Growing up quickly!

Hey there, Oli fans :)
The little man is not so little these days, as he has already grown another inch in the four months since his birthday! Not only that, but he can count to ten with hardly any help at all, and is very keen on singing the alphabet song, chiming in with 'H, I, J' when we sing it together. So, to celebrate his inner and outer growth, here are a few pictures we have taken lately that I think show just how quickly he is growing...

Showing off one of his dazzling creations; reluctantly at first...

There's that smile we all know and love!

Looking more relaxed now, big grin, showing off his impossible creation.

Reading one of his favourites: the Baby Touch Playbook. (Thanks Nana).

Showing off his new *Size 3* Pj's...(Thanks Grandma & Grandad.)

Our model wears 'Bart Simpson' Pyjama's. (Attitude and steely gaze: Models own.)

<3

Update...

I just wanted to let everyone know what the Olimonster has been up to lately, considering it's been nearly a month since my last post.

We've been going on a lot of outings lately, to the park and the library, as well as daily walks around the block to look for new and interesting stones to add to Oli's growing collection.
He had his first ever picnic lunch the other day - on a bench in the big adventure playground. The weather wasn't the best, but we didn't let the rain ruin our fun; we sat undercover with the barbecues and ate our sandwiches until the rain stopped.

We visit the library at least once a week, and he has an opportunity to run around and look at books and play with the other kids. He's a bit brash, but most kids have been fairly accepting of his insistence to read with them or join in their games. We borrow a lot of books and DVD's, we practically have to go back once a week because he wants to read each book every night before he goes to bed, and mummy needs a bit of variety.

Yesterday we went to see Eva at her new job at the cafe. Oli tried a babychino (ie cup full of foam) and played with some Lego.

He's definitely learning social skills and using them to win the heart of every shop keeper in the Market. (And score free grapes from some of them). His vocabulary is coming along nicely, and he can put two or three words together quite easily now. His favourites are 'Abby's Flying School' and 'Soccer Ball'.

And now, because I know it's what you're here to see, here are a few pictures of the young monster at play...

This is a boat, apparently. The coolest boat I've ever seen.

The mast is looking a little wobbly.

It's all in the expression of the demolitions expert: he's serious when it comes to destruction.

One last look at that face; until next time...

<3

Newest member of the Oli entourage

Since the loss of Melbourne Bear, there has been considerable shuffling of the toys at bedtime. Caterpillar was popular around the time Melbourne Bear disappeared, so I think he has been discarded due to association. We tried a couple of bears (along with long-time companion, Turtle) to see if they'd stick, and, although he is fond of Pooh Bear and Girl Bear, neither seem to be...right.
This week, I've started to see a new face in the entourage; Pippy. Pippy is a toy made lovingly by hand, especially for Oli, for his second birthday (by someone he calls 'Sona'). I've managed to snap a few pictures of Oli enjoying Pippy's company...

Getting animated while reading with his new friend

Chuckling together about the antics of 'The Cat in the Hat'

Oli, Pippy and Girl Bear at Bedtime

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Just a quick one...

I had to share these pics of the Olimonster walking in Daddy's shoes simply because they are cute covered in cute with cute filling:

Off to a bit of a rocky start...

Doing better, the shoes are facing the right way, at least...

That's our little man :)

<3

Painting

With all this lovely weather lately (we wont count Melbourne's worst storm in years with golf-ball sized hail), we've been looking for new activities. We recently managed to get our hands on a great deal of non-toxic poster paint (thanks freecycle!), and we decided it was time to get out the oversized paper (thanks to an engineer friend of ours for that too) and get a bit creative and, inevitably, messy.
(As a bonus, I thought I would throw in a few pictures at the bottom of the post which I think show just how much he's grown.) Have a happy Easter :)

Getting right into the action in the middle of the paper

Rainbow feet...

Adding some spots

Getting paint all over Slim Dog's tennis ball

Aerial view

Paintmonster!

Post-bath, looking over the final product

The artist with his work :)

Giggly little man...

Serious little boy...(definitely not a baby any more)

Cheese! - the classic Oli pose

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Goodbye Melbourne Bear

I have been putting off this post for a while now, because every time I try to write anything, I get a bit sad.
Last week, Melbourne Bear fell out of the pram on our travels to the shopping centre. Although we retraced our steps twice and spoke to lost and found at the shopping centre, we haven't managed to find him. Since Oli is rarely without him, he still asks for 'bear' at bedtime. Then, sadly, remembers what happened, and says 'Bear...gone.'
We hope that someone picked him up, and will love him as much as we did. Goodbye Melbourne Bear, we'll miss you...



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First Haircut!

Yes, that's right, the Olimonster had his very first haircut. He was very good, keeping very still for Daddy and babbling away. I had to take some pictures (the first time scissors have ever touched his hair - that's an occasion!), and we'll let you judge for yourself how it turned out. Just for the record, we think he looks very handsome.

Hair combed and wet, he waits for the first snip...

Looking a little dubious at first...

Dad carefully snips away...looking good already!

Voila! All done. It's nice to be able to see his face again :)

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