Colton James: Five Months

Dear Colton-man,

Your daddy has started that nickname. Dayton caught on to it pretty quickly and he calls you Colton-man most of the time now. Especially, when he's trying to get you to laugh or watch him. Speaking of your brother, he adores you. I'm telling you that now because he might not adore you in a year or so when you start playing with his toys. He's always excited to pick you up after school and I think he gets a lot of joy from making you laugh and smile.

Well sir, mama has been back at work for almost a month now and it's been interesting to say the least. I knew it was going to be hard going back to work, but this has been pretty overwhelming. Your daddy has stepped up big time and has been helping with a lot of chores. Thank heavens for your daddy! I know we'll all adjust, so I'm just waiting to get into the groove of our new schedule. We're getting there, but believe me, I'm looking forward to Christmas break! How many more days?!

A part of me is glad you get to go to daycare so that you're interacting with different people, but I miss getting to watch you grow and change each day. You are growing and changing so quickly. Oh my sweet baby, I know there is so much more fun to see down the road. I'm still wishing I slow time down, but I'm excited for you to continue to hit some new milestones!

I still can't get over how happy you are. You smile with your whole face and you light up the room. You laugh easily and often. I hope that never changes. Stay happy my little man, it's one of my most favorite things about you! I love you to the moon and back, Colton-man.

Love,
Mama

Five month update:

Size - You are a little peanut. At least you seem like it to us. (We only have your chunky brother to go off of.) You're up to about 15 pounds and some.    

Words - None, but you are trying to use your mouth to make various sounds. I love it when you talk to us. 

Activity - I think you might give me a run for my money little guy. You are always moving. Always. Even when you're nursing or sleeping. The only time you are still is when you are dozing off. You love to watch everything that is going on around you - which makes feeding you a lot harder. I have to hide away in another room to feed you now. You love "standing up" when we're holding you, jumping is your favorite, and you are rolling all of the time. You don't love being on your belly and you get mad after a few minutes. 

Food - You are mainly fed breastmilk, however, I'll be starting your first foods this month! During Christmas break, I'll start making your baby food. We'll start with avocados, then sweet potatoes, and so on. I'm excited to start making your baby food and feeding you new things! We'll see how you do. This time around we will not be starting with rice cereal. I've read a lot of research about it not being good for baby's digestive system, seeing as how babies lack a specific enzyme to break down starchy food. Babies get this enzyme by 8 months to a year. We'll reevaluate then! You'll be getting bottles of breastmilk at daycare and I will be nursing you full time on the weekends.

• 7 am - wake and nurse
• 9 am - bottle/nurse
• 10:30-12 pm - nap
• 12 pm - bottle/nurse
• 1-3 pm - nap
• 3 pm - bottle/nurse
• 5-6 pm - nap
• 6 pm - nurse
• 8:00ish - nurse to bedtime

Sleep - Oh little man, you're a bit of a stinker lately on the sleep. You started waking up at least once during the night a few days before I went back to work. No thank you. I can't complain too much because you started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and you've been a good sleeper since. But it is hard to go back to waking up at night. You must have hit a growth spurt because you are hangry when you wake up at night. I nurse you and you go right back to sleep. Thankfully. You did throw a few "wake up 2-3 times" a night in there too. Ugh.

You are still taking a morning nap for about 1-2 hours and an afternoon nap for about 2-3 hours.

Hair - You have very little hair. It still looks brown to me.

Eyes - Your eyes are more and more brown, but there's still a little blue in there.

Teeth - None yet, but your gums are swelling, you're drooling, waking up at night, and gnawing on everything - especially your hands.

Wardrobe - 6 months 

Diapers - size 3

Likes - You like sleeping in your car seat, being swaddled, watching what everyone is doing, laughing at your brother, playing with daddy, mama wearing or holding you, bouncing in your jumper, and you're starting to like playing your mat a little more.

You don't like being by yourself or being hungry. You are not the biggest fan of food it turns out, so we'll see how that goes. Your face. Haha! The stank face you make every time you take a bite is pretty entertaining. You also give us "daddy's eyebrows" quite often!

Mama's Favorite - Now that I'm back at work, my favorite time of the day is when I nurse you to sleep. It's just you and me. It's quite and we get to cuddle for a good 15-20 minutes. You generally fall asleep on me, which I can't get enough of. I usually rock you while you sleep on me just so I can get some extra, much needed snuggles in. I love you, nugget.

Colton-Weeks 19&20

Thanksgiving 2016

This year we spent Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Bishop's house. As always, the food was delicious and the company was just what we needed. I love being close enough to Brad's family that we can have holidays together and all of the cousins get to see each other and grow up together. That's what it's all about right?

This year we are just so thankful to be parents for round #2. Adding Colton to our family has been a wonderful blessing and we cannot thank God enough for him. We are blessed.

Oh and P.S. - We bought a van!? Yep, it happened. We bought a Honda Odyssey. And I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I love it...so far. Two words: sliding. doors.

November Lately

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my phone of November!

cuddle bug  |  so awake  |  money for candy

waiting for brother  |  big boy bag  |  happy man

pjs  |  children's museum  |  brother love

"praying"  |  brother love  |  Clemson!

daddy night  |  snuggles  |  clean happy baby

Christmas parade  |  Holiday Hooplah  |  "glasses"

Thanksgiving  |  the boys  |  baby snuggles

Clemson gear

I got a van?!  |  Mama's boys  |  4 months old

Colton-Weeks 17&18

Colton James: Four Months

Dear Wiggly,

Yep, I said Wiggly, Because that's what we call you most of the time. That and bug, Colton-man, Bubba, and a a few more nicknames that we've come up with for you. You're the sweetest.

Well baby, this is it. This is our last month of being home together. In a few weeks, I'll be going back to work and you and your brother will be going to daycare. I can't even begin to dwell on it because I start crying - actual tears - when I do think about it. I absolutely love being home with you two and it has made our household so much more relaxed and happy. I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. I want you to know that. I want you to know that if I could, I wouldn't work until all my babies were in school. I want to pour my energy into you and your brother. I want to be the best mama out there. I try to be, but I fall short each and every day. Some days, I fall really short. I'm just writing it down so you know. I want to be the best mom out there. I'm working on it Bubba.

I'm excited for your four month appointment. I know Dr. C will tell us you're ready for food. You're drooling all over the place. I'm not as anxious to start you on food as I was your brother. Sorry! You don't eat as much and, well, been there done that! It will be fun to see what you like and what you don't like though.

Well baby boy, I'm going to love on you each and every minute of our last weeks at home. I know you'll be happy in your new daycare and that it will make our time at night and on the weekends that much sweeter. I love you baby boy. Every day with you is better than the one before. I just can't get over how sweet you are.

Love,
Mama

Four month update:

Size - Well little man, you're up to about 14 lb. 4 oz. You are gaining weight much slower than your brother. You seem like such a little peanut to us (mostly because your brother was huge)!   

Words - None, but you are cooing at us quite a bit. I love it when you make noises at us.

Activity - You are a busy boy. You love to "stand up" when we're holding you. You're starting to jump a little, so we pulled out your bouncer (upstairs) and saucer (for downstairs). You rolled from your tummy to your back at 16 weeks and a few days later, you rolled from your back to your tummy! I couldn't believe you rolled both ways within days of each other. you crazy little man. 

Food - You are only getting breast milk still. I know Dr. C will tell us at your four month check-up that we can start you on oatmeal (we don't do rice cereal). I'm not sure if I'm ready for food yet. Maybe I'm just trying to keep you little! Right now, your eating schedule is...

• 7-7:30 am - wake and nurse
• 9 am - nurse
• 10:30-12 pm - nap
• 12 pm - nurse
• 12:30-3 pm - nap
• 3 pm - nurse
• 5-6 pm - nap
• 6 pm - nurse
• 8:00ish - nurse to bedtime

Sleep - Little bubs, you are still an amazing sleeper. It must be in our genes. You go to bed around 8pm and you don't make a peep until around 7-7:30 am. Some mornings, we are waking you up! Thank you Colton-man, thank you!

You take one nap in the morning around 10-10:30 am. You are always very ready for your morning nap. You usually sleep until 11:30-12 pm. Your afternoon naps are pretty solid too. You're a pretty predictable baby and you do love your schedule.

Hair - Dark brown, but very little of it

Eyes - Dark blue with a little bit more brown than last month.

Teeth - None, but you are drooling like a maniac.

Wardrobe - I just bumped you up to 6 months.

Diapers - size 3

Likes - You like being in your car seat for the most part and you almost always fall asleep in it. You love daddy and Dayton a whole lot. They both can make you smile by just walking in the room. You light up when your daddy is around. You love your mama, but I definitely don't get the same reactions as daddy does! Little stinker. You love being upright so that you can watch what everyone is doing. I can already tell you have FOMO (fear of missing out). Oh boy. You love sitting in your high chair, bouncing in your bouncer, playing with the star and toys on your play mat, listening to your brother read to you, snuggling with your brother, being swaddled, and pulling mama's hair.

You don't like being in a room by yourself and you don't like being on your play mat when you can't see us. You don't love tummy time, but you'll play on your tummy for a good 10-15 minutes. When you're done, you're done though. 

Mama's Favorite - My favorite this month is all about being home with you. My maternity leave has been amazing and I am already dreading going back to work even more than I already knew I would. I've always wanted to be a stay at home mommy, but since I can't at this point getting 20 weeks at home with you is more than I could have asked for. I love being with you all day, every day. I love you, Colton-man.

A Buck, or Two

Hunting season is here! and the hubby is getting out into the woods as often as he can. I was able to go hunting on the season opener (here), but with a new baby and a busy toddler it was just too hard to try and go again. The hubs, however, took every chance he got to go hunting.

It paid off. The year he shot a doe and two bucks! Both of which he mounted. Well done babe!

Surprise! Happy 60th Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bishop! Who would have ever guessed you're 60?!

Mama Bishop was pretty sneaky when she planned a weekend away with the whole family to surprise Grandpa for his 60th birthday. All of us kids and all of the grand kids were together to help celebrate this milestone. We all met in Iowa City and surprised Grandpa!

First on the agenda was a trip to the Children's Museum in Coralville. The kiddos loved it! Watching all of the cousins play together made my heart happy. They are too stinkin' cute!

After the museum, we headed to our hotel. That was a bit of a disaster area - since they gave one of our rooms away?1 - but we got it all figured out and booked another hotel in about 15 minutes. Smart phones FTW! We checked into our rooms, got together for dinner and a ton of desserts. Food was plenty! The hotel we stayed at had a breakfast room that we were able to use. It was perfect. The kiddos ran around and all of us adults were able to sit and chat. Grandpa opened all of his birthday presents and we enjoyed a night full of laughter, sugar, and family time.

The next morning, everyone was up for breakfast and a few pictures before we said goodbye. Happy Birthday Grandpa! I'm glad we got to spend it with you!

Colton - Weeks 15&16