Happy 2nd Birthday, Colin!

Colin has grown leaps and bounds since his first birthday.  He went from exclusively rolling at 12 months to taking his first independent steps at 20 months, to walking independently at 24 months-- it took him some time to be convinced that it was worth walking all the time!  He tore up shoes so badly with his crawling!

At two years Colin is now 33 3/4 inches tall and something like 25 or 26 lbs.  He talks all the time-- probably about 1/2- 3/4 of what he says actually makes sense to us--he also loves to repeat what we say.  I think he is talking more than his brother did at this age!  He still loves to eat, especially sweets!  His eating habits almost seem to be opposite of his brother, at least when it comes to veggies and potatoes.  Colin loves french fries, but won't touch any veggies!!!  I hide pureed baby food in yogurt to make sure he gets at least a little each day.  Philip also hides steamed spinach in omelets for the kids under the pretense that they are "green eggs." We eat "green eggs and ham (bacon)" almost every Saturday these days.  Right around two years Colin really took off with his walking!  He is now fully mobile.  He has an independent side more so than his brother did at this age; one of his favorite lines is, "I do it." He also says, "I did it." He loves watching Elmo, Winnie the Pooh--Tigger in particular, airplanes, and Anpanman. He can count to five when prompted--although he usually starts with two (usually I say one and he'll say the next numbers, it's hard to actually get him to say one).  Anything sweet seems to be his favorite food, although he loves to pick out tofu out of things to eat and has eaten up to eight spinach and mozarella ravioli (I usually eat about five)!  He is also good at imitating us, like in the previous post where he is "helping" Philip fix the humidifier.  He is very cute and sweet and will blow kisses when prompted.  Philip thinks it's time to get his hair cut due to his cute curls!

On his actual birthday we went to the grocery store and bought him some cookies as a treat.  They were giving out Mickey Mouse balloons!

He's having fun!

No More High Chair!

I decided it was probably time to have Colin started eating at the table like the big boy he is.  I kept him in this long because it meant the cleanup was really easy with the tray on the high chair!

To alleviate the fact that I moved Colin to Gavin's spot, (since the finish is already coming off there, I figure that is the best spot for a toddler), I let him pick his seat.  He chose Philip's seat, but then changed his mind in the days following.  He now sits next to me, which is more convenient for me since Philip is away for most meals during the week.

4 Year Well Check

Gavin had his four year well check, but unfortunately I do not have a memory for heights and weights like I used to. I can't remember what either were, just that he remains at 95th percentile for height.  He is definitely tall! We took him in for his well check and it turned out he had an ear infection!  He never complained about his ears bothering him before! The doctor gave him stickers and since he wasn't wearing any clothes, he stuck them on his tummy.  This is when we got home: 

Gavin at four years old is still all about the trains!  Anything Thomas or just plan train he loves, it doesn't have to be a character or have a face.  He loves "snacks" especially goldfish crackers and fruit snacks.  He also loves chocolate and sweets, but he will also eat vegetables.  He does not, however, like potatoes much.  No mashed potatoes or even french fries--he will eat mashed potatoes if we press him, though.  He continues to love his little brother, but, of course, gets mad when he messes up his tracks!  He loves to help me, but will sometimes use my line, "Be my big helper" to try to get me to do things for him, so smart! He also knows all of his letters and corresponding phonics sounds.  He is starting to write his name now by himself as well.  We are taking a preschool class this summer together that is reading, math, and more so hopefully we will have fun together and learn more!

18 Months

I somehow forgot to write anything about Colin turning 18 months at the end of April. He has made so much progress in the mobility department, he can now walk with assistance and is beginning to climb.  He also says a couple of words (including airplane) and has probably around 15 signs to communicate with.  He also goes to nursery now at church (so that I can go to the adult meetings without him) and it was very weird to not have him with me the first couple of times.  He does pretty well in the nursery, but it goes into his nap and lunch time, so that makes it difficult.  He is all about the food!  Although he will love something one week and spit it out the next.  He consistently loves anything sweet and he seems to know when I have something sweet, even if he's not had it before!  He doesn't like veggies and pretty much avoids them at all costs, although I have managed to hide them in other foods like mashed potatoes.  I have also been trying to buy the baby yogurt with veggies in it so that he at least gets some veggies during the day.  He is so adorable with his chubby cheeks and his sweet personality is really coming through now that he is more independent.  He also is MUCH more independent in his play and is starting to put the trains on their tracks. He also loves to put things inside other things (like a shape sorter--although this is a source of frustration as well) and take things out of other things (like baby wipes, however he usually wipes his nose on it when he does, so at least he is trying to use them).  He cracks me up and definitely keeps me on my toes at times.  It's fun to see him grow, change, and learn new things!

Colin's 15 month check up & feeding himself

At 15 months, Colin is 21 pounds, 13 ounces and 30 1/2 inches long.  I forgot to ask the percentiles, but the doctor said that he went down on the weight and was questioning me to try to figure out the reason for it.  We thought that it was probably because he is moving around more now and possibly because he's gotten slightly pickier.  I can't get him to eat macaroni and cheese (one of my quick and easy options I don't want to lose!) or things that are in pieces are sometimes also a probably (like sometimes he doesn't seem to want beans and will spit them out or string cheese when I cut it into regular pieces--I finally got him to eat the string cheese by giving him half a stick split in half!)  He now can army crawl, but a lot of times will pick rolling over that option since it's still easier to do that for him, although just yesterday he spontaneously army crawled several times without me trying to get him to do!!! He loves to play catch with the ball--we love the Gertie ball he got for Christmas!  It claims to be the most catchable ball in the world--it has and interesting texture that's easier to catch and you can easily make it squishier for the little guys.  He can even grip it in one hand and throw it!  He also will play with the bumpy balls from grandma, too! He is progressing in all areas and seems to be a smart boy, too!  We'll keep him!  ;-)

Colin's physical therapist has been asking me questions along the way where Colin is concerned as well as telling me things to do with Colin that will be help him right now or that he will be tested on when his case is reviewed again.  She will be the one doing the testing, so he will get the highest score possible this next time since he knows the tester and she is familiar with a lot of what he can do.  She asked me if he was feeding himself with a spoon and I said no.  She wasn't surprised, but said that they are supposed to start spoon feeding themselves at 12 months (he is 15).  She said that most parents don't like to do it because it is so messy (so true!) I think I waited until Gavin was 18 months or so before I tried Gavin with his own spoon.  But, since that is one of the things he's going to need to know how to do I sucked it up and did it that afternoon with applesauce! He didn't seem to get it on the first try...

Day 1

He knows where the spoon goes, though! I used my favorite spoon to feed him with, which I think was my mistake.

He decided he liked "finger feeding himself" better!

I switched him to a fat handled spoon on the second day and he got the concept perfectly!  It's not to say that he is eating every time perfectly (because he's not) but I was amazed at how well he did with so little practice.  The physical therapist was right, he was SO ready to spoon feed himself!!!

Day 2

   

Check out the video!  He did a terrific job the second time around, given the right spoon for him!

I don't think that the videos show up via facebook.  If you'd like to see the three videos I posted, check out my blog: http://mydaddytalksfunny.blogspot.com/ My posts are uploaded automatically to facebook.

Tooth #4 finally fought its way through Colin's gums! You might be able to catch a glimpse of it in one of these pictures!

Colin's Well Check & Motor Skills

He actually had his well check before Thanksgiving, but I hadn't gotten around to writing about it. He was 29 inches tall and 21 pounds. He was 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight. At the same age Gavin was already over 30 inches tall, crawling around, and cruising. Colin, as I had mentioned before, is not doing any of those things yet. He also can't even go from a lying down position to sitting, so the pediatrician suggested we get him tested at our local regional center. So, I went home and made the call. I set up a testing for three weeks later.

We went to the appointment and they told us that he had excellent fine motor skills (at one point the lady who was testing him said, "I've never seen an 13 month old do that before!") however, his gross motor skills were equivalent to that of a seven month old. I was told to do baby sit ups with Colin and force him to stand on his feet (which he DOES NOT like). They recommended physical therapy one to two times a week. I was not, however, given any clear cut answers as to the reason for delay. She did notice that Colin was holding his head slightly to one side--she said this could be the reason that he doesn't like being on his tummy--she said that his neck muscles were tight. The physical therapist didn't think that it would take long for Colin to make progress, once he starts therapy. Our insurance does not cover therapy for developmental reasons, so the regional center will cover the cost. We are waiting to hear back from the regional center and anticipate beginning physical therapy sometime in January. Will keep you updated!

The following pictures and video were made by Philip--they were trying to get Colin motivated enough to crawl by bribing him with popcorn.













Here is a video made with our new camera. It is HD, so the quality is SO much better than that of our previous camera, but I couldn't edit it in Windows Movie Maker because it does not recognize the format that the movies are saved in on the camera. I will have to ask Philip about it.



Colin usually rolls places, and when he gets something (like in this video) while on his tummy, he then rolls back onto his back. His back is where he prefers to be. The physical therapist had to prevent Colin from rolling back onto his back during the test. I have another video somewhere of Colin rolling around and being as active as he gets at this point, but I don't know where it is. I will try to find it and add it later! Oh, and we were also told NO jumper and NO exersaucer- but the exersaucer is preferred if I need a few minutes to get something done.

Nine Months Old!

Colin is nine months old already! His personality is really starting to come through. He is mostly contented to do the same old same old in that unlike some of his peers, meaning he still just wants to hang out on his back. He hates being on his stomach and will flip right away to his back. No crawling or trying to crawl yet! He is starting to sit up more reliably now. Just in the past couple of days we have been able to get him to sit for longer periods on his own. When he is done, however, he makes it known and lays down however he can! He loves to grab whatever he can while you are holding him and it usually goes straight to the mouth. He also loves to play with teething toys mostly, since he is such an oral kid that they always go in his mouth, although, I have seen him playing with the tags on toys as well. He also has his first two teeth that are still making their entrance. We have yet to get any good pictures of them, though. They will make for a great smiling shot when we can get it! He also LOVES to eat as I have posted before. I didn't have any food for him this last week when I ate at a friend's house and she made him some instant oatmeal. It was apples and cinnamon and she made two packets. He ate it all down, plus a couple of bites of yogurt! This child is going to be all about the food, hopefully he will stay a great eater! We have yet to have his well check, it's one week from today, so I will report back then.

He was having fun with his tongue the other day!



Hanging out with some cousins.







He decided he was done (or perhaps just lost his balance) and plopped his head right into Brooke's dessert! So funny!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gavin! (And well check info, too)

Aunt Staci and family gave Gavin his birthday present early so he could wear this cute outfit! We put it on for pictures and we plan to have him wear it at his party (whenever that is, that is another story).





We tried a cupcake store nearby for a special treat. I wasn't impressed. We bought them right after dinner (probably around 5:45 pm) and you could tell they had been sitting there all day. The outside of the frosting was kind of hard and the cookie from on top of the cookies 'n' cream one we got was soft. They would probably be better earlier in the day.



He LOVES chocolate!



Gavin got cards from a few of his girl cousins. Thanks for all the hard work and love put into each of them.

This extremely detailed train was carefully constructed by Libby. She loves to craft!



This cute Thomas card was made by Sage.





This one was from Brooke. It included a Thomas for Gavin to color. So neat!





Gavin loves to play at their house. He even likes this princess toy.



He tries to brush her (extremely tangled) hair and put on her crown. So cute that he knows what to do!



Thanks for letting us stop by!

Gavin had his well check Friday, May 21. It turned out to be a sick check as well. He had a low grade fever of 100.1 (I knew he felt hot, but since I had the well check I figured I'd let them take his temp), an ear infection, and fluid in one ear.

Height and weight was done as usual. He was 32 pounds: 50th percentile and 41 inches: off the charts, but officially 97th percentile. He is a string bean! This is why I LOVE adjustable waist pants now!

Gavin's Saturday birthday party is canceled due to Gavin being sick. Friday night a few of his cousins: Ben, Michael, and Jill brought him a cupcake complete with a candle that they had Philip light. How sweet is that?! Thanks so much!!!

Six months!

Colin turned six months on April 29. He had his six month appointment on April 30. He was 17 lbs, 3 oz and 26 1/4 inches long. He is exactly two inches shorter than Gavin at the same age!

Right now Colin can roll over and his personality is coming through much more. He LOVES his baby cereal and I am starting to try him on vegetables (I am venturing to make them all at home to save money). He also likes to play with toys that he can rattle and shake and he sometimes passes them between his hands. He is starting to chew on his pacifier with his gums, but the doctor seemed to think that there were no teeth in sight. He's such an oral kid compared to Gavin. If his pacifier is nowhere in sight he'll suck on his hands, shirt, or blanket, so I'd rather him use the pacifier. He also is starting to sit up on his own. I can help him balance for short periods of time on his own now! It's amazing how fast babies change. He went from a helpless newborn to eating solid foods in what seemed like no time flat!

I LOVE the doggie outfit.

Four Months!

Colin had his four month appointment! Can you believe that he is already that old? When I was carrying him before he was born it felt like he would never get here and now he is already four months old!!!!

He was 15 lbs 2 oz and 24 3/4 inches long. He was about 50th percentile for both. The doctor checked the chart and at the same age Gavin was 27 inches! So, if this is a trend, Gavin will be the taller brother. He is a little lighter than Gavin, but only about a pound. The trend for Colin seems to be that he is going to be the shorter brother, but very solid. It seems that Gavin is always tall and lean.

He has just started bringing his fingers to his mouth a lot and has even found his thumb. I am SO NOT encouraging that. After all, you can take away a pacifier, but not a thumb...He also sometimes grabs toys or other things, although I think at least part of the time is accidental. He has also started taking the pacifier out of his mouth and sometimes puts it back (once again, probably accidentally). He even once got a hold of the wrong end and tried to put the button part in his mouth. That was cute.

He smiles socially and it seems that he has almost giggled a couple of times. He is still in our room because I fear for his life if I were to put him in the same room as his brother. Gavin likes to climb into the crib and has even "moved in" with his pillow while I have been in there and the the baby was in crib as well. He also likes to pick the baby up, which could be very bad if I weren't around. I think that Gavin might love him to death accidentally if I put him in there now. Not sure when the right time will be.

Buddha Belly!

I was giving Colin a bath the other night and I couldn't resist taking pictures of his huge belly! He is getting to be so big! You know this boy doesn't miss a meal; he is so much chubbier than Gavin ever was!

Two Month Well Check

Colin turned two months old on December 29. His well check was on December 30. He is healthy and on track. He weighed 12 lbs, 11 oz and was 24 1/4 inches long. He was in the 75th percentile for both. He's not as tall as Gavin, but was at that age (he was 95th percentile for height), but he is a solid boy. He received several shots and an oral vaccine as well. They didn't seem to bother him too bad. He has now been going up to six hours at night without feeding! He did it several nights in a row and I have even managed to get up to five full hours of sleep in a row, yay for sleeping!



Gavin helping out.





He likes to pretend that he is the baby, I think.



Silly Gavin!