Tomorrow is the day...

...that we start Collin's vaccinations. We have delayed for almost a whole year and I'm a nervous wreck about it. Our plan has always been to vaccinate him at some point. We've just been more comfortable with a delayed vaccination schedule. I did a ton of research on this topic during my pregnancy and talked it over with people on both sides of the fence, so to speak. I spoke with or heard of one too many parents that attribute their child's illness or delays to the vaccines. I heard enough that it made me want to hold off on doing it. It just seemed like a good idea to give his own immune system and little body time to develop and gain strength on its own. Conversely, I've always believed that the immunizations do what they are supposed to do. That much is pretty obvious, but I'm still a nervous wreck over it. A couple of things have changed my mind in the previous weeks though. For one, there have been several outbreaks of whooping cough, including in Boston and Chicago, that have been in the news. The thought of Collin catching whooping cough scares the crap out of me. We're also planning on traveling abroad in the coming months. Collin will/may be exposed to all kinds of different germs, so it seems to make sense that we get this thing rolling. There are still a few vaccines that I think we'll be passing on, like the one for chickenpox. So, we'll see how it goes tomorrow. Needless to say, he is going to be pissed. When my kid is pissed off, it is a pretty impressive sight. Keep you posted.

Gobble! Gobble!

Wow, time is flying! It's getting harder to keep up on this blog with all of the holiday mania setting in. The boy's 1st Thanksgiving has come and gone already. He had a great day with the family, but he pooped out just about everything we gave him to eat by the next morning. I know it's pretty gross, but it's amazing how he pooped out completely undigested carrots, corn, and parsnips!
He seemed a little bemused by all the activity going on, but was of course, soaking up all of the attention. I guess there is just something about all of these "firsts". I'm intent on going photo wild with Collin during the holiday season. So much so that I have booked 2 professional photo ops already scheduled and 5 or 6 pictures with Santa on the calendar as well. What can I say? He's the first baby in this family for a long time.



Speaking of Santa...we had our first go of it yesterday at a local toy store. Collin was not impressed, to say the least. I think it was just a bad set up all around. There were a million hyper kids, tons of toys to check out, and way too much stimulation. He pretty much wailed the whole time. Santa and Collin both looked like they wanted to flee.

However, another opportunity presented itself just a few hours later while we were waiting to pick some friends up from the train. We were in a little shopping center killing some time and lo and behold....there's Santa #2. This time around Collin was more amiable. I have to say that this guy really looked like the real deal...

Small Frye

Here's the boy all decked out in his Browns Charlie Frye jersey. He is definitely starting to pick up on the fact that football is important in our house. I could have sworn he was actually watching the games yesterday, as if he really knew what was going on. I have also started to chant "Go Browns" to him repeatedly. I think they may be his first words. What strikes me about these pictures is that he looks SO big. It's like he's not even a baby any more!

Wednesday Morning Fun

One of the little things that I let Collin do, that I know is probably not such a great idea, is play with the house phone. We no longer let him play with our cell phones because so much of his drool got into them we both needed replacements. Letting him play with the house phone seemed pretty harmless. Until this morning, that is. This morning our little imp managed to dial 911, apparently more than once. I heard the phone ring while I was putting my contacts in and when I answered it was the 911 operator inquiring if everything was alright. I assured her it was and that my 10 month old somehow managed to call 911. She was cool about it. Next thing you know 2 cars from the local police department pull into the driveway because they have to respond to every call. They were cool about it too and I was pretty apologetic for wasting their time. I swear Collin knew exactly what was going on because he got that "I know I'm guilty, but let me hit you with my 7 tooth grin and I know you'll forgive me" look. I must say though, it was nice to see such a quick response from our local police. It's good to know they're out there!

Cut and Run?

It was a tough weekend. So much so, that yesterday I (briefly) considered abandoning ship. I didn't realize that 10 month olds pitch bona fide temper tantrums. Yesterday, Collin threw a 20 minute fit because I would not let him climb INTO the dishwasher. When I say "fit" I mean kicking, screaming, taking deep breaths to scream louder, tears, and a refusal to be distracted by any other option presented to him. Finally, I actually had to laugh, which pissed him off more, because it was pretty funny. He is a strong willed kid. We see this as both a strength for Collin and a potential challenge area for us as parents. By the time last night rolled around, I was spent. I think the reality of our life now, as parents, was brought home to me that much more this weekend because of Saturday night. On Saturday night we went into Hoboken to meet friends for dinner and drinks. None of these friends have kids. When I asked one couple what their plans were for Sunday, they said "Nothing". Nothing? I have not done Nothing in 10 months. Not once. The realization has put me into a funk. Ask my husband if there is anything I enjoy doing more than nothing and he will answer with a resounding NO. Don't get me wrong. I am actually starting to have a lot of fun with Collin and he is my little buddy. It's getting more interesting by the day around here. But, I really miss doing nothing once in a while. Our plan for the day is food shopping and errand running. Then maybe a little quality time with the husband while we watch MNF. Yes, it is sad that our quality time consists of watching football. We take what we can get these days.

The Sleep Wars Continue!

If it seems as though I haven't been posting so much on The Chronicles lately, it's true! One of the big reasons is that we've been experiencing a real sleep regression in this household. Collin has been putting up quite a fight at night and waking up every couple of hours. He's also refusing to nap pretty often. Although, last night was much better, so I'm hoping (praying ) that it's the start of a new trend. My general feeling at this point...and let me tell you honestly that some of feelings are pretty irrational at this point....is that we have created a sleep monster out of our son. At 10 months old he has pretty much NEVER put himself to sleep without some form of parental aid...usually my breasts or his father's bouncing on the exercise ball technique. This has been all well and good because at least he was sleeping pretty well and we were all getting the rest we needed for a couple of months. The tide has now turned though and even our tried and true methods are not working so well anymore. Granted, I think part of the problem has been teething, but I feel like the bigger issue is that we have always relied on some sort of crutch to get him to sleep. I've said all along that I don't believe in the whole cry it out method for developing your child's sleep habits, but I am now close to changing that opinion! It doesn't seem as though Collin is just going to be able to magically put himself to sleep one of these days...which is what I have secretly been wishing for. CJ says that we need to come up with a plan and I'm all for having a strategy, but I don't know if we have any other options besides crying it out. I'm TIRED and my breasts are TIRED. I feel like a day of reckoning is coming!

Seeking Mary Poppins

The time I have been dreading has finally come. My cousin Amanda, who is also Collin's godmother, has been taking care of him about 15 hours a week since he was born. This has allowed me to work on a part-time basis and have a bit of sanity time as well. All along I knew it was temporary because she was planning on returning to college. I guess I was hoping it wouldn't happen until Collin was ready for pre-school! She'll be starting at school for the upcoming spring semester and I've started looking for her replacement. I've hired a nanny service that was recommended by an acquaintance and am hoping to find someone fairly quickly so they can train with Amanda. I have to admit that I am pretty much sick with anxiety over it. We've been so lucky thus far in that Collin has never been left with anyone other than a family member. It's a pretty scary process inviting someone into your home to care for the most important person in your life! I am hoping to find a part-time Mary Poppins....maybe I shouldn't set my expectations so high? It made it worse when the owner of the nanny service said that we were switching to a new caregiver at a pretty rough time and we should expect Collin to reject the new person for a little while. What?! We'll see how this thing goes!

Halloween Pics

I've been having trouble posting pictures at Blogger, so Collin's Halloween shots are being posted all willy nilly. See the post right below as well! Cluck! Cluck!

Chicken Little!

Halloween was a blast here. We have a ton of kids in the little neighborhood right next to us and we took Collin around trick or treating. It was a bit strange trick or treating on behalf of a baby sitting in his stroller. It was a tough day for Collin because he didn't nap in the afternoon and that usually spells diaster! Despite being pretty pissy, he didn't seem to mind the chicken suit!