Half Birthday

Colt turned 6 months old yesterday!  I remember sitting with Justin in the living room when we first brought him home and saying "Can you even imagine how different our life will be when he is 6 months old?  That seems like forever away." Wow- time flies!  And as I look back on it, I can't believe how different our life is.  Colt is so awesome and being a parent is the most amazing thing I could ever imagine. 
Colt's favorite things....
-playing with Winston.  Colt will fall out of my lap reaching for Winston.  I try to get Winston to just lay there and let Colt pet him, but Colt will stick his hands in his mouth until Winston licks him.
-talking.  Colt talks all the time.  Yesterday he started using consonants for the first time.  He said dadada  a few times.  But not to Justin- that would be too much for me to handle.  Just random babbling.
-scooting.  Colt kicks, scoots and rolls his way all over the house. 
-sitting up.  He can sit unassisted for up to 10 seconds.  He does really well if he is reaching for something- like a new toy or a new person.
-eating.  Colt started rice cereal a few days ago and he is doing so well. 
-his giraffe.  He loves his toy giraffe.  He hugs it and uses it as a teething toy.
-the shape sorter.  I don't know why, because he doesn't put the shapes in, but he loves to just hit it over and over.
-peek-a-boo.  He thinks it is so funny.  When I put a towel on his face, he will pull it off and laugh at himself.
-being naked.  This kid loves having his clothes off.  As soon as I start to undress him he starts kicking his legs and going crazy.  He also talks and moves more when he is naked.  Hopefully this only lasts a short time!  It's not quite as cute when they get older.
-jumperoo.  he could jump for hours if I would let him.
Happy 6 month birthday Colt.  Mommy and Daddy love you!

Happy Easter

It is so easy to get caught up in running from house to house that we lose track of what we are celebrating.  It was so nice to catch a few moments and think about what really happened on Good Friday and Easter morning.  Justin, Colt and I celebrated at our church Sunday morning and with family afterwards.  We are so happy that we have a church that we love and a place that really challenges us to live our faith everyday- not just Sunday.  Colt was a trooper both Saturday and Sunday (we had 5 get togethers total).  He ended up getting sick from all the craziness and being in and out of the car.  So we decided from now on we are going to have to do what is best for him and if he is sick, then we will just stay home.  But for now, we are so happy to have had the time to get together with family.  Happy Easter!
Lots of pictures...

First Easter Egg Hunt

Uncle Josh and Aunt Beth

Cousins- Elle, Colt, Peyton and Bennett

6 Month Check-Up

We had Colt's 6 month check up last week- just a little early, but we had to make sure he was gaining weight.  So.... here are the stats.
Height: 27 1/4 inches- 79th %tile
Weight: 14 lbs. 2 ounces- 4th %tile
So, Colt gained 2 pounds and almost 2 inches in about a month and a week, but still dropped in the weight percentile.  The doctor said she wasn't worried because he did gain weight and he grew 2 inches.  This time she said she won't get concerned unless he drops completely off the chart.  She said to go ahead and start rice cereal and that since we waited until he was so old, then he should move to baby food quickly.  She was overall pleased with how he was doing and really happy with his developmental progress.  She wants to see him in 6 more weeks just to make sure he is still gaining weight. 
I'll leave it with a picture of Colt in his new highchair.  He is such a big boy!

Time Is Flying By

I survived my first week back at work.  I could not believe how fast the day went by, but when you are chasing kids all day, I guess it is bound to happen.  Colt did just fine and the smile he gave me when I came home was priceless.  Justin said he couldn't believe how much fun they had together on their daddy/son day.  I am so glad they have that time. 
In the meantime, Colt is changing everyday.  I know I say that every time, but I am blown away at how fast time goes by.  He is doing really well sitting up.  He leans forward sometimes, but I blame that on his feet- he loves to eat them!  We spent some time outside on the nice days and he seems to really like to look around.  We love going for walks after dinner and it is so fun to see all the other families out with their kids.  We also went to see our grandparents this week.  I'll post pictures of the visit.  We are so blessed to have so many grandparents.  Colt has 14 grandparents!!  It is awesome, but makes for a very busy schedule.  As you can imagine, he is pretty popular with them. 
Colt has his check up tomorrow, so I will post the latest stats.  Hopefully he has gained some weight.  He has been spitting up a lot lately, but we are hoping to start rice cereal.  Say a prayer!
Lots of pictures....

This is what happens when I don't watch him for 5 seconds!

Not so pretty face

Loving the sunshine

curious about the camera

Great Great Grandma Helen

I'm being difficult for her!

Great Grandpa Strange

He stands there and reaches in and picks out his toy!

Changes are coming

So, Justin and I met with a financial advisor a few weeks ago and realized that we really need to start planning for our retirement.  I'm only 25 and Justin is 28 and we already knew we needed to start putting money away, but I wasn't ready to look at the facts.  I just wanted to stay home with Colt and put off the inevitable.  In the mean time, my old job at ABC has been asking me to consider coming back to work there.  At the same time, while God has continued to bless us, Justin was feeling the pressure of being the sole provider.  So after a lot of prayer and support from family, we decided that I would go back to work on a supplemental basis.  I can so no whenever I want with no explanation needed.  We decided it was the best possible option for our family.  I am really sad, but at the same time, excited for Justin and Colt to have a daddy/son day and then have one of our parents come on the other days.
In other news, Colt made some big leaps this week.  On Sunday I was playing with Colt and realized he was starting to sit by himself.  By today, he is able to sit unassisted for a few seconds.  He is so proud of himself and we are so excited to watch him grow.  Here is a pic of him sitting on the couch watching Winston yesterday.  Don't worry- I didn't leave him unattended!  So cute!

First Time for Everything

The weather was so nice outside and Justin didn't have to show homes, so we went for a walk as a family.  Some days I wish we had more space and didn't live in a neighborhood, but on a day like this, I was so thankful.  It took us 5 minutes to walk to our neighborhood park and it was so much fun.  Justin was like a kid in a candy store.  He wanted to get Colt out of the stroller right away and swing with him and take him down the slide.  It was so cute to see how much fun they were having.  I am so glad we had to winter for him to stay healthy indoors and now that it is spring time he is old enough to enjoy looking around outside.  Here's a few pics from our wonderful day.  Oh- by the way- Justin said it was one of the best days of his life.  Quote "This is what I thought of when I thought of being a dad."  This is a big step for Justin- who is serious about 1% of the time! :)  There will also be some pics at the bottom of Colt watching t.v.  I put on cartoons-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- for the first time yesterday and he was mesmerized!  So funny.

Going too fast down the slide!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

BUTLER

March madness has swept over our house.  Justin and I have always loved March Madness, but watching the games with a baby is a different story.  We woke Colt up from his naps several times screaming and cheering for Butler.  But he was a trooper and a real Bulldog fan.  We watched one of the games at our friends Trent and Liz's house.  Colt got to meet a new dog- Benji :)  I'll post some pics from last year when we went to the game and this year.  What a difference a year makes!

Practice session 2010

Championship game 2010

Getting ready for the games

Please notice Justin and I in the background

I have some big cheeks

Matching Butler gear

Just watching Matt Howard

New friend Benji

Updates

I kept thinking there was nothing to blog about, but then I remembered all the new things Colt is doing.  A few weeks ago he started to hold his bottle while he eats- it is so cute.  He still needs a little help, but he is doing so well.  He is reaching for everything!  I put him on the dryer in his bumbo while I did some laundry.  I seriously left the room for 5 seconds to get something else and when I came back he was holding a spray paint can!!  I screamed and that only scared him- but don't worry- that didn't stop him.  While I was getting ready I sat him on the counter to play while I did my makeup.  Within a few seconds, he was grabbing my makeup bag, a bottle of vitamins and then about fell out of his Bumbo trying to reach the soap bottle!  I know things will only get crazier :)  We also are starting a new schedule today.  We are switching to longer time between feedings and one less nap a day.  Wish us luck!  I'll post a few pics and some videos too :)

Just trying on my easter outift... what do you think?

love to eat toys while I do tummy time

Nana and Maddie and Kaleb came to visit!

3 kids in 1 picture = lots of tries to get these :)

watching t.v. in the morning

he is ferocious when he wants to put something in his mouth

Justin and I argue over who gets to go get him out of bed in the morning.  Wouldn't you argue over it too if this is what you woke up to?!  He is so awesome!