just some tings.

chillax

these few days, the monster has been displaying more matured behaviour. behaviour that has led me to realize that he is growing up really quickly, with the things that he picks up.

a couple of weeks ago, I wrote that he would readily sleep in his cot when half-asleep, weaning himself from the need to have to nurse completely to sleep. for the past couple of days, he has moved to not having to nurse to sleep. he was fine with his afternoon naps, especially when it was Donald putting him to sleep in the carrier. however with bedtime, we would have some hiccups, usually requiring us to say to him “stop Oliver, it is bedtime” which he would then put his head down on our chest and allow us to pat him to sleep.

This whole “stop” thing came as a surprise. haha. it started when it took both of us nearly an hour to put an overtired Ollie to sleep one evening. He did not have his second nap so we decided to bring his bedtime forward by an hour, which obviously he would have none of that. Bah. I gave up halfway and told Donald to sort Ollie out. I had to just ignore the crying which I am not very good with. haha. About 15 minutes into it, it got quiet and then shortly after, Donald came out of Ollie’s room. He then said he told Ollie “stop” in a firm voice and he quieted down. Okaaay. Really? That’s it? Sure, let’s try that again next time.

And it worked for Ollie. Somehow, the monster understood and knew that we meant business. Hrm..we are on to something now. Haha.

I think I underestimate his comprehension capabilities. Really not trying to toot my horn here. In a lot of ways, I still treat him like a baby, rather than a toddler. From the way I carry him and put him to bed, to the way I hold him when nursing him, to the way he still gets to splash water in the plastic tub.

Recently, Donald and I went on a movie date, leaving him in the care of my mom and sister. We learnt that when we closed the door, Ollie had gone to the shoe rack to reach for his shoes and used his hands to sign for “where”, sorta asking where we were. We got home past Ollie’s bedtime and then heard that he had been signing for sleep and milk to my mom earlier when they were in his room. Haha. I mean, how cute is that!

His favourite game now is peekaboo, going “bah!” at almost any opportunity. At the sofa, he would bend his knees to lower himself behind the arm-rest before popping up to go “bah!” at whoever was at the sofa. His new buddy (sorry monkey) is Marcus and it is really heart warming to watch the two of them bonding. Marcus would rub himself against Ollie, sometimes a little too hard and Ollie would fall on his bum. Other times, Ollie would plop himself down in front of Marcus and pat him. Otherwise, the both of them would be following each other around the house.

Oliver’s super cheeky streak is emerging a lot more. When he gets told off for doing something, he would look down like he was sorry about what he did, and then in an attempt to diffuse the situation, he would look up and give you a cheeky grin, wrinkling his nose up. It has happened on numerous occasions now, including times when he is supposed to be nursing and with Donald. It is sooo hard to stay angry with him and in fact, both Donald and I had to refrain from laughing to maintain composure. Argh.

But he is growing. And perhaps he is letting us know in his little ways, and that we should start levelling up our parenting skills. Oh wait..I would mind him sleeping more hours throughout the night!! *hopeful!* Then again, when I said “Did he just so quickly climb up the sofa with that little space??”, Donald went, “here’s your ‘waking-up-every-two-hours'” referring to Ollie’s enhanced climbing capabilities. I learnt that whilst I was napping today, Ollie had levelled up again on his climbing skills (climbing even higher on the sofa, and now dangling his feet over the arm rest).

I need more eyes. Hah.