Friday, May 24, 2013

16 Months (about a week late :))

Collin hit the 16-month mark last Saturday! The last month has been full of developments, and most of them are really good ones ;-)   Seriously, couldn't you just eat him up? Love.


At 16 months, Collin:

  • is wearing 24-month and some 2T clothes, so clearly the growing has not slowed down!
  • still has a great appetite - refer to the first bullet :)
  • remains a fabulous sleeper; he's the best napper in his class, we're told.
  • finally says a few words that we're sure about - mama, dada, bubbles, all done, bye bye, dog... and my mom taught him "Hola" in Spanish which is absolutely adorable and pretty funny when he waves and says it
  • loves to play outside; it's our nightly activity after dinner now - t-ball, swing, slide, trampoline, sidewalk chalk, you name it.
  • is really showing his personality more and more; he is so, so funny but has also shown his temper a time or two
  • has had two haircuts. I think he likes getting pampered.
  • is still very affectionate; he either puckers up big or wants to give you a less-cute open-mouth kiss. :)
  • has started to show more interest in his fine motor skills (puzzles, etc.). 
  • has unfortunately started biting. He has bit the same kid three times at school. He was getting bit all the time, and now the tables have turned. No fun.
  • loves his sister. Can't even explain it. He looks at her like she is the whole world. And he laughs and laughs and laughs. It's THE best thing ever.
  • is holding steady with only six teeth.
  • will almost sit still long enough to listen to a whole book. It's a work in progress.
  • is fast. We can't keep up with him. He's up the stairs in five seconds, down the stairs in five seconds - and he thinks it's hilarious when we can't find him.
  • is all boy!!! He's huge, he's rough, he's noisy, and we can't get enough of him!



And here he is with his BFF. I hope they always like each other this much, although I'm sure the fact that she thinks she's his mother will get old pretty soon.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mother's Day Weekend

Sadly, I have all iPhone photos to document my Mother's Day weekend, but the photo quality does not accurately communicate what a wonderful weekend I had!!

The Thursday before Mother's  Day, I began my trek up to the DC area. I stayed overnight at my dad's and then continued the trip Friday morning. I got to have lunch with my boss and co-worker from my first job out of college. LOVED seeing Jennifer and Elizabeth! Failed to get a picture with them, though :(

Friday afternoon and evening, I spent with Katie, one of my college friends and roommates. We had a blast catching up. There's nothing quite like seeing your old friends and visiting. We laughed A LOT. Again, failed to get a picture together. Thankfully, she's planning a visit down to see us soon, so we'll get pictures then.

Saturday, Carly got married! Carly is also a friend from college, and I am so, so, so happy for her and Jonathan! The wedding was so personal and pretty. She was beautiful. And they seem to be so in love. (This was the first time I met the groom.) I'm very jealous since they are now enjoying a week in the Dominican Republic.
I had to change at Carly's reception into my "go out" clothes because my other friend Katie - also from college! - was having her bachelorette party. We had the best time. The nine of us managed to pull together a $450 tapas and sangria bill and it was worth every penny. Many of us didn't know each other, and we all meshed perfectly. That isn't always the case, so we were very happy about that. :) Katie is so sweet; it's no surprise all her friends were sweet, too!

Then we went to the Ritz and gave her lingerie gifts and laughed and talked. When they were about to hit the town again, I headed back to Katie #1's house so I could get a good night's rest and drive back home the next day for Mother's Day. Of course I didn't go to sleep, because Katie and I stayed up til 2 a.m.... you guessed it.... gabbing away.

Sunday morning I hit the road at 6:45 a.m. (yes, I'm a rockstar), and came home to the most wonderful gifts! The previous owners of our house had a big B&W picture of each child in their rooms, and I mentioned how much I loved that. So, that's what Randall did! He took these pictures at the park and I just love their sweet faces. He also had smaller ones framed for my office so I can look at them all day long.

We spent a casual day together, and it was really perfect. I didn't have the energy for a big activity, but as is always the case, I loved seeing my sweet family after some girl time away :)






I am so thankful for my Mother's Day weekend. I know not all couples make time to spend with their friends, and I am very happy that Randall and I balance that part of our lives so well. It's really important, at least for us, and I know it wouldn't be possible if he wasn't such an awesome dad. I have to make sure his Father's Day is just as wonderful!