Mischief and more...

Before I give any updates of the past few months (since I've been out of it!), I'd like to share a little about Otto. I'm pretty sure since birth he's inherited his mother's twisted organizational affinity and his daddy's (and mommy's in different ways) obsession with having clean hands (or being clean in general). I remember one time he was playing with cars, lining them up in a neat row and his Uncle Andrew came up and picked up a car to play with him... Otto yelled at him (this was before he said a lot of actual words). I'm not kidding. Another time, we were outside and Otto accidentally stepped into a mud puddle. Any other kid would have started jumping in it and covering themselves in mud. Instead, instant tears were shed and we had to go home immediately, rinse out every item of clothing, wash every inch of him, and change everything. So obviously it's been pretty distressing to him to have things out of order or dirty sometimes.

As a result, he hasn't always enjoyed making and playing in messes. In fact, it has caused him major distress. Well, that phase is definitely changing. He still doesn't really always want it, but he's learning that there can be times to "dig in" (sometimes literally)! And he now realizes he can clean up afterward, which I think brings him comfort in getting messy in the first place.

Well, one day I decided I'd had enough of being a nasty non-showering wife and mom (I won't tell you how long it'd been... long enough). I decided Otto seemed content to play and hopped in the shower. When I walked out, this is what I saw...
Otto has a habit of helping himself to the items in the refrigerator, one of his favorite things to get being his cup of milk. Obviously, his cup was emptied and he thought he could help himself to the gallon of milk. He probably would have succeeded in getting the gallon out just fine if it hadn't been wedged onto the shelf with 2 other gallons that day because he can actually carry a gallon of milk himself. I was wide-eyed as I walked out, that was for sure!

The thing that saved him was the fact that I walked in and he was on his hands and knees slurping (I can't even type it without laughing to myself) up the milk and he said, "mommy, I'm drinking the milk!" as if he was doing the best possible thing (which he probably was since I laughed). I couldn't help but laugh out loud!

So, Otto is obviously growing into a more messy phase. Within reason, of course. :)

Other things he's been up to;

• Talking more and more - and making us laugh in the process! The other day we were singing "Bob the Builder" and instead of saying "Can we fix it? Yes, we can!" he said, "I thought I fixed it."
• Asking daddy, "how was work?" at the dinner table. I love this. :)
  
• Enjoying all aspects of playgrounds more - he's been kind of afraid of heights and one day he just got over it
• Enjoying mud/dirt & reveling in the fact that he enjoys it
• Reading books - we can never read enough of them & he absolutely loves the library - it's like Christmas every time we bring home new books.
  
• Watching a movie ANY time mom will let him... he can watch a full-length film and then say, "again?" (mom says, "Nooooo!!!!!!" in her mind to this...sigh)
• Deferring sleep- he's starting to get pretty good at coming up with just another thing he needs to do before going to bed
• Being more mischievous... he loves getting his partners in crime to do things with him, too.
• Creating things - the other day he got out a cotton swab & a cotton ball. He then placed the ball on top of the swab and walked around balancing the ball. He thought he was pretty awesome. Have NO idea where that came from.
• Marriage - he's very interested in the concept and the other day said, "[girl I babysit] and I are married" while holding her hand. I insisted he (and she) was too young and said, "you need to graduate from HS first and go on a mission" to which he replied "I missionary already." Not exactly what I want to rush!
• His family, especially extended family. We've visited a lot lately and he just loves it. He loves his cousins, his grandpas and grandmas, aunts, and uncles. SO MUCH!
• Calling people. He's becoming quite the conversationalist.
  

There are more things he loves & such, but my brain isn't working properly and this post is already too filled with words and not enough pictures. Soon there will be more pictures (highlights).

Favorite Things, part Otto

In light of Thanksgiving just passing and the upcoming Christmas holiday, here are a few of Otto's favorite things;

1) Playing hide and seek with daddy - I close the door and daddy hides in the kitchen or living room. I'm super excited to search him out and giggle for joy when I find him!
2) Grandpas and Grandmas - Thanksgiving was the best! I also enjoy Aunts & Uncles and all other family, of course. I love following my grandpas around, pointing and saying "Ga!" or "Ga ka!"
3) All things Sesame Street, especially Cookie Monster and Elmo.
4) All things transportation - Trucks, cars, trains, airplanes, helicopters, bicycles/tricycles
5) Playing with other kids! Sometimes I get a little overbearing because I just love them so much!
6) Giving hi-fives and "rock me"s or "pounds" (or "bone me"s as some call them) to everyone.
7) Being tossed. Onto a bed, love sac, couch, etc, etc.
8) Music! Anything with a beat and I'm swingin' my hips, movin' my shoulders, waving my arms, bobbin' my head, stompin' my feet. Mom's favorite movement is Otto's hip movements - he bends in half and twists at the same time!
9) Dr. Suess - "Sox in Fox" and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" are current favorites.
10) Giving kisses, especially to mom.
11) Helping - with anything!
12) Playing outside, even in the snow.
13) Animals, especially pretending to be a frog.
14) My blanket
15) Watching people and exploring new spaces.
16) Yogurt ("gurt!"), cottage cheese, cheese, milk. Mommy trained me well to love these!

The list could go on and on... that's one of the greatest things about me! I love so much about life!

Communication

So, I feel like Otto has been learning a lot, especially related to communication. He can sign lots of words; yes, baby, tree, all done/finished, more, ball, mommy, daddy, eat (sometimes), drink (sometimes), etc. He understands quite a bit and he is forming words, too (hi, dog, ball, etc). The other day Otto did a couple of adorable things that I really wasn't expecting to have happen in a long time.

Cute thing #1
After waking up, he pointed at the picture of Jesus we have near the light switch in his bedroom and said, "Jesu" (Jesus without the end "s")... Eric said Otto said that with him the other day, too, so I know it wasn't just my imagination. I wasn't expecting that for a long time!

Cute thing #2
At breakfast, Otto was eating his cereal and we had just set the table for Eric and me to join him, when he put his hands together like he has done recently when we've said, "prayer, Otto"... except we didn't say that to him - he just took the initiative. A few minutes later, after we had all been eating he did it again and looked up at us, waiting for another prayer. So, we said another prayer. It was adorable!

So, this is living proof that religious teachings don't just fly by our little ones - they REALLY notice! And it seems like he appreciates it and has a desire for it, which I'm sure most children have as well. It's a testimony to me that our little ones are the wisest amongst us all, having a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father than we realize.

Otto's Dance Grooves

Here are the little man's awesome dance moves.

He's watching a Baby Einstein's Baby's First Signs movie to potentially learn sign language to transition his language skills. And, he loves TV, so I figured we may as well brainwash him while we can. :)

Lotsa Laughs!

Love this video... and this laugh. :)

Once again, Otto's entertainment was provided by my silly dance moves. Should I be offended by that? :)

Crawling has begun

So, the last few days Otto has really began to move... and he seems to be progressing quickly! AGH! In all actuality, it is a little nerve-racking, but it has also been so enjoyable watching our little boy explore and build up his strength to this point.

It seems apparent at this point that he has very particular personality characteristics; determination, impatience (with himself especially), strength, perseverance, and general happiness, to name a few. It's so fun! I don't think I could say that enough. Eric and I thoroughly enjoy being parents even with the work it requires!

Standing... soon to be crawling/walking

So, Otto stood up last night. He just was sitting on my lap (almost indian style), and pulled on my shirt to stand up! He did it again when I exclaimed in surprise to Eric, too.

I was not expecting it at all and now I'm a little apprehensive about how quickly things are going to progress... he's not crawling or walking... yet. I knew he was strong, but come on! There was no real warning at all!

Goodbye world. This is our official goodbye since we'll be chasing around our little boy any day now! Wish us luck!

Smart man

So, Otto was evidently bored one day when I had set him in his high chair early November and figured this fun trick out... before this he was smiling, amused and laughing. I almost missed the best of it.

Therapy with Donald

So, this was mid-September... Otto hates to be on his tummy sometimes and this was right after he had tummy time. Apparently Donald Duck isn't just a beloved Walt Disney character; he's also a very effective therapist. In all seriousness, Otto loves his Donald that Grandma & Grandpa Carter brought back from Disneyland for him!

Playing with Daddy

We love to bounce Otto and he loves it, too! Otto has begun laughing a lot more now - his most recent favorite is laughing at mommy dance. I knew I was rusty in my dancing, but really... is it that ridiculous? :)

TV + Otto

He's mesmerized sometimes! We'll have to make sure he watches good shows! :)

Babysitters & such

Thank you to all you have babysat and continue to babysit Otto for us! We are hoping this will only continue for a short while longer, of course, but we wanted you to know we appreciate you!



The other day our neighbor, Abby, babysat Otto even though she has her two little ones to take care of. She was sweet enough to take a few pictures of him and they are so well done! All those who think she could earn money doing this, say aye! Aye!

He rolled over!

Today, after work, I set Otto on a blanket for "tummy-time" and he was pushing up and doing what we used to call "superman" exercises when I was in gymnastics where he lifts his arms/shoulders and legs off the floor. I was amazed so I got out the camera and recorded a video... then he rolled over! I was so surprised! He's getting so strong!

Just ignore my reaction/voice! I sound goofy. :)