Attention Hog

Today was my day to work from home. My mom came over for most of the day to watch Collin while I worked and was on conference calls. This is the plan for her to come over on Thursdays (or the day I work from home that week) to watch Collin. She had to leave early this afternoon though to take my grandmother to an appointment that was scheduled over a month ago and before I knew which day I was working from home. Well....that's when I ceased to be efficient and able to really work. Collin is an Attention Hog! If I was not in the room with him, he let me know what he thought about that by cooing at first and then yelling for me if the cooing did not get my attention. He played under his gym for a little while which let me work for about 15 minutes at a time. Then, he acted hungry. I got set up to feed him and then he did not want to eat. I would put him back down and then he changed his mind. Spoiled....I know!

Swimming to Sleep?

Collin has been a big boy the last two nights by putting himself to sleep without needing our help. He looks funny doing it though. Instead of laying there in his crib cooing and then falling asleep, he does what looks like the breast stroke (on his back) while moving his head from side to side. He will do this a few times, rest and do it again. He "talks" while doing this too. Weird as it may look, he usually falls asleep within 15 minutes and has stayed asleep for at least 2 hours before stirring again.

He has been moving his head from side to side rapidly at night before when we put him in his crib after we swaddled him. I thought the head movements were him trying to get out of the swaddle and letting us know that he did not need that anymore. He still moves his head but does not need to be swaddled to fall asleep.

I am working from home tomorrow and looking forward to spending the day with him. Mimi is coming over to help me so I can work most of the day.

Daddy's Day Off, By Chris

Today, Tuesday was a Father and Son day. It started out great, Collin likes to play and talk in the morning. I knew it was going to be a good day when Collin told me that he was going to take care of me like he does Mommy. So the day began with a diaper surprise that seemed to be the theme of the day. After clearing that all up I was told rather emphatically that it was time to feed Collin, NOW! So I did.

Then we were off running around doing stuff just being out together. I realized that a few of the older women that we came across were puzzled to see me out with my son and they had a strange look on there face while looking around for the Mommy. I also thought they were wondering why I was not at work. On the other hand the younger women really were captivated by my son, as he is a real charmer. Something about that smile that makes you melt. This would have been a good thing had I been single. Anyways after a few hours out we headed back home for food and a nap(both of us). We quickly awoke when Collin very loudly told me he was VERY Dirty and needed a change. He was not lying. Then we headed out again. While out we went for a walk him in the stroller and me pushing him around, it is amazing how time gets away from you when you are looking at your son look around at everything. I am real excited to see him view the world around him with wonder, and I would really like to know what he is thinking.

Back at home for another feeding and this time we decided to play in the swing and on his floor blanket with the dangly things. This was a good time to read a couple of books as he really enjoys reading time. I will tell you I am not sure if I was doing the reading or if he was telling me what was on the page, he talked so much. At this time we took a couple of pictures so we could show Mommy how he was dressed, and let her know he was alive and happy. Collin asked to be dressed just like daddy so we wore matching Maroon shirts.
The day ended with a trip to the grocery store then dinner with Mommy while Collin Slept the whole time in his baby seat. He is so much fun and such a joy to be around, I can not wait until the next day I get to spend with him. I look forward to our Tuesdays together and watching him with wonder growing up in this world. When I wake up tonight at 3am to reset his pacifier I will look down on him with a smile knowing the great day we had, our first time together, alone.

Survivors

I am happy to report that both Collin and I survived my first day back at work. Based on what grandma told me when I picked him up, Collin's day was relaxing and uneventful compared to mine. She said that other than eating and a little "tummy time", Collin slept most of the day. Is this the same kid? He rarely took good naps for me when I was off work. He better NOT be getting his nights and days mixed up now.

My day was not the same and I sure did wish I could have taken a nap like Collin did. After getting to work uneventfully and not panicking when I left the house without him (dad has the morning shift now), I arrive in my office and wonder if I locked the car or not. After taking 30 minutes out of my day to the car and back, I discovered that I DID lock the car. That put my mind at ease checking though. Next was the joy of pumping at work. My office does at least have a room set aside for this but I have to go to another floor which includes changing elevator banks. When I arrived at the room, there was another mommy already in there so I had to wait about 10 minutes. So, that round trip took about 45 minutes. The afternoon session was much better. Other than the extra work-out walking to the car and back this morning and pumping twice, I was busy working on a deadline I have tomorrow. This did help my mind not wonder to thoughts of Collin too much. I only called grandma once....so did daddy I found out. I left the office to pick up Collin this afternoon and ended up being in the car for an hour and 45 minutes. I have to find another route or a different meeting point because both Collin and I were WAY hungry when I got home tonight. Overall, not a bad first day back at the office.

Let's see how the rest of the week goes.

Shopping

Collin and I sure don't like shopping in the rain. I had to get out today though to buy a few clothes for work since I start back to work Monday. The only thing I was excited about this morning was dressing him in his long sleeve outfits since it's 45 degrees today. I have been waiting for him to wear something different and the long sleeve onesies are really cute! He did wear overalls on Thanksgiving and looked like a big boy that day (see the Thanksgiving post).

Tonight, we plan to go to Saige's house and bring dinner to her parents after working at the bike shop. Saige is not even a month old so I am sure they will welcome some help with dinner. I hope Collin does not decide to have too many dirty diapers since I only have 2 left in the diaper bag. He has been busy today in that area today because he has eaten more than usual. I thought 6 diapers would have lasted longer.

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving yesterday. Collin's mom and dad sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year. While everyone was eating...and eating....and eating, Collin slept most of the afternoon (as you can see from the picture above). I finally woke him up to eat and so he could see some of his relatives he does not get to see often. Unlike probably everyone else yesterday, Collin must not have eaten too much because he was up, again, last night twice. Once at 3:30am and then again at 5:45am. This was after he at at 11am and then dad had to put him to sleep. After he at at 5:45am, he was wide awake but not hungry. It took me another 45 minutes until he went back to sleep with help from me. Unlike most of his friends his age that are sleeping at least 8 hours at night, Collin barely gets 5 if you add up the hours between each time he eats. Thank goodness Grandma Holmes was here for a visit. I slept in a little this morning while she watched him.

I am going to be exhausted by the time I start work and even more tired once works starts since I can't sleep in anymore or take naps (not that naps happened too often).

Mr. Talkative

I have been reading to Collin since he was a week old. Lately, when I am reading to him, I have to compete with him "talking" to me. He can "talk" for an hour at a time sometimes. I wonder what he is saying besides "thanks for the milk", "when are we eating next?" or "don't change my diaper yet because I am not finished".

Lately, his favorite books are Hands, Hands, Fingers, Thumb, Okie-Dokie Artichokie!, Moo Baa La La La and Ho, Ho, Ho Tucker. I have read several Dr. Seuss books to him but he gets bored halfway through the book so I start there the next time. I love to read to him especially when he lets me know he is interested. I am sure that his recent "discussions" are from all of the reading and talking to him I do. He certainly will fit in with our family and even have competition for being the most talkative.

Ceiling Fan Fasication

We recently discovered that Collin LOVES to watch the ceiling fan go round and round. We are happy with this discovery because it's cheap entertainment and Collin does not have that many toys right now. When I am by myself and I need a few more minutes to finish my lunch or get ready to feed him, I can turn on the fan and position him on the floor underneath it. The "roundy-round" (as Dad calls it) captivates him long enough for me to get ready.

Another development (or back track) is Collin does NOT like to be put in his car seat now. For the first 10 minutes or so, he lets me know what he thinks about it by crying and getting mad until I get going in the car. He is fine for the rest of the car trip, thank goodness. He has done this for the past several days. I was hoping that staying at home a day or two would help but it didn't.

I LOVE the mornings!

Hey there everyone. It's Collin. Mommy is still sleeping right now because I am still getting up around 3:30am. She gets mad at me sometimes when I wake up this early but she does not understand that I am not hungry, cold, scared, nor do I have a dirty diaper. I just want to see her and make sure that she has not left me. I get to see her ALL day long and then she disappears when it gets really dark. She has been trying to figure out why I get up at the same time even though she or dad puts me to sleep at different times. They are not going to figure it out though because it's my secret. Don't tell her but it's because she is going to work soon and I want to see her as much as I can because I love her lots.....and she has the food! :)

Tummy Time

Collin usually does not like tummy time. Tonight was an exception. He lasted over 10 minutes before he started to wine. During the time he was on his tummy, he held his head at a 90 degree angle a few times. I tried to get a picture of it but there is enough of a delay in the camera that I was not able to get the shot I was looking for. I was excited to see how much stronger he is on his tummy this week. I was even more excited that he did not spit up like he usually does.

Collin Loves His Hands

Collin has found his hands in the last week. He loves to hold them in front of him, put them in his mouth and suck on them. The picture above is him getting caught with his hands in the act. I actually have had to master the art of pulling his hands away from his mouth while I am holding the bottle or other "feeding source" so he can eat. haha

Speaking of eating, he is doing just that. He is 12 lbs and 4 oz today. Usually, he eats about 3 oz at a time, or even less, and he is satisfied for at least 2 - 3 hours. Last night, after nursing, he ate an additional 4 oz from a bottle. The next time, he nursed and then drank 5 oz from a bottle. I would have thought he would have been full and sleep through the night after all of that eating. Nope....he was starving at 3:30am so I fed him...again. I checked today how much he is eating while nursing and he is getting at least 3 oz so he is just a hungry boy lately. Maybe he is going through his 3 month growth spurt early. Overachiever......

Rolling Over

During "tummy time" last night, Collin rolled over onto his back for the first time. We were both surprised and excited that we started clapping and laughing. I am so surprised that Collin did not start crying from the sudden excitement. Rolling over possibly shows his competitive side because rolling over at his age is early and he heard that his friend, Matthew, did it at his 2 month appointment. For whatever reason, we were excited. Of course, he did not do it again when we wanted to take a picture of it.

First Bike Ride....Sort Of

This morning was Collin's first bike ride....well, he rode in his cart behind daddy. He was awake for most of the 30 minute ride until about the last 10 minutes. The ride must have felt like he was in the car (since he WAS in his car seat) and he was enjoying the ride so he fell asleep. Of course, he woke up as soon as we got home because he was hungry again. We plan to go bike riding every Sunday morning if daddy is home.

Collin is cooing and more active everyday. He has found his hands and loves to look and them but especially chew on them. Watch out the next time you hold him...his hands will probably have his slobber on them. haha He continues to be very active in the morning. He weighs about 11 lbs 11 oz now and is eating more especially in the afternoons so it won't be long until he is 12 lbs and more. He is now wearing 0-3 month clothing which does not fall off of him anymore. As this rate, he might be able to wear his Christmas sweater in...hmmm....early February. Oh well. :)

I have not written everyday because there has not been much to update regarding Collin. He went to his first baby shower yesterday, besides his own, and flirted with all of the ladies. See, he does take after his dad...very social. He was not fussy until he got hungry. I fed him and then he went to sleep...not before he filled his diaper though. Nice....

Friday, he helped mommy look for work clothes. We did not get any because I still have 2 more weeks to try to lose some of this extra weight.

Culture Anyone?

Yesterday morning, we met Maria and Matthew at the Museum of Natural Science to get the babies out of the house and some entertainment for the mommies. Apparently, Matthew has a thing against culture because he was NOT interested in the museum and displays. He wanted his mom to keep pushing and pushing him in his stroller. When that did not work, we went outside to give the babies a snack. Matthew was very satisfied after that. Instead of potentially experiencing the "sounds of Matthew" again, we all sat outside and had lunch at a nearby Greek place. I found that more enjoyable than the museum anyway. We all did!