Monthly Newsletter: Month Five

Coly Bear,

Oh. My. Gosh. You are five months old, FIVE MONTHS! Already! How did that happen? Shouldn't you be doing your own laundry by now?

This month you went through what the experts refer to as a "sleep regression," basically you decided it would be fun to see momma every 2 or 3 hours (sometimes once an hour) overnight again. You just missed me, I guess. Thankfully that only lasted about a week and a half. Though I was dragging all week. Typically you don't wake up your Daddy, but once, after a particularly rough night, I slept right through your crying, Daddy woke up and took care of you and I didn't even know it!

Since before you were even born Momma was told how babies need a routine. Babies thrive on a routine. A routine is better for everyone. Get the kid on a ROUTINE! So, I've tried to slowly incorporate a routine into our daily lives. We wake up between 7:30 and 8:30, you have tummy time while Momma eats breakfast and gets you some fresh milk and sometimes takes a shower, then we have a little play time, take your bath, and then eat your breakfast. Around 2 hours after you've been awake you take your first nap of the day. You will sleep anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Then we play a little more, or you ride in your sling on my hip while I get some housework done. You then sit in your bouncy chair while I make lunch and eat it, watching my every move. At that point you usually want a little more play time before another bottle and your second nap of the day. This is usually a nice long nap, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. When you wake up you immediately need your afternoon snack, then you get a little more tummy time. When you've had enough we read a few books. We then go outside, either by the pool, to the swing, or for a walk. This is typically about the time that Daddy gets home. From that time until 7:00 you usually spend your time with him. At 7:00 we go upstairs to your room and rock while I read you our bedtime book, the same book we read to you when you were still in Momma, you might take a bottle, but usually we just rock until you fall asleep. It's a long day, but I wouldn't trade that time with you for anything. I count my blessings everyday for the time I get with you.

A few new skills you've learned this month include reaching for things and sucking on your toes. You are getting thisclose to sitting up and when you are getting your tummy time you've started pulling up on your knees and sticking your butt in the air. I'm hoping you'll be sitting up on your own and crawling by the time I write my next newsletter.

The biggest thing for you now is that when you do grab onto something, you immediately pull it to your mouth, and if you can't get it in your mouth, you get very upset. So, we try to only give you things that will easily maneuver in your little hands. Just today you decided the phone looked tasty and took it from me and sucked on the top of it, leaving a trail of drool. Oh yes, the drool continues. We go through several outfits and/or bibs per day in drool alone. We're still looking into ways to water the lawn with it...

You are also learning cause and effect, evidence by the following: We were sitting on the couch, my feet propped up on the coffee table and you were laying on my upper legs, facing me. You stuck your foot in my mouth and I started nibbing it and sucking on it, shocked you pulled it away and looked at me like your Daddy looks at me when I eat the last Krispy Kreme. Slowly, you put your foot back in my mouth, so I nibbled and sucked again. Again, you were shocked, and pulled it back. Then, just to test it one more time, you put your little toes back in my mouth, and again I nibbled and sucked. This time, you left it there, and smiled, and so I got to suck and nibble on those little toesies for a few minutes. You were in heaven!

My favorite part of the day is when Daddy gets home. And not because he is a designated hitter for Momma, but because of your reaction to him. You take one look at him, he says hi, and you melt. You get all shy and you give your biggest smile of the day, it's the cutest thing ever.

You also got to see your uncle Kenny this past month. It was the first time since you were a month old. I guess you two got along pretty well, check out the photo evidence below.

You are also a little social butterfly thanks to all the playdates we go to. We go to at least two or three a week. The library, the park, here at home, other babies' homes. You are always so good and I get so many comments on how adorable you are and what a good kid you are.

You continue to spend a night (or two) on the weekends with Gramma and Grandpa Baker. They are amazed each week with how much you've grown and changed in just a few short days. They too cherish the time they get with you.

You are loved by so many little man, I dare to say that you just might become spoiled...

Love,
Momma


Doin' so good kid!


Show off!


Uncle Kenny tickle!




We can't help ourselves!


Momma's Little Man.


Sleepy boy.


TOES!




Morning smiles for Momma.


Daddy home from work


Peanut!


Such a big boy!


Silly boy

State Flower

This past weekend, we went with Brad's parents and grandma to take pictures of Colin in the bluebonnets for the first time. And now for your viewing pleasure:

Giggle Box

Video is a little long (about 4 minutes) and it takes a bit for the laughs to start, but it's worth it!

Colin's Tongue...For All the World to See

Yesterday Colin discovered a new phenomenon. Sticking out his tongue...he loves it. He smiles, there's the tongue; he laughs, there's the tongue; he pouts, there's the tongue; he's sleeping, there's the tongue. It's like he's trying to say, "Hey world, look what I can do. Let me lick you, please."

Photo evidence:

Something to Brighten Your Day

There. That face always brightens my day...hope it did yours too!

Roll Baby Roll!

We had Colin's 4 month check up today. He weighed in at 14.4 pounds, which means he has doubled his birth weight, which is what they like to happen by 4 months. He was 25.5 inches long, which means he grew by 3 inches.

He got an A+ on everything else, he's doing very well! Our pediatrician recommends 6 month exclusive breastfeeding, which is what I wanted to do anyway, so he'll be on milk for another 2 months. He got 4 shots and 1 oral vaccine today, and wasn't happy about that either, but he calmed down pretty quickly.

In other cool news, he just rolled over for the first time this evening! He was laying on a blanket on the floor and mommy and daddy were down there playing with him. I rolled him over on his tummy and 10 seconds later, he rolled right over! I don't know if I scared him when I yelled Yay! or if he scared himself when he rolled, but he started crying immediately. He was okay though!

All in all, a big day for little Colin. We're so very proud of him!

Monthly Newsletter: Month Four

Dear Coly Bear,

Today you turn four months old. These past 16 weeks have gone by so fast, sometimes I wish I had you on DVR and I could just press a button and rewind your laughter, smiles or loving snuggles. You are growing so quickly I can barely keep up, just today you developed a new talent.

You've now started to blow raspberries with your tongue, making an adorable sound and lots of bubbles with all that drool. So much drool you have, I call you the slobber monster. We could water the new lawn for a week on the drool that you produce.

This month you discovered many new wonderful talents. You've begun to explore the world around you with your mouth. Whatever you can get your hands on and manage to pull to you. It's kinda fun to watch you aim for your mouth, often hitting your cheek, nose and chin with the object, and giving up and settling on your hand instead.

The very first object you put in your mouth was your moose. I left the room for a split second, you were laying on the floor and moose was laying within your reach. When I returned you had reached out, grabbed moose and pulled him towards you and you were sucking away on his face. At that moment I said goodbye to my previous life and hello to my new one, a life which will be consumed with running to grab potentially dangerous things out of your hands before they make it to the inside of your eager, drooling jaws.

Oh yes, you love your hands still. You get very upset when I have to remove them from the death grip of your tongue. If you don't have your hands, a toy or your bib in your mouth you are sucking on your bottom lip. All the drool and the fierce sucking makes the loudest sloppiest slurping noise when you do this. Adorable, of course.

Another new activity of yours is the joy of throwing your legs in the air and up into your chest. You lay like this often now when you are on your back. I call it your Roly Poly. This new talent has also lead you to discover your feet. Your little hands just hold onto them. It makes diaper changing quite challenging when I can't get you to straighten those little legs.

Your fussiness continued this month. One day it got so bad Momma couldn't take it anymore and Daddy had to come home early to rescue her. You could not be made happy and did not want to be put down. Thankfully within the last week you have begun to outgrow this trait. You've been a good boy in the evenings, spending time with Daddy and going to bed promptly at 7:30 without a fuss. We can finally entertain the thought of giving you a sibling again.

Thought not hard to accomplish, you moved your Daddy to tears one day this month. He was playing with you in your exerciser and you reached your little hand out and began to turn one of the toys on the side. You did it over and over and he couldn't believe how talented you had become! He grabbed the video recorder and shot away.

You also met the Easter bunny this month. We gathered the troops, two cars worth, and drove to the packed mall the weekend before Easter just to get your picture with him. I was so afraid you were going to cry when you saw that big hairy beast that I was placing you in the temporary custody of. I put on a brave face, walked you up to him, and sat you in his lap. You couldn't have cared less. I don't think you even realized anything out of the ordinary was occurring. You were so bored with all the crazy people trying to get you just look straight, you yawned.

Just last week you got to meet a new family member, the first from Wisconsin, your 3rd cousin Rachel. She stayed with us one night and we all went to the Dallas Arboretum. I was so excited to share one of my greatest passions with you, even though you were too young to really appreciate them, I know. And you slept practically the whole time. We got you awake long enough to get pictures, but back in the stroller immediately afterwards and back to sleep.

The best most fantastic part of this month was that you said your first word. Though I know you are only repeating the sounds you hear and have no idea that you are actually forming words of any meaning, I still cried when you said "momma." We were at your Grammy's house and we were showing the Carter family our new game we play. I lay you on your back and we stare into each other's eyes and I start to say, "Whose your momma?" and you just give me the biggest, most radiant smile and laugh. You have the most wonderful laugh in the entire world. It is truly the sweetest thing my ears have ever had the privilege of witnessing. Like Daddy says, my job has long hard hours and no monetary pay, but I'm paid in smiles and laughs, which is so much cooler.

What an awesome month, little man. We are having so much fun together, going on walks as a family, reading books and going on play dates. When I think my love for you couldn't be any greater, I wake up and discover that I love you even more, and I worry that my body isn't strong enough to contain this much love. I worry that my insides may burst because there isn't any more room. I am drunk on my love for you, a sloppy drunk in which I can't see straight or speak in coherent sentences, and makes me giggle every time you coo. And it's just so great that you're old enough now that you can giggle with me.

Love,
Momma


Taking a walk


Look how strong you are!


Roly Poly and hand sucking, multi-tasking!


Roly Poly


First time to suck face with a moose.


Hippo boy, just after bath time.


Easter Family


Easter yawn.


Reading with Daddy.


Arboretum


Arboretum