Water baby!

We took Colton to the beach today, I think this was his 3rd trip, but it was the first time I let him crawl around in the sand and do whatever he wanted. He LOVED it! I actually felt guilty for not doing it sooner!

Happy First Father's Day!

When toothpaste smeared the counter and wet towels lay upon the floor, she thought about her family life and loved him even more.

When dinner was a hurried rush to just get out the door, with errands, meetings, things to do, she loved him even more.

When they dropped into bed at night and finally closed the door, she counted herself one lucky wife and loved him even more.

You're such a good man, a wonderful father, and a great husband. I'm so lucky to have you, our family and our life together.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Colton feeds Himself!

You would think he just cured cancer. A few weeks ago Colton learned how to pick up little pieces of food and feed himself! Yeah! Now if we could only get him to crawl forward instead of backwards.

Mama Bear

If somehow the fierce feeling of protection a mother has for her child could be packaged and sold, someone could make a fortune. I believe it is far stronger than any amount of testosterone, or even synthetic drugs like steriods.

I have never had the real feeling of wanting to physically hurt another human being, but the thought of someone hurting my child has made me think of things like. "Hurt my son and I will gouge your eyes out. Trust me on that."

Somebody's Mom

when I was pregnant I remember thinking, "I can't believe I'm going to be somebody's mom". Thinking of my own mother, she was always just "mom". I never knew her before as a person, so I guess I just always assumed she was always a mom and no one else. Never a person of her own. But for me, I have lived 32 years as my own person and then one day I was given a new hat to wear with the inscription "MOM".

So now I am Colton's mom and he'll never know me as anything else. And I think that's pretty fantastic, but when I sit and think about it for too long, I realize that it comes with a lot of pressure. I don't stress about it too much, because it's enough to make me crazy. But it's like all the good I've done in my life I need to pull all together to show him. To teach him and lead him in the right direction. I guess so far in his short 8 months of life both Jason and I have started him out right by just loving him as much as we possibly can. And loving each other matters a lot too. So, Colton if someday you are reading this, I'm glad you chose me to be your mom and I hope you think I've done a good job. Every day I hold you and think that I am so happy that I had you.

I've created a monster!

As some of you have heard me complain, Colton is not a good napper. I'll give credit where credit is due, he goes down at 6 pm without fussing and sleeps through the night until around 7, getting up only once to eat. Naps are another story. He goes down around 9 or 9:30 for a half hour (his usual cat nap), but any nap thereafter is a battle. And actually, that morning nap is turning out to be not easy anymore. It goes like this: He gets sleepy, I carry him upstairs and lay him in his crib, turn on the mobile and instantly the crying starts. I gently plead with him to go to sleep and he calms down a little so I leave the room. After a few minutes, sheer hysteria breaks out. I go back in his room, sometimes pick him up, sometimes just try to calm him. More crying. I leave the room. This goes on for about 15-20 minutes. Then about the 4th time I give up, I get him out of his crib, dry off his tear soaked face and take him into mine and Jason's bedroom, lay down with him and nurse him which takes only about 2 minutes for him to fall asleep. It's gotten to the point now, that if I take too long to get ready to lay down, he gets mad and yells out. He is literally bossing me around! So, I've created a monster. It's my fault, I've given in to him and let him have his way. It started way back when I was still sleep deprived myself and would nap with him, now it's his favorite way to nap. It's actually nice to snuggle with him and have that quiet time with him, but I know if it continues I will have a preschooler that will have to have him mommy come to class at naptime to lay with him on his mat to nurse him.

Jason is always at work when this drama goes on. He usually calls me from work and asks, "How's is going?" and I always have the same answer. My mom was visiting the last couple of weeks and saw the nap drama first hand.

So this morning I had to run an errand that took me a couple of hours. I came home around 11:30 and it was quiet.

me: Is Colton asleep?

Jason: Yes.

me: How did you get him to nap?

Jason: I laid him in his crib.

me: Did he fuss?

Jason: no.

me: (Grrrrrr...)

Later that day it was time for another nap. I asked Jason to put him down and he did, just like that. That little boy has his mommy wrapped around his tiny finger.

P.S. Colton is 6.5 months old. 18.5 pounds and 27 1/4 inches.

Raising a Boy

"A young boy doesn't come with instructions. He just comes with boundless love and an adventurous spirit. But the journey to manhood begins very early...the first time he looks at his dad and thinks, 'I want to be like him'" - Harry Harrison author of Life Lessons on Raising a Boy

Before Colton was born, I knew Jason would be a great father by the way he treated me. He is kind, caring, compassionate, responsible, sincere, and most imporatnt, has the kind of morals, respect and integrity that I have learned are the pinacle of life. He's not perfect, nor would I want him to be, but he knows his flaws and accepts them and tries to fix them when he can.

When I was pregnant we saw a little boy in the neighborhood riding his bike on the sidewalk. He had hit the breaks and turned around to look at the ground. Jason , with a big smile on his face, mentioned that he used to do the same thing as a child. I had no idea even what the little boy was doing and he told me that he had looked behind him to check out his skidmark on the sidewalk from his bike. I remember thinking how happy and blessed I was to have him in my life...to show Colton all the "boy" things that I had no idea about. To teach him how to treat girls (and to tell him he doesn't understand them sometimes either, even as a grown-up), how to pee standing up, how to spit, to be there at his sports games when Colton says, "Dad, did you see me?", and over the years to teach him how to be a good man. So, thank you Jason, you mean more to me now that ever. I love you.