Well since the last blog...Simon has come along a treat. Initially consensus was that he was an Ollie miniature however, he has since changed somewhat revealling a bit of a blend of both Ollie and Emma. His personality is fantastic. This may be due to necessity as he is the third born. Basically Simon wakes when he needs to eat, relaxes cooing on his back while parental figures see to the endless needs of his older siblings. If anyone pays attention to him they are rewarded by full body smiles, coos and chortle attempts. Eventually he will quietly complain, if he could talk he would be politely asking if someone could kindly lift him into bed, which he would do himself if he could. His bedtime routine, when possible consists of being swaddled, a quick song (at which point he laughs at the singer, usually Mum, coos a bit then turns his head, gets laid down in his cot and five minutes later is asleep!! Sometimes, ie: when Mum is on her own with all three, Simon gets wrapped and bunged into bed with promises of a return after she stops the blood curdling screams echoing from the floor below (usually Emma) but upon my return he will be asleep! I don't know the recipe for this so those of you reading this wanting to create a similar child....I can't help! Simon's recent skill acquisition consists of :
1. hand discovery ie: these delicious chewy things that kept bashing me in the head before I now recognize as a part of my body that I can and do manipulate in an effort to bash the surrounding toys or better yet to bring to my mouth for a good chew.
2. I can lift my head very high while lying on my tummy and use its relative hugeness to my advantage by flopping it over to the side and waiting for gravity to help roll me back onto my back!
3. I am desperately trying to roll from my tummy to my back but that aforementioned head is just too heavy to pick back up!
4. I can smile and make all sorts of amazing sounds...I am currently trying to master the art of laughing, I'm almost there.
5. Most importantly (at least to the author) I have figured out how to sleep for long periods of time when it is dark...in fact sometimes, I go to bed at 19:30 and don't bother waking until 06-07:00!
Ollie and Emma continue to love their newest family member, never giving him much breathing space. Sometimes this is to Simon's detriment as this week he has a terrible cough as Ollie and Emma (and mum and dad) had colds last week. Despite constant reminders to cover ones mouth when coughing and avoiding big sloppy kisses, Simon proved just too irrisistable. 
Ollie's big news is that he went with Mum and Dad to visit and be registered at his new school last week. He will be going to school for 3 days a week starting next September. He was most impressed with his new school as one of the first murals we saw painted on one of the walls depicted an underwater scene with numerous types of sharks (all of whom Ollie was able to identify and of course flap about). Ollie has also decided that indeed there is no such thing as monsters and thus, has returned to sleeping in his own bedroom. Thank goodness, Emma was keeping him awake wayyyy toooo late at night with all her chatting. The return to the bedroom was sweetened by the acquisition of a fish tank ie: Ollie's first pets! So far so good, only one homicide in the tank to date.
Emma has had some major accomplishments in the past months. Perhaps the biggest has been her graduation to big girls undies. One weekend approximately 3-4 weeks ago she was asked if she would like to wear big girls pants or a nappy that day and she chose big girls pants and has remained (relatively) dry ever since. She has even been dry most nights since her decision. She earns stickers for any and all toilet deposits and has allready earned a "grand prize". She was taken to the toy shop where she could pick her prize. You will see in the pictures that she opted for a tea set hence our family tea party on our return home.
Ollie has also been doing well with his sticker chart-mostly for having great listening ears or being helpful. He too has earned a grand prize x 2. While doing his first chart he was adamant that he was going to get "Iron Arry and Bert" upon its completion but instead we came home from the toy shop with two penguins and a seal. On the most recent "grand prize" trip to the shop he informed his Daddy and I that he was going to pick two elephants with tusks to add to his ever growing wildlife collection but instead we came home with three swans which seem quite vicious as they do spend alot of the time chasing and eating the dinosaurs!!
Christmas 08 was a great one...we had Nanny Carol, Auntie Kate, Uncle David and our cousins Ellie, Noah and Hannah Lucy over. We had a boxing day bonanza (the first annual) which was well attended by extended family members and then we had Simon James' baptism on the 28th December. Santa as per usual was very good to Ollie, Emma and Simon.
Mum celebrated her 30th birthday again....not such a great birthday! Dad had to work so, Mum made her own cake which Ollie, Emma and friends Kinzie and Jordyn decorated beautifully as you can see in the photos. Mum's request for no fighting on her birthday was perhaps just too hard to stick to for Ollie and Emma after three days of being stuck inside with only each other and Mum! Perhaps next year!
Other big events in the near future include Simon's first plane ride. We are off to see Nanny and Grandad Halligan at their southern home in March. Ollie has been promised a trip to a sea life centre which he is really looking forward to. I hope for Nan and Grandad's sake there is a hammerhead shark there as he is adamant about seeing one!
Right...now for the painful part of picking which pictures to upload
and the even more painful process of waiting for them to upload....ugh! I hope you enjoy!!
