5 Months Old!

Hey everybody! I'm 5 months old!

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

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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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