7 Months Old!

Ollie is now 7 months old! This past month, he truly has had a lot thrown at him, and yet he met us at every challenge and surprised us with how adaptable he can be. Our little baby is really growing up into a great little man. :)

Ollie has started using his voice a lot more lately (his cousin Edie always seems to remind him how to use it), and so now he has taken to shrieking to get our attention, which is hilarious at times, but can interrupt a nice meal in a restaurant or scare the cats out of their wits. I told him he screams like a girl, but that doesn't seem to bother him. ;) He really has become a babbling brook. He opens and closes his mouth like a fish, and then starts, "baamaa...maaa...ba ba..ma"-ing. It's so cute. Sometimes he does a dramatic inhale first, which is hilarious.

Ollie's first crush, Selena Gomez, captures his attention no matter what he is doing. He will even stop nursing in order to watch her on TV. His favourite Selena Gomez video is her 'Love You Like a Love Song'. When he sees her, he smiles shyly and then gets all excited, flailing his little arms around, and making little happy sounds. It never fails, and it always makes us laugh. He is such a little flirt.

Here is a clip of him playing quietly with his toys until he hears Selena on the TV. :)

Nice Kitty!

Ollie really seems to love the pets, especially Nobi. I think he locks onto Nobi so much because Nobi is always around demanding attention, and isn't afraid to get in your face to get it. We have to be careful though, as Ollie almost rolled off the change table trying to reach out to grab Nobi. He is so adorable when he sees the pets though. He reaches out his little hands, while wriggling his fingers, just hoping to grab onto some soft fur. (It's gross when his hands are all slobbery though, as they get covered in loose fur!) :p



His eczema is making a comeback on his cheeks, ankles, arms and feet. We are doing our best to keep him out of the humidity, keeping in 100% cotton clothing, slathering him in lotion and making sure his baths are lukewarm.

Another skin issue is developing, and I think it's because he's allergic or intolerant to his cereals that I make with added water or formula. When I make the kind you add breastmilk to, we don't seem to have a problem, but otherwise, his face instantly turns blotchy and red and the food seems to stick in his throat, making him choke and breathe oddly. I wonder if it's because of the dry skim milk that is in that cereal? :( It is unfortunate, because I can't pump enough to keep up with his solid food demands, though nursing is still going well. Right now we are sticking with regular nursing and veggies. He is currently eating sweet potatoes and I think he's enjoying them. I'm glad he isn't have any negative reactions to those. Tonight we are going to pick up some carrots and try those tomorrow. Yum!

Nom nom Sweet Potatoes!

One of the big activities we threw at Ollie was taking him to his first concert! When I was pregnant, Chris and I went to see Dan Mangan in concert, so when we heard he was going to be performing at the Home County Folk Festival alongside other musicians, we knew we couldn't miss it! It was so neat to be able to bring Ollie, as it made everything come full circle. When Dan Mangan was done his set, we went up to meet him, and Dan just took Ollie right into his arms for the most perfect photo opportunity. He even joked about running for mayor, as he was shaking hands and kissing babies. :) Ollie couldn't stop staring and smiling at him, which was adorable. :) It was a great first concert experience.

Enjoy a clip of us dancing at the festival to a song performed by one of the musicians.

That same day we also went to the dog beach with Sawyer and Ollie. Ollie cried every time the waves lapped at his feet, but later on that evening, we went to my parent's house and he swam in the big pool for the first time with Daddy. He was initially scared, but slowly warmed up, and by the end of his swim, he was smiling, splashing and kicking his little chubby legs. What a big boy!

Enjoy Ollie's first swim in the pool!

Ollie's personality is really changing as he grows. He is becoming a happier and more social baby, and I think it is partly due to the fact that he is sitting so well on his own now. He seems more confident and independent and though he is still serious, he is starting to smile a little easier now. He even went shopping with Mommy and Daddy, and while I tried on clothes, he sat by himself on the store couch, smiling at the customers who stopped by to talk to him.

Ollie is loving his "big boy" toys too. His favourites are his new train and his new truck. He gets so excited that he just squeals and flaps his arms around with joy.

Here is Ollie playing with his truck!

Another busy weekend this summer for Ollie was a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa. We met up with his Auntie Elle, Uncle Kjartan and cousin Edie, as well as Kjartan's parents who were visiting from Norway. It was a long car ride, but Ollie stayed pretty content with us sitting in the back with him. He babbled and shrieked and played with his toys, but never really napped. When we got to Niagara, we went for lunch (Ollie sat in his mOmma chair), then to the Jackson Triggs winery for a tour, and then for a walk around the beautiful streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Ollie was excellent, until the ride home. By that point, he was so overtired, he went a little nuts. It was a great, but tiring day. Nursing in that kind of humidity while being on your feet all day is a little too much for me, but I do look forward to returning soon for another visit, though this time it might involve just sitting and relaxing by the water. ;)

Then the craziest weekend in Ollie's life came next. Ollie was the ring bearer in his Uncle Scotty's wedding!  The wedding was in Toronto, so we had to be there for the whole weekend, coming home Sunday afternoon.  It was Ollie's first time going to Toronto (and he JUST fell asleep as we drove past the CN Tower). He fussed a little on the ride up, but after pulling over so I could feed him, he calmed down and just complained occasionally  :) 

This was also Ollie's first time sleeping away from home, and in a hotel. Thank goodness we had a king sized bed, as all three of us ended up sleeping in it. Ollie slept really well through the night in that bed...I'm thinking he likes the idea of a 'big boy' bed. ;) 

Despite Ollie's shockingly amazing behavior, it was still a stressful experience, as babies really do complicate things, like eating dinner, getting ready, travelling between venues, packing, nursing during the wedding, etc. It's hard to plan how your day will go when they can be so unpredictable, and when I've never had to pack or plan for a day like this before, it was impossible to know how to! I guess we just got a little overwhelmed with the whole thing, as we wanted everything to run smoothly for the bride and groom, who had worked so hard to make their day perfect. I am just so thankful to my parents for helping us out, because without them, I don't think we could have done it. But yes, we did survive, and Ollie was a great little ring bearer in a beautiful wedding. I'm glad we were able to be a part of such a wonderful day, and though I was going a little bonkers, it was good to see how well Ollie can do outside of his comfort zone. Congrats to newlyweds Scott and Andrea! We are so happy for you two! <3

Ollie was adorable in his little tuxedo, but I think people loved his hip after-party look just as much! He wore a tuxedo onesie I made him, a pair of the cutest argyle leggings I've ever seen made by Benzie Bee and a moustache pacifier I made him specifically for the photo-booth they had set up outside for all the guests to pose in. (Best idea ever!) He was such a little hipster! :)

Mr. Moustache

Ollie loves playing 'Peek!' with his blanket, eating rice rusks, playing his musical instruments, especially the tambourine and the xylophone app on my iPad. My iPad ends up covered in slobber and gets smacked a bit, but it's too funny to watch, so I just keep my fingers crossed it won't get too damaged. :) He isn't too keen on trying to roll over very often, as he seems pretty content to just roll on his side and stay put, but I'm sure the day will come when he decides he's ready to go-go-go! :)

He seems to have more energy lately, and is bopping all over the place. He reaches for everything, from lamp shades to toys, to glasses and cold cups filled with ice cubes. He loves playing with ice cubes! He puts his feet in his mouth all the time, and laughs at us when we jump out at him or make sudden funny faces. We've also noticed that he has a really gross talent; flexible joints. :p Ollie has shown that he has inherited his father's bendy arm condition (yech!) that all of Chris' siblings have, courtesy of their mother. Ollie also seems to have very bendable feet and ankles. It makes my tummy turn. I just know he'll play up this talent one day, just like his father.

Here is a clip of him playing 'Peek!' with his blanket, and a clip of him being a blanket monster. :)




Here are some more random pictures of our growing boy. Enjoy!

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Week 35, A Trip To Toronto!

Week 35 was a great week for getting things done! I like to think of it as, "NURSERY WEEK", in which we got a lot of things accomplished for the baby's room. One of the greatest gifts we've gotten so far is from my cousin in Toronto, who has two lovely boys who sadly have outgrown their crib. When she heard we were expecting, she quickly offered her beautiful crib and change table top to us, which are made of such great quality, we never could have afforded them on our own. Also, the fact that it was so well loved means so much to me as well.

We went to Toronto the other week to pick up the crib (thank goodness we bought a Sante Fe), as well as any other "donations" from my cousin and her hubby that they were so generously offering. It was a bit of a drive, but we were so excited to finally arrange a visit with them, that time flew by. When we got there and she saw my tummy, she exclaimed, "Oh no! You are having a girl!" I guess she felt because of how my tummy is all out front instead of spreading wide, it was a girl, and well, all the things she had were for little boys. I assured her that we really had no idea what it was, and even if it was a girl, we are planning on having more than one baby, and well, I am so not opposed to my little one wearing something blue. :) We finally got to hang out with her little ones, who are way too cute! One of them was actually sitting in the closet when we arrived and didn't want to come out. It was so adorable. They really took to Chris, and kept him busy with games and toys while my cousin and I went through all the baby stuff. Later that night, we sat down to an amazing indian meal which was new to both of us. It was so yummy, and didn't cause me to have any heartburn! :D It's too bad that we are all so busy and live so far away from each other. We are just so thankful for all they have done for us, and cannot wait to go back and visit again, but this time with Muppet in tow.

The day before we went to Toronto, bright and early, my father and I went to go and check out a dresser I had seen on kijiji.ca. I was very concerned about matching the wood to the crib (which I could only vaguely remember since it'd been so long since I'd seen it).  I knew matching the wood would be difficult because the crib is such a natural, un-yellow colour, and most wood tends to take on a yellowish  tinge. Well, as soon as I saw the dresser I said, "You know, I think that is pretty darn close!" We picked it up (which was very difficult as it is huge and heavy and well, I'm pregnant and dad is a triple bypass survivor), but someone we got it onto the truck. After we brought the crib home and set it up, dad brought the dresser over in his truck and we held our breath to see how close the wood was. Would we have to paint the dresser? Buy a whole new one?.... Are you reading this in suspense right now?....

The colours matched PERFECTLY! I almost cried! We couldn't believe how exact they were, until I opened one of the dresser drawers and took out a little booklet. It turns out that the dresser is actually from the same company and line as our crib! How crazy is that?! I should have bought a lottery ticket that day. Needless to say, I am over the moon with happiness right now and couldn't be more pleased with how everything turned out. This nursery is quickly becoming my favourite room in the house, and all the pets agree with me too. Nobi sleeps on the change table, Neko sleeps in the crib and Sawyer sleeps on the decorative rug. It's a comfy room, and I'm sure Muppet will love it! We obviously have things to finish up in it, but we are well on our way! :D

I think I've also started nesting a bit again, as I am constantly wanting to clean and organize our house, as well as prepare meals for the future when baby is here. I have been cooking up chili and pasta sauce, as well as making attempts at baking, which if any of you know me, know is an almost impossible feat. After some ruined cookies, a "meh" cake and a few other sweets, I was successful with a deliciously moist batch of chocolate chip banana muffins! They were amazing! Now if only I knew how I made them, because by that attempt, I gave up measuring ingredients properly... :) Oh well, the baby won't be eating solids for a bit, so I have time to prefect my baking techniques. I'm also pretty sure I need one of those adorable KitchenAid mixers too... ;)

At 35 weeks, Muppet weighed as much as a honeydew melon, so at that point, I liked to picture Muppet as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew from The Muppet Show. :) Because of how big Muppet is, there isn't much room for crazy acrobatics, so it's mostly limited to shifting and stretching in my tummy. Apparently, my uterus is also now all the way up into my ribcage, which is crazy to think about, when you consider that it once was tucked up inside my pelvis. The things that your body can do, I tell you! :) I have noticed that my bladder is really getting touchy, as I have to pee all the time now, and any coughing or laughing fit can become a hazardous situation, sending me running to the bathroom, well, waddling anyways. Here is a photo of my tummy around 35 weeks pregnant. I think this photo explains why I have a bit of a swagger to my walk these days... ;)

My book choice this week is 'The Incredible Book Eating Boy' by Oliver Jeffers, though I have to say that any book by Oliver Jeffers is worth a read and a look, as the illustrations are so awesome and the story's are so unique! Basically, the book is about a young boy named Henry who loves books, but not the way most people love them. He loves to EAT them. He discovers that the more books he eats (math books, storybooks, dictionaries...it doesn't matter), the smarter he becomes, and so he sets off to become the smartest person in the world. Eventually, his little tummy cannot digest all of the books he's eaten, and so all of his acquired knowledge begins to become jumbled up and he starts making big mistakes. Henry realizes he must find a new way to become the smartest person in the world, but how? This book is super cute and clever, with the most textured and detailed illustrations for hip kids of all ages out there. If you like this book, make sure you check out the rest of his work, as they are all equally enjoyable! 

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