Week 28 - One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

So much to report this week! We stayed true to the doctor's advice, we started giving him more food more often and we sure can tell a difference, in that he's even crazier now than he was before! Colin has always been super active but now...wow. He is stronger and bigger and is tough to wrangle into a controlled state. The first we really noticed it was when we took him out to dinner with us - Colin used to just chill in his carseat but now he's doing sit-ups trying to get out, and when we get him out and sit him on our laps nothing on the table is safe. Dirty napkin, Sake glass, chopsticks, refried beans - all fair game. I tried to take some snaps of him on Valentine's Day freaking out, yet all but 10 turned out too blurry because he was flailing all over - here's the one success story. Note Chris' two handed, pulled tight approach - a must have with this one.

I mentioned last week I was working on putting together a sensory board for him and I finally finished it this weekend! It has bells, zippers, a mirror, buttons - all kinds of stimulus that is great for an active, curious and grabby little baby. The first time I showed him the completed version, we actually had to take a little break because he was getting too excited. He really loves it though, and I am so happy he does; I worked hard on it with him in mind, and it brings me so much joy to see him play with it. 

I had a scary lesson earlier this week - I left him in the middle of the bed, ran into the other room to get my shoes to go for a walk, and when I came back he was just about to slide off the bed. I moved like lightning, caught him and quickly realized he's too fast of a roller now to leave him without an enclosure. I used to put him in his crib to look at his shapes, but that's for BABIES MOM, so I had to come up with something else. I had some decorative mirrors laying around, so I decided to contribute to my child's vanity. Whatever, it keeps him busy! 

Yesterday and today, I had noticed Colin was making a weird wheezing noise.. He wasn't sick, no fever, and it was only on the inhale. He also didn't seem distressed, but hearing my 6 month old make a sound like a 90 year old with emphysema was a bit unsettling, so I made an appointment. While the nurse was checking his vitals, he made the sound and she asked, "Oh, was that it?" and I confirmed it was, and she said "Oh he's just exploring and experimenting with new sounds - all babies do that!" I was mad and embarrassed and dumbfounded at the same time. She must have read my face because she said "Oh don't worry - it is great you're coming in and noticing changes in his behavior." So, this little jerk had me convinced he had something from my weekend craft projects stuck in his wind pipe and they were going to have to cut it out of his little body, when in reality he just learned a new trick?! Aye yi yi - I'm in trouble with this one. Good thing he's freakin' adorable. 

We're slowly introducing new things to him since he's such a big boy now. We are feeding him Puffs, and teaching him to use his hands to feed himself. Really all he does is grab a handful of them and shove his fist in his mouth and hope at least one piece makes it into his pie hole. He's already improved on his technique though, so I'm sure he'll  master it soon. I've also been trying to get him used to water in the sippy cup, but initially he didn't care for the taste (or lack thereof) as evidenced below. I tried cold water recently and he seems to like that better, but of course prefers a bottle. 

Colin continues to be a funny, sweet and playful baby. Even though he's turned into a monkey over the last week and it makes us look forward to the days of spankings, we know to enjoy this time because when he starts crawling, walking running we are in serious trouble (and so is everyone in our close proximity).