O L L I E

Ollie has been "grown-up sitting" Daddy (who is sick) for the past few days. He's so sweet...making "get well surprises" and asking his daddy what he needs to "be more cheerful," eager to share his favorite toys and show Daddy tricks. Ollie is into "sitting," at the moment...babysitting Indie often, as well as his doll, Celia. Ollie has an extensive bedtime routine with Celia, which includes completely disassembling her doll bed with tools (this astounds me)and then putting it back together(correctly), nursing her, singing to her, and rocking her in the dark. Ollie has also been super sweet with Indie recently. The two of them love cuddling together...and Ollie is being more tolerant when Indie "interrupts" Ollie's playtime. Today, I overheard Ollie saying to Indie, "No, Indie. That's dangerous for you. You could get hurt. Please don't play with my toys. You're a baby." At bedtime, Ollie has been ridiculously cuddly with me and his daddy, too. I love it...especially since I know it won't last forever. He likes his arms and face to be "tickled" and tries to "trap" me by wrapping his arms and legs around me when it's time to say good night.

Indie turned ten months old this week...and is already taking steps on his own!!! Ollie did not do this until his first birthday. (Of course, Ollie also broke his leg at about Indie's age, which I'm sure affected his development.) But, still...I'm not ready for Indie to be walking! He's so proud of himself. It's adorable. He also loves waving and, of course, clapping his hands. Indie is showing a big interest in books. Ollie always has...but it is nice to be able to read to both boys now. Indie has favorite parts in stories and laughs at the same pages evertime we read. It's hilarious. It's also fun to see that the boys have the same favorite stories. Indie adores "Little Gorilla" and "Safari Shapes," two of Ollie's favorite baby books, as well.

Ollie learned how to write his name this summer. This is a video from early September when he was still writing it "artistically," with letters all over the page. For the most part, now, he writes from left to right. :) (He's also got his "left" and "right" down pat.) I love this video because he just decides part-way through writing his name that he's had enough...and does his own thing.