Some New Things

Collin just continues to get more and more of a personality every day. He is quickly learning that there is so much to the world and he is going to do what he can to be a part of it all. However, Miss Mary at daycare said that "He is just such a nice little boy, very easy going. If there is something he wants and he can't reach it, no big deal! He will just find something else to play with." So yes he wants to be a part of the big boy world but is still not so into the work that must be put into it all, this is all just like the rolling over thing!!

However the other morning Eric was out in the back yard and Collin was dying to be doing what Daddy was doing. He sat at the window and just looked out, even tried to scale the door. This went on even after Eric was no longer out there. It soon became so much fun to just lick the window!!

Some of the newest excitement has to do with of coarse EATING! Which is Collin's favorite thing to do. He is now eating a few finger foods, however, it has taking quite a bit of practice to be able to pick things up, then gum them enough to eat them. But even though we haven't gotten the pincher method down we are getting better. This morning while home on a SNOW DAY, Collin enjoyed toast and peaches! He was shoveling this down like the poor kid had never eaten before, which we all knew is far from true.


Here is Collin looking so proud to be holding the spoon in his hand!

Also, Collin is learning to mimic his mommy and daddy. He has a play phone and this morning he kept picking it up holding it to his ear, then would pass it on to me. I guess this may be a bad sign down the road....hopefully he isn't beggin' for a cell phone when he is 12!

It's official....

Well I know about a month ago or so I commented that Collin pulled himself up on his drawers in his bedroom. However, today he proved to us that pulling up is his new trick. While playing in the family room and staring at the remore on the automon, he figured out how to rock himself forward and get enought momentum to push/pull himself up on the automon. Also, while I was cleaning out all the many clothes Collin continuously keeps out-growing, Eric and Collin were playing in the laundry basket in Collin's room. Collin just kept pulling himself up then plopping back down! Now if only we can get him to figure this whole crawling thing out!! We are getting close but that big ol' tummy is a lot to lift off the ground and move.

Rolling and Rolling and Rolling

This evening when we got home Eric, Collin and I were all on the floor playing. Now Collin has become very attached these days, but according to our parents as teachers lady, "This is just a phase, but it is a good thing!" So usually Collin insists either sitting on your lap to play or he must somehow be touching you. But tonight, we were practicing this whole "crawling" thing and he basically decided he was going to get from one place to another any way he can. He just began rolling and rolling, back to stomach, back to stomach. Then the next thing you knew he would be halfway across the room. This is a total change because so often he just lays on his back like a little Junebug moving his arms and legs back and forth, almost forgetting that he can just roll over!
Also, the last couple of days we have been practicing eating puffs to get the hang of feeding ourselves and to get down that whole gumming the food thing so we don't choke. Tonight at dinner Collin was acting as if he had never eaten before and after eating sweet potato and green beans we gave him some puffs because he kept wanting "MORE". It was so fun to just sit and watch his little gears turn as he concentrated so hard on picking up the puff, trying to accurately place it in his mouth, then work on gumming it enough to get it down his throat. Who ever knew that eating could be so much work!!!

The past few weeks

We are finally home, unpacked and trying to get ourselves all settled back in, thanks to the last two days of snow days!! The only thing we have left to do is finish taking down the Christmas decorations. Collin has had such an amazing last couple of weeks. Collin had his tubes put in Wednesday, December 23rd and everything went well. It was the quickest 10 minute procedure! By the time we sat back down in the waiting room they were already calling us to give us to tell us he was out of surgery. Dr. Alphin said he had an amazing amount of fluid pour out of his ears so there is no wonder why he was always in such pain! We just went back today for his checkup and he still has some "crustiness" on his left ear so we need to continue with more drops to help prevent future infections.

My Christmas Outfit

Collin's first Christmas was very calm and very uneventful. We spent Christmas Eve here at home, went to Christmas mass with my parents that afternoon then back to their house for dinner. Because it was just the three of us we decided we could open gifts when we wanted...so we let Collin open a gift or two that afternoon. Surprise Surprise...he loved the paper most of all!!

Christmas afternoon we left to head to Atlanta/St. John and Collin experienced his first plane ride. Thanks to the tubes, we had a very successful first plane ride. Collin loved looking out the window and playing with the window shade. St. John was an absolutely amazing family vacation. The house was on the beach, had a pool, an outdoor lanaui, and a huge family room/kitchen. Collin loved the pool. Dad had bought a floatie for Collin...little did he know that it was pink! The ocean was a bit scary for Collin, I think it was the sound of the waves, but once we were around it a few times, Collin loved to sit in the sand...and especially try to eat it!!

I had my own seat!! Wow it was HOT in St. Thomas Me and my pink floaty!

We were lucky to be off school/daycare for almost two weeks and by the end of vacation we officially have a napping/eating schedule. Collin is now taking a good 1 1/2 hour morning nap!! Then for the last two nights 1/7 Collin officially slept all the way through the night!! We are slowly beginning bits of food like banana, peaches and baby puffs.

The last big new thing for Collin these days is his desire to move!! He is getting so close to crawling. He has figured out how to get to where he wants by either scooting backward, rocking, or rolling over. I think he will the happiest little boy when he can actually crawl to where he wants to go. On top of crawling he is practicing pulling himself up. Just the other night I place him in the bath tub and he literally leaned over pulled himself up on the tub ledge and crawled his way out into my arms!! I guess he wasn't into the bath that night!