Weekend

Since I just can't sit still for more than one day, Colin and I busted out of dodge and had a fun weekend! I regret not having any pictures to show for it :(.

On Friday, we went to my co-worker friend's house for a little boy playdate. There was Max, who's 3, Owen who's almost 2, Phillip who's 1, and Colin. Phillip's dad built a sandbox for him, so the "big" boys played in it while Colin and I watched. Then Max discovered the wading pool and decided to go for a swim. It wasn't long before his little bro Owen joined him and they were soaked to the bone. Phillip and Colin decided to just get their toes wet. Then we all (except Colin...poor guy left out of everything) indulged in Itty Bits ice cream...you know, Dippin' Dots that you can buy in the store. After our treats, we dispersed. Colin and I went wedding and bridesmaid dress shopping with Laura. She's getting married next April, right around Colin's 1st birthday.

On Saturday, we kind of stuck around home. I like to do an every-other-day outing so we get a day of recovery in between :)

On Sunday, it was my mom's birthday, and she and my dad were at my brother's house, so Colin and I went down there and visited. While Colin slept, I scraped some varnish off my bro's new windows, then my mom, Colin, and I took a walk up the street to see my aunt, uncle, and cousin. My aunt visited us when Colin wasn't even a week old, but hadn't seen him since, so she got to see how much he has changed. When it was time for Colin to have lunch, we went back down to my brother's house, where we all ate lunch, then my mom and I hit up some nurseries (the flower kind...). Mom bought me my belated Mother's Day present, an Endless Summer Hydrangea. Colin was such a sleepy baby all day long, so he was pretty content in the car and in his stroller. After a long day, we headed back home and planted the Hydrangea. Here's hoping I don't kill it, mmmkay?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kevin, who hates my college desk (what's wrong with it!?!?), decided that yesterday was the day he was going to buy himself a new desk, a new desk chair, AND a new monitor. So now our office has 2 desks...both with computers (his a laptop). Apparently he doesn't like how I stack things up on the desk. That's just fine, because I don't like how he moves my stacks. So now we have our own spaces. I guess it's kind of like having dual sinks in the bathroom (which we don't have).

I can't believe June is gone already! I have this week with no commitments, and then the next 3 weeks I'm teaching summer school from 8-12 (with some afternoon training and curriculum planning days thrown in). Then I have 4 weeks left of summer until I have to be back in school. Sad!

Who does he look like?

Before I tell you who people say he looks like, vote using the poll on the right. Feel free to thumb through previous posts for more pictures of Colin.

Kevin:
Colin:Me:

2 month appointment and sleeping

Here are Colin's stats:
Weight: 12 lbs, 12 oz = 75th percentile

(We don't own a scale, so I was guessing he was just reaching 12 lbs).
At 2 weeks, he weighed 7 lbs 3 oz = 25th percentile.

Height: 23 inches = 50th percentile.

At 2 weeks, he was 20.5 inches = 75th percentile.

Head circumference: 15.25 = 25th percentile

So...he's all over the board proportionately, I guess :) He was given a clean bill of health and Dr. R was impressed with his weight gain since he is double his birth weight. The nurse (a friend of ours) and Dr. R commented on our cool diaper (I took a Bumgenius with me).

Then he got his shots. We decided to split them up into two appointments. So today he got DTaP (diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) and Rotavirus. Next time (2-4 more weeks) he'll get PCV (pneumonia) and Hib (haemophilus influenzae type B). He, of course, screamed and cried when he got the shot, which made me tear up a bit. But he stopped crying after 30 seconds or so. Our friend gave him the shots, so I felt a bit comforted by that. I think we need to hang out with her and her husband some more so Colin doesn't think she's just the evil shot-giver. When we got home, he just wanted to snooze and snuggle. So we did that for awhile. I just put him in his crib to sleep off the pain, and hopefully he'll stay there for awhile and get some good sleep.

Speaking of sleep. I have yet to share with you that last Thursday night, he slept from about 9:30 p.m. to almost 5:30 a.m.!!! He slept through the night! Other than that amazing feat, he usually averages about 5 hrs in his first sleep stretch. Then he has a shorter one that's about 3 hrs or so. Last night he woke up at 1:30, and then when he started making noises at 3:30, I made Kev stay in bed instead of getting up to change him, and Colin went back to sleep until 6:00. See, Kevin has this supersonic hearing and wakes up at the slightest peep. I wake up like most people do...when I hear talking-level decibles. So Kevin was getting up at the slightest noise to change Colin's diaper (thinking he was waking up), which essentially was waking Colin up unnecessarily. So we're going to try this new way for a few more nights and see how it goes.

2 months old!

Big boy is growing fast! We moved up to the 6 month sized pajamas last night because his ginormous feet were going to bust out of the 3 month size. They're still a little roomy, but seem more comfortable.

Development checklist

Things Colin should be able to do:

• Smile in response to our smiles: Check!
• Respond to noise in some way: Check!

Things Colin should probably be able to do:

• Vocalize in ways other than crying (e.g., cooing): Yep!
• On stomach, lift head 45 degrees: I haven't gotten out my protractor, but I think he can do this, even if he hates tummy time.

Things Colin may be able to do:

• Hold head steady when upright: He had this mastered a long time ago.
• On stomach, raise chest, supported by arms: I don't think so.
• Roll over (one way): Just that one day
• Grasp an object held to backs or tips of fingers: Yes, his keys
• Pay attention to an object as small as a raisin: Hmmm...I don't know.
• Reach for an object: I'm going to say no?
• Say "Ah-goo" or similar vowel-consonant combination: Oh yeah.

Things Colin may possibly be able to do:

• Smile spontaneously: yes
• Bring both hands together: Yes
• On stomach, lift head 90 degrees: Again...protractor...but doubt it.
• Laugh out loud: Is it a laugh? It kind of sounds like one...
• Squeal in delight: Perhaps...
• Follow an object held about 6" above his face and moved from one side to the other with him watching all the way: He does this sometimes...we've been working on it.

Lucky 7th week

A quick run-down of week 7...

Colin continues to enjoy playing on the floor of his room, where we get the most smiles (aside from when he gets his diaper changed, of course!):

Kevin tickling him with his keys:Here's lookin' at you:

A quick moment of tummy time enjoyment, which quickly dissolved.
In the beginning of the 7th week, I had a friend's (shout out to the redhead!) wedding shower, so my mom got to watch Colin while I was there. She had fun taking him to a graduation open house and showing him off to her friends. And, since the 7th of the month was on Sunday, Kevin's mom came over to watch Colin while Kevin and I went out on our monthly mandatory date night (we were married on Oct. 7 and this has been our tradition since). We went to Applebee's. While we missed the little dude while we were out, it was good to have some time without him.

I got a chance to have my first margarita (with half the tequila) and first glasses ;) of wine post-baby in the 7th week. I thoroughly enjoyed them. It's a little harder logistically because I had to wait 2 hrs after drinking the margarita and wine before I could feed Colin, but it all worked out.

*Be sure to check out the post below...I double posted today!

Weekend fun

Here's a shout out to all of my mom's co-worker friends from the MC (as well as a few other friends sprinkled in) who are faithful readers of my blog. They are a wonderful group of ladies who have always treated me so kindly, most of them going back as long as I can remember. I am so spoiled by their generosity, and on Saturday they spoiled Colin by throwing him a shower.

Hostesses with the mostesses (Noelle, Reece, and Jen):

He got a lot of way-too-cute clothes, a soothe and glow seahorse, triangle stacking blocks, Airforkone, dinnersaurs, teethers, books, a cup with his name on it, a handmade scrapbook page that's framed and hangs on the wall,

a handmade beaded bracelet with Colin's initials, and much more. He was a very good baby as he was passed around and the ladies oohed and aahed over him.

Here he is with Nancy and Jackie, feeling his newest bath towel:

(Thanks, Denise, for taking the pictures, and thanks to the rest of you for being awesome).

We stayed overnight at my parents' house Saturday night, which was interesting. A lot of thought needs to go into packing for a baby! We continued our cloth diapers over the weekend without a hitch, and the wetbag we ordered was just big enough to fit the diapers he used.

On Sunday, my parents invited some family over for an early Father's Day picnic, so Colin got to meet more relatives, including his great-great aunt and uncle, his great-uncles, his great-aunts, and he got to see great-grandma and uncle Scotty. Scott (my bro) even held him for the first time, only because I made him, and he seemed to like it ;) Once again, he did a pretty good job with all the people around him.

Basking in the filtered sun:

Shopping!

Colin went on his first outing to the mall yesterday. I was on a mission to find jeans that fit (thank you, Express!), and he was on a mission to find a zip-up hooded sweatshirt for these cool summer days that seem to be the trend right now.

We're in Wisconsin. It gets cold here, even in summer. It's hard to believe that finding some cooler-weather clothes would be so hard. We went to every store in the mall that sold kids' clothes. First stop: GAP. Colin found a sweatshirt, but it cost $24.50. It was his "last resort" option. He didn't like it that much anyway. He went to Old Navy, Kohl's, JCPenney, and finally Macy's. There, Colin spotted an alligator 3-piece Carter's set, complete with a zip-up hooded sweatshirt, a onesie (that had alligators, as well as dogs driving woody station wagons with surfboards on top...random), and pants. It was even a 6 month size to last through the summer. Cost? $24.00. Eh, at least it was a 3-for-1 deal compared to the GAP. He went up to the register to pay for his find, and it rang up at $12! What a bargain shopper. Mommy is so proud. Here he is showing off the sweatshirt (not the pants or the onesie), sleeping soundly in his car seat after an exhausting trip to Wal-Mart.

Diagnosis: not reflux.

I've come to a conclusion in my professional diagnosis of Colin's wailing and massive spit ups after eating. His eyes are simply bigger than his belly. When he overeats, that's when the screams are most abundant. Combine overeating with a fast milk let-down, where he's swallowing with every suck (the teacher at breast feeding class said that babies usually suck 3 times and then swallow), and you'd have a painful bellyache too. When I cut him off after he starts to lose interest, he's fine. A few burps, perhaps a small spit-up, and we're good to either play or snooze again. I figure if he's still hungry after I cut him off, he'll let me know he needs more. Things are starting to balance out much better now. Count me lucky if feeding him usually only takes 10 minutes tops, right? It's an intense 10 minutes, but we're a git 'r done pair, apparently.

*Thanks, Kelsey, for directing me to your blog, where I realized if it were reflux, it would be a lot worse. Although I did see a few commonalities; they just weren't extreme enough. 

6 week wonder wall

Okay, this is long. Sorry...

They say the first 6 weeks are hardest. They were right. Then all of a sudden, when Colin turned 6 weeks old last Saturday, it seemed as if I finally could say, "I think I've got this figured out."

What was once a headache- and stress-inducing cryfest (mostly on Colin's part, and on occasion when I was overly tired, mine as well), where I would ask my non-verbal baby "What do you want!??!" has now subsided. I think the problem is reflux, because these crying spells really happen mostly after he's done eating. He'd just throw his head back and wail. There are these magical little inventions I was really hoping to avoid using. Pacifiers. I'd tried giving one to Colin in weeks past, but he wouldn't take it. I chalked it up to him just not being a pacifier-liking baby. I enjoyed the fact he wouldn't take it, because that's just one less habit to break later. Then, last Saturday when he was screaming his little lungs out, I stuck it in his mouth and bam. Magic. Ever since, he uses it sometimes when he's done eating and starts crying. I hear it eases the pain in between burps and spit-ups. So that's better. And he doesn't really use it other times.

Bath times are now so fun, and they are getting longer and longer because he doesn't mind them as much. Last night, he didn't cry until we took him out of the water! I'm really excited for the day, hopefully soon, when he kicks his legs and plays a little bit when it's bath time.

I feel now that I can be gone all day with him and figure out the logistics of feeding, changing diapers, etc. No biggie. Wal-Mart, the lake, shopping...all of it can be worked out. So now, even though I was still getting out the first 6 weeks, I don't feel as trapped at home. I know that he'll pretty much fall asleep in the car once I'm out of the driveway, and he'll most likely stay asleep throughout the whole errand-running. I've actually never changed or fed him in public yet.

I feel now as though I'm finally *almost* 100% healed, both mentally and physically. The amount of sleep we're getting is now a new normal, and is much more manageable and expected. I don't begrudge his wake-up cries at night anymore, I just get up and do what needs to be done. Speaking of which--people often ask how he's sleeping--it's still the 3 hr stretches. Actually, it goes a little something like this. He wakes up at 10:00, 1:00, 4:00 (he HAS to be awake sometime during the 4:00 hr every night, no matter when he last fell asleep), and then it gets rough--5:30, 6:30, 7:30 (when I finally just give in and we're up until his morning nap about an hour later). And in between those times I'm awake anywhere from 20-45 minutes feeding and burping him. Sometimes we do laundry at night between feedings, which I find so odd.

Kevin and I went clothes shopping, so I finally have some capris and shorts that fit me decently. My hips have definitely widened, and the pants I already owned couldn't make it past their vastness. It's so good to be out of sweat/exercise pants (you know you've been wearing them too long when you can say that)!

We went on a family outing to the art fair that was being held in the city park on Friday. I wore the Moby and Colin slept in it the whole time. It was pretty nice to be hands-free and know that Colin was comfortable and cozy in there. I'm hoping to use it more around the house now that he's a little more used to it.

And those smiles and coos and "laughs," where he sucks in air and it kind of sounds like a laugh, are the best. It's so fun to change his diaper and talk to him or sing him songs and he responds a little. I've been trying to capture a smile on camera, and have taken multiple pictures this week. These are the best of the best, none of which truly show one of the real smiles I'm dying to catch.

Not very flattering, but look at that smile...

And, because it's funny...

Look, Mom! A plane! *Thank you, Sarah, for the caption :)

5 weeks

I'm a little late on this...sorry. It's hard to get a few minutes in sometimes to come on and write. Colin loves to be held, and despises being held while I type. Believe me, I've tried. Right now he's napping in his bouncer chair (pictured a few posts down), and when he wakes up and realizes he's there, he'll most likely scream.

Well, we definitely have gotten some smiles and some "words." He loves to lie on his changing table, get his diaper changed and gaze out the window, while he talks and smiles. Seriously, some time when he's not in such a good mood I have to remember to take him to his changing table. That'll cheer 'im right up!

Colin continues to meet some more of his little buddies, and sleeping through their first "play dates." My friend Michelle from college has a 6 month old named Andrew who visited, and my friend Pam from work has a 14 month old named Phillip who came over yesterday. It's very interesting to see babies at different stages in life. Phillip definitely showed me how much baby-proofing I have to do once Colin is mobile. I now look at my house in a whole new light.

I don't have many pictures of Colin's 5th week, but here's what I have.

Proof that yes, he does get angry...

I also have two great videos, but I can't upload them. It's quite sad, and I will be contacting Blogger about it. 

Next post will be about the Week 6 turnaround. Fabulous.