FIVE Months!

Dear Colin,

You are 5 months old and time is flying by!  I can't believe that you have been apart of our family for only 5 months because it feels like forever.  You give us smiles from the moment you wake up to the second you fall asleep.  You are a social little thing and we just love you to pieces!  Your 5 month photos were taken towards the end of your 5th month because the weather just wouldn't cooperate with us.  But, we did them and you were super fun to photograph because you have really become interested in the stickers!  We didn't get a chance to do a photo in your onesie because (gasp!) it doesn't fit!!! 

SLEEP
I love you to pieces little man but you have become a terrible sleeper!  You still only will nap for about 45 minutes at a time and we are lucky if you will nap twice a day.  Often I try to find a reason to wrap you up on my back so that you will get your second sleep.  You won't even sleep more than 45 minutes to an hour in the car (I'm sure some of that has to do with your brother talking non-stop so that when you stir you are immediately stimulated!).  At night you go to sleep around 7pm and you sleep for about 1.5 hours and then you wake up every 30-45 minutes until you are in bed with me at which time you will then sleep for a few hours.  You are clearly a high needs baby when it comes to sleep.  You need to be very warm, be near a person, and have some pressure on you (arm or blanket).  As you are too little to sleep with anything in your bed this means you are with me at night still.  I have resorted to swaddling you a few times to help you sleep better but we can't go back to that being a regular thing because you are a little too big for the swaddle!  You are also very hard to get back to sleep when you wake up.  Often times I can be found standing over your crib with one hand on your chest and the other tucked next to your cheek until your breathing becomes deep and shallow again.  Other times nothing comforts you and you have to be nursed back to sleep.  You are a challenge little man but we love you!

FOOD
Still 100% from mommy.  You show an intense interest in food and so we will probably start letting you hold chunks of food and also offer you some puree this month.  Technically the recommendation is to hold off until at least 6 months so I will try but your as big as some 8 month old babies in both size and development so we'll see how long we can hold out!  You do have sips of water occasionally and you love that!

CLOTHES
You are growing like a weed!  You are solidly in 6 month clothing and can wear some 6-9 or 6-12 things easily.  I believe you are longer than Conor was at this age so jammies are a bit of a problem as your length and fat little feet make it hard to ensure your toes aren't pushing against the seams of footie jammies and that the elastics at the ankles aren't digging into you.  We have borrowed some jammies from friends as the weather is still quite cold for this time of year and we don't have any warm jammies in your current size.  You love to wear hats and I have them on your often.  The colors pink and navy really compliment your complexion while yellow and some greens tend to wash you out.  Socks are a waste of time because of your fat little feet so more often than not you wear your fleece booties from Zutano.  BEST booties ever made - its almost time to order you a cotton pair for summer!

PERSONALITY
Oh Boy Colin!  You are the happiest baby I have honestly ever met.  You never cry unless you are overtired or hungry (or you have had enough of Conor's play).  You smile from sun up to sun down and your smiles take over your entire body!  You love the sight of Daddy or Conor and light up the moment they come into the room.  You crave touch and laugh and giggle when Conor includes you in his play.  You do not like to be left in a room alone but will tolerate it for short periods of time.  You have started 'talking' and your favorite time to talk is when you are on FaceTime with family or at the dinner table.  You just want to be included in the conversations. 

DEVELOPMENTS
This month you have started sitting unassisted if propped into a sitting position.  You tend to lean forward but can be found sitting straight up at times to look around the room.  Sometimes this action results in your falling over or backwards but most of the time you are able to steady yourself and avoid tipping.  I would not say you are a great sitter and you are never left alone when sitting.  You also have gained some control over your hands and are using them to pick up things.  Your hands are clumsy but you work very hard at getting the items you are after into your mouth.  Speaking of your mouth - you have taken to chewing on your binky whenever you get a chance and you also chew on some of your toys.  Because of that we have kept your teething necklace on 100% of the time now.  It never leaves your neck except for bathtime (if I remember).

 

 

EXPERIENCES/FIRSTS

 

You participated in your first St. Patricks Day AND your first Mommy/Colin road trip!  We went to see Ana and Auntie Cate/Uncle Jarrod at their apartment.  You did so well on this trip considering we were gone for over 8 hours.  You also got to spend some quality time with friends and family which is always hard when your brother is around because he's talkative and mobile and your still a baby! 

 

This month you also developed croup.  This was a horrible experience and one that I certainly don't want to repeat.  We had to give you nebulizer treatments (a first in this house) to help your oxygen saturation and you hated them after a while.  It took a week or so but you came around and started to improve.  Croup is pretty awful (Conor had it too) but in a baby like you it was horrible!  We spent a lot of time outside that week despite the freezing cold temperatures because you both did much better in the cold air.

 

Grandma and Grandpa also came to visit and they brought Auntie Sarah.  We all went out to lunch.  You had a great time being part of the luncheon and you loved visiting with your family!

 

You also rode in the shopping cart at the grocery store for the first time this month but only for a few minutes because you slump forward too much still ;)

 

I can't wait to see what month #6 brings us - you are growing so fast and changing every day!  We love you!

 

xoxo

Mommy

 

PS.  5 month comparison photo (Conor on top; Colin below)

 

 



Growing Up....

Dear Conor,

You are growing up!  You just turned 2.25 years old and I can't believe all that you can do.  Your vocabulary and love for learning is amazing...here is where you are at:

* can sing ABCs and can identify individual letters out of order
* can count to fourteen independently and recognize numbers out of order 1-10
* Can sing "Ring-a-round the Rosie" "Twinkle Twinkle" "Rock-a-bye Baby" "ABC"
* You know your colors and have started learning which primary colors make secondary colors.
* You can spell your name, Daddy (Dadddy), and can recognize Mommy, Colin & Hunter when spelt for you.
* You know your address ("I wive on gawwison oaks") thought its not very clear
* You know what the traffic light colors are and what the colors mean
* You have started "reading" books.....you are able to recite them after hearing them or even before
* You know all visible body parts and are starting to understand differences between girls and boys
* You love to play learning games - we have started matching same items and you often bring me two things and ask "same?" and get excited when I see they are the same. 
* You can put a button through a button hole on a felt board
* You have started learning the names of our individual fingers
* You have started identifying the sex of a person when you speak.  "I see HIM" when looking at a male and "I love HER" when talking about a female.

Conorisms:
* Baby Do-Ro has been replaced with Talwin
* Bibits (Mickey) has been replaced with Mickey Mouse
* Bedopedoop is still what you call your dinosaurs but you are now able to say dinosaur when you want to
* ahhhh......is still what you use for the word drink (though you can say water, milk, juice)
* wawa - water
* tames - games
* Hear dat - "do you hear that?"  usually said when you hear an airplane or Colin crying
* I need it - a recent development (one we don't like)

Potty Training
You are a funny little character.  You know when you have gone to the bathroom and instead of saying you did you walk up to Daddy or I and say "no pee" or "no poop" and we instantly know you need to be changed!  You have used the potty several times and sometimes after several hours your diaper is dry but at other times it will be heavily soaked within an hour so its clear you are not quite ready yet!

BIG brother
You continue to be an amazing big brother.  You are the best diaper changing partner there is.  Always ready to grab a diaper, wipes, and the "butt stick" for Mommy or Daddy.  You often try to share your toys with Colin and your ears are always ready to pick up his cry (sometimes before we do).  You love to point him out to people ("dat Talwin" is what you say) and you always involve him in your play in some way, shape or form.  Sometimes you have to be reminded that he is a baby and that you have to be gentle with him and approach him slowly but overall you are great with him.  You always have to kiss him goodnight and you have recently started saying "I love you Talwin" when you go to bed (or I love him).  He is very lucky to have you Conor!

BIG CHANGES
We have signed you up for preschool!  You start this September and we are very excited and nervous.  Its just a few hours a few days a week but we know you are ready to spread your wings just a bit!

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

Colin is TWO MONTHS

Dear Colin,

On December 31, 2013 you turned 2 months old and we celebrated your little birthday in the hospital.  The day before you had started to seem a little unlike yourself and then in the late afternoon Daddy and Mommy both noticed that your breathing sounded a little funny.  Mommy called her friend whose son has had croup but it didn't seem like that is what you had.  However, because you were so little Mommy packed you up and took you to Urgent Care just in case.  Good thing - turns out you had the FLU!  Because you were so little they decided it was best to send you up to MMC for observations incase the virus settled in your lungs or your temperature went higher (we had been watching your temp. all weekend because Conor and Mommy had been sick and you were fine but between your last check and getting to the clinic it had jumped to 101).  I had packed in haste and didn't have a cell phone charger so the lovely nurses at Urgent Care let me borrow theirs while we waited for the ambulance (yup, they required you to go by ambulance).

You did really great in the ambulance despite being nervous.  It was clear you wanted to be held but it was safer for you in the car seat and Mommy doesn't take any chances.  So, they turned the lights down low and Mommy held your hand and talked to you until you fell asleep.

When we got to the hospital they checked you out an confirmed you had the flu.  It was not pleasant to deal with the resident because she kept wanting to pretend she was HOUSE and do a spinal tap to rule out "anything else that could be causing his fever".  Ummm....no, you are not sticking a needle in my baby's spine.  Don't worry Colin - Mommy is great at speaking her mind and standing her group.  I made it clear from the start that it wasn't going to happen and, in the end, they did not (though I also had to use reverse psychology and encourage them to call DHHS on me). 

Since we were confined to the room because you had something that is considered highly contagious and there were other, much sicker babies on the floor, we spent the day talking, reading, and watching TV.  Daddy and Conor also came to visit and brought Mommy and you some clothes and the much needed cell phone charger!  You were very unhappy in the hospital.  They required you to be in the crib whenever I needed to use the bathroom or when they came to check your status.  You hated that crib and you hated all the wires they had on your body.  So many of them were unnecessary but since they were not intrusive I permitted them to stay.  When they finally came off you were so happy!

Not happy about having your vitals taken.

Yeah!!!  No more wires!

I will not sleep in this metal thing!!!

Daddy is a great Daddy and he brought your Rock n' Play so you slept in there the night of your two month birthday until your third wake-up and then you slept in the chair with Mommy.  We weren't allowed to co-sleep in the parent bed in your room but the nurses said the chair wasn't a bed so they could look the other way.  Therefore they brought me a GREAT reclining chair from another space and we slept there (it was basically a twin bed).

I took your monthly photos a few days later once you were feeling better (and so was everyone else in the house)!  At two months old you were sleeping in 3 hour stretches, sleeping in the co-sleeper for the middle part of the evening, you recognize the faces and voices of your family members, you engage with Conor, and you are starting to uncurl your fingers and toes.  You loved the bath, Mommy's face, and Conor.  You were still terrible at breastfeeding but Mommy was used to it now and we just go went it.  You hadn't taken a bottle yet but had spent some time with Daddy without Mommy around. 

You are wearing size 3 months clothes and have started sporadically wearing cloth diapers.  You love the bath and make BIG splashes....your tub must be in the tub or there is big cleanup!  You adore the ringsling and dislike the structured carrier.  You aren't crazy about the swing or your playmat at this point either.  You are still on medication for reflux and you spit up variably thought out the day.  Tummy time is slow to come since it causes you to spit up.

Your two-month exam went well.  You are incredibly alert and your reflexes and muscles are developing beautifully.  Here are your stats:

You were a big heavier than Conor and a half inch taller than he was at this age.  But the two of you love the doctor's office and it makes for super cute photos!

However, you did not like getting your immunizations.  Right now there are many parents that are choosing not to inoculate their children against anything and everything.  Some people are on delayed schedules or they are choosing to give some immunizations and not others.  Right now, after a lot of research, your Daddy and I have decided that we will continue to immunize Conor and we will immunize you for everything except Hep A and Chicken Pox.  Until there is more concrete evidence out there that immunizations are causing terrible side effects in children I would rather you not suffer the diseases that your family members in the past may have had to endure.  I held you close as your shots were given and the first one stunned you for a moment and you unlatched from the breast and screamed like you had never screamed before.  At that point the next two were just about over and I was able to calm you down and settle you into nursing for a few minutes in order to comfort you and take the pain away.

Waiting on shots.

Back to your monthly photos.  I did not have the same outfit that Conor wore because it was Valentine's Day when I took his monthly photos for month 2 but I did have a similar baseball type outfit so that is what I used.  Here you are in all your two month glory!

And because Mommy likes to compare her two little boys because everyone says that you two are so alike I did a comparison photo.  The two of you are a lot alike but there are differences and so Mommy always knows who she is looking at in the photos!

Conor above, Colin below

It has been so much fun watching you grow Colin - I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

xoxo
Mommy

I LOVE YOU

Dear Conor,

It was only fitting that the week of valentine's day you started saying the phrase "I love you".

We love you too little man!

xoxo
Mommy