Mimi saw this add for Target and thought this little girl could be Collin's sister. She really does look a lot like Collin. What do you think (besides thinking that we have some 'splaning to do)?

I'M TIRED!!!!

Collin had a lot of fun today but he let us know tonight, loud and clear, that we was exhausted. He cried non-stop for more than 15 minutes. We could not figure out what he wanted or what was wrong. After he finally ate a big meal, taking bites in between crying or sniffling, he did settle down. We sat and relaxed a little after that and then started getting ready for bed. He did not fuss at all when it was time to get in bed.

Here is a summary of the day:

Got up at 6:30am, had breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, toast and milk to start the day off right), and then headed out to watch a kid's triathlon. We thought Collin would love to watch the swimming and cycling (I knew he could care less about the running). We started at the pool to watch the swimming and Collin wanted to get in the water REALLY bad. I held onto him tight so he would not jump in. We watched Dane's brother (more about him later), Cade swim and then left the pool area so Collin would be distracted with something else. He was.

He and his new buddy, Dane who is about 5 months older than Collin, played with toy cars, jumped up and down on the picnic table seat, played basketball and pushed each other around. The two of them were inseparable until we had to leave. Daddy had to go to work, so we did leave after 2 hours. The boys gave each other a hug and said "bye" to each other. Here they are during jumping on the picnic table seat and just having fun (Collin is on the right):



We stayed home after Daddy left for work for a little while and then headed to Mimi's to go swimming and to visit with Aunt Lisa. We got there and found out Aunt Lisa was not coming over. Dustin was there but he was being his typical self.....hand his face in the computer doing who knows what. Mommy was hungry, so we left and went to Panera Bread. This was one of those times that Collin made sure he was birth control for the couple sitting behind us. We quickly figured out he was not hungry when everything that went into his mouth was pulled back out and thrown behind him towards the couple. He never hit them...phew! We quickly left, shopped for some clothes for Mimi and Mommy and then went back to Mimi's to swim. Here he is having a good time in the pool with Mimi.

After swimming, it was time for a snack and then head home to see Daddy. Collin feel asleep between turning pages in one of his favorite books. I kinda missed not knowing were all of the tractors, trucks and bikes were on the way home since Collin was not pointing all of these out to me. When we got home, he started crying when we got upstairs and woke Daddy up from his nap. You already know how the night ended. That kid will be sleeping in tomorrow. Mommy does not have as many things planned.....that can all change though.

Such a boy!

Collin is such a boy!!! He has been burping and laughing for several months now. Today, I heard him say a new word after someone passed gas in the room near him. He clearly said "fart" and then scrunched up his nose. I busted out laughing which, of course, made him say it again.

New Shoes

As I have mentioned in posts before, Collin loves to point out the tractors, cars, motorcycles, bikes, ambulance and police cars as we ride in the car. If the ambulance, fire trucks or polices cars have their sirens going, it's an added treat because Collin mimics the sounds of the siren. I love to hear him do this. He will sometimes make the sound even if the lights are not on. Well, while Daddy was at the local sport shop yesterday, he found the perfect shoes for Collin. He found police shoes that light up when Collin walks. Check out the video to see him making the shoes blink and then make the siren noise. That is Mimi in the background copying him making the noise. I think the shoes are a huge hit. You done good Daddy!

New Books

Collin loves to "read" books. He has since he was just a few months old. Instead of buying books, I am going to the local library now so that we can frequently have new books to read and that....most importantly, Mommy does not get tired of reading the same books over and over again. :) Anyway, I found the perfect books for Collin this time. The one he is holding in the picture has trucks, boats, motorcycles, and other vehicles that Collin loves.....like tractors! The entire way home from Mimi's house, he called out what he saw in each picture. He did this for every page and then did it all over again...and again....and again. I peeked in the review mirror and saw him flipping the book around and looking at the pictures from another angle. Not sure what made him do this, but it was cute to watch. At least he was entertained on the way home. He and Daddy usually dance and sing to music so we had to do something different.

Mommies plot for Collin to shun Daddy is working

So Daddy found out tonight about Mommies plan to win me over and have me hate the sight of daddy. Mommie and I hatched this plan about 7 weeks ago. It all started when mom came to me and asked why I always like Dad to do things with. I told her that he was so nice and so much fun but that I loved her and if she would help me I would turn on him and begin to hate the sight of him. I would yell when he came in the room and let him know when I disapproved of what he does. So we decided that she would have "surgery" and we could use that as an excuse as to why she could not pick me up. So over the last few weeks I have come to realize that whenever daddy comes in my room I have to go to bed, and I do not like that at all. SO I do not like Dad.

MOM IS MY FAVORITE. SHE WINS!!!


DAD SUCKS. & I HATE GOING TO BED.

Signed, Collin

Memorial Day - Just Chillin'

This is a perfect picture of Collin displaying what he did and mommy did most of Memorial Day...just relaxing (yeah, right) around the house and playing with his toys. I thought this picture was too funny because Collin just had breakfast and is now relaxing with his feet up watching TV with daddy. Most of the day was spent at the house and then we went over to friends to have dinner and for Collin to play with Isabel. She is a week younger than he is. They first stared at each other and then began to run back and forth between two rooms chasing each other. They eventually made it into her room to play with her toys. Collin had a great time.

Mommy and Daddy went on a date!

Last night, mommy and daddy went on a date (they are over there on the right). Mommy's friend from junior high school FINALLY got married so we took a road trip to my grandmother's house (Memaw). She had not seen me in several months so mommy and daddy thought it would be nice for her to see me and watch me while they went to the wedding. I had a great time playing with my 4 year old cousin, Samantha. At first, I did not want to be there. Daddy finally took me outside to play on the swings and I was fine after that. They left when I was sitting in the golf cart with my Memaw beside me. She has really cool toys!!! That night, my Memaw and cousin Mitzi tried to put me to bed. I knew if I cried a little, they would pick me up. It worked like a charm!!! I did this for about 30 minutes. It was great. Daddy called during this time and told them to just let me cry...I would fall asleep in five minutes. He said they were suckers. hehehe

Mommy and Daddy came back early the next morning to see me. After biscuits and sausage gravy (I did not like the lumps in the white stuff), I went outside to play with the tractors! Memaw has TWO!!! Here I am on the lawn mower. I quickly found the shifter and had a great time steering the mower. I could have sat there all day but mom made me get off. After this, Mitzi let Samantha and I sit on the tractor in the front yard. This was the best!!! Samantha was bored and got off. I stayed on and played with the steering wheel. I even made the noises I thought I tractor might make.

We left around 10am since daddy had to get back to work. Mommy and I hung around the house and then she took me to the store to buy me.......a TRACTOR!!! I cannot believe it. She finally got the message!!! All of those hints I have been dropping finally got threw. Here I am holding my tractor. I wanted to take it with me in the car to get some ice cream. Yep, daddy had this great idea this afternoon when he got home from work to go get some ice cream. I did not like the ice cream in the first place but was glad I tired it again. I used a sampler spoon which fit great in my hand. When I was finished eating all of mommy's ice cream, I wanted to throw the cup away in the trash. Hey, I clean up after myself sometimes. I got out of my chair, yep, I was in a big boy chair like daddy, and ran over to the trash and threw the cup away. I ran back and forth picking up napkins from in front of daddy so I could throw more things away. One time, the trash can bit me but mommy kissed my fingers to make them feel better like she usually does. Ahhhh....I had a great day. Wonder what we are doing tomorrow?

Bed Head

Collin has so much hair that most mornings, he has a rat's nest in the back of his head. Considering he fidgets most of the night (like his dad), we should not be surprised at the condition of his hair. Here he is watching Daddy drive off one morning while eating his cereal (he prefers it in his cup without milk).

Mommy, the Caddy is......

When Mimi arrived in her Caddy to help mommy yesterday because she had to work, Collin walked to the front of the car and said "peepee". I thought he might have a wet diaper because he is usually really good about telling us if he needs a new diaper. I checked, and he was wet. I thought the mystery was solved. He kept saying "peepee" and I told him I would change him when we got upstairs. The he crouched low and looked under the car. I knew in a instance what "peepee" was for. The car was leaking water from A/C use on the way to our house so Collin was trying to tell me that the car went "peepee".

Wash Your Hands

After changing Collin's diaper, he likes to put the wipes back where they belong in the kitchen and then go to the bathroom near the kitchen. He throws the dirty diaper in the Diaper Champ, turns the handle to dump the diaper into the pail and then gets on the stool to wash his hands.

I turn the water on for him to run each hand under the water. He says "soap" and I put some soap on his hands for him to rub together and then rinse......for a long time. He loves the water running on his hands. He will look back at me sometimes and tell me it's "water". I hand him a towel to let him know that it's time to stop and he wipes his hands.....sometimes this is only after he lets me know that he is not finished by throwing a slight fit. It's that Terrible Two stage...I see it more and more every day.

DAD LOOK AT THAT ...........

Dad we have to go see the Tractor. Can we go see the Tractor, We should go see the Tractor. SO guess what we did?

TRACTOR, TRACTOR, TRACTOR, TRACTOR. I now know where every Tractor is in every part of the city that we have been in today. Also for those that were wondering which came out ahead, a Tractor, a Motorcycle/Bike, Police car or coptor meaning Helicopter. Well you would be wrong it is not the Tractor although I heard all about them. Today we were standing outside our house and a cop car drove by the Tractor down the street and a Helicopter flew overhead. When the Helicopter flew over everything stopped in Collin's world so he could tell me about the COPTOR.

Very Cute.

Yeah!!! Puzzles!

Here is Collin working with one of his favorite puzzles because it has cars, trucks and a helicopter. When he first started learning to do a puzzle, we would clap once he was able to put a piece in correctly all by himself. Now, he typically claps for himself and says "yeah" after every piece he puts in the right place. This is after he announces what the puzzle piece is without us having to ask what it is.

I tried capturing this in a video but he was not as talkative as usual. He knew the camera was on him and was being shy I guess.

The Trash Man

I have been trying to teach Collin to pick up after himself. We sweep the floor, put toys away, and put the trash in the trash can. He continues to throw his dirty diaper in the Diaper Champ and put the wipes back where they belong as soon as any of us are finished changing his diaper. During the day, if he finds and scrap of paper, small piece of thread or other trash on the floor, he stops what he is doing, goes to the kitchen, opens the pantry door and puts the trash in the trash can. He says trash several times on the way there and while he is throwing the trash away. He runs back with a big smile on his face because he is SO proud of himself.

Cool Dude

Typically, Collin will not let me put his sunglasses on him or, if I do manage to get them on him, he pulls them right off. He does like to wear mine and usually wears them like a head band which is what he has seen me do when I am go from outside to inside. This evening on our way to celebrate Nancy's birthday, the sun was in his eyes so bad that they began to water. Well, wouldn't you know...he let me put my glasses on him....and they stayed there until daddy went over a bump. He pushed them back on. Since the glass lens is not that dark, I could see him looking from side to side checking out how the view looked through the dark lens. Maybe he will wear his glasses the next time......somehow I doubt it.

Holdin Hands

Collin and I spend a lot of time in and out of my truck. When we get out of the truck I put him down so he can walk on his own. He has gotten in such a routine that he expects me to grab his hand as soon as I close the door. So he reaches up and grabs my finger then we go where ever we need to go. Collin also knows that when we step into the parking lot from which ever store we just left he is to grab my hand. I like that he just automatically does it without me asking.

Next, Collin use to climb the stairs at the house on his own, but nowadays he wants to walk up and down the stairs like I do so he wants to hold my finger before he goes down. This is very cute because if I try to go before him he will stand there and hold his cute little hand out in a grabbing motion and then grunt as if to say, "DUDE, LITTLE HELP HERE"

Something Laura and I enjoy doing every so often is going through pictures of Collin as he has grown up. Here are a few of my favorites for you to remind yourself about.

Day at the Mall

Today, we decided to spend the day at the mall. Mommy needed to update her casual clothes so we all headed out: Mimi, Aunt Nancy, Collin, Timmy and I. We thought we would spend about 3 hours or less at the mall since we had two kids with us. We were there longer than that but had a great time. Here is Collin and Mimi enjoying the toy cars after we had a quick lunch. His favorite was the pink ambulance. There was already one little boy in the ambulance and Collin wanted in but the boy did not want to share. Collin waited around until the boy got out.

Here is Collin entertaining Timmy when he cried a little before Mimi got Timmy's food ready. Collin was a big help and even tried to put Timmy's pacifier in his mouth. He could not reach his mouth but Timmy was at least entertained enough to stop crying.

On our way back to the car, we stopped by the water fountain outside the mall. Collin wanted to stop and look at the water. We kept walking along it and until we found a walkway that went through the water. Collin had a blast running back and forth stopping on to turn back around and run the other way. He finally stopped near the water wall and figured out that he could put his hand in it. Instead of not letting him explore and get wet, I let him play in the water and have fun.....plus I knew I had an extra set of clothes in my purse. hehe He had a blast. It was a great way to end the day.

Updates from Mimi

Mimi has been on a roll with updates about Collin. I thought I would share a few from her emails this week.

• He carried a little basket on his right arm as if he were carrying a purse. Laura said he carries one of her old purses whenever she tells him it's time to go. He will carry the purse to the car and want it with him when he is getting in his car seat. He sees her do it and thinks he should.
• Collin stood on very small Noxzema container he usually keeps balls in. This is like he was doing the other day but on a larger plastic container that holds wooden blocks. That time, he took the container that was full of the blocks, turned it over to dump the blocks out, and then stood on the top of it. He then jumped off, stepped back on and jumped off several more times.
• Collin went into the pool for the first time this year. It is obvious he is taller (wonder how much) as he can stand on the 3rd step with his head well above the water. He used to tiptoe and water would get into his mouth. Last year, he would walk down 2 steps by holding onto side of pool and drop into water since the water was over his head. He went in kicking and then splashing. Collin loved to experiment or ham it up as when sitting on the second step, he leaned back far enough for his feet to come out of the water. Sitting on side of pool, Collin sprung into my arms. Then he motioned he wanted to do it himself and into the water all his body went.
• He love to hide toys, balls or Timmy (his cousin) under a blanket or towel. He puts the blanket over the ball, puts his palms up and out to the side as if to say "where is it?" and then pulls the blanket off the object. It's a game that he loves to play.

Criss Cross Apple Sauce= Political Correctness-BS

We had a great day today we went several different places and it is neat how COllin immediately grabs my hand when I get him out of the truck and put him on the ground. He knows he has to hold our hands when we cross a parking lot or street. He just knows he has to do it. This pictures is of the two of us coming out of Luby's he grabbed my hand as we left the resturant. He was really enjoying the balloon until it came off of his wrist adn then he talked to it as it flew away.

SITTING INDIAN STYLE= This is now to be called Criss Cross Applesauce at some point in life we are going to get over ourselves with the political correctness. Until then I am no longer going bald I now want to be described as Folically challenged.

We are now trying to teach Collin how to sit INDIAN STYLE so that his leg will grow the correct way(See previous post about his foot turning in) Collin is growing up real nice, he pays attention to everything we do and trys to copy it. So when we sit down on the floor we sit Criss Cross Apple Sauce so that he will sit the same way.

Once again Collin was a lot of fun, he told me today that he was tired and grabbed my hand to take him to his room for a nap this morning. I layed him down and he rolled over and fell asleep.

I want to throw a little plug out there for Chik Fil A as they have been one of the only places to go that had a diaper changing table in the MENS room. Very important at this stage of his life.

Elbow?

Tonight during dinner, all Collin wanted to do was show daddy and I were his elbow was. At first, we would say "yeah, Collin, that is your elbow" but after 5 times or so of doing this, we stopped.....not Collin. He continued to point to either of his elbows. Mimi must have taught him this today and he wanted to show us what he learned. He is sleeping right now but probably dreaming about his elbows. Sweet dreams baby!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today was a great day. It started out like most Sunday mornings. We woke up and decided were to have breakfast. We typically have breakfast at home but on Sunday mornings, we go out for breakfast. This morning, we went to Starbuck's for a drink and then walked to the Kolache Factory. Collin likes this place because he loves to watch people. Sunday mornings is especially busy with people coming in after working out and before they go to church. He loves it when kids come in. This morning, he noticed several little girls outside. They did not come in but their mother's did. Right as they walked into the door, Collin made a howling noise and it seemed like he was doing it to the ladies. I laughed and then let Collin know that women do not liked to be howled at. Thank goodness they did not hear him. When we got home, I walked into the door first. Collin came in behind me and was caring a present. I sat on the bottom step of the stairs so he could open the present with me. I LOVED what I opened. Him and daddy made it for me which was even better. Here is what they made.

Daddy said that Collin did most of the painting and then daddy fixed it up a little. I thought they did a fantastic job. I love the colors. The plate is sitting in our kitchen so I can see it every day.

After naps, Daddy headed to work for a few hours and Collin and I ate lunch. These days, he loves to throw the trash away. We were sitting in the living area eating our lunch because I still cannot lift him and put him in his high chair. He was sitting there and noticed a small piece of paper on the floor. He had to pick it up right then and left to throw it in the trash in the kitchen pantry. He lifts the trash can lid and even closes the door. He came back and then he and monkey, his favorite stuffed animal, continued to eat lunch. He feeds monkey and has him drink from his sippie cup. Not sure why he does this but it's cute.

We then headed to Mimi's house to hang out with the family and give her a present. Here we are in front of Mimi's house. This is for those of you that said you don't see enough pictures of me on the blog.

Here are your shoes

Whenever Collin wants to go outside or senses that we are about to leave the house, he will bring my shoes to me and wait for me to put them on. It does not matter if they are the shoes that I had plan to wear while being out that day or not. Usually, he does pick the correct shoes since I have them already laid out. This morning was not the case. I was in the closet picking out something to wear and Collin found my western boots. I completely forgot that they were there....they were not out of sight enough though since he did find them. It was supposed to be a 90 degree day today so boots were not even close to the shoes I would be wearing. He did not care. He waited patiently until I put them on. Here is what I looked like. So far, I would say that he is not going to grow up to be a fashion consultant.

He does this to Mimi also. Guess it's getting close to the time he will be picking out the mismatched outfits you see toddlers wear as the parents just smile when people notice.

Tuesdays With Daddy May 5th

The day is coming where we will be diaper free. I walked in this morning to a little boy telling me his diaper needed to be changed.
So we went here then we went there and we went everywhere. Collin and I had a great day running errands and seeing a lot of new people. Collin is at first a little shy but then when he sees me talking to them he all of a sudden comes out from behined my legs and wants to play.

Great day ended by having Collin bouncing a bicycle horn on his head and copying the sound.

Oh yeah he can pick a truck, tractor or motorcycle out of a hundred other cars from a mile away. And he will tell you about them until you pass them and he can not see them anymore.

Where is my hat?

Before Collin was around 10 months old, I could put hats on his head and he would not be bothered by them being there. It did not matter if it was a baseball cap or a big sun hat, he did not mind wearing it...or did not remember that the hat was on his head. He is an example of him wearing a hat that went with the outfit he has on. He did not mind and kept playing for another 15 minutes with the horse he was focused on.

Well, after around 10 months, he would pull the hat off before it was settled on his head. I would put the hat on, then pull the camera up to my face and the hat was already off. It became a game which I am sure did not incentivize him to keep his had on. That all changed when we went to a birthday party a few months ago. It was a safari themed party. All of the kids were given a hat, binoculars and a passport to then walk around the backyard to find the animal printed on the passport. Collin was too young to care about the purpose of the game. He was more interested in playing on the slide and climbing up the ladder that they had in the backyard. The mom insisted that I take the hat and binoculars home with us. I thought to myself that he will never wear the hat but I took it anyway. I was right for a little while, Collin did not want to wear the hat. He did want to put cars or other small toys in the hat and then carry it around. That was until this weekend. Collin thought it was fun to try to put the hat on our heads. He then put it on his and walked around with it while laughing. Here are a few pictures from that day.

He now likes to take the hat with him in the car with daddy on their way to Mimi's house. I never would have guessed it. Glad I kept the hat!

Update - Collin's Activities

It's been awhile since I have listed out what Collin can do. Besides the 40+ words he can say, here are some of his activities that Mimi and I could think of:

clapping
patty cake
points to body parts as they are mentioned
walks backwards
sits on riding toy and pushes it backwards

brushes teeth
slides down the slide
stacks rings/blocks
colors with markers
throws stuff (frequently!)
buckles himself into his high chair
walks up and down the stairs using the wall as a guide

throws pillows off the sofa
wipes mouth and hands with napkin or tissue
covers mouth with hand when coughing
sits on an opened cleaned diaper when it's time to change him

brings us our shoes when he wants to go outside
peek-a-boo
drinks with a sippie cup
gives kisses (these are the best)
drinks from a water fountain

hugs
holds hands up by his shoulders for "where is it?"
burps (and laughs)
rocks
bounces up and down while sitting
uses a straw
throws a ball with his left hand accuracy
feeds himself using a spoon and fork
drinks from a cup (we have to hold it)
sits in a chair
climbs into his car seat
takes off his socks (even when not time to)
opens doors with handles
turns light switch on/off
picks up every little thing on the floor and brings it to someone
turns head right/left when someone says right/left
points to front of diaper when hear 'tee tee'
responds to music by snapping fingers and swaying or bouncing up and down
sign language of forefinger to other palm for 'more'
puts toilet paper in toilet
unfortunately, unrolls the toilet paper
tries to lift person from sitting position to get them to stand up
sits on someone's leg for ride horse game
holds his bottle
holds bottle by only mouth area and no hands
takes off Velcro shoes
combs his own hair

Timmy came over to play

Today, Timmy came over with Mimi to hang out all day with Collin. At first, Collin did not care for Timmy to be at his house. It did not take long for Collin to be nice though and give Timmy a toy to play with. He did throw a book too close to Timmy so Mimi and I watched him so he would not accidentally hurt Timmy. We both were surprised that Collin was not jealous of Timmy when either Mimi or I held Timmy. One time when Timmy was on his tummy for some tummy time, Collin leaned over to give him a kiss on his forehead.



While Timmy was exercising on his tummy, Collin decided it was his turn for some gymnastics. It was the first time I saw Collin stand on the large ottoman in the middle of the room and then jump onto the couch. He thought that was fun and continued to do it a few more times. Guess next time I vacuum around the ottoman, I need to make sure it's close to the couch so he does not think he can jump safely to the couch and miss it. Later today, he found a box, stood on it and jumped off of it. We have not made it to Gymboree in a few weeks. I guess he has been missing it and decided to have Gymboree at our house.

No Fire Truck!!!

Yesterday while shopping at the outlet mall, I thought it would be fun for Collin to have a break from the stroller and play on some of the mechanical riding toys. Collin went straight for the one that looked like a fire truck. I put the money in the slot and the truck started moving back and forth. He did not care for that and told me "no". That meant he wanted off. I showed him that the buttons made the siren sounds that he makes when he is in the car with us. He was not amused and still wanted off. Not sure a good idea. Now I know.... I will wait a few months before trying that again.

Tibial Torsion

After noticing that when Collin walked slowly (which does not happen too often), his right foot regularly turned in at a 45 degree angle, I called and made an appointment with his doctor this morning. Glad I did. She diagnosed him with having tibial torsion which is an inward twisting of the shin bones. I had this when I was his age and had to wear a bar between my feet during the day and a brace around my hips. Now days, the treatment is to watch how Collin sits and to not let him sit on his legs or his feet since this puts pressure on the tibial and causes the feet to turn inward. We have to try to teach him how to sit cross-legged instead. The doc said that he will likely grow out of this by the time he is 5 years old and not need surgery.