Bath Time Cuteness

Gotta love how much fun these two have together in the bath!

6 MONTHS

Today our little man turns 6 months old!!! I cannot believe how quickly the past 6 months have flown by…it seems like just yesterday that I was anxiously awaiting his arrival – drinking raspberry tea, walking, bouncing, squatting and doing just about everything else I could think of to get that baby out of my belly! Now, there are days when I wish I could put him back in…I kid, I kid…but a few hours of sleep would be nice! Seriously though, the past 3 months have consisted of exhausting days and sleepless nights. I chuckle when I read my three month post…you know, the one where I brag that Collin “has slept through the night since he was about a month old.” Yeah, I guess I must have jinxed myself because the kid has not slept through the night ONCE in the past 3 months. Actually, he has made a habit of waking up every 1-2 hours (more frequently before midnight…sometimes we get a whopping 3 HOUR stretch from 12-3 and he is WIDE AWAKE at 6:00 every morning) and he continues to nap for less than 45 minutes. He is genuinely happy throughout the day…he loves to play with his sister, jump is his jumperoo, roll around on the floor, and has even started sitting up with minimal assistance. He has really gained control over his hands and grabs just about everything within his reach. He loves to eat and I am proud to say that I am continuing to make all of his food from scratch. His favorites are sweet potatoes and peas...he also loves bananas fresh out of the peel. Regretfully, I had to stop nursing him last week. We made it almost 6 months, which is great but I just wish I could have nursed him a little longer. I blame this solely on his reflux and the fact that I had dwindled my diet down to practically nothing and would still blame myself every time he spit up or had a bad night. He is now on a special formula for reflux babies, which he really likes so I guess that makes it a little easier. However, we still struggle with his reflux and still have sleepless nights. Collin has been on Zantac and Prevacid for two months now. Both seemed to help for a day or two, but then stopped working after that. Last week, we decided to take him off of everything and saw absolutely no change. I gave him some Prevacid last night just to see if it might help, but it didn’t. After bugging his pediatrician for two months, we finally have a referral to see a pediatric gastroenterologist next week. I’m PRAYING that a specialist will be able to help my baby (and that there is nothing more serious going on with him than reflux). I read A LOT of message boards and other postings online and have discovered that reflux is pretty common and that it really is a pain in the ass for a lot of people. We have friends whose kids have struggled with it as well. The good news is that kids always outgrow it, but for some it can take a LONG time. I’m hoping that Collin can get some relief, whether through medication or otherwise, so that he can go back to being that happy and RESTED baby that we enjoyed for three months. I feel horrible for him when he is up all night screaming in pain…and there is NOTHING I can do to soothe him. He is NOT spoiled and is NOT just crying so I will pick him up…although if holding him ALL night would help him sleep better, I would do it. I also feel bad for Maddie and Chris because I am stretched so thin dealing with Collin, I know I am not always pleasant to be around. Thank GOD for coffee!!!

Despite his “issues” Collin is just about the CUTEST and SWEETEST little guy we have ever known. He already has such a personality and is just a joy to be around. He’s a HUGE flirt…he does this little thing with his eyebrows when he smiles and has this cute little dimple in his left cheek that just melts your heart. Here he is in all of his cuteness just being a happy little guy:

I'm going to go out on an optomistic limb here and say that by my 7 month post, our baby will be feeling better and sleeping better...keep your fingers crossed for us!!!

3!!!!

Last week, our little girl turned 3!!! We can't believe how quickly the past three years have flown by...and what a big girl our sweet little Madeline has become! Here are just a few things going on with our little girl at the age of 3: She is more than half way through her first year of preschool, knows her ABCs and 123s, sleeps through the night all night in her big girl bed, rides a bike, swims confidently with floaties, looooves to dance and sing, is crazy about playing dress up all day every day and we have the laundry to show for it, she loves to wear mommies knee high black boots, is obsessed with Katy Perry, has three blankets that she cannot sleep without, loves to brush and floss her teeth, loves to do her hair (like a princess), keeps mommy on her toes 24/7, is an amazing big sister, would prefer to play outside than watch tv, loves to read books, prefers water to juice and soda, rarely takes naps, loves camping, has tons of best friends, and is pretty much the best daughter we could ever ask for! Happy Birthday BIG girl! We love you!!!

4 Months

Our little guy is growing up so fast! Collin was 4 months old on February 26th...and let me tell you, A LOT has changed in the past month! Our perfect sleeping little angel has decided to throw a wrench in mommy's nighttime routine and has been waking up every two hours for nearly three weeks now. We've attributed this to everything from moving to a new house to teething to growing and to just being super spoiled. Mommy and daddy just can't seem to figure it out! He had his first visit to the chiropractor this week, which we thought was the miraculous cure we have been waiting for because he slept great that night, but the last two nights have been awful. We're starting to think he is just teething. He started eating solid food this month with the approval of his pediatrician who insists that he is just a hungry, growing boy. He sure does love to eat! So far, he's tried organic oatmeal with breatsmilk and mommies homemade organic carrots...yum! We're going to try homemade sweet potatoes tonight. Despite the challenges we have faced with this little guy over the past 3 weeks, we still love him dearly. He's just about the sweetest little thing in the world, even when he's up crying at all hours of the night. Let's hope that before our 5 months post our bedtime routine has returned to normal! =]

3 Months

Today our baby boy is 3 MONTHS OLD!


I can't believe it has already been three months since he joined our family. In such a short time, he has become such an important part of our lives and we couldn't imagine life without him.

He is a very happy baby most of the time, but when he cries, he cries LOUD!

He loves to lay on his blanket and talk to mommy, daddy and Madeline.

He loves when Maddie blows raspberries on his tummy.

He loves being naked even when its cold. He loves showers and baths.

He is madly in love with his mommy. He'll smile and coo at just about anyone, but if someone takes him from mommy, he loses his mind!

He's slept through the night since he was about a month old, but he never naps longer than 30 minutes (unless he's in his carseat). He looooves car rides and is an amazing traveler. He nurses and takes bottles with ease. He has a love/hate relationship with his pacifier.

He is crazy about the bouncy seat at gramma's (he loves it so much, we had to take it home). He always calms down for Jack Johnson and has been known to fall asleep listening to tunes on mommy or daddy's iPhone.

He loves his Sophie (his very first toy).


He's pretty much the sweetest little guy we've ever known and we love him so very much!

Happy 3 months little man! Love, Mommy, Daddy & Mads

Beach Camping in December

It's been a while...

It has been a loooooong time since I have updated the blog. I guess you could say I've had my hands full these days, but I have never been happier in my life! We welcomed our sweet baby boy into the world 7 weeks ago and let me tell you, he is just about the sweetest little thing in the world! He is a great baby and sleeps wonderfully at night (he's not much of a napper, but goes 4-6 hours between feedings at night which is AMAZING). He started rolling over from his belly to back at 5 weeks (yes, I know that is WAY early, but what can I say...he's got great genes!) He smiles literally all the time these days and has the cutest little dimple in his left cheek :) Madeline is a great big sister. She looooves her brother so very much and os fascinated with everything he does. She loves to hold him and baby-talk to him and gets thrilled whenever he flashes her a smile. She sings to him and holds his hand...she's even tried nursing him on occasion...lol! The adjustment to becoming a family four has gone rather smoothly, but I think that is due largely in part to Collin being such a great baby. Here are a couple of video clips of the kiddos taken over the last couple months. Enjoy!

Maddie and Collin meeting for the very first time.


Collin rolling over at 5 weeks.


Maddie singing to Collin.


Maddie's School Christmas Program


Maddie rockin out at the Redlands Christmas Parade.