Go Bananas!

Tonight I took Truman to his first concert - The Wiggles Go Bananas! I was brave and we took the subway downtown and then walked to the Roger's Center. Truman was so good and held my hand the entire way. I could not believe Truman's grin when the Wiggles came on stage, I will remember his expression always. He was completely amazed!

Truman sat on my lap for the entire concert, he was not interested in getting up to dance with the other children. Even when Murray came down the aisle near our seats, Truman was not about to leave me to see him. When we got home Truman was able to recite for Jerry what he saw, who came out first, what songs they sang. I have a feeling this will not be our last Wiggles concert! Oh and BTW - I loved every minute of it!

I realized this weekend that I had not yet taken any nude photos of our youngest son! There were only a few I could post for the blog, the others were a little x-rated. Oliver loves to be naked (who doesn't)...luckily he didn't pee! Delish!

Our little Olie is no longer sleeping at night as well as he was a few weeks ago. I am not sure if he is going through another growth spurt, but he is now waking every three hours to eat where he was previously sleeping for up to six hours plus. As well, he generally prefers to sleep in my arms Miracle wrapped or not! I need to break him of this habit, but as Jerry keeps reminding me in a few years he won't want to sleep with me at all.

Three Months, Apple Picking and a Belated Thanksgiving Dinner

Little Olie recently turned three months! At his three month appointment he weighed in at 12lbs 8oz (44th percentile) and was 60 cm long (78th percentile). Jerry and I expected him to weigh more than Truman at this age, so we were surprised that Truman actually was heavier, although longer at three months. Oliver did very well with his round of shots, thank goodness. Only four more consecutive months to go!

Olie seems to be following in his brother's footsteps and spends a good portion of his waking hours talking. He has also found his hands and is enjoying chewing on them. Here comes the drool! OMG, I almost forgot how wet babies can be!

Last weekend we went apple picking with the Starkman's. Jake and Truman had a fabulous time riding on the flatbed and eating apples. I am sure a few of the apples Truman was eating came from the ground, yum! The weather was extremely cold, but that did not stop us from going again this past weekend. This time we went with Tina, Pat, Avery, Nanny and Oopa. Truman just adores his Oopa and was so excited to see him. Avery enjoyed watching the farm animals and was brave enough to go inside the pen and pet them. Truman preferred watching them from a safe distance. For a boy who loves animals, he sure does prefer admiring them from afar!

Truman has been saying some interesting things these days, one of his favourite lines is "Can we talk?". There are a few sayings that I prefer not to repeat....and Jerry and I are figuring out how to deal with it...he's not swearing, but he is saying a phrase which we know he doesn't understand the meaning, but that is not appropriate to say. Ahhh life with a preschooler.

While we were apple picking we picked up a pumpkin for Truman to decorate. This was the first time that Truman was able to draw two eyes, a nose, mouth and ears in the right place and correct shape. I was amazed. He was also drawing with his left hand, although he seems to interchange with both hands for different activities, so I am not certain he is a lefty.

This past weekend we had our annual family Thanksgiving dinner, although belated. Tina and I were amazed how stress-free we were this year, usually we are scrambling at the last moment and sending Jerry out for some last minute items. Truman loved the extra attention he was getting and somehow convinced Troy, Misty and Tina to draw with him. At one point Tina was looking up the requested animal on the Internet. I realized how bossy my little boy can be! Thanks again everyone for celebrating with us! Next year we may celebrate Thanksgiving in Pat and Tina's new home!

Giggles

Oliver in general is a serious and calm little fellow. He does enjoy to smile and especially giggle in delight. He seems to have just discovered his voice and loves to modulate it. I also believe he recognizes me, as he has difficulty taking his eyes off me at times. I don't mind! However, when I try to capture his smile he becomes so captivated by the camera the smile is replaced by a look of deep thinking.

The days and weeks seem to be flying by. We keep ourselves quite busy with Salsa Babies, Mommy Movies, meeting up with friends, and going for walks. Our social calendar is quite booked up lately. I am enjoying every minute of being with my youngest son.

Oliver is still a pretty good sleeper but of course when my dear husband goes away he decides to have some difficulty. I am hoping to hit the sack a little early tonight. Why do children seem to know when their parents are not home? Fingers crossed that tonight will be a better night and I can get some much needed sleep.

The biggest hurdle that Oliver and I are trying to overcome is breastfeeding, if you can believe we are still having problems almost 12 weeks in. I have resorted to pumping on one side to alleviate the pain and promote healing. Tomorrow we will attempt to latch again hopefully with some success. Regardless, we have an appointment with Dr. Newman in a few weeks. In the meantime, hopefully my repetitive strain injury subsides! All for my little boy!

I am trying to remember when "routine" sets in with the little ones. I can't quite remember when Truman had a nap/bedtime schedule. Oliver scheduled himself for bedtime and goes to sleep anytime between 7pm and 9pm. He usually only wakes up once at night for a quick feed and sleeps again until about 6am and is then up until we take Truman to school. I am sure we will start developing a schedule soon and I am not in any hurry.

Two Months and Two Weigh Ins

I desperately need for time to slow down, how is it possible that Oliver is now two months and Truman is three years old? Oliver is growing is so quickly and seems to have changed overnight. Where did my sleepy baby go? He has been spending more and more time alert, watching and taking everything in, a very observant child. Oliver has also been sleeping in longer chunks at night, at times giving me anywhere between six and eight hours of continuous sleep.

On Wednesday I took both boys to the doctor for their check ups. Truman is 36 lbs and 101 cm tall, which puts him at the 85th percentile for weight and 92nd for height. The doctor complemented Truman on his verbal skills and comprehension. She told me that she doesn't have conversations like she had with Truman with most three year olds. This doesn't surprise me. Truman has been saying the funniest things to us lately - like not to panic or he doesn't want us to disappoint him.

Oliver is 11lbs and 7oz and 60cm in length, so he is in the 53rd percentile for weight and 78th for length. I wonder if he will be on the taller side like his big brother? He did better than expected with his shots, the second needle Oliver was a little ticked off, I have never seen him so red!

Next week we are off to a specialist appointment to check on the boys' toes, they both have one toe on the same foot that curves inwards. We just want to make sure that there won't be any implcations in the future.

So whay have we been up to? We have been enjoying what we think will be the last few times in the pool. I can't believe how much Truman has improved over the summer. I am going to miss swimming and will be looking forward to hopefully a warmer summer next year.

On Wednesday we celebrated Wanda's birthday. It was grandma's wish to take Truman to Rainforest Cafe for her birthday dinner. Poor Truman got so frightened when there was a thunder storm, he was also convinced that the elephants were going to get him, so much so that he woke up in the middle of the night and told me the elephants were after him. Poor Truman.

Truman Turns Three

On Saturday Truman turned three. It is hard to believe that three years ago he joined our family and changed our lives in ways we never expected. He is such a sweet and spicy boy and is constantly keeping us on our toes. He has been demonstrating his leadership skills of late and enjoys telling others what to do and how to things should be done. Lucky for us, he has shown much love towards Oliver and is always offering to help Jerry and I.

So how did we celebrate our dear son's birthday? Thursday night I baked a cake for Truman's class at school only to find out that parents are only allowed to bring in ice cream (a little misunderstanding between the teacher and I). Because of this mix up, I was able to celebrate Truman's birthday with his class. I was so amazed at how well behaved all the children were and how well they respond to routine. We then had the cake Friday night and celebrated Truman's birthday with Nanny and Oopa.

Saturday morning we took the kids to the Science Centre and took Truman to his first movie. Since the movie was about sea animals we thought Truman would love it. He lasted about 25 minutes, which was about 20 minutes longer than I thought he would last. We will try again next year!

Saturday night Jerry and I took Truman to our favourite pizzeria, which now has become an annual event for Truman's birthday. Jerry and I love it because the service is quick and the food is tasty. This year Truman ate an entire cheese and green olive pizza. Looks like there will be no more sharing next year.

We had a little party planned for Truman today, but he woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and was very lethargic all morning. We cancelled today's festivities and will be postponing the event until next weekend. Although, we still asked our families to come for lunch and a mini celebration. Take a look at the cake Tina made for Truman. I think this is the best cake to date and Truman loved it. We are saving the cake for next weekend so the kids can enjoy it! Tina, you outdid yourself again. A big THANK YOU!!!

On Thursday, Jerry took the day off work and we took the kids to Centreville for some fun. The Silver's joined us as well. Mac and Truman had so much fun on the rides. Our complicated son was afraid of the swans, but could not wait to go on the Ferris wheel.

A very happy third birthday to my dear son, we love you very much!

I Like 'Em Big, I Like 'Em Chunkey

OK well not quite...Oliver had his one month appointment yesterday and he is continuing to gain weight, yippee! He weighed in at 4.44 kg (9 lbs and 14 oz). He is 55 cm in length. So this puts him at the 50 percentile for both height and weight. I figured he was close to 1o lbs as his newborn diapers are starting to get a little snug on him. However, since he was such a big baby at birth I also expected a higher percentile for weight. We have time to catch up. Truman was in low percentiles for weight as well until about 2 years, if I am recalling correctly.

Life with a newborn so far has been pretty good. A much different experience this time than last and we as a family have adjusted quite quickly and are enjoying the new addition. Truman has only just started acting out for attention (having a few accidents and tantrums to vie for my attention). I am hoping this soon will pass. I have been trying as much as I can to spend some alone time with Truman. I hope this will help him through this transition period.

I am still having a hard time believing that a month has already passed since Oliver joined our lives. The time already is going too quickly. I am spending my days getting to know him better. We went to our first movie together on Monday and saw Julie & Julia. Oliver behaved so well that I had to wake him up to feed him, which meant stripping him down before he made a peep.

Bicycles and Soccer Balls

The last two weeks have been eventful in the Topolski household. Of course we had a new addition to the family, or endearing Oliver. Jerry took the last few weeks off to be with me and the baby and it was really nice having the company. On Friday, Ania returned from camp and will be staying with us for the next month. I will be happy to have the company.

My sweet first born started soccer two weeks ago. I was a little trepidatious as he was not interested in the sportball class we singed him up for last spring. But for whatever reason he seems to like soccer. He loves running and likes to overtake the other kids. He is also a good foot taller than the other children in his class. This past weekend Pat and Avery came to watch the Tman in action. I am sure Avery is ready to join him any day now!

We also put training wheels on Truman's bike and tired teaching him how to ride it. He also really seemed to like it and hopefully we will take him out a few more times this week so that he can get the hang of it.

Truman last weekend was helping his dad clean the pool and he must have been helping him for a good half hour. I was so worried and was hoping that Jerry would put on his life jacket. Next thing I hear is two large splashes, Truman had fallen in the pool and Jerry jumped in to catch him. I was expecting a lot of tears, instead Truman exclaimed to us that he wanted to go swimming. The fall did not invoke any fear. Jerry and I have made a deal that from now on he will wear his life jacket when near the pool.

Welcome Oliver!

Jerry, Truman and I welcomed Oliver Henri Topolski into the world on Saturday July 11th at 11:05am. Oliver weighed a delicate 9 lbs 5oz. Both Olie and I are doing well and were discharged from the hospital yesterday afternoon. We are happy to be at home!

Truman is adjusting well to his little brother and is very concerned when he is crying. Yesterday at dinner Truman thought that Olie should be eating dinner with us too. I tried to explain to him that Oliver only drinks milk right now, but Truman wasn't buying it! Hopefully Truman will continue to be sweet with his brother, a mother can hope.

So far Oliver is eating and sleeping well and hopefully he will continue to do both! My fingers are crossed. Second time parenthood definitely feels different and I am not sure if is because Oliver is different, or Jerry and I are different parents having experienced all of this before. Regardless, I am so happy and so in love with my new son!

Potty Time

Jerry and I decided we should try to start potty training Truman before the next little bundle arrives. We spent part of one weekend at home and only let Truman wear underwear. We had accident after accident and we were feeling defeated. Less than a few weeks later we are fully potty trained (well at least at home). Truman has woken up with a dry diaper every morning for almost two weeks. Today we were out and about and he held his pee for 3 1/2 hours until we got home (he refused to pee on a public toilet!). I am so proud. Everyone told me that it would happen when he was ready and it is so true!

This morning, Tina and I brought our boys to get some photos taken and I think by the end of the session (which wasn't that long) we both were completely stressed out...but not stressed out enough, since we decided to take them to lunch. I have to say both kids were well behaved, it was just the last few minutes when things started to get a little wild!

Today was also the first day of my maternity leave...our new addition arrives in 12 days, I can't believe it. This will probably be my last post until then. I am planning to spend the next week and a half as selfishly as I can. I am looking forward to spending time with myself, Jerry and Truman and make the most of these few days together. However, I am also counting down the days to meet our new baby!

Avery's First Birthday

On Thursday my sweet nephew turned one and this afternoon we celebrated this wonderful milestone. It is hard to believe one year ago I was racing to the hospital to get a glimpse of this beautiful boy. What I can tell already about Av is that he will be the athletic boy in the family and is very social (much like his older cousin). Avery just loves to play with balls, he can entertain himself by throwing, kicking or chasing after them.

Tina, as you can imagine outdid herself in the food department. There was a delicious array of sandwiches and the most amazing birthday cake. The birthday cake was based on lucky charms...rice cereal cake, vanilla bean icing and marshmellow fondant. All shaped in blocks with Avery's favourite things made out of sugar.

Avery, we are looking forward to celebrating more birthday's with you and can't wait to continue to watch each stage of your development. I especially can't wait to see what kind of trouble you and Truman are going to get yourselves into.

Happy First Birthday Avery!!

I debated putting the next picture on the blog...my big pregnant self. Who wants to publish these pictures? But, I thought I would document it, as I am sure one day I will want to look back and see my pregnant self. One month today until we see our new little one! OMG!

I wanted to add this one picture of Truman - I think he looks much older than a three year boy. I can't believe how tall he is and how much he is growing and developing lately. We attempted toilet training this weekend and had plenty of accidents yesterday. But, to our surprise as we were leaving the house this afternoon Truman asked to go pee and did so in the toilet. I can't tell you how proud Jerry and I are of him. Later tonight when we were at Grandma and David's he asked to go again...and although we were too late, I was happy that he was letting us know. Maybe we are on our way?

Other than that, Truman is asking "why" in regards to absolutely EVERYTHING. I now have to think very quickly on my feet to come up with a good answer. I love the curiosity!

Happy Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! We started our Mother's Day/Birthday celebrations yesterday with Wanda, David and Baba at the Old Mill. Baba had suggested taking David and I for our birthdays and since it happened to follow on Mother's Day weekend we celebrated both. Lunch was smack in the middle of Truman's normal nap time, but he was very well behaved. We were sure that he would have fallen asleep on the car ride home, but surprisingly he stayed awake and went for a nap as soon as we got home.

This morning Jerry and I went for a walk before I went to pick up Truman from Wanda's and Jerry went into work. I couldn't wait to pick Truman up and I really missed him last night. He has slept over night many times at his grandmother's, but for some reason I could not wait to see him. We spent the rest of the morning at Wanda's relaxing.

Later this afternoon, my family came over to celebrate Mother's Day. Tina and I made dinner and Tina made a spectacular dessert (a duo of strudels). We also celebrated Pat's birthday - Happy Birthday Pat!!!

I love watching Truman and Avery interact...Truman, Pat and Avery were busy putting together puzzles. Avery was so sweet and kept handing puzzle pieces to Truman. These two boys I can only imagine are going to cause some trouble together in a few years. I also can't believe how well Avery can walk, he is so stable on two feet. It is so adorable!

Here's wishing all moms a very Happy Mother's Day!!!

Easter Weekend

The Topolski Family had another busy weekend! Friday morning Truman and I headed over to Pat, Tina and Avery's new condo. We stopped to first pick up our favourite pastries from Ma Maison. After we finished our treats, we took a much needed walk in High Park. While we were in High Park we decided to visit the zoo and Truman loved it. Later in the day he talked about the Yaks and Bison he saw. He is very interested in animals and we will have to take him to the Toronto Zoo soon for a visit.

Friday evening we went to Wanda and David's for dinner as Aunt Lilly came to visit us from NYC. Truman did not make a good impression as he had a hard time going down for a nap earlier, and was a little rambunctious to say the least. Combine that with some ice cream and you have a recipe for disaster. But to our benefit Truman slept in a little! Luckily we saw Lilly several times over the weekend so Truman could redeem himself!

On Saturday morning Truman, Jerry and I attended the first annual Wanless Park Easter Egg Hunt hosted by our good friend and neighbour Rebecca. There were about 18 children in attendance. My dear husband, the good sport he is, agreed to be the Easter Bunny. To my amazement Truman was excited to see the Easter Bunny and did not hesitate to greet him and give him a big hug. Needless to say the Easter Egg Hunt was a success and I hope that next year will be as successful. Plus, there will be another Topolski running around trying to gather eggs!

Today we headed over to Nanny and Oopa's for Easter Dinner. We were joined by Pat, Tina, Avery and Misty. Both kids seemed to be having fun interacting at least a little bit together. Tina made an amazing cheesecake plus added her magic touch to many of the dishes. I was so full from all of the food and probably should have gone for a walk.



I have noticed a few changes in Truman over the last several weeks. Truman has become more independent and has been enjoying playing on his own. On Wednesday when we were at Wanda's for Passover, Truman watched TV in the basement by himself. He is also losing interest in sleeping in the crib. He has spent several nights sleeping in the big boy bed in the spare room. Jerry and I will have to get moving and buy Truman a much needed bed. He loves to ask "Mommy, can I help you?" and "Mommy can I do this?". However, my favourite new phrase of Truman's is "Mommy, I need a cookie to make me feel better". So sweet, yet so manipulative!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter!

Return From Paradise

The Topolski family returned from a fabulous two week vacation from the beautiful island of St. Lucia. It was simply paradise. St. Lucia is very different from other islands I have visited it has a very Caribbean vibe as compared to St. Martin , which is has a more European feel. To get to our villa from the airport we had to drive up through the mountains and through a rain forest. We saw many banana plantations and beautiful beaches. The drive took about 2 hours and we were anxious to get to our destination. Luckily Chris brought cool beverages for us to enjoy.

Jerry, Truman, Wanda, David and I stayed with Chris, Ivona, Ania, Paul and Dominic at their beautiful ocean front villa in beautiful Cap Estates. This is the view from our room....we were able to see the island of Martinique and in the evening we would watch the cruise ships travelling to their next destination. We woke every morning and feel asleep every night to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

Below is a picture of us on our last day as we were leaving to head to the airport. I only wish we were able to stay a little longer.

One Sunday the family piled into the van and travelled to the Pitons which are two amazing volcanic plugs in St. Lucia. We visited the hot sulfur springs and volcano and then went for a local St. Lucian lunch. Jerry and I were a little skeptical about the lunch at first, but it was delicious. Truman was great on this day long trip and had fun exploring. We were lucky that he decided to take a nap in the van on our way home.



The fruit and vegetables on the island were unbelievable and we would often stop at the local stands. The bananas and grapefruit were so good. One day I think Truman ate about four bananas in one sitting.


Wanda, David, Jerry, Truman and I took a drive into Castries, the capital city. We explored the city, looked at that cruise ships, and went to the local market for some shopping. Truman picked out a wooden turtle that he wanted to take home. On the turtles first day home however he had to be admitted to hospital to have his fin reattached. Poor turtle.

Our favourite past time was going to the beach, in fact I think Jerry, Truman and I went almost every morning. The first week we went to the Marina Beach in Rodney Bay. On our first visit there we were hassled quite a bit, until finally Jerry explained that we wanted to be left alone and we were then not bothered for the remainder of the morning. The Marina Beach was quite crowded as the cruise ships brought van loads of people to this beach. Truman loved the water and the waves and at first had no fear. Later during the trip, there were times he wasn't even interested in going into the water. We built many sandcastles, animals built of sand, collected seashells, and Truman also at times enjoyed eating the sand.

We later discovered a more secluded beach on Pigeon Island and on some mornings, we would have to beach to ourselves. After visiting this beach we never returned to the more hectic Marina Beach. Truman and I would sit by the shore, throwing stones and let the waves roll over us. Truman's favourite person at this beach was the fruit man, who would show up in his boat selling the most delicious fruit - pineapple, banana, and coconut.

We were told of a great place to take children called Pizza! Pizza! in Rodney Bay. It had a wonderful play ground that Truman was able to run around and burn off some steam, as well as yummy pizza. Below is a picture of Wanda, David and Truman enjoying some delicious pizza. It is sad for me to report that we visited Pizza! Pizza! three times on our vacation.

Below is a picture of Truman and the kids bouncing on the trampoline having a wonderful time. Truman had no problem fitting in with the children and at times could be quite bossy. Unfortunately, Truman learned to spit on this vacation, as one of the boys taught him how to do it and it has now been a struggle for us to get him to stop!

Truman, Jerry and I also liked to visit the Marina and take a look at all the beautiful boats. One afternoon we even toured a pirate ship which Truman was very excited about, especially since Truman kept asking if he could go on the boats. The Marina as well had a fabulous little place that had such yummy gelato and coffee. We visited this cafe more times then I'd like to admit. Truman's favourite flavour was chocolate. If we lived closer, I'd send Jerry out for a scoop right now!

Truman had a wonderful trip and he seemed to really enjoy himself. I am a little worried as to how he is going to be tomorrow when I drop him off at preschool. I think what amazed me the most is how "grown up" he seemed in both his actions and the things he would say. I think there were a few times when Jerry and I would laugh out loud at some of his comments. His new favourite saying is "Mommy, can I have a cookie to make me feel better". Ahhh and the manipulation starts.


Jerry, Truman and I would like to say a huge thank you to Chris and Ivona for being such wonderful hosts. It was wonderful to spend time with the family and we are looking forward to having Ania visit in a few months.

Tomorrow, it's back to reality!