The Collin Chronicles: Tales of a Tiny Tyrant

To Be Continued!

2007-02-18T17:02:00.000-05:00

This blog will be continued in the very near future. Keep checking back on occassion.
Collin and I have just been too swamped to post anything new!

Jamaica Pics

2007-02-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple quick pics....

As I said, we did a bunch of Sesame Street stuff and it was cool that Collin was not scared of the characters. There were some kids there that freaked out any time the characters were around. Although he wasn't scared of them, Collin wasn't overly impressed either.

The sunsets were a highlight. Here's the little man on the beach (with Floppy of course). We did a couple of sunset photo shoots and picked out the shots we liked best.

Oh Jamaica!

2007-02-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

So sorry about the lack of posts here for a while. We were on vacation in Jamaica for a week and had no easy access to computers. Actually, it was kind of nice to have no contact with the outside world. We didn't even turn our television on all week. We returned on Tuesday (a day later then planned....more on that later) and have been recovering ever since.

Here's the low down on the trip...

It's a gorgeous country...at least the parts of it we saw. The weather was awesome. Sunny and in the 80's the whole week. The water was toasty warm. We stayed at Beaches Resort, Negril. Negril is about an hour and a half from thr airport in Montego Bay. This was a big downer because taking that van ride with a 1 year old after corraling him the entire flight was exhausting. It did allow us to see some very lovely parts of the coast which was a good thing because we only left the resort once while we were there.

We picked this resort because of its particular emphasis on families with young children. In fact, it had a Sesame Street theme going and Collin "particpated" in many a Cookie Monster event throughout the week. There was a Kid Camp that included a nursery for Collin's age group. The staff were very well trained and completely competent. Some of them just weren't that nice to tell the truth. It kind of made it tough to appreciate the staff that were friendly and engaging....I just couldn't get past the attitude problem coming from some of them. I didn't expect this issue from the nursery staff!

As a whole though, the Jamaican people were lovely and friendly. It actually left me feeling a bit guilty because the poverty we witnessed driving into and out of the resort was awful. We knew it was there, but seeing it in person was a whole other issue. It made me sad to think of all the friendly staff probably going home to a little shack while we lounged on their beach!

As for the not so tiny tyrant's behavior...it was fickle all week long. On the good side, he slept fairly well for being in a strange crib (in the same room with us) most of the trip. On the not so good side, he was attached to our hips the whole week. He did not want to stay in the nursery one bit. I think we utilized it a grand total of 6 hours the whole week. We hired a private sitter twice. That helped a bit, but again, he was not very comfortable. Now I know he was not purposefully trying to put a downer on Mommy and Daddy's trip, but he did have that little gleam in the eye as if to say, " You will not be having any fun without me!" I think that we have entered a stage of limited travel with Collin for a while. It's simply exhausting trying to keep up with him on unfamiliar turf! Now that he is walking like a pro he wants to explore every nook and cranny. He loved going in the ocean and riding the lazy river with his Dad. The pool...not so much.

Anyway, there's a lot more to tell, including the trip home from hell. I'd love to post some pics, but blogger is NOT cooperating!

Laid Low

2007-01-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

Our house is the sick house these days. Collin and I have been hit with a nasty cold and he is also suffering from a bit of an ear infection. The ear infection is a mild one and this is his first...we made it to about 13 months with no real illnesses. Not too shabby! The thing with Collin is that although he is sick, I don't think it has occured to him that he should be resting. How do you get a 1 year old to rest if he is not so inclined? I've pretty much determined that it can't be done. So, he is just bopping around from thing to thing leaving a trail of drool and snot behind him. The worst part of the whole thing has been getting him to submit to the saline spray up his nose. The physical strength and his capacity to squirm away continue to astound me! If I weren't sick too, it wouldn't be such a big deal ...but, I do want to rest! My wonderful husband is coming home early from work this afternoon to spend time with the boy while I try to get an extra snooze in. The plan is try and lay low for the weekend so were in better shape for the big family vacation next week. Jamaica here we come!

Watch Those Chompers!

2007-01-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

Collin has developed a disturbing habit of late. He has taken to biting anything of interest that catches his fancy. I think it's related to the fact that we are now (thank you Jesus!) completely weaned. It was my goal to get there before our vacation at the end of the month and we just eliminated the evening breastfeeding session 4 nights ago. On a different note, I can't wait to go bra shopping ASAP. I have been up and down the bra size roller coaster for the last year and a half. My breasts (which were small to begin with) are now even smaller than their original size and I require a whole new wardrobe of undergarments. The cost is coming out of the family budget!

Anyway, since then the biting has escalated quite a bit. He'll bite anything....me, his father, the couch, the kitchen table, the storytime lady at the library. Yup...he went after her like a great white shark who just spotted a yummy looking seal swimming past. Collin couldn't really resist because she squatted down to pick something up and exposed a patch of flesh at the bottom of her shirt line. Collin just loves that little spot and he made a bee line for it. I managed to jump in and snatch him away before he actually made contact, but the storytime lady was a bit startled.

I asked the doctor about this at Collin's 1 year check up earlier in the week and the doctor assured us it was a normal behavior for this age. Still, it's disconcerting because Collin seems to really get a kick out of inflicting pain. We're just trying to be consistent about our response to Collin when he does it....obviously, that it's not ok. So far, he doesn't seem to care.

Activist Motherhood

2007-01-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've always been one to cheer for the underdog, fight the power, fight the good fight, kind of woman. As a social worker I've dedicated my professional life to working with the underprivileged and disempowered members of our society. I'm big on the concept of social justice. For the vast majority of my career I've worked for women's organizations supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. As a matter of fact that's what I do part-time right now, counsel survivors of rape and incest. Let me tell you...there is not too much justice out there for these women (and men). It makes me so mad sometimes I could just spit.

All of that being said, motherhood has put a new spin on my thinking in regard to these matters. It's not that I didn't realize how important things were before, it's just that I feel like I have a bigger investment in them now. I'm raising a son who will be going out into the world and leaving his own mark on it. I want him to know that I did my little part to do something about all the crap that goes on. Before Collin was born it never occurred to me that I would become something of an activist mother, but here I am, definitely headed in that direction...if only in my own small ways.

Motherhood has also made me feel a sort of new and intense bond with all the other mothers of the world. Only with the arrival of Collin have I realized what the heartbreak of losing a child must be like. I can't imagine how I would go on without him...Especially if I lost him to a war not of my own making. I know everyone has their opinion on the Iraq war and what we've been doing over there, but it makes me sick to think of all those Iraqi mothers losing their babies to bombs. I also can't imagine being an American Mom with a son or daughter fighting in this war. How would I sleep at night to think of my kid in such harms way? So, with all of this being said and in the spirit of activist motherhood, I'm adding a couple of buttons to The Collin Chronicles introducing some grassroots organizations I support. Check them out if you're so inclined....

MomsRising.org

Code Pink-Women For Peace

Remind me again....What month is this?

2007-01-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

I'm not exactly an expert on weather, but the kind of weather we have been experiencing here makes it kind of hard not to take global warming seriously. This is January, right? It was a very sunny 70 degrees here at the Jersey Shore (as we like to call it) today. It's downright bizarre to me. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but there's something not quite right about it. We took the boy out to the beach and walked the boardwalk for a while. There were tons of people out and about. Everyone was in a great mood. Is this what it's like to live in southern climes or do people just start to take the warm weather for granted?

Collin seemed to forget that we spent a good amount of time on the beach this past summer....He acted like he had never seen sand before! He did go a bit crazy for the slide though. His primary interest was in climbing back up the slide after his ride down. I was none too steady on the slide myself and almost went flying over tie side when I took a ride down with Collin. The boy looked so tiny amongst all those "big" kids on the playground, but he was in no way daunted. I think he forgets that he is all of one year old!

Collin's long lost Aunt Amanda visited us at the playground for a while too. Seems as though she is missing her little nephew since leaving him to go back to college! She had the audacity to hint that she might be considering taking another childcare position. I told her that Collin would never forgive her and that as it was he seems to be forgetting her more each day. I suppose it was obvious that I'm still a bit bitter over her departure.

It's Been A While!

2007-01-04T20:13:00.000-05:00

The whole holiday season definitely got away with me this year! I've made several attempts to write some posts the last few weeks and just never got it done. I can't lie...I'm glad the season is behind us. We also celebrated the boy's BIG ONE birthday on New Year's Eve. I'll just try to catch up with the next few posts.

Last you heard from me we were adjusting to our new heating system...well, things have improved on that front, but we've still got some minor heating issues. The last 2 nights I've woken up in what feels like the Sahara because our heat shot up to 77 degrees in our bedroom. CJ is like a pitbull when it comes to these things (aka contractors)...which is a good thing because I would have just given up a long time ago.

The boy is now officially a WALKER. He walks everywhere with wild and giddy abandon. There seemed to be little transition time. He just woke up one morning and did it. He moves at a pretty quick clip too, so I have no doubt that he'll soon be running. Not only that, he seems to be really learning stuff all of the sudden. He'll do things if you ask him to. Like tonight I asked him to go to his dad's office and knock on his door....and he actually did it! It's hard to believe he's one.

Here's a couple of pics from the last weeks...

A Bit Of An Update

2006-12-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

Most of my blogroll has been languishing for want of an update. I have finally been able to add Stephanie's (relatively) new crafty blog Me So Crafty and removed her previous blog Forks and Chopsticks. Give it a look-see!

A Momentous Week

2006-12-17T21:27:00.000-05:00

The holiday craze has continued at the Tiny Tyrant's household. The time is really getting away from me now and most of of the time I feel like a real nut for putting forth all these efforts to create the "perfect" holiday season for Collin. I mean, he's not going to remember it after all!

But, the big news here this week is that Collin took his first real steps this past Tuesday! I missed it because I was at work, but CJ was home taking caring of him and I'm glad one of us got to see it first hand. Since Tuesday I've seen him take a bunch more steps and he's pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. It's almost like he's saying..."yeah...so what I'm walking?

Tonight was a fun family dinner at Aunt Sue's since my cousin Tessa is visiting from the Florida Keys for a few days. Collin received his first Christmas gifts from Tess. He hasn't seemed to catch on to the whole concept of receiving gifts yet, which is a good thing I guess. On the other hand, he just seems to assume everything is his for the taking anyway! The poor thing also has his first official cold. His nose is running like a sieve and he really gets a kick out of licking up as much of his own snot as possible. We've basically made it a whole year with no illnesses, so I'm not complaining. Not too shabby!

You Know You're a Mom When....

2006-12-17T21:09:00.000-05:00

Scroll down a bit to find the entry 12/13. I thought that this was a hoot. Every single one applies to me, numbers 1, 3, and 9 in particular. Babble is the latest and greatest parenting site up and running. I actually read an article about it in the New York Times last week. I'm already familiar with several of their bloggers...seems like some good stuff.

The Happiest Time of the Year

2006-12-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

The heating debacle is, hopefully, behind us now and we're settling in to our cozied up house. Unfortunately, there are still one or two glitches to work out and parts of the house feel like the Sahara. Needless to say, I am oh so happy to have the workmen out of the house! In addition to all of the ruckus going on, we've been pretty busy preparing for the holidays. CJ and I continue to work on melding the traditions of our 2 families into the new one we've created with Collin. Sometimes this has been a delicate task, but I think we've done a good job of it so far. We'll be doing Christmas Eve at our place and Christmas Day at his mom's house.

So, some of the fun stuff we've been up to....

More Christmas pictures! The ever elusive toothy grin from Collin has still not made an appearance. Since this is the case, I might go with this shot on our Shutterfly card... I just think it kind of shows his quirky side.

I'm still not too sure, but time is getting away from me now and I need to order.

While we were taking these pictures at a local tree farm Collin also had his first chance to ride a John Deer lawn mower (or some kind of truck)...kid size, of course. He could not get enough of that thing!! He looked like such a little farmer in his plaid shirt! I have to give the kid some credit because he has been a good sport about me dragging him all over the place to take his picture.

It's going to be another crazy week around here again. Our new part-time nanny is starting and there are errands galore to run....including planning the big birthday bash for Collin! I'm finding it hard to believe that he will be 1 in just a couple of weeks. In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday that he was born and in others it feels like a decade has passed!

It's COLD In Here!

2006-12-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

I've been in denial the last couple of weeks about our home heating project and the fact that we would be having an entirely new HVAC system installed this week. One of my biggest gripes about buying this house is that it cost us a small fortune and has an absolutely awful heating system. Last winter was a nightmare with the main floor being about 15 degrees colder than the upper floor. The main floor was pretty much uninhabitable at times, so we knew some major changes were on the way. Well, it took us awhile to find a company that we felt comfortable working with (after being screwed by multiple other contractors over the past year and a half) and of course, just when we're ready to begin, the first real cold spell is upon us. We'll have no heat for the next couple of days, except in the basement, where we had electric heat installed last year. There will be workmen in and out for the next bunch of days and the bulk of the work will be done in the attic. The attic,you ask? Yup, because that's where the boneheads that built our house put the furnace. The attic stairs happen to be right next to Collin's room and at the moment he is defying all belief by sleeping in his crib during a racket that would truly wake the dead. Trust me, I'm not complaining! So, we're basically evacuating to the basement for the next couple of days. Thankfully, our basement rehaul was completed a few weeks ago and we should be pretty comfortable. The biggest concern is that we're blowing a hole in Collin's comfort zone. We'll be attempting to get him to sleep in the travel crib next to us while we're on the futon. Should be interesting!

Another Day

2006-12-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder how full-time, have no help at all, stay at home moms do this job at all. Here I am, with 15 hours a week worth of help, weekly date night, and a part-time job in my chosen field that gets me out of the house another 15 hours a week and I am still struggling to deal effectively with 1 small 11 month old boy. Not to mention that I have an extremely supportive husband who is only right down the road and who will come home to help out whenever asked (usually). I honestly think that I might run away if I had to stay with Collin all day every day! I know I've said this before and I think it freaks The Hens out when I mention it, but I don't think I'm cut out for motherhood about half of the time. The other half of the time life is great, but the boy can really be a tough cookie at times. He's been a bit on the aggressive side lately too. I mean, if you could even say an 11 month old could be aggressive. I'm not sure about that, but Collin has been pinching, scratching, gouging, hair pulling, and biting us QUITE A BIT lately. We've been trying to be consistent about our response to him when he does this stuff, but frankly he seems to be getting a real kick out of it. I mentioned to CJ the other day that I feel a general sense of defeatism about myself lately. I can't get on a real routine with Collin, I can't stay on top of household duties, the thought of the holidays overwhelms me, my files at work have been untouched for weeks, I can't stay on a healthy eating plan for more than 2 weeks at a time, yada, yada, yada.

OK...so that's my whine for the day. It's off my chest and on to other things now.

Vaccinations: These went off without a hitch. Collin was pretty pissed, but he seemed over it after 5 minutes. We'll see how round 2 goes in a month

The Quest for the perfect Santa shot: We've seen 4 Santas so far and Collin has been holding his own. After his melt down on our first attempt, he seems pretty cool with the chubby man in the red suit. However, he has not really, truly cracked a smile EVEN ONCE. I also took him to Picture People last week and again, we got some awesome shots, but there was not a toothy grin to be found anywhere. We will continue to visit Santa as the opportunities arise.

The Quest for Mary Poppins: I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I think we've found her! She starts "training" with Amanda on the 11th. I never should have wasted our money on the agency...I found her on my own.

Convincing Amanda she doesn't need to return to college and that Collin will forget her after 1 week: This one is going nowhere.

Tomorrow is the day...

2006-11-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

...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!

2006-11-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-15T11:19:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-11-13T10:54:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-01T20:44:00.000-05:00

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!

The Hen

2006-10-28T20:35:00.000-04:00

Last week my mom complained that she is never mentioned or seen on this blog. She feels like everyone else gets their due, except her. I told her that this was certainly not an intentional slight on my part, but she was still miffed.

So, I thought I would do a little post on my mom...or as we like to call her "The Hen". There are several "hens" in our family and they each have their own quirky little traits. My mom is the original hen though, hands down. I started calling her a hen because she really enjoys clucking and pecking around me until I am driven to distraction. I know that she means well and is just being a mom, but sometimes she just pecks one time too many!

Anyway...she is a great mother (and grandmother) and a hardworking woman. For the last several years she has been taking care of my grandfather. If you know anything about our family, you know that this is no easy task. One of mom's little quirky traits is trying to find the most unique gifts to give to my brother and I...there have been some strange ones over the years. Below is a picture of Collin holding one of those gifts. The mug was a Christmas present a few years back. On the front is a priceless picture of my mother's "mug". It is one of a kind! Welcome to Collin's Chronicles Mom!

Better Late Then Never

2006-10-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

I meant to get around to blogging about my Cleveland weekend on Monday. Woops...the week is running away from me. Our 7 th annual trip ladies trip was another smashing success in my humble opinion. I must say that we pretty much did nothing but eat, drink, and sleep (and read). Of course, we also attended the game, which was a total bust. The Browns lost 17-7. This is truly the worst they have ever played since we've started going to the games. That even includes our first trip 7 years ago when the Giants hammered them. They suck even more because they SHOULD be a decent, even GOOD football team. So, our record now stands at 5 wins and 2 losses seen on our trips. Still, not to shabby. It was also, by far, the coldest game we've been to. For once, we packed it up before the game was actually over and headed out to one of the pubs.

The real highlight for me was the time away and the good company. One of the biggest things I miss about my BC (before Collin) days is simply uninterrupted time. Time to just do whatever I want...read, eat, chat, SLEEP. The sleep was fantastic! Two nights of 8 hours plus sleep in my own, extremely comfortable, bed was awesome. We also ate and drank like queens. For me, the highlight meal was the brunch on Sunday morning at Pickwicks and Frolics. Chocolate fountain and mimosas. If you are ever in Cleveland on a Sunday morning, I highly recommend you make this stop!

I admit that I did pine for my little chief the whole weekend, but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying the time away. Distance does really make the heart grow fonder! From all reports he did fine over the weekend, if not a bit baffled. One of my fears was that he would forget who I was. Well, when Collin saw me at the airport on Monday, it did kind of seem like he forgot me. He was more interested in gazing at his Aunty Chau. He remembered me quick enough when it was time to breast feed! I actually think the little tyrant was giving me the cold shoulder on purpose!

Here's a pic of me at the game...

GO BROWNS!

2006-10-20T09:31:00.000-04:00

Well, that weekend is upon us and I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend in the glorious city of Cleveland. This will be the 7th Annual Girl's Road Trip to Cleveland. Actually, now that we are all women of more means we fly rather then do the drive. I am a die hard Cleveland Browns fan (to be a Browns fan at all, you must be die-hard) and once a year I drag some very good friends with me so I can see my team play in their home stadium. Many people ask, how do I manage to drag these people to Cleveland, of all places, to watch a football game? Frankly, I don't really know why they keep doing it...the Riccardi sisters are football fans themselves, so that helps. When it comes to Chau...I have no idea. Over the years we have managed to teach her a bit about the sport and she has a good time imitating the refs. She is a good sport and it is a lot of fun. Good food, good drinks, and good company. One of our Riccardi girls just can't make it this year, but another friend, Sharon, is jumping on board to take her place. Wa-Hoo!

The highlight of last year's trip was a 7 months pregnant me standing outside the player's exit with a picture of Collin's ultrasound screaming "Sign my baby's ultrasound...Please!" The tiny pictures below really don't do the moment any justice, but I couldn't re-size them. You get the idea. Of course, the difference this time around is that Collin is here and this is the first time I am leaving him....for 2 whole nights. I don't know if I want to dance a jig or cry. I am prepared to do both the whole weekend. I am bringing a mini-stack of books from my pile of To Be Reads and hope to catch up on my other favorite pastime...losing myself in a book.

My husband is a very good man and one thing I don't need to worry about is how well Collin will be taken care of. But, I am really going to miss the boy and I am a bit freaked out that he will forget who I am! He has become kind of like my little buddy...my constant companion....my shadow!

Not to mention, I am pretty pissy about having to drag the breast pump with me! Look for my post on Monday to see how we all fared.

Updated My Blog Roll

2006-10-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to update my blog roll for a while. Since joining the blogging world I have come across so many wonderful blogs. The list is by no means compete, but these are some of my favorites on some of my favorite interests.

Collin In The Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

9 Month Stats

2006-10-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

We took Collin for his 9 month check-up today and he is hale and hearty. It's been a tough week for the little chief...teeth coming in up top, 6-8 poops a day, corelating diaper rash, and the first injury that actually drew blood. All in all, he's holding it together pretty well. Notice in the picture he is holding a crunched up piece of paper and looking very guilty.This is because he likes to eat paper and that he is not supposed to.

Today he weighed in at 22lbs and 6 oz (75th percentile) and measured 29.8 inches (88th percentile). The one downer is that his head seems to be a bit on the big size (I think this trait comes from Daddy). It measures at 46.7 centimeters which puts him at the 83rd percentile. It's just a big jump since his 6 month check-up when he was at the 56th percentile. The doctor thinks that it can probably be accounted for by a measurement error the last time around. So, she wants to see him in 6 weeks just to check his rate of growth. Just one more thing for this already very paranoid Mommy to worry about! Throughout the check up Collin just kind of stared bug-eyed at the doctor. When I asked about food the doctor said he can basically be eating whatever we eat, just shredded or mushed up. We've been going pretty slow with the whole food thing due to allergy concerns (CJ had some pretty bad childhood allergies), but I'm thinking it's time to ramp it up. Collin is displaying very little interest in baby food at this point. He just wants whatever we have. I gave him some of my Wendys chilli the other night and he LOVED it! The best thing I've given him so far is a honey crisp apple. I just discivered them myself and whenever I have an apple I let Collin knaw on it a bit. Well, when he got his hands on that honey crisp apple he just about lost his shit. He FREAKED out when I tried to take it away. I mean, he went to town on this thing. He kind of looked like a rabid squirrel knawing on a nut. It's about the only food we've tried that has ellicited any kind of real excitement.

The boy continues to learn new tricks at an alarming rate. He is now waving and clapping at will. He seems to know what these things mean as well. He's also standing up on his own more and more. I've been trying desperately to get a picture or videotape him in action, but he plays coy. It's also dawned on him that when we start going up the stairs and head into his room it probably means one of two things...he is either about to be changed or put to bed. He does not care for either of these things and gets his point across quite easily with arm flapping and screeches.

A Couple More Things

2006-10-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

There are just a couple more things I want to blog about from our DC trip last week. I discovered a really cool store called Ten Thousand Villages on King Street in Alexandria. I've never heard of this chain of stores before and I don't think we have any in NJ. It's an awesome concept that they've come up with...selling handcrafted items made by people in 3rd world countries. Here's a couple of sentences from their vission and mission statements...

" Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income artisans earn helps pay for food, education, health care and housing."

Check out their website to see some of their items. They truly had some beautiful pieces of art, jewelery, and clothing. Not to mention all kinds of other fun stuff. I picked up a couple of things from The Women's Bean Project.

On our way home we stopped in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood to take a peek at a craft fair I found advertised. Crafty Bastards was a unique, alternative craft show with dozens of items I've never seen at the standard run of the mill crafty event. Here's a couple of pics we took...

Holy Moly!

2006-10-04T12:24:00.000-04:00

Here are the stairs in our house.....

Since Collin has been born one of my frequent nightmares has been him falling down the stairs or me falling down the stairs while carrying him. About 3 weeks ago we installed a gate at the top of the stairs so he could crawl around the second floor at will while we're doing chores or whatever up there. Until yesterday Collin had absolutely no interest in trying to crawl up the stairs at all. Well, I left him alone in my library (directly to the left of the staircase) for a total of maybe 45 seconds to put something in the dishwasher. My first clue should have been how quiet he got. By the time I came back Collin had climbed, literally, half the staircase all by himself. I was speechless. He turned around and gave me the biggest shit-eating grin you could imagine. It may be time to install more gates.

Collin Goes To Washington

2006-10-02T21:44:00.000-04:00

Saturday turned out to be a mixed bag of weather. As we arrived at the book festival it was raining steadily. Pretty miserable. By the time 2:00 rolled around it was still cloudy, but at least the rain stopped. Despite an awful sleep Collin was gung ho for most of the day. He loves sitting up in the stroller and he looks like a little king on his mobile throne. He is constantly looking around, scanning the crowd and checking out everything. As usual he garnered lots of attention as we roamed the festival. He was his usual coy and flirty self. At one point CJ was waiting for me when I was in the book sales tent and parked Collin's stroller next to a little girl in her stroller. Well, it only took him about 1 minute to steal the binky right out of her mouth. CJ told me later that ne needed to get out of there because Collin was all over the little girl!

During a lull in the festival action I finally took Collin on his first carousel ride. I've been wanting to do this for a while. I have to say that sucker went at a decent clip! Collin loved it and insisted on standing up on our bench so he could have a bird's eye view of the action. Here we are...

Later on the boy passed out cold in the baby bjorn.... too much literary stimulation I guess!

After the festival we headed back to Alexandria for dinner. Boy oh boy, this kid does NOT like for his two parents to be sitting down to dinner out. About 20 minutes after we sat down Collin lost his crap and we needed to beat a hasty retreat. Dinner to go once again. The good news is that he did sleep the night through in the travel crib. Our prayers were answered!

We briefly considered a third night, but decided we would be nuts since we were all under the weather. Before hitting the road home though we made a stop at the FDR Memorial. This one is probably my favorite. Here is Collin with FDR's dog Fala...

More trip tid-bits tomorrow!

We're Home!

2006-10-01T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well, there's no doubt about it. Collin is truly a seasoned traveler at this point. Our D.C. trip this weekend is his third time away from home since he was born. He has taken to hotel life and actually seemed a bit diappointed to be home tonight! Anyway, there's a lot to say about our road trip, so I'll probably break this down into a couple of posts. We had a great time, but we were struggling...all three of us being under the weather (Daddy was a real trooper). As I said previously, we took a drive down to our nation's capital this weekend for the National Book Festival. I'll post about book stuff over at The Written Word and keep the Chronicles focused on our little kumkquat (latest nickname for the boy).

Day 1 started out pretty hairy. About an hour into the trip I heard a funny flapping sound and smelled burning rubber. Yup, we had a flat. Here is poor CJ changing our tire on a VERY busy highway, with very BIG trucks zooming by.

The tyrant thankfully slept through this part of the trip. The end result of this debacle was about a 2 hour detour to Pep Boys in Newark, Delaware where we secured a new tire. This turned our hopefully less than 4 hour trip into a 6 hour trip. Oh well...we rebounded nicely by the time we got to our friend's home in Bethesda. What a great time! Collin was manic from being in the carseat so long and the second we put him down on their living room floor he was off and running. It was actually pretty funny to see him acting like he owned the place! Our friend's have 4 kids ages 7 down to 7 months. Another couple we're friend's with as well were there with their 2 year old daughter. Six kids all under 7! Total chaos and lots of fun!

It was great for CJ and I to see other parents of little ones in action. This is something we don't get a lot of. Both sets of parents really seemed to have it together and I felt like taking notes on their techniques. It was so reassuring for me to hear from other moms that yes, other babies are breastfed down to sleep at night and yes, the whole parenthood thing can make you want to run for the hills sometimes!

After a great time we headed out for another half an hour of driving to Old Town, Alexandria and our hotel. The Embassey Suites turned out to be a great hotel that we enjoyed staying at. The location directly across from the train station was key. The first night was ROUGH. We packed the travel crib and after exploring his new territory Collin went to sleep without a problem, but this was not until about 11:00...3 or 4 hours after his normal bed time. I think it really through him off because he was up 2 hours later and wound up in our bed. Bad, bad night! Lots more on the trip to come the next few days!

Road Tripping

2006-09-29T08:27:00.000-04:00

Well, we're off to D.C. this weekend for the National Book Festival. Not that he will remember any of it, but this will be Collin's first trip to our nation's capital. I am hoping that someday he will return as the president (and a progressive/feminest president at that)! There's bound to be plenty of fodder for the scrapbook by the end of this weekend. I spent most of yesterday packing up for the little man. Who knew that one little person would require so much gear for a 3 day weekend? Besides the book festival we'll be visiting with some friends who live in the area. These are friends who have small children themselves, so it will be a nice change to socialize with people who can commiserate! We're staying across the river in Old Town, Alexandria and have booked a nice sized suite (a lesson learned from our California travels). I'm sure there will be plenty to blog about on both the baby and book front. Look for my festival posts over at The Written Word. I probably won't post until Monday when we return...no laptops on this trip!

9 Months

2006-09-27T09:41:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that Little C will be 9 months old in just a couple of days. Time has really flown. Whenever I see little tiny babies I can hardly imagine that Collin was once that tiny too. These days he seems larger than life. He is into EVERYTHING! Nothing is safe. He wants to explore every nook and cranny of the house it seems. He has started to really cruise around the furniture and I wouldn't be surprised if he skips walking altogether and just starts to RUN one of these days. One thing that has not changed is his emphatic personality, as I like to call it. He is not one to sit idly by while his needs go unmet. He BELLOWS his needs at the top of his lungs...rather like his father in that respect. I see it as a good thing actually. I don't see him as a child who will not speak up for himself when he needs to. If anything, I think his couth will just need some fine tuning....also like his father in some respects!

Every week continues to bring new milestones. This week Collin has really started to wave at us, other people, and every inanimate object that catches his eye. He doesn't seem to exactly know what he's doing just yet...that waving can be a form of communication and greeting, but I don't think that knowledge is too far behind. Our family is really getting into the swing of fall now. The bulbs arrived in the mail yesterday and hopefully they will be planted this week. The Halloween decorations will be going up next week. The basement is on it's way to being transformed into a scrapping/play area mecca (pictures to come). We're thinking of painting it something in the tangerine family. This weekend beings the big D.C. trip and National Book Festival. I'll be sure to post about that over at The Written Word.

The Tiny Tyrant Strikes Again!

2006-09-22T19:35:00.000-04:00

This is what the boy generally looks like by the time we are done changing him these days. He used to love laying on his changing table and "talking" to the sticker cows and pigs on the wall while we changed his diaper or outfit. Now, it is our most dreaded task. I shudder to think what the neighbors must be saying when they hear him wailing at the TOP of his lungs several times a day. It's not just a general pissed off cry either. He screams like we're actually hurting him. The only thing that convinces me we aren't hurting him is that the second we are done changing him he is all smiles again. This is a task that has gone from taking us 3-5 minutes to an absolutely horrid 10 minutes or more. Collin twists, turns, thrashes, and gnashes his teeth like a little dragon. CJ has become adept at actually changing him while Collin is standing up in his crib or even in a crawling position. This is something the little tyrant finds very funny. I have had to actually remove myself from the situation a couple of times because it gets so frustrating. I mean, of all the things to get so pissed off about! There is some good news though. I think that last night was the first night in his entire life (all 9 months of it) that Collin "put" himself to sleep. Usually by the time I'm done nursing him at right before bedtime he is out cold. But, when I put him down last night he just snapped himself awake. I literally ran from the room because I didn't want him to realize I was still there. I was anxiously awaiting the crying to begin, when to my surprise he just started babbling to himself. He did this pretty contentedly for about 15 minutes and then he was out for the night. I'm hoping this is the next step on his path to sleep maturity!

Here's my library...Finally!

2006-09-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

Books! Books! Books!

2006-09-20T14:22:00.000-04:00

In case any of you don't know, I am a true bibliophile and have been as long as I can remember. My sidebar lists a great organization called The Dewey Donation System that is trying to help the libraries destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. I love books and just about anything to do with them. I especially love to collect them! I tried to upload a picture of my "library" at home, but blogger is not cooperating. Mabe next time. Anyway, my friend Stephanie (of Forks and Chopsticks fame) started a new on-line book club not so long ago called The Written Word. She has invited me to be a "guest blogger" once a week or so to share any book reviews, book blogs, book news, etc. that I might find interesting. When you have a chance check it out and consider joining in for our second book: The Secret Girl, by Molly Bruce Jacobs.

An Angry Boy

2006-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

Here is Collin trying to capture the camera out of my hands so he can eat it!

No Pun Intended, but...

2006-09-18T20:31:00.000-04:00

this boy loves his balls! His Fisher Price Roll-A-Rounds Balls. About a week ago CJ brought home 2 packages of these little beauties and Collin is absolutely enamored of them! There are 12 in total and they're each unique...with different colors, sounds, and textures. Collin loves to clack them together non-stop.

Dinner and a Movie

2006-09-16T21:32:00.000-04:00

Every Friday night CJ and I have Aunt Amanda watch our little chief so we can head out for date night. We've been doing this pretty much since he has been born and I think the "couple time" really goes a long way to keeping us connected. We've discovered that there is nothing like a new baby to distract you from your marriage...unless you work on it. Who knew it would be this hard? Anyway, last night was a great date night. We had a nice dinner out at a local place (minus the summer crowds) with a nice view of the water. After dinner we went and had a tasty ice cream dessert. Once we got home (yeah! the boy was ASLEEP) it was onto a romantic comedy, "Prime" with Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman. Pretty entertaining. The miracle of it all is that we managed to stay awake until the end! It's really all about the simple things these days!

Fall Project List

2006-09-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

Well, with the arrival of football season comes the Fall Project List. My husband, the master of lists in our house, has quite the ambitious agenda for us three. Needless to say, sometimes my priority list is a bit different from his. My top 2 projects for the season are: 1. Clean out and organize our as yet unused finished basement. This will enable us to create a kid safe space for Collin to crawl around it. I'm also hoping to create a little bit of a scrapping station down there, so that the dining room table is no longer scrap central. 2. Fall bulb planting also tops my list. Last year was our first planting bulbs...mostly tulips. They turned out ok, but I learned that for some real effect you need to plant masses of these things. I have about 2oo on order that should be arriving any day now. I told CJ that all he needs to do is dig me the trench and I'll do the rest. For some reason he looked slightly unbelieving!

On the boy front, he continues to run us pretty much ragged. He is averaging 3 big falls a day and several minor ones. It doesn't matter how close by you are to him. He still manages to fall all over the place. Today he craweled, at high speed, into the knob on the tv cabinet and now has a knob shaped bump on his forhead. He also loves to experiment with standing on his tippy toes and has tried this approach to climbing the shelves in the fridge. He is truly relentless!

Are you ready for some football?

2006-09-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows us knows that we are a football household. I've been a Cleveland Browns fan since I was a little girl and my husband is a long time Dallas Cowboy follower. Football is actually one of the things that really drew us to each other...we're both very passionate fans. I take an annual "road trip" to Cleveland once a year with some girlfriends to see my team play in their home stadium. CJ has been known to go into a 3 day funk over a Cowboy loss. So, it's no surprise that there has been some heated competiton between us to see who can woo Collin over to our own preferred team. Not to mention that we have other interested parties (i.e. Raider and Giant fans) trying to bring him over to the dark side. Yes, we are starting early! I feel that in the long run Collin will be a Brown's fan because he will know that I gave him life and he owes me. Don't little boys always love their mother's more? If that's the case, then he's a little Brownie through and through. But, who knows? CJ is definitely taking a more subtle and subversive approach.

To celebrate the start of the season we dressed the boy up in multiple outfits representing each of our teams. The boy HATES getting dressed or undressed, so this was not a pleasant experience for him. It's sad to say though that our teams went 0 and 2 for week 1. We're hoping it goes uphill from here. GO BROWNS!

Remembering

2006-09-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

This cracked me up...

2006-09-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

I really wish I bought this little sign I saw yesterday at a craft fair. It said,

"Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens"

I know it's not the sweetest sentiment , but it really hits the nail on the head for me sometimes!

Off the wagon...Big Time

2006-09-10T09:04:00.000-04:00

OK...since I got pregnant with Collin I have been trying to live by the philosophy "Nine months on...Nine months off" when it comes to the pregnancy weight. I gained about 38 pounds during the pregnancy, but it could have been SO much less if I had just stayed away from all those cherry cokes! Anyway, I lost 20 of it very quickly and have really been struggling with those last 15. All of the sudden that 9 month mark is creeping up and I still have a good 12 (or 15) pounds to get back to my original weight. The last month or so, I've been great about exercise and watching what I eat. But, let me tell you...the last few days I have really fallen off the healthy eating wagon....yesterday I had 4 beers, 2 slices of pizza, and a plate of butterfly fries at my town's end of summer bash. It's all of these special events that kill me! I try not to be too hard on myself about the weight and I'm not looking to get "skinny", but I don't want to be stuck carrying around extra baby weight, especially when I've got another couple to pop out! Tomorrow is a new day though and I'll be starting fresh with a kick ass boxing session in the morning.

Odds and Ends of a Crazy Week

2006-09-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

The week has flown by and I'm not quite sure what happened to it. There was not even a moment to post on Collin's Chronicles! The end of the official summer season is upon us and we're thrilled! One of the great things about living at the shore is that once all the "bennies" go home on Labor Day we have a little second season...the weather is gorgeous throughout September and sometimes into October. I personally have nothing against all the visitors during the summer, but it does make for bad local traffic and crowded beaches. In September the locals come back out! Anyway, Daddy is out playing in the annual "King of the Beach" volleyball tornament, so Collin and I are waiting for Auntie Grace to come down and join us for the day. Tomorrow is another big day in this household...the first day of football season. It should be interesting to see how much of our usual football routine the boy will go along with. Probably not too much! The days of plopping down on the couch and watching 8 hours straight of football are gone. It will be fun to dress him up in all of those Browns's outfits I bought when I was pregnant.

Collin's sleep trend has continued and I'm soaking up the 7, 8, 9 hours of sleep we're getting at night. I feel like I'm trying to recoup a year's worth of lost rest...basically, that's actually what I am doing! This week we're making the big jump to stage 3 foods. We're a bit behind on the food front, but we're taking it slow due to CJ's history of childhood allergies. Collin seems pretty fed up with the babyfood at this point. He pretty much gives me the stink eye whenever he sees me taking it out of the cabinet. He does, however, love drinking my Pelligrino right from the bottle!

Baby Blogging

2006-09-04T09:54:00.000-04:00

I read a very interesting post on baby blogging yesterday and thought it did a great job of articulating my very own thoughts on the whole matter. One of the concerns some family members had about me writing this blog was the very real possibility that some sickos out there (paedophiles) could use Collin's pictures to their own ends The thought of it disturbs me as well. But, the truth of the matter is that even if that happens Collin is not actually hurt by it. Sadly enough, as the statistics tell us there is a much greater chance of Collin being harmed, be it physically or sexually, by someone in our own circle.

As far as baby blogging goes, why should I not post pictures of my gorgeous kid so that family and friends can enjoy? The writer over at Alas, a blog makes a great point in that the whole issue is comparable to the "rape prevention" tactics that women are taught. Instead of working to actually hold rapists accountable for their actions, our culture teaches women to work their lives around the possibility of being raped in order to protect themselves. Don't get me wrong, any form of child pornography is completely unacceptable, but should we alter our lives around a fear of them?

Sleepy Time!

2006-08-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

Not to spit in the wind or anything, but the boy has been sleeping better for the last week or so. We started a new strategy with which we are having some success. To start with, I'm resigned for the time being to the fact that nursing him down is the best method for getting him to sleep at night. Don't get me wrong, I love the bonding time with him, but there's a part of me that's freaked out by the thought he'll be 3 years old and still needing the boob to get to sleep (hopefully, this is an irrational fear). But, for now, it's fine. It works for both of us. The next part of our strategy is based on the premis that he does indeed go to bed with a very full tummy, so if he's waking up, it's probably not hunger related. Previously I was getting up to nurse him 2 or 3 times a night (this is from 5 months on)...just to get him back down. Exhausting! So, if he wakes up in the middle of the night now I put the 10 minute timer on him. I will let him cry up until 10 minutes to put himself back to sleep. Anything beyond that is worth an investigation. Guess what? He's never made it past the 8 minute mark yet. Usually, he only goes 3 or 4 minutes. After 3 nights of trying this we've had 8, 9, 10, and 11 hour sleep stretches. Eureka! CJ and I are just trying to catch up on our sleep before the next regression comes along. Naps have improved as well. He's typically taking a morning and an afternoon nap. Sometimes they're only 30 or 40 minutes, but it's still an improvement! Check him out above actually falling asleep during a yogurt snack!

Harry Potter Speculation

2006-08-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

I'm a big Harry Potter fan and am eagerly awaiting the publication of the final book next summer...rumored to be released on 7/7. In the last few weeks there's been lots of speculation flying around about which character's might not make it to see the end of the series...including Harry himself! JK Rowling has adamantly stated that that certain character who died toward the end of the Half-Blood Prince is REALLY dead (I don't want to spoil it in case there are one or two out there that haven't read the book yet). Here's a pretty cool sight with some info on the upcoming release....it's just fun to read all the rumors. The best thing about Harry Potter is how the books have managed to ignite a new joy of reading into kids (and adults). I hope that something similar comes along for Collin's generation. I plan to read him the Harry Potter stories when he's older...right now when I try to read him anything he just tries to eat the pages. It seems like such a long wait for the next novel that I plan on starting from book one in the fall and try to scope out any clues that might give anything away for the finale.

On the Collin front.... it's been an up and down week. The best news is that last night he slept from 8:30-6:30. I think it's a record sleep...let's hope it's a trend.

Reading the classics this summer...

2006-08-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished Lord of the Flies quickly. I must say that it a rather hair-raising little book. It was incredibly dark and had so many different undertones to it. I'm curious what grade this book is suggested for. You have to wonder, how quickly would the trappings of civilization fall away if any group of people were stranded on an island somewhere and left to their own devices. The characters were intriguing...poor, tormented Piggy, conflcited Ralph, and little psycho-path Jack Merridew. I could relate to Piggy completely because of the dire importance of his specs. I too would be doomed to stumble about haplessly without my contacts or glasses. I could practically feel his anxiety when his were stolen from him toward the end of the book. After finishing, one thing that crossed my mind was how different would the story have been if it was a pack of girls stranded on that island? Overall, I'm glad that I read Lord of the Flies. It was brilliantly written, but nonetheless, I won't be putting it into any of my Top 10 lists anytime soon. RIP Piggy and Simon.

I've since started on Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This is just the switch in tone I need after Each time I read something by Austen I'm amazed at how modern her stories read. The main character, Catherine, is very likeable and I'm cheering for her. More to come....

On a much lighter note....

2006-08-20T14:07:00.000-04:00

The boy continues to get into everything. Every day brings new adventures!
His latest thing is unrolling all of the toilet paper and wallowing around in it. This kid is a genius!

Disturbing...Vent of the day

2006-08-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

All over the news right now where I live is the arrest of a local handyman for sexually assaulting children in the homes where he worked. We're talking at least 11 children , ages 2 through 11, boys and girls. Not only did he assault these kids, but he put video cameras in the bathrooms of dozens of clients to be able to watch them in their daily comings and goings. We're talking really sick shit here. Just like all pedophiles he found ways to get close to kids and ways to "groom" them to get his sicko needs met. Obviously, I find this disturbing. I don't think there's a time in my life I wouldn't have found it disturbing. Since Collin has been born though, I really find myself getting sick to my stomach when I see these stories. I mean, WE have a handyman! I was nervous about unknown people in the house before. It sucks that you have to be a woman in the world today, in the United States no less, and worry about being attacked in your own home (or by your intimate partner for that matter since its so much more common then a stranger attacking youz). Put Collin into the picture and its a whole new ballgame. I mean here is a little creature who is truly for defenseless for the time being. Working in the field as sexual assault/domestic violence counselor, you would think I might be just a little bit used to hearing these stories, but I'm not. I still continue to be shocked. Seriously, when is our society going to say enough is enough?

The Hip Hammock

2006-08-18T20:21:00.000-04:00

Eureka! We've discovered the hip hammock! CJ randomly brought it home from Babies R Us last week on a whim. I was a bit dubious about trying any other kind of sling contraption because thus far Collin has not taken to any of them. For the next baby we will definitely be trying the whoe sling thing very early on to get the baby adapted quickly. Anyway, Collin freakin loves this thing. I mean what's not to love, he's carried around on my hip like the little king that he is. Not only does the kid love it,it seems (not to spit in the wind) as though it is a sure nap inducer. Twenty minutes of bopping around in this thing and he's out cold. The downside is that I can't figure out a way to wrangle him out of it and place him in the crib without a wake-up. I've taken this as a sign that I am just meant to nap with him. So today, once he was passed out, I just eased my way onto the couch and we took a nice little snuggled up nap. On the night time sleeping front, I had a reassuring conversation with my neighbor today. She nursed all 3 of her kids for a year each and she said she always nursed them down to sleep and that that they just naturally phased out of needing it to go to bed. This has given me some hope that we are not permanently resigning Collin to a life of sleep disorders because we don't put him down awake at night. I think I'm just coming to the conclusion that you do what it takes to make it work.

Let the babyproofing begin.....

2006-08-17T08:19:00.000-04:00

It seems as though the milestones are coming fast and furious now. My scrapbooking can barely keep up with all the events. Just in the last 2 weeks Collin has become quite the swifty pulling himslef along on the floor, has learned to clap his hands, say "MMMM", pull himself up on the furniture, and unroll the toilet paper (he's in the bathroom with me because he can't tolerate being left alone for 2 minutes while I pee). He is absolutely fearless in these endeavors and we have a pretty big baby proofing project ahead of us. We don't want to go too overboard, but the number of safety devices you can buy at Babys R Us is astounding! Of course, the one thing you decide against using will probably be the thing you really wish you had.

Collin's cognitive skills seem to be developing quickly as well. He definitely knows that something is up when he hear's "No" and object permanence is coming along as well. He tracks for an item with his eyes even when I've taken it out of his view. Sometimes he looks at me like he has so much he would like to say! He also LOVES the new Gaelic Storm CD. We've been dancing around the house to it for the last few days.

Weekly Book Fix

2006-08-13T20:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Stephanie over at The Written Word I've been perusing quite a few reading/book lovers blogs and have been itching to go make some purchases based on those bloggers recommendations and reading lists. So this morning my lovely husband drove me over to Borders and kept the boy occupied while I binged on books. I'm going with a "classics" theme (both old school and modern) for the rest of the summer. Here's what I purchased today...

War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
Northanger Abbey
Lord of the Flies (started this one on the beach today and I'm already very afraid for poor Piggy)
The Princess Bride
Love in the Time of Cholera

Looking at the list I can't believe that I haven't read some of these already. The good thing about buying some of these classics like Austen, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky is that their cheap! This stack should keep me busy for a while.

What kind of man will he be?

2006-08-12T13:48:00.000-04:00

CJ and I were out on our weekly "date" last night and of course Collin was one of the main topics of conversation. We were wondering out loud about what kind of man our little chief would grow up to be and the kind of influence we, as his parents, will have on this process of becoming a person. As first time parents I think that this is one of the things we're really struggling with. How many of our own biases and judgements will we ultimately pass onto him? How about our ideas about politics, religion, and ethics? CJ and I are known to have some very differing opinions on some of these things...how will that play out as we raise our kids? We both agreed that the important thing would be to find balance and common ground as much as possible. We both want Collin to be an open-minded and compassionate individual. Of course, balance and common ground are things that are easier said than done. It's obviously a little hard to predict what kind of a person Collin will grow into, but he's already giving us little clues as to his temperment...determined, enthusiastic, energetic, affectionate...so far so good.

He Sleeps....

2006-08-11T10:35:00.000-04:00

...for the moment anyway. Today's attempt at a morning nap in the crib has been successful thus far. He went down about 30 minutes ago, but I can hear his little lips smacking on the baby monitor. Actually, there he is crying right now. Oh well. I squandered my half an hour wondering what to do with myself!

Mommy Lit

2006-08-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

Becoming a parent has introduced me to a whole new genre of books I like to call "Mommy Lit". I was reorganizing my bookshelves today and realized I've accumulated quite a few books on motherhood and parenting related topics....books with titles like "Mommy Wars", "Breeder", and "Operating Instructions". They've brought me quite a few laughs throughout the last several months. One that I've recently been perusing is called Inconsolable: How I Threw My Mental Health Out with the Diapers by Marrit Ingman. This book I actually love. I love her dark humor, writing skill, and courage she shows to tell the world about her battle with post-partum depression. She also has a blog that is both entertaining (much more so than mine) and thought provoking.

Today was a tough day on the mommy front at our house. Little C has become something like a stalker. I feel his eyes on me wherever I go. Don't get me wrong, I love that he loves me so much and it's pretty flattering that I'm the only one who can meet his needs right now, but everyday life necessities are not getting done...I can't operate with a 20 lb boy attached to my hip! Ithink I need to start practicing the zen art of letting go....letting go of all the things that there just aren't time to do anymore.

On the up side...Collin and sweet potatoes mix pretty well. We're looking forward to the orange poop that is sure to come.

2 Teeth Busting Through

2006-08-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

I think all of the crankiness of the last several days has at least been partially explained. This morning I noticed 2 little white bumps on Collin's lower gumbs. Low and behold his first 2 teeth are breaking through. The poor thing has been gumbing away on anything he can get into his mouth. That is, everything except his teething rings. He has been exhaused as well...last night was a record sleep of 10 hours. We're hoping this is a trend. Another little milestone today was his introduction to the sippy cup and apple juice. He was looking a bit dubious about the cup, but once he figured out that there was apple juice in there his tune changed pretty quick!

On a non baby note...I found out that the National Book Festival will be held the weekend of September 30th in D.C. We'll be road tripping with the boy for the weekend. A whole festival for books? I'm psyched! I didn't even realize this thing existed....and I call myself a bibliophile! I'm hoping this will turn into an annual family tradition.

Not to get too graphic, but...

2006-08-03T21:11:00.000-04:00

I know that it's mostly family members reading this blog right now and that makes it a little bit difficult to post about some of the more delicate topics regarding motherhood to a 7 month old. Or at least with my prudish family it is! I mean, my mother doesn't even like how frequently we use the word breasts or booby in conversation these days. However, it has been a tough day on the breastfeeding journey and I need to post about it. We've been doing great, all things considered. I mean, it must be going well because the kid is busting over the 20 pound mark already! I did think that after this long I wouldn't be forced to deal with any more cracked nipples though. I though that form of motherhood torture was reserved only for those first several weeks. I was definitely wrong on that front. About 2 weeks ago Collin started getting particularly ferocious on the breast. I mean nashing and thrashing about. He has developed into a baby with very bad breast feeding etiquette seemingly overnight! My poor right nipple is mangled but good and I actually had to see the doctor today. Of course, there's not much to be done except apply lanolin and "air dry". I am trying to impress upon Collin how much it hurts me when he thrashing around while feeding, but the little imp actually seems to get a gleam in his eye when he's doing it! I just continue to remind myself what a great thing I'm doing for my kid by continuing to breast feed, but my eye is on the clock and its ticking!

Heat Wave!

2006-08-02T09:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if the heat is contributing, but Collin's behavior the last few days has been off the wall. I guess it must be a combination of things like teething, reaching developmental milestones, and re-entry after a long vacation...all happening at the same time! He has been grumpy, cranky, and impossible to please. We actually took him to the doctor yesterday, just to make sure there's nothing physically wrong with him. Nope...nothing! The doctor said it's "behavioral". Crazy me, I've always thought of "behavioral" issues as an adolescent thing...not an infant thing! Well, the good news is that last night we had a bit of a breakthrough with the sleeping. I hate to even mention it because I feel like it's spitting in the wind a bit. Who know's what tonight will bring? Anyway, I nursed him (BIG NO NO in the doctor's book) to sleep, but he woke up as soon as I put him down in the crib. I called in the daddy reinforcements and CJ got him to sleep. This was around 8:30. Low and behold, he didn't wake up until 6:00 this morning. Needless to say, I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a trend. CJ and I are strategizing like to 2 generals in a war what our next moves will be.

On the book front, my To Be Read pile is growing in leaps and bounds. I got 2 Mommy related titles in the mail today that look particularly relevant... Literary Mama (edited by Buchanan & Hudock) and The Imperfect Mom (edited by Borchard). Who knows when I'll actually get the time to read them, but I'll keep you posted.

I Smell Poop

2006-07-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

11:00 p.m: A whispered conversation between CJ and I last night (with Collin between us)...

Me: I smell poop. Do you smell poop?
CJ: I don't smell poop. When's the last time he pooped?
Me: A day or two ago, so he's due for a big one.
CJ: My nose is stuffed. I can't smell anything.
Me: His butt is facing you...stick your finger in his diaper.
CJ: OK
Me: Well?
CJ: No poop.

Home Sweet Home

2006-07-28T16:22:00.000-04:00

We arrived home late Wednesday night after a great flight. Collin was fantastic. There were several babies on the plane and he was by far the most quiet. All in all, we're still fairly exhausted. Collin is having a lot of trouble readjusting to the house and our "normal" routine. Both nights he has landed back in the bed with us. Once he is in the bed he is OUT like a light and doesn't stir for the next 8 hours (unless we try to move him into his crib, of course). Why can't he do this in his own bed? I figure we'll give him another couple of nights to adjust. What then? I don't know. Thus far, I've been adamantly opposed to the cry it out method, but he seems to be gaining in tenacity. I'm not so sure anymore. I also tried to give him some applesauce today and it was a definite NO on his part. I'm not sure if he was just not hungry or didn't like the taste. We'll try again tomorrow. He might be a vegetable man because thus far, it's a no go on the fruits!

Can't wait to see the babysitters

2006-07-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

CJ and I were remarking today how we could not have asked for better "behavior" from Collin on this trip. I mean, sure, he did have his moments (like yesterday, when I could swear that he purposely spilled my large smoothy all over the back seat of our rental car) of crankiness, but we were dragging the poor thing all over the state of California. He's really adjusted well to life on the road. It seemed like most people thought we were a little nuts for trying this trip with a 6 month old to begin with. I must admit that I can't wait to see our "babysitters" (Aunt Amanda and The Hens) as soon as we get home though. Since Collin has been born we have (luckily) had a lot of help with his care and we've been able to get things done or just take a breather whenever needed. These last 2 weeks there have been no breaks and I can't lie, it has been tough. I get the feeling we are really in for an adjustment when we get home because of how much more mobile he is now, compared to just 2 weeks ago. He is literally into everything. I turned my head yesterday and he managed to squirm halfway across the floor of our hotel room and get his head into the garbage can. He had a Ghirardelli chocolate wrapper in his mouth. Anyway, I'm just saying that I can't wait to have half an hour to open our mail and maybe another hour to get to the gym. Ahh, the little pleasures!

Day 14

2006-07-24T19:58:00.000-04:00

We've made it to just about the end of our trip. One more day in San Fran and then we head for home. Disappointingly we found out today that trips over to Alcatraz are sold out thru Thursday, so that won't be happening this time around. Instead we drove around town today on our own and visited some of the different neighborhoods of the city. San Francisco is a very diverse place which makes it interesting. We spent some time tracking down the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. I just started reading the book by the same name and it's an enchanting story. CJ actually did spot several of them flying down Lombard Street while I was off looking elsewhere. This evening we're off for dinner in Chinatown. I'll be blogging more in the days to come, probably starting with the topic of the pros and cons to blogging. CJ and I have been discussing some concerns in regard to the whole thing. I'd be interested in hearing feedback from other moms that blog about the details of their families.

The Many Faces of Collin

2006-07-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

I have to say, this kid really hams it up for the camera.

San Francisco Treat!

2006-07-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

We've arrived in San Fran and have been shocked to discover that a heat wave has been going on here as well. It topped out at 98 degrees and felt even hotter. We pretty much decided to hole up in the room for the night and get a fresh start tomorrow. Collin continues to do pretty well. I was mentioning to CJ that I feel like this whole trip has been kind of a good learning experience for Collin. It seems like he's becoming a bit more adaptable and better able to "roll with the punches". Just the same, it will be good to get home on Wednesday and start getting him back on a real routine. Our priority is going to be addressing sleep issues and making sure he gets a lot more practice with solid foods. I must admit that after almost 7 months the breastfeeding is starting to wear me down.
Our plan for the next few days is to see the city in a leisurely fashion and just enjoy what's left of the trip. Pretty soon we'll be back in good old Jersey.

We're still here!

2006-07-21T23:40:00.000-04:00

We've moved on from Santa Barbara and are now in Monterey. We decided on taking Rt. 101 as opposed to the Pacific Coast Highway to save time. It still took us close to 5 hours with stops to get here. I must stay that Collin did very well on the drive! We were originally booked at a Travel Lodge for Monterey, but it was a total DUMP, so we jumped ship to a little historic hotel n downtown. The funniest thing is that there is some kind of huge motorcycle race here this weekend and there are literally hundreds of bikers here. Last night was an awful night's sleep with all of the vroom vroom going on down mainstreet (right outside our window)! Other than that, Monterey has been fun. The aquarium here is awesome and we spent today exploring Carmel and Point Lobos (very cool). Tomorrow, we're off on the last leg of our trip to San Francisco. We feel like we've been gone a year!

Scrapbooking, wine, and Davey Crockett in Santa Barbara

2006-07-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

Santa Barbara has been a highlight of the trip so far. Collin, knock on wood, seems to be quite well adjusted to the travel routine. Last night was a bit of a mini-milestone because he actually slept the whole night (9-5:30) in his own crib. I guess we're finally wearing him out with all of this activity. Not to mention, he seems to be very lovey dovey with me lately. Poor CJ feels a bit left out I think!

Today was another busy, but laid back (sort of) type of day. I found a scrapbooking store called Santa Barbara Scrapbooks (www.SBscrapbooks.com). Holy Crapper! We have nothing like in NJ that I know of and it is a scrapper heaven. Not to mention it was hilarious to watch Collin's reaction when the store pug kept coming over to sniff his feet dangling out of the stroller! I can only hope that some day Collin will appreciate the mania that is going into creating this scrapbook!

Afterwords we took a drive up to wine country via some desert country. The area's wine industry has really been booking for the last several years and I was eager to check it out. The drive up into the mountains entails going through some pretty desert-like areas and about half way there CJ realized we were just about out of gas. Again, holy crapper! It was reading about 100 degrees and if we ran out of gas we could have had a bit of a situation on our hands. Luckily there was a campground we passed that actually sold gas...60 bucks to fill the tank. We arrived in a little town called Los Olivios, which reminded me of the Old West, except it had about a dozen or so wine tasting places. I chickened out of trying any though because I felt like such a novice! Off we drove to Fess Parker's (aka Davey Crokett) vinyard where I became a bit braver and actually tasted a couple. We left with 2 bottles of Riesling and a coon skin cap for my brother Gary. Tomorrow, we're leaving at the crack of dawn for Monterey. This will be our big driving day of the trip.

Destination Santa Barbara!

2006-07-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning we headed out of LA and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. Next stop...Santa Barbara. On the way we stopped in Santa Monica again for some quick shopping at the 3rd Street Promenade. I didn't buy anything, but quickly discovered that none of the stores would let you use their bathroom...even Barnes and Noble! It seemed like this was a away to keep the many homeless people around the area from using the facilities. I say even homeless people need to pee too! Anyway, then it was off to Malibu for lunch at Duke's and a yummy Lava Flow (don't ask me what's in it, but I discovered them at Duke's in Hawaii on our honeymoon. Once we were back on the road Santa Barbara was not so far away and I have to say that we fell in love with it right away. It's gorgeous and our little inn is quite comfortable. I have to admit that it was a relief to get out of LA, if not for the time we spent with friends, I probably could have skipped it all together.

Once we checked in at the inn, we quickly drove up to see the Santa Barbara Mission. Collin put on quite a display of bellowing just in time to enter the church. I think he liked the sound of his voice echoing. Boy, does traveling with a young baby change your experience! We've received plenty of the "stink eye" from people. Oh well, babies are people too. We have however, become quite adept at picking the most raucous place available to have dinner because it really does drown out any noise Collin's making. Last night we went to a local sea food place called Brophy Brothers right on the marina. Great food and VERY loud. Collin promptly fell asleep!

Hooray for Hollywood!

2006-07-18T09:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was spent cruising around Hollywood with Uncle Darren as a tour guide. We had another great day. First stop of the day was at the LeBrea Tar Pits. This was actually high up on my list of things to see in LA. It was pretty fascinating to see the palentological work going on there. They've excavated hundreds of complete animal skeletons there dating back to pre ice age. Very cool Collin had a pretty substantial poopy diaper here that I needed to change (because, yet again, the mens room had no changing table). Next on our tour was lunch at the Farmers Market. This was something we really enjoyed, but wouldn't have picked without Darren. Tons of great food to pick from. We, of course, went with Mexican again. Collin was pretty much passed out for this part of the day. I think the daytime heat is actually inducing more naps out of him. After this we did a driving tour down Rodeo Drive (the same exact stores that are in the Short Hills Mall) and Beverly Hills. Not a single star sighting though (CJ thinks I'm star struck, but I'm actually only interested in 2 people: Harrison Ford and Jennifer Garner). Darren was treated to a true Collin scream fest for about 15 minutes during this part of the drive. I think the poor kid was just protesting the car seat again. Next up was Hollywood Blvd and the walk of stars. We found Harrison's hand/foot prints, but no luck on his star. Collin was pretty bemused by everything going on. Our last stop was up to the Griffth Park Observatory, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. All in all it was a packed and fun day.

Wa-Hoo For Uncle Darren!

2006-07-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a fun day here in LA. We spent the morning taking a drive further up the coast to check out Malibu, but couldn't get out of the car for the lack of a parking spot. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about with these Cali. beaches. They are certainly beautiful (and some are very different, like La Jolla...my favorite so far), but they have their down sides (lack of parking being a big one). Must be my Jersey bias talking, but I think our beaches and shore towns have them beat....at least for us non-surfer, non-athletic types.

Collin is starting to voice his displeasure at being cooped up in the car so much, not that I can blame him. This may not bode well for the rest of thr trip, since the longer jaunts are still ahead of us. The traffic here is absolutely horrendous. It can be even more anxiety producing with a wailing baby in the car. Did I mention that it costs about 56 bucks to fill the tank of our Jeep Laredo? This comes as a bit of a shock for a family of Honda drivers.

We spent the afternoon and evening with CJ's long-time best friend, Darren. Darren has lived out here for the past 5 years working on his music career. What a relief to be with someone who knows where they are going! Darren suggested The Getty Center as an afternoon activity. It was fabulous! With a location up in the mountains, we were able to see incredible vistas of the city below. The gardens were beautiful and Collin was practically building a harem of women who stopped to ooh and aah over him by the time we left. As I said to Darren, it was our first taste of "culture" the whole trip so far. The evening was spent at a pizza place in Hermosa Beach where the noises of a little league baseball team drowned out Collin's screeches. Today will be another day spent with Uncle Darren touring around LA.

City of Angels

2006-07-16T10:08:00.000-04:00

After much ado on Friday night, we finally made it to LA around 10:00pm. Earlier in the evening we had a lovely dinner with friends in Laguna Hills, but then managed to get quite lost on our way to Manhatten Beach. We're staying at a Residence Inn with a pretty good sized mini-suite, but feels a bit cramped after San Diego. Still plenty of room for Collin to roll around.

We spent yesterday on the beach. Collin had a great time and a nice long under the umbrella nap. It was HOT! Lots of surfers. CJ did some bodysurfing himself. Dinner was at a local brewery and Collin was not pleased. Oh well. More to come on LA...we'll be spending tme with CJ's best friend Darren the next couple of days.

Pool Time!

2006-07-14T12:11:00.000-04:00

Collin has been doing pretty well thus far on our trip. I think the time change has been tough on the little guy and we are definitely wearing him out. He's actually been falling into somewhat of a napping pattern the last fews days. I think I've realized that he actually needs to cry for 3 or 4 minutes to settle into his nap right now. It just seems to be a routine I've observed.

We had him in the pool for the first time a couple of days ago and he LOVED it. He was grunting like a mad man (a sure sign he likes something) and splashing up a storm. Everyone at the pool commented on how cute he was in his little swim trunks. Collin has also acheived a couple of physical milestones the last couple of days. He can now assume the plank position, kind of like a push-up, and he has made his way onto all fours a couple of times. It seems like a switch just got turned in his brain and all of the sudden he can do these things. He is pretty stinking proud of himself! As far as sleep goes, he's improoved from the first night, but still struggling with the new crib (minus any bumpers). All in all, we can't complain!

San Diego Part 2

2006-07-14T11:08:00.000-04:00

We've really loved our time in San Diego and definitely plan on returning someday. It's a great place for kids with tons to do. I'm actually a little sad to be heading to LA this afternoon. We've seen quite a bit the last few days and Collin has been pretty adaptable to the whole adventure. We've spent some time at the Children's Pool beach in La Jolla (watched a sea gull pluck not one, but two sandwiches off someone's beach blanket) and watched the seals bask in the sun there. We've also taken a drive up to Cabrillo Point, visited Old Town and taken a peek at Coronado. The only bust has been Sea World, which I would not recommend if you're traveling with a very young child during the heat of summer. We packed it in after a couple of hours. Even with the heat aside, I was disappointed with the number and quality of attractions and the too few show times. I did, however, have free beer. I didn't realize the park was owned by Anheuser-Busch and the whole place is one big beer advertisement! Check out my next post for Collin developments of the last few days.

Tantrums at dinner time?

2006-07-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

OK...CJ is out picking up a few things we need and, God bless him, he took Collin with him. While I have the chance I thought I would post a quick thought on Collin's meal time tantrums. When I say meal-time, I mean mine and CJ's meal-time. First of all, I'm not sure if Collin can even through a tantrum at 6 months old, but his behavior in these instances sure seems like it. He really seems to hate when we sit down to eat, be it at home or out somewhere. Usually we eat in shifts....one gets to eat, while the other placates Collin. His screeches are unbelievable. He works himself up into an impressive frenzy! It's not as though he's hungry himself and we're tormenting him by eating in front of him. We've also started solids and have been feeding him his cereal while we eat...to include him in our dinner routine. Just another little tyrannical behavior we're dealing with. Of course, the instant one of us gives in and picks him up, the smile he gives us would light up a room! What a little stincker!

Lions and Tigers and Bears!

2006-07-11T20:21:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post and a few pics from the San Diego Zoo...

Collin did pretty well today, despite a pretty bumpy night for everyone. We managed about 5 hours at the zoo and saw most of the highlights. The zoo was one of the things I really wanted to see and it was amazing! Our favorites were probably the hippos, giraffes, polar bears, and of course the pandas.

We Made It!

2006-07-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

Greetings from San Diego! We've all arrived in one piece and are raring (relatively) to go on our first full day. Actually getting to the airport was probably the most stressful part of the day...about 20 minutes after we hit the road I realized we forgot the stroller and we needed to head back. That 40 minute detour made things a little too tight for my liking.

The flight went just about as well as can be expected when travelling with a 6-month old. Collin nursed for about half the flight in total and the rest of the time was just a superhuman effort to keep him entertained. Pretty exhausting! Despite bringing several new toys for him, Collin decided that he liked ripping up and eating the Continental Magazine as his favorite activity.

Our hotel is a Best Western and who knew this chain could have such charm? We're right on a marina and they upgraded our room to a suite with a view because the one we booked was not available. The extra room with Collin is great. Unfortunately the crib they provide is a little on the dingy/institutional side, so Collin didn't make in there too long last night. We'll give it another shot tonight.

California Here We Come!

2006-07-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

We leave tomorrow for 16 day trip to California. It's our second trip with Collin and we're definitely better prepared then we were for Boston a month ago. That trip was only 4 nights, but it felt like an eternity. I guess we just didn't realize how tough it could be to travel with a screeching infant. We attempted to eat out each night and every night had to leave. Collin would squirm and cry the minute we sat down somewhere. This time around we understand the need for total flexibility and a more go with the flow attitude....not to mention a much earlier vacation bedtime then we're used to!

That being said we do have quite a road trip planned! We bought Collin his own seat so we will have a whole row to ourselves on the plane. We're also bringing a few new toys to, hopefully, keep him occupied during the flight. Just the last several days Collin has really been stretching his vocal chords by babbling at the TOP of his lungs. Today, he blew razzberries for 20 minutes straight, which sounded like baby farts. This kind of behavior should make for an interesting flight.

We land in San Diego and will be driving up the coast.... LA, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, and San Francisco. I'll be trying to blog our trip as much as possible, so check back for new entries.

Sweet Dreams?

2006-07-08T23:15:00.000-04:00

We went for Collin's 6 month check-up this week and he is doing beautifully. He's up to 19lbs and 27 inches. Thankfully, all seems pretty well. Our 1 big issue is Collin's continuing sleep issues. Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as bad as it could be. Collin usually goes down between 8:00 and 9:00...and may wake up once or twice for a feed. It's normally just once. Here are the problems....I need to nurse him to sleep every night, his one feeding is always at 4:00 am, he is usually up for good by 6:00 am, and he will not nap consistently during the day.

Our pedi. is saying that these are some real problems and we owe it to Collin to "sleep train" him now or regret it later. Just for the record, I really like this doctor and she herself has 3 kids under 6. She has definitely been there. She says its ok to let him cry it out at night. And she says we need to take the bumpers out of his crip. The last 2 times we did that he got different limbs STUCK between the crib slats! She also said that nursing him down each night is probably another no-no because he will become too dependent on it.

I honestly don't think I can go the CIO route, but I must admit we're getting desperate. Waking up at 4:00 every morning is starting to wear me down! Since we are leaving for California in 2 days, now is not the time to shake things up, but I think that a day of reckoning is approaching.

Aunt Amanda

2006-07-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

My cousin Amanda is Collin's godmother. The picture above shows them together when he was about 8 weeks old. We also have her help us out a few hours a week with childcare. Amanda didn't have alot of experience with babies before Collin was born, but she did have quite a bit with penguins. I figured they must be equally as hard as babies. Well, Amanda has done beautifully with the transition. She has a bubbly personality and Collin just lights up when he sees her. In fact, I get the distinct impression that he prefers her company to ours! I am actually starting to hold her responsible for the fact that Collin will rarely nap anywhere but on someones lap. As you can see from the picture above, he gets quite comfortable!

Pet peeve of the day....Stuck between a hummer and an expedition

2006-07-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

If you know me then you know that driving has never been my favorite thing in the world. Since having Collin, being on the road takes on a whole new dimension. I really notice all of the crazy drivers when he is in the car with me. Even more so, I feel especially dwarfed by all of the huge SUVs on the road. Who really, truly needs to have a hummer as a personal driving vehicle? I drive a 4 door civic. I love my civic and plan on driving it as long as humanly possible. When I came out of the gym today my trusty honda was stuck between a hummer and an expedition. I just about needed a flag man to back out of my spot safely! So my pet peeve of the day...having to deal with all those unnecessary giant vehicles.

The first post!

2006-07-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

This is a classic Collin face of disgruntlement. His expressions are truly priceless. On this particular occassion we were introducing him to rice cereal for the first time. Being a breast-fed only baby until about 6 months...he was not overly impressed! But, he is starting to get the hang of it now. We feel like Collin has such a strong little personality...when he is happy he is VERY HAPPY and the same extreme applies when he's pissed off!