Merry Christmas...

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

3 months...

Wow!  My baby is three months old!  and about to celebrate his first Christmas!

So... here is what he has been up to:

- Grabbing his toys

- Don't think he's discovered his hands, but he sure likes to suck on them!

- Laughing!  It's the most wonderful sound!

- Kicks and scoots around
- Loves looking at books that we read to him, he really concentrates on all the pictures

- Follows us all around (with his eyes)!

- Is very alert during the day!

- Still hates tummy time, but can hold his head up like a champ on my stomach

- Is getting really good at holding his head up in general.  He gets a little "bobble head" at times, but is improving =)

- Sleeps up to 7 hours straight at night (although sometimes he wakes up every 3 hours)

- "Talks" all the time!

He is such a blessing to us!  We really have a good baby!  I'm not just saying that because I'm his mom either!  We are just so thankful to have Colin and are so excited to help him celebrate his first Christmas!

Christmas decorating...

We decorated for Christmas a coulpe weeks ago.  We didn't go all out since we aren't spending Christmas here... but we wanted to at least have a tree up for Colin's first Christmas (even though he won't remember it!)  I was very happy that Colin's stocking got here in time!

We got a small tree this year.  It's fun to see the decorations we have gotten over the years!
I like this picture because you can see Colin in the background =)

My [not so] expert opinion...

I know a lot of people blog about what they like/dislike once they have a baby.  When I was pregnant I really liked to know what others liked... so I figured I'd do a post about what has worked or hasn't for us so far.

Colin is almost 3 months old and so far here are a few things that I have liked:

- OXO Guardian Night-Light

This has been used since day 1.  I love it!  The blue light stays on while it's charging, and when you take off the white light it gives off a soft light that is just enough to do night time changing.  It's the only light I need... and it allows me to see without turning on the big lamp.

- Prefold Cloth Diapers - for burp cloths
I didn't get a picture of these, because really any prefold cloth diaper cloth works.  I am AMAZED at the amount of burp cloths we go through!  And these really hold up!
- Boppy

I know everyone puts these on their registry, and I know some people don't like using them, but for me - love it!  In the early days it really helped with breastfeeding, and now that he is getting older it is being used to help him sit up.  (It is also a good prop for photoshoots =) just put it under a blanket)
- Tiny Love Gymini Play Mat

I have also used this since day one.  As you all know, we have an indoor dog - Suzi.  She is my first baby and is so loved, but boy does she shed!  So this is the perfect place for Colin to lay and not worry about getting hair on him.  (Suzi knows she isn't allowed on it)  Now that Colin is a little older, he has really enjoyed looking at the toys and pulling on them.
- First Years Sure Comfort Tub

For one of my baby showers I got three (yep 3!) bathtubs!  This one has a sling type thing that goes in it for newborns.  It is great!  It holds him up and he seems very comfortable.  I have used a different type (without the sling) and he hated it!  I think the sling makes him feel secure in the water.
- Lil' Lamb Dream Swing and Infant Seat

(I only posted a picture of the swing, but there is also a smaller seat that I use too)
These have been WONDERFUL!  Colin loves both of them!  The swing we use every.single.day.  He normally falls asleep in it, but he also enjoys just looking around.  It's hard when they don't have head control but yet want to look around, this is perfect!
The smaller seat is what I use mainly when I am taking a shower.  He is so content in it.  Doesn't fall asleep but just enjoys sitting in it - oh and it vibrates.
- Nursing Tank Top from Target
I didn't get a picture of these either, but I wear these ALL the time when I'm around the house!  They are simple and they look just like tank tops - but with easy access for breastfeeding.



There is a couple things that haven't worked for us... I don't really have that many yet...
- SwaddleMe

These are good in theory... Colin was swaddled in the hospital and that is how he fell asleep.  Well, it takes a few a lot of practices to be able to swaddle correctly.  So I got these to help.  They worked at first, but once we got Colin home he would bust his arms out of the swaddle.  So, we just ended up swaddling him without his arms in it... these blankets just didn't work for us.  For those that are pregnant, take advantage of the hospital blankets!  They work perfectly!
- ItzBeen Baby Care Timer

I was so excited about getting this...
but I haven't used it.  Not once.  My mom has a friend that wrote a breastfeeding book and I used this for the first 2 months of Colin's life.  It helped me keep up with how often Colin was eating, which side to start with next, how much I pumped, and there was a place for notes.  So I used this instead of the Itzbeen.

I also got way too many bottles.  You never know if your milk supply will come in, or come in enough, so I was just praying that I wouldn't need to use all the bottles (in case I needed to supplement formula).
I also have tons of washcloths.

That's about it for now.  I'm sure I'll have more to add once Colin is older! 

Football teams...

Growing up, Garet was raised a Redskin fan.  He is from Washington D.C.  If you follow the NFL you would know that the Redskins and the Cowboys are huge rivals!  Well... my brother is a Cowboy fan.  So anytime they play each other, Garet and Eric will exchange texts and phone calls picking on the other.  When we traveled through Charlotte at Thanksgiving, Kailey (Eric's wife) gave Colin a few gifts.  Among those was a Cowboys onesie!

You can see how Garet felt about it =)  But we had to keep it!  It was personalized!

Along the same lines... here in Alabama, people watch college football more than pro football, and Alabama/Auburn are HUGE rivals!  Seriously when you first meet someone, that is in the top questions they ask you... "Are you an Alabama, or Auburn fan??"

So once again, Kailey got Colin a cute onsie:

Hope I don't make any of our Auburn friends mad!  I promise we still claim "neutral"!!  =)

Playing hard...

Colin loves hanging out on his activity mat.  He has gotten to where he will really focus on his toys that are hanging - and even grab them (even though I don't know if he is aware that he is grabbing them!)  He is quite content on the mat, so I use that time to get a few things done.  The other day I went to switch some landry over and came back to this...

He was sound asleep!  One minute he was "talking" and hitting at his toy, and the next: sound asleep!  I love how he sleeps with his arms up!  So cute!

Update on the cloth...

I have been using the cloth since we got back from our Thanksgiving trip, and it is going really well!  I think that when you use cloth diapers, it is a trial and error way of learning!  You have to figure out what works best for you and what doesn't.  Colin seems to like them just fine =)

I use the Flip System and so far so good... Garet is even 100% on board!  I like that I don't have to change the entire diaper when it's just wet.  So far I haven't needed any more covers than I have (I have 7) and I haven't gone through all the inserts either (I think I have about 30).  I do a wash every other day.  It is a small load because I was these separate from all our other laundry.

I have noticed that when he is wet, Colin let's me know!  With the disposable, he doesn't cry every time he needs a change... but with the cloth he normally does. 

I bought a diaper sprayer that attaches to our toilet, and I am very thankful for that =)

So, everything is going good with them so far!  You can see they fit him better than last time I put one on him!

Santa...

Colin got to meet Santa today!

He was so good! 

We also finally got our Christmas cards ordered.  I tried to be creative with my pictures...

but in the end, I just went with a normal family shot. =)

Birthday...

Happy Birthday to my brother!!!!

(This is the last time I saw him.... in May...)

Eric has been at bootcamp, combat training, and now is in California taking classes for the Marines.  I am sooo proud of him!  But I am really ready to see him again!  And Colin is really ready to meet his uncle!

We had a photoshoot and made a collage for Eric.  Colin is proud of him too!

Eric, I miss you!!!  Can't wait to see you for Christmas!!  I love you!

Movin' on up...

My little man is getting big!  So big, in fact, that I had to move him from his cradle in our room to his crib in his room. 

Garet's dad made Colin a beautiful cradle!  It was wonderful, and perfect to have in our room.  It really made night feedings much easier!  I could just grab him from beside me rather than walking all the way to his room.  So... I hadn't really thought about when I would move him into his room... but I didn't think it would be this soon.  And I really didn't think it would be hard for me! 

Somehow since we have gotten back from our Thanksgiving trip - Colin has outgrown his cradle.  Here he is at 2 weeks old...

and here he is now

obviously too big for it!

So... I sucked it up, got his monitor all set up, and on Thursday night Colin slept in his room for the first time. 

And I survived =)

Baby, it's cold outside...

Yesterday we bundled up and went on a long walk around the neighborhood.

It was probably the coldest/windest day so far.  Our sweet boy got his warmest onesie and hat on (and a blanket on top) and we hit the road =) 

What a trooper...

We drove about 30 hours total, there and back, for Thanksgiving!  Colin had never been in the car (or his car seat) for that long!  He was PERFECT!  It takes us about 7.5 hours to get to Charlotte and then about 6 to get up to DC.  Plus we stopped twice each leg of the trip to feed Colin and change his diaper... it was definitely a long trip!

Colin slept almost the whole time... and only had one freak out - which was probably more my fault.  I knew he had a dirty diaper, so I thought we could just change it, put him back in his car seat and go.... nope... the little man was hungry after that and let us know!  But really I was so happy that we had such a smooth trip.

And yes, he still slept good at night!  In fact, he slept for longer intervals... I'm guessing because of all the excitment during the day!  I did a video of our drive back to Huntsville.  Hope it works =)



(P.S.  Marge is our Garmin.  Garet named her...)

Thanksgiving...

For Thanksgiving this year we traveled to Bethesda, Maryland to be with Garet's family.  We decided that it would stop in Charlotte, stay the night with my parents, and then continue the drive (to split up the 14 hour drive!)  We had a lot of people come by while we were in Charlotte to see us Colin.

My sister-in-law, Kailey, was especially excited to meet Colin.  This is her first nephew!  The next day she was leaving to go see my brother in California!  He will finally get to meet Colin at Christmas!  Here is Colin with his aunt!

The trip couldn't have gone better!  Colin was PERFECT!  He was great in the car (he slept) and he was wonderful meeting everyone!  He was passed around and didn't complain once =)

When we got to Maryland Colin met Garet's grandfather, and got to see Garet's mom again!

We also got to see Garet's dad and his wife.  It was great to get a picture of 3 generations of Beane's!

We had a packed week!  Garet has 4 older sisters... one of them is about to give birth to a baby girl in North Carolina, so her and her family couldn't come, but the other 3 sisters and their families were there.  Colin got to meet 8 of his 12 cousins! and a few of Garet's friends that are still in the area.  It was a lot of fun!

We had so much fun visiting with family! 

2 Months...

Colin was 2 months old last Tuesday!

- Smiles a lot!  -and I think he is close to laughing... can't wait to hear that!
- Still not loving tummy time, but holds his head up really well when he's on your shoulder
- Makes great eye contact, and follows us around when we are walking
- Still eats every 3 hours
- Has been sleeping up to 5.5 hours at night (woo hoo!) and takes about 4-5 naps a day, although most of them are only 30 minutes or so.  He is very alert! This week he slept for 6.5 hours one night!
- coos and "talks" to us
- Likes his bath time
- Grabs onto things (like my hair!)
- Follows noises with his eyes
- Loves being able to see everything that's going on - like when he's on someone's shoulder, or sitting up in his swing.
- Likes walks and car rides, and most of the time both of these put him right to sleep!

He is such an angel!

Happy Thanksgiving...

I took a billion pictures and just wasn't happy with any of them... so I used an outtake =)
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Last weekend...

I thought this was funny and had to share...

Last weekend, my mom left on Saturday.  On Sunday the Carolina Panthers played.  I've mentioned here and here how we are still fans even though we live so far away, and they are NEVER televised here (unless they are playing Tennessee).  Well, Garet has satellite radio, so he can hear the games... the problem?  He can only listen to it in the car.  Solution?  Bring the grill, fire pit, and chairs to the front yard... then open the garage, bring the car out (because the satellite doesn't pick up reception in the garage) and hang out in the front yard...

Nice...
He grilled out and hung out during the game.  I think he is showing me his cookie...

I believe I have also confessed that I am a fair weather fan... it's bad of me I know, but at least I'm honest about it.  And the Panthers, unfortunately, are bad.  Real bad.  So what was I doing?

(don't worry, I wasn't really asleep)

Cloth...

While my mom was here I got all the cloth diapers washed and ready for Colin!  I put one on him and bursted out laughing!

Don't they look a tad big?  =)  But they did their job, so I think they fit him fine.  It's just that they are a one size diaper... see the snaps?  They allow the diaper to get bigger as Colin grows.

So... I am going to stick with it and hope nothing creeps outta there!  I am really excited about getting started with the cloth!  We have a bit of traveling coming up - which I have decided that it would be easier to use disposable for.  So, once things settle down after Thanksgiving, it will be cloth all the way!  Woo Hoo!

Plus look how cute his little bootie is!

Doctor visit...

My baby had his 2 month doctor's appointment this morning.  He will be 8 weeks old tomorrow!  Crazy!

He did sooo good at the appointment.  This one is known for the shots they get =( 

I kept trying to prepare myself.  I knew he would cry, but geez... he screamed!  The sad part was he was so content just staring at me when she stuck his poor little leg.  So I saw his facial expression go from happy to really mad!  So sad! 

But, my boy is growing!  He is now 11 lbs. 5 oz. and 22.5 inches long!  He is in the 50% for both height and weight.  Yay Colin!

He was pretty fussy (as they said he would be) but now he is content just hanging out.  What a sweet baby!