Our Big Boy is 4 Months Old!

Ollie is now four months old, and he is changing so quickly into a little man instead of a little baby. Lately, every time I try to put him in a favourite outfit, I am shocked to see that it no longer fits, as he has become so long! All his cute pj's are too short in the leg! I'm pretty sure I crammed his poor toes in one of my favourite pairs, as I needed to see him in it one last time. *sniff* He is currently wearing size 6 months, and even wears some of his cousin's size 9 month pj's. How crazy is that? Very. He is also outgrowing his cradle, and sometimes gets his chubby legs and feet stuck in the side railing, which really scares the poor chap! We've been putting him in his "big boy" crib for naps, but I still can't bring myself to putting him in his room alone at night. I'm so concerned that he'll wake up not knowing where he is, and well, I will miss him terribly! Just the thought of him sleeping in another room makes me tear up. He's growing up too fast! :(

Oliver has taken to napping only once a day, but for long periods of time lately, and it's just not enough sleep for him. He seems to hate napping and will fight sleep with everything he's got. I'm not sure what it is, but the only way I've been getting him to sleep lately is by reverting back to rocking him in our rocking chair and making sure there is some form of constant sounds around him. He does not like silence. He sleeps best with the tv on (really low volume) and his sound machine set to 'summer night'. I'm going to have to buy him a CloudB Gentle Giraffe or Sleep Sheep, or maybe the Mimicking Monkey! They play soft, soothing sounds for babies, and are really cute. I think they'd be quite handy for when we go and visit family and are trying to get him to take a nap. :)

Ollie has become very vocal while feeding, which is pretty hilarious. He gets so excited to eat, that he actually squeals when he sees my boob. Sometimes, he acts so starved, that he just throws his head, with his mouth open, at my breast while yelling, "Gaaaaaahup!" It's too funny. :)

Ollie has been really going out of his comfort zone lately, by leaving the nest to visit family and friends in many different environments. He has gone with us to a few restaurants for family outings and birthday celebrations and has surprised us by remaining pretty calm. It helps that so many restaurants have televisions lining the walls. ;) Ollie just locks onto them and zones out of the noisy eateries, into his own world of moving shapes and colours. He has also been visiting Meme and Pepe's house, as well as Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sometimes he's okay, and then sometimes he gets overwhelmed and upset. I think he may just be a homebody who likes his quiet space so he can hear himself talk. He usually calms down when we lay him down in another room and sit with him, so maybe he's a bit of an introvert, or sensitive. He is still a baby. :)

Ollie's Uncle Scotty and Aunt Andrea came to visit from San Francisco this month, which makes this the second time they've ever seen him! Uncle Scotty entertained him and made him laugh for a solid 10 minutes one night. It was priceless! :) Oliver also got to go to his cousin Edie's 'Celebration of Life' ceremony and met Edie's Dad's side of the family: The Norwegians. They are a lovely bunch of people, very warm and friendly. :) We will be seeing them again soon at Scott and Andrea's wedding in July, which is also the next time we'll see Scott and Andrea! Crazy! :)

Oliver just celebrated his first Easter(s). The first one was at Grandma and Grandpa's where we hunted for Easter eggs around the house left by the Easter Bunny and flew kites outside in the fields behind the house. I got to fly the dragon kite, which is a beast! It took on the wind like a champ, and made me look like an expert flier. ;) Ollie got some cute clothes and a new 'Ollie' book too! I can't wait to read it to him!

The second Easter was at Meme and Pepe's house where we all laughed, ate and talked while getting licked by many foster dogs. :) We had so many desserts (mmmm!) after dinner, that I couldn't eat another bite! Ollie got some adorable outfits and his first pair of swim shorts! :D He also got a Cabbage Patch baby named Gulliver Huckleberry. Ollie really seems to like him. After all the excitement and change from his regular routines, Oliver was ready to go home and sleep. His first real sleep at home lasted for 8 hours straight! He must have been exhausted.

Here is a little video of Ollie's 1st Easter, created by his Daddy. Enjoy!

Oliver went for his second set of vaccinations yesterday, and this time we were better prepared. Well, sort of. While he was getting his baby physical, the nurse asked if we had given him any baby Tylenol yet. We hadn't, so Chris ran (very quickly) to the pharmacy below the clinic. We then gave him the medicine, right before he got his shots. We wanted to avoid the fever and pain he had last time, and kept our fingers crossed that he'd take it better this time around. Thankfully, it seems that he did! He cried when he got the needles in his chunky thighs, but not for very long, and he was quick to smile afterwards. I made sure to feed him soon after, which helped to calm him down as well. We gave him more medicine later in the evening, and he spent the rest of the day fever free, though a little tired. I'm so glad it went better this time, as I almost wanted to hide him from the doctor just to avoid the things we had to endure in the past. At the doctor's, he weighed 16 pounds and was measured at 26 inches in length! What a big guy!

The doctor feels that Ollie has eczema, making him break out in rashes and red bumps on his face, chest, head and in his armpits. It seems to flare up when he gets overwhelmed, stressed, changes in temperature, when he rubs his skin, certain fabrics and quite possibly from irritations like animals and dust. :( She thinks he may be slightly allergic to animals too, so we're trying to keep the cats off of his blankets and out of his crib. Other ways we're trying to avoid flare ups are by dressing him in 100% cotton, bathing him less frequently, using Cetaphil instead of all the nice smelling soaps and lotions, not over dressing him so he doesn't overheat, avoiding fragrances and by always holding him against his blankets when we hold him, so he doesn't rub against anything we are wearing. I have to keep putting on his gloves when he sleeps, so he doesn't scratch him skin, as that can make things worse and I try not to let any dogs lick him, which is hard because the dogs seem to think he's tasty. ;) I'm hoping we can keep it under control, and that he'll grow out of it, as it looks so itchy and irritating.  Another thing he's dealing with, though it isn't serious at all, is cradle cap. It looks like a bad case of dandruff. We tried treating it with olive oil, and that helped remove the flakes quite a bit, though we have to do it a few more times I think. At least this skin issue is just cosmetic, not irritating or sore.

As Ollie grows, I not only see a change in his appearance, but also in his understanding of the world around him, and the discovery of himself. Oliver has learned how to grab onto his toys, fingers, hair, pet's tails and his blankets and seems to want to taste everything. He just pulls everything to his mouth! He even uses one hand to grab the other, just to force it into his mouth! :) His favourite thing to do seems to be eating his entire fist or sucking on his blankies. Sometimes he prefers playing with his blankets over toys.  He is starting to want to roll over and grab things that are out of reach too. He loves when we change him so he can grab his toes and play with his bare feet. It is so cute! :) He is very ticklish, especially under his arms, around his neck and on his inner thighs. He laughs and squeals so loudly. Sometimes his temper gets the best of him and you can hear him just complaining and whining to himself. I tell him he'd be happier if he'd just sleep more, but you know kids, they never listen. ;) He has been drooling like crazy lately, which we have to watch out for, as it seems to make his rash worse. All that drool makes for some really loud raspberries though, which he enjoys doing. He also seems to be sucking on his lower lip a lot. I wonder if he's starting to teethe? He has also grown quite strong. He has a Tigger playmat that he adores, and in just a few weeks he has gone from timidly touching the dangling toys to taking whole swings at them. Sometimes he looks angry, as he becomes so focused and concentrates so hard on his actions. Enjoy a little clip of him playing!



Here is a short clip of him in his crib after he managed to wriggle into an entirely different position from where he was originally laying.

He really seems to enjoy going for walks in his stroller, which has been great for both of us! Just getting out of the house for a little exercise makes me feel so happy and free! I can see why women that have winter babies feel a little bit depressed during the early months. It isn't fun being all cooped up all the time! Bring on the sunshine! :)

He just loves his stroller! :D

He is such a joy to be around, and I find myself in awe of everything he does. I can't believe how much he's changed, or how much he's learned. They don't stay babies long...

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