Monthly Newsletter: Month Eleven

Dear Colin,

You are now 11 months old. Just 4 short weeks, and you'll be a whole year. How did that happen? I still can't quite grasp all the changes you've gone through in the past 48 weeks.

This past month you've become an extreme crawler. You have no fear. You will crawl on concrete, over door ways, up the back of the tub, anywhere those cute little legs will take you. You've also started to try and stand up in the middle of the floor. You, of course, can not stand up unless you have something to support your balance, to pull up on, but that doesn't stop you from trying. You don't really show interest in walking just yet, though you will take a few steps on your rolling toy.

You've also learned a few signs and gestures to help you let us know what you do, or do not, want. I've already spoken about your first signs, up and all done, but you also point and say "uhh" when you want to touch something. And there isn't anything you don't want to touch. You are quite possibly the single most inquisitive baby out there. We have to carry you around and hold you up to the alarm panel, the candle holder hanging on the wall in our bedroom, and most important, Momma's necklaces hanging on the wall in our bathroom.

Your favorite thing in the world right now (other than Momma of course) is swinging. Oh my goodness, Daddy and I joke that we need to hire someone to just come and push you on your swing all day and you'd be the happiest baby in the world! You've learned to slide pretty well, and giggle as you do, but nothing compares to that swing. You throw a fit when we come back in. Daddy says your spoiled.

You've been eating your solids much better, I've been experimenting with different combinations of your favorite foods, and you seem to like them. Right now you really like carrots and applesauce combined, and a veggie stew that has peas, carrots, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, and onion. You gobble them down! We've also gotten you pretty much bottle weaned at this point, you are down to 1 or 2 bottles a day, always at bedtime and sometimes one at nap time. You really seem to enjoy your sippy cup. Speaking of sippy cups, you had your first taste of juice this past month too, you seem to be a bigger fan of the grape than the apple. And you have a new favorite snack, though Cheerios are still high on the list, you really like your baby Goldfish crackers.

Another big first for you this month was shoes! It's getting colder and you are getting more mobile, so it was time. We bought you a couple of pair and of course you immediately play with them. "What are these monstrosities this woman keeps putting on my feet?!?"

Another great love, that I almost forgot, (HOW, I don't know because YOU NEVER forget)...your water. I wash the dishes and put that water on the sprayer function and you come crawling ninety to nothing, pulling on my pants, "Uhhh, uhhh," doing your sign for up. And, of course, I give in, you put your hands under the stream and you just get the biggest smile on your face.

You have brought so much to my life. I am so grateful for everyday I have with you. I am so thankful to have you here, to have your giggles and babbles echo through the house, the noise of your life in my ears, my precious son, my Little Man.

Love,
Momma

Brrr

As the weather gets cooler here, we are finally able to start dressing Colin in some of the cute cold weather clothes I've been buying up lately. See how cute he is? The last one is his sign for "Up!"

The Pumpkin Patch...and an Update!

Last Saturday we took Colin to his first pumpkin patch, and we had a great time! I'll have to post those details and photos another day, but today I wanted to post some great pictures from a pumpkin patch we visited yesterday with our Mommies group. We got some terrific photos I just had to share! Those are a bunch of Colin's friends. Please note in the last photo all the others are sitting nice and still for the group photo and my little man is off and running!

I also wanted to update you all on something else very exciting. Most of you know we've been teaching Colin "baby signs." It is basically sign language for babies, so they can communicate better with us dumb adults. There is a sign for "all done" where you shake both of your hands in the air. I do this several times a day to signify that we are done doing a particular task. On Monday when I was putting Colin to bed, we finished reading our book and I said "All done," and made the sign...and Colin did too! He shook his little hands right along with me. And he didn't stop there. The next day I feed him breakfast and when he finished, I said "All done?" and made the sign, he just looked at me. I said "More?" and made the sign for that, again, he just stared at me. So I said, "All done?" and made the sign again, this time he made the sign too, and then made his sign to be picked up (reaching both arms in the air and open and closing his fists). Needless to say, we are very excited, it is going to help tremendously knowing what our little guy is trying to tell us!

Stay tuned for more pictures from the other pumpkin patch, the state fair, and our vacation last month!

Colin Waves Hi

Monthly Newsletter: Month Ten

Dear Colin,

You turned ten-months-old a little over a week ago. Why didn't I write this on time? You're not supposed to ask questions like that yet.

One thing that needs to be discussed right now, up front, before anything else:

Your OPINION. YOU HAVE MADE IT KNOWN.

Somewhere in the last month I crossed that line from caretaker of a baby to caretaker and disciplinarian, and I'm not so sure I'm ready for that. I definitely didn't think it would happen this soon. I read somewhere that discipline with a ten month old is all about tone of voice. So, I tested that theory out.

You were eating lunch, something you don't particularly want to do, it's more something that I have to force you to do at this point, you'd much rather be down in the floor crawling around trying to pull outlet protectors from their sockets. After much screaming, crying and arm flailing, with broccoli and chicken all over you, me, the floor and the highchair, I said in a very stern, adult voice: "Colin, that is not necessary." NOT NECESSARY? Who says that to a ten-month-old? Like you would understand perfectly that the situation called for a more appropriate response. Other mommies use words like NO and STOP to signal that someone should not do what they are doing, but not me. No, I use words like NOT NECESSARY.

But, IT WORKED. You stopped, stared at me, your arms came down...and you began your mad-at-the-world cry. You. Had. Just. Gotten. In. Trouble. How had cute, little Colin, in trouble? You must have realized how serious the situation was, because after just a few seconds of crying, you opened your mouth. And ate.

Then there is the car keys. You want those keys like nothing else. You can hear the little "tinkle tinkle" of them and come crawling and whining to them as fast as your little body can carry you. But I have to take them from you, I MUST have them to drive the car, and that makes you mad. So I give them to you as soon as we get to our destination. We went to Target a couple of weeks ago, and I gave them to you while I was getting you in the cart. Once you were settled, I took them from you. That was the first dumb thing I did, I realize now, because you just don't take away something from a baby without replacing it with something else. I guess this is what they refer to as distraction, or the phenomenon called Babies Don't Know Any Different. You threw your first ever temper tantrum, and you had to do it RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TARGET. Thank you, Colin. So, I tried to give you your favorite rattle, and you pushed it aside. NO. I tried Lamby. NO. You wanted those freaggin' keys. But I don't want you putting them in your mouth, but after 2 minutes of temper tantrum I crumbled, and gave them to you. Then I spent the next 30 minutes telling you "Not in your mouth" and pushing them down. But, at least you were happy.

You're probably wondering at this point if I have anything good to say, and I do, I'll get to that in a minute. But there's all this other stuff that you keep throwing at me AND I NEED A MOMENT TO CATCH MY BREATH, PLEASE:

1) You've learned how to undo the velcro straps on your diapers while you're lying on the changing table.

2) You pee in the bathtub quite frequently.

3) You've learned to sit up in your crib, so now when we lay you down we have to check on you after awhile to make sure that you are 1. actually sleeping and not sitting there playing with the bumper or 2. fallen asleep in a half-sitting position because you wake up 30 minutes later, sore and mad.

4) You must be entertained at all times, or you whine.

Are we there yet? To the good parts? There have to be good parts right? And there are, Little Man. There are, like how you snuggle me and give kisses. Like the way you smile when your Daddy comes home from work. Like the way you crawl around just saying "Momma" all day. Like the sound of your laugh and how it heals my heart. Like your chunky little thighs and how you laugh the hardest when I nibble on them. Like how you love to push your balls around the floor and chase after them, hours on end. Like how you and Henry stare out the windows together. Like when I do give you my keys you don't whine for at least ten whole minutes. Like your pudgy little feet and how ticklish they are. Like how you love your books and pounding their pages. Like when you are crawling around ninety to nothing and you just stop all of a sudden, sit down, and look around, like you need a break before you start right back up again. Like how I can pick you up when you're crying and you'll put your head on my shoulder and the world is all right again.

There are so many good things, and I think we're both learning our roles as momma and son, caretaker and torturer.

Love,
Momma