Musings 'Bout Our Kids

31 March 2007

Butterstick and Friends

Today, Colin, Daddy and I took a trip to the National Zoo. Unfortunately, today was also the first day of the Cherry Blossom Festival (and there was Nationals game at RFK), so Metro was super crowded. But it was a perfect day for a stroll through the zoo.

We took a walk down the Asia Trail

and saw the sloth bears and the small-clawed otters. We went into the Bird House where Colin really liked the burrowing owl (he pointed at that with both hands) and the flamingos outside. Then we hung out for a little while by the Seals and Sea Lions.

By the time we got to the Kids' Farm, he was zonked. So, Colin missed the prairie dogs, and the Great Cats, and the gorillas, and the Small Mammal House. He woke up just in time to have lunch in the American Indian Heritage Garden and to see the elephants and hippos. We tried to see Butterstick (a/k/a Tai Shan) and his mom and dad, but there were too many people in the way. I guess we'll have to visit one more time before Butterstick leaves the zoo.

30 March 2007

It's the End of the World As We Know It

[WARNING: Mommy's and Daddy's Colin voices have been known to attract dolphins and small dogs. Watch the video at your own risk.]

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26 March 2007

Too Shy Shy

On Saturday, we had a playdate with some friends in Virginia. My friend has a great playroom in the basement with lots of room and tons of toys. When we arrived, there were 5 or 6 kids and their parents in the playroom. I put Colin down to play and sat down on the floor. Next thing I know, Colin had crawled into my lap! My kid, who hasn't sat still for 6 months, was sitting in my lap! He sat there for 15 minutes or so while he drank his milk. He finally got down to play, but didn't venture far from me and didn't really play with any of the other kids.

So, I guess I've learned two things:
1. We need to let Colin spend more time with other children.
2. He's a little bit of a Momma's boy -- and that makes this Momma pretty happy.

17 March 2007

The Colin-American Dictionary

Since Colin is starting to use a few words, we thought it might be helpful to provide everyone with some definitions.

Da Da -noun. Daddy. Also -interjection. "Look at me. I want something."
Haaa -interjection. Hello. Usually accompanied by waving.
Ma -noun. More, usually relating to food. Often pronounced MAAAA!!!
Mum -noun. Perhaps Mom.
Rora -noun. Rory, our dog. Also used to refer to Ty and Bella (our cats), or pretty much any other dog or cat.

13 March 2007

One Small Step

Colin looks like he's just about to start walking. Today, he was walking from Mommy to Daddy and back to Mommy, taking two or three steps at a time. He's still working on some balance issues, but we expect to have a full-fledged walker any day now. We'll try to get some pictures to post soon. In the meantime, here's one of him reading...

04 March 2007

Rest in Peace

My grandmother passed away on February 23. You can read her obituary here.

Mom had a stroke in August 2001 and had been living in a nursing home ever since. Over the past couple of years, her mind had really deteriorated, but whenever she would see Colin, she would

always smile and say, "the baby!" Toward the end she didn't know who I was or that Colin was my son, but she always knew that Colin was her great-grandson.

Rest in peace, Mom.

18 February 2007

12 Month Stats

Colin had his 12 month appointment on Friday. He weighed in at 25 pounds and is 30 inches long. Even though he's not walking yet, the doctor says he's right on track. He seems to be getting more confident and we expect him to take off any day now. He had to get two shots and had two vials of blood drawn. Thank

goodness the lady who drew his blood got it on the first try. I'm not sure we would have been able to handle someone sticking him over and over. He was very brave.

We also welcomed teeth 9, 10 and 11 this weekend. We thought he'd been drooling more than usual so I checked his mouth tonight. Lo and behold, three of his first molars are poking through. I guess he'll have a mouth full of teeth in no time!

I'll be starting a new job on Tuesday, so blog updates may be a little less frequent for awhile. We'll do our best to let you know about any major milestones.

10 February 2007

Happy 1st Birthday Colin!

We had a small party for Colin's birthday today. Grandma, Grandpa, Grammy, Grandaddy, and Nanny were able to join us for cake and ice cream. Unfortunately, Tommy has that awful norovirus, so Uncle Mike, Aunt Melissa, Tommy and Matthew weren't able celebrate with us. (We hope you feel better soon, Tommy!)

We bought party hats for everyone, but Colin wasn't so happy to be wearing one.

It's pretty fun to play with though.

Then, it was time for cake.

Unlike everyone else, Colin didn't think the cake was very tasty.

But Colin thinks that cake might be the best toy ever!

After playing with his cake, he opened his presents. Colin got some cute new clothes, a few new toys, and a nice Colin-sized table for his playroom.

Uncle Chris and Aunt Lisa sent Colin a birthday hat that he just loves. Unlike the party hat, he wore this one all day -- even while he napped! (And happy birthday to Aunt Lisa -- we hope you had a great day!!)