verify the data.

The Young Executive Making Calls.

Even though the Young Executive does not operate the phone well, he can still make his calls. He will reach someone who has no idea what "hikiddy, icken ugh" means, but it will help the Young Executive along the way. Finally, the Young Executive will be headed to the office. He will be secure in his journey to the office in his 3-point harnessed seating in his automobile and will be ready to tackle the challenges of the working world.

The Young Executive Getting the Job Done!

Brave

No more shots until kindergarten for Ollie. He completed his last set yesterday. He was really good about them too. On the first shot, he didn't cry at all. The second, the nurse seemed to have stuck him harder and he cried for about 2 minutes at the most.

Ollie is now 32 inches tall and 25 lbs 7 oz. He is one long and lean machine. He is still gaining weight, but the height is going through the roof. I'm sure the weight would pack on too if he would stop taking the food out of his mouth and handing it back to us, half chewed! Yes, it is usually a pile of wet mush and after his drink he'll take it back and start eating it again!

According to the progress chart, Ollie should be able to point to his body parts. He knows where his head is because he keeps bumping it. When a bump occurs he pats his head. Next came the nose or should I say the nostril. When we ask Ollie to point to his nose, he shoves his fingers up it! So far no booger taste testing has occurred. He is working on his ears and eyes, but all of this is on his schedule and only when he feels like doing it. He's one busy boy.


Ollie exploring the caverns of a cabinet, before the shots

Weekend Wrap-up

A full weekend was had by Ollie. It consisted mainly of bumps, bruises and scrapes. While pulling him in his wagon, he stood up and leaned over the side. He went right out of the wagon onto the concrete head first again! I partially got a hand on him and think I slowed the fall a little bit, but he still ended up with a scraped forehead.

He also scraped up his knee while walking outside. His toe is still healing from when he fell (or something) and scraped skin off of it. It looks pretty nasty. Currently, Ollie is a walking scab. Tonight just for fun, he gets more shots from the doctors. I know we are horrible parents, he's already in pain and we are going to cause more by vaccinating him.

The Park Revisited

We took Ollie to the park on Monday night. We stopped and got KFC on the way. Ollie played on the table while we ate. Then he went to play on the swings. The boy loves being in the swing. You would think with a 1 year old that a small push would do, not for Ollie. He must go high and fast. We usually pull him up to about head height before we let him go and he laughs with delight. He never seems to get tired of it. Eventually we have to pull him out of the swing to go do something else.

Slides would have to be his second favorite park activity. He loves the closed in slides. He prefers the curved slides over the straight ones. Maybe it is because he gets pushed from side to side by the slide and doesn't go quiet as fast as the straight slide. Sometimes he loses his balance going down and comes out not sitting up (sometimes on his face), but he is still smiling. If he could he would probably stay at the park forever. The mean old parents just won't let him.

Molar Power

Two molars on the top have poked through for Ollie. The bottom two are still no shows. He is about to have a mouth full of teeth. This should enable him to eat giant slabs of cow, chicken and pig for his meals. Hot Dogs and Meatballs don't really count as eating solid meat. He has tried eating chicken nuggets and didn't do too bad with those. He just doesn't have the chomping ability that teeth bring, to tear into meat like a carnivore.

On the plus side, he seems to love vegetables and fruit. He is now able to eat a banana in its peel. He can't peel the banana itself, but he can eat it like a grown up monkey! Ollie seems to love his vegetables as well. He'll almost eat anything you put in front of him. This is good when you are trying to get rid of leftovers (especially macaroni), but not so good when he finds a piece of cat food on the floor. It is not a fun experience to stick your finger in a slobbery mouth to chase down cat food. Unfortunately, the little booger is fast, so this happens a bit more than we like. He also tries to eat the cat treats, but only after the cats have refused them. At least he gives them the first shot.

Drop, Flop and Kick

The last 2 days that I have picked Ollie up from the sitters, he has greeted me with the following body movements: Drop, Flop (turn over) and Kick. He first drops down into a ball, then flops himself onto his back and starts kicking his legs like he is riding a bike against the carpet. He'll lay keep doing that until I pick him up. I'm not sure what instigated it, but he sure enjoys his new routine.

He plays a game at home where he drops himself onto pillows or fluffed up blankets. Then he rolls around in them. He usually gets all tangled up in the blanket and then we have a ghost walking around bumping into things. He still isn't the most coordinated yet and falls quite often, so the blanket makes it more difficult to stay upright.

When he hops on the pillow, it is a bit different. He is still small enough to fit his whole body diagonally on the pillow. We pick him up in it and swish him back and forth like a washing machine would clothes. He loves being thrown around. He'll spin in the office chair until he is dizzy. I'll hold him like he is sitting and swing him as high as I can, until my arms fall off. He'll laugh and giggle while being thrown around. Maybe that is why he loves the park so much.

What is Black and Blue and Scratched All Over?

That would be our son. He has bruises and scratches everywhere. His head, arms and legs are the most common areas for them. They make him look like we don't give him a bath very often because his skin is in a constant state of healing. He bumps into things and falls all the time, so it is no surprise they are there. Unless it is a major boo-boo, he usually doesn't cry about it. He seems to be one tough boy.

The scratches usually come from the cats, who he constantly pets (pests). They will usually tolerate his nice petting for a few minutes, but they'll take their swipes at him when they get tired of being smacked. He's been bitten a few times, but they haven't drawn blood. He never gives up, even after he has been bitten. Sometimes they are smart enough to leave the room, but it doesn't happen often. The entire house is filled with stubborn people and animals. It's a wonder anything gets done.