Father/Son Bonding

Last Tuesday was Oliver's first swim class at the YMCA. We were so happy to find an activity that Adam is able to participate in. I think the timing is great that Oliver will have a special Daddy-activity.  Oliver had been excited for days, and was telling anyone that would listen that he has "swim class with Daddy". Adam & I knew that this would go either smashingly well or could be an epic fail. 

It sounds like overall class was a bit hit. Adam said Oliver fought a bit about getting into the water, and then, like a typical toddler, was mad when he had to get out of the pool! The class is for 13mo - 3yr and is geared towards kids that haven't spent much time in the water. Hopefully, after this 6 week class is over, Oliver will be comfortable enough in the pool, that they can move up to the 2-4yr old class where they do a bit more swim-like activities.   Here are the boys with their bookbags, ready to head off to the Y, which is just 6 blocks from our house. 

Park Photoshoot (Attempted)

On Tuesday, Oliver had class picture day at school.  We're all curious to see how they turn out since Oliver has a very cheesy, unphotogenic "smile" pose he does now.  We don't really have any great photos of him lately - he's always on the move, which makes for plenty of blurry photos.  He also wants to always "see pictures" when he sees my camera, which makes taking photos of him difficult.  Pauline mentioned that she didn't have a nice photo of the two of them, so we headed off to the Park after nap to see if we could get some good shots.  Nope - didn't happen!  But Oliver was very happy running around. 

And.... we STILL don't have a nice photo of Oliver with Pauline.  Although, I think this one is pretty hysterical.  He was just being a little nutty, not screaming/crying.

POTD: Reading Time

Here's Oliver reading to Ricardo this morning - so cute.  At any given time, we have 5 or 6 books that are in heavy rotation.  Oliver hears the stories so often that he has memorized some of the words/phrases from the story. It's so cute when he chimes in as I'm reading to him.

Splash Park Fun

Last week, Pauline & Oliver, along with another au pair/child went to Sisters City Park (a new park that opened up by our old apartment) to play in the splash park & fountains.  Oliver wasn't a big fan of getting wet, but had a good time.   Unfortunately, he's not terribly photogenic these days. 

Another Visit to Pop-pop & Grandma

Oliver sees Adam's family far more than the photographic evidence on the blog would suggest.  Last weekend they had Oliver on Friday, since Pauline was off on a weekend trip, and Adam went down after work on Friday and spent the better part of Saturday in Delaware, so I could get some rare solo/quiet time (of course, I got a bit stir crazy and ended up running errands instead of relaxing).

Oliver is still telling us stories about his adventures with Pop-pop, Grandma, Tammy, and Zoe!

These two photos crack me up for some reason - two very different career paths.  Farmer boy or Finance (following in his parent's footsteps).  As part of his visit, Oliver got to visit family friends that have a farm (tractor's always go over real big with this kid) and a local children's museum.

Big Milestone!

Yesterday we hit quite the milestone - first time on the potty!  Oliver was playing on the patio nudie and announced he had to go.  Our expectations were pretty low and as Adam was leading him inside I hollered that he'd get some M&Ms if he was successful (we are not beyond a little bribery/encouragement in this house).  Lo & behold, he did it!  A handful of times now he has asked to try the potty, but nothing really came of it - it seemed like curiosity more than anything else and this seemed no different.  He doesn't seem to care if he is in a dry diaper and doesn't show much interest in the toilet, so we weren't going to bother trying potty training until he was 2 1/2.  It probably helps that he is in a new class at daycare now that has a kiddie toilet and classmates that are already potty trained.  Fingers crossed this is just the start of some consistent toilet usage....   

Belated Memorial Day Recap

We had a very busy "last weekend in NJ before the babies come" over Memorial Day.  On Saturday, we were at the bungalow.  We had cleaning ladies come (torture for me to not help) and Adam & my cousin Brian picked up a much-needed couch and kitchen chairs from IKEA.  We are still in need of some furniture that my aunt is bringing up for us and the deck gets added soon, but otherwise we're in good shape!  Oliver constantly talks about the bungalow ("Drive the Jeep!  Throw rocks! Tennis courts! Swings!") and is always asking to go up there, so I hope that this season isn't completely lost adjusting to life with two infants.

On Sunday, we repeated last year's fun at my aunt & uncle's -- we can't thank them enough -- having us all over for the day/dinner is HIGH EFFORT!  The weather was great for water fun, although Oliver wanted to do nothing but sit on the John Deere tractor until we finally put it away.  The day had a little of everything - tractor rides, sprinkler fun, bubbles, frisbee, wading pool, and a delicious dinner.  I was so glad Adam was around this time too.  If we do it again next year, it will certainly be even more work, with three kids under 1 added to the mix! 

On Monday, Oliver & I spent the afternoon at Opa & Mormor's house with Nicole and Devon - where we had more water fun.  What an action-packed weekend!

The Whine Zone...

Yesterday after work, Oliver & I drove Adam out to Ardmore to pick up the minivan.  We stopped at the Farmers Market in Ardmore to grab some dinner and stretch our legs before coming home.  Oliver's dinner largely consisted of a string of snacks, including this smiley cookie - I assure you, only the cookie had a smile on its face on the way home.  We have entered "the Whine Zone".

Lately, Oliver has been a real treat to be around and Pauline & I are getting increasingly worried what he is going to be like when he has to share us with two little babies.  He literally wakes up whining - not a nice way to start your day.... at 6:20am no less!  What happened to those mornings when we would wake up to a little voice trying to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle"?  The phrase I say most often is "No whining!" or "Please say that without whining".  He's exhausting to be around! 

This is just a phase..... this is just a phase....