May 10, 2010

Two years ago, I was patiently restlessly waiting for morning to come.  I knew it was going to be a big day, but just like any other time I have a big day coming up, I just couldn't sleep.  (Yes, I was that kid who could never sleep the night before school started, and then was up at 4 am)  Who would he look like?  Would he have hair? (I sure had enough heartburn)  Would everything go without complications?  How big WAS he? (His daddy was a 10 pounder)  How MUCH blood and goo would he have on him?  Would his lungs work without "the squeeze"?  I wondered it all...

Finally morning came and we were off to the hospital. I was so nervous, but trying to be so brave... after all, I was about to become a Mommy!  That morning from 7 am - 11 am was the LONGEST 4 hours I had encountered since our wedding day!  I must say, everything went off without a hitch, and by 11:27 am, our sweet little Colin had made his appearance.  He was screaming as loud as his little lungs could. (And he certainly has not lost that ability!)  He did not have much blood or goo on him at all.  Then, Jon came over and happily said, "He's got a head full of reddish brown hair".  Full, was not what I was expecting, he had hair, but after all of that heartburn, I would have expected him to have a mop on his head!   And reddish brown turned out to be a blondish brown.  He was the sweetest little thing we had ever experienced!! 

And now, it is so hard for me to believe that he is TWO years old!!  Where does the time go?  I remember waiting for each new stage, but sometimes I wish I could rewind back to those certain stages.  I never took people seriously when they so wisely advised me to cherish every moment because they grow so fast.  How has it been two years already?  My sweet little baby is now a sweet little BOY!! I just can't believe it!  I am so excited for his birthday tomorrow (Birthdays have always been a big deal for me!).  We are going to take him to Monkey Joe's and out for pizza tomorrow afternoon. 

I will leave you with a few of my favorite shots from his BIRTHday!  (I'm so glad I have these because there are several things I don't remember from that day due to the anesthesia I was on!)

We did it!!!

Tonight was a milestone in our lives!  We went to eat Mexican (our favorite), and for the first time we ordered Colin his own “meal”.  While we enjoyed our fajitas, Colin had his very first cheese quesadilla!  And he LOVED it!  Jon fed him some rice and beans, which he liked as well.  I took some very adorable pictures of our experience!! Please enjoy!

 He likes the beans!

 Not sure about the Quesadilla yet...

Oh yes!  He LOVED it!!

(But then again he is my child - so he was destined to love any and all food!)

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am Loving that it’s an early release day at school!  (Even though we have cohort until 3:30)

Who knew freedom at lunch time could mean so much to a person?

I am ALSO loving that my Aunt Diana is coming to spend the night we me!!  I know Colin can’t wait for his Aunt Diana’s sugar!!

10 months already?!?!?!

I can’t believe our baby boy is 10 months old today.  It is so crazy to think that in 8 short weeks he will be 1!  Colin has blessed our lives in so many ways and there is no better sound than his laugh.  He truly is a happy baby – busy, but happy!  We are constantly on the go trying to keep up with him.  He’s not walking yet, but he has got to be the world’s fastest crawler!  And he certainly is Mr. Personality these days, he even cracks himself up!  Here are some 10 month facts about Colin:

Weight:  21 lbs.

Length: 28.5 inches

Clothes Size:  9-12 month

Diaper Size:  4

Teeth:  Bottom 2 arrived at 9 ½ Month (the top 2 are working their way out now!)

Meals: Milk 5-6 oz per feeding, 3 servings of baby food, and 2 snacks

Sleep:  11-12 hrs each night

Favorite Big Boy Food: Strawberries

Favorite Baby Food: Pears

Walking:  Not yet –pulling up and standing

Words:  “Da-da” is the only real word, but he babbles all the time

Best Mood:  In the mornings

First Boo-Boo: Scratch under his eye (He and Zoe ran into each other and her nail caught his face)

Favorite Toy:  Laugh & Learn Table and ball pit

Other:  He LOVES Zoe but she doesn’t know what to think still, very ticklish on his feet and under his arms, loves to “Razz” just about anyone and anything, loves taking a bath and splashing water

Daddy & his boy

Mommy & Colin

First ride in his wagon (3-2-11)

Loves the new swing!

Our lil' Homeboy!



Proud Wifey

Jon and I have been married for 3 ½ years and together for 8 ½.  In that time we have been through the lowest of lows and highest of highs.  He is my best friend and I couldn’t be prouder of the man he is. 

     In the last few months he has been named the Employee of the year for the CCU and even Employee of the year for the Heart Hospital.  He is the most dedicated and caring nurse there is.  While you don’t choose a career for recognition, when he received these honors, I was thinking to myself “It’s about time!”  Jon goes the extra mile for each of his patients and is a true patient advocate. 

     I always knew he was going to be the best Daddy, but the day Colin was born that thought became reality.  I don’t think I even changed Colin’s diaper for the first time until he was about a week old.  I know we had 9 months to prepare, but I just could not believe how instantaneous being a father clicked in.  He is so patient and loving with Colin.  It was no surprise that Colin’s first word was “DaDa”, but it was more than just a word; he knew from the first time he said it what he was saying and who his Daddy is!  I LOVE watching Jon and Colin play together and the look on Colin’s face when Daddy walks in the door from work.  He truly is the best Daddy and I know he is Colin’s hero!

     I love my husband more than anything in this world.  I could not imagine living this life without him and I feel so blessed that God chose me to be his soul mate.  I know that we are going to have the best life because Jon is simply amazing!

I mean look how happy this boy is to be with his Daddy!

30 is the new 20

Last weekend we went to Sugar Mountain to celebrate Ryan’s 30^th birthday.  He really wanted to go skiing and even though most of us were already over snow and cold weather we put on a happy face and made the trip to North Carolina.

I had full intentions of spending the weekend on the slopes, however those intentions faded quickly.  I am not sure if it’s my getting older or being way out of shape but skiing was not quite as fun as I remembered it.  The slopes were very crowded so we only got in one beginner slope before we had to head back to the room for the slope grooming time.  Jon and Ryan were ready to hit the slopes again for night skiing and the only problem was that in order to get to the beginner slopes from our room you had to first go down the intermediate slope.  For some unknown reason I allowed Jon to talk me in to braving the intermediate.  While I appreciated Jon’s patience with me, 1 hr. to get down the slope is not really the fun that he had envisioned. 

Let’s just say that the second night I decided to stay in by the fire with my glass of wine!  That was more my idea of a good time! J 

This was also the first time that we left our sweet boy for more than one night and in a different city!  It was bittersweet for me!  My mom came and picked him up on Friday afternoon, and although I held it together I was on the verge of tears when she pulled out of the driveway.  We missed him terribly, but it was so rewarding hearing his squeal of delight when he returned home!

I’m already thinking of something fun to do next year for Jon’s 30^th.  I most definitely will not include snow or skiing!  I am thinking somewhere tropical!

Here are some pictures from Ryan’s Birthday weekend – enjoy!

8 Months and Counting...

The time is flying by!  I know that it sounds so cliché, but they grow so fast!  Last week was Colin’s 8 month birthday and I truly can’t believe he is that old.  It seems like we were bringing him home from the hospital just a few days ago.  Colin and I spent his birthday snowed in while his daddy had to make the trek in to work! 

It is so fun watching Colin grow more and more each day!  He has his own personality (which seems to be a lot like his daddy’s) and he really is so funny.  There is no better sound than his laugh.  He is so ticklish and loves to be an airplane.  Jon taught Colin how to crawl and now the second he gets on the floor there is no stopping him!  He loves trying to pet Zoe, but she is not very interested in that.  Last week Colin learned something new and it melts my heart every time… Of course the only words he says are “da da”, but he knows how to reach up for me now!  I was so excited the first time he reached for me.  I must have put him back on the floor 2 or 3 times just so he would reach up for me!  I can’t wait to see the new things he learns by next month when he is NINE MONTHS OLD!!