January 2013- 5 months old

Observations:
~Colin started rolling back to belly.  Non-stop.  All the time.  He likes being on his belly for a while, but then gets mad.  He has rolled himself back to his back a few times, but can't do it consistently.  We've even started finding him asleep on his tummy in the middle of the night! :)

~We, like most, have a few hanging toys on his carseat handle.  One is a bird that you pull and it vibrates back up.  Colin finally go the hang of this toy this month!  He loves to pull it, put the bird's feet in his mouth, then laugh when it goes back up.

~His 2nd tooth made an appearance on January 15.  The bottom left one popped out, and it's so cute to see his adorable toothy grin!

~I know we will be thankful for this later when we don't have to try to get him to not like it anymore, but for now we wish he still wanted it to help him self-sooth...his pacifier that is!  It seemed instant, one day he used it as usual, and then next he wanted NOTHING to do with it.  We've tried every day since, even tried different kinds, but nope.  He's been using his 2 middle fingers from then on!

~We practiced sitting up using a upside down mixing bowl (and idea from our PAT visitor!)  I think his big head hinders this skill! ;)  He's working on it though.

~We think he had a growth spurt this month, b/c for about a week he wanted a full 6 ounce bottle every 2 hours while he was awake!

~Our friends, Jamie and Nick (newly engaged!), visited from Lawton, Oklahoma (he's stationed there!)  I know Jamie b/c I taught with her mom, Lori, at Wetzel in Germany, and Jamie taught Zumba while we were there too.  We had so much fun while they were here!  They loved hanging out with Colin, and Colin just loved having new people to play with.  Thanks for coming guys, we love visitors!

~We did our 2nd round of Bountiful Baskets, a food co-op.  Google "Bountiful Baskets" for more info!  We love it. :)

~Our friends, Nick and Lauren, hosted a 1st birthday party for their little guy, Hudson.  Fiesta theme!  Happy birthday!

~We watched the Inauguration of the President on MLK Jr. Day!

~A few times this month, we resorted to going on a drive to get you to fall asleep.  Fortunately it worked, but we'll try not to make a habit of it. :)

~We've hosted a baby play group almost weekly.  It's fun for the mommies to get together and chat during the day!

~You scooted on your back about 6 feet!  There is a video on FB that shows one of the "trips". :)

~Welcome back to Kansas, where if you don't like the weather, just wait a day--Monday we had beautiful, spring like, 70 degree weather, and on Wednesday schools around the state were closing because of a snow storm!

~We went to Wichita for the day.  Since Fort Riley is an Army Post, anything specifically Air Force requires a trip to the nearest base, which is in Wichita.  Zach went to a class about separation from the military, and Colin and I hung out with Runge and Greyson for the afternoon.

~We watched the 47th Superbowl, and the Ravens beat the 49ers!

~We put bumbers in his crib!  His little arms and legs were getting stuck, so they were necessary.

Mealtimes:
Colin still eats about 5 bottles of formula a day, every 3ish hours, and each is usually 5-6 ounces.  He no longer likes to lie in our arms like a baby when eating.  :( He wants to be up and watching the world (aka our living room or his room :) ) around him!  I usually sit him facing forward almost completely upright.  He even has been holding his bottle independently for a few seconds at a time.  We are looking forward to starting solids soon after he turns 6 months!  We still plan on starting with avocados, so we'll see how that goes. :)


Schedule:
We are so thankful that our little stinker likes to sleep, b/c his parents do too!  He still goes down between 6:15 and 6:45pm, and will USUALLY sleep to about 5am.  He does wake up at 3am, rarely, starving if he didn't eat a full bottle before bed, and a few times he's slept in until about 6:45am.  If we time it just right, he'll go back to sleep in his crib after his first bottle of the day, and every so often he'll fall asleep in  his swing for a few more hours so mommy can sleep a bit longer!  He has been soaking through his nighttime cloth diaper, so we've been putting him in a disposable diaper, a size bigger that he usually wears, and it's been working! 

We are constantly working on a nap schedule.  It's different day to day, but he usually will take a short mid-morning nap in his crib, and a longer afternoon nap, also in his crib.  Sometimes he'll take a mini-nap around 4:30, and it's fine since it doesn't effect his nighttime sleep.  


Size:
Since we didn't go to the doc this month, we did our own measurements. :)
Weight: 16 pounds     Length: 25 inches     Head: 17 inches

6 months clothing fits pretty well, especially when he's wearing his cloth dipes.  
We moved his car seat straps up one notch, and soon we'll try him in is stroller sans carseat!  

Play:
He still likes his play mat, but more times than not he rolls himself over onto his tummy into the soft bars and gets stuck!  Everything is going in his mouth!  Colin can play with anything- the empty wipe container, his fingers, a crinkle Shape book, anything!  He gets more active each day.


Nicknames: 
Stinker, Stinker bug, Angel

Mommy& Daddy:
We are doing well!  Loving parenthood so much and so thankful that we have family and friends close.  

Our biggest news is that Zach has decided to separate from the military!  The military has been so great to us.  It moved us, brought us to Germany where we were so happy for 4 years, brought us "home", provided financially in so many ways, and gave Zach great work experience.  It's just our time to do something else.  

After going over our many options (moving to a new job, going to school, trying to find a new job here) we've decided...Zach will be going to KSU in the fall to earn his bachelor's degree using the GI bill!  We are so excited!  While this is wonderful, and the best option, it does mean that I will be going back to teaching next school year.  Fortunately, the GI bill covers not only ALL of Zach's tuition and fees, including books, but it will also pay our mortgage as long as he is in school full time.  While I will hate to leave Colin, and the stay-at-home-mom life I love so much, I know this is the best thing for us, and that after Zach gets his degree I'll be staying home again.  My mom plans to watch Colin while I'm at work most days, and we'll fill in with friends we've met here if necessary.  

I'm a bit afraid of the kind of teacher I'll be now as a mom.  I know people do it all the time, but it's hard to picture myself in a classroom, when all I'll want to be doing is taking Colin to story time at the library, or hosting a playgroup at our house.  In the past I've been at school for hours after the kids leave, preparing, organizing...but I'm not going to want to do that anymore!  I'll just have to become more efficient! :) PLUS, I've got about 30 tubs of school things in the "attic" of our house, that is only accessible by ladder, that Zach will have to get down for me!!

We'll keep everyone updated on details as they come.

Airplane! 

5 months old: 1-6-13

Baby play group with Carson (middle) and Rex (right)

Rock Chalk...?

Caroline (1 month) and Colin (5 months)

Happy birthday, Hudson!

Flowers from Zach

Nick and Jamie

Our Bountiful Basket!