Bedtime Battles

This week Oliver started getting up out of his bed and coming downstairs after being put to bed. He is trying to challenge everything we say or do lately. Fun phase! Yesterday afternoon I resorted to locking myself in our bedroom in the hopes that if he didn't have me to play with and saw that I was taking a nap too, he would eventually go upstairs and fall asleep. It didn't work. This afternoon I put a baby gate up on his door so he could open the door, but not get out of his room and he bent the hinges to the door trying to get out. Tonight Dave is out at a friend's birthday party and I at home trying to get Oliver to stay in his room and go to sleep. A few minutes ago he came downstairs with a hat on that Dave and I got when hiking through the hill tribes in Northern Vietnam several years ago. He looked so adorable and I so wanted to snap a picture of him, but did my best to hold a straight, stern face. Then I went and locked myself in my bedroom again. Here I am writing in the blog.

Aside from being extremely difficult Oliver is also being extremely cute by really starting to follow conversations, understand more subtle meaning in them and mimic what mommy and daddy say. Tonight when Dave was telling Oliver he was going out to a friend's birthday party, but didn't want to go alone (I couldn't go because we still have no babysitter in San Carlos!), Oliver said "Oh, that's not good (he was feeling sorry for Dave)." Dave continued to explain that the reason he had to go alone was because Mommy had to stay home with Oliver and Caroline. Oliver, quickly catching on, then said, "Oh, you'll be okay Daddy." Later on the couch when we were all sitting together watching Dragon Tales, Dave and I were having a conversation and playing with Caroline and Oliver put his hand on Dave's shoulder and said, "Shhh, stop talking!"

Fall Happenings

How is it possible that a two year old can repeatedly get the best of me? At about 4:00 every day I just about lose it. And then he does something super cute like tell me I can't leave his room at bedtime because he loves me soooo much (or in his words, "my love you soooo much"). One minute I am ready to lock him in his room and head to the bar and the next minute I am so grateful to be home with him (and Caroline of course) every day and just want to sit on the floor reading stories and doing puzzles all day. It usually all starts when I put Caroline down for her afternoon nap only to have her woken up 20 minutes later by Oliver as I am trying to force him to take his nap (which he still desperately needs). I then end up with an exhausted Caroline who won't go back to sleep and a wired Oliver who now thinks he doesn't need to take a nap because his baby sister is up. Drama ensues.

We've been busy the past month getting adjusted to school (Oliver started preschool at Thistlegarten in Redwood City just after Labor Day) and Dave going back to work. I have no grounds for complaint after having Dave around for six weeks this summer, but nevertheless it was quite an adjustment being on my own again; mainly getting used to the afternoons and how it can get really lonely between 3-6pm. We started seeing our Thursday playgroup friends in the city again - the moms who I adore for their camaraderie. And took the kiddos on a camping trip to Memorial State Park off of Skyline Blvd near Pescadero with Joe and Angie (who are serious troupers for always hanging out with us and putting up with our crazy kiddos). Oliver absolutely loved camping and sleeping in the tent with mom, dad and Caroline. He was literally jumping around the tent bouncing off the walls shouting "hooray" when we first set it up. Dave and I haven't been out just the two of us since we got home in mid-August and are starting to go nuts...desperately looking for a babysitter (I've had several blow me off) in San Carlos if anyone knows one?!?! I thought the economy was in dire straits...where are these babysitters who need to make money?

Potty training is pretty much mastered though we still have accidents when we (meaning Oliver) want attention or get too distracted with whatever fun thing we are doing that we forget we have to go. Caroline is crawling, climbing the stairs and can walk pushing the Radio Flyer walker-wagon. Oliver is attacking her more and more as she gets into his business. She loves to hold on to a table or chair and bounce up and down bobbing her head furiously like she is dancing. It's hilarious. She smacks her lips and makes kissing sounds when she is eating her food and still screeches / barks at the big kids as they go by on their bikes. She says ma-ma (since mid-Sept) and da-da (since late Sept), still don't know how purposeful this is though. She got two more teeth bottom teeth, making that eight in total, around 9/24. Started waving at the end of September and clapped her hands for the first time on 10/10. Now you are all caught up on the Swain happenings!

Trials and Tribulations of Potty Training

This afternoon when Oliver woke up from his afternoon nap I went upstairs to discover him sleeping in bed without his diaper. He had decided he didn't like diapers anymore (since he now goes without them when awake) and didn't need one to sleep. Bad idea. His bed was completely saturated including his pillow and his t-shirt. So tonight I did my tenth load of laundry this week. Ahhh, the joys of being a stay at home mom.

Couple of funny recent "Oliverisms"...

- Last night as I was making a chicken salad for dinner

Oliver: Mommy, I want a real dinner.

Me: Oliver, this is a real dinner.

Oliver: No, I want a hot meal.

Me: What?!? (laughing!)

- A couple of days ago while Oliver was eating corn on the cob

Oliver: Mommy, my don't like hair in my mouth.

Big Kids

This morning we were outside in the front yard looking at our new plants and playing. Three "big" girls came riding by on their Razor scooters on their way to school. Oliver who had previously ditched his tricycle in the middle of the side walk tore off after them, got on his bike, and started peddling as fast as he could yelling "wait, wait!". So cute.

The last Friday night.

Not the last, but the last of a five week adventure that I've certainly been lucky to be a part of. Due to a generous paternity policy offered by Facebook and the state of California, I've been able to take Oliver to see his grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and great grandfather, and spend some memorable moments traversing around the northeast and our little piece of California. The words will miss all the laughs, screams and fearless jumps into new things, but I'll share a few.

Golf karts, go karts, lawn mowers, hoses, sprinklers, cliff jumping, pool jumping, learning how to swim, smores and camp fires, learning how to crawl, the first wrestling match in Caroline's crib, driving grandpa swain's yellow race car (and never getting out of it); motor boats and catching "BIG BASS" with grandpa and aunt kelly); Carloline's baptism and the rain, lawn mower rides with great grandpa; yoga with grandpa riggs which was followed by waking up doing yoga in bed; calls to the fire chief followed by rides in fire trucks; playing the guitar and piano with grandma riggs; attempting to become a pro golfer with two days of nine holes; diving for dogs (Caroline), and barking at everything she wants (kids on bikes, Oliver, animals... if she wants you, she'll lunge, shake her arms and bark like a wild woman); giving diapers to the little kids down the street; walks in Scottsville; BriHeidi's wedding party and Oliver's dance party; trips to the Menlo Park pool, Costanoa and Home Depot; summer barbeques in the back yard; making popsicles; 70 plants, eight yards of mulch, some really sore hands and a lot of fulfillment.

A few photos here. I've put a bunch of them on Facebook in this alblum.







Five weeks of traveling and giving our kids a chance to get to know the people and places that are such a large part of who Sarah and I are. All while watching Oliver and Caroline become best buds, and watching Caroline turn into a proud, determined and fearless little girl that chases after what she wants, smiles aggressively and shows her new teeth with a cross-eyed, chin up, squinting smile that could make anyone fall down.

Can't get much better. Now it's back to the easy part... work.

Quote of the Day

Oliver to Mom tonight as Mom is reading his bedtime story: "Mommy, you fixed my page with tape." (background - he had previously ripped out pages of his Curious George book)

Mommy: "Yes, Oliver, I fixed your book."

Oliver: "My so proud of you."

A recent family shot and a favorite of Dad and Oliver. Lots more summer photos to be posted soon.

Hose

Yesterday I went inside to get Oliver some water toys, leaving him outside to fill his water play table with the hose. When I came back outside, not more than 30 seconds later, he was about 10 feet from Caroline, who was hanging out on a towel on the grass, completely spraying her down. She could have cared less. That moment, before I ran screaming after him, was priceless.

We're on day 6 of potty training. So far so good. Only one accident in a very public place - right in the middle of the floor at a taqueria while we were eating burritos.