Week 23 - Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

I can't believe I've been so consistent about keeping this blog going for 23 weeks now! It doesn't feel like a burden, because I've received a plethora of positive comments about it from so many people, some of whom I never would've expected to even read the blog! I had a close friend comment that I have a very distinct voice, and there is a lot of heart in it - he also said it was 70% heart and 30% poop jokes which is very accurate (and strengthens the case of why he's still a dear friend)! My other favorite comment was from Chris' aunt, who said she felt like she already knew Colin just from reading the blog. It means so much that other people value my words and pictures! And come on, how could you not want to share this little nugget with the world?!

Still going strong with the solid foods - I made my first big batch of food on Saturday. After the food was blended I put it in the freezer in ice cube trays to make it last longer, and it is logistically much easier when you have a screaming hungry baby and the last thing you want to be doing is pureeing food. Right now Colin is eating pears, sweet potatoes and squash, along with the usual oatmeal and whole wheat cereals. Later this week I'll probably try some peaches and reintroduce avocado. He is so proud when he tries something new, and looks at you like, "Oh yeah, I'm a big boy and I got this!" Colin is also very eager to try & fit everything in his mouth - I captured the video below and it makes me think of the shark videos where their proverbial lips curl back and their teeth come out right before they bite down on their prey. My son, the savage, unapologetic predator.

Colin has learned that chewing is one task his mouth is responsible for so it has become his favorite! I caught him several times chewing on tags - the airport shuttle tag, the tag on his playmat and the tags on the Boppy pillow. It seemed like such strange object to get fixated on, until I was at Target yesterday and found a tiny blanket with tags all around the outside of it. I gave a quick thought to making one myself, but free time is slim these days so I threw it in the cart! He loves it - so many tags in one small toy to chew on. I'm just glad it is washable because he slobbers like a St Bernard. I also got him a little gum massager that he is now obsessed with - bring on the teeth!

I've been trying so hard to find new things to entertain him. I think he might be starting to see color a little more vividly because he is all about the little baby videos and pictures. There are a two he really likes on Little Baby Bum: Five Little Ducks and Five Little Speckled Frogs. These songs get stuck in my head all day but are actually really cute and somewhat educational so I can tolerate it. However, I got to a point where I listened to those two videos so many times I was desperate to find anything else to show him, so I settled on videos of puppies playing which he seemed to be entranced by and I love as well so everyone wins. To try to keep him awake in the care I showed him the Christmas cards that friends and family sent to us - sadly those didn't last long as the paper base eventually succumbed to the drool after they were in his mouth. 

I snapped the picture below at the gas station and it made my heart sink a little bit. I've taken a few pictures where you can see him growing out of the baby stage, and see what he's really going to look like when he's older. On one hand you want them to grow up and thrive but on the other hand you want them to stay baby-faced, immobile beings for just a little bit longer. At least I know he will be handsome (like I ever doubted it).