Roaring - or laughing - with Grammy

Grammy Lesa & I went to go visit GGB at the Charity Guild of Catholic Women shop and came home with lots of goodies. In a few more months, Collin will be zipping around on this lion scooter, but Grammy Lesa was powering the vehicle until then-
Uh-oh - it's an attack of the tickling fingers. It's fun to watch the anticipation and then the giggles. Collin is extremely ticklish under his arms, just like his mom.And like his mom, he knows where the camera is at all times - We have photos of my mom & I running the half marathon, and when I spotted the photographer, I turned it on, smiling in a carefree, these-13-miles-are-a-piece-of-cake, sort of way. Then the photographer snapped my mom with me in the background & gave away my true expression of exhaustion and how-much-longer-until-the-finish-line. It was not pretty but we had to order it just for the comparison.

Our first children

Bruno had an upset stomach that lasted 3-4 days a few weeks back, and I mentioned to Cas that before Collin, I would have been much more concerned about Bruno. I likely would have been researching dog ailments online and possibly scheduling a vet appointment. But now our poor first children have been knocked down a rung in the attention and worry ladder. They do, however, have each other to play with - looking fericious as they box and playfully fight - Sunday morning Collin woke up early. I was able to settle him back down and grab an extra 30 minutes of sleep, but when I returned to bed, the dogs had made themselves at home on my half. Bruno with his head on my pillow -

And Fergie stretched out at the foot of the bed-

All toys are chew toys

Collin spent time with Great Grandma Betty (GGB) on Wednesday evening and Great Grandma Jewell (GGJ) on Thursday. He showed off for both of his great grandmas, sitting without help, babbling, and showing them the spots on his touch-and-feel books with interesting tactile materials.

We introduced Collin to blocks over the weekend. At first, he was intrigued as we pushed the car to him.

But then the novelty wore off and towards his mouth the block vehicle went - This toy is better - hands-free in the mouth -

So far we've had to stop him from eating grass, computer cords, my hair that he pulls out, and our mail everyday when I retrieve it. I can't even imagine all the items he'll try to eat once he starts crawling!

Partying with the cousins

Though it wasn't the first kids birthday party Collin attended, it was the first one where he was awake for the celebration. Collin had a great time at his cousin Matthew's 2nd birthday party and got to spend time in the arms of all of his relatives.

Matthew, the birthday boy, after the birthday cake. . and after the sugar affects wore off

Cas with Jonathan and Collin with cousins Jonathan, Izabelle & Olivia -



Collin with Great Uncle Juan & Great Aunt Rosalyn -

John Carlos being tackled by Gabriel & Jacob-


Collin with Great Grandma Maria -
Most of the party gang - Collin post-party, curled up with the stuffed giraffe from cousin Jeff & Briana -

Collin fell asleep in the car with a death grib on the giraffe, so we let him snuggle with it in the crib at home. When you wind it up, it plays Brahm's lullaby, which was my ritual bedtime song when I was young.

Feeling like a mom

Most days I still feel way too young to be almost 30 and way too immature to have a child. But then days come along that remind me I'm not 22 anymore. Last week I went up to Texas A&M for the day to recruit for my company and was called ma'am a lot. And my younger co-worker and I did not get carded when ordering wine at the college restaurant. Quite depressing.

On Sunday I took Collin with me on a weekly grocery store run. I try to avoid HEB on Sundays if at all possible, as it is a madhouse. Of course he fell asleep in the car on the way to the store and I'm normally not one to wake a sleeping baby, so I loaded his infant carrier in one of these carts:
And while he slept through most of the grocery shopping, I felt like such a mom. That cart was a beast! I could not maneuver it at all and kept running into shelves and the occasional person. I expected to be forgiven for taking up so much room in the crowded aisles and passageways when the shoppers checked out my angelic baby, but I'm pretty sure most people just thought I was a bad parent for bringing a sleeping child to the extremely crowded grocery store.

Who's the fairest of them all

Collin discovered himself in the mirror this week and it was hilarious to see how giddy he became. He was shaking with excitement over this new understanding.
He would move his arms and legs and grin from ear to ear as his twin in the glass copied his movements -

Then he had a conversation with his new friend -

We're having great fun watching him make connections. Collin makes the smallest things come alive with magical excitement, and we are thrilled to be witnesses of all these tiny developments.

Where did my little boy go?

When we were dropping Collin off in the church nursery this weekend, they told us to hand over our big boy. I wanted to correct the nursery volunteer that he's a little boy still, but as we walked off we realized he's now one of the big kids in his class. When did that happen? How did he go from being the brand new two-month old that slept the whole time to being the tall six-month old developing his own personality in what feels like a blink of an eye?

Collin's clown/puppy dog feet, as they have been lovingly referred to, are sometimes the catalyst for going up a size in clothes. When his poor toes are curled up to fit in his sleepers, it's time to get this child some clothes that fit. When I came home with 12-month pajamas, they looked enormous and I was sure Collin would be swimming in them. I was almost in tears at how quickly he's growing when they fit him perfectly -
Love from Dad with the beautiful image of Cinque Terre in the background -

Along with some tall genes from his dad, Collin's great eating habits keep him growing like a weed. It surprises me all the things we can get him to eat. This week he's been scarfing down bowls of cottage cheese, pears, and egg yolk - yum!

Collin will be burning off those food calories, as we expect him to be crawling soon. He's been pushing himself around the living room, sliding on the wood floor in his pj's. As soon as he gets those legs in gear, there will be no stopping him . . . and no resting on the job for his parents!