swimfan

Colin & I had the day to ourselves today as Dad is spending the day at the Indy 500 for some reason. So, we decided to break out his new baby pool.

Strike a pose, there's nothing to it.

Colin LOVED it. He's been fussy all day, but when I put him in the pool, he was so happy. He mostly just gnawed on the toys (by toys, I mean random kitchen junk I brought outside.. we're classy like that) but did seem to like splashing his hands and fishing his pacifier out of the water. I'm thinking this will be a favorite activity this summer.

I went to Target yesterday in search of a little baby pool, like we used to have back in the day. I couldn't find one anywhere... instead, I returned home with this monstrosity... the "crab pool." At least it has a canopy for shade. I'm sure our crazy lawn-obsessed neighbors love looking at it.

Some super repetitive pics are here (I just couldn't help it, he was so cute in his swim gear): http://tinyurl.com/crabpool along with a couple others from our day, including the nap he's still taking - he passed out solid after swimming (note his position while sleeping - I have a feeling that he's going to learn to crawl in his sleep).

7 months

So the 7 month pics are a bit late, and not stellar.. it's been an adventure. Colin has had a cold for the last few days, so our first attempt ended up snotty (literally) and grouchy.. oh, and he ripped the sticker off and tried to eat it again.

So we tried again this morning. Nothing like posing in the bathroom.

And yes, if you haven't been to our house, our upstairs bathroom has steps. It's bizarre, I know. But at least we can show off how well he sits up now - hard to believe I still had to use the Bumbo for his 6 month pics!

Why were we hanging out in the bathroom, you ask? Well, Colin loves to look at himself in the mirror, and the upstairs mirror is the only one that comes down to the vanity and lets him sit right up to the glass. So, we actually spend a lot of time in there. Who needs a play gym when you have the bathroom?

Other than loving himself in the mirror, his 7 month achievements include sitting up completely unassisted, blowing raspberries (I have to get this on tape! It's hilarious! Except when you're feeding him and it flies everywhere!), and getting himself into the pre-crawl position. I literally feel like I just wrote his 6 month stats yesterday.. he's growing up too fast!

sunday, in the park

Just a few pictures of our afternoon in Happy Hollow park...


Colin & Dad on the trail


Colin & Mom

Ready to run down the hill

This one taken by a random German. He was very efficient.

and we're back.

Sorry we've been MIA for awhile. The days just fly by now that we've gotten into a good routine with daycare and work. Plus Mike and I have been exhausted by this never-ending cold we got like a MONTH ago. Ugh.

So what has Colin been up to? Lots of things. He's finished all of his stage 1 veggies, and his official favorite is ... Squash! Even his teachers have noticed that he doesn't spill a drop when squash is on the menu. Not a fan of green beans (his grimaces are priceless), but he eats them anyway (daycare provides his food, so we never know what veggie he'll have that day.. so he has to keep trying everything!). We've moved on to fruits now; he's only had bananas so far, but they were a hit as well. He just loves to eat. When the last spoonful is gone, he will open his mouth like a baby bird, and just stare at you expectantly until you give him more! He had his first trip to the farmers' market with us last week and seemed to enjoy people (and dog) watching.

I'm looking forward to being able to buy locally-grown fruits and veggies this summer and trying my hand at making some baby food.

Otherwise, he's doing so well. He's becoming more and more social and outgoing. His teachers say he's "quite the little flirt" with the little girls in his class. Ha! Mike has picked him up at school to find him sitting on the floor mat surrounded by girls and babbling at his little girlfriends! And, he's even tried to befriend Truman. It's kind of sad, when T walks by Colin just beams at him (once I saw him even reaching both arms towards him!) and Truman just gives him the side eye and keeps his distance. Sorry buddy, he's not going to be your friend.

He's doing really well at sitting up and playing ...

And his babbling has really picked up... if he's in the mood, he'll talk your ear off!

(ignore Mike's creepy off-screen tickling. I'm not sure what he was attempting to do there)

He's also started scooting backwards, though I don't think he's doing it on purpose. He's really pushing up on his hands, and knees - but not at the same time - he alternates between the two! He knows he wants to MOVE though, so we'll see when he figures that out. I'm hoping to get that on video his weekend. Suddenly he just seems so grown up.. sitting, scooting, eating. I just can't believe it.

It's actually supposed to be nice here this weekend for the first time in months, so we're hoping to go to the park and maybe have a little picnic. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

happy mothers day!

We had a wonderful mothers' day. I got to sleep in, Mike made brunch, and then we all got to spend the day together. It's hard to believe that I'm actually a mom this year, and the last six months have definitely made me appreciate my mom, and all the other moms, so much more.


me and my little guy, first mothers day

This year, I got my very first mothers day card from Colin! He made it at daycare, though I suspect he had some help from his teachers!

So sweet...

As you could see on the front of his card, Colin started sitting up on his own this past week. His teachers have been working with him every day and he's gotten so good at it.. although he topples over after a minute or two. Here he is showing off his skills this morning.

Some more pictures of the past week are here: http://tinyurl.com/266amjf

Happy mothers day to all with lots of love to Linda, Pat & Karen for getting us this far :)

Mr. Sweet Potatoes Esquire the Third

I have a lot of ridiculous nicknames for Colin. The one that drives Mike the most crazy is probably "Mr. Sweet Potatoes, Esq. the third." But the title was fitting yesterday. After Colin's six month appointment, at which we got the go-ahead to start fruits and veggies, we gave him his first baby food - sweet potatoes! When the first spoonful hit his mouth and he figured out it wasn't oatmeal, he screwed up his face and looked at us like we were nuts. But, he kept going and by the end we had a major sweet potatoes fan on our hands...



Pictures of the adventure are here: http://tinyurl.com/28fwyrr. Feeding him has become a sloppy mess, as he has inherited from his Uncle Adam a tendancy to shove his hand into his mouth after every single bite.

In other news, his pedi appointment was good and uneventful. Colin weighs 17 lb 5 oz (he has dropped down to roughly 30% there, but dr. said that's normal with all the new physical activity he's doing.. oh, and that week where he refused to eat probably didn't help). He's 26.5 in. long (50%) and his noggin is 45 cm, (50-75%). He got three more shots, but gets a break on those now til his 1 year appointment. As Dr. Caldwell said, "You're growing up too fast, Colin!"

busy bees

This weekend has been super busy! Yesterday morning Mike played on the Stuart & Branigin team in a charity kickball tournament. Colin and I went to cheer on Dad and Auntie Tandra. It started to rain, so Colin and I left and went to Target and then home, where he "helped" me (by gnawing on the packaging and trying to eat the curtains) to redecorate our family room... after three years of living here, I finally tackled the awesome '80s decor and put up new curtain rods and drapes. (pictures to come once we get the frames up on the walls, new end tables and blinds, etc. but it's already a huge improvement). Then we all braved a thunderstorm to run across the street for dinner at the Daltons', where Colin commandeered all of Sophie's toys. This morning, we got Colin's six month pictures taken at Penney's. He did a great job! Then we had lunch out and did a little more shopping. Quite a lot of activity for our little guy!

We've ordered extras of the pictures, so we'll be sending some on to the grandparents. In the meantime, if you want to see all of the poses (and some of Penney's cheesy "photo effects"), go to http://www.smilesbywire.com/ and enter the following: Customer Name: Lia Hanson Access
Code: LTPP0372122623JCP.

Edited to add some pics ... though we're still working on getting Colin to sit up unassisted, he seems more interested in standing. With the help of Dad and the ottoman, he was rocking it (briefly) this afternoon!

Only one hand necessary ...


Here we go!


Is this safe?


Man down.

General cuteness (and new curtains!)