Cute things Oliver Says

Oliver's names- 

Apple Jack = Uncle Jack

Oh-we-sha = Eliesha

Cereal= Tzurielle 

Donut = Jonah

Zoe-bee = Zoe

Sweet things

Stephen has been on a high since his birthday... Building salt-powered robots and magnetic vehicles, lego creations galore. 

Stephen poses with his "ultra-sonic raider" -- which probably took him 8 hours to build in two sittings. After he finished, just before bedtime, he declared "See! That didn't take very long!" Joe and I did not help him build this absurdly complicated Lego model that required TWO fat instruction books and SIX separate bags of Legos. 

Oh, so on to sweet things. 

 Sweet thing No. 1: Rocky has been praying at bedtime lately. He used to always demand that I pray over him, but now he'll do it on his own. His pray begins traditionally enough with "Thank-You God for my family..." then quickly becomes Rockam's retelling of all the things he may or may not have done or experienced or thought about that day. "for Nockam and Seeven and Aah-ver. For Mama and Dada aaaaand Fish-swim For Joshua's house and eating dinner and Wegos and Wego Star Wars and Wego Ninjagos.... and dolphins and fa-mingoes and octopuses."

There's always an assortment of wild animals thrown into this stream of consciousness. Anyway. I love the way he prays. I might have to make a "Thank You God" book for Rocky.

Sweet think No. 2: Stephen is still resistant to the idea of praying aloud at bedtime. But we do usually have a little chat before bed to discuss his high and low point. I've been knocked out with a horrible sinus headache for 5 days (feeling a little better today, as evidenced by the fact I'm finally blogging again) and so I didn't put the boys to bed for a while. After our "high point/low point" discussion, we had this conversation:

Stephen says to me, "Mom? Are you still sick?" 

Me: "I'm getting better."

Stephen: I wish I could catch all your germs.

Me: "Why would you want to do that?!" (thinking he wanted to stay home from school and play with aforementioned toys)

Stephen: "Cuz if I could catch all your germs then maybe you would feel better and not be sick anymore."

Me: (fighting back tears) Awww, bud, that's the nicest thing. But even if I gave you my germs, it doesn't mean I wouldn't be sick anymore. And I want you to be healthy."

Stephen: "Oh, OK."

Sweet thing No. 3: Oliver has finally decided drinking out of a sippy cup is indeed awesome.

Conversations

 

As I was getting out of the shower just now, I heard a lot of commotion outside the bathroom door.

Stephen: Rockam, you hide in your room and I'll hide in mine.
Rockam: OKaaay!

Stephen: Now close your door. All the way. Rockam! Can you close the door?

Rockam: No I don't want it

Stephen: Oh,Ok then let's hide from mommy

Rockam: OK (laughing)
Stephen: Here, you hide in the closet
Rockam: (raucous laughter)

Stephen: Rockam! Can you stop laughing?

Rockam: Bwahaa haaa haa-Noooo-hahahaha

Stephen: Ok. Rockam let's hide under the blanket.

Rockam: (giggle giggle)

Stephen: Get in here!

Rockam: (Giggle squeals) 

Both: Stifled laughter
Me: Now where did my boys go? Where could they be?

Rocky: I scary!
Stephen: Mom! Can you take a picture.
Me: I just did.
Stephen: Mom! Take a picture of me with a blanket on my head
Me: I did, honest.

Talking to the flag

So I heard this little voice shouting the pledge of allegiance at the top of his lungs, and looked on the front porch to find this:

"For liberty and justice for all... And God Bless America!!!"

When I asked him about it, he said, "I'm just talking, that's all."

Stephen the thinker

Lately Stephen has been saying some really cute things... On Saturday, I took him and Rockam to Aldi, and as I was unloading the shopping cart I noticed my bagged salads were squished beneath other items. I was fretting about my lettuce when Stephen tried to comfort me: "Mom, it will be ok. You'll still enjoy your lettuce, right?" 

"Yeah, Steve, it's really not that bad. I'll still be able to eat it."

"Yeah. Just like God still loves us even when we're naughty. It's just like that," my son says.

I laugh and say, "yep, just like that."

Then he starts laughing at himself his analogy, and says "that's kind of silly. God did that because He likes to laugh!"

Tonight he was talking about how he would have a wife when he grows up. Then he asked me if God would make his wife. "How does God make her head?" This was followed by a series of questions... How does God make her neck, shoulders, stomach, legs, hands, fingers, ankles, feet and toes! Then he lamented that he had to grow up before he could marry his wife. With that, Steve sits down on the kitchen floor, hugging his knees and says, "I'm NEVER going to have a wife!!!" And puts on this truly dejected look. 

When your five, I suppose adulthood does seem an eternity away! I bent down to comfort my son... Then joe calls him into the living room to Skype with nonna and papa. In typical Non Sequitur Stephen fashion he springs to his feet and shouts "nonna! Papa! I'm going to be a hamster!!!" And with that happy thought, all is well in the world again. 

Oliver Ephraim Parrino

 

Our third little man, Oliver Ephraim, born July 5th, 2013 at 11:15 a.m. at Madisonville Regional Medical Center. Here's one of his few "bright eyed" moments, as he's been quite fond of sleeping these first days of life. Oliver weighed in between Stephen and Rockam, at 6 lbs 15 oz. He was born a week early, by induction because of my gestational diabetes (which I didn't have with the previous pregnancies.) I made the choice to see a midwife but give birth in a hospital setting because of my age and one of those gut intuition feelings.

 

Here's the happy, dazed family after a long sleepless night :)

 

Most of you know I had my previous son, Rockam, at home. While, in many ways, that was a better experience than my first hospital birth with Stephen, I'm glad I took the hospital route for Oliver. I was able to control my diabetes with diet and monitoring my glucose four times daily... and my midwife was able to keep tabs on Oliver's progress with weekly ultrasounds during my third trimester. It felt excessive at times, but it was comforting to know he was alive and well each Friday morning at my appointments.

 

So, a big shout out for Baptist Health/Madisonville/Trover whatever you're inclined to call it. The birthing rooms are super nice...almost as nice as the uber nice nurses. There's a jet tub in the room, birthing balls to sit on, a pull out couch for spouses to sleep on. And the culture of friendliness and can-do attitudes across the board really make a woman feel loved during her most stressful, under-duress-full hours. I'll probably share more of my labor/delivery story in another post. There are pros and cons to each scenario, but I think this was probably my overall best experience.

 

I love Oliver's rosy lips in this photo.

 

My parents came to watch the boys while Joe and I were at the hospital. We stayed from 3:00 pm Thursday (when I started the process of getting ready for the induction) until around dinner time Saturday, so it was a quick stay. The boys hardly missed us since they had so much fun with their Grammy and Bupps, but they were pretty excited to meet their new little brother. Stephen's ambivalent look is what he does when he's trying not too seem *too* happy-- almost like he's embarrassed that he can't contain his joy. Rockam, though he looks a little unsure in this photo, was really quite enamored with Oliver. He wanted to hold him and was on the verge of a tantrum when the brief holding session was over.

 

In fact, Rockam kept wanting to give him unprompted kisses.

 

Stephen has been very protective of Oliver and contemplative about the expansion of his family. When Rockam gets too close, which is about every time he gets near baby bro, Stephen comes to tackle him and reprimand.

 

A warm fuzzy moment this morning as Joe and Stephen were getting ready for church-- Stephen came in our room while I was getting dressed and informed me he had some things to talk about with Oliver, who was semi-awake in the pack n play.

 

"Sure, Steve," I encouraged as Stephen walked up to the edge of the crib and met eyes with Oliver.

"Oliver, I have some things to tell you. I want to talk about Transformers. Transformers are things that transform into other things. We have Heatwave... and Hookbot... and Blades... and Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. This is our house. Someone that we don't know built it. And God made us. We were all in mommy's tummy, but we came out.... You're going to sleep in the crib that used to be Rockam's bed...."

 

Stephen chattered on in complete seriousness with his little brother, who was by now wide-eyed and trying to determine the source of the words of wisdom :) It was just the dearest thing ever, and I had to record it here for perpetuity.

Rockam's communication innovations

I was helping Stephen with something and I saw Rockam go into my office. He came out a moment later, having grabbed a diaper out of the diaper caddy I keep on the floor. He came up to me and swung the diaper around while making his characteristic "Hmmm! Hmmmph!" sound. Sure enough, he had made a big stinky and needed to be changed.

This morning, both boys had waffles for breakfast, as they often do. Stephen decided he only wanted a few bites of his waffle and then was off to play. Stephen eats at a little toddler table and Rockam watches him while he eats in his high chair. Rockam wolfed down his waffle and strawberries and began calling for me, "MMMMaaaaaaaa!"

When I arrived, Rockam had his arm outstretched and his little index finger pointing at the unfinished waffle. He was bobbing his arm up and down with a cross look on his face. I gave him the waffle and he grabbed it and smiled. "Jjguh-goo."

Brothers' conversation

In the next room, Stephen is building with megablocs and Rockam is watching on a blanket on the floor.

Rockam: Ggggg Gooo Gaaaaa Gggggg
Stephen: What are you saying, Wockam?
Rockam: Guuuuh, Gooo, Gggggg
Stephen: Serious-wee, Wockam, WHAT?!?

A couple of Munchisms

This morning, Stephen's first words to me were: "I wanna hug an OSTRICH."
Later in the morning, we were reading one of his many Richard Scarry books. Stephen observed that Lowly worm didn't have any hands. This was quite troubling to Stephen, who repeated "Wowly Worm doesn't have any HANDS!" about twenty times. Then he directs his conversation to Lowly, saying, "Hold on, Wowly. I'll be right back." "Here, Wowly, here's some hands," he says while giving some imaginary hands to Lowly on the page.

He's also been forlorn over the departure of my mom (Grammy) and Jellycat, seen in these photos as the frontcat to Stephen's band. Don't tell Steve, but JellyCat is actually hanging out in the closet until my mom comes back in three weeks to help me with No. 2.

Things I'll want to remember

I really don't get the term "Terrible Twos"-- Admittently, we're only a little less than halfway through Stephen's Twos. But other than the ocassional tantrum, which for Stephen usually consist of him sitting or lying down on the ground and refusing to do something, he's been so much fun. He says the funniest things, his creativity is coming out more and more each day, and he's relatively obedient.

This morning, Joe's Blackberry went off around 5:30. Stephen started to cry, so Joe went in to see if he could coax him back to sleep. Stephen says in an accusative tone: "I heard a PHONE!!!"

Later, when it really was an appropriate time to wake up -- 6:30 -- Stephen pops out of his bedroom and makes a beeline for the kitchen. I give him some milk and this puts him in a good mood. We say good-bye to Joe around 7:00 and Stephen catches a glimpse of the huge swarms of blackbirds that make our skies look like an Alfred Hitchcock movie this time of year. I hear him whimper in the other room.

Me: What's wrong, Stephen?
Stephen: I'm afraid of the BIRDS!
Me: Why are you afraid of them?
Stephen: They won't BITE me.
Me: No, they won't bite  you.

After eating breakfast and "helping" me wash dishes, Stephen entertains himself.
Stephen: I made a ROBOT!
Me: I like him.
Stephen: Yay! Yay for my ROBOT!

Pretty good, huh?

Doughy Dino has armpits

So, I've been delinquent again...

My excuse for not posting on the Daily Muchie is that I've started yet another blog: Emigurumi. It's where I've been documenting my new love of amigurumi, the Japanese fad of crocheted cute things.

But finally, per my mom's insistence, I'm back to Munchie documentation. He's been saying the darndest things lately. For example:

Yesterday I heard him scampering through the house murmuring, "Can I talk on my phone? Can I talk on my phone? Can I talk on my phone?" Each time, his question became more insistent as he got closer to where I was sitting. When he reached me, he said, "Mommy, I don't HAVE a phone!"

Last night, Joe was watching The Daily Show online and there was a video clip of the president. Stephen shouts out, "Hi, Barack OBAMA!!!" The kid is 27 months old.

Stephen loves to have "jam sessions" where I have to play his little ukelele while he drums with chopsticks on his fish xylophone or the bongos. He says, "Mommy is Pastor Brad. She play the GUITAR. I'm Ross. I'm playing the DRUMS."

Anyhow. He's quite the talker. I tried to get him to display some of his verbal skills in a video today. See the next post...