I just realized that even though I've posted about the fun stuff that Colby is doing, I've left out much of the day to day stuff. Seeing as how this is pretty much my "baby book", I want to get things up to date with more of the day to day happenings. Hopefully, this blog will be something I'll look back on in 10....20...30 years, when it all seems so long ago.
*Note to future self: Do not ever complain about being bored. EVER.
So here it goes.
1. Finding a sitter
This did not happen. I posted a month or so ago that we were going to find a sitter to come in a few hours a week so that I could go to the gym. I began my search enthusiastically, advertising through 3 different websites. Unfortunately, most of the responses I got looked like this.
"Hi! I like your add. I work for you and I enjoy childrens. I talks good English."
Really. That's what I was dealing with. Oh, except for the MALE who lived 50 MILES away from us that was willing to drive here for just a 2 hour job. You know, because 2 hours of commuting is certainly worth just 2 hours of work. (he responded from a legitimate babysitting website, too, so I could see his zip code) Um......no thanks. Really. I'll keep looking. I did finally meet one college student who I thought was what we were looking for...she was normal, English speaking....didn't look like a criminal. She came over here on 2 different afternoons, but I quickly realized things weren't going to work. I was here the whole time, and she appeared to be very bored. She wasn't good with Colby at all and hardly talked to him. Ironically enough, after the second day, she e-mailed me that her "class schedule had suddenly changed" and she would no longer be able to babysit. Whew- I was relieved.
SO...after all of that, I decided that I would just give up for a while on the search. Amazingly enough, a wonderful opportunity practically fell in my lap, which brings me to #2.
2. Preschool
Yes, I said preschool! I know it sounds ridiculous, so I prefer to call it "mother's morning out". But really, it's preschool. It's at a local church and it has a wonderful reputation, and I lucked out and got the last spot in the 1 year old class. The class is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30-1:30 and starts the second week in September. The ratio is 3 teachers to 7 kids (babies) and that's pretty amazing! The cut-off date is right after Colby's birthday, so he will be the youngest in the class, and I'd be willing to bet he's the only one who's not walking. The other kids will probably be ahead of him in many areas (while they are coloring, Colby will be munching on the crayons) but that's ok- he'll catch on quickly. It's a Co-op, so I will be helping out once a month....and the more I think about it, that's a really good thing. There will always be a parent in the room, and what better way to keep an eye on the teachers? The biggest concern I have about it is that they won't nap there, so I think that will be a pretty tough adjustment for Colby. We're working on pushing his nap later so that he'll be ready, but it's still going to be hard at first. I'm excited, but also nervous!
3. Weaning
I thought I would be done with nursing at this point, but no...not yet. As of a week ago, he was nursing 3 times: before bed, middle of the night, and early morning. We decided that in order to wean him from the night and morning nursing sessions, we first needed to wean him from the middle of the night session. We weren't sure exactly how to do it, so we tried many tactics. The first night, we tried to go in there and hold him, but not feed him, but that didn't work....he had a fit...so I gave up and fed him. The second night, we decided just Lee would go in. He went in at 5 minute intervals to comfort Colby, but that didn't work....so I gave up and fed him. The third night, we decided I would go in. I went in at 5 minute intervals and tried to comfort Colby, but that didn't work....so I gave up and fed him. The fourth night, we decided Lee would rock him back to sleep. He rocked him to sleep, but as soon as he put him down, Colby woke up and cried....so I gave up and fed him.
See the pattern here?
SO.....this led us to our final decision on what we had to do. We had to let him cry it out. That was the only solution we could think of, and we knew it would be hard. Colby woke up at 2AM that night...and he cried. He cried on and off for about 45 minutes (the longest 45 minutes of my life) but we did not go in there. He was never hysterical, but he was upset. FINALLY, he went back to sleep, and slept until 7. (note: If you find out the world is coming to an end, spend your remaining moments with a crying baby....it will feel like an eternity) The next night, we were prepared for more of the same, but he slept right through the night until 7:15! Last night, he absolutely amazed us and slept through the entire night until 9:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has never slept that late, so obviously, he wasn't needing all these nursing sessions to sleep (which is what I was afraid of). I had already left this morning to jog with a friend, so when Colby woke up, he was given a cup of milk. Voila- the morning session is gone! Now we just have the night time feeding. I'm a little sad, but at the same time, I think it's the right decision. We've made it through some really rough times, with Colby screaming at almost every feeding the first 5 months, so I'm really amazed we stuck with it and made it this long.
4. Talking
Colby's first word was "mama" and then "dada". But now, he doesn't say those as often as he used to. He has also said "cat", but that was a few weeks ago. Most days, he says "na-na", which we think is either Georgia or dada...or both. However, he makes up from his lack of words in both quality and quantity with his new favorite word. Colby greets EVERYONE with a gigantic and loud "Hiiiiii!!!" every chance he gets. It's more like "Hiiiiyyyyyeeeeeee!!!" And of course, he gets a very good reaction from this. I can no longer zip in and out of stores quickly because Mr. Social starts a conversation. Oh, and he just loves the attention. He expects it. He is shocked and disappointed if he doesn't get it! Again, I don't know where he comes from, as I was hiding from people at his age.
**I'm adding this in late. He also says "eieiei" from the song Old McDonald had a farm. Not exactly useful....but cute!
5. Walking
Colby is pretty close to walking! He has just started standing alone for a few seconds, and he will take a few steps. Granted, the steps usually end in a nose dive, but at least he's making progress. I think my prediction from his first birthday was right- he will start walking some time during his 14th month.
6. Balls
Colby is obsessed with balls. All sizes, all materials....he doesn't discriminate. He chases them around the house for hours a day. It doesn't matter if we buy him new toys. He'd rather just chase a white wiffle ball around.
7. Diaper changes
Diaper changes have continued to be very difficult. I had to fill out a student information form for preschool so that they could get to know the "student" beforehand. I'd hate to see their reaction when they realize that most of what I filled out was information about how exactly to change Colby's diaper so that poop doesn't end up all over the room. (and trust me, I have learned the hard way) I thought about drawing a diagram of how I do it....straddling his midsection, one leg over one arm, one leg over another arm, and a hand on his middle so he can't roll over. However, I decided that they might think I'm abusive so I just told them to make sure they have 2 people involved.
8. Kisses
Colby likes to "love" someone else by putting his forehead against them and pressing VERY hard. He has been known to tackle other children to the ground in order to get a good grasp on them and give them a full frontal head butt. He is also starting to open his mouth wide and put his open mouth against your face. Only problem is that he's starting to bite as he does it....he must be supervised with his kisses!
That's about all the minutia I can thing of.
*Another note to future self: I seriously hope you've cut down on your Goldfish consumption, because if not, you've probably gained 100 pounds by now.
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