A Month of Many Milestones

Our little baby isn't such a baby anymore...Colin is 9 months old today!  And the last few weeks have seen one new accomplishment after another.  Looking back at my post from 2 weeks ago, I saw that Colin had just learned to roll over and sit up on his own.  While on vacation at the beach last week, his "army" scooting lead to full-fledged crawling on all fours!  Colin is so excited about his new found freedom to get anywhere his little heart desires.  But I bet if he could talk, he'd tell us that this crawling stuff is for the birds, and that he'd MUCH rather start walking already!  It seems as if all of a sudden, he's now gained the strength - and confidence - to pull himself up to a standing position...and it's his new favorite feat.  And his most favorite place to perform this trick?  In his crib, of course...when he should be sleeping.  But he also loves to pull himself up on the tables, chairs, couches, and on his mommy and daddy.  Once he's up, he gets a huge grin on his face, and puts out his arm for someone to assist him when he's ready to take a few steps.  While we're so very proud of our little man on the move, we're really hoping he won't be one of those kids that starts walking at 10 months.  We need a few more weeks to really baby-proof this place!  So even though Colin might be ready for the next step (meant both figuratively and literally here), Mommy and Daddy are certainly NOT!

Here's a few cute pics of Colin's latest trick, followed by the latest and greatest chalkboard wall of accomplishments.  Oh, and maybe a crawling video too :)

Our First Family Beach Vacation!

Last week, Colin, Marshall, and I joined Dad and Mary in Duck, NC (in the Outer Banks) for a fun beach vacation.  We stayed at a resort club called Barrier Island Station, and our 2-story unit had 2 bedrooms, a loft, full kitchen, and even a washer and dryer.  Although it was a bit outdated, it was a great setup for us.  There was also an indoor pool, a great outdoor pool, and an amazing beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  Apparently, whenever we travel, the bad weather seems to follow us.  So, the first few days, we had lots of clouds and rain...followed by flooding and very strong surf and rip currents in the ocean.  We made the most of it though, and explored the area, played games, watched some movies, and even visited the Currituck Lighthouse.  Of course we got breakfast from the famed Duck Donuts (a must-not-miss while in Duck...they make the donuts as you order them!  Delish!), and had scrumptious crabcake sandwiches at Cravings, a local restaurant highlighted on the show Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives (one of Marshall's favorites).  Dad and Mary also babysat one evening so Marshall and I could have a special date night.  We ate at a quaint little restaurant called The Paper Canoe, overlooking the sound.  It was a lovely evening with my hubby!  The weather finally cleared on Wednesday, and we got to relax for a bit on the beach.  The ocean was still too rough, and the No Swimming flag was still perched upon it's pole.  It took Colin a bit to get used to all the new sights and sounds of the beach.  He is definitely not a fan of the sand...it must have been just too coarse for his delicate little feet, because he wouldn't even let them touch the ground!  He loved the pool of course, and had fun floating in his raft and splashing with his toys in the kiddie pool.  Thursday was the best beach day by far.  The waves were calmer, and swimmers were allowed in the water.  Marshall, Dad, and I spent hours body surfing and boogie boarding...it was a blast!  We were all worn out that evening though!  On Friday we drove through the Wright Brothers memorial park, and visited Jockey's Ridge, which is the largest natural sand dune on the eastern coast.  Then we had a yummy lunch at a pizza place, and Colin enjoyed some of his very own vanilla ice cream.  Then it was time to pack up and head home.  We did our traveling at Colin's bedtime, which worked out great because he slept the whole 6-hour drive home.  We had such an amazing time, filled with memories we'll cherish forever.  We're already looking forward to another beach trip next year...and maybe Colin will get to enjoy the sand and ocean when he's just a little older :)

 

New Tricks

Now that Colin has become more mobile, he's also gained quite a bit of confidence in his abilities to get around...and more importantly, to get what he's after.  While doing some FaceTime with Nani last week (one of Colin's favorite things to do), we were amazed at how quickly he scooted across the carpet to get to the screen!  It was really more of an "army crawl," but he saw what he wanted and made it happen!  He not only rolls from his back to his tummy, he can now turn himself all the way around to face any direction he chooses.  Colin can easily get his legs bent underneath of him so he's up on all fours, and rocks back and forth before he starts to scoot.  He's ready to do some serious crawling now!

We've also had a few laughs while watching the video monitor above his crib.  Our sweet baby boy who used to hate tummy time now happily rolls into this position for sleep.  He's never in the same place he started, and we'll often find him with his legs on his bumpers or his cute little bottom in the air :)  Colin also sleeps with his "blankie bear" now, and this has really helped to signal when it's time to go to sleep.  Dad and Mary's friends, Dave and Faith Rowe, gave us a little pacifier with a small beanie frog attached to it (called Wub-a-Nub), and this has also become a welcome friend in the crib.  Colin loves to wake up slowly and hold his Wub-a-Nub and fiddle with the taggies on his blanket.  It's really very cute!  But a brand new surprise came during this morning's nap.  After hearing a few noises, we knew that Colin must be awake. Marshall and I peeked at the monitor to discover him sitting up in his crib, just staring at the camera...quite pleased with this new accomplishment.  So pleased, in fact, that this new-found skill already seems to have become a bit of a distraction when it's time to sleep.  When it came time for his afternoon nap, Colin wanted to practice going back and forth between laying down and sitting up, over and over.  Eventually, he fell asleep...but as soon as he woke up from this nap, he popped right up and sat in his crib until I came in!  You can be sure that the very next thing on our to-do list is to lower that crib so our little trickster doesn't escape!

Here are some cute pictures I took of the video monitor screen, to give you an idea.  The first one shows Colin in the "downward facing dog" position...aka, tush in the air!  The second one shows him just sitting in his crib, probably just as surprised as we were at the accomplishment!

Happy 8 Months!

Ok, so I know I sound like a broken record here, but WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE???  It's amazing to think that I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy 8 months ago today.  Looking back, I can easily remember being a frazzled new mommy, just trying to figure it all out.  And these days, I'm feeling much more confident! I have learned so much about Colin - what he likes and what he doesn't; how to calm and reassure him; and how to prepare him for new things.  His little personality seems to have exploded this month, and he's had a lot of new experiences!

We just got back from a visit with family in St. Pete, and Colin did awesome on his first plane ride!  I was feeling a little anxious about making the trip without Marshall, but it was actually pretty easy.  Colin loved being wheeled through the airport in his stroller, flirting with the flight attendants, and seeing Nani and Pop Pop when we arrived in Tampa...they even had a sign with his name, ready to chauffeur him to their place at the beach!  Although we had a few days of rain during our visit, Colin was still able to swim in the pool, put his feet in the sand, and splash in the Gulf for the very first time.  We also had several visitors during our stay.  Colin got to meet Ashleigh, Marion and her son Jacob, Bob and Sue, Lari, Katie and George.  He also had fun spending time with his Aunt Adrienne and cousin Evyn, Uncle Drew and Aunt Rachel, and of course, Nani and Pop Pop (Colin thinks that Nani is the funniest person ever!).  It was a wonderful trip, but we're already missing everyone!

Marshall was sure that Colin would start crawling while we were in Florida, and he is getting pretty close!  This month, he learned how to roll over onto his tummy, and has been doing some serious scooting ever since.  He wants to crawl so bad, and I bet by this time next month he will have figured it out.  Time to baby-proof the heck out of this place!  Colin also got his 2nd tooth, right next to the other one on the bottom (so now his smile is much more symmetrical!).  He's officially sleeping through the night now...about 12 hours in a row!  It's simply blissful having our sleep back!  Colin even sleeps like a champ in the pack n' play when we're away from home.  He is now eating 3 solid meals a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and loves just about everything he's had.  He's trying more finger foods too...soft pieces of fruits and veggies, toast sticks, yogurt melts, and even pasta!  He loves exploring the new tastes and textures, and is very motivated to feed himself.  He's also learning to drink from a sippy cup, and seems quite proud of himself...such a big boy!

Whenever we're out, people always comment on what an alert and happy baby he is...and it's so true!  Colin loves to laugh, be silly, play patty-cake, and he also imitates sounds and movements.  He shakes his head "no" from side to side, and still tries to get our attention by coughing and screeching...it's really quite amusing!  We can't wait to see what next month will bring!

Mommy's Mountain Man

In the last few weeks, we've spent a lot of time visiting Grandpa Lee and Grandma Mary up in the mountains...and I think Colin loves it there as much as we do!  Colin and I stayed for another week in July while Marshall was traveling for business, and we went back up this past weekend to visit with Drew while he was in town.  Unfortunately, the weather was not the best, but we made the most of it and got outside every chance we could when the sun came out.  We had a picnic dinner at Banner Elk Park, and Colin even got to put his little feet in the stream and play on some of the "big kid" playground equipment.  We also did some shopping at the outlet mall on one of the rainy afternoons.  Colin loved being pushed around in his cozy stroller that Grandma and Grandpa got for him, and just smiled away at all the other shoppers.  He even got licked in the face by a service dog, and tried his first taste of an ice cream cone!  My favorite day was spent blueberry picking in the morning (just before getting caught in a downpour!), and splashing in Wild Cat Lake in the afternoon.  During Drew's visit, we also let Colin take a dip in the hot tub and fed the ducks on our walk around Bass Lake.  Grandma and Grandpa have gone all out to give Colin every comfort of home while he's visiting them in the mountains.  He's got a pack n' play, a swing, stroller, activity mat, bath seat, and car seat...but his favorite new toy is a walk-around activity table.  We were amazed how quickly he figured out how to get around to each area, and how each toy worked!  I think it'll even help him as he learns to walk...he just scoots all around with ease!  We've all had so much fun during our visits to the mountain house, and we can't wait for our beach trip to the Outer Banks in September.  But stay tuned...our next big adventure will be our trip to Florida to visit Nani and Pop Pop (and Adrienne, Evyn, Rachel, and Drew) next week!  Look out, St. Pete...HERE WE COME!!!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our latest trips to the mountains.

And here's a cute video of Colin in his activity center.  Dad and Mary's dog, Sebastian, loves to play...and Colin seemed to find this to be quite hilarious :)

7 Month Update!

Today Colin is 7 months old, and we've really noticed how his little personality has taken shape recently.  He has a marvelous sense of humor, and absolutely adores silly noises and faces.  We've learned that he's actually quite ticklish, and he anticipates a good session of rough-housing with Daddy.  Colin seems totally fearless (and I'm not sure that's such a good thing!)...he loves being tossed in the air, hung upside down, and bounced on the bed.  His little squeals of delight are my new favorite sounds!  We're also amazed with how strong he's become.  He's now sitting without support and loves being able to explore his surroundings and toys in this new position.  He can hold up his weight while on his tummy, and is even starting to scoot a little.  He's completely intrigued by everything around him, and will do whatever he can to grab anything within reach.  We really have to keep an eye on him now that he's such a wiggly little worm!

Colin also cut his first tooth a few weeks ago!  I had lots of teething tools ready for him to chew on, but luckily he didn't seem to be in too much pain.  He really likes to suck on frozen fruit purees in a mesh teething bag - although this usually makes quite a mess!  He's also been introduced to a wide variety of fruit and veggie purees, many of which I'm proud to say that I've made for him myself!  He likes just about everything he's tried, but his favorites are sweet potatoes and bananas.  This month, he'll get to try some chicken and turkey, and beginning eating 3 solid meals a day in addition to formula (another new transition this month).  It won't be long before he needs that tooth (and hopefully a few others!) to chew on some finger foods!

Marshall and I are relieved that Colin has learned to fall asleep on his own...a process that took some trial-and-error, and a lot of patience on our end (and crying on his).  After about a week, Colin figured out that we weren't going to come to his beck and call at bedtime and throughout the night, and eventually began to self-soothe - a skill we knew was necessary for babies to learn around this age.  My last post detailed our weary efforts, and I'm happy to report that we've had pretty good success since then!  There will always be glitches in our daily schedule, but I think Colin trusts that he can fall asleep without us now...and we're all resting much more easily :)

We're so lucky that Colin is such an easy-going baby.  There have been days throughout the past month where he's gone to bed late, slept somewhere other than his crib, and had changes to his routine, all while transitioning from breastfeeding to formula.  He's even been in child care for 3 hours each morning this week as I volunteered for Vacation Bible School as a crew leader at our church.  There have been play dates, lots of time spent in the pool, and visits with family and friends.  And all the while, Colin just goes with the flow and keeps that toothy grin on his face.  The best part is, he is what keeps a permanent smile on our faces too.

Here's the latest chalkboard wall photo!

Discovering Some Furry Friends

Kai (our dog) and Phoebe and Jack (our cats) have been a part of our "fur-family" for a few years now.  But our newest addition has just recently discovered his puppy-brother and kitty-brother/sister.  It's been really cute to watch Colin's face light up when one of the animals comes near...he practically lunges out of our arms to try and reach them.  We haven't had any tail pulling or ear-grabbing yet, but I suspect this is in the imminent future.  The pets are somewhat curious, but wary is really a better description.  They know to keep their distance, but seem to understand that Colin is a part of the family now too.  Kai will often come into the nursery in the morning when I'm feeding the baby, and the cats will sometimes lay just outside his door after he goes to sleep for the night.  Last Saturday morning, Marshall got down on the floor with Colin to pet the dog, and I was able to capture some very sweet moments of both curiosity and love.  Even the cats couldn't resist the chance to get up close and personal with the baby, and get a few wonderful scratches behind the ears at the same time :)  I just couldn't wait to share these photos!  Hope you enjoy them!