Three Months

Our little Ollie is a quarter of a year old today. How time flies! He's changed so much since he was born and I've loved seeing his little personality develop over this past month.

Some facts about our bitty three-month-old:

- Oliver loves to laugh. He especially loves when Taylor makes funny sounds or when Daddy talks gibberish to him. He has such a sweet little belly laugh that we never get tired of hearing.


- This baby is insanely ticklish. One little poke to the back of his neck, shoulders, armpits, belly, legs, or knees will make him squeal and roll onto his side laughing. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

- He's still growing like a weed and is almost in 6-9 month clothes now. Crazy! I tried to put a 3-6 month onesie on him the other day and I had to stretch it down so far to snap it that his little shoulders popped out the top. I can't believe how big he is!


- Ollie LOVES his softie blankie. I've never known such a new baby to be so attached to one blanket, but he sure is. All you have to do is lay his blanket on his belly and he immediately grabs a fistful of it, brings it up and buries his entire face in it. He loves being wrapped up warm and always has at least one hand on his blankie at all times.


- He gets up about 2-3 times at night. I couldn't tell you how long he actually sleeps because I co-sleep with him and I'm pretty much only half-awake when he gets up to nurse at night. Co-sleeping has been wonderful for us and has helped both me and the baby get a good night's sleep. He usually won't go to bed until around 10 or 11 but usually sleeps in until about 10 in the morning, so it's worth it.

- Oliver thinks his big brother is just the greatest person in the world. He's always watching Taylor play with such a longing expression on his face. I can tell he just wants to jump up and play with his brother so badly.


- He loves to take naps in the swing, which is nice because it gives me a bit of a break and I'm better able to get things done during the day.

- He loves hanging out with Daddy at night after big brother goes to bed. He sits on Sean's lap and watches tv with us, content to get in some snuggle time since he doesn't get to see Daddy very much right now.


- He's always babbling and cooing in his own little language to anyone who will listen. I'm not quite sure what he's trying to say, but it sure sounds important.

- He's getting close to rolling over from his back to his tummy. He gets super excited when I lay him on the floor and he immediately pulls his legs up so he's in a little ball and throws himself over on his side. A couple of times he almost made it all the way over to his tummy. I have a feeling that when he actually does roll all the way over it'll scare him to death.

I've loved spending so much time with my little Oliver. He's getting so big and I love watching him grow and develop every day. He's such a sweet little thing!

A sign of Spring...

I looked out our living room window yesterday morning and look what was peeking up through the soil:

Oh Spring, how I've missed thee!

Sick baby.

I suppose it was inevitable. Living in closed quarters with a three-year-old who coughs on everyone and wipes his nose on just about every surface in the house, the baby was bound to catch his sickness.

Up until yesterday Oliver just had a little bit of a runny nose, but then last night it hit him hard. He was crying inconsolably for hours, having crazy coughing fits that would make him throw up. His nose started running like crazy, making it hard for him to breathe and nurse. I think I probably got a combined 3-4 hours of sleep last night because Ollie would only sleep if I was standing and rocking him. Luckily my good friends Tylenol and Motrin have helped him catch some z's, but I'm afraid the next couple of days are going to be awful.

I hate when my babies are sick. I feel so helpless and sooo exhausted. Hopefully both little ones are back to full health soon.

Croup.

Taylor woke up yesterday morning complaining of a sore throat, but after a couple glasses of orange juice he said he was feeling better. By the afternoon he started coughing on and off, but it didn't sound too bad. I put him to bed last night and he seemed fine aside from being more tired than usual. Then about an hour later we heard it over the monitor - that icky, deep, seal-bark cough that can only mean one thing:

Croup.

Tay started crying and coughing harder and harder and by the time Sean got up to his room he had thrown up all over his bed. I called my mom to help me with the baby so Sean and I could help Taylor. Sean cleaned his room while I sat with him in the bathroom with a hot shower running to steam up the room. After his bed was cleaned up Sean ran to Walmart to pick up a humidifier, which ended up being quite the adventure; the storm that hit last night blew a transformer right next to the Lindon Walmart and it was closed, as was Rite Aid and Walgreens. He ended up having to go all the way to the University Parkway Walmart instead.

Anyhoo, while he was gone I took Tay from the steam out into the cold. I remember my parents always doing that for us when we had croup as kids. By the time Sean got home Taylor wasn't coughing as bad and was sooo ready to go back to bed. We set up the humidifier in his room and didn't hear a peep from him the rest of the night.

He's feeling okay this morning but still has that awful cough. I'm trying my hardest to get him to stay near the humidifier and far away from his baby brother. I'm so paranoid about Oliver getting sick, especially with all the recent outbreaks of RSV and Whooping Cough.

Hopefully Tay gets better soon. I hate when my little one isn't feeling well!

My Three Valentines

I'm one lucky girl. I've got not one, not two, but THREE sweet Valentines this year. They're all cute and amazing in their own ways, and I'm so thankful for these three men in my life.

My Chubby Valentine:

This chunker is such a sweet little thing. He smiles and laughs and coos at me all day, and at least once a day my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. He's been such a wonderful baby and I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to take care of him.

My Silly Valentine:

This little boy is the sunshine of my life. He has a crazy imagination and is always coming up with his own little observations about the world. He's a creator, an inventor, a scientist, and a comedian - all wrapped up in one cute, lanky package. He loves to play and explore and learn all he can about anything and everything. He's incredibly sweet and quick to forgive, and being around him makes me want to be a better person.

My Sweetheart:

I can never say it enough: this man is incredible. The love he has for me and for our family is so real and so strong that it's almost a physical presence in the room. He would do anything for those he loves and he has given up and sacrificed so much for me. He knows me and every little quirk I have, and loves me unconditionally. This is our 13th Valentines Day since we started dating (wow!), and I am still madly, deeply, head-over-heels in love with him. I just couldn't ask for a better partner. I love you sweetie!

To the rest of my friends and family:
I love you all and hope you have a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Super Bowl

Sean isn't much of a football fan, but I sure am! And lucky for me, my daddy's team is playing in the Super Bowl today! Hope you all enjoy the game, and here's who we'll be cheering for:

Two Months

Oliver is officially two months old as of yesterday. Part of me can't believe two months has already gone by, and the other part of me is relieved that they have. Don't get me wrong - I love my little munchkin to pieces; but a baby person I am not. This last month has been really difficult, but also really exciting. Not only did our little Ollie start smiling, he already started laughing and cooing at us. There's just nothing better than your little one smiling when they see you. I tried to upload a video of his little laugh but it's not working. I'll figure it out eventually. Maybe.

Oliver had his two-month checkup yesterday and the doctor was really surprised with how much he has grown. He certainly is a lot bigger than he was a month ago - he went from being our Itty Bitty to our Chunky Monkey. Here are his stats:

Height: 24.5 inches (92nd %tile)
Weight: 13 lbs, 13 oz (92nd %tile)
Head: 15.75 inches (52nd %tile)

Here are some more little facts about our Chunk:

- He is now in 6-month clothes and size 2 diapers. Yikes!


- He thinks his big brother is hilarious and smiles at him every time he sees him.

- He has a bunch of hair on the back of his head and over his ears, but practically none on top of his head.


- He laughs hysterically in his sleep.

- He's now sleeping 2-4 hours at a time at night.

- He still loves the Moby wrap (and so does Mommy!)


- He "yells" at me and pulls his feet up to his chest when I tickle him. It's so funny!

- He already has longer eyelashes than me.

- Like most babies he's constantly scratching up his face. He hates mittens so there's not much I can do about it except keep his bitty fingernails trimmed as best I can.

- He can already sit up in the Bumbo and support his head. I'm not sure if his neck is really strong or if all the flub just keeps his head propped up.


- He loves the mobile on his swing and will talk and laugh at it every time he sees it.

- He almost never spits up and he burps like his Aunt Kristi (if you've ever heard my sister belch you know how impressive that is).


- He's always really calm with Sean and loves to snuggle with him.

- He has rolls all the way down his thighs and arms. He's even got rolls in his armpits!


Even though I've had my fair share of emotional breakdowns and sleepless nights over the past month I've also had so much fun falling in love with my bitty munchkin. He's just the sweetest little thing!

I'm also very proud of Taylor. He's been so sweet with his baby brother! Now if we can just convince him that he doesn't have to get right up in the baby's face all the time we'll be good. He just loves Oliver so much and smothers him with hugs and kisses all day long.


Oh, and guess who also fits in the Bumbo? What a lanky little three-year-old I have!