Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our little devil!

Five months: Colin Bennett

Sweet baby Colin,

You are five months old already! It's so hard to believe how quickly time is passing by. We try to soak up each and every moment with you and enjoy each stage. With that said, you are at such a fun stage right now... you are laughing and smiling at us all the time. Your little giggle is hilarious! You love to reach for things and play with Mommy and Daddy. You are still a snuggle bunny and we love it.Your fourth month was certainly a fun one and the one in which you have changed the most!

Size: At five months old you are 15.4 lbs and getting taller by the day. You are wearing nine month pants and six month onesies. You are a little string bean! Your long legs are too short for six month pants but the nine month tops are way to big.

Eating: You are still exclusively breastfed and eat 6 times per day. You nurse when you first wake up, get three bottles of pumped milk while you are at school, nurse when we get home and nurse again right before bed. When you are home with Mommy you are exclusively breastfed. You  no longer need to have a snack in the middle of the night, which has been great! In a few short weeks we will have met my original goal of six months of breastfeeding! I am so proud of the both of us and look forward to introducing you to purees. I'm excited to home make all of your food so that we know what is in it. It creeps me out to think about what must be in jarred baby food that allows it to have such a long shelf life. No, thanks!

Loves: You love hanging out with Mommy and Daddy for sure. You enjoy talking to us and "bouncing" on our laps. You love to "sit up like a big boy" and enjoy any of your seats that allow you to do so (bumbo, highchair and jumperoo). You love your toy ball, your abacus, your light up snail and your new tummy time mirror. You also love being outdoors and in the jogging stroller looking around as well.

You LOVE to play peak-a-boo! You think it is hysterical. We can't get enough of your belly laughs when we play.

Sleeping: You still take at least one larger nap during the day (2ish hours) but its not consistent with morning or afternoon. You'll take a few cat naps as well. You are primarily sleeping through the night (8- at least 6am). I'd like to start to get you on a more consistent nap schedule I think introducing solids will help with that. 

Milestones:

10/2/13-your first taste of food! You had single grain oatmeal. The doc gave us the green light to give you a few tastes before your six month "green light" for food.
10/7/13- you started really talking up a storm! We love your baby babble
10/11/13- rolled over in your sleep
10/12/13- rolled over in front of Mommy, Daddy, Gram, Granddad, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Barbara! We were all so proud and so excited to see! You've been a rolling fool ever since. :)
10/26/13- first time visiting the aquarium
10/29/13- you sat in the "tripod" position for a few seconds! The beginning stage of sitting up independently.

You have several nicknames: Mommy and Daddy call you beebs, C, Bayba C and Chubby in the Tubby. Gram and Granddad call you beebsm, beebalino and bebe. Your teachers call you "collywood" (like Hollywood) due to your handsome looks and popularity among your friends at school. Your main nicknames and the ones used the most often are Collywood and Beebs. Mommy even has a "Beebs song" she made up.

Random tidbits: You have really started to tolerate tummy time so much more. I think you are feeling more confident and the stronger you get, the more you like to lift your head up. 

You are by far the most loved little boy on the face of the planet. Mommy and Daddy love you bigger than the universe and enjoy each and every moment with you. You are learning new things by the day and are so interactive. Your fun personality and infectious smile are to die for. We can't wait to see what the next month will have in store for our little family.  

Colin Bennett: 21 Weeks

On October 23rd our little pumpkin turned 21 weeks old. This was such a busy week for our little family which prompted many big changes for us in the coming weeks! More on that in another post. For now, can we talk about how cute our little soon to be five month old is? I mean seriously... look at that face!

Weight:  I turn my back and his legs get longer. This guy is going to be tall like his Daddy. I'm going to try and weigh him this week to see for sure but I'd say he is >15 lbs 

Health: Happy and healthy. If I had to predict now, I'd say we won't be needing the head shaping helmet! I think C's head is looking less and less "flat" in the back. We've been on that tummy.

Social: C attended his first birthday party for a "friend" last Saturday at a local farm here in Maryland. It was so cute seeing all his daycare buddies and their parents. C also had a night in with Gram and Granddad while Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding. 

Sleep: Sleep was MUCH better this week- C slept through the night the majority of the week and even took a nap in his crib. When he did wake up, he went right back down with a binkie. 

Diet: All Mommies milk- one more month to go until we meet our goal! I'm not anywhere near ready to stop. I love our bonding time and I love knowing that I've been solely responsible for creating those chubby little thighs!

Clothes: It's official, six month pants are too short. I've been stretching it out and trying to get the most out of some of his pants but his legs are too darn long. 9 month outfits are too long in the arms and too big in the body but the pants fit so I've been mixing six month onesies with 9 month sweats/jeans for the time being. My little string bean. 

Baby Gear Love: His light up snail, tummy time mat, bumbo seat and high chair. Anything that keeps him off his head and his attention while on his tummy. He also really likes the wooden toy we bought to help with tummy time. He loves to spin the gears. 

Crying: Still only cries with a purpose! Poopy, tired, wet, hungry, lonely

Likes: Snuggling and being held (especially first thing in the morning), baths, talking to Mommy and Daddy, being outside, nursing, singing songs, reading books and Sprout (we don't encourage TV, but once in a while we'll put it on to relax)

Dislikes: Getting jammies on, waking up alone in his crib (especially when he rolls over and doesn't know how that happened!)

Postpartum: It was a crazy week for me so I didn't work out at all. Feeling like a lazy bones. I need to get serious this week to make up for it. I've also noticed that "shedding" has started. :-/ I thought I might have gotten away with missing that lovely postpartum milestone but no such luck!

Milestones:  10/19- first birthday party for his friend Kevin (KJ) from Kindercare. Also
losing almost all of his beautiful head of baby hair. :(

Colin Bennett: 20 weeks

Our little monkey man is 20 weeks old.

Weight:  Getting bigger by the day! 15 lbs at least. 

Health: We went to the cranial specialist on Monday to have C's head shape checked out. They are giving us four weeks to see if we can correct it with "conservative methods" (aggressive tummy time, head and neck exercises, keeping pressure off the back of his head). We go back in early November to see if things have improved or if we need a helmet. Fingers and toes crossed we see improvement. 

Social: Colin got to spend the weekend with Gram and Granddad! On Sunday Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ralph came over as well and we had a big football Sunday get together.  

Sleep: C has been rolling over in his sleep and waking himself up every few hours. I hear this is normal when babies learn new skills. :)

Diet: All Mommies milk! He had a taste of Oatmeal again this weekend but again, its just for a taste every once in a while.

Clothes: 6 month outfits and some 9 month pants/jammies for length. His growth is steadying out so we should be in this size for a while.

Baby Gear Love: His highchair! He loves sitting up with us at the table and being able to be a part of the conversation. Such a social butterfly. He also loves his toy snail from Gram and Granddad. It lights up and helps with tummy time.

Crying: Still only cries with a purpose! Poopy, tired, wet, hungry, lonely

Likes: Snuggling and being held, baths, talking to Mommy and Daddy, being outside, eating and Sprout (we don't encourage TV, but once in a while we'll put it on to relax)

Dislikes: Getting his jammies on and being hungry. I hope this isn't a pattern but he doesn't like the left boob at bedtime either...why? Who knows.

Postpartum: I exercised a ton this week and feel great! 

Milestones:  Colin started rolling over in his sleep and rolling over in front of Mommy and Daddy regularly! He also started to really lose his baby hair. :(

Colin Bennett: 19 weeks

On October 9th, Colin turned 19 weeks old. He is getting bigger and doing new things daily. This week, he really started to talk and babble.

Weight:  Getting bigger by the day! 15 lbs at least. 

Health: C had another bout of the sniffles this week. Poor kid can't catch a break. The doc seems to think he might have allergies. We are using the humidifier every night now which seems to be helping. Poor little man.

Social: On Sunday Colin went to the pumpkin patch with his cousins, Aunt, Grandmom. We got some great pumpkins! 

Sleep: I opened my mouth last week and talked about what a great sleeper he was... Last night was the first time C has slept through the night in a week. In his defense, I think its because he wasn't feeling well. Last night was great so hopefully we are back on track!

Diet: Still exclusively breastfed... although... C did get his first taste of oatmeal this week! I still plan on  exclusively breastfeeding for six months, however, the pediatrician gave us the green light to start giving him a few bites to see if he is interested. He was certainly interested... but after doing some research, I'd like to wait until he is six months old per the AAP. Once we reach the six month mark, I will start introducing homemade foods.

Clothes: 6 month outfits and some 9 month pants/jammies for length. I think we will be in this size for a few months (we have some room to grow). It's been fun to break out the fall hats!

Baby Gear Love: His ball- big time. He's also really starting to show interest in all his other toys. 

Crying: Still only cries with a purpose! Poopy, tired, wet, hungry, lonely

Likes: Snuggling and being held, baths, talking to Mommy and Daddy, being outside, eating and Sprout (we don't encourage TV, but once in a while we'll put it on to relax)

Dislikes: This week, he seems to hate sleeping in his crib. He'll be asleep in my arms and as soon as I put him down, he starts to cry. Again, most likely because he isn't feeling well. It took a while to get him to go back down this week.He also does not like getting his jammies on, he'd MUCH rather be naked.

Postpartum: Two pounds down this week- fingers crossed I DO NOT gain it back. 20 lbs by Christmas. I've also been lifting a lot more- I want to be toned not just thin.

Milestones:  10/2- first taste of oatmeal!
10/7- Major baby babble in response to Mommy's questions. :)

Colin Bennett: 18 weeks

Happy 18 weeks to our little bambino!

Weight:  We had C's official weigh in on Tuesday- he's 14.5lbs and 25 inches long! Such a string bean. 

Health:C is overall a very healthy and happy boy! He's growing and developing right on track! The pediatrician did want to send us to a cranial specialist due to the flat shape of Colin's head. She said it is not alarming but she wants to have his measurements taken to ensure he doesn't need a helmet to help his head shape. In the meantime, increased tummy time and keeping the pressure off the back of his head will help. 

Social: We had a great week in the social department! We visited Gram and GrandDad on Friday night, went to Linvilla Orchards to pick apples and veggies on Saturday and Colin had his first at home experience with a babysitter on Sunday. 

Sleep: C Slept through the night almost every night this week in his cribby! There were 2 nights where he woke up and needed a snack,but otherwise he did great!

Diet: Still exclusively breastfed

Clothes: 6 month outfits and some 9 month pants for length. I think we will be in this size for a few months (we have some room to grow)

Baby Gear Love: His ball! He can grasp it and pass it back and forth between his hands! 

Crying: Still only cries with a purpose! Poopy, tired, wet, hungry, lonely

Likes: Snuggling and being held, baths, talking to Mommy and Daddy, "bouncing" with Daddy

Dislikes: Getting his nose aspirated or being put down for a second when he's in the mood to snuggle. The boy loves to be loved!!! (Of course, we don't mind)

Postpartum: Feeling determined- these lbs have to GO. 

Milestones:  10/1 at the doctors office C rolled over on the table front to back!

9/29- first at home babysitting experience with a teacher from his school. Mommy and Daddy went to a special "viewing party" at Ravens stadium for the game. We only stayed a few hours, but it was nice to get out as hubby and wife.

Four Months: Colin Bennett

Sweet Baby Boy,

We cannot believe that you are already four months old! The past four months have been so much fun and you are such a blessing in our lives.

Size: At four months old you are 14.5lbs and 25 inches long (70th percentile for height and 25th for weight). You are wearing six month clothing and size two diapers. Such a big guy!

Eating: You are still exclusively breastfed and eat 6 times per day. You nurse when you first wake up, get three bottles of pumped milk while you are at school, nurse when we get home and nurse again right before bed. Once in a while you'll wake up around 3 or 4 for a quick snack but that is going by the wayside.

Loves: You love hanging out with Mommy and Daddy for sure. You enjoy talking to us and "bouncing" on our laps. You still love to "sit up like a big boy" and enjoy any of your seats that allow you to do so (bumbo, highchair and jumperoo). You love your toy ball, being outdoors and being in the stroller looking around as well. Your most favorite place in the world right now seems to be on your GrandDad's lap. You LOVE sitting with GrandDad (and he loves sitting with you!).

You still LOVE to be held and snuggled. We don't mind at all.

Sleeping: You still take at least one larger nap during the day (2ish hours) but its not consistent with morning or afternoon. You'll take a few cat naps as well. You are primarily sleeping through the night (8- at least 6am). You had a bit of a rough adjustment to the wide open space of the crib, but you are doing great now! Such a brave little boy. 

Milestones: 

On 9/3 you rolled over! You have only done it a handful of times and you get help in order to do it. We are really working on head and neck strength and you are almost there!!

On 9/9 you stared to really belly laugh out loud. Talk about adorable.

You can lift your head 90 degrees when doing tummy time and can sit up well with assistance. You had your first trip to the orchard, first cold, and first trip to the zoo this month. You also did your first art project (finger painting at school) and got your first birthday party invite.

On your four month birthday you learned to take your binks in and out.

You have several nicknames: Mommy and Daddy call you beebs, C, Bayba C and Chubby in the Tubby. Gram and Granddad call you beebalino and bebe. Your teachers call you "collywood" (like Hollywood) due to your handsome looks and popularity among your friends at school.

Random tidbits: you love watching football! We think it's the green field that keeps your attention. 

You are so loved by your teachers at school which makes mommy and daddy so happy. 

We are so in love with you baby boy. You certainly have our hearts. We love watching you learn new things and grow big and strong. We can't get enough of your infectious laugh and we melt when you show us your smile. We can't wait to see what new adventures your fifth month brings! 

We love you to the moon and back. Happy four months little one.