A clean house

Well, we hired a cleaning lady... well actually it is Colin's babysitter and she offered to clean our house for us. She does a couple people's houses here in town, but she said only her friend's houses. I figured it was perfect because we already know and trust her... so no worries about a stranger coming into our house. Let me just say she did an AWESOME job.

I was soo excited to come home today to a clean house. I was kind of embarrassed to hire someone to clean for me... but the reality was working full time and taking care of a baby is a lot of work and I was  having a hard time keeping up with the housework. I got dinner on the table every night and laundry done every week... but dusting... psh... whatever.

I came home and my oatmeal dish was in the dishwasher, my sink was clean, my house was dusted, vacuumed, the bathrooms were done and all the trash... even Colin's diaper pail was taken out! Lol She asked if she could help my plants because they needed some serious rescuing. I've had them about 5 years and since Colin was born I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've watered them! Lol  Poor things. She took all the dead leaves off (terrible, I know...) and just made them look soo... alive! Ha!

Oh yeah and she put the remote control right in the middle of the bed like a hotel! Lol I am soo excited about this!!

Now.. lets see how long it stays clean! ;)

Growing up...

I can't believe how fast your children grow and learn.  I know you hear people say that daily, but it is true and it happens soo quickly! I can't believe that my little Colin has gone from this tiny little baby who couldn't lift his head and hardly moved his limbs to this crazy wiggle worm who is so strong and a constant busy body.

How did this:

Turn into this:

 

Phone dump!

I went hiking for the first time in like 6 months... it wasn't far, but it was pretty steep and it majorly kicked my butt... in a good way! Because I'm a chicken, you can see one of our visitor centers below... I'm afraid to go too far by myself, don't want any bears or serial killers to get me! ;)

Family pic Lol

This picture is my favorite! Lol  Colin has discovered my phone and actually smiles at  the camera sometimes! :)

Playing at momma's work. I love the sparkle in his eyes in this pic!



Napping after a good meal, after I fed him at the sitters during my lunch break.

Lol Silly boy!

He was sucking on his bunny's ears and making these love sounds like he was eating... it was cracking me up!

Watching the puppy play

Happy boy in his ranger outfit with his momma

Topless...

Waiting to get his shots... poor guy had NO clue!

Rockin' a faux hawk

Love this picture, Ryan and his cousin letting their babies meet for the first time!

Everyone has seen this one on facebook, but this is the bad take... lol, look at his little face and dimple!

Love my boys! And look at my hubby's dimple! Now you can see where Colin gets em from!

Workin' with momma!

Eric, my kitty.

Eric Cartman, my kitty cat was my baby before Colin. I got him in college, when Ryan's family's cat had kittens and Ryan's dad convinced me to take one "for the weekend".... I've had him ever since! Lol

I was NEVER a cat person before that.. in fact I am HIGHLY allergic to cats. I shave Eric and give him baths and take allergy meds every do so I could have him with me. While I had him in college I lived in a one bedroom apartment by myself. It was just the two of us and we became very close. He followed me everywhere, fell asleep on my books while I studied and slept right next to me in my bed. I even toilet trained him... it only lasted a couple months and then we went back to the litter box. Even as he grew BIG and we moved around, he was always my baby. I carried him around like a toddler and he still slept next to me... until Colin came around. Now Eric is PISSED.

He pees on everything... especially the baby's stuff. The play yard and baby chairs and he's been peeing in our formal room almost everyday on the carpet... YUCK! We've been cleaning up after him every single day and Ryan finally got fed up with it. Yesterday while I was at work he kicked him outside and decided he would be an outdoor cat.

I feel terrible because Eric was my first baby. I've tried giving him extra attention and showing him that the baby can pet him too. Colin actually LOVES the kitty and has really started petting him the past couple weeks and he smiles and smiles while he does. I thought maybe the cat would see that the baby is just an extra set of hands to give him attention... but no, I'm pretty sure he still resents the baby for taking his place.

I don't know how Eric will survive outside considering he is very overweight and is declawed. We've been letting him out a  little bit each day for the past couple weeks and he just stays right around our house. I leave the garage door open enough for him to come in there for shelter and he seems to have made a friend with a yellow cat who keeps hanging out with him in the garage and the other when Eric was inside the yellow cat was talking to him through the window... Lol. He has ALWAYS wanted to be outside, but it seems like now that he is he wants to come back inside. We'll see how he does.... I hope he adjusts well!

A quick catch up

Sorry I've been MIA in the blogging world this week! Here is a crazy insane recap/random info post!!

We've had company for part of the week, my Brother-in-law and his fiance came to visit their favorite nephew during their spring break. They are such a good Auntie and Uncle to our little boy! They babysat for him on Weds. and Thurs. and Colin went to the sitter on Tuesday and Friday! I feel like I haven't seen my little boy all week!  We did have fun with my BIL while they were here, we went up the mountain Weds. night for a jeep ride and had dinner up there by the fire. Colin really enjoyed staring at the fire, but it was still pretty cold up there and I think we will wait until it gets a bit warmer before we take him up again... or at least go in the daytime!

Colin has been really progressing well with sleeping in his crib! He's taken almost every nap this week in his crib and has slept his first stretch of sleep in his crib, unswaddled. The trick has been letting him sleep with a shirt I've worn. He snuggles and holds onto it and helps him sleep better. :)

Speaking of which, I went to the sitters on Tuesday during my lunch break to feed him and he was sleeping in his little cradle there, snuggling my t-shirt and loving on it... it was the sweetest, cutest thing I've ever seen and I melted into the puddle. That is where I got the idea from and it seems to be working! Little boy loves his Momma and loves smelling her and snuggling her... awww. :)

Colin is really a busy body lately. From talking more and more to moving around, it just seems like he is progressing so very fast! The other night he moved in a half circle while he was on his stomach so he could reach something his dad was working on. I couldn't believe it... he will be crawling before we know it... honestly I give him a month! He is growing up too quickly. He loves screaching and making all kinds of high pitched noises and spitting noises. He gets really loud and loves hearing himself. His new game is to make a noise and then look at you and wait for you to make a noise back before he will make another noise. It is soo funny. He'll get all excited with this game and just squeel with delight! Silly boy!

Work has been tough this week for me. Maybe because I didn't bring him except for a half day and other than that he's been watched by someone. But I am having major mommy guilt. I've been in a testy mood and every little thing seems to set me off. I've contemplated quitting like a million times. It is so hard to be a working mommy some days. I wish I could take a couple days off just to spend with my little boy... but I guess that is what weekends are for... and thank goodness mine is here! :)

That is all for now... I will try to be a better blogger next week! I sent myself all my phone dump pictures, but never downloaded or uploaded them... so next week will be full of pictures hopefully!

Eyes

Lately I feel like Colin's eyes are changing colors... maybe it is just wishful thinking because I really want them to turn green like mine instead of blue like his daddy's.

 I took the first 2 in February... very blue. And the rest on Friday... greener??

February eyes

March eyes

Weekend Getaway

This weekend we went to the "big city" for a friend's wedding. Because I have barely any leave I had to work that morning and then go home, load the car and drive to Albuquerque. When we went to check into the hotel, we had an hour to get ready and they told us our rooms wouldn't be ready for an hour.... ummm... freak out! Luckily the girl was nice and after I explained that I had a wedding I had to go to in an hour, she had the housekeeping do our room first and so we could get ready.  My parents also met us there so they could babysit for us and were also staying in the same hotel, so we all temporarily shared a room until they had cleaned another one. Needless to say I didn't have much time to get ready and my hair looked like poo.

I was also really excited because online the hotel's website said they had a heated indoor pool. I got Colin some swimmers and was SOO excited to take him swimming. Well, we woke up early this morning and headed to the pool and it was a total bust. The "heated indoor pool" was frigid and full of kids playing like football or some crap and the second I got in I got smacked in the face with their ball! Lol Hey, I'll take a hit any day to protect my kid, who was like 5 inches away from my face. We quickly got out of the pool and left. 

After that we made a trip to Babies R Us and boy did Colin get spoiled. My mom and I are terrible when it comes to shopping and we went a little overboard... I at least was shopping on the sale racks... my mom wasn't. Needless to say, Colin came home with lots of Grandma outfits (you know the ones that say, grandma loves me and off to grandma's house, etc. Lol) and soccer outfits... because his mom is obsessive. I also wanted to check out the Sophie Giraffe teething toy. When I told my mom about them and we read about them in the store, she fell in love and Colin came home with not one, but TWO Sophie teething toys. Can you say spoiled?

And now for pictures!!

The beautiful bride and her daddy

Just married!

Isn't she absolutely adorable?

We ran to the hotel to feed the baby and I wanted a family photo... the husband wasn't very excited about this.. lol

I look like poo, but my only photo of me and Traci... by now I can tell that I worked all morning and didn't have much time to do my hair! Lol

Colin at the swimming pool... I'm pretty sure most of those wet spots are drool.  

Mean muggin' those kids who hit mommy with a ball! Lol

Playing with his sophie toys

Daddy is soo funny!

Mom's pretty cool too! Lol

Healthy weights

Well I was half wondering if my weight from the flu was just a fluke and that I'd probably be going back up the scale after I recovered from the flu. But... miraculously it was not a fluke. I've been staying in the 143 and 144 range for 2 weeks now!  HOWEVER, I'd like to see the 130s again. Before I went off birth control I was 135 and I gained 13 pounds after I went off. I was soo mad. I thought you were supposed to lose weight when you went off birth control and here I was gaining it! Soo lame.

So I am going to attempt to lose more weight. I know I really need to exercise, but I do not know how women who work full time, have children, a house to maintain and dinner to cook every night have time to exercise. I just do not have the energy to do everything. I wish I did. (maybe if my kid slept more? Lol) If you know the secret, then let me know! Ha!

But really after a work day (especially one when Colin is at the sitter) all I want to do is spend time with him and now that it is warming up here, we've been going on walks. I walk a mile with him during my lunch breaks at work and then come home and we go for another walk, this time walking the dog. Even if it isn't hardcore exercise... it is still better than nothing and Colin really enjoys them.

I've also been really trying to eat well, especially since my high blood pressure issue. (The dr. forgot to take it at Colin's apt. on Monday and I didn't remind her.... shame shame, I know.) I've cut back on red meats, sodium and sweets and pumped up my intake of veggies (yuck) and fruits.

Even if I don't lose anymore weight, walking a bunch and eating healthier is already making me feel better and in the end that is really all that matters!

Swaddle predicament

Well, since we started our bedtime routine, life has been pretty uneventful at bedtime. Colin gets bathed, lathered in lotion, changed into jammies, read a story and then nurses, swaddled, nurses some more and by then is totally passed out. We put him in his crib and for his first stretch of sleep and he was sleeping anywhere from 4-6 hours in his crib. It was glorious.

Then I got sick. My supply tanked and he started waking up every 2 hours again. Yuck. I got better and my supply returned to normal... but sleep has not. :(

It all started when my supply dropped, but that was also when Colin turned into a rolling machine. You can't lay him down without him rolling over within the first minute. It is like he thinks that because he now knows how to roll, he must do it, always. Well, he then figured out he can roll in his swaddle. One catch of him upside down in the middle of night in his swaddle, giving me a heart attack... was enough to want to ditch the swaddle. The problem is... the swaddle is a magical thing. It keeps those wild uncontrollable baby arms from flailing about and waking him up. Without the swaddle is chaos.

I cannot tell you how many times I got punched in the face last night. Lol Kid has a mean right hook.

We've tried putting him in the crib, unswaddled and half asleep and what does he do... he rolls. Then he wakes up and then he gets pissed because he has rolled onto his belly and forgot that he knows how to roll back. Then he screams. Then chalk up another 15-30 minutes trying to get him back to sleep.  So we've reverted back to cosleeping all night. Also without his arms swaddled it is like he can't sleep as soundly. They are soo jumpy that they wake him up.

Monday night it wasn't half bad, it was the night after his shots and dr. apt. and he slept 5 hours and then 4 hours, only waking once. Score!  Last night... not so much. He was VERY restless and there arms and limbs flailing about ALL NIGHT LONG. I soo missed the swaddle.

I wish I could just talk to him and tell him, hey buddy just because you know how to roll doesn't mean you HAVE to do it every time you are on your back. Just stay on your back so you can fall asleep and sleep for a very looong time so mommy can get some rest too. Oh well.. maybe I will sleep again in a couple years when I can actually have this conversation with him.

4 month check up

Colin had his 4 month check up today.  He weighed in at 14 lbs on the dot and 25 inches. He has actually dropped down as far as percentiles go, but the dr. said as long as he is growing and making progress then the numbers don't really matter. He was all smiles and happy to the doctor and nurse, until they gave him his shots. :) But he didn't cry nearly as much as he did the first times, so for that I was thankful! He slept as soon as I started the car, woke up not very happy, but after a quick meal he is now playing like normal! :)

She wants to wait as close to 6 months as possible before starting solids which is what I was aiming for anyway. I don't think he is quite ready for real food just yet.

Funny thing, they never told us what Colin's blood type was and I kept forgetting to ask. I remembered today and asked the nurse. Ryan is A+ and I am O+... wouldn't you know, Colin inherited Ryan's blood type... as well as Ryan's everything else to! lol

Oh and she saw him roll and watched him on his tummy and told us she didn't think it would be long before he started moving around on us... and I think she is right. Last night when colin was on his tummy, he moved in a half circle trying to grab a toy.... uh oh...

Speaking of this toy. We were in Target and I was looking at teething toys, Colin stopped sucking on his fingers and just stared at this toy on the shelf... He was in love. So of course, I bought it for him. Ryan said he already has me suckered... :)

Phone Dump!

Watching Aunt Katheryn live on an internet stream while she competed in a dance competition. Colin loves his Auntie!

Concentrating soo hard while playing for the first time in his exersaucer. His feet don't reach so he is standing on a pillow :) Its soo funny he gets so focused when he plays with his toys, he tightens up his lips, like in the picture... my mom and uncle do the same thing!

This is what I wake up to in the mornings. He wakes up so stinking happy it is disgusting! This was literally RIGHT as he opened his eyes for the first time!

He looks SO big in this baseball outfit!

This is why they make straps on baby chairs...

One of my coworkers said I always take happy pictures of my kid and I  don't ever show real life parenting! Lol So here, ya go... Doesn't he look like he's teething? Just having a rough moment at mommy's work.

Helping Mommy make dinner. He is sucking on the side of this carrier while I'm cooking! Lol

Somehow I fit in between these two. I don't really see where there is space, but apparently there was. I climbed out Colin's side, so it isn't like the cat moved. Colin is just waking up here... poor buddy, rubbing his little eyes.

I bought this hat before he was born because I thought it'd look cute for newborn pictures... well it just now fits! lol He thought the camera was cool that morning.

Fun at Mon's work. We got evacuated from the visitor center and had to go to the office... He is baby Colin the Antelope!

More Antelope Fun!