All The Cool Kids Are Doing It...

The Cowboy Goes To Daycare...

2011-08-29T19:34:00.003-04:00

Summer's almost over (thank goodness) and I haven't posted since July. A lot has happened since then. We've moved into the big city of Covington, we're potty training and Colin has started daycare. Well, real daycare.

So the potty training. Goodness it's hard. Who would have thought teaching something to pee in one place would be so difficult. The cat caught on with no problems. Actually, Colin gets it. Colin just doesn't want to stop whatever he's doing long enough to pee. We've gotten into the habit of going ever hour, but accidents will happen. Some days he'll come home from daycare in the same outfit I sent him in. Other days he's gone through both backup outfits. And he refuses to poop in the potty. He will actually ask for a pull-up when he has to poop. I know what he's doing and he knows what he's doing, but he just isn't about pooping on the potty yet. Baby steps...

And the daycare. He was a lot better about being left there then I was leaving him. He's been with two people - both at-home - and this was the first time at an actual center. A big part of why we decided to do daycare instead of finding another person who does in-home is that I felt like he needed to interact with kids his own age. He's doing pretty good. However, we've always talked about feelings, and being kind and sharing and there are other kids there that don't know anything about that - even though they are almost 3. The boys are rough and he isn't used to that. When he says "bye-bye" to someone and they don't respond his feelings get hurt. I try to explain that they aren't trying to be mean but I don't know how good of a job I do, or how much he actually gets.

With the exception of getting used to other personalities he's doing surprisingly well. And they make crafts daily, which he loves and isn't used to because I am so craft-handicapped.

He's big into saying "NO!" to everything and asserting his authority and independence right now. I can't tell you how thrilled I am about that. But he does do awesome things like fist bump and say "What up, dawg?" And randomly tell you "It's all good in the hood."

He's still all about "Toy Story," though not as much as he was. However now everything is about Woody instead of Buzz. He got a cowboy hat (felt, $5 - NOT a real one) Saturday and wears it all over the house. He wanted to wear it to lunch yesterday but I convinced him the restaurant didn't allow hats.

Summer Time...

2011-06-30T17:29:00.004-04:00

I have been so bad about posting on this blog. It just seems like there isn't enough time in every day to get all that I want done, but that's no excuse. I will try to be better about at least posting pictures.

Colin and I go on lots of "adventures," especially every other Saturday when I don't work and Zack is working until 4 p.m. He and I go shopping (which usually end with some sort of prize), he gets to pick lunch (that means either pizza or nuggets and fries) and some sort of fun game. Recently it's been matching games. He is also all about water - be it the sprinkler or the pool. Enjoy the pictures and I'll try to be better...

Pickin' Strawberries...

2011-05-08T21:07:00.001-04:00

Colin at the Strawberry Patch - how to make a free slideshow

Colin's First Joke...

2011-04-13T19:44:00.001-04:00

Colin to Zack: "Knock, knock, Daddy."
Zack: "Whose there?"
Colin: "Mato (tomato)"
Zack: "Tomato who?"
Colin - long pause: "YOU a mato, Daddy!"

A Few New Pics...

2011-04-13T19:42:00.001-04:00

These are horrible cell phone pictures, but when he will actually look at a camera I don't push it.

Terrible Twos...

2011-04-10T21:14:00.003-04:00

We are in the throes of the terrible two's here in the Pittman household, but every so often I am getting glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel.

What's so awesome about that - other than the obvious - is that we are really getting to see Colin's personality come out more and more. It constantly amazes us how smart he is and how quickly he catches on to things. It's also nice to see him experience all of this new stuff and be able to tell us all about it.

A couple of weeks ago he went to the zoo with his Aunt Amanda and his cousins Andre and Mason. When he came home and I asked him if he went to the zoo, instead of just telling me he did, he told me about watching an elephant take a bath and seeing the snakes and tigers.

He can also tell you how old he is now and that his name is Colin Alexander - or Colin Al-Xander - as he says. He is very into drawing and typically his pictures are of people holding hands and dancing. The most recent drawing was of Mommy and Daddy holding hands, Abbey and Parker dancing and a rocket ship.

He has also just started singing with more confidence. He knows quite a few words to a couple songs by the Laurie Berkner Band (kids music) and will sing and dance in the car. Yesterday he was making me laugh so hard I almost had to pull over I was crying so hard.

The one thing he still is cranky about is getting his picture taken. So photos are few and far between and rarely is he looking at the camera. I managed to snap a few random pictures this weekend though.

Building a Play Structure...

2011-03-07T12:42:00.003-05:00

We have been working on a play stucture for Colin since this time last year. We started with just the frame and added a baby swing, which was all he needed at the time, but by the end of last summer it was time to upgade to a regular swing.

We decided to start the project up again a couple of weeks ago when Georgia had it's annual Fake-Spring and added a slide and some more junk to it. When I say "we" please understand that means that Zack and my father (Pop-Pop) did this.

We're not done yet. It still has to have a tire swing on the opposite side of the slide and we have to decide what goes underneath the structure. Originally it was a sandbox but I don't want Colin catching some disease from raccoon poop or something since we don't exactly live in an urban setting. It may become a little clubhouse-type area, who knows. I imagine that by Easter everything will be up and running.

Reading with Daddy...

2011-02-22T20:58:00.001-05:00

All Jacked Up on Valentine's Day...

2011-02-14T21:05:00.001-05:00

A Day At The Park...

2011-02-13T19:01:00.002-05:00

It was a beautiful day today with highs in the low 60s so Zack and I decided we needed to spend some time outside while we could. It's funny, earlier this week there was snow on the ground and today we were comfortable in light long sleeves hanging out in the park.

After a bit of debate this morning we decided to head to Academy Springs Park in downtown Covington. Colin had the place to himself for the most part. There was (as you can see in the first picture) a middle-aged couple who were sitting parked there the entire time we were there. They were super Creepy McCreeperton. Also, at one point, a little girl was on the playgound by herself too. Actually, that's not fair. Her mother did park and learn her seat back and nap while the little girl played by herself, so she wasn't totally alone. Seriously? Anyhow...

Colin went straight to the slides but shunned the twirly slide today for some reason. He also went on the giant big kids slide with Daddy. At first he was a little freaked out when he realized how high they were (so was Mommy), but once they started down he was happy. He wasn't happy enough to want to try it again though.

We went for a walk around the park and over the bridge and looked at the little lake (or pond) there. Sadly it wasn't warm enough for turtles. I had told Colin we might see some and he was telling me on the ride to the park how he wanted to pet a turtle. At least we didn't have to have that fight today.

The biggest draw at the park are the swings. There a little kid and big kid swings and even though Colin has a big kid swing at home he always wants to sit in the little swings and we happily obliged. We probably swang for a good 30 minutes without pause. In fact, he was so happy swinging that he didn't want to stop - even when we told him we were going for ice cream - and there was a bit of a meltdown. It stopped after promises of more swinging and basketball playing at home later.

We went to Radio Shack quickly where he practiced on the "piano" (keyboards) and then to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. He loves going for Chinese because they always have his two favorite things at every restaurant, noodles and french fries. He ate both with gusto and then we headed to Scoops for ice cream.

Now Colin has been to Scoops several times and every time we have ever ggone he has thrown down. Either he wants a scoop and he gets a cone or I look at him wrong or the sun isn't aligned correctly - no matter what he is NEVER HAPPY so I didn't have high hopes this time.

However, he was totally awesome. He immediately picked Superman III as his ice cream. It's basically vanilla with a variety of colors streaked through - and he asked for a cone. And he ate it. He sat down and licked his ice cream and made a mess and had a blast and wasn't mean and nasty once. It was awesome and I see good things in our ice cream futures after this visit.

Afterwards him and Daddy came home for a nap while Mommy got her toes done. After his nap Daddy and Colin went outside and played some more while Mommy cleaned bathrooms. It was a beautiful day and we all had a beautiful time spending it with one another.

Big Changes for a Big Boy...

2011-02-04T20:12:00.002-05:00

After a lot of thought and some unforeseen circumstances that pushed things along, we made a change for Colin - actually a pretty big change in his little life. He had been with Ms. Amanda at her house since 6-weeks-old, but it was time to make a change. He started staying with Ms. Beth about three weeks ago now and we couldn't be happier. But more importantly, COLIN couldn't be happier.

Below are a few pictures that I stole from Ms. Beth of some adventures Colin has had thus far with Shelby, Gracie and Ms. Beth - or Beff, as Colin calls her. Once a week they visit the local library where they check out books and movies. On library day they also go out to eat and run errands. In fact, Colin tried out the new Covington hotspot Just Dogs this week after library day and it was a big hit.

Another big change for Colin is that he gets to watch only about an hour of television a day and this is in the form of some age-appropriate movie. So far this week he has read about 20 books (averaging roughly four a day), counted to 10, pretended to be a jungle cat and a dinosaur, played with crafts (he REALLY likes stamps), explored outside, fed the "chickens" (birds) outside, bounced on the trampoline and built lots of awesome things with Gracie, Shelby, Beth and Buzz Lightyear. And that's just this week.

He has also started eating raw spinach (dinosaur leaves), broccoli (little trees) and Beff's trail mix that has homemade granola in it that he apparently will eat before M&Ms.

I have seen a positive change in him and every day he asks to go to Beff's house and practically pushes me out the door instead of standing at it begging to go with me, which is so nice to see.

He has also been singing and dancing a lot more which is awesome and SO funny to see. He has his patented dance step which involves one hand on his hip, cutting his eyes and smirking and doing kind of a limpy shuffle around in a circle.

He's stringing more and more words together, asking where the cat is and then saying "she's probably in my bedroom" and things like that. He is starting to carry on conversations and it's just amazing to see. He's very verbal and according to his doctor more so than is typical for his age. I credit the folic acid and super good genes...

2011 - New Year, More Colin!

2011-01-06T20:21:00.002-05:00

Let's Try This Again...

2011-01-06T19:55:00.004-05:00

I cannot tell you the last time I posted. I know it was way before the holidays. It might have been summer, but whatever. New year, new focus on the blog. Which is what I've been saying for two years. Don't judge me...

Did you catch the part where I said two years? Yep, two freaking years. Colin celebrated his birthday on Dec. 12th with a party at Game Time, a bouncy place in Covington. He loved it, got a Toy Story cake and busted his head open on his friend Austin's teeth. Good times. He now has a rad scar to show all the ladies.

But since most of the people that read this blog are also Facebook friends I figure a lot of you know this story. What I probably haven't discussed with all of you is the funny little things that make Colin, well, Colin. The older he gets the more funny little things he has.

Every night he goes to bed with "Ham Book" This is his copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" and he sleeps with it and oftentimes and large stuffed Buzz Lightyear doll he got for his birthday. He also hides the book under his bed in the morning before coming out of his room. He has recently began "reading" to Abbey (our cat) and Parker (our dog). This means he takes whichever book is closest and will basically name the people in the book.

For example "Look Abbey, Penguin on ice. Linny, Tuck, Ming-Ming, the end!"

He also has, as one friend pointed out, "mad verbal skillz." Even his doctor was impressed with all the things he says. I haven't counted the words he knows because the list is endless, but he's making four and five-word sentences without problem. He knows a bazillion animals and what sounds they make, he can also recognize things like facial expressions that mean someone is mad or happy or sad. Apparently he shouldn't be able to do this yet. I assumed we were proud of him and thought he was super smart because we're his parents and that's what parent's are supposed to do, but apparently Colin is pretty flipping smart. I blame the folic acid and Zack.

Colin is also obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. The other day he told me his name was Bad Boy Lightyear and I was a rat. He has also told me I am a monkey and he is Colin. The mad verbal skillz aren't always so nice. Like when I tell him it's time to change his diaper and he says "I'm mad at you Mommy, leave me 'lone!" or when I go into his room to check on him and he tells me to "Go'way." It breaks my heart but it's also kind of wonderful because he knows what to say and how to say it to get his point across. It might not be kind, and we work on that, but at least he's flying past those milestones. Sometimes I think he's a 13-year-old trapped in the body of a toddler.

Right before Thanksgiving we had some family pictures and Colin's 2-year pictures taken so I could get birthday invitations and Christmas cards printed in time for everything that happens all at once in our life since his birthday is so close to Christmas. He was NOT feeling it, but that translated into some pretty awesome Colin faces. Enjoy the two posts necessary to include all the funny faces of Colin. I'm fairly certain he is one of the best kids ever and I am super lucky to be included in his life.

P.S. I am once again making an (empty) promise to update this blog more often this year.

Colin & the Triple B...

2010-10-17T17:22:00.004-04:00

I have been horrible about keeping this updated recently and I apologize. Part of the reason is I have been utterly engrossed in having a toddler. There have been several minor things that occurred since my last update but I decided to focus on the big one for this post. The conversion of the crib to the Big Boy Bed. The Big Boy Bed is capitalized because it is a huge deal to everyone. Except of course, to Colin.

It all started, as most things that cause me grief do, with my mother, Colin's Grammy. Grammy and Aunt Kayla (or Kaya as Colin calls her) came over for a visit last Saturday and Grammy and I were talking on the way home from the park about the fact that Colin had yet to climb out of his crib. Colin was asleep in the backseat. I now believe he was faking sleep because that afternoon, when Grammy and Aunt Kayla left Colin was put down for a nap. About 45 minutes later I started to hear him on the monitor moving around in his crib. Then I heard some scuffling that I couldn't place, but never did he call out or talk at all. I soon found out it was because he was skulking around undetected and didn't want me to catch on just yet.

After a few minutes I heard him calling “Help, Mommy, help!” I went in his room and he was out of his crib and had gotten his foot stuck trying to get back into his crib to actually go back to sleep. The next morning, Colin woke up and after a couple of minute – no more – Zack and I heard him crying. I went in there and he had fallen climbing out of his crib and smacked his leg on the footstool of his glider.

Even after all this, when Zack brought up the fact that we may need to convert his crib to the toddler bed I didn't pay much attention. After all, I had a schedule. We were going to convert the crib (or buy a regular twin bed) and redo his room in February. He needed to stay in his bed until then in order for my schedule to stay on track. Not for the first time, Colin kicked my feet out from under me. I wasn't ready for the Big Boy Bed, but Colin obviously was. We decided that it needed to be done that night before he got his ankle stuck in a rung on the crib and broke a foot or fell and busted his head open. Well, Zack decided and I started to tear up.

Part of me hoped he wouldn't sleep that night and that we could put the crib back together. The joke Zack made about making a lid for it to keep him in and turn his bed into a giant terrarium, could totally work - children's services would be none the wiser. But it went off without a hitch. In fact, we've had no troubles at all, which is fantastic. He likes his Big Boy Bed just as much as he liked his crib and continues to tell us when he “wants night-night” every evening.

It's bittersweet, this growing up of his. He's almost 2-years-old, which in and of itself seems insane to me. And while I LOVE the age he is and I am thrilled with all the new things he can do and the stuff he understands as he grows, I ache for that little baby who wanted to do nothing more than snuggle with his Mommy. I realize that he is meeting his milestones and that is fantastic, but it also breaks my heart a little bit. Not enough to want anymore children – let's not go crazy here – but enough that as he helped his Daddy convert his bed, I sat on the footstool of the glider and cried.

The glider that I rocked in when I was enormously pregnant with Colin and read books to my belly, hoping the little unnamed boy inside could really hear me. The glider that saw me (and Zack) on many a sleepless night, rocking our infant back to sleep after a 2 a.m. feeding. The glider that will soon need to go into the attic to make room for a play area for my little baby who is now a little boy.

Park Pics Take III...

2010-09-12T20:52:00.002-04:00

Park Pics Take II...

2010-09-12T20:49:00.001-04:00

Park Pics Take I...

2010-09-12T20:44:00.003-04:00

A brand new park opened on our neck of the woods and we'd been dying to try it out. Since it officially opened on the 11th, we planned a trip for today to check it out. Colin had tons of fun and so did Zack and I. We took a ton of pictures, there will probably be two more posts in addition to this just to get them all on here. Enjoy...

Sunday Morning Painting...

2010-09-05T09:59:00.002-04:00

Colin is very into painting and coloring right now. I found these little Crayola Tumblers and thought we'd give them a try. They are just as messy as finger-paint and are basically just kind-of like markers, so they are lame and we won't buy them again. But Colin enjoyed them for about 10 minutes. He colored some on the paper, a little on himself, some on Mommy's hand and a little more on the paper. Good fun...

Also, below you will see his "cheese!" face. When he sees a camera he will allow you one "cheese!" which means he will look at the camera and show you his teeth, but only once. If you aren't ready to take the picture too bad. He has better things to do than smile for the camera. Like paint Mommy's feet with Crayola Tumblers.

Random September...

2010-09-04T19:35:00.000-04:00

Colin's Top 3...

2010-09-04T19:27:00.002-04:00

It's so funny to see the different things Colin does every day. Nothing spectacular, mind you, just random Colin stuff. Like laying on his belly at all times (see pic. #3). This is done while watching television, reading, eating a snack - at any given time really. He can do it in his bed, on the floor or couch, or even on Parker's bed, just as long as he is on his stomach.

Check out picture #2 and you'll see his new favorite toy, Zack's Darth Tater, which he was kind enough to take off the top bookshelf and relinquish to his son to maim and destroy. Colin is obsessed with Darth Tater and gets angry if I touch him unless he specifically requests that I do so.

And picture #3. White bread. We typically do not buy plain white bread, but we got some buns the other day and Colin freaked out and ate a bun and a half. He now requests bread all the time. In fact, if he eats nothing else, I can count on him to devour white bread (preferably hamburger buns) and cheese. Awesome white-trash baby...

August Pictures II

2010-09-04T19:10:00.000-04:00

August Pictures I

2010-09-04T19:03:00.003-04:00

More Random Pictures...

2010-08-15T20:26:00.003-04:00

Pictures of Colin playing in the bathtub, his serious face, and his picnic dinner one evening.

Gabba!

2010-08-15T20:23:00.003-04:00

Colin loves "Yo Gabba Gabba" and he especially loves his talking, singing, irritating Brobee doll.

Randoms...

2010-08-15T20:17:00.001-04:00

Just some random pictures... Colin making towers and then destroying them with his Daddy, eating his new favorite snack - and mine - Veggie Straws and demanding we read his new favorite book "Llama Llama mad at Mama."

Colin & Thomas...

2010-08-12T20:41:00.002-04:00

I'm still not quite sure where Colin was first introduced to Thomas, but my guess is at daycare. No matter... One day he came home and was saying "Tom" but we had no clue what he was talking about. Then when I took some pictures at Vines Botanical Garden, Zack and Colin tagged along and spent a few minutes at the train tracks they have there. If he wasn't hooked before, he was then.

"Tom" slowly became "Thoma'" and everything is about 'Thoma" now. All trains are "Thoma'" - Colin doesn't discriminate. But he has a movie he watches over and over, we have a Thomas the Tank Engine book, and a couple of Saturday's ago we all went to Toys R Us, and now we have a small, medium and large Thomas, some wooden tracks and some wooden trains and cars. The tracks keep coming apart because Colin can't keep his hands off the track part, so I think we're going to have to get a board and nail it down for him to be able to use the train tracks. That's fine with me, it will make clean-up a lot easier on my end.

But when we got home Zack and Colin sat in the floor and put things together. They pushed trains, they played with tracks, they made "choo-choo!" sounds. I don't know which of them had more fun. Then Colin colored a couple of pictures out of his new Thomas the Tank Engine coloring book.

And on the topic of coloring books, when did they become $5? Aren't they supposed to max out at $1.99 and if you pay $2.50 it's for the ones with the stickers included? Oh well, that's another tale for another time, I suppose. Suffice to say, my boys are all about their trains right now. It could certainly be worse...

The Wonderful World of Earl and Bastard?

2010-08-11T20:35:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Zack was working on a Saturday morning and I decided it was high time we introduced Colin to the wonderful world of Disney movies. I only own one Disney movie on DVD, the rest are old skool VHS but he seemed interested in the cover of "The Little Mermaid" - which is the first movie I ever bought with my own money - so we made a pallet (kind of) on the floor and I crossed my fingers that he would at least last the first five minutes. I didn't dare hope for more.

Of course, since I thought he wouldn't watch it, Colin had to prove me wrong. I think that just might be his purpose in life... We practiced saying "Ariel," which came out sort of like "Earl" and "Sebastian," which sounded distinctly like "bastard."

Since then we've watched "Alice in Wonderland" and "Lady and the Tramp." Of course, anything with "Thoma" (Thomas the Tank Engine) in it is preferred, followed closely by "Wonder Pets" and "South Park." Don't judge...

Toe Eater...

2010-08-03T20:55:00.002-04:00

As you can see below, Colin has this weird thing that he likes to do. He puts his Wonder Pets blocks on my big toe, then snatches them off with his teeth. He also tries to bite my toes all the time.

He is never allowed (unless I want to take a picture of it, of course) to do this, because it is weird and gross, but he continues to try. He doesn't try to bite anyone else's toes, so I don't know if maybe because they are always painted red he thinks they are strawberries or something. He doesn't really like strawberries either. They probably look like red M&Ms to him...

Below are some random pictures from last weekend...

Bucket Head...

2010-08-03T20:50:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Colin and I destroyed the house while Zack was at work for a few hours. I rotate toys periodically, and I brought back out the musical instruments that we hadn't played with in awhile.

Colin wasn't very interested in playing the instruments, but he informed me that this was a drum, then emptied everything out of it and put it on his head. He then ran straight into the kitchen and into the stove, fell down, said "Whoa!" and cracked up.

Then he put the drum back on his head and walked around with it up there some more. He also used an old Easter bucket in the same manner, but the drum seemed to be much more fun...

Adventures in Madison...

2010-07-25T21:08:00.003-04:00

We decided to take a little impromptu trip to Madison last weekend just to get out of the house. Colin was not having it. He walked about a block, then sat down and refused to move. He also whined most of the time we were in the stores and didn't even want ice cream from Scoops. He was most excited when a balloon bonked him in the head. Go figure...

One Year and Seven Months...

2010-07-16T09:56:00.002-04:00

Colin was 19-months-old Monday and here's the comparison between this time last year... Wowsa..

Trip to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit...

2010-07-11T19:43:00.003-04:00

We decided to take Colin to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers Sunday morning to feed the ducks and geese and to just hang out for an hour or so before it got too hot. Colin has been to the monastery once before but he's never fed the ducks or anything like that. His trick was to eat one bite of bread and throw the next bite to the animals, then to yell "HONK!" back at the geese. I suppose they were talking.

For some reason he thought he was too good to walk most of the time we were there - it's a new thing of his - and was a little cranky after about an hour. It was 90 degrees by then, so I could feel his pain. In fact, in a couple pictures you can see Zack pouring sweat. But everyone enjoyed it while we were there. A trip a little closer to Fall might make us all a little happier. Or maybe we should go earlier. They open at 4 a.m....

For those of you who haven't been there, you should check it out. Very peaceful and beautiful.
http://www.trappist.net/. It's one of my favorite places to go and take pictures. Speaking of which, there are a couple more posts with just pictures from the trip below...

Monastery Trip II

2010-07-11T19:42:00.001-04:00

Monastery Trip III

2010-07-11T19:38:00.001-04:00

I'd Like S'More, Please...

2010-07-10T20:06:00.002-04:00

Zack and I went to see The Phantom of the Opera last Friday and Colin spent the night with his Maw-Maw and Poppa (Zack's parents). When we picked him up Saturday he had learned a new trick from Poppa - how to open up sandwich cookies to get to the creamy center. Not a big deal, right? Couldn't be that messy, right? So very, very wrong.

Since Colin likes variety when it comes to his crackers and cookies, I decided to get him some new Ritz Bits S'Mores crackers to try. He's a fiend for chocolate (or Choc as he calls it). After dinner I gave him 5 of these little mini crackers. Just 5. This is what those 5 little crackers created, a messy, chocolate monster, who opened the crackers to get directly to the creamy center, just like Poppa taught him. Smart boy.

More Fun With Water...

2010-07-10T20:02:00.002-04:00

Colin had water day again at daycare and didn't seem to enjoy himself quite as much this week (see picture below). The good part is while the other kids play in the water, Colin gets to have control over the slide.

Fourth of July...

2010-07-09T20:45:00.002-04:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July this year with friends and Colin actually got to partake in the festivities this year. Kind of.

We went to Tyler and Kristen's house in the city and played ball, drank beer (juice for Colin), ate cookies and celery and cake (Colin & Zack) and heard some really loud firecrackers thanks to Kristen's dad and brother. Colin also watched his first round of Karaoke between Lee and Kristen. He seemed confused but he went with it.

Since his bedtime begins at 8:30 p.m. and he is in bed by 9 p.m., it was a really late night for Colin. We left about 8:45 p.m., so he didn't get to see any of the big fireworks at the house. He did notice them on the drive home and kept saying "Momma, see it?!" and pointing out the window of the car. Maybe next year we'll do a real fireworks show, but he was getting wiped out by the time we left and I don't think he could have lasted much longer. He didn't seem to be bothered by the loud noises though. Fearless...

Water Day...

2010-07-09T20:40:00.002-04:00

Colin's babysitter Ms. Amanda has designated at least one day a week recently to water fun. Everyone brings their swimsuits and sunscreen and plays in the blow-up pool and with water toys, then they all eat lunch outside.

As he is with most things, Colin likes or dislikes water play depending on his mood that day. In these pictures (taken by Ms. Amanda), he seems to be enjoying himself very much. He came home tired, happy and pink-cheeked. He liked the water fine, but as shown in the last picture, was not a fan of the camera that day.

Auntie Andrea...

2010-06-29T15:56:00.002-04:00

Zack, Colin and I went to Vines Botanical Gardens Sunday morning to take maternity pictures of Colin's Auntie Andrea. The pictures turned out great and although Colin wasn't in the best mood, he did enjoy some Goldfish Crackers and a big outdoor train set.

I was taking pictures when he and Zack were watching the train, but apparently Tom (Thomas the Tank Engine) - as Colin calls him, ran into the back of another train, causing a little accident that Zack and Colin have discussed endlessly.

Before we left (and got locked out of our car while it was running and had to call AAA to pick the lock) Colin walked nicely with Andrea and I decided to snap a pic. The only other picture of them together is when Colin was firstborn at DeKalb Medical. Now, in 6 weeks, she'll have a little baby of her own.

More Summer Adventures...

2010-06-29T15:51:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Colin has decided he enjoys playing in the water very much this year. He went with his friends at daycare to Lenora Park last week and apparently enjoyed the water slide very much. He also enjoyed lunch. I felt like such a Mommy stopping by the store on the way home from work Thursday afternoon so I could buy him Lunchables to take for his field trip.

He must have enjoyed worn himself out though. He was asleep by 8 p.m. and slept until about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Oh, and the pictures were once again stolen from his babysitter, Ms. Amanda.

Cheese!

2010-06-26T15:54:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when you tell Colin to "Say Cheese!" now. The cheese around his mouth is just an added bonus...

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-26T15:50:00.002-04:00

This is a horrible collage but the best I could do in just a couple of minutes...

To the left you see Father's Day 2009 with Colin and his big bald-ish head. To the right Father's Day 2010 (at bedtime, note the tired and cranky faces). Although Colin's hand is in his mouth (darn teeth), you can see the obvious change a year's made.

More Swimming...

2010-06-26T15:49:00.001-04:00

Swimming at Granny & Pop's...

2010-06-26T15:44:00.002-04:00

Swimming last year wasn't a fun experience for Colin. He didn't enjoy the water at all and screamed like he was on fire. This year is the complete opposite. We went to Granny & Pop's pool last weekend and Colin LOVED it. Something tells me we might have to make a return trip, even though it takes awhile to get there, it was worth it to see that little monkey so happy.

Another post to come with more pictures...

Then & Now...

2010-06-26T15:41:00.002-04:00

This is Colin during his bath earlier this week. Below is Colin during his bath this time last year. Wow...

Colin & Daddy

2010-06-26T15:40:00.003-04:00

Zack and Colin playing before bedtime. Zack was hiding in Colin's room and when Colin ran towards the end of the hallway he jumped out and screamed, then Colin screamed back. Good times.

Shake & Bake

2010-06-26T15:36:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through the channels on the television while Colin was eating lunch. I stopped, very briefly, on a channel that was showing "Talladega Nights" and stayed there for only five minutes or so. Apparently that was long enough for Colin to learn the term "shake and bake."

A few moments after I turned the station Zack noticed that Colin was saying something and shaking his fist. He was saying shake. Now, when Zack makes a fist and says "shake" Colin fists bumps him and replies "bake."

Thanks a lot Will Ferrell...

More Pics From Pop's Day

2010-06-26T15:34:00.001-04:00

Pop's Birthday/Father's Day Festivities...

2010-06-26T15:22:00.002-04:00

Colin's Pop (or Pop Pop and he now calls him) celebrated his 58th birthday on June 9 and the weekend before that we had our annual birthday/Father's Day festivities for him at our house. These festivities began well before Colin was born and include cake and dinner as well as general hanging around time together. This year we added outside water fun and moonshine making to the mix.

We had yummy ribs and then played outside with Colin's new water toys and bubble maker, then the girls hung out inside with the AC while the boys - including Colin - watched Zack try (and fail) to make Moonshine for the third time. Afterwards there was delicious cake. There are some more pictures of that day to follow this post...

Hmmm...

2010-06-25T07:24:00.001-04:00

Holy Fever, Batman!

2010-06-13T07:53:00.003-04:00

We've had a rough night. As I write this Colin and Zack are asleep in the bedroom and I'm too keyed up to go back to sleep.

Colin had a rough night sleep-wise. He kept having little whiny screams and cries all night but none ever lasted more than a couple seconds. Around 5:30 a.m. he started screaming and when we went in there Zack could feel the heat thought his pajamas. We immediately gave him some Tylenol and then checked his temperature which clocked in over 101 degrees. We got up and started getting ready to go to the Emergency Room.

But as we were getting everything together and trying to calm Colin who only wanted Zack to touch him (some things never change), we noticed the Tylenol was doing its job and his fever was coming down. Hopefully we'll just have the one scare and he'll be fine. He feel asleep on Zack's chest with only one small glitch. Right after his breathing became deep and regular he jerked a little and said "COOKIES!" That must be the new REDRUM.

I'm guessing the fever is caused by teeth because they are certainly coming in and he has no other symptoms. We've occasionally had a low-grade fever with them but never anything this high. I'll keep everyone posted on how his day goes. This is really my fault. Last night Zack and I were talking and I said that I hoped Colin would never need to go to the hospital. Maybe I should just learn to keep my mouth shut...

UPDATE: Although Colin has been a total and complete crank-pot today and has been super whiny, he has not had another fever (thank goodness), although he has exhibited all other signs of new teeth coming in.

Summer Adventures II

2010-06-13T07:50:00.002-04:00

On Friday Colin and his friends at the daycare went to Chuck E Cheese in Conyers. Below are some pictures I snagged from his babysitter Ms. Amanda. The first one makes me laugh every time I look at it...

Summer Adventures I

2010-06-13T07:47:00.004-04:00

Colin went with his friends at daycare to a place called Game Time in Covington last week. It's kind of like a Monkey Joe's joint from what I understand. Below are some pictures his babysitter Ms. Amanda took of him having fun. And he must have had a blast because he was asleep before 8:30 p.m. that night.

One Year & Six Months...

2010-06-12T21:55:00.004-04:00

Colin is officially 1 1/2 today. A year a six months old. This time last year he couldn't even crawl and now he runs all over the house. He was just starting to jabber and now he tells us very clearly what he wants - from a cookie to help, to be held or to go outside.

At times it hurts my heart just a little bit, to see how fast he's growing. Sometimes when he is especially ornery (which is often) and wants nothing to do with me (which is always when his Daddy is home) I wish for that little (HA!) 9 lb. baby back who wanted me to cuddle him and needed to nuzzle my neck before he fell asleep.

Other times I am excited that he is older and can appreciate more things. I love that he brings me a book and says "read please," I'm excited to watch him discover things and elated when that light bulb goes off for him with something new. I absolutely love to experience things with him. Watching him do something for the first time is better than experiencing it myself.

So I'm at a weird place Mommy-wise. I want him to grow up but at the same time I want him back to my little baby. I'm no different from any other mother out there I'm sure, but I cannot help but continue to be amazed at this bright, happy little boy that Zack and I have the privilege of hanging out with every day.

(Almost) Potty Time!

2010-06-12T09:46:00.004-04:00

We decided that since Colin seems super interested in the toilet it was time to get him one of his own.

For ages he has been interrupting bath time by telling Zack "wanna go pee pee " and he gets to sit on the toilet until he's ready to go back in the bathtub. On a couple of occasions he has actually peed in the toilet and once he pooped in it, though to be fair, he was sitting on the toilet because he'd pooped in the bathtub and Zack was cleaning it out. The poop could have just been a little extra that was hanging around.

He also has been telling us when he's messy and wants a diaper change and telling us immediately after he pees in his diaper. We talked to his doctor who said it was too early to train (duh) but that having the tools there certainly couldn't hurt so last weekend we went potty shopping. This one sings when you put pee in it. It also sings when bath water drips off your butt into it, but whatever.

Colin seems pleased with it and sits on it every night instead of the big toilet. One step, or drip, at a time...

Some New Pictures...

2010-06-12T09:43:00.002-04:00

Playing with the Flash II

2010-05-17T07:14:00.001-04:00

Playing with the Flash I

2010-05-17T07:13:00.002-04:00

A Couple New Pictures...

2010-05-14T17:44:00.001-04:00

Move!

2010-05-14T12:42:00.002-04:00

I was in the hallway this morning and I had the door to the linen closet open. Colin wanted to get on the other side of the door where I was standing, so he said "Momma, MOVE!" I must have looked at him with such shock he then smiled and said "Peas."

I don't know whether to be irritated or charmed. It seems to be a common issue in our house these days. Is it cute that he smacked me in the face, then rubbed my cheek and said "sweet" or is that horrible. It's a weird age and it involves hitting far too much for my liking. And he KNOWS that he shouldn't be doing it because he will give you love right afterwards or pet you but yet he does it anyway. Apparently he hit a little boy at daycare earlier this week and that kid bit him on the arm. Maybe it will teach him a lesson. Otherwise we're going to have a lot of time out in the near future.

Colin Update...

2010-05-11T18:08:00.002-04:00

Once again I have been super slack in the updating department but honestly, not much has happened recently.

Colin did go to the doctor on Friday for his 15-month shots a month-and-a-half late since he had two ear infections at around a year old which put him behind. Well, guess who didn't get his shots once again, and then guess why. Yet another ear infection. This makes three infections since his first birthday which the doctor only seemed mildly interested in. Thankfully it is just a minor one and in only one ear.

He also has allergies, which is no shock to us. We'd been giving him Zyrtec but the doctor gave him a prescription for Singulair which seems to have worked wonderfully. Unfortunately she sent us to an allergist to try and figure out some odd little rashes to pop up every so often.

We visited her today and he has Eczema, which he'll should grow out of. But he also has to have an allergy test done to see what sort of outside things (grass, dogs, etc) he may be allergic to as well. This should happen in a few weeks and involves little needle pricks in his back. Should be fun.

I bribed him with M&Ms today when we was showing out at the doctor's office. I'll buy one of the super large bags to take with us on that visit.

Random Bath Pictures...

2010-04-28T19:26:00.002-04:00

Random Pictures...

2010-04-28T19:23:00.003-04:00

Day Three...

2010-04-14T19:42:00.002-04:00

The third and final day of Mommy & Colin's super awesome vacation was spent with Colin's Granny. We took a trip - his first - to Academy Springs Park in Covington and we played on the swing and slide for a little while. He was interested in the sandbox but there isn't a cover and I am not about to let him play in some raccoon's litter box.

Then we walked around the park and explored for a bit. He liked the bridge and tried to escape and seemed to enjoy just sitting on the rocks for a bit and having some juice. He was in a pretty cranky mood but he wasn't awful.

Then we left the park and had an early lunch at the oh-so-healthy Popeye's. Colin has a couple of bites of biscuit and french fries. That was basically his lunch. Mommy fail. Then we came home the scenic route (driving around the Boy Scout Camp and Factory Shoals Park) because Mr. Mean Mug had finally decided to take a much needed nap and I wanted it to last as long as it could.

We had a nap and some play time and when Daddy got home we fixed meatloaf and looked at the garden where the green beans and watermelon are starting to sprout.

All in all it has been a lot of fun for both of us. Unfortunately I rarely get to spend this much time with him and it's been nice. It has also been a bit of a surprise to me just how much I enjoyed it. I could totally be a stay-at-home mom full-time. Just as soon as we win the lottery. I guess we should start playing...

Day Two...

2010-04-14T19:26:00.002-04:00

My second day home with Colin went just as good as the first day. For awhile. We started out our day shopping for new sneakers and t-shirts for Colin at the outlet mall in Locust Grove and then came home and washed our new clothes and tried on our size 6 1/2 wide Keds. Then we played for a bit outside and inside when Colin played me a awesome song on his Tiger Piano using both his hands and a foot. I think he was channeling Jerry Lee Lewis. He also watched some television with his hand down the back of his diaper, which is his new favorite pose, and then Colin helped me make peanut butter cookies for Daddy.

After that he had a total and complete meltdown for some reason that is still unknown. Then he threw a toy at Mommy which resulted in a time-out (the picture with his face against a wall). And then we had a much needed nap and when Daddy came home we made BBQ chicken on Daddy's new grill.

Also, notice in the meltdown picture that he has a fat lip from biting it during a fall Sunday afternoon. Boys...

Day One...

2010-04-14T19:16:00.003-04:00

Colin's babysitter went on vacation so Monday through Wednesday of this week I was a stay-at-home mom for the first time since Colin was a tiny baby. I have to be honest - I was a little nervous. Generally, Zack and I are together with Colin and I never take him out alone but I was determined that we would not sit inside the house giving each other the stink eye for three days.

Day one started off with a trip to Toys R Us. Colin and I went around the store three times and tried out various toys. We ended up with a new ball with Scooby-Doo on it, some plastic farm animals and this lovely dump truck which has horn sounds, dumping sounds and a little song when you press the driver down.

Then we went home and played with our toys, had a nap on the big comfy chair and watched a little "South Park." He just sees it as a cartoon with music, which he digs, and it allows me to not want to eat my head watching reruns of "Dora the Explorer" and "Yo Gabba Gabba" all day.

We cooked Orange Chicken for Daddy and Colin went to sleep early, totally wiped out from playing so hard.

Weekend Fun...

2010-04-14T18:54:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we went to Zack's parents house in Norcross to visit with Colin's Maw-Maw, Paw-Paw, cousins Keandre and Mason (pictured), Aunt Amanda, Uncle Craig and to meet Uncle Craig's girlfriend Lisa.

After some BBQ for lunch, Colin went outside and ran around the yard some, played catch with Keandre and jumped (a very, tiny little bit while his mother hyperventilated) on the trampoline with Uncle Craig and Mason.

Then we went straight from Norcross to his friend Madi's 5th birthday party where he had a hot dog with Daddy, cake, ice cream and his very first Kool-Aid sippy bottle drink. He loved everything, especially the drink which his Mommy allowed him to carry around until he decided to dump it on his head.

Random Pictures...

2010-04-13T07:56:00.002-04:00

Swing Time!

2010-04-10T20:16:00.005-04:00

We decided that it was time for a playset for Colin since he loves being outside and swinging in particular. The cheapest option was to build it ourselves and by ourselves, I mean Zack and my Dad. It's a work in progress and probably will be for another month or so but the boys worked crazy hard one Saturday while Colin, my mom, sister and myself went to lunch and then shopping and now Colin has his swing. He will sit there for hours. When you try to remove him there will be tears, sometimes hitting, and the occasional thrown juice cup.

In hindsight this may not have been the best idea...

My Bad & Easter...

2010-04-10T20:05:00.003-04:00

I know that I promised to be better about updating this blog but obviously I lied. Not intentionally or anything, but a lie is a lie. I would say that I'm going to do better this month but then I could just be lying again, right?

So... Easter. This was Colin's second Easter. Last year actually seemed more interested. We thought about taking him to a colossal egg hunt (where the eggs were dropped onto a field by the Easter Bunny in a helicopter - true story) but decided we would see how he enjoyed his hunt the Friday before at daycare.

There was pizza beforehand and he enjoyed that very much. As you can see by the first photograph, he also enjoyed wearing his Easter bucket on his head - and still does. He understood the concept of collecting the eggs and putting them in the bucket, but was more interested in opening them. And since they all contained candy like Skittles, Starburst, etc... that he can't eat, he was none too thrilled about running around collecting plastic eggs and then not getting to partake in the contents. I think his Daddy gave him a couple of Smarties, but I don't know if he actually ate them or just slobbered on them and threw them in the dirt. Either option is possible.

Since he thought the egg hunt was lame we didn't take him to the massive one the next day. It was a good thing too, since our photographer at the paper went out to take pictures and said it was a horrible time and children were screaming and crying and getting knocked down.

He did get his bucket filled with goodies though. He received a chocolate bunny - which he is still working on and absolutely loves, a book called "How Dinosaurs Love Their Cats" which we have read 1,000 so far and some sidewalk chalk which we haven't opened yet because he still has some old chalk left that we're using.

I think Easter will be a lot more fun for him next year when he actually gets to eat what he runs around collecting.

At the very bottom we can see a side-by-side of Colin last Easter vs. this one. Wacky...

The Jolly Barnyard...

2010-03-24T17:42:00.001-04:00

Not the most flattering picture but a sweet one. He had me read that book 16 times that night. Colin is all about that jolly barnyard right now...

At the Park...

2010-03-24T17:37:00.002-04:00

Friday afternoon it was so nice outside that we went to the park after we picked Colin up from daycare. Well, we went to what passes for a park in our neck of the woods. Colin loved the slide and fell off the swings several times, proving that he isn't quite ready for the big kid swings just yet. He also had a lot of fun for about 45 minutes until it was time to go home for dinner. In fact, he had so much fun that he didn't want to leave and had a throw-down fit before getting buckled into the car seat. Good times...

St. Patrick's Day...

2010-03-24T17:33:00.001-04:00

It was all about green for St. Patrick's Day at Colin's daycare. They had green pancakes, green beans and rainbow cupcakes. They also posed in front of a shamrock background for pictures. I didn't say they all did so happily as evidenced by Colin's face in the last picture. He was much more interested in the making and eating of the green food then posing for pictures. Again, these pictures are stolen from his babysitter...

Sidewalk Chalk...

2010-03-19T07:13:00.004-04:00

Licking the Batter...

2010-03-14T19:29:00.003-04:00

Zack made some brownies concoction this afternoon and this was the first time Colin got to lick the batter.

Do I even need to say that he enjoyed it?

Colin & Mommy

2010-03-14T19:25:00.002-04:00

Colin fell asleep about 2 p.m. today and Zack and I followed very shortly after. When Colin woke up from his nap he came over to the chair to give me some love and make sure I woke up. Sweet boy...

Then & Now...

2010-03-13T19:28:00.003-05:00

When Zack and I look at old pictures of Colin we are always amazed. He just looks SO different now then he did this time last year. So I am going to attempt to do a collage monthly to show the crazy difference.

Colin was 15-months-old on Friday. This is a picture of him in March of 2009 (at 3-months) and then at nearly 15-months at the Yellow River Game Ranch the other weekend. Crazy. He's still baby big head, but at least he's got some hair now...

Flip Flop Adventure...

2010-03-13T19:23:00.002-05:00

Colin went to a place called Flip Flop Friday with his daycare. Basically it's one of those places that's filled with jumpies from my understanding... Unfortunately I was unable to go with him, and the pictures below are some I swiped from his babysitter's Facebook.

At first - as you can see - he was NOT feeling it. Apparently he was terrified. But after they sang the raindrop song ("If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain that would be...") he perked right up and was happy to play as long as someone was with him. The adult in the picture of him standing and smiling is Ms. Brandi and the one where he's on the way down the slide is Ms. Rebecca.

Pot Head...

2010-03-07T18:57:00.002-05:00

As Promised....

2010-03-06T16:24:00.002-05:00

Update...

2010-03-05T15:38:00.003-05:00

Despite promises of updating this blog more frequently, I have failed miserably. I had high hopes for myself but alas....

Well, Colin will be 15-months-old in exactly one week and just continues to be tons of fun. We visited Dauset Trails a couple of weeks ago (as anyone who is my friend on Facebook knows) and he was a lot more into it then he was the zoo and that was just a few months ago. He called the bear a dog and posed for a few pictures in the gardens. He also walked to a couple cages all by himself and at one point attempted to run away from us and at one point attempted to pull the lips from a goat. We're planning on trying to get outside this weekend and enjoy the nice weather and I'm sure I'll take more pictures to post for everyone.

Colin is beginning to dance which makes Zack and I laugh super hard. He does the Mexican Hat Dance, will sway side-to-side, bounce on his feet, twirl in circles, and bob his head. He and I away side-to-side while sitting together watching "American Idol" and he will scowl at me if I slack in my swaying at any time.

Along with dancing he now attempts to sing. I have noticed him try to sing his A, B,C's as well as "Bad Romance" though the singing is all mostly babble. There is also a song about raindrops being gumdrops, etc... that he tries to sing.

He has become incredibly independent about his eating and last night refused to eat him dinner until we put it on a plate in front of him. He makes a mess but he is pretty good with the spoon and certainly knows where the food goes. He was caught trying to sneak his friend Abigail's tator tots from their plate the other day during lunch at daycare, so he seems to be a bottomless pit. Zack and I will have to get three jobs apiece to feed him by the time he's a teenager.

Also, he attempts to color with crayons, has started building things (and not just knocking them down) with Mega Blocks, mimicking what people say a lot more, and showing you where the pee-pee is (the toilet, his diaper, etc...) and he went to bed last night without his bedtime bottle.

I will post a few pictures from the last few weeks on here tonight.

Colin's First Haircut

2010-02-20T19:04:00.005-05:00

We finally took Colin to get his hair cut for the first time and friends had recommended this nice man (Wain) who runs a barber shop called Wain & Co. in Covington. We had planned to go last Saturday, but about three inches of snow stopped us.

So we went in and rather then sit Colin in the chair Wain introduced himself, made Colin laugh, got him to sit in his lap and then started cutting his hair. When it was time to use the clippers he turned them on and held them for a minute, then tickled Colin's belly with them and then got rid of the West Virginia Waterfall on the back of his neck.

We did not have one tear, no meltdowns, no near-meltdowns and the only stink-eye given was to me. He didn't even charge us. He told us to make sure to come back for a second haircut and that would be payment enough.

He also gave Colin his first sucker which he very much enjoyed. In fact, the first meltdown came when we took the sucker away to put him back in his car seat to leave. Go figure...

BEFORE

Valentine's Day Party

2010-02-16T16:38:00.003-05:00

Colin had a little Valentine's Day party at daycare Friday and then he posed in front of a adorable backdrop. Once again, these pictures are stolen from his babysitter Amanda.

Colin's Walk-Way...

2010-02-16T16:29:00.003-05:00

These pictures are completely stolen from Colin's babysitter Amanda but I wanted to make sure and share them with his fan club. They built a little walkway to the entrance of the playroom and Colin actually helped... a little. As you can see by the pictures his idea of helping was to pose solemnly for most photos and get dirty. It was the first time he actually smelled like he had been playing in dirt outside in his entire life. He smelled like a little boy, it was stinky and adorable.

t This is Colin with (from left) Madi, Nolan and Morgan.

Sunday Fun-day...

2010-02-07T19:05:00.002-05:00

Although Daddy had to work for a bit this morning and went to get his hair cut, Colin and I had nothing better to do all day then play and take pictures. Of course the living room looks like a bomb filled with Mega Blocks, Goldfish crackers and apple juice hit it, but whatever... It's totally worth it...

Ghostly Colin

2010-02-07T19:01:00.002-05:00

I was playing with the flash on my camera today and before I figured it out (which never actually happened, if I'm being honest) I got some fun ghostly-looking pictures of Colin. Enjoy...

Goofy Boys...

2010-01-31T20:03:00.003-05:00

Colin loves to be wrestled with and thrown up in the air, hung upside down, etc... Basically anything that may make Mommy nervous, Colin & Daddy are all for. They were really enjoying playing this afternoon...

Colin's One Year Check-Up... Kinda...

2010-01-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

Inspired by Marshall and Bella's update on her 2-year-old check-up I decided to smuggle the camera into the pediatrician's office and take a couple of pictures of Colin's 1-year-old check-up this afternoon. Well, I say smuggle... They probably wouldn't have cared if I had showed them the camera. The nurse did give me a funny look when she walked in and I was taking naked pictures of my son, but I digress...

Anyhow, we were supposed to get his shots but we have to go back in two weeks because Colin has an ear infection. Again. At least this time it's just in one ear but they put him on antibiotics and just pricked his toe to check his hemoglobin, which is perfect.

Speaking of perfect... Colin is still in the 95th percentile, where he has been, literally, since birth. He is 33-inches long and weighs 28 lbs. Basically he's the size of a 2-year-old, and a big one at that.

Right now he has a bit of a head cold, but that may also be due to his ear infection - we'll see. He is also cutting two molars at once so he's in a really good mood most of the time. Thank goodness for Orajel - which I also refer to as the Miracle Elixir, but only to myself and this is the first time I've done so, but it sounds good so I think I'll roll with it.

He's walking up a storm and talking it up as well. He call tell us where the poo-poo and pee-pee goes and loves to brush his teeth. In fact, he brushes his teeth while taking his bath. It's Colin's version of Utopia. If I gave him a Nilla Wafer and some chocolate soy milk in there he might just faint from joy.

All in all, he's a big ole' happy boy with a bit of a cold and a bad attitude. He must get that from his Daddy...

Hardcore Bath Time...

2010-01-29T21:38:00.001-05:00

More Colin...

2010-01-20T19:03:00.002-05:00

Colin's First Ice Cream Cone Experience...

2010-01-16T19:37:00.001-05:00

We went to the DeKalb Farmer's Market today and on the way home in the 45 degree rainy weather Zack decided Scoop's on the square would be tasty. We stopped by and intended to share our ice cream with Colin but the nice ladies in charge said that children under 4-years-old got free ice cream cones. We assumed it would be a tiny cone. Not a chance. Regular sized sugar cone with a vanilla scoop. Colin ate 90% of it. He actually got mad when we tried to take it away for pictures. Go figure...

Just Colin...

2010-01-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

Crazy Colin!

2010-01-04T19:12:00.002-05:00

These are both out of focus and certainly not the best pictures but they prove that Colin has been crazy happy tonight and screaming with glee at everything. It's awesome. He also now says "Ming Ming" which sounds like nonsense but is actually the name of the duckling on "Wonder Pets." Good times...

Walking Machine...

2010-01-02T18:58:00.000-05:00

Riding Bareback...

2010-01-01T19:40:00.003-05:00

Colin really wanted to ride his rocking horse after his bath and instead of putting on a diaper, Zack put his cowboy boots on him and sat his little naked butt on the horse. Colin was having the time of his life...

January 1, 2010...

2010-01-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

Just a couple pictures from the 1st day of the year. The first one is his new look and it really cracks me up because my Pepaw used to make crazy lips like these and now Colin does. Very cool...

Telephone???

2010-01-01T19:22:00.002-05:00

Colin was playing in the computer room today and found the controllers to an old Nintendo 64 game system. Being an inquisitive boy he grabbed it to check it out and immediately recognized it for what it really was - a phone. He put the dusty controller to his ear and said "Daddy?" Awesome.

Christmas!!!

2010-01-01T19:13:00.002-05:00

Although this was Colin's second Christmas it was the first one he could actually participate even a little in. All in all he didn't really understand what was going on. He enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and eating all the delicious food but I think he was underwhelmed.

We opened on present Christmas Eve and Mommy read her old copy of "Twas' the Night Before Christmas." Unfortunately the book is falling apart so next year Colin will get his very own copy and we'll read it every year.

Christmas morning Zack and I got up first and opened our presents and then got Colin up. After opening presents and getting ready at home we headed to Zack's parents house (Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw) for breakfast and visiting with Maw-Maw, Paw-Paw, Uncle Craig, Aunt Amanda and cousins Keandre and Mason before heading to Granny and Pop's place to visit with them, Aunt Kayla, Susan, Earl, Jarrett, Merrill and Steve and to eat dinner. Then it was home to play with toys and for Daddy to put together his Radio Flyer Rocking Horse that Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw got him for Christmas. While Daddy did that he played with his Wonder Pets Fly Boat from Aunt Kayla. Those, by far, were his initial favorite presents.

He also decided he was going to walk on Christmas, making the event very memorable for everyone in his life. So Colin walked at 1 year and 2 weeks old.

Colin's 1st Birthday...

2010-01-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

Most of the people who look at this blog are also friends with me on Facebook, so they have seen Colin's 1st birthday pictures. For those of you who have not, here are a few. We had Brittany Thomas - the photographer at The Covington News - come and take pictures so that Zack and I could enjoy the party. It was a wise decision and she did a great job.

Wow... A whole year.... Zack woke up about the same time I did on Colin's birthday and said "Well, we made it a whole year without any major disasters." And thank goodness. When Colin was first born I was terrified of him. While I was still in the hospital, Zack had left to get something to eat and the nurse brought Colin in to be fed. I was all alone with him for the first time. He was crying because he was hungry and I had just had a C-Section, so I couldn't reach the bottles that were tucked in his little bed they wheeled him around in. I started to cry and called for the nurse, my doctor came in instead. She handed me a bottle and basically told me to suck it up, that all new mothers were scared and that I needed to learn to deal with it.

In the next few weeks I did. Zack went back to work after a week and it was just me and my son. I was in awe of him and as I write this I still am - I think I may always be. To have this little person that grew inside of me is still completely bizarre, but I adore everything about him. He has always been and continues to be a good baby. The older he gets the more his personality comes out and proves that he is hard-headed like his mother but kind like father. He has a little of both of us in him and that's interesting to see.

He loves music and enjoys singing and dancing with Mommy. He's just starting to dance a little on his own and it cracks us all up. When Zack and I start laughing Colin laughs too. He loves his dog Parker but he adores his cat Abbey and will chase her all over the house just to pet her for a second before she runs away. When he doesn't feel good he wants to snuggle and he loves to read and watch "Wonder Pets."

Every day I continue to be amazed by him. Watching things through his eyes - seeing him discover music and animals and Christmas lights - is perhaps one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. Enough sappiness... Enjoy the pictures and I will try to update his blog at least once a month if not more in 2010.

Slacker Mommy

2009-12-26T19:30:00.002-05:00

I know that I promised at the last post to be better about posting and here it is months later and I haven't posted a single picture. I have no excuse. I could say that I was busy, but who isn't, right? So here is another (hopefully not empty) promise from me that I will keep up with the blog better in the new year. I have pictures from Colin's first birthday and from Christmas to post and I will do that soon. Once again, I promise....