The Greenlee Family: December 2012

Observations:
This month, Colin...
~ Watched Barak Obama win the election!
~Took his first nap in his crib.
~Attended many baby playgroups.
~Met his Great Grandma (my mom's mom) from Oklahoma!
~Learned to self sooth using his thumb.
~Saw all of his grandparents and other family members (we LOVE being so CLOSE!)
~Had our 2nd PAT (Parents as Teachers) visit.
~Scooted himself around in his crib so his head was facing the opposite direction (this has become a normal occurrence).
~Started a college fund (well, we did that for him! Let us know if you want more info!)
~Attended a friends 1st birthday.
~Slept from 7:30pm-7am!
~Celebrated daddy's birthday!
~Watched K-States lose and drop from #1.
~Took lots of walks with mommy, and some with friends Kimber & Livia, and Erica & Rex.
~Celebrated your 1st Thanksgiving! We started in Topeka, then made our way to KC.
~Met his Opa (my dad) for the 1st time!
~Hung out with Opa while mommy and daddy went to dinner and a movie.
~Met Marc and Jenn Mondi's baby boy William Gabriel. He was so tiny compared to Colin!
~Started grabbing and toys, almost purposefully!
~Had diarrhea and more poopy diapers than usual, so we used disposable diapers for a while.
~Said goodbye to daddy. He went to a class for work in Mississippi for 2 weeks. :(
~Enjoyed play Peek-a-Boo!
~Smiled when he heard puppies bark on our walk.
~Switched to the Dr. Brown's level 2 nipples.
~Gave mommy and daddy a lot of smiles and giggles!
~Got LOTS of smooches from mommy, daddy, an other family members!!!

Mealtimes: Colin eats about 4-6 bottles of formula a day. His first bottle in the morning is usually 6 oz., and he'll usually eat most of that. He eats about every 3 hours, and abut 4 oz. each time. We kept track of one large canister of formula (Target brand), and he goes through one 40 oz. can in about a week and a half.

Schedule: We are SO lucky that Colin loves to sleep, b/c his parents do as well! Colin usually wakes up between 4:30 and 6:00 am. He will take a short morning nap in his crib (about an hour), and will take a longer afternoon nap (about 3 hours). We've tried to do his afternoon nap in his crib, but he'll only sleep for an hour. So, we do his afternoon nap in his swing so he'll sleep longer. Sometimes, he'll take a short (30 min.) nap around 5. About 6:00 he'll have his last bottle. We do our nighttime routine- sometimes a bath (he doesn't hate baths anymore!), putting pj's on, reading a book, singing a song, saying prayers, and turning the fan, music, and night light on. USUALLY he'll party in his crib for a few minutes (kick and flail legs and arms) then pass out. Occasionally we have to go in a give him is pacifier or a smooch. :) And with few exceptions, he'll sleep until 4:30-6 am. We've tried keeping him up a bit later, or feeding him if he wakes up, at like 10:30, but he still wakes up early. :)

Size: There is no 3 month dr. appt. scheduled so we measured and weighed on our own! He was about 22 in. long and weighed about 15 lbs. Colin is in mostly 3 month and 3-6 month clothing.

Play: Colin LOVES his Baby Einstein Play Gym! He loves to lie under the bars and watch the lights flash, and bat at the toys that hang. He has even started to grasp the toys, and put them in his mouth! He loves tummy time, and will FLY like Superman! He hasn't rolled over yet, but loves to roll onto his side. When daddy and I lie next to him to play he smiles and giggles! He loves when we sing him silly songs and read him books.

Nicknames: Stinker, Stinker Bug, Angel, Lil C, Sweet baby boy! :)

Mommy & Daddy:

Mommy loves staying home! I love being with him all of the time. Not that I don't want/need a break once in a while, but I love this job. My nice pregnancy hair has finally started to fall out, I mean a LOT! I'm not quite down to my pre pregnancy weight, and it probably won't happen for a while. That's fine with me- luckily leggings are in style and comfy! :) Right now I'm reading a few parenting books- a general one and a sleep one- and my Parents magazine (I love this magazine!) and my fiction series that I love. Even if I'm SO tired at night, I try to read just a little because I love it so much.

Daddy is doing a great job with fatherhood. He is totally hands on- helps with feedings, diaper changes, laundry, bath time (we have our assigned bath jobs, and when I tried to change it up one time he did not like it. :) ) and everything else! Zach hated being away from Colin while he was doing is work training in Mississippi. Colin LOVES daddy and gives him big smiles when he sees him. I could not do this without him, and he is a big part in why we have such a happy baby!

We both LOVE being in Manhattan! We loved our time in Germany, and we were so fortunate to have visited so many of the places we did, but it is ideal to be so close to family with a new baby. We've met some fun people, and love getting to see our friends and their kiddos too!