Spring is here!

We are so glad spring is here and it has started getting warm outside. Everyday Collin and I try to go for a walk around the neighborhood. As a reward for letting Mommy get her walk in, Collin gets to stop at the neighborhood playgroup and swing in the baby swing and slide down the slide. We usually meet his pal Mackenzie at the swings so they can hang out together and stare at each other as they swing.

Collin's Favorite Toy

Collin has found a new favorite toy....the laundry room trashcan. Apparently it is far better than any of the toys he got for his birthday and all those in his playroom as he has to play with it every chance he gets. He loves to bang it on the tile floor and stuff his teddy bear in it. Who knew a trashcan could be such fun?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Here is Collin all dressed in green for St. Patrick's Day.

Birthday Party in Birmingham

This weekend we packed up and headed to Birmingham to visit Grandmommy and Granddaddy and have another birthday party for Collin with the Hardy side of the family. We arrived Friday afternoon and Collin spent the night investigating their house. He especially loved their stairs and had to climb them several times on his own for fun. Saturday morning all of Patrick's cousins and their kids came over to celebrate Collin's first birthday. It was so neat to watch him interact with the older kids. He especially loved Kaleb who is five. Collin would watch him build structures with little cars and would then go and knock them down. Luckily Kaleb has a brother and did not mind the annoyance. After lunch all of the kids sat around the table and sang to Collin and then had cake. Up until this point Collin had cried every time he even saw cake. I guess the fourth time was the charm. He loved it and got it everywhere! In fact, he had to be excused to go and get a quick bath before opening presents. Collin got lots of neat books that were some of his cousins favorites growing up. Grandmommy and Granddaddy got him a sand and water table for outside which I know he will love since he plays in Sweetie the cat's water bowl all the time. Collin had a great time and loved getting to play with his older cousins.

1st Major Boo-Boo

I am sad to say that Collin had his first major boo-boo today. He was "cruising" around the ottoman in our den when he somehow fell. His mouth somehow hit the wood underneath the ottoman and he immediately started screaming. As soon as I picked him up blood starting gushing ! At first it looked like his two front teeth had been knocked out as blood was just everywhere. Once I cleaned him up, I saw a huge gash in the skin between his two front teeth. Panicked, I called our friend Amy who is also a pediatric nurse. She came over and took a look and thought it was okay and would heal on its own but suggested we call our doctor just in case. They told me to keep an eye on it and if it continued to bleed to bring him in. Luckily, we did not have to and it appears to be healing on its own. Our little man does have a blue, puffy lip now and looks pitiful. I am not sure who it hurt more, Mommy or him.

Happy Birthday, Collin!

Yesterday was Collin's actual first birthday! It is hard to believe he is already one. We celebrated by giving him his gift from Mommy and Daddy. We got him a Little Tikes Castle playset. Since it was so cold outside we set it up inside. He was not sure what to think of it. We put him in the swing and slid him down the slide and he loved it. We cannot wait for the weather to warm up so he can go outside and play. Collin also got to open a gift from Grandmommy and Granddaddy. They bought him a little dog that he can pull along and barks like a real dog. Collin loved it!

Today Collin had his 12 month check-up. He now weighs 22 pounds, 8 ounces (50%)and is 30.5 inches long (75%). The doctor said Collin looked great! He has caught up in his development of skills such as crawling and cruising and appears to be right on track. He does still have fluid in his left ear that has been there since late August and has not budged despite two rounds of antibiotics. The doctor is confident it will go away over time and is going to recheck it in six weeks. Poor baby had to get three shots and have his finger pricked to check his iron level. Needless to say, Collin does not like going to the doctor and now knows what is going to happen as soon as he sees the exam table.

Over the past month Patrick and I have seen so many changes in Collin. The biggest is that he is now a crawling machine and into everything. Anytime he realizes he is alone with Mommy or Daddy not right beside him, he makes a beeline to Sweetie's food. He is obsessed with throwing his toys in her water and eating her food. I would not think it tastes good but he loves it. He is also crawling all over the house. He loves to go to his room and take everything off his shelf and then dump his diaper bin and humidifier. He is now crawling up on all fours and is fast! He is definitely keeping us in shape.

Collin is also talking up a storm. He loves to say "da-da" and has started saying "hey da-da" when he comes in from work. He has even started to try to say Sweetie to our cat. Collin is also starting to recognize so many things. If we lay out his barn animals he can find the horse, cow, duck and dog. Such a smartie! If we ask him to get a toy like his ball or balloon he can go and find it. Each day is so much fun to see what he will pick up.

Words cannot express how much we love Collin and how much joy he brings into our lives. We always say we wish we could keep him at this age forever because he is just so sweet and can do so much. We thank God everyday for sending us this miracle and keeping him healthy and safe thus far.

Playgroup Birthday Party

Today Collin's playgroup had a birthday party for all the kiddos. All of the children in the group are one or turn one soon. In fact, four of them were born in the same week. Stacey, one of the mom's, decided to give all the children a huge birthday cake. We sat them all in a circle and let them dig in. All of the children liked it except for Collin. When he saw the cake he cried. He did not want to have to touch that yucky stuff again! He just sat and watched as they dug in. But I am not complaining that he does not like sugar. I am not sure he needs any help with being active:) Check out the pictures below.


Getting ready


Collin crying:(


He liked the Mum-Mum rice cracker better than cake?!?

Collin's 1st Birthday Party

Yesterday we had Collin's 1st birthday party for Mommy's side of the family. We were expecting a big crowd of aunts, uncles, and cousins but surprisingly when we woke up the forecast called for snow. How often does that happen! Therefore, the relatives could not make the three hour trek up here from south Georgia. However, Papa, Uncle Jon, and Aunt Brittany all came over for some fun. The theme of the party was "The Big ONE" with teddy bears and balloons. We decorated the whole house in baby blue and lime green with teddy bears. It was too cute! The nice ladies at Publix even made a cake to match. Collin got his very own smash cake but was not to interested in it. After about three minutes of just staring at it, he put his finger in it and decided it was pretty yucky feeling. With lots of encouragement, he decided to touch it some more and decided that sugar tastes pretty good. He then tried to lunge his head forward and lick the cake but couldn't quite do it because of the highchair. Daddy came to the rescue and fed him some cake with a spoon. Gotta love Daddy! Collin then got to open his presents. He got a Radio Flyer wagon from Papa, a play lawnmower from Uncle Jon, and a play phone and barn fridge toy from Aunt Brittany. All in all it was a great first birthday.