And he's off......

Look what Collier was up to yesterday!  He is on the move!

Collier and the Car

Collier is not quite walking yet, but that doesn't keep him from cruising around the living room and kitchen.  He loves walking behind toys and right now his preferred toy is his car.  Here are a few videos of Collier's current favorite activity.

1 year old & a few weeks!

Okay since Collier is actually 13 months old now and this has been sitting in "draft" form for a couple weeks, I thought I better post.......I really can't believe it has been over a year since my world changed for the better when the most precious baby was born.  Happy 1st Birthday Collier Ward!  Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back.  It is still crazy to me that one year ago my stubborn little man refused to enter this world, but after 17 hours of labor and the pushing and pulling of 3 doctors he was officially evicted!  I still see that stubborn personality in almost everything he does, but I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Here is a look back one year ago:

THEN:



NOW:

At Collier's 1 year appointment he weighed 22 lbs. 4 oz. and was 31 inches long (okay apparently he shrunk a quarter of an inch or one of his last measurements was wrong). 

Swimming with Mommy

Mischievous grin!

One of Collier's favorite places!

Collier moved schools on July 2nd because I started my new job closer to our house.  I was very sad to take him out of Oak Lawn Child Development Center.  The teachers there loved him so much and I knew he was in great hands.  Collier is now attending Primrose School of Prestmont which is about 3 minutes from my new job.  The transition has been a little tough.  Collier is still getting familiar with the new teachers and kids.  Everyone keeps telling me it will take a few weeks, but it breaks my heart when he cries when I drop him off.  The good news is he is actually the youngest in his class so he is learning from the older toddlers.  For example, just this week when I picked him up he not only waved bye-bye to his teacher, he actually said it.  I was in shock. Here is a short video of me trying to get him to say it:

If this child could turn into a food he would become a fruit.  That is about the only thing we can get him to eat consistently.  This absolute favorites are bananas, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and watermelon.  I don't have to worry about him getting enough servings of fruit a day.  If we let him that is all he would eat.  I can't complain too much because he is quite the eater.  Now if I could just get him to eat vegetables.  Currently the only vegetable he will eat is peas!

Black Bean Face

Spaghetti Face

Pushing pushing everything - that is Collier's favorite thing to do right now.  He pushing his cars, dump trucks, balls, wagon, laundry basket, kitchen chairs...everything.  He gets on a roll and will run right into the wall.  Of course then he gets super mad if he can't turn the item around and keep going, i.e. kitchen chairs.

Collier also loves throwing balls and playing in the ball pit he got for his birthday.  "Ball" also happens to be a word he has learned to say.  It sounds more like just "ba" but he says it when he is looking for one of his balls or throwing one.



Fun in my ball pit!

It is amazing to me how much he really understands now.  When Jeff or I ask him a question he responds by either pointing or looking for the object.  For example if we ask him, "Where is the fan?" he looks up to the ceiling.  If we ask him "Where is your ball?" he will go find the ball Aunt Ally gave him for his birthday.

I can crawl and carry my sippy cup!

Playing with Aunt Bethany

 

Love my new blocks from Great Mamaw & Great Pampaw



First Snowcone!

Collier is not walking, but getting he is getting close. Every day he gets braver and braver and I don't expect it to be too much longer.

Playing in the tupperware

Did I mention that stubborn personality.....well we see that daily in Collier's fit throwing.  I didn't realize it started so early!!  I know Collier gets frustrated because we don't understand what he wants some times, but when he get frustrated he gets mad.  He will plop down on his booty, throw his head back, scream, and flail his arms around.  We just ignore him and after a few moments he gets over whatever has made him mad.  Sometimes all you can do is laugh.



Here are a few more pics of Collier at 12 months:

Collier's First Haircut!

I love Collier's hair and it pains me to say that we took him to get his first haircut.  I love those long locks, but the front was so long it was getting in his eyes.  I decided to just get his bangs cut and leave the rest as is.  We took him to a children's hair salon called Groovy Cuts for Kids.  It was probably the most disorganized place I have ever been in.  We had an appointment, but still had to wait for 20 minutes or so.  That is hard to do with a squirmy 12 month old. They finally got him in the little car and he started laughing and having fun. However, by the time the stylist was ready to cut, Collier was over being in the car.  That made for a difficult time cutting his hair.  Fortunately, we just cut his bangs because I have no idea how she could have cut it all.  They did give Collier a certificate for his first haircut and we kept a lock of hair.

Having fun driving the race car.

 

The "before" picture!

Not too sure about this....

 



All done!!



Kidcation 2012

We recently went on our first "kidcation," aka vacation with kids, with three other families to the La Toretta Resort on Lake Conroe.  It was great spending time with the Whitcomb, Brigger, and Money families.  The resort has a nice splash area for the kids with a giant bucket that dumps water everywhere, a lazy river, and water slides. 

Jeff, Eric, and Jason were able to enjoy a round of golf while the rest of us hung out at the pool.  Then the ladies all enjoyed some relaxation at the spa.  I think Collier had a great time hanging with Juliet, Riley, and Natalie even if they are a little older than him.  I am sure by the time we go on the next kidcation he will be chasing them around everywhere!

Collier was worn out at the pool and decided to take a nap.

Natalie really loves her sunglasses!

Collier's guacamole face at dinner

Collier and Daddy at dinner

Add caption

Riley and Collier after finishing breakfast

Collier and Daddy hanging out in the big pool

Riley and Eric enjoying the pool

Collier and Juliet

Riley (2), Collier (almost 1), Juliet (almost 3), and Natalie (2 1/2)



11 Months Old!

I can't believe in one month we will be celebrating Collier's first birthday.  Where has the year gone? Once again our little man is changing and growing up before our eyes.

I had to take Collier to the pediatrician last week so I got his unofficial 11 month stats.  Collier weighed 21 lbs. 14 oz. (40th percentile) and measured 31.25 inches (95 percentile).   He still remains my long and lean little man!

Our baby has moved to the Toddler Room at school!  At Collier's current school the babies are moved up to the Toddler Room at around 10 months.  I was a little nervous at first because things are different in that room and not what I am accustomed too, but Collier has done great in the class.  From day one he had his new teachers wrapped around his little finger.  No surprise here!  I love how he is around older babies (his class is 10 - 18 month olds) because he really seems to be learning so much.  In just a few days Collier was drinking solely out of a sippy cup at school, clapping, and pointing at things.

Collier has four more teeth coming in right now.  Four!!  They are all on top and they are taking forever to come in.  I noticed a few weeks ago is gums were swollen and one tooth was just poking through.  All four are now poking through but not very far.  He is definitely the "Drool King" right now. 

We put Collier in the pool for the first time and let's just say he was not a fan!  I thought he would like it because he loves bath time.  This was early May and so the pool was a little chilly still.  After a while he didn't seem to mind it as much.  We tried again over Memorial Day weekend and he did better.  I am sure he will love it once it warms up a bit. 

Recycle bin, dishwasher, door stoppers, wooden spoons, night lights, and diaper basket - those are Collier's favorite toys right now.  The recycle bin makes a huge mess, but it manages to keep him busy for awhile.  The dishwasher and wooden spoons allow me to get things done in the kitchen.  However, the door stoppers and night lights are causing a bit of a problem. I don't really mind the door stoppers, but Collier somehow manages to always pull the rubber piece off the end and it immediately goes into his mouth.  The night lights are a whole different issue.  He likes to pull them out of the wall and play with them which isn't a big deal, but then he tries to stick his fingers in the outlet.  Don't even get me started on the diaper basket. I would pick up diapers all day if Collier played in there more.  Fortunately, there are no diapers in his playroom.  Oh boy, I have my work cut out with this busy body.

"I got the moves like Jagger, I got the moves like Jagger" - This should be Collier's theme song, this kid loves to dance.  He dances in his high chair, when he is playing, in the car....all the time.  It is so funny to watch his moves.  Here are some recent videos of our dancing king:

Here are a few more pics of Collier at 11 months: