This is what happens you leave a toddler alone for 5 minutes while you gather the laundry

Yep he discovered the box of mandarins. Such fun to squish.

Christmas Fun!

For Collin's second Christmas we spent a few days at the Oregon Coast with Mike's family. Jon and Mary Ann rented a beautiful beach front house and we got lucky with the weather. I've been to the coast in July only to find it gray, gloomy and 60 degrees. But this time it was bright, clear blue skies and although chilly with the wind, still pleasant to walk along the beach.

From Christmas 09

There was a pile of gifts to bestow (recession, what recession)!



Collin received lots of fun presents including books, a new best friend we call Reindeer, a train set, and a tool box just like dad's (foul language not included).



Mike surprised me with a new camera just like the professionals use and an introductory lesson in January! I started messing around with it, though I'm completely clueless with ISO and all the manual setting stuff, I'm excited to learn. I've always wanted to take up photography and now no excuses. Best part of the new camera--that click, click, all in a row instead of seeing the perfect picture and then having it disappear in the time I press the button to take the photo. We also got lots of great gifts from family including a dutch oven and a rice cooker I'm excited to add to our kitchen appliance collection.

We spent about an hour on a chilly doc while Chris, Jon and Virginia went crabbing for dinner. Collin was pretty fascinated by the crabs and their claws and luckily didn't find out what happens when you reach out to touch them. We left when it got too cold for Collin but they stayed to catch enough crab for a delicious gumbo dinner.







After we left our relaxing coast trip we went to my parent's house for "second Christmas" and we all got more fun toys to play with (a griddle/panini press/bbq = more awesome times in the kitchen) and once Collin gets the hang of the "sit and spin" I imagine he'll enjoy making himself sick with dizziness.

We're fortunate that both our families are nearby and we were able to spend time with everyone during the holidays. And appreciate everyone's generosity. Collin is beyond lucky to have so many people that care for him.

Aloha!

We spent 10 days in beautiful Hawaii. As the rain pelts and the Oregon sky remains that lovely shade of blah gray, I'll close my eyes and pretend I hear the ocean and see palm trees swaying and cover myself in that nice blanket of warmth. Now, back to reality!



Here's the lowdown of our trip:

The Highs:

Collin hanging with his great grandpa! He absolutely loved "Baba." Every time he saw his great grandpa he's stretch his arms out to be picked up with a big smile. We were all a little nervous about Grandpa holding him as Collin is nearly 30 lbs but he insisted! Grandpa took us to the aquarium and Collin loved pointing to the fish. Collin was his usual bundle of energy and loved to run up and down the halls of Grandpa's retirement home. The older residents also circled in on him.







Family: Not only did Collin see his Great Grandpa but he also got to hang out with Uncle Chris for a few days. Then we left Maui for the Big Island to spend a week with my parents and Uncle Devin. Traveling with family is SO NICE when you have a rambunctious toddler. Mike and I got a bit of a break and Collin got to bond with everyone.

Friends: For the last couple days of the trip Mike's college buddy, Shoji and his girlfriend came over from Oahu to hang out. Shoji is hilarious and sweet and both of them were awesome with Collin.

Beaches: I admit the waves sort of freak me out but I love to wade in the ocean with the sun beating down. Just lying out in the sun hearing the sounds of the beach is the most relaxing thing I can think of. Collin had a great time digging in the sand and filling buckets but whimpered whenever we got near the water. Mike ventured in with him and a wave clobbered them so that probably didn't help.



Hawaii in general: Just to reiterate...Hawaii is wonderfullll. I love how natives think it's chilly when the thermostat hits below 80. It's always warm. Almost always sunny. And most everyone is so low-key and friendly. The accents are kind of cute too. But will someone please explain what "da kine" means?

Talk, talk: Collin has been flying with words! He picked up new ones and surprised me by repeating several after hearing them the first time. Um one of these said words is attempting to be reprogrammed to "Ship!"

His new vocab from the trip:
Baba: Great Grandpa
Papa: Grandpa
Uncle
Gecko: He loved pointing to the sweet little creatures that eat all the blood sucking bugs
Purple: Sort of random but he pointed to something purple and said it
Hi
Bye bye
Ball

The Low's:

The act of travel: Seriously what was I thinking when it crossed my mind I could take Collin to Europe. We'd all need sedatives for that to happen at this stage. The flight to Maui was horrid. We lucked out and got an empty seat for Collin but he squirmed, thrashed and screamed virtually the whole 5.5 hour flight. The books, puzzles and snacks proved useful for about a minute.

Two different couples approached us on our trip and remarked how Collin seemed much happier now. Two couples we didn't even recognize. Yes we're "those parents."

The first day Collin woke up at 3am and after that gradually later (until around 7am on the last day). The nice part about this is once back home, he's been sleeping in!

The flight home was 10 times better. My parents were there this time and helped with lugging stuff and again we scored an empty seat after Mike put on his Hawaiian accent. This time we strapped Collin in his car seat. He cried a little but napped for almost two hours, played, walked up and down the aisles and was much happier. And luckily he didn't have anyone sitting in front of him because the seat room proved perfect for kicking.

Bugs and safety: The house in the Big Island was beautiful however for the first few days there was no air conditioning which meant mosquitoes hovered in the house and ate everyone up (thankfully Collin's blood didn't seem to be sweet enough for their taste). In order to keep the house cool, all the doors had to be open which led to the pool which led to super vigilance to make sure Collin didn't run outside and drown, or fall off the drop off of the property which is perched high on a hill (and where wild boars and livestock roamed). After a couple days my parents opted to pay to turn the A/C on saving us some bites and a lot of peace of mind.



Collin the fiery one: This I'm a terror stage will hopefully be short lived. Collin scratched and hit nearly every one of his poor family members. When he's alone with the grandparents he's fine but for whatever reason when Mom and Dad are around it's free reign to turn on the terror. He also grabbed a little girl's hair on the airplane and popped another girl's balloon at the airport (she burst into tears because Collin "killed her friend.") We've tried time outs which don't really seem too effective at this point and a little pinch which stops him for a second. Sigh. I'm hoping this is a side effect of teething as one friend suggested and that sweet Collin the Angel will stick around for longer periods.

Fun with Dad

I had my first trip alone from Collin when I went to Austin, TX for a grants conference. I admit, waking up whenever I wanted, not having to worry about diapers or someone else's well being was a little nice. But every time I heard Collin's tiny voice say "Mama" on the phone I had to steady myself from tears. After five days it was nice to come home to my sweet little guy who likes to pull my face to his and touch my nose, a sort of Collin kiss. Mike was also relieved to see me (just because he loves me right!) it may also be that working full-time, finishing up remodels on the house and taking care of a toddler is, well hard...

They did seem to have lots of fun though and I was happy to come to a house that didn't need 12 hours of heavy cleaning.

Drunk Pumpkin

Well okay we didn't really spike Collin's milk with vodka but you wouldn't know it by this picture:




I know I'm a little late in Halloween posting. Let's just say this year's Halloween can be stricken from the record. It consisted of Collin looking cute with a too small Pumpkin costume, going to the jam packed halls of the Kennedy School with some pretty impressive costumes (robots, cartoon characters, animals, families in matching ensembles).

Collin's Pumpkin hoodie was purchased from the bargain rack at Costco. Next year when we actually take him trick-or-treating I think I'll be a little more inspired. He had a slight meltdown at the Kennedy School (too many kids, lots of noises may have bothered him, who knows). He played the part of the Killer Pumpkin and attempted the gouge the eyes out of a poor one year-old "Superman" three times. We left shortly after, had pizza and put one tired babe to bed. Collin did try a peanut butter cup before the night was over and he's been doing his "more" sign and pointing at the candy jar ever since. Mmm peanut butter cups.

Pumpkin Hunting!

From Fall 09

A Year and a Half, oh my!

It doesn't cease to amaze how a few months make such a difference in the life span of a baby. Except you can hardly call Collin a baby anymore. He's a stubborn, independent, full-blown toddler.

Highlights in the world according to Collin:

1. Still a Super Eater and Fruit Fiend:
Collin gobbles up any kind of fruit he can get (including whole peaches and pears stolen from the fruit basket) and since tomatoes are technically a fruit those too are consumed with fervor from the garden. When it comes to fruit, he could probably eat most grown ups under the table! Some of Collin's other favorite foods are: pasta, quiche, bacon (just like dad), garden burgers, beans (especially baked beans), fake and real chicken nuggets, broccoli, carrots, potatoes/yams, squash, yogurt, fig cookies, oatmeal, peanut butter or almond butter, turkey, cheerios, and pretty much anything starchy or sweet. The randoms are spicy hummus, guacamole and BBQ sauce. He's also starting to get the hang of a spoon and fork.

From Fall 09

2. Dance party time:
Collin loves to march his feet in rapid succession. He points to the stereo and grabs the scarves he loves to see me dance with to African beats. We've also started our second session of Music Together class which he'll hopefully enjoy. The first class was a bit of a bust with Collin cranky after I woke him from a rare morning nap. He kept running to the door and pointing to it, trying to steal the instruments and attempting to slap his fellow baby classmates on the head.



3. Tot language:
Language wise he seems to be on track. He probably has more words than we can understand and understands more than he can say. He knows who "Blue" his dog is with certainty, he understands simple directions like "bring me the book," "where's your milk?" and smiles with delight whenever we mention "Breakfast, snack time, lunch or dinner!" It seems like he'll say a word one week and then it disappears for a while. These are the words/phrases he seems to have in his vocab:

1. Momma (first word boo ya)
2. Dadda/daddy
3. Meh (milk, drink)
4. Nana (banana)
5. All done (uses this in context, sometimes not)
6. Up down (in context) like on the swings
7. Hot: He understands the oven is hot! Food can be hot! It used to be hot outside but those days are probably over.
8. On: Says this as he flips the light switch
9. Eye: Points to his eye
10. No: of course he's a toddler, luckily he doesn't say it all the time
And variations: "No mine!" "No way!"
11. Cat: He's only used this once but he pointed to a cat so I don't think it's coincidence

He lets you know what he wants by pointing with exacerbation with his monkey sounds (ehh, ehh!). With advice from Carol, our wonderful Early Intervention Hearing Specialist, we're trying not to give in so easily to the grunts and encourage actual words (or word approximations).

The frustrations of communication are obvious. When he's not understood, we don't give him what he want, or he's having trouble figuring something out he lets you know with big tears and anger: "No!" And smacks whatever is in his way (poor mom or dad). We're trying to teach him patiently and not so patiently, that hitting is not okay. So far all we get are giggles, blank looks or repeat attacks. Ignoring and walking away are pretty much the best solutions right now.

4. Busy, busy, busy:
From when he wakes up, Collin is on the go. He crawls up stairs at rapid pace and discovered the magic of going backwards to get down. He knows most of his body parts and loves patting his head. He loves looking at books especially ones filled with bright pictures and baby faces or cars. Lamps are apparently the coolest thing ever and are pointed to in books, restaurants, stores and of course at home. He also loves huddling in his tent and sweeping with the broom. We definitely have a runner and being chased is one of his favorite games. Hand holding is met with protests and he's not at the point where he knows he needs to follow us; safety is not a priority for a year and a half year old. Eventually he'll get it. But for now the stroller is our best mode of transportation (and no a leash is not in our future).





5. Best friends:
I know I've mentioned Blue in the past but Collin's connection to his sweet stuffed dog doesn't get old. He slobbers on Blue's nose, attempts to feed him cheerios and has a sweet happy cry whenever he hugs him. He sleeps with Blue, brings him on excursions and drags him all around the house. After a few days, the smell is more than I can take and washing Blue involves some strategy and distraction for sure. Mike and I need to find a replacement for the just in case moments. Losing Blue would be bad.







6. School:
Collin started at Purple Moon, his new daycare last week, and so far it's great. The teachers seem wonderful and actually like their job (a far cry from most of my experience from working at corporate daycares). The kids get snacks and meals that are nutritious and food I'd actually eat, as opposed to the bloated hot dogs, canned vegetables and fried god-knows-what that supposedly meets the school nutritional requirements served at other places. Colorful art projects cover the walls and they have an outdoor space complete with a little house and play structure and Collin's favorite--sand which I find everywhere.

Mostly Collin seems to enjoy being around his little friends. He always runs right in the classroom and doesn't notice when I slip out. And is usually not in a rush to go when I pick him up. He'll be able to stay in the program all the way through pre-kindergarten, probably with a lot of the same kids.