It has been a long time since I've written about Kaleb and Ollie, so I thought I'd share a few things here.
Back when I was in the midst of a posting streak here, I regularly wrote updates/ diaries on the kids. Kaleb had a good few posts written about him as I spoke about milestones, but then I dropped my streak and took a back seat for writing in general, so I didn't get a chance to write much about Ollie's early stages.
Kaleb
Now at the age of 3 and 1 month, he is flying along. As I have often said, it never ceases to amaze me just how fast they grow and pick up new things.
He is talking - a lot - (I'm told that he gets that from me), he is as curious as a kid can be, and it's great.
Yesterday, we went out for a walk while he rode his scooter along, and he started stopping at different spots to talk to ants and look for creepy crawlies.
I spotted a roll-up woodlice and picked it up and dropped it into his hand, and he was amazed by it. He's very gentle with animals, as well as bugs, which is great.
There's one spot we found a bunch of ants, and now every time we walk past it, he stops to see if they're out.
"Hello ants... Hey, where are you?" and he continues to look around. "Oh no, the ants are sleeping. Night night, ants. See you later."
In general, I think the development of language is fascinating. Seeing him go from a jumble of sounds and the odd word to full-blown sentences was amazing, and it's even cooler that he quickly picks up new words or phrases based on what we say.
"Ahh fuck sake." He said before. Which he either picked up from his mum or grandad. (I usually say for God's sake.)
When he started saying that, I could hardly contain my laughter. But we all did well to ignore him and not react, which stopped him from saying it.
The funny thing about it, though, is that he used it in the correct context. He dropped something on the floor one day and put his hand up to his forehead and said the forbidden phrase.
Oliver
Ollie, or Ollie-pop as Kaleb calls him. Is doing really well.
I have never seen a hungrier child. He could drink a bottle, have a bowl of dinner, a yoghurt for dessert, and as one of us brings in our dinner, he will instantly look up, drool, and repeatedly open and close his mouth. Which is Ollie's language for, feed me.
He is 9 months old now, but is nearly the same weight as Kaleb. (not literally, but he's getting there) He's an absolute tank of a child. Imagine a pint-sized doorman, and that's basically Ollie. Every time I walk into the room, I expect to hear, "nah, not tonight, mate."
If he is on the ground, he will find anything at all to grab to help himself stand up. His main obsession is Kaleb's old Bluey chair, which has led to a few falls and plenty of tears. It has become such a problem that we have to take the chair out of the room every time we let him down.
He has one tooth coming up at the moment, which I forgot about until he chomped on me.
Ollie is also incredibly smiley. Whether it's one of us or a complete stranger, he is always giggling and smiling. We've taken to calling him Jolly-Ollie for it, and I think the nickname may stick.
The Bros
Ollie is obsessed with Kaleb to the point of never wanting to leave his side or take his eyes off him.
Kaleb is a very caring older brother, but he likes to play by himself sometimes, or with either Aimee or me, without having Ollie tag along. Which is kind of sad to see, but understandable, as there is a bit of a gap between the two of them.
Ollie was trying to play with one of Kaleb's cars the other day, and Kaleb grabbed it back. "No, Ollie, the cars are for big boys, not for little boys."
But then, right after saying that, Kaleb ran over to Ollie's little toy box, pulled out a teddy, and came over to give it to him. "There you go, Ollie, you have your toy."
Parenthood is amazing. It's tiring, sometimes it can be frustrating, but all the time it is heart-warming.