Pics and Vids

We have been taking videos all the time and they're mostly of our baby being cute of course. Here are a few recent ones. Things that make Collin laugh.

Collin was pretty entertained by Rob's cookie monster impression. (This must have been from Easter since there are Easter basket treats on the floor).

We love his laugh! He is a little bit ticklish. 

We bought a plunger and for some reason Collin cracked up whenever Rob showed it to him and talked about it, for a long time.

We've been enjoying Spring and warmer weather. A few weeks ago, we made a trip to Sunnyside for Rob's sister's graduation and got to see his parents and Amber, Tiffanie, and Cory's families. It was a quick trip but we were glad we could see everyone!

My first Mother's Day was great (minus the fact that I had to speak in church)! Rob made me delicious crepes with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast, and he also made a dinner of loaded potatoes with chili and toppings. Yum. He gave me a jewelry box, which I love! It is a little mirrored cabinet that hangs on the wall and opens up, and it matches our bedroom perfectly! I loved having a day to relax and be with my boys. 

Other than that, May has been pretty normal. Collin got to try out the baby swings at the park for the first time and loved it. Rob has been doing a lot of studying and running, and I am loving being a stay-at-home mom!

Collin and I have such a perfect routine right now and I want to post it so I'll remember! (Since it seems like as soon as we get a good routine it usually doesn't last very long). I wake up every morning to happy sounds coming through the baby monitor. Collin wakes up between 6:30 and 7:15 in the morning and I bring him in bed with me to cuddle for a little while. If he wakes up too early, sometimes we both go back to sleep. Then we get up, get dressed, Collin has a bottle, then we eat breakfast. Then we go to the gym around 9. Collin does so well at the Kids Club, and I love that he can spend time with other kids every day and he is happy to go to the adults. On the way home, Collin falls asleep and takes his morning nap while I get home, shower and get ready for the day, and maybe do something productive. He wakes up around 12:30 and we have lunch. The afternoon is spent playing at home, going outside, going to appointments, shopping, or whatever else we have planned for the day. Then around 3:30, he's ready for a nap again and I lay down with him, give him a bottle, and he falls asleep in my bed. While he naps, I get dinner ready and do whatever else I need to until he wakes up around 5:15. Rob gets home at about 5:30 and we eat dinner and relax and Collin gets to play with Rob a little bit and take a bath. At 7:30 we start getting him ready for bed by changing him into pajamas, reading a story, feeding him a bottle, saying prayers, and then Rob goes off to study while I sing primary songs and rock him to sleep. He sleeps so well now at night. A few months ago, I could have only dreamed of having a schedule like this- including sleep, predictability, and uninterrupted shower and dinner prep time. I'm so grateful that I'm able to be at home with him, and I love my days with my boy. He is so energetic and funny, and so sweet when he gives me huge smiles right when he wakes up. I want him to stay this age forever!

Here are a few pictures!

At Amber's graduation

I love this picture. They look so alike.

Sunday nap

He fell asleep while eating one time. He would open his mouth for the food, then fall asleep right after.

I know he's naked in these, but he was being so funny and cute for the camera.

He is almost crawling. He crawls backwards and scoots all over the place, and rocks on his hands and knees.

Spring

We've been having lots of fun and it's been nice to spend a little time outside in the sun. I'll recap what's been going on in the last month or so:

Spring break- It was so nice to stay home, relax, and spend time together for 2 weeks. We caught up on sleep, and explored a few new places around Portland, including a good used book store and Multnomah Falls. We went one day and it was rainy, so we didn't hike to the top. But we went back a few days later to do the whole hike.

 Rob's parents came for one of the weekends. It was a fun visit- we introduced them to Ikea and had some delicious Red Lobster. We also made sushi while they were here, and it turned out pretty good. We were glad they were able to come visit! And we wish we had remembered to take pictures. 

During the last weekend of the break, Rob's sister Amber and her family came to town and we went with them to the OMSI. Again we forgot to take pictures except for on this camel in the Egypt exhibit.

Rob started his 3rd quarter at school. From what we have heard, this is supposed to be one of the hardest quarters. He has also gotten back into running a little bit and we're both looking into training for races this summer.

Collin is 7 months now. He weighs almost 19lbs! He loves "standing up" with help. When he's laying on his back and we take his hands to pull him to a sitting position, he straightens his body so he stands all the way up. And when he's being held standing up, he also loves to jump! His favorite is "jumping" all the way up the stairs. He has also been rolling all over the place lately, and I can no longer leave him on the couch or bed, even for a second. Or change his diaper without him rolling over. He has lots of energy, smiles, and laughs. 

Messy eater

Finally getting to spend some time outside!

This last weekend, my dad came to visit. We did some shopping and Laurel and her family came over and decorated cupcakes with us. 

For Easter dinner, we made ribs and mashed potatoes. 

Collin got some fun things in his Easter basket and so far has enjoyed chewing on the books the most.

Happy Easter!

Cribs

Here are some pictures of our new apartment. We really like it, and it feels more like "home" than our last place ever did. There's a lot more storage and floor space, and it's in a little gated complex with lots of our fellow student friends.

Kitchen/Dining area

Living Room

Our little "yard," with a storage area.

Stairs and entry- In the entry area is a bathroom, closet, and laundry area.

Downstairs half bath

Upstairs bathroom

Our bedroom. There's enough room for a desk for Rob to study.

3-door closet

Collin's room

Other side

Collin's huge closet

Time to relax!

Rob has a break from school this week and next week. It's so nice to be able to relax at home! We had been so busy the last few weeks with moving right before finals, and I am proud of us for all we got done!
I was in charge of almost all the packing while Rob was at school or studying, and we have definitely accumulated a lot of stuff! I also had to do a lot of cleaning in our old apartment, along with taking care of Collin, who would really prefer to be held all day (and night). Somehow I got it all done, and didn't even miss a day at the gym (even increased my running distance too)!
Rob had to squeeze in as much time as he could to study while we were getting ready for the move, and moving day was the Saturday before finals week, so he couldn't study much that weekend. However, he managed to do really well on all of his tests!
We had lots of help from friends on moving day and it went really quickly and smoothly. We love our new apartment and are constantly commenting on how much better it is than our last place. We'll have to take some pictures soon and post them.

Collin is 6 months old today. He's around the 50th percentile for weight and 70th for height. (17 lbs, 8oz and 27 inches). He's growing fast and his hair is still sticking straight up! I love it. He is so happy and funny all the time. He loves to see new faces and gives everyone big smiles and sometimes big laughs. He's tried some new foods and today's sweet potatoes were the biggest hit so far! He could hardly wait for me to refill the spoon each time. We love our funny boy! He's so cute. Here are a few 6 month pictures we took today.

Loves playing with his feet these days

He also loves it when we make his arms dance!

Matching hairstyles

And another favorite from this week. . .

Cracks us up!!

Updates

I can't believe February is almost over! We've been busy, but not with anything too exciting. Rob has been studying hard, and Collin has been keeping me constantly busy. He is becoming quite the screamer. He just loves his parents so much, he never wants to be put down some days! He's also been in a stage of horrible sleeping habits. . . waking up several times per night (at least 3, at most 7!) with difficulty getting back to sleep. However, he is so adorable and fun, and he's getting quite the personality. He smiles and laughs easily and loves to see new faces and surroundings. We're so grateful to have such a healthy, high-energy boy.

We are also getting ready to move to a townhouse apartment closer to Rob's school.  We had been thinking of moving there for a while, and everything fell right into place for us. The packing and moving part will be pretty hectic, but we're excited for our new place.

Superbaby

There's a lot of drooling going on around here.

I like this picture. Collin looks so chubby and serious.

We tried out rice cereal in an attempt to get him to sleep better. He ate it for a couple of days, but now he won't.

Handsome boys

We went ice skating. So much fun!!

4 Months

 Collin is 4 months old now and getting so big. He had a doctor's appointment this morning and he weighs 15lbs, 6oz and he's 25 inches long. He's between the 50th and 75th percentile for everything and growing perfectly. He also had shots at this appointment, and hardly even reacted! I was amazed. 

I had to take some pictures of what his hair looks like right now. It sticks straight up, even when I try to flatten it. And it's all the same length so people always ask me if I cut it. But nope, he just has a natural little crew cut.

A picture of Rob and Collin on a day when they happened to be wearing almost the same thing.