A Not So Good First

Our little boy, our sweet little boy got in his first fight today.  That probably sounds worse than it was.  And "fight" is probably the wrong term to use...At least I hope.  It was over a toy, of course.  I think it consisted of one of the kids sitting on top of the other one...not sure exactly but the end result was Colin having a scratch on his face.  Again, not sure how the other kid looked.  As usual, I took some pictures.  Even though it was a bad thing (and he did get in trouble) I still want the evidence to tease him about when he is older.  It is very unlike his character, but I guess all kids have to go through the agonizing process of learning to share. 

Here are some pictures.  He keeps telling me that his cheek hurts.  I kiss it but then tell him that he should be nice to his friends if he wants to avoid retaliation.  Well, I use a more "kid friendly" explanation. 





A pretty big scratch!



He may be in trouble but he is still so darn cute!

Lil' C Update - Almost 3

Colin is almost 3!!!  I cannot believe it - so crazy to think about.  Only a few more months, which means I am that much closer to being a year older - yucky! Colin and I are home sick today.  We have both been dealing with this cold/whatever it is for almost two weeks now.  I hate being sick, (obviously who wouldn't) but especially since I have a lot of projects I want to get done.  I finally  weighed and measured Colin.  He weighs 29.5 lbs, which is a bit below average if comparing to a 3 year old.  I was a bit surprised because he has such a big appetite.  He is around 35 inches tall.  Give or take a few.  I would guess a little taller because I could not get him to straighten his head up.  That is a little above average for that age range, but not by much.  Colin's eating habits just amaze me.  I should be used to it by now but it blows my mind that he can eat twice as much as me, sometimes even three times as much.  This morning we had blueberry waffles.  I ate one and he had two and then asked for a third.  I made him hold off since he is sick and I did not want that to blow up in our faces. Literally!  Colin still loves classical music.  I catch him humming it in the mornings when he first wakes up.  He also likes kids songs that we sing to him, like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  He has them both memorized for the most part.  Colin seems to enjoy most music that we listen to so far.  He also loves to listen to his daddy's band!  We avoid allowing Colin to much TV time, but we do let him wind down with a show or two when we first get home while I am making dinner.  If I get home early enough we have play time or go for a walk around the block.  He has been having fun playing with some of the kids near his age in our neighborhood too.  Colin is still enjoying his cars, superheroes, blocks and a tool set that his Uncle Willie got him.  This kid is constantly moving.  The whole time he has been sick he has still been so active.  Today is the first day where he has mellowed out a bit.  We have been pretty lazy today and Colin even took a much needed nap.  One of the things that I really love seeing develop in Colin is his imagination.  It is so fun to see him play pretend.  From what I have seen so far, I imagine that he will have a pretty big imagination.

Some cute phrases he has said lately are:
"OK, OK...I know, I know"
"It stinks so good" - when referring to a good smell.
"It's OK, I not hurted" - when he fake falls.
"I am crying mama" - then he wants a hug and kiss (he usually is fake crying)

Our Reasons for Daycare

I have recently had several people asking me how Will and I came to the decision to have Colin in daycare rather than one of us staying home with him...so I thought I would post an entry about the subject.  Disclaimer: I am just pointing out our reasons for our decision.  I think each family has to choose for themselves.  I do not think there is only one right answer.  

When I was younger I thought that I would want to stay home once I became a mother, but I found that I was OK with the idea, but was realizing that it may not be the most beneficial for my son or myself.

I read a few articles about the negative and positive, because there will be good and bad for both options.  Here are two articles that are not the exact ones I read, but are saying basically the same thing:

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/what-are-the-benefits-of-sending-my-child-to-daycare/


http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Day_Care_Benefits_Look_at_the_Positives.html

What it mainly came down to for Will and I was which one would benefit Colin in the long run.  I had been told that the first few months it is definitely beneficial for an infant to stay home in order to bond with the "at home" parent, so we stayed home as long as we could his first few months.  I was also told that once a child gets to be a few months old, then socializing becomes very important.  Kids learn from other kids.  Of course they can learn from adults but seeing someone your size doing something seems to definitely make a difference.  I think that is why the second child seems to be less timid then the oldest child (at least from what I have seen) they benefit from seeing their older sibling doing something and realizing it is OK to do.  Colin has blossomed since being around kids, especially ones older than him.  One of my biggest concerns with Colin was that he would be as shy as I was when I was a child (or even older). My brothers and I were at home with either one of our parents or a grandparent.  I love the memories of that but I do see what influence that had on my social skills. So far shyness is NOT a problem for Colin - not at all!  He is very good at approaching kids, something I would have dreaded.

The place that Colin goes to is in a lady's home, but is set up more like a preschool.  The benefit from going to someone's home rather than a company/school is that there is not as many children.  So, enough children for him to get his socializing but not where he goes unnoticed.  I think there is around 6 kids where he is at.  Since it is more like a preschool there is structure and a schedule to their activities.  My little organized boy LOVES this!  He gets plenty of playtime but is learning so much.  He can count to 10 (for quite some time now) and he knows his colors - which probably helps that Will and I quiz him all the time! He is getting used to "circle time" and doing art projects.  With him being so energetic I think he will benefit from learning to "sit still" now rather than waiting so close to starting school.  The daycare is influenced by the idea of the Montessori method. 

Another positive thing is that Colin has been able to build up his immune system by being around other kids and their germs.  So, yes being at a daycare means that your child may get sick more often in the beginning but he is able to build up a tolerance and get exposed to different things.  Now when he gets a cold, his nose runs a little and then mommy gets sick! 

I have also read that kids who attend a daycare are more likely to be independent when they reach school age.  If you stay at home, more often your mom/dad will drop whatever they are doing anytime you need something, but if you are in an environment where there are other children you may have to wait your turn or learn to do some simpler things for your self.  They learn to be patient.  Obviously, this is not regarding serious situations.  They also may be less likely to have dependency issues. 

This choice worked for Will and I.  It may not for other people.  I think it has truly benefited Colin.  I am also lucky that I have a great PTO benefit at work and can take off "special days" with Colin pretty much anytime I want to or feel the need.  We also have a great (flexible when needed) routine during the evenings to make sure Colin gets plenty of family time.  Our weekends are usually dedicated to family events as well. This works for us but I can definitely see some benefits for keeping a child at home...but the ones that were important to Will and I were more likely to come from him being in daycare.  So, I am not against keeping a child home or a mother choosing to not work.  I think each family has to address that themselves.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Wishing my hubby a "happy birthday" in German!  We have a very busy weekend planned, so I wanted to get this out now.  This year, I went with a bit of a European (mainly German) theme.  This week I gave him a selection of handpicked  beers from different European countries (German, England, Ireland, Scotland) and I also got him an extravagant bottle of Chianti from Italy for us to enjoy with his birthday dinner.  It is going to be a good week!  I had a blast picking out the different beers, there were so many to choose from.  I love the store Total Wines - great selection.  The oddball beer I bought was from Oregon (what can I say, the state has great breweries).  We are also planning on going to one of the several Oktoberfest celebrations held in this area.  I am really excited!  I have heard that a few of the towns put on really good ones and most of them are family friendly...bonus!  We just need to choose one.  The main birthday celebration is not European-related; we are heading to West Virginia this Saturday to go see the Mountaineers play the Terrapins (MD).  We are both super excited to go! Will has been wanting to take me since we moved here and has not been back since he was a student there.

Anyways, back to the main purpose of this blog entry - to wish my amazing hubby a wonderful birthday (Sunday) and hoping that his week (or two) is really fantastic and that he enjoys all that Colin and I will have planned for him. 

I know I say this a lot, but I am so lucky to have Will.  He is the sweetest, most selfless, most charming, wonderful man that I have ever met.  He does so much for Colin and I.  I am so blessed.  With my job comes traveling, which I enjoy but it is hard being away from my two guys.  It is a little easier because I have a husband who is so supportive and tackles the task of being a semi-single parent for those few weeks that I am gone.  This next year or so I am going to be busy and will have more trips than I have been.  I am glad to know that I have the best teammate to make this work.  Love you so much honey!  Happy early birthday!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Will.

A Little B Family Fun!

I was not planning on posting a blog this weekend, but we had such a fantastic day  and Colin was extra cute, so I just had too.

First here are some pictures of our first Halloween craft.  October will be a busy month so we wanted to be able to enjoy all we had planned.  We still have a few more crafts to do but we were able to get a couple done today. We made a pumpkin, a bat and hung up some window decorations.

Adding fall/Halloween decor to our windows.

He is learning "Halloween" words.

Proud of his bedroom window!

Scrutinizing his bat and pumpkin crafts.

After Will and Colin did crafts with me they needed their "boy" break so they could play superheroes.

Colin showing his Iron Man moves!

Now trying to knock daddy down with his Iron Man move

Colin pretending that Daddy's Spiderman web knocked him down.

CAPTURED!

I know, I am posting  a lot of pictures today, but he is just the cutest!  Only a few more, I promise!

Our adorable little boy.

Colin and Bunny (previuosly Buddy) posing for the camera.

NPR Articles: Pregnancy & Birth

I love my NPR app.  I thought I would share some of the interesting artlicles that I have read lately.

Rise in C-Sections

Vaginal Bith after C-Section

Weight Gain during Pregnancy

Labor Day Weekend

This was a wonderful 3 day weekend, which due to Colin staying home today has turned into a 4 day weekend for me and C.  We started our weekend by going to the water fountain after work on Friday.  We were surprised by an outdoor concert that they were putting on in the center lawn area.  I had heard that they had live music on Wednesdays, but I guess Fridays too.  So, Colin got to play with a couple of nice kids; one was this adorable boy from England - such a cute accent and the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen on a person.  So blue! I know, that of course my son is the cutest boy ever (what mom wouldn't think that), but I can comment on the other boys eyes because Colin's are greenish/gray so it's OK!  After getting thoroughly soaked (then dried of course), we enjoyed a picnic type dinner (Panera's) while we listened to the band.  The band was pretty good and they played songs I knew (Rage Against the Machine, etc).  I have to mention that Panera has my favorite sandwich right now.  I think it is called the Mediterranean Veggie - absolutely delicious!  If you like hummus, veggies, feta cheese, etc....ooh, now I am hungry!


On Saturday, I started the morning with a nice run (sprinting intervals - a killer) around the neighborhood.  I tried a different route that ended up being such a pretty area.  It felt like I was in the country.  I am definitely sticking to that route for a little while at least.  Grandfather B drove up to help finish painting the outside of our house.  The new colors looks amazing!  Thank you, Bill.  I also started planning how we are going to landscape our front area.  I am really excited!  I have a few flowers I am looking into getting. I am definitely thinking some kind of white daisies since they are one of my favorites and I already have lilies in the back (my fave). Maybe I will post the other ones with pictures to see what everyone thinks.  We also need to get a fence approved for the back and to figure out what we want to do with our backyard (it is pretty small, but it unfortunately did not rank as high on our list of priorities when house searching) - so much to do. Colin and I also made it to the local library to exchange his books for some new ones.  He loves the library and was a very good boy!  Now every time he sees a book he calls it a library book (I love how he says library, super cute).  He is also working on understanding when to say "yours" and when to say "mine".  He will ask me "Is it mine?" and I will say, "yes, it is yours", then he is says "no, it is mine, not yours".  We're working on it.  For two, I am pretty impressed. 


Sunday started with a family walk (after I did some homework) around mommy's new pretty route!  Colin brought along his wagon and a few of his guys.  Adorable!  After Will left to go get ready for his gig, Colin and I fell asleep.  We were supposed to go to a end of summer party but slept too late.  What can I say, we needed it.  So, instead we headed to Will's gig.  We had planned to go but not until later after making an appearance at the other party.  We ended up having a blast!  Colin was playing with some kids and I got to listen to the band more than usual. I love my drummer!  Lil' C got so excited when they started playing "Can't Stand Losing You".  It is one of his favorites right now.  It amazes me how outgoing he is, which means mommy has to be more outgoing - yay!  He loves going up to kids and adults. 

Monday was a relaxing day for us.  We slept in!  Had our AC fixed, luckily this weekend was not as hot as it has been.  I made Will and Colin go to the craft store with me (great Labor Day sale) so we could buy some fall crafts for Colin and I to do.  I am excited.  Yes, you will probably see pictures in the months to come. 

Such a fantastic weekend! I have some pictures of Will and Bill painting, Colin with his wagon and other house pictures, but I will share those later.