15-Month Check Up

We took Colin to his 15 month checkup today. Is it weird that I always get a little nervous before these appointments? I was also a total freak and printed out the milestone chart and had a list of questions, but you have to give me a little credit…we only go to the pedi for well check visits and the next one is not for 3 months, so I like to go in prepared. His stats are:

Weight: 24 lbs, 5 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 30 inches (20th percentile, meaning he is short!)
Head Circumfrence: 19 ½ (92nd percentile, meaning he has a really big head!)

The pedi was so funny and was talking to us about the head circumfrence measurement and Luke had to butt in with the fact that he had a big head as a kid…we all got a good laugh about it, but for the record, I think my baby’s head is just perfect! He looks a little crazy in the picture below, but give the kid a break.  We were in the doctor office for almost an hour and a half and he was going a little stir crazy.

Other than the stats/measurements, Colin impressed our pediatrician, as usual. He totally cooperates with her and even flirts a little and she falls for it every time. He got a great report and she said that he is perfect, actually more than perfect, in her words. She told us we get an A+ as parents, so I was ecstatic; I am sure she thinks I am a complete freak, but I am ok with that. His vocabulary is advanced according to her so I guess we really have been talking to him a lot! It is always reassuring to hear that we are not doing a terrible job and that he is a great little boy, from someone other than us.  She also noticed my haircut and complimented me on it and we haven’t seen this lady since February….can you tell I love her?


Colin had to get 3 shots and he was a champ…he only cried for a few seconds. To treat him, after dinner we took him to Sonic for a miniature sundae and he loved it! I can’t believe it has been 15 months since my little man was born. The time is flying by and I am doing my best to soak in every waking minute with him. He is the most fun, most lovable, most mischevious little boy and I am so lucky to be his mom.

Trip to the ballpark!

Luke has been playing softball with our church for the last several weeks and tonight me and Colin finally got to go see him in action. We got to the park, got our hot dogs and settled in for the game. Colin had a blast - I don't know how much of the game he saw - he was very busy running around and playing with some of the other kids. Here are some pictures....

  

A First for Colin & A Sunday Outside

Yesterday Colin went to the mall for the first time -- guess that shows you how little I shop, right?  It ws time for some new shoes and the closest StrideRite was at Baybrook.  We got into the store and Colin picked out some shoes (with the help of mom and dad of course).  He was perfect in the store so on the way out we stopped to get a special treat....an oatmeal raisin cookie.  I was happy we got him some shoes that don't squish his poor little toes, Luke was happy we got in/out of the store so quick, and Colin was happy that he got a cookie before lunch.

Today we have been outside all day long.  The weatherman said it was going to be rainy/crummy weather all weekend and boy was he wrong.  It was gorgeous yesterday and today.  This morning we hung out in the backyard, drinking coffee, eating breakfast and watching little man run naked around the sprinkler.  It's never too early for this in our house.  This afternoon Luke had a photo shoot scheduled so Colin and I tagged along, except we didn't have to work, we went to the playground at Herman Park instead. We met Kim and Michael and had a good time waiting for Luke to finish the pictures.  Then we were off to Discovery Green, because one park is just not enough for us!  A Beatles cover band was playing this afternoon (Beetle) and we really like them and it was a free concert!  We ended up meeting some friends and their nephews at the park and had a great time.  It was hot, hot, hot, but they kids did not seem to care and it was so much fun to watch everyone running around.  Colin was mostly obsessed with the sno-cone and soccer ball, but he eventually warmed up and made some new friends! 

Now Colin is sound asleep upstairs and we are vegging and I am already counting down the days until next weekend when we can do this fun stuff all over again!  Today I was reminded just how lucky I am to be so completely in love with my hubby and my little man and how thankful I am to have them both.  And I just realized, Colin will be 15 months old tomorrow!!  Yikes, where is the time going?

Catch Up

A very nice lady at church gave us a tricycle for Colin this week.  She bought it for her granddaughter who didn't use it very much before she outgrew it.  Colin loves this thing - too bad for him, he is a little too small to ride it yet so he straddles and walks the bike around.  This makes him happy for a few minutes but before long he gets frustrated and needs some help.  It is pretty cute!  I snapped some pictures of Luke pushing him around the front yard on Thursday, like I said, pretty cute!

On Saturday Colin slept until 9am!!!  He must have been tired from last week but we are not going to complain.  I got to drink my coffee and go to the grocery store before he even woke up.  We decided to go to Discovery Green and my parents got to go with us this time!  We had a great time - played on the playground, ran around the hill, watched a little bit of a Zumba demonstration, ate lunch at The LakeHouse and then walked around some more enjoying the beautiful day.  Discovery Green has quickly become one of our favorite spots and I was so excited to introduce my parents to the park today! Here are a few pictures...next time I will make sure to get some pics of Colin and my parents (oops!). 

After he finished work for the day my brother came over to hang out and eat dinner.  Apparently when he was in training they had to shoot at metal targets and some of the metal broke off and flew into his skin.  He has been done with training for a couple of weeks so this metal has been in his body for over a month and finally started pushing its way out.  Luke and I kept teasing him that he was like Wolverine from The X-Men.  He finally got the metal out of his arm but he still had a piece in his ear so of course we got a picture of it.  It looks sort of like an earring in the picture but I told him I had to put this on the blog so here it is.

On Sunday it was time for the Coffee Bar at church, so while we worked, Colin entertained everyone.  He is pretty good at it and doesn't get tired of people ooing and ahing over him at all.  After church I got to go to The Chocolate Bar for our good friend Kandace's baby shower!  She is due in June and is having a baby girl, Kirsten.  It was so much fun shopping for a little girl and now I am even more excited for her to arrive - Colin is excited too, he can't wait to have some more friends and between Kirsten and Jack, he will be set!  We finished off the weekend with a trip to Lupe Tortillas with my family for our somewhat regular Sunday night dinner.  The weather cooperated with us and it was so nice to relax outside with a big fat margarita.  Colin couldn't decide if he liked the sand or not...we liked it because he was so tired when we got home he fell asleep without a hitch!  Can't wait until the weekend starts again...tomorrow!  Below are some pictures of Colin & Aunt Kim playing in the sand at Lupe Tortilla's and Colin showing off his coloring skills.

The adventures of my little man

I don’t know if we talk a lot or if his teachers at school (who he is with all day) talk a lot or what, but our little boy is a talker, already! He definitely belongs to us! So far these are the words he is saying…

Dada
Mama
Bubba (this is what my niece Jillian calls him)
Ball, sounds like ball
Dog
Elmo, sounds like melmo
Snack, sounds like nack
All done, sounds like ah dun
Bird, sounds like ird
Morning, sounds like mo-ning
Shirt, sounds like chirt
Shoes, sounds like chews
Banana, sounds like nana
Outside, sounds like side
Go, sounds like doh
Bye bye
Night Night, sounds like nigh nigh
No – he has this one down!

Some of the articles I have been reading (I am a google junkie, just ask Luke) say that a 14 month old doesn’t really play with other kids or doesn’t care to notice them. This is definitely not true with our little man. Anytime we go to the park or anywhere and he sees other little kids or big kids (as we call them) he just stops and stares. It is really so cute. He will walk towards them if we are in the park or at a playground. He does like his personal space though – I think he gets a wee bit tired of my 10,000 kisses a day but that is my right as his mom. When his cousins come over he immediately puts his hands up in front of his face and says no….he knows that more kisses and cuddles are on the way, whether he likes it or not.

Colin absolutely loves going to school everyday. As soon as I tell him we are going bye bye to school he walks straight to the front door and waits. If we aren’t fast enough he starts trying to open the door. This kid is serious about school! When he walks into school he sometimes likes to hold my hand or Luke’s hand, but as soon as he gets close to his classroom door, he drops your hand like a hot potato and proudly walks in by himself, no parents needed. Most mornings he will rile up the classroom with his alien baby sounds and motions and pretty soon everyone in the classroom is doing the same thing. Then Colin just sits back and watches and is so proud of himself.

He is such a little flirt too. When you tell him bye bye or night night, he will say it back to you and blow a kiss. Actually he will blow like 10 of them and he wants you to catch every one of them and then he starts giggling uncontrollably (which is the best sound I have ever heard!). At church on Easter Sunday there were a ton of people at the coffee bar and by the food and Colin was blowing kisses like a mad man. Of course this only reinforces the idea that he is the most perfect little boy to all of the women there.

His favorite activities right now are #1 going for a ride in his wagon, followed closely by kicking the soccer ball around, playing on the slides (he went down head first on his belly last week all by himself!), and running around the backyard playing with the water hose, the dogs, trying to pet the cat and chewing on sticks. That’s right, I said chewing on sticks – he sees the dogs do it and he wants to join in. For us, it is a step up from trying to eat the cat food/dog food which he will definitely do if we are not watching. He is a sneaky little man!

I think I have bragged on him enough for today, well not really, but enough for those who are not me as I could talk about him/to him/for him all day long and not get tired of it at all (again, just ask Luke!). I will try to get a couple of pictures of him tonight in our mad dash to get home, cook and eat dinner, play, bathtime and putting him to bed before he breaks down. Wish me luck!
Since I feel weird posting without a picture, here is one just for fun.  This is Colin last Easter (2009).  My how my little boy has grown!

Houston (on the cheap!)

I found this website several months ago and thought I would share it here.  It is updated at least daily and always has good deals!  Have fun looking through the website.

www.houstononthecheap.com

There are a lot of deals/freebies this week, tomorrow actually to celebrate the end of tax season.   Kind of random to celebrate, but I never turn down a free cup of Starbucks coffee.  :)

Happy Easter!

The weekend started with a trip to Discovery Green, a park in downtown Houston, to watch Aunt Leah and her band perform (www.leahwhitemusic.com).  It was the first day of real Spring weather and we had a blast listening to the music and hanging out with all of the cousins.  

Sunday we celebrated Easter at our house w/Luke's delicious bbq and all sorts of good food.  Easter wouldn't be complete without an Easter Egg Hunt!  Colin is such a little water baby that it wasn't long until all of the kids were playing in the water.