On a typical morning, I am the first one up shortly followed by everyone else. By the time I leave for work, everyone is pretty much dressed and basically fed. Thankfully, Chris' schedule allows him to put Colin on the bus and then drop Kailey and Cody off at school before heading to work himself. It makes for a less stressful morning for me. Once in awhile, when he is traveling for work, I am on my own (or have to seek out help from my sister). Because of my later start time this year and Colin's bus schedule, I technically can put him on the bus and drop the other two off if necessary; it just makes my arrival time at work cutting it within minutes of when I am supposed to be signing in by. Today was one of those mornings where I was on my own and had to make sure everyone got where they needed to go.
I posted this picture after I finished dropping everyone off this morning because I felt like jumping in the air and fist bumping for a pretty successful morning. I felt so proud that I got everyone up, dressed, fed, lunches packed, myself ready, the car loaded, Colin on the bus, the kids to daycare, and myself to work with 3 minutes to spare. It was just one of those days where everyone was cooperative, I hit every green light, the bus was on time, and drop off went smoothly. I was so thankful for that (and even MORE thankful I don't have to do this every day!).
Some days I feel like crying because the day is so overwhelming and stressful and nothing is going right...
...but then there are the days like today where I could cry because everything DID go right and I'm just so thankful. From wakeup to bedtime, it really was a good day. So, fist bumps all around for that!
This morning turned out to be a pretty challenging morning, but not for the reasons you would think. In the midst of getting lunches packed, bags ready for school and getting myself ready, Colin decided that he needed to get ready so that he could go to "Karate, BlueClaws, the pool, and then school". Although I had already had a shirt on him for school, he got another shirt on over that, his pants on, one shoe, and Kailey's BlueClaws hat. We kept telling him over and over again that he wasn't going to any of those places, just school, but he was working really hard to convince us otherwise.
Once he was dressed, he made his way to the bathroom where he appropriately loaded up his toothbrush with toothpaste, brushed his teeth, and then went to the bathroom.
Once he was done with that, he got Kailey's backpack and kept telling us where he was going. I went to go and get changed for work when I heard the front door open and so I had to throw on a shirt and go and remind him that he wasn't actually going to the BlueClaws and he could only go outside with us. I finished changing and when I came out, he had on a different pair of sneakers, socks on and was loading up the backpack with more items.
He was really read to go once he had the Spiderman wrapping paper in the bag and then he was off.
We are so proud of this newfound independence that Colin has been finding lately (although it's not always easy) because a lot of these things he's been doing have taken him awhile to get here. What's exciting too is that these are things he really wants to do; they are things he is really working really hard at so that he can do them.
"Take your child to work day" at my school
We are so proud of this guy (although it did make for a challenging morning!).
Today, our beautiful little boy turns 6 and it's hard to believe that our once tiny little guy is turning into the handsome, happy, talkative, active, and funny boy that he is. We were profoundly changed the day he entered into our lives and because of him, we will never be the same. While we have spent the past 6 years watching him grow and change, we have also been changing ourselves. We have learned what it means to be patient, to appreciate everything (even the little things), and to fight for what's right for Colin even if it means it is emotional and hard for us. We believe in Colin, we know he is capable of anything, and we will ALWAYS make sure he has every opportunity to shine.
In the past 6 years, Colin has come so far and has really been making some big gains in the past two months. He is talking in full sentences most of the time and when we don't understand something he is saying, he tries really hard to make sure we do. He has come a long way since the school year started in terms of math concepts and counting and is working really hard on learning sight words and other literacy concepts. He has also been writing with improved strength and coloring within specific boundaries. These were things that were extremely challenging at the beginning of the year.
While Colin is social and happy and willing to talk to most, the skills needed to have a prolonged conversation and actively play with other children have been slow to come, but they have been coming. His biggest teacher for this has been Kailey along with his classmates from school. He is learning social rules and boundaries and has made a lot of progress.
He has always been active, but this year he has picked up Karate and now soccer. At home, he is constantly asking to play some sport activity like baseball, basketball or soccer. He is also always choosing sports on TV over any of his other favorite shows. His common phrase to us is "will you play ____ with me" and it's typically some sport activity he's asking us to play. He is riding a big boy bike now and while he is wobbly, he will only get better from here.
He has always been, and continues to be, a learner through observing. While it may not seem like he is participating, he always watches first and then will eventually try whatever it is he is watching. He doesn't always feel comfortable or confident to try anything he is unsure of, but that's why observation is so important for him because he just needs time before he is ready.
That is the key for Colin...he just needs TIME and he will be ready.
We have been enjoying his sense of humor and the laughter that fills a room when he is happy. He is one of the most polite kids you will ever meet as he uses his please and thank yous for everything he does and asks for. Just the other day at his birthday party, he got Chris' and my attention while he was eating his birthday cake and said thank you to both of us. He wasn't specific on what he was thanking us for, but in that moment, Chris and I knew he was happy.
We have learned SO MANY things this year because of Colin and we will continue to learn for him. We are so thankful for him and his love and for the extra dose of special he has brought to our lives.
Happy 6th birthday to our beautiful little boy...we love you more than words can describe!
Every time I sit down to write one of these updates, I immediately want to say things like "I can't believe Cody is 7 months old" or "time is flying by" because it is! Our little man is no longer the baby that he JUST was not that long again. It's also amazing to me how much he is changing so quickly. It feels like we go through little lulls and then all of a sudden, he hits a spurt where so many things are happening at the same time.
A little bit after Cody turned 6 months, we took him for his well visit (actually, it was probably closer to his 7 month birthday) and he weighed in at 18 pounds and 27 inches long. He is our biggest baby at this age and he feels quite solid! We were expecting to get his 6 month vaccines however, we learned that he had an ear infection (first one ever in our family!) and so we are still waiting for to get those.
In the past month, Cody has become quite mobile in that he is rolling farther distances and when he is on his stomach, he is scooting himself backwards. He hasn't quite figured out getting onto his knees yet, but we are TOTALLY ok with this because we aren't quite ready for him to be more mobile. He also just started sitting independently in the past few weeks so overall, that has made him happier because he can interact more and see everything he wants to see.
Overall, his demeanor is pretty happy and easy going, although he does have his moments. He is almost always smiling (even when he had an ear infection that we didn't even notice!) and his laugh is quite infectious when he being tickled or entertained by Colin and Kailey. He LOVES when Colin and Kailey play with him and it almost looks like he's trying to get in on the action the way he watches them so intently sometimes. Some of my most favorite times are when the 3 of them are all giggling at each other in the backseat of the car.
He is babbling and making different sounds quite a bit, but the most popular babble is "dada". He makes noises when he is content and eating to the point I can almost hear him saying "mmmm, this is so good". He is an excellent eater and we are very slowly introducing him to different types of textures and table foods. He has tried ice cream a few times and smacks his lips to get every last drop off of them.
His fussiest time of the day is the end of the day and that is typically because he is tired and ready for bed by 6:30. That makes it challenging because we don't often get home until 6pm at the earliest due to the kids' activities. He is pretty much asleep within minutes after being put to bed and then sleeps through the night until about 6/6:30, sometimes 7 everyday.
He has already figured out that the camera is always out in our family and has learned like the rest of them that you better smile for mom and dad.
We love our little Cody man and all of the things he has brought to our family. He has definitely made things interesting at times, but what child hasn't? We look forward to what the next month will bring us!
Following up our bit of a torturous doctor's visit on Thursday, was another semi-torturous visit to the dentist on Friday morning. It is the ONLY doctor that Colin doesn't go willingly and the only place he is not happily cooperating with the doctor's commands. In his defense, his mouth is still the one place that is the most sensitive and probably weakest area in terms of muscle strength so there are just so many reasons why he is not ok with a checkup. I think he would have been ok this time except they started off with an attempt at an x-ray and he just got nervous and did not like the nurse trying to shove those pieces into his mouth. Kailey, on the other hand, is completely ok with everything asked of her and did great with all of it. Thankfully Chris was with us so that was a big help.
Later that night after Karate class, we went to our first BlueClaws game of the season. They were so excited to see Daddy and watch the game and it actually was a pretty nice night. There are some new logistics for me to work out now that we have Cody with us but overall, went pretty well.
Since it was our first game of the season, I offered them their favorite treats there and happened to get Kailey's popcorn first. When we went to go and get Colin's ice cream, the machines were out of order. While he handled it ok, I felt terrible so we left a little earlier than we would have and got some on the way home. I let them snuggle in our bed to watch their show before sending them off to bed.
Saturday morning brought with it the first day of soccer which Colin has been talking about for WEEKS now. He's been so excited and we were hopeful that this time would go better than our attempts in the past, especially since he and Kailey are on the same team. We got their gear on Friday and they happily got dressed on Saturday morning.
It went so well and we were so proud of Colin and the progress he had made. Kailey, on the other hand, did great until she got increasingly tired and then became more weepy over little things (she got bumped, she didn't get a "turn" with the ball during the game, etc.). We have to work on that a little bit but otherwise, we were really happy with the day.
Later that afternoon, the kids and I just played around outside until Chris got home, we had dinner, and then surprised them with a trip to the boardwalk. They were so excited and are so good, even when we tell them it's time to go. I have so much fun watching them enjoy themselves and that night was a really great way to end the week.
Colin tried out the "big" roller coaster and loved it! I really think he's going to be our little thrill seeker. Kailey even gave the smaller one a go and was really "brave" as she bragged.
Today, Colin had a birthday party so Kailey and Cody hung out with Aunt Kimmy, Nana, and Granddad at the beach. After Colin's party was over, we spent a few hours playing together and it was nice to have some alone time.
And in MORE exciting news, we decided to break out Colin's "big boy bike" which he hadn't tried since he got it for Christmas. He had gotten so frustrated and upset then because he couldn't quite figure it out. However, he got the pedals going today and I was SO PROUD of his progress!
Typically at this point of a break, I am almost ready to go back because it typically has been exhausting. However, I have truly enjoyed my time this week spent with the kids and am sad to go back and leave the fun behind. However, it's been a week of some pretty great memories which I am very thankful to have gotten...
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