Unstoppable Force of Nature

Well this week was better than last in terms of Murphy's Law, but we officially have a crawler! I've been spending a lot of time this last week rearranging potentially dangerous items that were within a crawling baby's reach & finishing up the baby proofing. Colin still manages to get himself into interesting situations, but some of that is pretty unavoidable (I mean come on he's a boy). The coffee table was like a crazy, metal, death trap obstacle course that only contributed to more bonks on the head so we moved it out to the balcony - not before he got himself into a couple precarious positions first.

He turned 8 months old on Friday! Time sure has flown by; even thinking back to when he was 6 months old seems like it was just yesterday. These monthly pictures are getting SO difficult to take now that he's extremely mobile & curious but I am going to power through and finish strong! I love the second picture - definitely an expression he inherited from his mother.

Chris' sister sent me an idea to entertain Colin using a box and some Christmas lights. Per usual I got a little carried away and made him a cool fort for his 8 month birthday. He liked it for about 6 hours, and then decided it would be more fun to climb on & try to knock over, so we had to take it down so he wouldn't smack his head on something. Oh well, fun while it lasted!

Since Colin likes to climb, we made a little box out of the foam floor tiles for him to play with, but quickly realized that not only did he enjoy being inside the box but it also restricted his movement for a short period of time! To parents with a fast crawler just starting to explore his surroundings, this is an amazing discovery. 

We are having some tough times sleeping during the day...couple reasons why. First, unless he is absolutely cashed Colin would prefer to crawl around in his crib and try to pull himself up to peek over and talk until I come into the room. He will roll around, sit up, bang on the crib slats - basically anything but sleep. Poor Colin is also working on his second bottom tooth! He is pretty fussy and seems generally uncomfortable. I thought about giving him some Tylenol the other day while I was trying for an hour to get his tired butt to sleep, but our pediatrician said unless he has a slight fever from teething the best thing for them are those teethers. Keep on truckin' Colin! 

Colin has been very interested in climbing on things; the entertainment center, the coffee table, the couch & chair. Every now and then he will pull himself up on whatever he is climbing on and stand for a few seconds! Chris was able to catch a video of this determined little man getting up on the couch. So cute, but also...seriously? Can't he wait until I'm used to him crawling to start standing & walking?! 

We had his second lesson (first this month) on Saturday! Chris and I are alternating who goes in with him, so this was my week! It was a little cold in the pool so his little gums and 1 1/2 teeth were chattering away. The instructor said he was doing great & mentioned how to help him go under water if I thought he was ready. We did it a couple times and Colin acted a bit shocked, but mostly "WTF MOM!!!!" Wouldn't you know the time Chris was taking a video was when he decided to flail around like a lunatic! We know it is a new scary thing for him, but the more we do it the less scared he is, and if he ever falls into water he won't panic and can hopefully get himself to safety. That's the goal anyway! 

The extended weather forecast doesn't have any snow, and we are all ready for Spring. I started some seedlings this weekend to plant in one of the garden plots available in our complex, and I'm sure Colin will be a great little gardener. Lots of hikes and parks and swings in our future - I've looked forward to doing these activities with him ever since I was pregnant so bring on the warm weather!