Collin 3 Years Old

I wasn't yet blogging when Collin was a baby or when he had his first 3 birthdays. I thought I would dedicate a post to him and all that he's been up to at age 3. So, here you go. 25 things about my sweet boy, Collin David.

1. Collin turned 3 years old on February 3, 2010. He had a Buzz Lightyear birthday party. Mommy and Daddy gave him a Woody the Cowboy doll to go with his Buzz Lightyear. We also gave him a new toybox to hold all of his new toys!
2. At his 3 year old checkup, he weighed in at 32 3/4 lbs (25-50%ile) and was 40 inches tall (90-97%ile). His BMI was in the 3-10% range which is underweight, but the doctor wasn't concerned as he's always been really tall and skinny.
3. He passed his vision test with flying colors. They said they couldn't get accurate results with many 3 year olds but that his was perfect.
4. He loves being a big brother and a mommy's little helper.
5. His current favorite TV shows are Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, Scooby Doo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Wonder Pets, and Chuggington.
6. His favorite movies are Toy Story/Toy Story 2, Cars, Franklin and the Green Knight, Wall-E, Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, and Finding Nemo.
7. His favorite foods and snacks are waffles, pancakes, muffins, bacon, ham, rice cakes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, applesauce, raisins, goldfish crackers, chips, cereal, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, mandarin oranges, peaches, granola bars, cereal bars, hot dogs, tacos, quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, crackers, fruit snacks, and marshmallows.
8. He will pretty much eat any kind of meat: bacon, ham, chicken, ground beef, pork chops, sausage, hot dogs, and even steak.
9. He drinks milk at mealtimes and bedtime. He has 1 cup of juice a day. He drinks a yogurt smoothie every morning. He calls them "yogurt shake its".
10. He takes a multivitamin every day.
11. He goes to sleep at night on his own (despite the fact that we did not sleep train him until he was 18 months old). We did not let him cry it out. We used the "no cry sleep solution". He sleeps from 830-7ish.
12. His bedtime routine consists of a cup of milk, reading 2 books in his chair, and hugs/kisses. He falls asleep listening to classical music.
13. He has a 2 hour "rest time" from 2-4 each day. He used to nap during this time, but I can't remember the last time he fell asleep.
14. He can undress/dress himself, including snaps and zippers. He still needs help with buttons.
15. He is potty trained during the day. He wears a pull up at night.
16. He can ride a tricycle.
17. He can also drive his Power Wheels F150 exceptionally well. He can even park it in the garage without hitting Mommy's car.
18. He loves to play outside. His favorite outdoor activities are his tricycle, his truck, sand, bubbles, chalk, swinging, sliding, and golf.
19. He has some mild sensory issues that we are working through.
20. He walks on the insides of his feet and on his toes. He has inserts in his tennis shoes in attempt to correct this.
21. His favorite toys are his Buzz Lightyear and Woody, race cars, trains, computer, Wall-E, legos, transformers, etch-a-sketch, Cars Movie cars, helicopters, trucks, and airplanes.
22. He also loves to paint, color with markers, play with play doh, and play with moon sand.
23. He can write his name pretty legibly. He still needs a little help with the "n".
24. He can draw a circle, cross, square, and triangle and is starting to write capital letters. He can write a C, E, F, D, P, and B. He is also learning letter sounds.
25. He is a mommy's boy through and through. I hope he always will be.

5 months!

This weekend brought quite a few milestones for Katelyn...

1. She has started rolling from her belly to her back pretty consistently. Mainly because she still really dislikes tummy time.


2. She got her first bath in the big bathtub (and loved it!).


3. She slept in her crib for the first time (Yes, she's 5 months old. And no, she did not sleep through the night).


Happy 5 months old sweet baby Kate Kate! We love you so much!

Just Dance

Collin has never been much of a dancer, but thanks to his new Alvin and the Chipmunks CD (thanks Gran!), he has started to move and shake just a little bit.

The weather today got me thinking about how differently I think/feel about certain things than before I had children. And since we're stuck inside and Collin is actually napping today, I thought I would share them. Here are some things I've come up with so far although I'm sure there are numerous other examples. As the saying goes, having a baby changes everything...

1. Severe Weather- I've always been a little scared of severe weather. It's something about things that I have no control over and that are much bigger than me that freaks me out. However, today I actually spent some time putting a little bag together (water, flashlights, diapers, wipes, snacks, pillows, etc) and setting up the weather radio just in case I have to gather up my two babies, dog, and cat and head down to the basement. It still amazes me sometimes that I have these two little helpless lives that are my responsibility, and I feel I have to do everything in my power to protect them. Including keeping them safe from the "tornado emergency" that the weather channel has been talking about all day. (And yes, my TV has been set to this station all day with the exception of one 25 minute Little Einsteins episode.)
2. Germs- Seriously...I mean I have become what some (no, everybody) would call a germ-a-phobe. I've always been a little OCD, but this is ridiculous. Keeping them safe from germs is never far from my thoughts. Almost every room in the house has a bottle of hand sanitizer; the car has one too, plus antibacterial wipes; every diaper bag/purse has one. And there are extras stored in the laundry room for when one runs out. If they've been at daycare, they get a bath. Socks and shoes are taken off in the laundry room. (And lysoled every once in a while). So are bookbags. If one is restless in the middle of the night (or cranky during the day) I think they are getting sick. I seriously think I need to relax about this a little.
3. Nutrition/Cooking- I am not a good cook. Nor did I used to enjoy cooking at all. In fact, I absolutely dreaded having to come up with a meal. However, I have this new found interest in the Food Network and I'm up for trying out new things lately. I don't even have to have a recipe all of the time. I also pay a lot more attention to the nutritional content of our food and work on balancing meals well. And after watching some of that Food Revolution show, I'm thinking this area is even going to change some more. No more chicken nuggets unless they say "all white meat". Those that watched this episode know what I'm talking about. Those that didn't, probably don't want to know.
4. Shopping- No, I am not a recovering shopaholic. I just buy things for them now instead of myself. I have to work really hard to make a purchase for myself if I am given a gift card. Between the toy aisle or girl clothes section, there's usually not enough time (or money!) to be venturing into my departments.
5. Sleep- Oh how I miss you! I never realized how important sleep can be. In fact, I completely took it for granted. (By they way, no lie, Katelyn just woke up from a rather short nap as I was typing that last sentence...guess I'll finish this later.) Even once babies sleep through the night (and you could probably consider that Collin was a toddler by this time), a mother's sleep is never sound. But I've learned how important it is for me to be well rested to stay healthy and able to take care of them to the best of my ability. And of course, a sleepy baby is never a happy baby. Even naps are so important as they make nighttime sleep more restful (not the other way around as some may think.) So as a mother, I feel I spend a lot of time making sure everyone gets the sleep they need. Even if it means holding them for 2 hours just to get in a good nap. Which brings me to my next thought.
6. Parenting style- I didn't choose my parenting style. I thought I did, but the truth is, it chooses you. I told myself I would never let my child sleep in the bed with me...I would let my child fall asleep on his own...I would spank my child if he misbehaved. Wrong. All wrong. I have found I am definitely a believer in attachment parenting. Collin slept in the bed with me all of the time. Otherwise, no one would have slept. The fact is, you do what works. I rocked Collin to sleep until he was 18 months old. I walk around the room with Katelyn until she falls asleep. We allowed Collin to "cry it out" for about a week. It backfired. We ended up with a child who was fussy during the day and still didn't sleep at night. I'm sure it works for some babies, but not our Collin. Collin used a paci until he was 3. Katelyn will too if she so desires. We use time out as our chosen discipline method. The truth is, no one method for sleep, discipline, whatever, works for all babies. We took what worked from lots of different sources. Babies don't come with a manual or textbook. For those who are curious, "The No Cry Sleep Solution" worked best for us.
7. Work/Career- I never thought I would desire to be a stay at home mom. So wrong. I love being at home with my children. I am the type of mother who wants to be there all the time. I don't desire vacations away from them. Maybe a night out every once in a while though. When I am working, I feel I am so much more able to connect with the parents of the children I treat. Let's face it...mommys love to talk about their children with other mommys!
8. Coffee- Okay, so I started drinking coffee regularly sometime in grad school, but it was never such an important part of my day until I had children!
9. Politics- I'm not going to go on and on about my political views. I'll just say that I used to be clueless when it came to what was going on with politics in our country. I have become much more interested in the future of our country as I know my children will have to live with our decisions.
10. Pets- I used to tell people that my dog and cat were my children. I used to even rock Rylee to sleep when she was a puppy (hence, I should have had a better idea about what my parenting style would be). And although I love our animals dearly, I know now that you cannot understand a mother's love until you have a child.
11. Time- They say you will always have enough love for your children no matter how many you have. True. However, you may not always have enough TIME. I struggle daily with how to provide Collin with enough attention since he is so independent and Katelyn requires more one on one attention. I am constantly worried about how he is adjusting (he's having a little harder of a time recently). I think he realizes she is here to stay. Don't get me wrong, he still loves her to death. But he has become more clingy and wanting mommy a LOT more.
12. Childbirth- Um, let's just say I was TERRIFIED of what childbirth would be like. It was nothing like I expected and so much better! There is nothing like it. I would do it 8 more times if I thought I could provide them all with the food, clothing, shelter, time, extracurricular activities, college, weddings, etc. they would deserve. I know I could provide the LOVE.

Bringing Home Babies

Spring has sprung...

And so have our allergies, but we're having fun anyway. Here are some of the things we've been doing that have sent me running to the store for children's Claritin and a new humidifier. Last week, we went to Nanna's house for some late Easter fun. Collin and Carter had a great time with Nanna coloring and decorating eggs with stickers. (We were supposed to be outside, but it was pouring!)
Once it cleared up, the kids had fun having a "picnic".

Just a cute picture of Katelyn in a new spring outfit!

The next day it was nice enough outside to have an egg hunt.

Campbell stealing Katelyn's eggs!

Sometimes the best things in life really are free. Collin and Carter had a blast being superheroes with old pillowcases. Collin wore his all day and asked for it again the next day.

Auntie Joy came for a visit and spent the whole week at our house. Collin really enjoyed getting to spend so much time with her. First, they used chalk to make our driveway really colorful.

We enjoyed cooking out on our new deck that night.


We also took a trip to the park since Katelyn was finally feeling a little better. It was a little hot, so we couldn't stay as long as we would have liked.



So we had a good time this week despite the stuffy noses, coughs, fevers, and stomach aches. (I gave Collin sprite for the first time because it was all I had at the park. Yes, I did take him water, but he drank it all at the very beginning and was so thirsty when we left. It was a good lesson learned though. I was just so thankful it didn't turn out to be a stomach bug!)

When I Was a Cat...

Okay, no pictures this time...sorry! Just wanted to share a funny story about Collin today. It's the little things like this I don't want to forget! So, we're always talking about things Katelyn does (i.e. nurses, cries, spits up, sits in the bumbo seat, etc.). Collin loves to hear that he used to do the same things when he was a baby. He is constantly telling me that "I used to do that when I was a baby." He also tells me the things he will do when he's bigger (drive the car, drink coke and coffee, etc.), and thinks that I will be smaller. I guess I may seem smaller to him as he grows. (Wait, I probably will be smaller than him!).

Anyway...today I was sitting in the glider feeding Katelyn. Bailey (the cat) jumped up on the chair (as she always does when I am feeding Katelyn). I guess I sort of jumped, because Collin says "What did Bailey do, mom?" Me: "She jumped up on the chair and scared me." Collin: "Oh, (laughing)...I used to do that when I was a cat." So serious. It was all I could do to stop laughing out loud so he would not be embarrassed.

On another note, Katelyn has been really sick the past 2 days. Lots of congestion, coughing, watery eyes. No fever though, so hoping maybe it's just allergies. Today I finally just sat down and held her for 2 hours so that she would take a nap. She was so pitiful, and I knew the sleep would help a little. Collin was a little congested this weekend, but his Claritin seems to be helping. It's hard not to be able to do much for Katelyn to make her feel better. So, I haven't had a chance to upload any pictures, but we did have a great time at Nanna's house last week/weekend. Hopefully I'll post about our trip there later this week.

Easter Fun

It's been another great week. Katelyn is still growing right before our eyes. This week she mastered the Bumbo seat and is really reaching forward for toys now.

She really loves her brother. I try so hard to make her laugh sometimes and get nothing. He will walk in the room and sneeze and she cracks up. Maybe it's because he's just so silly.

Admiring him and all his silliness...

One of my favorite things is to watch them laugh and play together. I think this next photo will probably be one of my favorite pictures of them together. Can't you just see the love already?


Collin had fun at his Easter party/egg hunt at school. He loved showing me all the things he gets to do on the playground. And he ate a huge iced, sprinkled, filled donut. He brought me a piece about the size of a dime and told me he didn't like it. I guess he was just ready to play.

We had a great time at home and spending time with Mike's family on Easter Sunday.


We've been looking forward to spending time at Nanna's house tomorrow and Friday. We have plans for more egg hunting, egg dying, and a trip to the park. Hopefully the rain won't spoil all the fun!

Time Flies.

Seriously, where does the time go? I can't believe that Katelyn is already 4 months old!

She is really starting to notice her hands now. She plays with them, grabs toys with them, and mostly tries to eat them. Oh, and she also started sitting in her high chair with us at dinner time. Such a big girl!


She has also gotten much better about tummy time and is finally starting to lift her head instead of just lying on the blanket crying.


We have had a great week since the last post filled with lots of fun (and funny) things around our house. Collin has really been into painting lately. He mostly uses watercolor paint so usually ends up just drenching the paper, but he has fun anyway.

Katelyn had her first real playdate this week. Ethan and his mommy Katie came for a visit on Friday. They were so cute just staring at each other. I could see a wedding in our future! Katie and I had a great time too with good conversation and good coffee. And an Ellen episode with the funniest blindfolded musical chairs I have ever seen.

We're looking forward to some Easter/Spring fun this weekend and next week. Pics to come I'm sure. I'll leave you this week with a song from Collin. (He gets a little confused when I video him since our camera is our camcorder. Hence the silly smile and multiple "cheeses" in the middle of his song).