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Over The Moon

To My smart, handsome, curious, funny and growing little boy:

I wanted to list some of the things that have my heart bursting for you at this moment. There are so many times each day that I find my mind wandering toward just how much I love you. It really is true what they say: the love you have for your child is insurmountable and it pulls at your heart like no other.

I love the way you say mama. Hearing it is like music to my ears.

I love when you do "ahh Mommy" or "ahh Daddy" and pet our cheeks while looking intently in our eyes. It's amazing.To me this is your way of saying "I love you too".

I love the way you love your "brother" Dutch. You ask about him often now, which is adorable.

Your curiosity. You need to know what is in/on/under anything and everything and you do whatever it takes to explore and learn about a new object.

Your sense of humor. You are so funny at such a young age! You think it's hilarious to put anything on your head and say "hat!". You also love to touch things you're not supposed to and give us the side eye with a smirk.

I love when we play "chase". You think its hysterical to be chased by Mommy. I say "I'm coming to get cha!" and you run away laughing.

I love the way you crash at the end of the day. When it's time for bed, you show it. You let us know that you've had a full day and are ready to sleep. You and Daddy are just alike.

I love how interested you are in reading books. It is by far your favorite thing to do. You love to turn the pages and point out things on the book that you find interesting.

Your words. They are adorable. You learn new ones all the time and hearing you talk to us is amazing.

I love your sense of wonder. When you learn something new (a word, what an object is, when we show you something) you think it is amazing.

The way you love to "clean up". It's in your genes.

I love the way you look to us for reassurance that whatever you are doing is ok.

I love your giggle. You crack yourself up sometimes out of nowhere.

There are so many more things I love about you (EVERYTHING!), but for now, I wanted to document these that have me over the moon for you. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mama

Colin Bennett: Fourteen Months!

Mr. Colin Man,

It's hard to believe yet another month has come and gone! You hit some major milestones this month and we are loving every minute of watching you grow and learn. You have such a funny and constantly growing personality. You make us laugh all the time. Just last week you took your cheerio bowl and put it on your head and said "hat?". Comedian I tell ya!  At fourteen months you are...

Weighing in at 22.5 pounds and are 30+ inches long. You are a walkin' (running) and talking fool!  You eat like a champ and do not discriminate when it comes to food.
You are wearing a few twelve but mostly eighteen month onesies and eighteen month bottoms.  You are still in size 4 diapers.

Health: You can't seem to catch a break. You started the month with a ranging ear infection that landed you in the urgent care on the fourth of July. You had a 102.7 fever and could not get comfortable. We were away on vacation so we rushed right over to the urgent care as soon as they opened. You had a healthy(ish) two weeks with only a few days of sniffles until you ended up with yet another ear infection and pink eye last weekend. You are finishing up both oral antibiotics for the ear infection and eye drops for the pink eye.

Eating: You start each day with a sippy cup of organic milk and some cheerios around 6:15/6:30. You get breakfast around 8 and another sippy cup of juice or water. You typically eat lunch around 11:30 and go down for nap by 12:30. When you wake up you typically get a snack and a sippy of milk and eat dinner around 5:30, when you get your last sippy for the day. You eat anything and everything and have a healthy diet. You eat a ton of fruits and veggies, lean protein (eggs, chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese) and will get a treat of french toast on the weekends. 

Loves: BOOKS! You learned how to say "book" this month and will follow us around the house with a book in the air saying "book!" until we read them. You love books with "interactive parts" (ie: flaps to open, things to feel and touch) and know exactly when to open them. We have read "Where's Spot" and "That's Not My Dinosaur" 1007 times this month.

You also love to play in your water table and explore outside.

One of your favorite things to do is also go to the park and swing on the swings. You giggle and laugh and get the biggest smile on your face! I wish we had somewhere we could put one at our house!

Sleeping: Through the night, all night until you had your ear infections. We let you sleep in our bed when you couldn't get comfortable. On July 23rd, you needed us. You were getting two molars and starting to show signs of an ear infection. You just could not get comfortable. When I went in to check on you, you woke up and wanted nothing more than to be held. We caved and let you sleep in between us, which is always much more comfortable for you than us. Just before your eyes closed and you settled in for bed, you rolled towards me, patted my check and looked me in the eyes as to say "thank you, Mommy! I love you" then put your little arm around my neck. You fell asleep like that. I think this is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. Colin you changed my life forever. I am your Mommy, the best job in the world. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe and comfortable.

Talking: your current vocabulary includes: hat, bye bye, beep beep (for your beep beep jeep), Uch (Dutch), Book, Mama, Dada, Bear bee (Barenstein Bears), Uh oh. You try your darndest to repeat just about everything we say. We have to start really watching our words! ;)

You also will repeat animal sounds! We say "Colin, what does a ____ say?" and you say:
Rah (lion)
Moo (cow)
Baah *your fav* (sheep)
roof foof (dog or uch)
Quack (duck)

This month's milestones:
Give me a kiss! (You will kiss me or Daddy)
TALKING! You picked up and have started talking with flying colors this month.
Repeating animal sounds

doing "ahhh Dutch" which is our version of petting nicely

Nicknames: Collywoods, C, Beebs, Beep, Beepadee, sneep, bee bee and Colin Man

We love you so much sweet baby boy. You make our lives whole and we can't possibly imagine loving you any more, yet each day we do! We love reading you stories this month and will drop whatever we are doing to read you the book you pick out. It's been so fun watching your walking skills develop each week as you take on new areas to explore. This month, you went from taking a few steps, to walking everywhere (no more crawling) to being able to stand without pulling up.  Can't wait to see what the next month has in store for you. We love you to the moon and back, Colin!
Love,
Mama and Daddy

Colin Bennett: 13 months

Sweetest Mr. Colin Man...

At thirteen months old you are...

13 month "birthday" at the beach!

Weighing in at 22 pounds and are 30+ inches long and boy are you growing. You eat like a champ and are ALWAYS hungry. I honestly think you get taller by the day.  
You are wearing twelve to eighteen month onesies and twelve or eighteen month bottoms (mostly eighteen). You are a string bean so the eighteen month bottoms are a bit big in the waste but the perfect length. You are still wearing size 4 diapers.

Health: You had a rough start to the month with a  bout of hand, foot and mouth disease. It wiped you out for a week straight, which was so hard to see. We got a note from school that it was going around with the toddler and infant classes and sure enough- you caught it. You were battling a fever, the sniffles and an itchy rash. With that said, the rest of the month was great! You were back to your happy and healthy little self. The only other bump in the road came when a "friend" from school decided to bite you- not once, but twice! We quickly spoke with the teachers and got that issue resolved. You took it like a champ with some TLC but Mama was less than pleased.

Eating: You eat like a champ. You have finally gotten he hang of the sippy cup and take a cup with every meal of either water, milk or once in a while juice (all organic milk and juice). You eat all types of veggies and you LOVE fruit (especially blueberries and banana). You also eat some lean protein like chicken or eggs. I will say that you take after Daddy and do NOT like sweets. You hated your birthday cake(s), showed no interest in a cookie and turned away from ice cream. I wish I didn't like those things! ;)

Loves: You love to pull up to stand and practice taking a few steps, you love to cruise on all the furniture and explore (aka get into EVERYTHING).  You also love to sit right under me when I get ready in the mornings and spill all my makeup tools onto the floor/play with my hair stuff.

 My favorite love this month: you love to dance! You have learned to groove with the best of them. We say "show us your dance moves!" and you go to town. It's quite entertaining.

Sleeping: Through the night, all night! You go to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 and wake up around 5:45 or 6 most days. Once in a while we'll get luck and you'll sleep until 7 but its rare. Daddy and I are adjusting to the earlier mornings.

This month's milestones:
Wave "bye bye"- 6/6
Show us "dance moves"- 6/7. This is precious. We say "show us your dance moves" when your musical drum plays steel drum music and you do the sprinkler to a T.
Took 4-5 steps between Mommy and Daddy- 6/10
Say "bye bye" 6/13
Full blown walking- 6/28
Playing in the sand- 6/29

Nicknames: Collywoods, C, Beebs, Beep, Beepadee, sneep, bee bee and Colin Man

 You are such a fun little guy. You are so interactive now and have the best little personality. You laugh, make "jokes" with your gestures (so big oh wait peak a boo oh wait bye bye), dance, babble and play. It's been so fun to watch you truly transition from an infant to a toddler this month.  You also certainly know how to get what you want and have picked up the temper tantrum skill a bit early (you did not get this from me). Every day you learn something new and we enjoy watching each and every little milestone. We love you so much little man! Can't wait to see what the next month has in store for you sweet boy. We love you to the moon and back.

12 months old: Colin Bennett!

Colin  Bennett,

You are officially TWELVE months old. Certainly you have grown so much in the past 12 months, however, this month there was lots of change! You are standing on your own unassisted, you are cruising with your walker and while holding onto furniture,  you've discovered drawers and cabinets, you climb the stairs, you say "utch" (Dutch), you crawl through tunnels and obstacle courses at school. You have become quite the big boy!

At twelve months old you are...

Weighing in at 21.5 pounds and are 30 inches long. You are 75th percentile for height and 49th for weight. Your head circumference is in the 50th percentile- right on track.
You are wearing twelve month onesies and twelve month pants for length. You also have a few 18 month jammies and pants that you fit into for length (little big for your waist).  You have transitioned into size 4 diapers.
Eating: We started really pushing the sippy cup this month and have officially dropped the night time bottle. You still got a bottle when you woke up, one at 11, a sippy at lunch, a bottle at 3 and a sippy with dinner. You eat all kinds of fruits and veggies and plenty of lean protein. You love eggs, cheese, blueberries,  banana, waffles and puffs.

Loves: You love to pull up to stand, cruise and explore. You get into absolutely everything now. So inquisitive, which I love.

Sleeping: Through the night, all night! With that said, you have been waking up much earlier lately. You go to bed between 6:30 and 7:30 and wake up around 5:45 or 6 most days. Once in a while we'll get luck and you'll sleep until 7.

Milestones:
5th and 6th teeth appeared (top next to two front teeth)
Cruising
Standing on your own and letting go
Dropping the night time bottle

I cannot believe you are a year old already. Time flies when you are having fun- which is exactly what you've been. You are such a joy and make us smile every day! We love you to the moon and back, little man.

June Goals

I thought it would be a nice idea to start writing goals at the beginning of each month and check them off at the end of the month. This month I'd like to:

1. Walk the recommended 10,000 steps per day 5 days out of each week
2. Run 15 miles per week (4 weeks)
3. Lift weights 3x/ week
4. Lose 5 pounds
5. Finish one summer reading book
6. Try 3 new recipes


Here we go!

Colin Bennett: 51 Weeks

On May 21st, our not so little man turned 51 weeks. We are just ONE WEEK away from the big first birthday. What a fun week it was!

Weight: Officially 19.2 pounds. I was SHOCKED when we weighed him at home. I'm hoping this is off just a little bit and that he reached the 20 pound mark.

Social: Mommy got home from her trip which was just awesome! C and I spent the afternoon together on Friday and we soaked up the snuggles. Gram and Granddad came over on Sunday to help Mommy and Daddy get ready for the big first birthday party (aka- power wash our deck and house!). We did a lot of cleaning, organizing and buying! We also squeezed in some park time of course!

Sleep: Our good little sleeper sleeps through the night, every night.

Diet: Colin really does love everything we give him. Lots of fresh fruit, veggies and lean protein. We are really pushing the sippy cup and he is doing great! We did get rid of the night time bottle this week, which was much easier than we thought. C doesn't fuss at all. He really was pushing it away after an ounce or two which gave us the indicator that he is ready.

Clothes: 12-18 month pants and the final batch of size 3 diapers.

Baby Gear Love: sippy cups! We also have needed our baby gate pretty frequently. C is a stair climber for sure.

Crying: When he's sleepy and ready for bed he gets fussy

Likes: playing with Dutch, signing and dancing and walking with some help!

Dislikes: being tired

Postpartum: I can't wait until I don't have to answer this on a weekly basis (honest!)

Milestones:

C took his first step between Mommy and Daddy and realized he could stand up unassisted! (5/20). It will be any day now that we have a walker

We also did away with the night time bottle this week

Another big milestone is that C doesn't get rocked to sleep any more. We still have our routine (bath, book, "magic words" and rocking) however, he no longer falls asleep in our arms (sad mama).

 

I am soaking up this baby of mine for the next week. I love him so and can't wait to celebrate his big first birthday but I am feeling a little sentimental!

 

ONE YEAR!

Sweet Colin Bennett,

Happy first birthday!! It is so hard to believe that it has already been a year since you entered our lives. On one hand it feels like you have been a part of our family forever, on the other hand, I can't believe how fast this year has gone and how much you have grown.
You bring so much joy to our lives and have made our family complete. You make me want to be the best me possible and I  know I can speak for Daddy when I say he feels the same. It has been amazing developing a relationship with you. Of course I will always love these baby snuggles but am so excited to watch you grown and learn (which happens on a daily basis!). You have made your Daddy and I so proud and so happy. We each have a special relationship with you and cherish it so much.
We love you so much, more than you could ever imagine. My wish for you is always a happy and healthy life full of wonderful experiences. I am so excited to see what year number two brings for our little family.

To the moon and back, little man.

Love,
Mama

Colin Bennett: 52 weeks

On May 28th, Colin turned 52 weeks old. Just one short day away from his first birthday. Hard to believe that I've been doing these posts for so many weeks and that this is my last one. Not to worry, I'm going to continue to do monthly update posts of "Baby C". I love that this blog has given me the ability to document, in detail, the events of his first year.

Weight: Officially 21.4 pounds. Our scale was clearly wrong last week!

Social: We spent our memorial day weekend enjoying the beginning of summer. We went to the pool, had a BBQ with Gram, Granddad, Mommy Kim and Daddy Dave and went for a walk at Valley Forge State Park. We also had his 1 year photo-shoot followed by lunch outside at Mommy's college!  

Sleep: Our good little sleeper sleeps through the night, every night. We have recently pushed up his bedtime from 7:30 to 7. He was getting way to cranky pants in the evening and gave us the signal that bedtime needs to be earlier.

Diet: The biggest change has been the incorporation of milk. C's diet still consists of lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains with lean protein. 

Clothes: 12-18 month outfits and size 4 diapers! Nothing like a change the last week of your first year! 

Baby Gear Love: Books, Books and more Books. We also love our sippy cups, stroller and bathing suits! C went swimming twice this week.

Crying: When he's sleepy and ready for bed he gets fussy

Likes: Exploring! He checks everything out. C also LOVES to listen to music, make music and has started dancing.  He also LOVES the water- he is a fish!

Dislikes: "Oh you told me no no? Watch me cry".

Postpartum: No answering this any longer is making me happy

Milestones:

Went to the outdoor pool and played in the wave pool! C loved it! He also started to spend time in the toddler room at school.

C's hair is also growing so long! Not that this is a milestone perse but I love the long wavy curls he is getting! Our guy is so handsome!

Colin Bennett: 50 weeks

On Wednesday May 14th, C is just two weeks shy of his first birthday. Seriously, time slow down!

Weight: 21-22 pounds. He's grown so much in the past week or two- growth spurt anyone?

Health: Happy and Healthy!

Social: C spent the weekend soaking up time with Mommy in light of mother's day. Friday night C made a guest appearance at the Bayne/Kassab ladies happy hour. He surprised everyone and was the center of attention for a little bit. 

 

 

Saturday, we had a swim lesson, went to the park for a run and swinging with Gram and Aunt Julie came over for birthday crafting. Sunday went to brunch with gram, granddad, uncle Andrew and Mom Mom Mom (my grandmother). We snuggled lots on Sunday afternoon since I had to leave in the middle of the night for a week long work trip. This was the first time I have ever left C for more than 2 nights (one time in December I left for 2).

 

 

This was DIFFICULT. I missed my guy so much and based on Daddy's account of the end of the week, C missed me too! On Tuesday and Wednesday Mommy Kim came over to help out which was so nice!

Sleep: Through the night, every night.

Diet: C was a hungry man this week- gobbled up waffles, eggs and fruit at Mother's day brunch!

Clothes: 12 month pants, 12 month onesies, 12 and even some 18 month jammies, size three diapers.

Baby Gear Love: The jogger, his walkers, our new tunnel. C crawls back and forth through the tunnel and laughs up a storm! He also LOVES books like crazy. C pulls every book off the shelf and turns the pages while he "jibber jabbers" as he "reads". Melt my heart.

Crying:  "alligator tears".  Oh- I can't put my finger in this socket or open this drawer? Watch me stick out my lip and "cry". I have  no idea where he got that from ;)

Likes: His brand new "tent tunnel". Hours of entertainment.

 

Dislikes: see above "crying"

Postpartum: Keeping it up!

Milestones: C can climb steps!
C also picked up his "sippy" at brunch on Sunday and finally got the hang of using it! Just in time for his big move to the todfants class!

Colin Bennett: 49 weeks

Wednesday May 7th, Colin turned 49 weeks!

Weight: I'd take a guess at 21 pounds.  We will find out in a few short weeks at his one year appointment.

Health: Happy and Healthy!

Social: Colin had his very first swim lesson! He did such a great job and loved being in the water! We also went to the park two times and had lots of quality family time. Aunt Julie also visited on Saturday!

 

Mommy and Daddy also got to go on a date! Gram and Granddad babysat while Mommy and Daddy went on a double date to Bonefish with Uncle Mark and Aunt Julie!

 

Sleep: Through the night, every night. So thankful that we finally have a good little sleeper. For a while there I was worried we'd be waking up several times a night through his first year!

Diet: C is open to trying anything and everything. He's such a good little eater.

Clothes: 12 month pants, 12 month onesies, 12 and even some 18 month jammies, size three diapers. Aunt Barbara spoiled him with plenty of new summer clothes while we went outlet shopping!

Baby Gear Love: The jogger! We've been getting plenty of good use out of our jogger and C loves it!

Crying:  "alligator tears". He knows how to work the system this kid! 

Likes: Exploring everything! Anything he can get into, he will. Our kiddo also LOVES to swing!

Dislikes: jammies, being told "no" (we hardly say no but he doesn't like when we redirect him.) He also told me that he doesn't like being called a "girl" or hearing "your baby girl is beautiful"... which happened twice this week.

Postpartum: Seeing some results from all my hard work! Lots of exercise and watching what I eat. Simple plan.

Milestones: Playing more and more with Dutch a man

First swim lesson

Mother's Day

This year, Mother's Day means so much more to me than it has in years past. In years past I have gotten to celebrate my wonderful Mother and spent the day reflecting on all that she does for our family. While I still plan on doing just that this coming Sunday... this year, I am also a Mommy.
Being Colin's Mommy has been the most rewarding, honorable, tiring, heartwarming (and heartbreaking) job I have ever had. I enjoy being his Mommy so much and wouldn't change an ounce of this past year.

Becoming a Mommy has certainly opened my eyes to just how special my Mom is as well. Being a good Mommy requires selflessness, LOTS of LOVE, patience and dedication. My mom has all of those qualities and more.  I strive to be just as good a Mommy to Colin as she is to me.

I can only hope that our little boy knows just how much I love him. I am honored to be his Mommy on mother's day and every day.

Happy Mother's Day!

10 months: Colin Bennett

On March 29th, you turned 10 months little man! You were not having your picture taken this month, no way! This is the only smiling picture I was able to get. Still cute as heck anyway!

At ten months old you are...

Still hanging out around 20 pounds.
You are wearing mostly 12 month onesies (with some 9 months here and there) and twelve month pants for length. You are still in size three diapers.

Eating: You have an eight ounce bottle each morning and one before bed then you have two six ounce bottles during the day (11 and 3) and one 2 oz  sippy cup  at lunch. You eat three meals a day.

Loves: You absolutely love to read books. You turn the pages and look at all the pictures. You also love to go for jogs with Mommy in the stroller and explore the outdoors.

Guess what? You are finally in love with school! You have made lots of friends, especially a little girl named Makenna! You two play together every day, it's adorable.

Sleeping: Hit or miss, we are starting to have more and more nights of sleep!

Milestones:
Crawling! Hooray!
Transition to the big boy tub- no more Mr. Whale tubby

You have several nicknames: your main nick names are Collywood, beebs and beep a da beep. You also occasionally get called bayba c and neenee (when you are upset/fussy). Gram and Granddad as well as Aunt Julie call you "bee bee".

You are settling in nicely to our new home and your new routine. You've really started to show off your personality and it is to die for. We LOVE to spend time as a family and are so excited for the warmer weather because you've decided you love to be outside! Keep on growing and learning, little one. We love you so  much!

11 Months: Colin Bennett

Colin Bennett,

It is so hard to believe that we are ONE short month away from your first birthday. This year has FLOWN by and it has been overwhelmingly full of love. You light up our lives and make our little family complete. You have grown so much this month, learned to crawl, stand and sleep through the night!

At eleven months old you are...

Weighing in at 20 pounds and are getting so tall measuring 28 inches long. You are 75th percentile for height and 50th for weight and head circumference.
You are wearing twelve month onesies and twelve month pants for length. You are still in size three diapers and I think we will stay in this size for a little while longer.
You made the switch to a convertible car seat this month which has made travel so much easier! You were getting much too heavy for the infant car seat. After all, you are almost a toddler!

Eating: You have a six ounce bottle each morning and one before bed then you have two six ounce bottles during the day (11 and 3) and one 2 oz  sippy cup  at lunch. You eat three meals a day and eat just about everything we put in front of you. You eat very healthy food and seem to love it!

Loves: You love hanging out with Mommy and Daddy and playing with us. You love to show us new things and smile when we play games (peak a boo, sharing toys, etc). In fact, you learned how to do peak a boo with your blankets and toys this month. It's so adorable.

Sleeping: Through the night, all night! You've had maybe 2-3 nights where you woke up this month, we think from bad dreams.

Milestones:
First hospital stay :-/

Pulling to stand/starting to "cruise"

Second Vacation

First Easter

Transitioning to the "meals" at school

First time on a swing and slide at the playground
3rd and 4th tooth came through (bottom front)!

You have several nicknames: your main nick names are Collywood, beebs and beep a da beep. Gram and Granddad and also Aunt Julie call you "bee bee" and Aunt Barbara and Uncle Ralph call you CB.

My little man, I love you more and more each day. Some days, I think my heart is going to explode with love for you. I look forward to seeing your smile each morning and treasure every moment we get to spend together. You are SO interactive at this stage and it's so fun to "play games" together. My favorite time with you is bath time- we have a game where we put all of your bath time "guys" into a clear container and you think it's the best! Your smile lights up the room and your laugh is simply contagious. This month, I'm soaking up the baby as we prepare for your first birthday. We love you to the moon and back and around again, sweet Colin!
Love,
Mama and Daddy