May Update

Our trip to California was completely amazing!  It was just what we needed, and as expected, Colin did great at home with Nani and Pop Pop.  We arrived home on Saturday night, and couldn't wait to get our hands on our little munchkin!  Mom and Dave left the next morning to drive back to St. Pete.

We enjoyed the Mother's Day holiday at John and Kimmie's, and Ginna made a delicious brunch for everyone!  We sipped on mimosas as Colin played with the bubbles, and had fun playing corn hole in the backyard (a Mother's Day/Father's Day gift to John and Kimmie from all their kids!).  It was a very lovely Mother's Day for this mama :)

This began a very busy week filled with familiar faces.  Colin and I went to Charlotte Jewish Day School to visit with my former colleagues, students, and their families for the school's annual Grandparent's Day.  The students performed on stage with instruments, song, and dance, and Colin loved every minute of it - he was even dancing in the aisle!  It's been a whole year since our last visit to CJDS, so everyone couldn't get over how big he'd gotten (and of course everyone was obsessed with all that long, blonde, curly hair!).  We also had some visitors to our house this week.  Laramie and Hunter stopped by for a visit on Monday, and it was fun to watch the boys chase each other around the house.  I tutored a regular student on Tuesday while Colin played with her older brother.  I also began tutoring a new student on Friday, who has just moved to Charlotte.  On Wednesday, one of my former students came to visit after school with her mom, and then another good friend brought over some dinner and we had fun catching up while Colin played with her daughter!  Colin is obsessed with older kids right now, and wants to do everything that the big kids do.

But our most special visitor this week was Aunt Rose!  She came to spend a few hours with us on Thursday, and it was absolutely wonderful to see her.  She is in town visiting her son and his family who live nearby, and I'm so thrilled that she could come to visit with us for a little while.  She brought Colin some sweet gifts, and we had fun swinging outside and playing with all of his toys.  We hope to see Aunt Rose for Superbowl this year, along with all of my other "east coast" family, who have yet to meet Colin!  Thank you for coming to visit us, Aunt Rose...WE LOVE YOU!!!

Here are a couple of photos from our trip to CA, and from last week.  Enjoy!

T.G.F.G. (Thank God For Grandparents!)

The last few weeks have been very busy, but also some of the most fun to date (hence the absence from my blogging recently).  Even as I type this now, I’m sitting next to my darling husband, flying first class en route to San Francisco!  And is there a wiggly toddler in tow, you wonder?  The other passengers would be pleased to report that there is not…this is a (work) vacay for Mommy and Daddy J  I have the very distinct pleasure of being able to tag along for a work/golf trip with Marshall and his boss to San Fran for the day and night, and then we head to wine country tomorrow through Saturday.  Marshall will be participating in a golf tournament on Friday while I soak in the sun at our resort in Napa, and maybe even partake in some of the spa amenities.  I’m beyond excited to eat some delicious food, visit with Ashleigh and Ryan (who have just moved to SF), sip on some of our favorite wines, do a little sight-seeing, sleep in, and just relax.  I will, of course, miss my littlest love like crazy cakes…but I know that he is in the best of hands with Mom and Dave while we’re gone.  When the opportunity for me to join on said trip first presented itself, I (half-jokingly) inquired with my mom about coming up to Charlotte to stay with Colin.  And much to my joyful surprise, she and Dave willingly took me up on the offer!  I’m thrilled that Colin will be able to stay in his own environment and play with Nani and Pop-Pop for the next few days (and bonus - the pets will be taken care of too!).  In fact, Colin has enjoyed some quality time with all of his grandparents almost every weekend for the last few weeks!  In April I celebrated my 35^th birthday with a dinner date at Ruth’s Chris, and an outing with friends on another weekend to a Charlotte Knights baseball game.  Grandma Kimmie and Grandpa John babysat Colin for my birthday dinner, and again the following weekend so I could help out some girl friends at a local beer event while Marshall was out of town for the weekend for another golf tournament with some coworkers.  I also got to join some friends for a fun hockey game and concert, and got some much needed girl time too.  Colin stayed the night with John and Kimmie, and had fun splashing in the baby pool in the backyard.  Grammy Mary and Grandpa Lee stayed at our house for the weekend to watch Colin during the baseball game before heading up to the mountain house for the summer.  The following weekend, Colin got to go up to the mountains to stay with them while I co-hosted a baby shower at our house for our friend Katie, who is due with her baby girl this June.  Colin had a blast exploring nature and becoming a real mountain boy!  Needless to say, we are so lucky to have 3 sets of grandparents who love us and Colin so much.  They always jump at the chance to spend some extra time with him, and we never have to worry when he is in their care.  We can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done for us, and for Colin.  I know he’ll cherish the memories he’s had with them all, and I hope that one day he’ll share these experiences with his own grandchildren.  THANK YOU SO MUCH, GRANDPARENTS!!!  Now, who wants to take him next weekend?  ;)

Spring Celebrations

Over the past week, we've had a lot to celebrate...beautiful spring weather, Easter, an amazing promotion for Marshall, and a birthday for Blake and me!  We've had a lot of fun with friends and family lately, and I just wanted to share a few highlights.  Last Thursday was my 35th birthday...and I'm so thrilled with the life I have by this age!  I'm so blessed to have a loving husband, incredible child, the house I always dreamed of, and the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom.  I met up with some girlfriends to try on bridesmaids dresses for Melissa's wedding, and then we all had dinner at P.F. Chang's.  It was a delightful evening!  The icing on the cake (both literal and metaphorical) was that Marshall was rewarded for his tremendous efforts at work with a hefty raise!  He's been putting in a lot of hours and achieving some major goals with his company, and I'm so proud of him.  It's awesome that his company is recognizing him for all of his hard work!  We had a celebratory dinner the next evening, and John and Kimmie were sweet enough to babysit for us.  On Saturday, we went over to John and Kimmie's for a surprise party for Ginna's husband, Blake.  We had a great time meeting all of their friends, playing yard games, and enjoying the gorgeous weather.  On Easter Sunday, we went to our church service and Colin had fun exploring some goodies in his Easter basket.  John and Kimmie had invited us to an Easter/birthday brunch at the their house, which was delicious as always.  It was a joyful weekend, and the best parts were shared with family and friends! Here are some photos for you to enjoy :)

We went to a fun Easter egg hunt a few weeks ago in John and Kimmie's neighborhood...Colin LOVED searching for the eggs!

A beautiful bouquet from my sweet husband - 35 roses for my 35th birthday!

Colin looked so handsome in his Easter outfit!

"Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!"

...and one more Easter egg hunt in Grandma Kimmie's and Grandpa John's backyard

 Happy Easter, everyone!

A Day in the Life of Colin

Every month with Colin just seems to get better and better.  I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I'm continually amazed at how smart, funny, and incredible this little boy is, how quickly he's growing and learning, and how in love with him we are.  So, to tell you a little about what's currently new and interesting, I thought I'd present you with "A Day in the Life of Colin."  Here's what a typical day looks like for us!

About 7:30 am, I hear Colin start to stir in his crib.  He likes to wake up slowly, and his new thing is to turn on his Gloworm and listen to the lullaby songs as he stretches (he will often fall asleep to this as well).  After about 15 minutes, I bring him into our room and we do some cuddling, tickling, and playing until he signs "food/eat," and then I know he's ready for breakfast!  We say goodbye to Daddy as he leaves for work and enjoy breakfast together.  Colin is still learning not to throw his food on the floor, but at least he's a pretty good eater most of the time.  Then we clean up and get ready to go to the gym.  Colin has learned to occupy himself in the playroom lately, which allows me to get ready and out the door!  Colin loves going to child care at the gym.  When I ask him if he wants to go play at the gym, he eagerly says "Yeah!" (one of his new favorite responses).  At the YMCA, he has friends that he plays with, activities to do, rides on the buggy, and snack time.  And I've been loving the opportunity to exercise and try out some new classes.  After the gym, we head home for lunch and then it's nap time!  During the weekdays, we've adapted to a pretty regular schedule, and Colin usually takes one longer afternoon nap, from about 12:30-3 or so.  When he wakes up, he gets a little afternoon snack and then we run errands or play outside.  We love when our neighbors join us, especially now that the weather is getting warmer.  Colin LOVES playing outside.  We shoot hoops in his mini-basketball hoop, go on wagon rides, color with sidewalk chalk, and blow bubbles.  When Daddy comes home, he plays outside too, and then we all get dinner ready.  Colin has been trying lots of new foods lately, and has also been drinking all of his milk!  He loves to help me clean up the kitchen after dinner, and as I'm wiping down the counter tops, he gets his own sheet of paper towel and pretends to wipe up the floors, cabinets, and windows.  He's such a sweet helper!  Colin also loves to put the dish towel over his head and pretend that we can't find him...then he pulls it off and laughs his head off!  It's really quite amusing.  Then we watch the Family Feud and play together...Colin especially enjoys being chased around the furniture :)  Around 8, we head upstairs for bath time, which is another favorite time of day.  We've put away the bath seat now, to make room for the tub basketball hoop, of course!  Colin loves to splash and play, and isn't afraid to get water dumped on his head anymore.  Marshall brushes his teeth every night (something Colin also enjoys, and makes sure we don't forget to do!), and then it's time for lotion, jammies, and a story.  Probably my favorite time of day is when we turn out the light, say our prayers, and sing some songs.  Colin cuddles into me, and makes the sign for "more" to tell me he wants me to keep singing to him!  It's absolutely precious, and he doesn't even mind my singing voice.  With a kiss goodnight, a paci and a blankie, he lays down in his crib and goes right to sleep.

Marshall and I constantly reflect on how lucky we are, to be living our dream as the family we've always wanted to be.  Our lives are so rich with love, and we're ecstatic about all the fun the lies ahead.  I hope you'll enjoy some new photos, and video of our little ghost :)

Having fun grocery shopping

Hanging with his buddy, Amelia

 Riding on the Bye-Bye-Buggy at the YMCA

 Playtime outside

 Helping mom with the cleaning

 Enjoying a little snack (peanut butter is a messy favorite!)

 Loving on his puppy brother

And living the good life!

Colin's Latest Obsession

Hello, friends and family!  The last few weeks have been really wonderful at Casa Rothwell.  Everyone has been healthy and happy, and we've had a lot of fun hanging out with family and friends.  Colin and I have gotten back into our regular routine at the gym, and he seems to love the child care at the YMCA.  We've also had a few play dates with friends and neighbors, and visits with grandparents as well.  And as an added bonus, it seems that spring is just around the corner!  The weather is getting warmer, and days are getting longer, and all the kiddos are starting to congregate in the cul-de-sac to enjoy it all.  We are ready to enjoy the new season!

Along with the budding flowers and trees, Colin's personality is also starting to really bloom.  He constantly cracks us up, and he even makes himself laugh quite often.  He is so tickled by anything silly and out of the ordinary, especially funny noises :)  He gets such a kick out of rough-housing with  his daddy, and loves to be chased and tickled.  He can be mischievous at times, but just can't get past his desire to explore and experiment.  He's also got an incredible appetite to help fuel all the busy-ness!  But the latest craze is anything sports related.  His new favorite word is "ball."  He says it anytime he sees one or plays with one, and he's really becoming quite obsessed (which Marshall is totally excited about!).  If he sees sports on TV, he says "BA!" (his version of "ball"), if he sees the cat toy, he says "BA!" and even at Target yesterday, he saw the big red round spheres outside the entrance and eagerly exclaimed "BA!!!"  It's pretty adorable.  He loves to play with the talking sports center that Grandpa and Grammy Metzger got him, and even crouches before shooting the basketball in the hoop.  Then he throws his hands in the air, whether he makes the basket or not :)  This is probably something he picked up from his daddy while playing basketball at our neighborhood park.  We were amazed that he could pick up the adult-sized basketball and carry it around, and couldn't wait for Marshall to pick him up to put it in the hoop.  I even found a kid-sized outdoor basketball hoop at our church's consignment sale, which I think will be a big hit for both Colin and Daddy now that the weather is getting nicer!  We're having a blast lately watching our toddler grow and play.  Here's a few photos and some video so you can see for yourself :)

We enjoyed a warm day outside at our neighborhood park!

...and again on another not-so-warm day, when Grammy and Grandpa visited.

But even on the colder days, Colin could keep right on shooting hoops inside!

Molar Misery

The last few days in the Rothwell house have been...well, painful...for everyone.  But poor Colin most definitely endured the most misery.  It all started with a head cold, something we've grown used to as an inescapable side effect of child care at the gym and church, playdates, and baby story time at the library.  To me, I think the benefit outweighs the negative in that I know Colin is having opportunities for social interaction that are so valuable, as well as building an immunity to bacteria and viruses that he'll encounter sooner or later anyways (and I'd much rather him feel yucky now when he can't remember it and won't miss any school as a result).  But, I digress.  With the cold came several high fevers and a mild ear infection.  So after a visit to the doctor, he's back on the pink stuff.  That's amoxicillin to you and me, but if you had a whiff of this bubblegum-flavored elixir it would take you right back to memories of your childhood sniffles.  We also noticed that Colin's appetite wasn't nearly as robust as it normally is.  As the days went on, it got to the point that he pushed away practically everything we put in front of him...even some of the tried and true favorites. We knew when he refused a cheese stick that something was definitely amiss.  Marshall solved the mystery last Friday evening by inspecting the inside of Colin's mouth with a flashlight, only to discover that BOTH of his top molars were pushing their way through.  We were relieved that we had an answer to this frustrating dilemma, but we also felt so terrible for our little guy.  We tried to offer soothing, easy-to-eat foods like yogurt, applesauce, and oatmeal...I even made him a frozen fruit smoothie.  But unfortunately for us all, the only things that seemed to offer relief were ibuprofen and his pacifier, and we just had to wait it out.  Luckily he was able to sleep just fine, and needed a lot of extra rest.  Finally today, we seem to have our baby back.  He had a regular breakfast (well, regular for him anyway...he eats an uncanny amount for such a small person!) and has been cheerful and active throughout the day.  At least now we'll know what to expect when the lower molars decide to make their wretched appearance.

The Holy Grail (a.k.a. The Sippy that Saved My Sanity)

Well, friends, I'm happy to report that we have found some success with a sippy!  Oh happy day!  (I may have even done a little jig when announcing the news to Marshall one day last week when he came home from work!)  After sending tens of - ok, well maybe ten - different varieties of cups to the sippy cemetery, we finally discovered one that worked.  Well, either that, or the timing coincided with the moment that Colin finally gave in.  And, as an added bonus, it just happens to be a straw cup!  This is a bonus because evidently the straw is better for oral language development and for teeth, etc.  At least that's what "they" say.  "THEY" know an awful lot, don't "they"?  This discovery came about shortly after my last post, when I decided to call one of my very best mom friends.  Tori and I have been friends since college, and she's helped to talk me off the ledge of a few parenting meltdowns.  She encouraged me to hang in there, and to stand my ground.  She also said that her little one seemed to really like the straw cup, but just the plain take-n-toss kind.  I had already bought a fancy straw cup for Colin, but - if I'm being honest - even I had a hard time sucking any liquid out of it because of a valve in the straw.  Apparently, you can either have a cup that leaks, or risk breaking a rib trying to suck juice through it's impermeable straw.  So that didn't work.  I decided to try out a regular straw in a regular cup, and Colin figured it out after only a few tries!  It only took a moment to realize that the take-n-toss straw cups weren't going to work because our little piranha could pry the lid off with his teeth.  So we needed a sippy cup with a regular-type straw and a screw on lid.  And then we discovered "The Holy Grail" of sippy cups...The Munchkin Weighted Straw Sippy Cup.  A weighted straw!  So he can actually hold it from any angle and get the last drop of milk from the cup.  It even has a flip-top lid that covers the straw while on the go!  I was ecstatic when Colin drank from it for the first time.  Hoping the novelty wouldn't wear off, I followed him around with his new straw sippy, and eventually he finished the whole cup!  I still have to add a bit of chocolate Nesquick, but he's now drinking it cold and almost up to the full amount of milk he should have per day.  I haven't figured out how to get the milk to stop rising out of the straw, even as it sits upright on the table...it has something to do with the pressure inside, but this is not my area of expertise.  I'm just thrilled that the battle is over, and that I actually won...well, this time at least.