two and a half!

Dear Conor,

This past Saturday we celebrated your 1/2 birthday.  I can't believe you are officially 2.5 years old - such a big kid!  You continue to amaze us everyday with your laughter, your kindness, your spirit, your development, and your ability to ALWAYS keep us on your toes.  You are such an amazing little man.

Currently you are wearing a mix of clothing sizes.  Shirts are most often 2T but your pants/shorts are anywhere from 12-18 to 2T depending on brand.  You still have stubby little feet and are wearing a size 5.5W shoe.  You are 33" tall and weigh 28lbs (as per the last check at the doctor's office during one of Colin's well-being checks).  You are in size 4 diapers.

You always sleep through the night now.  Bedtime is a breeze.  We have dinner as a family, you get a bath (this is your special time with Daddy) and then he brushes your teeth, reads you a story, sings you a song, and puts you to bed.  You tend to go to bed anywhere between 6:30pm and 7:30pm depending on when we had dinner and how sleepy you are.  You currently sleep with a pillow and your "ella" blanket as well as a Minnie Mouse and a book.  In order to sleep you need to have your music, your elephant humidifier and your dinosaur night light all turned on.  You are quite the mover in your sleep and I'm never certain where in your crib you will be when I peek in on you via the monitor.  You have spent one night in a toddler bed at Grandma and Grandpa's house when we went down recently but you (and we) are not ready for that BIG step just yet.  You typically sleep until 7am.  You have been taking "rest" time since turning two and more often than not you are falling asleep for at least an hour.  This week its been more like 90 minutes, sometimes even 2 hours so I'm certain you are growing!

so sweet!

You are still a stinker when it comes to eating!  You do not like to try new things.  Waffles, French Toast, Chickie, noodles, fruit, pickles, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, and popcorn are what you will eat.  Mommy tries to get you to experience new foods but I simply won't force you.  Instead I sneak in veggies and other things that are good for you and you take a vitamin twice a day.  I will often mix ground flax seed in with your pancake mix, muffin mix, smoothies.  I put chia seeds in your smoothies and pancake mixes and sometimes in your yogurt (which you still think is ice cream).  I freeze veggie babyfood pouches in popsicle molds and you love eating them!  Its a battle of will little guy and Mommy wins sometimes :)

 

You use a fork or a spoon 90% of the time and you seem to have a preference for your left hand at this time.  Though you still switch during the meal so it remains to be seen which will become your predominant hand.  I have recently started teaching you how to drink from a cup or water bottle.  You still like to keep your entire mouth open when you drink so its a little tricky but you will get there.

 

Your vocabulary is amazing.  There is simply no other word for it.  You have so many words I can't even begin to count them.  You can sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and books, you remember lines to movies and apply them appropriately in your life (your famous line right now is "I can't" which is from the movie Frozen - we can't stand when you say this!).  You can sing your ABCs, you recognize all the letters and you can count to 17.  You can spell your name and Colin's name and little did we know - you can spell FROZEN.  You are slowly learning to use proper words to describe actions and past/present tense (i.e. we went, I did, they did).  Its so much fun to watch you learn.  You know your colors, you know quite a few shapes, and you are able to touch and count up to 10.  Some of your conorisms that are still around are:

"ella" - is your blanket or elephants
"ya ya" - now only refers to Auntie Sarah
"bedopbedop" - dinosaurs
"Talin" - Colin
"Tonor" - Conor
"poppop" - popsicle
"my sings" - my swings
"ahhh" - water/drinks

You also have a funny way of emphasizing certain words, sounds, phrases.  Its hard to put them to paper but the inflection in your voice when you say thing often makes me laugh.  Some of the things you say make me laugh (and others) not only because of what you say but how you say it and when.  You will often blurt out "I so excited" in a high pitched voice when doing something you want to do (this makes Sharon laugh every time).  When on the swings going really high you have started to say "this is Ammmazing" which is from the movie Frozen.  The other night you said to Colin "don't touch my penis baby Colin, I trying to pee on the floor."  Mommy couldn't help but laugh because I was so proud that you knew you were needing to pee but it was funny just the same.  Another famous thing you say is "he so happy" every time you pull Colin's binkie out of his mouth.  We are not certain where you got this from but its cute.

Some of your favorite things are:
(1) to be outside playing - you get so very upset when its time to come in
(2) the movie FROZEN
(3) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show
(4) playing trains & trucks
(5) going to the mailbox
(6) going to the park/beach
(7) playing "rescue" with your tow truck and fire truck
(8) doing things "all by myself"

You continue to be a great big brother to Colin.  Sometimes it challenging for you because you want so very much to play with all the toys and you don't always want to wait for his needs to be taken care of (and he's a needy guy).  We have had a few moment of difficulty but Daddy and I are trying to be patient and remember that this is new for you too.  Now that Colin is older and actually plays we have noticed you getting a little bit more jealous and wanting to share toys less but its something we are working on.  Despite what might go on at home during playtimes you are still always so proud to introduce him over and over again to your friends and people we meet.  You also are able to make him laugh like no other - he lights up when he sees you and the two of you are hilarious together.  You try very hard to engage in him your play and you offer him toys or his binkie when he is upset.  We have enjoyed watching you grow as Colin has grown, as your role of big brother has changed.

In another 6 months you will be three and 1/2 way through your first year of school.  I know all to well that day will be here before we know it (and we will celebrate with a Mickey Mouse theme according to you) because time moves so quickly these days.  Happy 1/2 birthday little man - we love you!

xoxo
Mama & Dadda

FOUR MONTHS!

Dear Colin,

You are now 4 months old.  I had a very hard time figuring out when to take your picture because this year there were only 28 days in February and since you were born on the 31st it didn't seem right to do it earlier so I waited until March started and we had a day with some sun in the morning to get good pictures.

Onesies were made by our friend Sharon! 

Of course, I also did photos in an outfit that your brother wore for his 4 month photos.  The shirt must have been discarded because I couldn't find it so I found something similar for you to wear.

And this Colin, is what it looks like when you don't want to get dressed or get your diaper change, or are cold, or mad that you are being put down so I can tend to your brother, Hunter or some other matter.  I still love you but no more ugly face!

SLEEP:
I have started having you sleep in your bedroom at night and you seem to be doing ok with this but you still wake up every 2-3 hours (sometimes less).  You are still swaddled but if I unswaddle you then you are awake even more.  I have a week off of work coming up so I might start unswaddling you then since I won't be so busy and we don't get a lot of sleep it will be ok.  You go to sleep around 7pm.  Are up at least once before 9 (if not twice), then up again around 11pm.  Last month I used to then bring you into my room but now I leave you in your room until your 1:30am wake-up.  Once in bed with me you tend to wake at 3 or 4, 6am and then if I am able to get you back down at 6am you are awake for the day at 7am.  Napping is hit or miss.  Sometimes you will nap at home up in your room if I am able to swaddle you and set you down almost asleep.  Sometimes I will nurse you to sleep and bring you upstairs to your swing to sleep.  During these times you will sleep for about an hour.  If you and I are home alone and I am wearing you - you will sleep for an hour or a little bit more.  You are not a great car sleeper but sometimes you will nap in the car too.  Overall, I would say you are getting 2-3 hours of sleep during the day when Mommy is home.

Sleeping in Mommy's bed - 2.20.2014

FOOD:
You are still a piglet and you are eating every 2-3 hours during the day and night.  You are on strictly breastmilk for now but you love to sit on the table at dinner and breakfast and be apart of the meal (unless you are napping).  Only two more months before I let you have food in your little hands!

CLOTHES:
You are currently in 6 month clothes from major "name brand" retailers and size 6-9month in most others "store brands or specially made for box stores".  It appears that despite seemingly to be growing at the same rate as your brother we will be buying you a lot of clothes because the seasons just aren't lining up correctly.  It seems the 1.5 months difference in birthdates is making a HUGE difference in clothing.

PERSONALITY:
You are such a happy baby when you are happy.  You smile from the tips of your very toes.  Your whole body is used to make the smile and it is infectious.  You smile at old people, young people, babies, toddlers, your Daddy, Me - just about anyone (but it doesn't make it any less special).  You are hysterical with Conor.  He can make you laugh at the drop of a hat and he loves to do it.  You have an adorable belly laugh and its fun to see you enjoy life so much. 

Your not all smiles though Mister.  You are also very demanding!  You do not like to be put down.  You require entertainment (you are not self-soothing just yet and you still get overstimulated too easily) from Daddy Conor or I unless its really short bursts of time.

 

DEVELOPMENT:
You are such a strong little boy!  You have been able to stand since shortly after birth but now you have some core strength and can sit (though you are bent at the waist quite a bit).  You are able to use those muscles to pull yourself into a standing position when holding my hands.  You hold your head up really high when on your tummy and you are starting to do so when sitting.  You do not love reclining anymore and are always trying to pull yourself into a sitting position if leaned against a pillow or blanket while on your back.  You are able to hold toys now and guide them into your mouth fairly nicely (though you do get very upset when you can't figure out how to let go of said toy)!  You also reach for things if they are placed just outside your reach span. 

You track people as they walk about a room and you turn your head when your name is called.  You also recognize voices and faces and produce smiles without prompting for certain people (Conor being #1). 

EXPERIENCES:
This past month you enjoyed your first true fun in the snow.  It was finally warm enough to play outside in the snow.  You watched the neighborhood kids sled and it was fun seeing Conor try to keep up with them.  You went for a ride in the sled and sat up on the big snowpile with Mommy and Conor (2.20.14).

We also went to a play place in Dover NH with Auntie Ana and this was your first time there.  You had a lot of fun watching the kids play but you were a bit too little for everything there so its a good thing you were content just to watch!  We also went out to lunch at a restaurant.  You did okay but it had been a long day and you were tired by the end of it (so were the boys!).

First Holidays: Valentine's Day and you attended your first Valentine's Day Party Playdate a few days later at Carter's house.  There you hung out with the Mommies and played with your friend Link.

Such a size difference in boys born 2 weeks or so apart!

GODPARENTS:
In the last month we also asked two very special people to be your Godparents.  Who?  We asked Chris and Auntie Cathlin.  They are also Conor's godparents but they are very special people in our lives and we felt they were the perfect choice the first time and therefore when it came time to pick again it only made sense that you deserved the best as well!  We were elated when they each said "YES" again.  Now, to make plans!

Colin, you are a wonderful little baby and I can't wait to keep watching you grow.  Until next month little man.

xoxo
Mommy

PS.  4 month comparison photo - Conor Above and Colin Below.

Three Months Old!

Dear Colin,

In January 31, 2014 you turned three months old.  Our 4th trimester is nearing completion and I have been back at work for a month.  You are a beautiful BIG baby!  You only look 3 months old when you are tucked up against me in one of our wraps.  If you are on the floor or in the swing you look much older.  Your physical attributes aren't the only thing that contribute to the general public thinking you are older than you are - your muscle tone is amazing!  You are holding your head up, you can stand on your legs, your abdominal muscles are hard at work as you try to pull your shoulders off the floor or hold yourself in a sitting position.  You are also incredibly alert and will track people and things around the house with both your ears and your eyes.  Such a smart boy!

You are wearing size 3-6 month clothes and, just like Conor, your feet are such that socks are a huge issue because they are all too tight!  You are in cloth diapers the majority of the time now, including at night, but because I cannot change your diaper during the evening you have many inserts stuffed in!  Despite this we are still dealing with a leaking issue but I am hoping that this may resolve itself when you are nursing a bit less at night.  So, for now you sleep on a blanket with a towel underneath so I don't have to worry about mattresses and sheets.

You still have reflux and you spit up quite a bit.  Because of this you really don't like to lay on your back and while you seem to like your play mat a lot - you do not like being there for more than a few minutes.  You are also very easily overstimulated (likely a product of Conor being around all the time and being a crazy 2 year old!) so Daddy and I work hard to ensure you don't get too worked up when things are a bit hectic around here.

You smile so much - you are a very happy baby (when you are not crying).  You do tend to cry more than I remember Conor crying but this is also a much busier house than the one he came home to.  But, you hold your own little man and your BIG personality is starting to emerge.

You are able to roll over!  If I place you on your tummy you will roll to your back.  You are also working on rolling from back to tummy but I think that will be a while still.  Your hair is starting to grow in and your favorite thing to do is munch on your hands so I can only imagine what's going on in that mouth of yours.

Sleep.  Colin you are a terrible sleeper.  I'm really sorry to have to say that but its 100% true!  You don't sleep well because you are always wanting to eat.  Right now you are eating every 2 hours around the clock.  CRAZY!  I have decided that for my own sanity and yours that you will only be fed at night every other wake-up.  I am determined to have you only eating every 4 hours at night by the time you are 5 months old because your Mom needs sleep!  Right now you are sleeping in your co-sleeper for the first part of the evening and then after 11pm you are moving into the bed with us.  Its not ideal but its how we are all managing the 2 hour feeds.

 

You and your brother are still a wonderful pair and it has been a lot of fun watching you respond to him.  I can only imagine how much trouble to two of you are going to get into in the future!  In this series of photos I was giving you a massage and he wanted one too.  He loves to be helpful and get diapers and wipes, put dirty diapers in the trash or the wetbag.  He also likes to try to hand you toys and is very good at helping you with tummy time.

The month has been a slow one.  You haven't had any visitors other than Grandma and Grandpa Jakan and the playgroup ladies.  But you did go bowling with Mommy and the Moms for Mother's Night Out.  It was fun to have you there and we did pretty good too!

You love the bath and while I don't give them to you too often because they really dry out your skin (which is already dry and seemingly sensitive), when you do get one you go to town splashing and kicking and trying to drink the water as I let it run down your face.  After each bath you get a full coconut oil massage to help rehydrate your skin.  You LOVE it!

 

Overall, we couldn't ask for a better baby!

xoxo
Mommy

PS.  Here is the comparison photo of you and Conor

Conor on top, Colin below

Moving Update

Dear Conor,

You are a champion and while we certainly have had our moments (which I will detail below) you have really tolerated this transition better than I could have hoped for.

In hindsight, having you sleep in 3 different places in 4 days was certainly not ideal - though it was unpreventable given Auntie's wedding and then our need to get you out of the house for the movers.  The first few nights at Grandpa's were terrible!  You required a lot of nursing to get to sleep, you woke up several times a night crying and the first night (Tuesday night) you vomited, the second night (Wednesday night) you pooped through your jammies, and the third night (Thursday) you decided that sleep wasn't necessary and were awake for several hours in the wee hours of the morning.  I know it was just you trying to understand why we were sleeping at Grandpa's house but spending the days at our house and our house was getting so empty!  I was very thankful to have your Auntie here visiting - she really helped to keep you busy and calm while Mommy was trying to get everything ready for the big day.

As the nights went on you started sleeping better and getting more comfortable at Grandpa's house.  You learned what you could touch and what you couldn't.  Mommy learned what needed to be locked up and what could be left alone and what of Grandpa's just had to be moved until we are gone.  We settled back into our regular routine and while you still were struggling to sleep more than 10 hours and you abandoned all naps - things were getting better.

The first weekend we lived in "the country" we went to a little village field day type activity where you got to pet a lot of baby animals - you had a lot of fun with the baby chicks and goats - but you did not love the miniature horses!

Chicks!

Chicks Momma!

Goats

"Baaa" to the goats

After visiting the animals we went down to the lake for some digging in the dirt and water play.  You had fun splashing in the water once you felt comfortable with the sand under your toes.  You were not so sure of it squishing between your toes!

When we got back to Grandpa's (which we have started calling home now) you played with your toys that Mom had put together for you with Daddy and Auntie while mom rested a little bit with baby Apple. 

Auntie stayed for 2 weeks and we had so much fun with her.  We went to Aquaboggin (a local smaller waterpark) and you and Daddy took her to the pottery place.  Every morning when you woke up the first thing you did was look for "ya ya" or call her name throughout the house. 

Wave Pool with Daddy 7.21.13

Waiting for Daddy and "Ya ya" to be done riding rides

After swim snack

Some of the best times we had with "ya ya" were just hanging out in the yard or the house playing.

Playing with Auntie 7.25.13

These were a special two weeks.  Special because they triggered the start of a new beginning for our little family but also because the time you got to share with Auntie helped to mold the relationship you will have in the future.

As of today (August 5, 2013) you are sleeping better (6:30pm - 7:00am) though you still wake at 5:00am with a little cry; you now roll over and go back to sleep.  You still are nursing to sleep and often need a little extra hug or rocking if you can't fall asleep after 10 minutes in your room, and because you are nursing you often have soggy diapers in the morning.  But, despite all this I still think you have done an EXCELLENT job with this transition and I only hope that the next one is a little easier on you.

Hugs to my sweet baby boy!
xoxo
Mumma