BIG NEWS.....Collin is army crawling

We have some exciting news to share with everyone...COLLIN IS FINALLY ARMY CRAWLING. Yes, we know most babies his age are already doing it but our little man has finally mastered this skill and he is on the go. As soon as we put him on the floor he takes off to find a fun toy to play with. We have even caught him leaving his playroom to chase Sweetie underneath the dining room table. We are so relieved Collin has finally mastered this skill.

Collin's 1st Christmas

Collin had a great first Christmas! The day started at 7:00am when Collin woke up to find his playroom filled with presents from Santa. He was a bit overwhelmed by everything in front of him but seemed to gravitate towards the Fisher Price Crawl and Cruise Musical Jungle. He played with that toy before even looking at anything else. We can definitely tell it was his favorite. He also received a Fisher Price schoolhouse, stacking cups, a Tonka truck, Sing and Dance Elmo, and tons of books from Santa. After looking at all his gifts from Santa, we opened presents with Grandmommy and Granddaddy, and then got ready for the rest of the family to come over. As you can imagine, he got tons more presents from the rest of the family. We then had a nice, southern meal of BBQ, stew, mac-n-cheese, and baked beans, and relaxed for the rest of the day. Although it was a difficult Christmas with my mom not here, it was wonderful to be with family on this special holiday and start traditions with Collin. We cannot wait for the Christmas's to come when he understands a little more and has a true sense of what is going on.

Christmas Eve with Collin

Although tonight is Christmas Eve, we started things a little early in the Hardy household. Last night we read the Christmas Story to Collin and lit candles to symbolize various ideals from the story. This is a tradition Patrick's parents did with him and I am excited to carry it over to Collin. Grandmommy read the Christmas Story out of the Bible to all of us and we lit a candle at various points. The story was a little long for Collin's attention span so we cut it short. The tradition is that the youngest person gets to snuff out the candles, so Mr. Collin got this job. With Mommy and Daddy's help, he got all the candles out then opened a special present that was an ornament of Baby Jesus in the manager. Although he is young now, we want to instill within him the real meaning of Christmas from a young age.

Tonight Collin got to experience his first Christmas Eve. Unfortunately Daddy had to work this morning so we hung out with Grandmommy and Granddaddy (Patrick's parents). Around noon, Daddy came home and played with Collin so Mommy could get everything ready for Christmas Eve dinner. We had Papa, Uncle Jon, Aunt Brittany, Grandmommy and Granddaddy over for dinner. I made Stuffed Shells, Caesar Salad and bread for everyone, along with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup trifle for dessert. Unfortunately, Collin couldn't have any of the food but joined us at the table with a Mum-Mum cracker in hand and a few Puffs. After dinner, Collin got decked out in his Christmas pajamas and headed off to bed so Santa could come. All the adults played several games then got the house ready for Santa to come. Although Collin does not fully understand what is going to happen tomorrow, I cannot wait to see his face when he sees all his new toys and all the presents and paper everywhere. It is going to be so much fun!!!

Collin's 1st Christmas Present

Last night I went out to dinner with two of my best friends, Katie and Crystal. We all went to Berry College and were in the education program together and have remained close friends since. While we were at dinner, Katie gave me a present she and her husband got for Collin. The next morning when he woke up I put the present in front of him and he became very excited. He was very interested in the bow on the front and touching it. I got him started with the unwrapping and he did the rest. He was so happy to see a big alphabet book from Miss Katie (yes, teachers know how important early literacy is). As soon as I moved the paper, he started looking at the book page by page. What a little bookworm! Needless to say, I think he is going to love Christmas.

Collin and Santa

Collin went to visit Santa again Saturday. This time we went to Victoria's Childrens Boutique in Cumming to see him. It was so nice. We had an appointment at 1:30 and Collin got to spend ten minutes with Santa. Just like last time, Collin LOVED sitting with Santa. He looked at him and smiled, then decided he would kick back and lounge on his fluffy beard. It was too cute! Collin also decided he would say "hey" to Santa about ten times. The funnest thing was when Santa had to cough to clear his throat. Mr. Collin loves to fake cough and used this as a perfect opportunity to fake cough to mock Santa. Everyone in the store got a kick out of it!

Collin's New Word

We are excited to report that Collin has learned his second word. It was so cute. Saturday morning we heard him stirring in his crib around 7:00am. Patrick went in to get him and as soon as Collin saw him he started saying "Da-da-da-da-da-da". That's right, he is now saying "Da-Da". This made Patrick beyond excited! He repeated it several times throughout the day and would look at Patrick while he said it. What a smartie!

Collin Is Nine Months Old

It is official, Collin is now nine months old. We have no idea where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday we were coming home with our newborn baby. Papa (Brooke's dad) was lucky enough to go with Collin and Mommy to his 9 month appointment. He was such a big help considering I am still in a wheelchair. Collin now weighs 20 pounds, 7 ounces (50%) and is 29 inches long (75%). The doctor said he was right on track with his height and weight and seemed to be developing well. As many of you know, Collin is still not totally crawling on his hands and knees. He is still doing the "swimmer crawl" as we call it. The doctor said that Collin really should be crawling by now and starting to pull himself up. Since he is not doing this, we are supposed to watch his progress this month and report back to him in 6 weeks. Since I have been confined to a wheelchair over the past 6 weeks, the doctor thinks that may have something to do with his disinterest in it and his wanting to be near Mommy all the time. We are hoping so and praying that it is nothing more serious. His doctor did note that Collin appears to be a very intellectual baby and is more interested in studying a particular toy or item to see how it works rather than crawling from toy to toy. Daddy said this trait must come from Mommy:)

The doctor also said that Collin's red cheeks were not in fact eczema but extremely sensitive skin. He said most babies outgrow this once they hit about one year old and that the heat also dries him out, making them appear redder.

Despite not crawling, Collin has made a great deal of progress this month. He is now able to sit up on his own completely and play with his toys for 15+ minutes independently. He has also continued to babble nonstop. His first, and only word, right now is "hey". He says it all the time and anytime a stranger at a store looks at him. Occasionally he will wave too. He has not figured out to put his hand up high when he does it, so you have to look down lower to see it. Collin has also started eating and enjoying a few finger foods. He LOVES Mum-Mum crackers and Gerber's Peach Puffs. Every time he sees the yellow peach puff container on the table he opens his mouth like "Give me some now". It is so cute! Collin is also able to hold his sippy cup and drink out of it if the water is filled up to the top. Collin is also starting to pick up on some baby sign language. We have been working on several everyday signs and Collin has picked up on "ball" and "book". If we lay all his toys in front of him, and ask him for the ball or book with the sign he can get them for you. This month we are going to add a few more signs to his repertoire.

We may be biased, but we feel the Lord has blessed us with one of the cutest baby's ever. Despite all the circumstances we have been through this month, Collin has remained a happy and healthy little boy who simply loves life. What more could a Mom and Dad ask for!

Collin's 1st Thanksgiving

Collin got to celebrate his first Thanksgiving today! After he ate breakfast we packed up the car and headed down to Papa's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We met Aunt Brittany, Uncle Jon, and of course Papa there and cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Collin played the whole time and then sat with us at the dinner table and watched Baby Einstein while we ate together. Thank goodness for the Baby Bach DVD! It was definitely a hard Thanksgiving without Nana there with us, but we know she was looking down on us from heaven smiling at how well everyone is getting along. We have all made it a top priority to remain close and keep things exactly as she would have wanted. We love you Nana and miss you so much!

Although our family has gone through more than is imaginable this year, we have so much to be thankful for. Here is just a small portion of what we are so grateful to our Father for blessing us with:
-God's grace
-A happy, healthy, and precious son
-Financial secruity during this tough economic time and that Brooke can stay home and be with Collin
-A family that will drop anything to be there for us
-Good health (besides nursing a broken ankle:))
God has blessed our family so much this year!

Collin Meets Santa

On Saturday Collin met Santa for the first time. We took him to the Avenue in Forsyth to see him. They were having free pictures with Santa and carriage rides around the complex. It was really cold so we visited Santa then headed home. As soon as Collin sat in Santa's lap, he looked up at him and was very curious. We knew he was either going to like sitting with him or cry, cry, cry. To our surprize, he loved Santa. He smiled at him, made some babbling noises, and then tried to pull his beard. Santa was so sweet and put up with all of it. We have a couple of other Santa visits scheduled so check back for more pictures.

Collin and His Daddy

My favorite boys in the whole world and they make me so happy!

Collin's New Tricks

Mr. Collin has learned a new trick...how to kiss:) Every night before Collin goes to bed we give him a night, night kiss. Now Collin participates too. If you stick your lips out, the little guy will give you some sugar. So sweet! Collin has also started sucking his thumb a lot. We are not sure what to think about this one!?!

Collin Is Eight Months Old

Well our little boy is now eight months old! It is hard to believe that in four more months he will be a year old. Where has the time gone? Collin has done so many new things since his seven month birthday. He is now a little over 19 pounds on our scale at home and is busting out of all his clothes. He now has his second tooth and looks so cute when he smiles with two little teeth showing. He has also learned his first word. Believe it or not, "hey" is what he says all the time. Everytime we go out and he sees someone he says "hey". He has even started lifting up his hand like he is waving to you. It is so precious! Although he says it all the time, Mommy and Daddy still like to brag and call it his first word.

Collin is still working in the crawling area. He does what Mommy and Daddy call the "swimmer crawl". He moves around the floor by wiggling his bottom and moving his arms like he is swimming. Although it gets him from place to place, it looks so exhausting. We are working on getting him up on all fours but he wants no part of it. We keep praying that one day our little man will pick up this skill.

Although he is not crawling, Collin is able to stand up and play with his Fisher Price table and rattles on the sofa or ottamen. When we stand him up he will support himself and play. It's not a huge accomplishment, but we are proud of him!

Luckily Collin is continuing with his good sleeping habits. He usually takes a two hour nap in the morning and a thirty to forty-five minute one in the afternoon. He usually goes to bed at 7:00 and wakes up at 7:00. We are blessed in this area!

We are so blessed to have Collin in our lives. This has been a really tough month in many ways but Collin always brings a smile to our face and brightens our day just by being himself. We are looking forward to getting ready for the Holiday Season with our little man and going to visit Santa Claus and ride the Pink Pig.

Collin's 1st Halloween!

Collin had a blast on his first Halloween. On Friday morning he went to a party with all his playgroup pals at his friend Charlie's house. He dressed up like a little monkey and surprizingly he liked wearing his costume. All of the mommies lined the kiddos up to take pictures. None of them enjoyed this but we did get a few good shots. Collin was sitting beside a little girl wearing a pink monster costume and all he wanted to do was eat her. I am not sure what his fascination was but he was in love with her pink monster costume. After the party Collin came home and got ready to go trick or treating. Since he goes to bed at 7:00 pm on the dot, we did some early trick or treating. He got in Mommy's lap and Daddy pushed us around in the wheelchair. He went to about 5 houses in the neighborhood then decided he had enough. All in all he had a great day!

Mommy Broke Her Ankle

Sad news...Mommy went running this morning and broke her ankle. In high school and college I severely sprained it two times. Apparently the tendons and ligaments turned into scar tissue. This means my bone had no padding and finally gave way. I was running in the neighborhood across the street when it happened and had to walk a mile back home since I forgot my cell phone. We immediately went to the doctor, got x-rays, and found out it was broken. Unfortunately I had to get a full cast since they do not want me to put any weight on it. To make matters worse it is bright blue, but at least Collin likes it. I am blessed to have Patrick's mom coming to help out with Collin until I can learn to maneuver my wheelchair, walker and him. Please keep us in your prayers!



Collin admiring Mommy's new cast

Happy Halloween!

Collin's 1st Picnic

Last night Collin went to his first picnic. Our new small group had a get together with all the families at a park in Windward. Collin had a good time. There were several preschool aged children who kept him entertained and showered him with attention. One of them was even nice enough to stroll him around the park! He also got to hang out with his playgroup pal Mackenzie. Hopefully we will be able to have more picnics soon.

If You're Happy and You Know It

Here are some pictures of Collin after church on Sunday morning. He was so happy! He loves the weekends when Mommy and Daddy are both home to shower him with attention.

Fall Festival Fun

This weekend we took Collin up to the Fall Festival at the Avenue in Forsyth. Mrs. Pam, Collin's babysitter, works at the Avenue and was helping out with the event so we decided to stop by. Although it was catered towards kids a little older than him, he had a great time. He got to sit in hay and play with pumpkins and see a pony. He was fasinated with touching the saddle and the pony. After the festival, Papa came over to play with Collin and watch the Gerogia Bulldogs. What a busy day!

Collin Is Seven Months Old

It is hard to believe that our little baby is now seven months old. Where has the time gone? Everyday Patrick and I wonder where our little baby went. It seems like Collin has become such a big boy in the past few months. He can do so many new things and even looks like a little boy now. Everyone always told us the time would fly bye but we never realized how true the statement was.

Collin has changed so much over the past month. We weighed him at home on our scale. Although it is not an official scale like the doctor's office, on ours he was a whooping 18 pounds. Collin can now sit up on his own unassisted. He loves to sit on his blanket and play with his activity triangle, barn, and new Fisher-Price Little Superstar sing and dance toy. He occasionally topples over but we try not to make a big deal about it so he won't cry. We have even caught him purposefully leaning to one side to go from sitting up to his tummy. Boy is he smart!

Although he is not crawling yet, at night we catch him inch worming in his crib. Every night on the monitor we see him moving all around his crib like an inchworm. He lays on his belly, brings his knees under his bottom, and pushes forward. We joke around that he needs a king sized crib since he moves around so much. We are hoping crawling will be in the near future.

Collin also had a major first this month...his first tooth. Collin finally had a tooth on the bottom break though and now the one right beside it is starting to break the gums.

Perhaps the most exciting news of this month is that our little boy is FINALLY taking substantial naps. Our little Collin used to be known as the "30-minute man"
and would wake up exactly 30 minutes after he fell asleep no matter what. With some support from our small group, we implemented the cry it out method for nap time and now Collin is averaging an hour and a half to two hour nap in the morning and a 45 minute nap in the afternoon. What a change this has been. Instead of rushing around like a mad man during the 30 minutes to get things done, we now have enough time to finish the chores and catch up on a book, TV show, or e-mail. This has been amazing!

We know we always say it, but we thank God everyday for giving us such a precious and healthy little boy. He is an absolute joy and has brought so much meaning and purpose to our family. We love this little boy more than anyone can imagine!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Today we took Collin to Burt's Pumpkin Farm in Dawsonville. It was a long car ride for our little man. When we finally arrived, Collin was sound asleep. We thought for sure that taking him out of his car seat and strolling him on a bumpy dirt road would wake him up, but none of it did. After we looked around for a while we finally woke the little guy up. At first he was a little confused as to where he was but ended up having a great time. His favorite thing of all was trying to grab and eat handfuls of mulch while posing with the pumpkins. This will definitely become a yearly family tradition.

Collin Got His 1st Tooth

Collin has finally got his first tooth! On Thursday morning when he woke up I noticed a tiny cut on his bottom gum. I wasn't sure if it was a tooth coming through or a cut from putting everything in his mouth. However, over the weekend while he was being babysat by his Grandmommy and Great Aunt Pris, the tooth started to come through and you could feel it when he gummed on your hand. I am so excited my baby has his first tooth but so sad at the same time that the days of the adorable "gummy" smile are soon going to be over.

Collin's Best Friend

Collin has finally noticed our cat, Sweetie, and is obsessed with her. Anytime she walks near him he stops what he is doing to look at her. Whenever Patrick and I can find Sweetie, we will sit Collin up in front of her. He loves to try to pet and talk to her. Sweetie, however , does not like this so much. Just wait until he starts crawling!

Collin's Haircut

On Friday, Collin got his hair cut. He had gotten it trimmed before but this time he got an actual big boy haircut. Check out his new hairdo!

Sitting Up

Collin has gotten so good at sitting up. We have really been working hard on this skill and he finally seems to like it and has caught on. His motivation is our cat Sweetie. If you sit him in front of Sweetie he will sit up all by himself and smile at her. She tolerates it for about a minute and then runs away when he tries to talk to her. He has also started playing with his toys sitting up. What a big boy!

Collin's Weekend

Collin had a great weekend! On Saturday he got to watch the Georgia Bulldogs with Daddy and Papa while I went shopping with Brittany. On Sunday he got to go to church where he actually took a nap. Yes, you heard me right, Collin took a nap. That night we went out to Little Azio for dinner. We were a little worried how dinner would go since Collin had to upgrade to a new car seat that cannot come out of the car. However, we sat him in the highchair at the restaurant and he did great! I cannot believe my little baby is sitting in a highchair now!