Now featuring: Collin the Cuddler, for a limited time only!

I'm a little behind on updating the blog, so we are going to be rolling in a few weeks worth of activities and milestones in one post. So get ready for the condensed version of Collin's feature film: His Life.



As we approach 3 months things are getting easier and easier. Probably the best advice there is for new parents is the phrase "it only gets easier", which as it turns out, is true. Collin has nearly outgrown his fussiness, except for some small bouts at the witching hour (aka 7 O'clock pm). He hands out smiles now with the fervor of a door-to-door solicitor. All the time we see that cute little face just light up, and honestly, we can't get enough. Smiles really do make a world of difference when parenting. It gives you the sense that you are doing things right, and when you are a new parent the power of positive reinforcement should not be underestimated.

In the world of milestones and development, Collin has also almost figured out neck control. He picks his head up frequently and only once in awhile bobbles so much that he gets 'stuck' with his head tilted back or forward. We've been trying out the Bumbo (with some trepidation), but he seems to really like sitting up and can nearly sit in it himself, with only occasional help from Drew or I.

As he's hitting all these milestone he sure has been voicing his opinion about things too. He's definitely found his voice and loves to coo and goo, sometimes giggle and narrate his interactions. We love hearing the different sounds he makes and try to gather what his voice will sound like when he starts actually talking.

And, while this isn't exactly a milestone, Collin is aging in the 'receding hairline' sense- he's loosing his hair and every day looking more and more like a tiny little old man who's hair is inching further and further back on his scalp. Its cute and ridiculous all at the same time.

As for the summer, we've been making the most of the little bits of it that we have left, and Collin is enjoying exploring his surroundings as we take him to different places. Even at home he is much more interested in looking in mirrors and facing outward when someone is holding him. He even moved up in the world of Baby Bjorn and can now face outward to see what is going on.

This past week Aunt Susie came to stay with us so she can complete the radiology (sp?) portion of her residency here at the U. While she's here to look at x-rays and MRIs, Collin thinks she's here to be one more person in his entertainment entourage. Aunt Susie was able to entertain him enough to have some holding sessions that were cry-free. Yippee! (likely, attributed to Collin's lack of fussiness as he grows!)

Collin also attended his first baseball game, a Saint Paul Saints game to help my friend Kim's favorite charity,(Friends of the Orphans)Neustros Pequenos. When she lived in Mexico she worked for an orphanage that helps hundreds of children and still remains committed to raising money for their cause. Some of the profits from the game went to the Orphanage, so we were happy to attend and help. However, it was a sweltering day and the sun was raging down on us in the bright aluminum (read hot cookie-sheet fashion) bleachers, so we only stayed for an hour or so, for fear of cooking Collin. He's too small for sunblock still so we had to keep him all covered up. For some of the game he slept, but for the other portion he was so slippery with sweat that he was hard to hold on to. Like a little slippery piglet, which was fitting, since the Saints seem to have a soft spot for swine, as we saw one running around the baseball field. Also, there mascot, Mud-donna, is some sort of pig mutant...we're not really sure whats going on with it, but you can see it in one of the photos from the game. Nevertheless, we had a good time and look forward to more baseball games in the future.



Sadly, my time at home alone with Collin is also coming to a close, just as I was getting the hang of it :) I go back to work part time beginning in September, which will be a hard transition for me, but we are happy to welcome Amanda, our new nanny into our home to help with Collin. Collin will be well cared for and hopefully things will become more routine. One thing we are still struggling with is napping in the crib. We're hoping the interaction with Amanda will help solidify sleeping in his crib. Maybe its wishful thinking, but we're running with it until he proves us otherwise.


Parenting, overall, has been such a blessing for us. As Collin gets happier and happier the more he wants to cuddle and explore the world from the crook of my arm, which I absolutely love. I realize before I know it he'll be wanting to do things all himself, so I am enjoying every minute of the sweet cuddle time I get with him.

As we look back at the past three months its amazing to see how far we've come. I can't imagine our lives without Collin and it seems impossible to think that merely three months ago he hadn't even arrived yet. We often try to capture each piece of his happiness with a photo or memory as he grows, for fear of missing some little critical piece that will make the difference when he is older, but the truth of the matter is no matter how hard we try to capture our love for him we'll never be able to keep up, its simply overwhelming, and that, among all of the blessings he brings may be the one we are most thankful for. When the blessing of a baby allows you to open your heart so much that you can't even imagine loving him more, it has to be as close as you can get to a piece of heaven.

Over the river and through the woods...

and on an air plane, over a lake, through the clouds to grandma and papa's house we go....er, went.

Collin has been a very busy boy for the past two weeks.
Just after Collin turned two weeks our family was thrown for a loop with both expected and unexpected events. First, Collin had his vaccinations at his two month appointment. This was expected, but that didn't make it any less difficult. When we got to the doctor's office we talked to our pediatrician and she commented on Collin's development. She seems to think he has advanced motor skills, which is just wonderful, since we have a house full of stairs. But, soon after our conversation was over the nurse came in to give Collin the dreaded shots. He got one oral vaccine (which he took like a champ) and three shots, two in one leg and one in another. I didn't want to be holding him when he got the shots for fear of freaking out myself, so Drew did it. I was across the room, but when he cried out I began to cry too. It was awful! I had never heard that cry from him, it was so intense that he held his breath in between wails making it soooo hard for me to sit back and watch. After he was finished he was very sad, but luckily the only side effect he had was a little bit of extra sleepiness. The day after Collin slept a lot and otherwise was quite happy.

Then, early the next week we got some unexpected news. One of my cousins, Deanna, was tragically shot in a drive by in Kansas City, MO. Sadly, the shot went through her neck and killed her. She and her daughter, along with her mother-in-law were on the way home from a theater and were caught in the line of fire. We could barely believe the news, and truly struggled to understand how someone so loved and caring could be taken from the world so tragically.

The following week, we had more expected events. We made our first trip to Michigan. Collin had his first plane ride on Wednesday, July 30th, 2009 to go visit grandma and papa in Michigan. Every year I go to Michigan to meet up with my friends from high school for a girls only weekend at the lake home in Traverse City. So, while I planned to meet the girls, my parents planned to watch Collin.




While we were in Michigan Collin met more people before I left town. On Thursday we ate dinner with Grandma Herriman and took a 4 generation photograph, as well as with Bob and Aunt Chris. My cousin Tammi, her daughter Shae and husband Lee stopped over to see the baby too. On Friday, the girls came to pick me up to head to Traverse City and I left Collin in the care of my parents and sister, hoping that all would go well.
By the time we got to Traverse City I was already worried. I called home to check on him and found that Collin was doing absolutely wonderful while I was away. I called nearly every three hours and every time my mom let me know he was happy, smiling or sleeping. It was wonderful to hear that he had such a fantastic visit with them.
While in Traverse City, when I wasn't worrying about Collin we were wine tasting and spending time on the beach, as well as throwing Lisa a surprise Bachelorette party.





We had a fantastic time and look forward to spending time on the beach again next year for our annual visit.
Nevertheless, I missed Drew terribly while we were away. I think having Collin has made it substantially more apparent how much we rely on each other, and how much we love each other. I was so happy to see him at the airport when we arrived.
When we got home we were welcomed by our crazy puppy and a few surprise gifts in the mail, one from Drew's great Uncle Dick and Aunt Gloria as well as one from the Komor's in Germany. Colin has his first German friend!
In high school Drew visited Germany with his brother and stayed with the Komor family, since then, the families have kept in touch and they had a baby in April, just before Collin arrived in May. It was fun to get things in German.
The box had Spongebob on it, but it said, Sponge Bob Schwammkopf
All of the adorable clothes we received were size 68, which we later found out meant 6 months. In Europe baby clothes are based on length of the baby in centimeters. They sent lots of adorable items, including a teddy bear and a very cute doggy in a blanket.




They also sent a picture of their adorable baby boy, Victor. In the future we hope to be able to visit them so Collin and Victor can meet and become friends.

So finally, we are now catching up, with Collin turning 11 weeks tomorrow. We can't believe how fast he is growing and how much his little personality is starting to come out.

Collin turns 2 months!

Its hard to believe that today Collin is two months old! He's growing so fast, and it seems we are getting better at this parenting gig. We finally have a little bit of confidence in our ability to take care of him and he's becoming much more alert and we're seeing little bits of a personality shinning through. But, Collin's not the only one who's changed. Here's a few things that have happened to us as a result of being parents over the past two months that are entirely new portions of our lives.
1. Poop isn't so bad. Really. We probably get it on us about once every other day. Sometimes we don't even notice. We never thought we'd say that about poop, but here we are!
2. OCD and 'new motherhood' are the same in the DSM-IV, as far as I'm concerned and I have it. Seriously. I panic over everything and am obsessive about protecting Collin from anything that might harm his development and a compulsive over analyzer. It's ridiculous. I check to make sure he is still breathing during nap time STILL, at least once a nap. I check to make sure he's not being pinched or hurt by anything every single time he cries. I'm a nutt-case. Its ridiculous.
3. We're green parents. We LOVE cloth diapering. They are so much more absorbent than disposables and I don't feel bad about using 12 of them a day...really. Plus his little diaper covers are super cute!
4. I'm an avid Googler. Everything that could possibly be related to anything else can be found on Google. So when something happens, or doesn't happen to Collin, I google it. Its nice to know other people have the same experiences.
5. Burps are good. The louder the better. Go ahead, let it out!
6. Sleep is over rated. I thought we'd just about nearly go crazy from not getting what we used to, turns out our bodies acclimated fairly well and now I don't even miss it, its just how life goes.
and finally,
7. We're parents! In the past month its become much more real because we've been out a bit more and started using the phrase 'our son'. We're responsible for another little human, and there's no turning back now! We hope he turns out okay!
....On to three months!

The curious incidents of Collin in the day time

Since the last time I posted a few things have changed as Collin grows and we get to know him better. For example, I finally can differentiate cries. People, books, experts on babies always say you'll be able to tell what a baby needs by the different cries he or she makes and in the books it seems to be something parents should pick up on fairly quickly. Well..... not these parents. We were really starting to believe we were just inept idiots when it came to his communication efforts with different cries, after all the text say "by about 4 weeks you should know exactly what your baby needs"- as if he's just spitting out words to tell us. But, four weeks came and went and we were still trying nearly everything to get him to be soothed when he was fussy without identifying one particular cry. This has persisted for the last few weeks and now, Finally, at 8 weeks, I get it. I finally can figure out what he means via cries. Collin has three basic cries:
1. The bloody murder some is poking me with needles cry. This one is the most heartbreaking. It makes me panic. Nearly every time he does it he's on the changing table getting a diaper change (which he hates, generally) and every time I start immediately looking for what is poking, pinching, or hurting him to make him cry so hard, and alas, everytime I come up empty handed. He just HATES getting his diaper changed, and the farther along in the day we are, the harder the cry. So, it goes something like this: first change of the day, quietly tolerating it, about the 4th change of the day, crying, but not super hard, just a 'hurry up and finish mom!', cry, 10th change of the day (yes, we still are changing him something like 10-12 times a day- Collin's efforts to eat seem to go directly through him), he is using his bloody murder some is poking me with needles cry.
2. Then there is the I'm irritated cry. This cry is less harsh and has a sad sad face, but isn't ear piercing. Its a 'hey, entertain me! cry.
3. Finally there is the I am tired or hungry cry. This fits somewhere in between bloody murder and oh so bored. It generally insatiable until he either falls asleep or gets to nurse.
So, I've learned these, and now feel like less of a failure in communicating with our son. But, if it goes to show that we are about 4 weeks behind the status quo of parent learning, I think we might be in for some trouble.

Another example of the fun things in Collin's life are the mysterious hickey incidents. People often see the bright purple bruise on the inside of my arm and ask 'what happened?', when I reply that Collin did it they seem confused...
So, since Collin was born our pediatrician noted that he had an 'extremely strong sucking reflex' which I already new since I was the one nursing him. But people, I think, respond to this with, oh, yes, strong sucking, so do nearly half the other babies in the world....they don't understand the severity of his ability to suck. He loves to suck on things, the pacifier, his fists, his arms, and of course us. So, whenever we are holding him and he feels the urge to sooth himself he'll turn his head into our bicep and latch on to what most people would assume is un-latchable-our arms. Don't believe us? See for yourself:




He's also beginning to smile more, but in general is a very serious baby. Its hard to catch him smiling as he only does it a few times a day, but usually in the morning I can get a glimpse of his little happy face. He doesn't really take requests though, so here a few photos of him when he was smiling, just not when the flash went off, but you can tell he's happy :)


We also started to use the Moby wrap, which I love! Collin loves it too! Its much more comfortable than either the hotsling or the bjorn because it distributes the weight more evenly and its so cozy for Collin. Plus, there are about 10 different ways he can sit in it, which will be very handy as he grows.




Other exciting news in Collin's life is that he is now starting to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT! Hallelujah! We can barely believe it! But lately he's been going down around 10 pm and waking up around 6. We don't even know what to do with all this sleep! Its amazing. He's also starting to take naps in his crib, and while, for the life of me I can't figure out his nap schedule (see lack of learning ability above), he at least doesn't need to be held the whole time. In fact, right now, he's soundly sleeping in his crib.

So for 8 weeks, there was lots going on! Stay tuned next week for our 2 month photos and sadly our first set of shots :(

Collin's Baptism

This past Sunday we celebrated Collin's baptism with friends and family. The Christening was a particularly special time for because we hope to instill a strong sense of faith in Collin and his Christening marks the beginning of that journey. We were especially blessed to have so many wonderful people in Collin's life that made the journey to Minnesota for his baptism. The weekend turned out to be beautiful, so we spent our time enjoying the sunshine, barbecuing and visiting with family that we don't get to see very often.






The baptism also happened to fall on 4th of July weekend, so Collin had his first holiday with fireworks. We went to the Roseville fireworks on Saturday night. It was a bit buggy so we got out Collin's mosquito net for the trip, however, he became fussy and wanted to be held so we had to improvise and decided to half cover Drew with the net to protect Collin. It looked pretty ridiculous, but it did the job.




Collin met lots of family members that he hadn't previously seen. Aunt Susie and Uncle Chris, his God Parents, came up from Texas to meet him, as well as Aunt Amy and Uncle Chris from Madison. He also got to meet all but one of his great grand parents, great grandma Ruth, and great grandma and grandpa Montgomery. He also met Uncle Nathan, Great Aunt Chris and Uncle Pete, and Great Aunt Jan and Uncle Mark.







The weekend was lots of fun, but overwhelming for both Collin and I. It was difficult for me to keep up to the pace I was used to before the baby and I found myself especially exhausted on Monday. It turns out my body isn't quite back up to 100% it seems. To add to the frustration with my body I still haven't lost the last 15 pounds to get back to my regular size. This is ULTRA frustrating as I REFUSE to buy a whole new wardrobe. So I have a few things that fit now (a total of about 4 outfits) and every time I see photos I cringe. I look HUGE. For those of you who don't believe me take a gander at the baptism photos. It looks like there are two of me compared to my size pre-baby. Seriously. I thought breastfeeding was supposed to help the pounds just slide off.... ha ha. Not for me. Now that I am six weeks post-partum I have clearance to start working out and I feel like I can't get to it fast enough, now if I just had the ambition to find a way to do it when its just me and Collin at home. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend and we were so happy to be able to see all of family and friends from afar. We miss them so much and look forward to each time we get to see them.