Action Packed Spring Break

On the go was the theme of the last 10 days!  Since my dad is a teacher he gets Spring Break away from work and stays home with Matthew and I.  We got to do so many things away from and at home too! 

The first few days Matthew was out of the house going to a friend's house and the movies.  That is totally ok with me because I get alone time with my parents.  It is pretty rare that I am the absolute center of attention and I got a glimpse of the only child situation.  But each time I was alone and just getting used to it, the older sibling came back!  I can see how good Matthew had it for those couple of years.

The beginning of the week we went to the Air and Space Museum and saw all sorts of cool things.  Some little boy pulled the fire alarm and we had to leave the building.  Don't worry it wasn't Matthew, but I certainly would have enjoyed that car ride home had it been!  Instead I got to sit in a stroller as he played on the airplanes and space ship playground.  Yeah, real fair!

By the end of the week my dad took us to the Portland Zoo and we saw all sorts of animals.  Some were tiny and others were huge!  My dad thought to try and take pictures of us boys "posing" with the animals.  Seriously?  You can tell from the pictures that I wasn't amused.  In fact right after the polar bears and black bears I lost it a bit and we made our way to the exit.  What can I say?  I was hungry and needed a nap!  The zoo really amazing and we need to go back this summer!!!

Sunday morning a bunny rabbit came and left candy and chocolate all over our house.  This is the second time this has happened since I have been around.  I saw the eggs, but Matthew snatched them all up and apparently gets all the candy too.  Being too young is a drag sometimes, but next year's Easter is going to be mine.  I am going to come out of my room running!  

To cap off the week my entire family and Butter, my mom's mom, went out to the beach to check out the scenery.  We had a great dinner and played on the beach.  My mom and Butter held me tight because the wind was whipping from the Pacific.  My dad took another approach.  From the picture you can see that he and I are having a blast, but what is not shown is the face my mom made!  It was an awesome trip, but sad at the same time.  The coast is my grandmother's favorite place to visit in all of Oregon, but it will be her last time.

This week is my grandmother's last living in Oregon.  My Aunt Kristen is flying in Thursday night and helping her move to Texas on Friday morning.  My grandfather will be joining her in late June.  This makes Matthew, my dad, my mom, and I all very sad because days like this won't be the same without her.  Butter always makes me smile when she comes in the house and has the softest touch when she brushes my face with her fingers.  She is always telling me how cute I am and defends me no matter the fit, noise level, or smell that I may have caused.  She is very special person and I will miss her.  She was my 2nd visitor in the hospital and these last 13 months have been nothing but special.  I will miss her. 

As you can see it was a wonderful Spring Break week for us, but this week will be a sad one.  Hope all is well.

With Love,
Colin










MORE PICTURES!!!

Ingrid, Sharing, and Milk!

Ingrid came back!!!  Just like that my grandparents left to go back to Georgia and my Yaya was back during the day watching me (mostly following me around the house).  She is so patient with me and teaches me so much.  I really missed her and am glad she is back with me, well after spring break!

Spring Break means my dad is home with me, and unlike Yaya he is pretty rough and doesn't have the "gentle" touch my mom, grandmothers, and Yaya all have!  His idea of fun is chasing me around the house, wrestling, and rubbing his beard on my belly.  My mother works with me to teach me to share toys and raise my hands above my head, but not dear 'ol Dad!  "I'm gonna get you!!" is what he says and that sets me off in the other direction giggling.  I try my best to run but he catches me every time, or I fall to the ground giggling too hard.

As I mentioned I am able to share!  I don't love it yet and will let you know it if the toy I give you is not promptly returned in a few seconds, but sure I share!  I prefer to share with my mother because I seem to trust her judgement the most.  I have my doubts about toys being given back when it comes to Matthew and my dad.  You can't be too careful with those two but you can always trust my mom!

"How big is Colin?" is now part of my bag of tricks.  Again this works mostly with my mom if she asks me and then I will throw my hands up over my head to show her how big I am (big!).  She keeps asking me and I don't give her a 100% response, but in a few weeks I am sure that will change.  Hopefully she will have other questions too.
 
My parting words this week will be saying goodbye to Similac.  Each feeding time I would crave that sweet stuff and did so for over a year.  Recently I have been given whole milk and it is amazing.  This change has been such an improvement, but I have noticed that I don't get as much.  I am "suppose" to drink water, but that bottle goes to the floor most of the time.  I am only interested in the red cap milk!! 

Again we will wait and see!

With Love,
Colin

Birthday Boy!!!

I AM A ONE YEAR NOW!!!  I had my very first birthday party last week and it was amazing!  Cake, presents, parents, brother, and 4 grandparents.  What else could I ask for!  The party was a dinner with family, but eventually all eyes were on me to open presents and eat my very own cake.  Well I didn't disappoint!  I took a few bites of my Pure Decadence cupcake, covered myself in frosting (literally in my eyes!) and then threw it to the floor.  It made quite the mess!!!

I received some pretty amazing presents from some pretty amazing people!  But by far my favorite gift came from Matthew.  He went out with my parents and bought (with his own money!!) me a switch and go dinosaur.  It is exactly what you think it is... a present for me/him!  It makes noises and has lights for me and does other stuff for him.  Kind of a perfect present from a perfect brother!


Besides my first birthday lots and lots of things have been happening.  I am walking with much more steady feet and can put rings back onto the pole.  My grandparents visited for an entire week and I was able to learn so much from them!  Since they like to follow me as I walk I thought it would be great to tour the house over and over again!  I can pretty much walk from room to room and back again without falling.  I of course do fall sometimes, but the balance is there.  Last Christmas Santa brought me 5 rings that I have loved taking off the little yellow pole they rest on.  Well, last week my grandparents worked with me over and over to put them back on!  It was shaky at first but with a day or two I can almost do the ring toss to get them on!  They might not be in order yet, but I am sure I will learn that soon too!

With all that happened with grandparents coming and going and my birthday I had a doctors appointment too.  I am in the 125% for weight, height, and head size.  28.5 pounds and 32.5 inches!  The doctor thinks I am healthy and growing as expected.  He labeled my constant babbling as talking, and told my mother that soon enough I would be speaking so much she will tell me to be quiet!  I also received four shots and had strips of band aids to prove it.   

Another great thing about my birthday is that Spring is right around the corner!  The cold weather is easing and the sun is out longer.  The weather has been beautiful and we as a family have been enjoying the parks around town and long long walks!  This of course tires me out, but enjoying the outdoors and something I am very very excited about in the upcoming months.

With Love,
Colin


PICTURES!!

Midway through February

My mom took off for a 6 day tour of the midwest to visit friends and family.  She left the boys behind in Oregon and we all did very very well. Matthew got the flu 2 days before she left and that got everyone all worked up.  My dad stayed home with Matthew and I the next day and kept up away from each other.  Taking a break from Matthew wasn't something either of us liked, but we each did ok and Matthew felt better quickly and we were back together and playing just as before!

My mom flew to Michigan and toured Wisconsin and Illinois on her first few days, but on Sunday back here my dad got the flu like Matthew did.  Without my mom here our grandmother Butter swooped in and rescued us!  As my dad nursed his sickness alone (he kept saying "nurseless") Butter came over to keep the house going!  She did an amazing job watching Matthew and I as we played all Sunday long.  She even spent the night on our couch to make sure we were ok through the night and into the morning!  We are very lucky to have such a caring and loving person so close by!

My dad has been feeling better lately and (knock on wood) I haven't gotten the flu yet!  With that we have been getting some fresh air and getting out of the house these last few days.  With the weather TRYING to clear up we have walked to a local bakery and around to see the start of spring.  I really love being outside, even if I have to be bundled up!

Last Saturday my dad, Matthew and I went over to our grandparents house for a pizza party!  I had a ton of fun walking and crawling around their place.  The best part about their apartment is the stairs!  Matthew flies up and down them.  Seeing him do it gives me some confidence to try, but I am still very leery about all those 16 steps.  I made it up 2 and I was done.  Everyone was thankful someone was watching me because I had to be caught... apparently "tumbling" is bad around stairs.  Whatever that means.  I loved being over there and I hope we have more visits soon! 

Everyday Yaya and I walk around the house.  With this practice I am getting up to 15 - 20 steps!  There is still a very noticeable wobble to my walking and there is a very probable chance I will hit my head on the fall down to my hands and knees.  The shaky walking has caused me to hit the floor, a door hinge, sides of couches, and walls with my head.  Some people around the house say "it is all part of learning to walk", but I LOVE to see their reaction to it!  Hopefully I can master the "balance" in the next few weeks!

Do you know what is so yummy to eat?  Hot dogs, chicken nuggets and pizza!  Those are just some of the new foods I have been trying.  Chicken nuggets are addicting and I can't get enough of them.  Matthew eats them with some red sauce, but I like them straight up and sometimes a handful at a time!  Other foods are just ok to try, but I would have to say hot dogs and nuggets are by far my favorite lately!




So the countdown to my birthday is on!  As of today there are 16 days until I am 1 years old.  1 YEAR!!!  My grandparents from Georgia are coming and I overheard that there might be 2 parties for me.  The other day while we were at a bakery I heard my mom order a cake just for me.  My own chocolate cake!  No one to share with and no one to feed it to me.  I seriously can't wait for it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

With Love,
Colin



PICTURES!!!

Teeth and then a Poop

Another 2 teeth are coming in!  These big bad boys are bottom and towards the back and are called molars.  They are moving in slowly and painfully.  It is a good thing I have some medicine and my parents believe in "pumping formula" as a coping method!  I will sometimes chew on a frozen toy and they froze parts of a towel, but nothing really works for me too long.  So I just drool and complain and get lots and lots of sympathy!  If only I could score some of that ice cream Matthew gets!

I am starting to discover that my mouth is not just for housing my teeth, but also for making noises too.  I have been saying "Dada" a lot, screeching, but now I am really liking this babbling I can do.  It will come and go in waves, but if something catches my attention then I have to SAY something!  What I have noticed with this is if I "talk" then Matthew, my mom and dad talk too.  The sillies think I can understand them when they explain things like lights and shiny objects!  But I have decided that I am a talker, a real shocker if you know the rest of my family huh?

Just a few days ago I took my first step.  It was a quick shuffle and down I went to the floor, but over the last few nights we have been practicing and I am up to six steps at a time!  I am really proud of myself when I sit up after going to the floor and try to do it all over again.  My parents are super excited about it and they think it is a "bid deal".  I really hate how the clapping and yelling is so loud and I let them know it by crying and refusing to walk for a bit.  The celebration is just a bit too much for me and freaks me out.  I am sure I will get into it later, but for now low key celebrations are in order!

So it has taken 11 months, but for the very first time Matthew got a little jealous of me.  My parents have been taking pictures of me (teeth, babbling, and walking) and Matthew does not like to share the limelight!  He was upset at me (the nerve!!!) and my parents for taking so many pictures of just me.  I am pretty sure it was the "Matthew get out of the picture" that put him over the top.  Either way you look at it Matthew finally got a taste of what I have been feeling!  He really is a great older brother though!  He shares his toys, picks up my mess, is patient, and makes sure I am happy.  He really is a good guy!

Something happened the other day.  I am not proud that it happened and since we are being honest here, I will tell you.  I pooped on a museum floor.  It wasn't my fault nor will I accept any blame for the incident.  My mother, grandmother and Stacy were all minding our own business when Stacy picked me up and bounced me on her knee.  It should not have been a big deal, but the timing was bad along with the fact my diaper bunched and the next thing you know... there was a pile of poop on the floor.  Stacy was cute by asking around:  "what is that?", but the rest of all knew!  After a lengthy session with the clean up crew I was back out and ready to go.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

With Love,


Colin



PICTURES!!!

Dad out, Yaya In!

So this last week has been wonderful!  I took my first step on my own, got my first haircut, and hung out with Ingrid most of the week!  So you could say life is great right now.

I am not walking just yet, but I am very very close.  I love to pull myself up and cruise anywhere and everywhere.  Feeling around and getting into things is so much fun to do.  We have a gated cube in our family room that I practice in, but it is only a few feet wide and I am ready to get out more!  I need more room.  So when I am out crawling in the hallway or by the couches I will pull myself up and turn.  My mother follows me mostly and tries to get me to walk to her when I am up and facing her.  Most of the time I crash down to the floor, but there have been plenty of times when I have taken 1 step towards her.  It is not walking, but I am literally getting closer to it!

My dad headed back to work.  He was moaning and groaning about it, but it didn't matter to me because for me last week was great!  Ingrid stayed with my for a few days and we had a blast.  It was so much fun that I didn't really want to sleep at all.  In fact I skipped a few naps because I just wanted to have fun.  I got to crawl everywhere around the house and practice pulling myself up too.  She must have been tipped off by my parents because she didn't let me open drawers or pry open cabinets.  Maybe next week I will get through!

We are working on clapping and talking together.  "Clap clap clap"!  In only a few days I was able to clap and even remember it from the day before.  I am having so much fun with her!

So one thing that I have developed is an unbreakable bond with my blanket.  I have a blue and red blanket that I use as a pillow, but mostly I snuggle with it during naps and at night.  If you show it to me or offer it to me I light up.  My dad will put it on his shoulder and I just dive right in and snuggle with it/him!  I just love the way it feels!  My parents wash it often because they think it gets pretty nasty after a few days... so apparently I drool!

This blanket not only serves as a snuggle tool, but also helps me get whom ever is watching me to come into my room!  All I have do is drop my blanket over the edge of the crib and cry.  But cry a lot once it falls.  It works every time!  They look into my room with the monitor and see what I have done and come running in.  Suckers!!!!


As a general update I am not talking still.  Babbling?  Yes!  Saying Dada?  Yes!  Mama?  Nope.  Is it driving my mom nuts?  Oh yeah!  She has started to openly complain.  Poor thing.  She has a birthday coming up and is begging for "just one Mama".  We'll see!  Hopefully I can deliver, but if I can't I will remind her I am only 10 months old!

My hair cut wasn't too much of a production.  Only the hairs over my ears were trimmed.  My mom was all worked up about the scissors being too close and when the hair was cut they were quickly put into a baggy!  I have no idea why, but I am sure it is important!

With Love,
Colin



PICTURES

10 and counting!

On Saturday I turned 10 months old.  Double digits baby!  I am as happy as ever, but lately am going through a growth spurt.  I can't get enough food or sleep.  I wake up in the morning or from naps cranky and impatient for food.  My parents are starting to feed me some really strange things, but whatever it is I can't get enough!

Normally I will eat mushy cereal and gerber fruit/veggie, but lately they are working in more and more real foods.  Bananas, applesauce have been around for a while, but in the last week I have gotten chunks of cheese, turkey, bread, apples, pineapples, and pancakes!  My mom made Matthew and I pancakes this Sunday, and holy cow were they good.  I downed two of them!

Since I am cruising more and standing for many seconds at a time, I get to see what Matthew has been playing with all this time.  Legos are one of his absolute favorite toys in the house.  The other day I noticed that Matthew did not watch me play, but for the first time actually played WITH me!  The big guy was trying to teach me how to put them together.  He started kindly explaining things, but I wasn't interested.  I immediately grabbed with "aircraft carrier's" tower and started to tear at it and gnaw on the red piece!  You should have seen the look on his face, but then remembered I am still a baby (plus my dad helped rebuild it!) 

I am still not saying "Mama" or "Mom".  It is killing her, but she has convinced herself that I say "Hi" now.  Poor Mom!  I might not be speaking a ton or shouting a lot of words, but I am learning a lot.  For instance, I can remember where my toys are if you hide them and if you put one out of sight I will hunt it down!  I have mastered crawling and I am fast if you ask me.  I will crawl from drawer to drawer and cabinet to cabinet opening and closing them.  I know they aren't toys, but man is it fun to pull myself up and open and close and open and close a drawer!  When we got home tonight I noticed something near the handles... I will have to check them out tomorrow!

So that is pretty much it for this week.  This week is my dad's very last week with me at home.  He has been with me nonstop since October 22 and it has been great.  He is back to work on the 14th, but with him out the door means INGRID comes back through it!  Which is nice!  I can't wait to spend quality time with Yaya, I have a lot to show her.

With Love,
Colin