The One Where We Have to Recap May 2011-September 2012

So, here's what you missed Fobian Family fans (at least the ones who aren't on Facebook!)...

In late spring of 2011, we found out we were pregnant with #2! Carmella Louise Fobian was born February 25th, 2012 after throwing the brakes on any and all activities that were to take place from November to her birth by trying to come three months early. After a lengthy hospital stay by Mom, and continued bed rest until delivery, she was delivered, a happy, healthy, full-term baby girl!

Here's a quick summary of some of our fun activities. You will notice that Ollie magically goes from baby to little boy in the time a Ferrari goes from 0-60. Last July we hit Sesame Place with the Johnsons in PA.

 

In September we got to go to Florida with Aunt Jade, G-Ma, and Papa and we hit Disney and Universal for Harry Potter!

 

 

 

Just as we were getting ready to board a plane to Seattle for Thanksgiving and the birth of our lovely niece Cora Jane, I was sent to the hospital after my routine check-up. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. After 1 1/2 months of scary baby growing bed-rest where they went from we have to take her out tonight to, oh wait, maybe the cultures aren't showing anything, I was sent home to spend the remainder of bed rest just before Christmas. Luckily my parents were still in town planning to travel back to Seattle with us and they were a bedrock of support during the time Rob was basically having to experience life as a single parent (on the upside, we now know he could do it if he had to!). Christmas was lots of loving relatives and friends crammed into our condo since I couldn't go anywhere! And it was still wonderful, but very, very different.

 

 

In February Carmella arrived, we eventually let my Mom go home, and I went back to work in May (luckily no one had forgotten who I was).

 

 

This July we hit Dutch Wonderland with the Johnsons and Ollie had a fabulous time on the rides! He is definitely a thrill seeker like his Dad, even trying the adult log flume with me after barely making the height requirement!

 

In September we went to Philly to see G-Ma and Papa and did the Adventure Aquarium, Please Touch Museum, and the Zoo. Then in the second week of September Ollie started preschool!

 

 

His vocabulary has skyrocketed and he's such a fun little boy. His best friend is Dumbo the Elephant. He is adept at iPad use, loves buses and cars and trucks and airplanes, loved watching the Olympics ("Ollie does that? Maybe someday!"), likes to show Carmella the ropes, and loves to dance to his "jams". He doesn't take more than one try to learn most things and loves everyone. He regularly asks to go see pretty much everyone he knows, as soon as he gets up in the morning. He describes things with multiple adjectives at a time--"wonderful, beautiful, spectacular, fantastic!". Carmella is showing all signs of becoming just as sociable a little person, with big grins and laughs around her drooly new teeth--and of course, her favorite entertainment is her big brother Ollie!

 

Hopefully we will do a better job of keeping up the blog from now on so the entries don't have to be quite as condensed. But at least we are back on the grid!

Ollie's Summer So Far...

Ollie here, reporting on my summer so far. It's been full of thrills and spills, including trips to the beach, the fair, picnics, and a few less than pleasant experiences like car sickness, banging my head on every hard surface I can find, and nursemaid's elbow (thankfully NOT a broken ulna). I have also discovered hilarious things like dancing while Daddy plays Guitar Hero and zerberting any place on Mommy that I can reach (she says I can't include pictures of this for some reason...go figure).

I have lots of trips this summer, so I thought I should get some of my latest pictures up before they become too much for Mommy to help me with!

Ollie's Spring Doings

I went to swim class and Mom took pictures of me and Dad in the pool! While normally I love my pool time, for reasons I don't care to remember, I wasn't too happy this time. Luckily, Mom caught some "in between my frowny faces" pictures.

Then I took Mom and Dad to the National Crime Victims Rights Week events, but I'm so fast now they only managed one non-blurry picture of me, so I've thrown in a fun candid of me teaching Dad how to be the Purple-faced monster baby for good measure.

Ollie's self-report

Here's a list of things I am doing. I must tell you these things because my Mommy cannot get herself together to blog about them and she may forget, because let's face it, I get more awesome and fun every day.
• I like to spin around. It is a really good time and you should try it. I usually fall down or crash into something afterward, but it is worth it.
• I like to try to walk backwards (see above about falling and crashing).
• I am trying to run. I tilt my little body forward and let it carry me faster and faster until oops, I'm on my face.
• Shoes are hard to walk in, but I'm improving. By the way, did I mention I learned to walk? This was mainly because I wanted to reach Aunt Jade more quickly.
• I like to run up and hug you and then run away so I can run up and hug you again, unless you are Daddy, and then I know you will try to capture me and I cleverly skirt around you.
• I am good at having my teeth brushed, however I look like a hillbilly anyway because I am taking iron supplements that turn my teeth black.
• I am very good at using a straw to drink out of cups.
• I can palm a cereal bowl, which freaks Mommy right out because it means my hands are getting so big.
• If I want someone to laugh at me I make my winkie or monkey faces.
• I like to hug other kids and/or use them to stand up.
• I like to slam doors even if I am stuck on the other side and can't open them back up.
• I am getting very good at listening when someone reads me a story.
• If you ask me where my nose is, I will show you my chin, or sometimes my tongue.
• I like to dip my face in water. I am indiscriminate about the water's source.
• I am almost 23 lbs and over 30 inches long.
• I have learned how to cover my own eyes for peekaboo and can wave (as featured at the end of Mommy's long and random video, to which there is a link below-Mommy says something about viewers ignoring the laundry that needs to be folded and the toys everywhere, but whatever).
• I had an ear infection that lasted through 3 rounds of antibiotics, but then I said enough's enough, and it went away.
• I had Mommy and Daddy rearrange my room. Okay, really Daddy did it, but Mommy planned it, and I provided supervision and ambiance.
• I discovered I am quite jealous if Mommy holds other babies, unless I can be down on the floor running around. But if I have to sit somewhere like a highchair and Mommy is going to hold a baby, it better be me (even if the babies are mad cute like my new friends Anni and Drew)!
Love,
Ollie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDKnQYf4YP8

The One That Has to Cover an Entire Quarter

Mommy has been extremely lax and has apparently confused the scheduling of her grantees' progress reports with my blog schedule. Therefore this will be an almost entirely picture post covering my playdates, my mad cruising skills, my Christmas activities, my visit to see the Johnsons in PA, and my fun time in the playroom at Beth Panza's birthday party!

I am doing lots of classes: swimming, music, and play & learn. I also survived a double ear infection and a haircut by Mommy!

Mommy promises to update the blog in a timely fashion after my 15-month check-up on Monday!

And as a grand finale, below is a brief video where I take my Dinosaur for a walk. Until I decide not to...