What can I say. It's Friday and I couldn't be more excited, minus the fact I have to work all weekend and Jon is working Monday. But there is not much we can do about that.
First of all I want to say welcome home to our family. Jon and I have missed you all very much, talking everyday and sharing Hayden's random outbursts with you all. It was hard going without a chat every once in a while. I know we all can't wait for July.
Second, Hayden is a dream. He has been sleeping a lot better, even when he does wake himself up, he plays for a little bit in his crib and sometimes goes back to sleep. The first time it happened this week, I was in heaven. I never thought sleep could feel so good when there has been lack of lately. He still gets up twice a night, but that is usually at 12 and 4, then he usually sleeps until Jon is about to leave for work. It is nice to sleep in, but unfortunately Hayden's naps are starting to disappear and that stinks because that is when I get my school work done.
Third, Hayden can roll over now back to front and front to back. Now he won't do it in front of you but when I leave the room for a second and come back he is either on his stomach or back, different from how I left him. Jon tried to get him to do it for him the other night. It was unsuccessful. I guess we are just going to have to hide the video camera to catch it.
Fourth, I uploaded the video of Hayden playing in the sand. I hope you all enjoy. Miss and love you all!
Amanda, Jon, and Hayden
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Adventures in Seaside
To start, we have a triad of birthdays. So....happy birthday Grandpa Strickland, Grandpa Ollmann and Auntie Hailee (1 day early)!!!!!! We hope that you all enjoy your days!!
OK so it has been another busy week/weekend. On Thursday night after Amanda's class we headed down to Vancouver. I did some training at another facility on Friday so the company put us up in a hotel for the night so I could be there nice and early. As soon as work was done we headed down to Newberg to visit Grandma Melissa and had a nice relaxing evening.
Saturday morning we headed out early with the intention of going to the Portland Zoo. When we got there there were about 1000 people waiting in line for opening and it was 80+ degrees, so we decided it was not the best of ideas to go. Instead we headed out west to the ocean again.
We ended up at Seaside, the city we got married in. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze off the ocean. The water was still a bit chilly; Amanda lasted about 2 seconds in it up to her ankles before she had to get out. We spent some time playing in the sand with Hayden, there are some pictures on Flickr and we have a video of him playing with the sand by himself. We decided we will probably need to get a sandbox for him shortly since he liked it sooo much. When we buried him he giggled so much, but when Amanda took him into the bathroom to clean him off....lets just say he didn't like it too much. It was another great day at the beach and we got some sun so it was very nice. Plus we bought some tear-free spray suntan lotion for Hayden which made getting him ready 10 times easier. Grandma Cheryl - It was SPF 50 so you could use it too!!!
Well that is about all for today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!!!!
Jon, Amanda and Hayden
P.S. Aunt Pat when you read this if you could give me a call I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks!!
OK so it has been another busy week/weekend. On Thursday night after Amanda's class we headed down to Vancouver. I did some training at another facility on Friday so the company put us up in a hotel for the night so I could be there nice and early. As soon as work was done we headed down to Newberg to visit Grandma Melissa and had a nice relaxing evening.
Saturday morning we headed out early with the intention of going to the Portland Zoo. When we got there there were about 1000 people waiting in line for opening and it was 80+ degrees, so we decided it was not the best of ideas to go. Instead we headed out west to the ocean again.
We ended up at Seaside, the city we got married in. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze off the ocean. The water was still a bit chilly; Amanda lasted about 2 seconds in it up to her ankles before she had to get out. We spent some time playing in the sand with Hayden, there are some pictures on Flickr and we have a video of him playing with the sand by himself. We decided we will probably need to get a sandbox for him shortly since he liked it sooo much. When we buried him he giggled so much, but when Amanda took him into the bathroom to clean him off....lets just say he didn't like it too much. It was another great day at the beach and we got some sun so it was very nice. Plus we bought some tear-free spray suntan lotion for Hayden which made getting him ready 10 times easier. Grandma Cheryl - It was SPF 50 so you could use it too!!!
Well that is about all for today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!!!!
Jon, Amanda and Hayden
P.S. Aunt Pat when you read this if you could give me a call I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thanks!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
A visit to the doctor's office
Even though Hayden will be 5 months on Saturday, yesterday was his 4 month check-up. Which means shots for the poor guy. With Jon's new schedule he cannot come with me, so I was all alone and worried i wouldn't be able to handle it.
Good news is we have a very healthy and extremely strong boy. Hayden weights 17 lbs, is 25.5 inches long, and has a head circumference of 15.5 inches. He is of course in the 98th percentile for weight and height.
While we were waiting on the nurse to come in and give him his shots he did his circle thing on the doctors examination table. Tearing the paper on it to shreds. Oh he loved that. It took all I could do to keep him from eating it.
Now comes the most dreadful part, the shots. Hayden did great, didn't cry or anything. On the last shot, the one that will cause the fever, irritation, and pain he let out a little noise as the needle was coming out. But there were no cries on the way home.
It wasn't until the band aid came off did he cry, unfortunately Jon had to deal with that all on his own since I was in class. I feel horrible, I know that is the hardest part on me to see our baby cry. He handled it pretty good, he was smiling when I got home.
Well Jon's car was having problems again and because of it being in the shop we are down in Vancouver, Washington for the day until Jon is done with his training. Good news is I decided I am going to have a little fun with Hayden and we are going to IKEA and Best Buy and do a pretend shop for what we want in our future house. It must be a woman thing, because I am extremely excited and Jon just looked at me like I am crazy.
Tomorrow we may be going to the Portland Zoo. We will take lots of pictures. Miss you all!
Good news is we have a very healthy and extremely strong boy. Hayden weights 17 lbs, is 25.5 inches long, and has a head circumference of 15.5 inches. He is of course in the 98th percentile for weight and height.
While we were waiting on the nurse to come in and give him his shots he did his circle thing on the doctors examination table. Tearing the paper on it to shreds. Oh he loved that. It took all I could do to keep him from eating it.
Now comes the most dreadful part, the shots. Hayden did great, didn't cry or anything. On the last shot, the one that will cause the fever, irritation, and pain he let out a little noise as the needle was coming out. But there were no cries on the way home.
It wasn't until the band aid came off did he cry, unfortunately Jon had to deal with that all on his own since I was in class. I feel horrible, I know that is the hardest part on me to see our baby cry. He handled it pretty good, he was smiling when I got home.
Well Jon's car was having problems again and because of it being in the shop we are down in Vancouver, Washington for the day until Jon is done with his training. Good news is I decided I am going to have a little fun with Hayden and we are going to IKEA and Best Buy and do a pretend shop for what we want in our future house. It must be a woman thing, because I am extremely excited and Jon just looked at me like I am crazy.
Tomorrow we may be going to the Portland Zoo. We will take lots of pictures. Miss you all!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
New things going on in the Ollmann House
A few new things are happening with Hayden. They have been progressing over these last few weeks. He can now sit up by himself, well until he gets distracted and kicks himself back or when he goes for a toy it is head first into the ground. He also started holding the bottle by himself. When Jon feeds him at night he will push him away and want to feed himself. Another thing he loves to do is do a circle when he is on the floor with his toys. Once on his back he tries to sit up, but since he can't make it up all the way he ends up on his side holding his ankles. By this time he straightens himself out, while doing so he scooted a little bit in a circle. He did this while I was doing dishes the other day. I had him on the floor and when I was done I came back into the living room and f
ound him 180 degrees different from where I left him. My teacher in the parent infant class told me he is starting to gain his mobility. She also told me he is going to be a jumper (when starting to walk, throwing himself from one object to another to stabilize him while walking). In other words I think he will be hitting his head on a lot of things. Another thing that is really nice that Hayden started doing this weekend was entertaining himself in his crib, swing, highchair, and everywhere we put him. Which is nice because in the morning Jon and I can catch a few more minutes of sleep. He has started to grab at his mobile in both his crib and swing. He only cries now when he is in need of something, which hasn't been the case lately. We can usually tell his signs of hunger and sleepiness before it gets to that point. It has been fun watching him grow and progress. He is such a happy baby, Jon and I really couldn't ask for more. This weekend is
suppose to be super nice and we are all excited to take Hayden out again in the stroller for a walk or maybe to a festival. We weren't sure if he would like his stroller, but a couple of weeks ago we tried it out and he loved it. Well he didn't fuss in it, until he was in the sun and we couldn't shade him from the bright light. We ended up carrying him for that stretch of the walk. Other than that he could look out and see everything, without putting strain on Jon and I since he is getting heavier. The more weight he puts on the harder it is to carry him unless he is in the jeep carrier. Well I hope everyone has had a good week. Thanks Aunt Pat for the package. We got them this weekend. A thank you note is in the mail. Sorry we haven't updated the pictures lately, but we haven't really taken many. We forgot the camera on Mother's Day and have been super busy during the week. These pictures are the most recent. Miss you all and hope to see everyone soon.
Monday, May 12, 2008
2 Posts in 12 hours...huh?!?!?!?
Just wanted to share this with everyone...we heard it yesterday in church and found it perfect for my mom and dad!!
Legacy of an Adopted Child
Author Unknown
Once there were two women,
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
The other you called mother.
One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you aim.
Two different lives shaped,
To make yours one.
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.
One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.
The first gave you life and,
The second taught to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.
One gave you up,
It was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.
And now you ask me through your tears,
The age-old question through the years;
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, neither
Just two different kinds of love.
Legacy of an Adopted Child
Author Unknown
Once there were two women,
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
The other you called mother.
One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you aim.
Two different lives shaped,
To make yours one.
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.
One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.
The first gave you life and,
The second taught to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.
One gave you up,
It was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.
And now you ask me through your tears,
The age-old question through the years;
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, neither
Just two different kinds of love.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
My mother's day started last night. Since my mom came up Jon and I were able to slip away and do some fun and exciting things. We went to a very nice restaurant in the bay. It over looked the bay and the Olympic mountains. The food was absolutely amazing. We got the Mahi Mahi and Alaskan Halibut. Then we ended the meal with apple bread pudding and ice cream. Best bread pudding I have had by far. It just melted in your mouth.
We were going to go see a movie, but we got out of dinner too late and the next movie wasn't until 9:45, too late for us. So, we went to the casino. I didn't play the slots this time, because the casino we went to was jammed packed. Both Jon and I ended up playing roulette together. It was fun because he won pretty big and I was able to win consistently and ended up winning my money back, so we came out on top.
The only bad thing that happened was the car almost died coming home. Yikes! It was late and we ended up losing all power after we got off the expressway. We ended up putting the car in neutral and coasted into a parking lot. We called the insurance company because we have towing insurance and were about to call the tow company when Jon tried to start the car one more time. It started! Thank goodness, all the way home Jon and I kept praying we could make it home. Don't worry we made it safe and sound, now we just hope the car starts tomorrow so we can take it into the collision center so they can have round 2 of fixing it. Seems like no one out here can do something right the first time.
Today was just as good. I woke up next to a handsome man and a little bundle of joy just as happy as he could be in his crib. Couldn't ask to wake up a better way, no hungry cry! Jon fixed my mom and I pancakes. I was just excited because I could put the blueberries in them. In the end it was more like we had a little bit of pancakes with our blueberries. Oops. Another oops on my part I got us lost on the way to church so we ended up going to the late service.
The church service was on adoption which hit close to home. A poem was read during the service and if you want to read it, it is on Jack and Cheryl's comment page for Mother's Day. It was very touching, it had my mom in tears.
After church we went to the boat festival. It was pretty cold out but we had a good time. Hayden slept through the majority of it, but he does that anywhere we go. We saw Irish jig dancers that did Cotton-Eye-Joe which was really cool and everyone got into it. We got my mom a massage and we got cookies and beef jerky sticks to snack on. The real treat was at home though. Yesterday I made homemade carrot cake and it was AMAZING!!!!
My mom left around 3 and Hayden took a little nap, but then woke up and wanted to play. About 6 he was ready for bed, he had a long day. Now I am just ready for another piece of my cake, so that was all for today. Hope everyone else had a good day as well. Happy Mother's Day, I miss and love you all.
Jon and Hayden send their love too.
We were going to go see a movie, but we got out of dinner too late and the next movie wasn't until 9:45, too late for us. So, we went to the casino. I didn't play the slots this time, because the casino we went to was jammed packed. Both Jon and I ended up playing roulette together. It was fun because he won pretty big and I was able to win consistently and ended up winning my money back, so we came out on top.
The only bad thing that happened was the car almost died coming home. Yikes! It was late and we ended up losing all power after we got off the expressway. We ended up putting the car in neutral and coasted into a parking lot. We called the insurance company because we have towing insurance and were about to call the tow company when Jon tried to start the car one more time. It started! Thank goodness, all the way home Jon and I kept praying we could make it home. Don't worry we made it safe and sound, now we just hope the car starts tomorrow so we can take it into the collision center so they can have round 2 of fixing it. Seems like no one out here can do something right the first time.
Today was just as good. I woke up next to a handsome man and a little bundle of joy just as happy as he could be in his crib. Couldn't ask to wake up a better way, no hungry cry! Jon fixed my mom and I pancakes. I was just excited because I could put the blueberries in them. In the end it was more like we had a little bit of pancakes with our blueberries. Oops. Another oops on my part I got us lost on the way to church so we ended up going to the late service.
The church service was on adoption which hit close to home. A poem was read during the service and if you want to read it, it is on Jack and Cheryl's comment page for Mother's Day. It was very touching, it had my mom in tears.
After church we went to the boat festival. It was pretty cold out but we had a good time. Hayden slept through the majority of it, but he does that anywhere we go. We saw Irish jig dancers that did Cotton-Eye-Joe which was really cool and everyone got into it. We got my mom a massage and we got cookies and beef jerky sticks to snack on. The real treat was at home though. Yesterday I made homemade carrot cake and it was AMAZING!!!!
My mom left around 3 and Hayden took a little nap, but then woke up and wanted to play. About 6 he was ready for bed, he had a long day. Now I am just ready for another piece of my cake, so that was all for today. Hope everyone else had a good day as well. Happy Mother's Day, I miss and love you all.
Jon and Hayden send their love too.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Yah for solid foods...
Well it is official. Hayden is now eating solids, well as solid as baby food gets. He is on the first foods. We have so far given him sweet potatoes, sweet peas, carrots, and bananas. He absolutely loves sweet potatoes and bananas. Sweet peas he is a little unsure of. Last night was his first experience with them and his faces when it was put in his mouth were priceless. Shame we didn't get it on video camera. Now carrots we are unsure if he likes or not. I was feeding him them, and I am not sure if he was slapping my hand away or trying to help but lets just say the entire jar went all over him. So we have yet to give him large quantities of carrots. This weekend Jon is setting up the highchair. I can't wait to have him at the table and see how he reacts.
I have good news. Hayden woke up twice last night! Yah! We at least got some good sleep although I still felt I needed to catch up on sleep from this busy week. Well I just wanted to inform everyone about the solids he has started on. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Mothers especially! Love you all.
I have good news. Hayden woke up twice last night! Yah! We at least got some good sleep although I still felt I needed to catch up on sleep from this busy week. Well I just wanted to inform everyone about the solids he has started on. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Mothers especially! Love you all.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Busy Week
Sorry there hasn't been many updates this week, but I have been extremely busy with observing classrooms and school this week, and Jon has gone back to work a couple times after I come home from class. So needless to say Hayden has spent about 10 hours with the sitter, Jon's boss's wife Sueann, this week during the day. Hayden loves going to Sueann's in the morning. They have two daughters one 11 or 12 and the other is 8. They both love him and play with him, well while they are home and not at school. He comes home completely exhausted and usually sleeps the rest of the afternoon.
He seems to be getting better with his teething. He still has only one tooth that has broke through, but we know the others are coming in. When we give him his nuk he usually grabs it with his hand turns it on its side and chews on it. We were almost wondering if maybe some back teeth were coming in to that were bothering him. He has been sleeping a lot during the day. Jon said this was due to his teething - maybe it isn't as painful when they sleep.
With that said his sleeping patterns are good and bad. There are times when he sleeps great and then like last night up every 30 minutes (although I decided it was the warmth of his room that woke him up so much last night), once I turned the heat down he slept for a 2 hour stretch.
He is just the perfect angel though, learning to play by himself. His tummy time has extended in length before he gets frustrated and wants attention. He has almost got the rolling over from back to front down. He needs a little help getting his heavy legs to role with him. But its his smiles that bring so much joy to my heart. He is such a beautiful baby, Jon and I couldn't have gotten any luckier.
Well this weekend is Mother's Day weekend and we have a boat festival in town down by the pier so we are very excited to go to that. Good news too, I don't have to work Sunday. So I get to spend it with my handsome guys, we will post more pictures this weekend. Miss everyone and Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there, hope it is as special as all of you.
Love,
Amanda, Jon, and Hayden
He seems to be getting better with his teething. He still has only one tooth that has broke through, but we know the others are coming in. When we give him his nuk he usually grabs it with his hand turns it on its side and chews on it. We were almost wondering if maybe some back teeth were coming in to that were bothering him. He has been sleeping a lot during the day. Jon said this was due to his teething - maybe it isn't as painful when they sleep.
With that said his sleeping patterns are good and bad. There are times when he sleeps great and then like last night up every 30 minutes (although I decided it was the warmth of his room that woke him up so much last night), once I turned the heat down he slept for a 2 hour stretch.
He is just the perfect angel though, learning to play by himself. His tummy time has extended in length before he gets frustrated and wants attention. He has almost got the rolling over from back to front down. He needs a little help getting his heavy legs to role with him. But its his smiles that bring so much joy to my heart. He is such a beautiful baby, Jon and I couldn't have gotten any luckier.
Well this weekend is Mother's Day weekend and we have a boat festival in town down by the pier so we are very excited to go to that. Good news too, I don't have to work Sunday. So I get to spend it with my handsome guys, we will post more pictures this weekend. Miss everyone and Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there, hope it is as special as all of you.
Love,
Amanda, Jon, and Hayden
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Shout Out to my Mama
Hello everyone. Jon here.
First of all, just want to say to Grandma and Grandpa Ollmann and Auntie Hailee that we are thinking about you right now. I know that it is tough, but you all have hearts of gold and god really will help you through this. There is a child out there waiting for you in Uralsk and you will find her, don't worry, be happy. (Yes, I did just sing the song in my head in case you were wondering.)
OK, mister Hayden is doing great. Three of his canine teeth are coming in right now, so when they finally do he will have fangs. Come to think of it, if we can teach him how to hiss, his mouth looks like a snake. Instead of the hiss, he is starting to shriek which we hope is just because of the teething and is only temporary.
Yesterday, when Amanda was in Portland visiting Grandma Melissa she fed tried sweet potatoes, he likes them. He also spent the entire day at high school while Amanda doing observations.
Other than that, not much is new. Really, really busy with work lately. The training is going great and I wrote a petition to the state of Washington to see if they will allow me to count more then 40 hours a week.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Love and miss you all!!
Jon, Amanda and Hayden
First of all, just want to say to Grandma and Grandpa Ollmann and Auntie Hailee that we are thinking about you right now. I know that it is tough, but you all have hearts of gold and god really will help you through this. There is a child out there waiting for you in Uralsk and you will find her, don't worry, be happy. (Yes, I did just sing the song in my head in case you were wondering.)
OK, mister Hayden is doing great. Three of his canine teeth are coming in right now, so when they finally do he will have fangs. Come to think of it, if we can teach him how to hiss, his mouth looks like a snake. Instead of the hiss, he is starting to shriek which we hope is just because of the teething and is only temporary.
Yesterday, when Amanda was in Portland visiting Grandma Melissa she fed tried sweet potatoes, he likes them. He also spent the entire day at high school while Amanda doing observations.
Other than that, not much is new. Really, really busy with work lately. The training is going great and I wrote a petition to the state of Washington to see if they will allow me to count more then 40 hours a week.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Love and miss you all!!
Jon, Amanda and Hayden
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Guess when Hayden will arrive!!
