Ollie Update

Ollie is 17 months now, and it's been a while since I gave an update about him. He weighs in at about 22 lbs, is still blonde blonde blonde, and cruises all over the place.

He still loves fruit, and has recently started eating a little bit of meat. He never has really liked any kind of meat, so we didn't push it, but now he'll sometimes eat chicken or turkey. Some other things he loves, foodwise:

CHEESE

Vanilla Yogurt

Oatmeal

RAISINS

Eggs

Rice

Apple Cider

Ollie discovered trains over Thanksgiving when his cousins Peter, Marie, and Thomas came over, and we've had a train track set up almost constantly since. We play trains almost every day. We read a lot of books, and love to watch Little Bear while we eat our breakfast. He's also slightly obsessed with these two Sesame Street sing along videos we have. I have to limit the video watching time, because otherwise I think he'd watch it over and over again. He's figured out how to restart the movie on the DVD player after it ends...

Ollie also loves running around outside, especially with the dogs. It's been cold and wet here, so we haven't been outside as much as we like, but we're looking forward to warmer weather in South Carolina next month. We're giving Ollie a long overdue tricycle for Christmas, so I'm sure he's going to love riding that thing around outside.

Ollie is much better about being gentle with the animals, and as a result he gets to spend a little more time with the other animals besides Ruby (she was never particular about his gentility).He still shrieks when he sees animals on TV, on packages in the grocery store isles, or anywhere else. The other day we saw some horses pulling a buggy in downtown Harpers Ferry, and he was beside himself.

He still isn't talking much. He will say things from time to time (he asked us for cheese several times one day) but he doesn't say anything with particular regularity. He definitely understands everything we say though. We'll ask him to get things, or if he wants this or that, and he'll walk right over and get/do whatever it is.

He loves the Christmas lights around the neighborhood, on the tree, and in the hallway. I bet that for the next few years Christmas will just get more and more fun for him.

Ollie dances a lot, and makes us dance with him. He has a few toys that make music, and we listen to some kids albums, and he comes over and motions for us to pick him up, and then starts bobbing his head and waving his arms so we know we should be dancing too. It's really cute.

But then again, I think everything he does is cute! I think that's what being a mom is about.

He went to nursery at Church by himself on Sunday for the first time. My Dad took him in there the week before and stayed with him the whole time, and he did great. Usually kids don't go to nursery until they are 18 months, but they told us we could bring him in early to get him warmed up to the idea.

It was really good but really sad too for me to see him in there. Watching him playing with all the other kids, and sitting at the table eating snack like a big kid was kind of heart wrenching. But I'm glad that he's happy and comfortable enough to be in there alone. I went in to get him at the end of church, expecting for him to be excited to see me, but instead it was more of a "oh, it's you again," and he went back to his toy. (In his defense, he had a balloon, which is pretty cool.)

But it's good. He's just growing up. Poop. :)

There are so many other things I could say, but I'll leave it there. Ollie is one very sweet, very happy boy! Being his mom is the most wonderful blessing, and I love every minute of it. even the hard ones. I'm pretty sure Justin feels the same way.