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Hey everybody! I'm 5 months old!
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Well, it seems our little guy is suddenly 5 months old. Crazy, right? How is it that it seemed like it took forever to get pregnant, and now that the baby is here, time has slipped through our fingers? It doesn't seem fair! I'm so thankful that I am able to stay home with him, so I can be there for every little moment and enjoy each stage of his life. They grow so fast.
So far Ollie has had a few episodes of night terrors and some wild separation anxiety. With his night terrors (which thankfully haven't happened in a while now), Ollie would "wake" up screaming in terror and confusion, with no way for us to calm him down. Since he was still in a sleep state, he'd be howling with his eyes wide open, just staring right through us as we tried to reassure him that he was safe. His body would be limp, and he just seemed so afraid that it was painful to watch. I guess the good thing is that he eventually fell asleep, and most likely since he was never really awake, he didn't have any recollection of the incident. He's had night terrors a few times, which I think came from him not getting enough sleep. After his worst episode he's been good, and has actually been napping and sleeping through the night better. So I hope it's behind us.
Ollie's separation anxiety has also been a difficult experience for us, as we never know when he'll blow. Sometimes he's fine being with other people, and then there are other times where he goes into a hysterical fit (very similar to his night terror fits) and nothing can calm him down. He can get so upset, that he ends up gagging and struggling for air, and usually the only way he calms down is to be in our arms. I find he does okay if he's able to spend time with everyone together before Chris and I leave, so I guess we have to make sure we have some good overlap time. I'm hoping this is something he will grow out of soon, as it makes it very hard for us to go out without him, even just for a quick visit to the grocery store.
One of Ollie's most recent outings, was going to an A.R.F. Ontario charity chili cook-off. The theme of the event was western, so we dressed Ollie up in some jeans and a cowboy shirt. Sadly, we did not have any boots, so I ended up making him a handkerchief and one for his horse Victoria. Victoria was given to Ollie when he was born at Victoria Hospital by the nurses, and he just loves her.
The food, decor and turnout was great, but unfortunately, Ollie was not in the mood. I think he was tired from not napping, and feeling a little overwhelmed by all the noise and people around him. He ended up having a bit of a melt down, and then when my mom went to hold him so I could relax, he just went wild, howling away as if he were in intense pain. It was a long night, and it became even longer, as he had the worst case of night terrors that night too. Maybe he didn't like wearing a pink bandana? (I thought it looked more cherry than pink...)
At the beginning of the month, Ollie was having a tough time sleeping, and I thought I was going to go crazy from the lack of sleep I was getting. He wasn't napping, he wasn't sleeping at night unless we were holding him, and we couldn't do anything about it. It was like we were going back in time instead of forward. I was so confused and frustrated by the situation, as I had hoped he would get better as time went on, not worse. We figured that a few things could have been the cause, either his second set of vaccinations, or maybe he was going through another growth spurt. Heck, maybe he was even teething! There were a few times that daddy really came to the rescue by taking Ollie downstairs so I could get a couple of sleep here and there. It was much appreciated. Once I heard him humming 'Children of the Light' to Ollie to try to get him to sleep. Even in my sleep deprived state, I found that humorous. :)
Now for a complete flip! The last few weeks, Ollie has been sleeping like a champ! *knock on wood* He has been napping pretty well, for a couple hours per nap, and sleeping through the night. When I say sleeping through the night, I don't mean 5-6 hours, I'm talking 9-10 hours! What a turn-around! It's been a mixed blessing I would say. On one hand, we are getting sleep, which is AMAZING! But, on the other hand, my boobs are crazy sore! That is too many hours for them to go unused. I'm hoping my milk production will slow down through the evening, since Ollie isn't feeding at night anymore. I guess if he decides he wants to eat at night again, my milk production will come back, so it might as well go for now. No one likes spoiled milk! ;)
We are thinking he is sleeping so well because....Ollie is now sleeping in his own room, in his own crib! He's such a big boy! We moved his crib under the window, and now that he can see out into the hallway, he goes down in his crib without much of a fuss at all! He seems to be comfy with all the room, and even when he wakes up, he just lays there quietly, sucking his fingers or talking to himself and his bumble bee mobile.
The first night he slept in his crib was a bit of an ordeal for me. The evening started off on the wrong foot because I was going out to a movie (first time since Ollie was born) with some lady friends and leaving him home with daddy. He hadn't napped that well during the day, and when he finally fell asleep, I realized it was time for him to eat before I left to go out. I was so torn! Do I wake him, feed him, and hope he falls back asleep, or leave him and hope he doesn't wake up until I'm home? Chris tried to reassure me that if Ollie woke up, he would feed him formula, but of course, I was worried as he hadn't had formula since his first weeks home from the hospital, before my milk came in. I didn't know what to do, and so I started crying and feeling like I couldn't go to the movies. Chris kept trying to calm me down, and after he promised he'd call if anything happened, I bravely went for my girl's night out. It was a great night! We watched Bridesmaids (hilarious!!) and I had my own bag of yummy popcorn. It had been so long, too long! Through the evening, I had only checked my phone a few times, and I resisted every urge to call Chris. Okay, I lied. I called him once. When I got home, I expected to see a wailing Oliver squirming on daddy's lap, but to my surprise, Chris was relaxing while Ollie slept! Apparently, he hadn't even woken up once! I gently nudged him awake to feed him, and then struggled with another issue. Do I put him back in the crib for the whole night, or in his cradle beside our bed? This was a very difficult decision for me, as we had been told that babies should sleep in their parent's room until they were 6 months, but at the same time, I saw how comfy Ollie was in his big-boy crib, instead of being crammed in his cradle. After much debate, I put him in his crib...and then I settled down on the floor beside it. :) Hey, he's still my baby! Since that night, Ollie has slept in his crib every night, and me? I've moved back to my bed. I do miss hearing all his little sounds, but I am amazed at how much I still hear even from down the hall. I swear I can almost hear him opening up his eyes sometimes! It's like my spidey-sense tingles or something!
We celebrated my first Mother's Day, and it was a wonderful day. We went out for breakfast with Chris' family and Ollie slept through most of the meal in his car seat. Then when we got home, he went down for a nap, giving mommy and daddy some much needed alone time. We watched a few of my favourite podcasts (nerdy, I know), and then headed into Strathroy to visit my family for dinner. We went out, and again, Ollie was quite well behaved! I'm thinking that must have been his gift to me. :) It was a fantastic day, and we felt so blessed to be able to spend it with the special mom's in our lives.
The other day, for the long weekend, we decided to go to the dog park with Ollie and Sawyer. Those two really are best buddies! :) The sun was shining, and the outdoors was calling, so we hopped in the car, and off we went! I carried Ollie around in our baby carrier for the first time. Since Ollie is still too young for sunblock, we shielded him from the sun with a light blanket and his cousin Alex's old sun hat. He looked both cute and serious, taking in everything as we walked around the park. He loves observing everything. You can actually see his mind ticking as he watches the world around him. He is one smart cookie.
After the dog park, we walked to the boardwalk by the river to see the ducks and geese. Sawyer's favourite! Ollie missed out though, as he had fallen fast asleep. It was a perfect afternoon! :D
Ollie is growing stronger everyday, and I find myself amazed and delighted by all the little things he does. He loves to screech at the top of his lungs when he plays, is upset, or is tired. I think he just loves to hear himself, and watch us jump in surprise. He laughs so heartily when we "eat" his belly, neck, thighs and feet. Often he laughs right into a high pitched squeal. It is my favourite sound ever!
Here is a clip of him and Sawyer hanging out!
He is putting everything in his mouth, especially his blanket and his linking rings. I'm so happy to see him finally figure out what to do with toys. It is neat to see him make all the little connections as he learns, things that we just do automatically, without thinking. He likes playing in his exersaucer, and can touch the ground now, without the pillow! He wears 6-9 month clothing mostly now, and size 3 diapers! What a big boy!
He loves making bubbles and raspberries. Once he starts, it's hard to stop him. He also enjoys sticking out his tongue and panting like a dog. Maybe he's been hanging around Sawyer a little too much! ;) He loves animals a bunch, and lights up and laughs whenever the cats or Sawyer walk by. Neko often rolls and lays with him on his play-mat, which he enjoys. We have figured out that he is allergic to dog saliva though, so we have to keep Saywer from licking Ollie's scrumptious fingers and toes. ;)
He is almost rolling over, his arms just gets in the way. He screeches away as he tries though, and often plants his face right into the ground, which muffles his screeches. He spends most of his day playing on his play-mat with his toys in the center of the room so he can see everything.
He is our favourite thing in the whole world. I love him so completely, which is both terrifying and amazing at the same time. He is our heartsong. <3
=^..^=
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!
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! :)
