Happy New Years Eve!

What a year it's been... Colin came into this world in 2007 and I can't believe it's about to be no longer that year! But what a year it's been... the best of my life!! Colin continues to delight us in all ways, shapes and forms!!
We returned last night from Oregon- a sad parting. But the wonder of children is that there is no time for saddness! As soon as we boarded the plane, Colie was all over the place...climbing and playing and squealing and wanting to explore the world from hundreds of feet above ground- staring out the window onto the tiny houses and roads below... he squealed again in delight...and then continued his new game of dramatically "throwing" himself back in exhaustion. Just adorable. He was non-stop the whole plane ride and all I could think of was- this is only a 2 hour plane ride- how will we do 17 hours to Italy in March?? In the words of Scarlet O'Hara, "we'll think about that tomorrow".
On a different note, Colin has majorly regressed in the sleeping department. He is a smart kid- he figured out on day 2 of our 10 day stay in Ashland that we were all slumbering in the same room and why should he sleep next to us in a pack n play when there is a much more cozy bed with mama and daddy right next to him? So, each night our crying babe has cozied in around midnight and has woken up a handful of times to nurse throughout the night... and last night, was no better. He awoke a couple hours after he went to bed and I rocked and nursed, nursed and rocked for 1 1/2 hours- each time, laying him sound asleep into his crib, only for him to wail. We'd do it all over again and finally at 3am after being up since 1:30am, I brought him back to bed. I do love co-sleeping but he is a wiggle worm and tends to wake up often when in bed with us, allowing for very little sleep to be had by Morg and me. So, once tomorrow hits, I will resume to what seems like an eternity ago and try and get back into a routine of sleeping in his crib. I dread the multiple crying episodes, but as always, will be sure to be gentle and go in every 2-3 minutes to assure him he is ok and loved. We will see how it goes!! And in the meantime, I wouldn't trade any of this for the world... all the love and joy Colin brings- day and night, is everything to us. Even after broken sleep last night, we awoke to our little guy cooing and smiling this morning and we all chuckled and it was as if I had had 10 hours of sleep... !

Baby, it's cold outside!

We are still in Ashland, enjoying the feel of Christmas- even 3 days after Santa has returned to the North Pole. What a wonderful week this has been. Baby's first Christmas went off without a hitch, and being in the cold weather (even a little snow to make for a white christmas) makes it that much more festive!! Morgan left 2 days ago and Colin and I are still here for 2 more days...enjoying every second!!

In the first few days of our trip, we visited Santa who was in front of Ashland's Chamber of Commerce... it was magical! Snowflakes began fluttering as we approached the one person line to sit on Santa's lap (thank goodness we didn't have to venture to the mall to fight the 100+ kids waiting in line!). Colin stared at Santa with an inquisitive look and his pink cheeks and ski hat that covered his ears and tied under his chin completed the picture perfect moment! We also took Colin to see the snow at the base of Mt. Ashland, went shoppping, to a nice dinner, walked downtown, it has been perfect. Christmas morning was amazing... Colin most definitely must have been a good boy in his 8 months because Grammy/Santa spoiled him rotten! A huge stuffed puppy lay under the tree in addition to a stack of building blocks and many, many presents. We opened gifts for over 3 hours, taking our time so Colin (well maybe more mommy, daddy, Auntie Tam and Grammy) could relish in every one. It was a stress free day, only glee with our sweet Colin.

Happy 8 months old!

How is Colin already 8 months old already? Amazing. Equally amazing is the way that we love him more and more every day. Such a phrase but oh so true. This morning, we lay in bed playing when Colie started kicking me... I mean, not maliciously of course, but found my chest as something fun he could push off of. So I played along, yelping "ouch" with a smile on my face and he would BURST out laughing. Again, push off mama's chest following by an ouch and Colin would roll with laughter. It was absolutely the sweetest thing... so sweet that even a groggy papa who was quite tired and trying to catch a few more zzz's couldn't help but turn over with a big grin... Colin's chuckles were something special.

We leave tonight for Ashland and I absolutely can't wait!! Visiting Santa, sledding and seeing snow for the first time are in store...and of course good time with Grammie, Auntie Tam and good friends... should be perfect for Baby's 1st Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

What joy a baby brings to Christmas. It's true what they say: to experience things through the eyes of children is something amazing! We are getting ready for Christmas and having Colin be a part of the festivities is just so fun. We love watching him stare at the Christmas tree, taking in all the ornaments, the lights and of course, reaching to grab the branches. He has had the opportunity to rip at the paper of a few gifts and just has a look of uncertainty on his face. This whole christmas thing to him is just bizarre! :) We are eagerly awaiting our trip to Ashland in 4 days, when Christmas comes alive with white lights lining the store fronts down town, the sight of earmuffs and scarves, the comedy of seeing one own's breath from the cold, and fists clutching a hot beverage. There's nothing like christmas in Ashland, and I can't wait to share all these experiences and more for the first time with our little boy!!

Rested...

Last night, Colin and I played peek a boo, read stories and he practiced his rolling and scooting. As always, he was smiles and chuckles and a perfect little boy. He went down to bed at 8pm without a fight. Fast forward to 6am when I awoke to silence except the sound machine I could hear through the baby monitor... I concentrated hard... yep, Colin was still asleep. I dosed back to sleep realizing he had never made a peep in the night. Next thing I knew, I heard my favorite morning sounds- faint coos and movement. I glanced to see the most amazing site... the clock read 7:36am. He had slept solid from 8pm to 7:36am without a stir. This is a record!! I can't explain how great I feel today. Thanks Colie Bear!! kisses....

Turned a corner...

Colin has slept through the night for 6 nights in a row, but who's counting? Each night he goes to slumberland between 8 and 8:30 and he has slept through until between 6 and 7am each time. I am thanking my lucky stars to feel a solid 7 or 8 hours... it's like a whole new world! And each morning, we are awakened to the sweetest sounds through the monitor... he gurgles and laughs and squeals... he could easily play in his crib for another hour, but I just can't resist the sweetness and am pushed to go to his room and bring him back to bed with us. I love mornings with our wee one...

a walk down memory lane...

I finally just received a disk of the pictures we had taken of you when you were 15 days old... it's just amazing to think you were only about 7 pounds at that time... and now you are nearing 20 pounds! It's hard to really even remember you when you were so tiny and fragile... You now are so strong, standing as you hold onto our fingers, rolling around, pulling yourself up to sit, and wanting to crawl so badly! You stare at the simplest of things...trees, puppies, and anything moving. The most amazing thing to do is watch you as you notice your hands... you raise your hands upwards towards your face as you gaze at the movement. It's so sweet to watch you discover the world.

Celebrating the holidays with you is a whole new experience... everything seems more festive, more fun, more special. This past weekend, we went to San Diego to have an early Christmas with your papa's family. You stared in delight at the lit christmas tree... so bright and new to you. You are the best gift we could have ever received by far, this year. Each day I love you more and more to the point that I think my heart is going to burst. The feeling is one in which I suppose all parents feel... and definitely nothing I could have described prior to having you. All you parents know what I'm talking about!! :)

P.S. and by the way, the sleeping is going much better. The night after our "trauma", Mr. Man slept through the entire night - not a peep. The following nights have been pretty easy too- minor wake ups but Colin has put himself back to sleep very easily. Thank goodness it's getting better and better- I couldn't have stayed strong for more than the first night!!

P.P.S Happy Birthday, Auntie Crazy!! (Krysten) :)

Night night, sleep tight!

We had a traumatic night last night. After much thought and a discussion with my friend Denyelle, I knew I had to do something drastic about Colin’s habit of waking up two to three times per night. So, at 12:30 when he woke up, I went in, rubbed his head and belly, but didn’t pick him up. In the words of the baby whisperer, it's important to let a baby know he or she is loved and isn't being abandoned, but they need to learn to self soothe. Colin continued to fuss, and I went in a few times for comfort, but then finally went back to bed. I lay there wanting to run in and scoop him up, but I stayed strong. After an hour, his fusses finally quieted. (The longest hour of my life!) Then at 4:30am, his cries resumed and we repeated the whole process over again. It was so hard to let him cry, but I knew he had to capability of sleeping through the night since he has done it often on occasion... SO, it was a matter of breaking a bad habit we recently had formed of getting up and down all night. Around 5:15am, his crying came to a stop. He slept soundly until 7:45am (although I had gone in around 7am because I couldn't take it any longer and needed to check on my sweet pea...he was sleeping like a baby!) As he awoke, I went in, more like ran in and brought him in with us. I opened the drapes so he knew it was morning and he nursed and nursed. We played in bed for a while and he was all smiles as always... But man, it was so hard on all 3 of us. I pray tonight is easier!!

Our little Turkey

I think about what a year it has been... our little Colie bear being of course, the most important thing to ever happen to us... We are so thankful for our healthy little boy and the fact that he brings such joy and love to our hearts. This morning, he slept until 4:30am - this is actually good for him as of late. Poor little guy is definitely hurting as he constantly is grabbing at his mouth and attempting to chew on any toy, finger, or shoulder he can reach. His two little nubs of teeth have come through and we hope the worst is behind him, and us!

Giving this a shot

I have decided to try out blogging just for fun. I can't be certain I will keep up as well as I know others do, but it might be fun to just post here and there... Here, I open the window into our home and share some of life's precious moments with Colin.

I titled this blog "something to laugh and smile about each day", because as we were leaving the hospital with our 'barely 6 pound peanut", the last nurse came in to do a final check out and her parting words to us were "you will be amazed at how you will laugh and smile each day at things you never imagined possible"... I often think of these words and just how true they are. In the early weeks, we found many laughs over Colin's poop explosions, smiles over our sleeping child and smiles between momma and papa in the contentment and sweetness of being new parents.

And Colin is now 7 months old and we continue to smile and laugh... he is rolling and sitting and babbling... We celebrated our first thanksgiving together and boy did we have a lot to be thankful for. As always, Colin was a champ among the chaos of splitting the day between the two sides of the family. He was the most popular person at both dinners, with many family member oohing and ahhing over him... he was bright eyed and curious- that is, until one too many persons surrounded him and his lower lip began to curl downward followed by a cry that screamed "overwhelm"! But he made it through and we are better prepared for the next holiday which is right around the corner!