Cannot forget that Colin turned TWO years old this month! We took him to the lake to celebrate as a family (last month's blog), but on his actual birthday Colin and I had some donuts and went on a picnic at the playground. The evening brought cake & ice cream and of course, presents! For a week when he'd wake up in the morning he'd yell "Mama! Toys! Presents! Please!"
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At his 2 year appointment, the doctor was pleased with his progress - even saying "This may be the most cooperative two year old I've had in here!" I had to ask if we were talking about the same kid! The doctor said his projected height would be 6'4 based on his percentiles!
And of course August wasn't any different from any other month and Colin had lots of adventures. I am unsure if I am doing him good or harm at this point - I want to make sure he has fun and gets out and sees new things but it will sadly slow down once his sister arrives. I will just have to find the motivation to get out there with them both!
Grandpa Doug came to visit and help babysit while we found out if Colin was having a brother or sister. We visited a dairy farm about 30min from our house and it was great! They had an enclosed play area and a petting farm so I could let Colin "loose" without having to follow him around everywhere. Then we took a tour of the dairy barn itself, and Colin got to meet and greet the cows! At first both stared at each other trying to figure each other out, but Colin was able to pet a couple willing cows, and one even licked his hand! He walked up and down that dairy barn 5-6 times; he's got farmer in his blood!
Shortly after that we went to the Kalamazoo County Fair. I have such fond memories of the fair growing up, and I was so excited to share that with Colin. We visited all the animal barns - cows seem to be his favorite for sure. We were in the pig barn and all of a sudden Chris yelled "Whoa look out!" and this huge pig was just roaming around inside! The owners of the pigs just let them walk around, which seemed weird at first but pigs are really smart and really just went back into their pens. Still - a bit of a shock! And of course, Colin got to ride some rides - even got to try one out by himself! I was very nervous about him trying to escape while it was moving, but he just sat there enjoying himself. Proud mom moment; he surprises me every day!
Aye, what's next? We took him to a Family Festival that turned out to be somewhat of a bust - there wasn't much to do, and even less to do with kids his age. We live and learn, and now we know what the festival is like. All you can do is make the best of it!
We had gone to the arboretum earlier in the year, but the kid's section wasn't open yet. I've heard only great things about it, so we headed over to check it out and it did not disappoint! It was so much fun and Colin had a blast. They had activities (make your own butterfly wings, learn about bugs and 'bug catching' toys), tractor rides and the grounds itself were beautiful.
And then, there was the alligator farm, which again turned out to be something I wasn't expecting. It was an unnecessary amount of time spent just staring at different sized alligators laying in the sun, so you-know-who quickly got bored. The best part was we paid a bit more ($6) so Colin could hold a snake & a baby alligator. I wasn't sure how he'd react - but it turns out he really loved the snake! He was very gentle with "Peaches" and couldn't peel his eyes away. The gator however, not so much. It was a baby but their tails are very strong and I think it freaked him out. He didn't want to hold it, but he gave it some pets.
The last big "event" we took him to was the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. It was free to get into all exhibits for both of us and it was a really awesome museum. I took him mainly because there was a dinosaur exhibit, but the whole museum was really tailored to parents and kids alike. There was the information adults wanted with hands on leaning for kids. Colin got to try his hand at being a paleontologist, a blacksmith, a general store owner and (his favorite) a news broadcaster! The best part is, they have a Children's Atrium that's currently under construction, so once it opens in the Fall we'll have even more reason to go!
Oh and you know, the usual parks outings together. I appreciate so much that Colin is always ready to go - he never throws a fit - and is just happy to go see a new adventure. We have also started "hiking" together - fresh air is the best thing for kids, even if it ends up with my giving him a piggy back ride the majority of the time.
In other news - parenting has taken a turn for the challenging in the last six weeks or so. I know it only gets tougher, but it has really been noticeable recently. Colin seems to have succumbed to all the terribles about being two on his second birthday. He started throwing screaming tantrums over what to us seem like silly things (all the swings are taken, I forgot the soccer ball, etc), he is continuing to test limits (asks us to pick up fork, then immediate drops it again) and the worst: sleep regression. Colin has woken up consistently every.single.night for about 4-6 weeks between 2:30-3:30am, goes to the gate to his bedroom and yells "Mama! Where you?" and bangs on the gate. Sometimes he goes back to sleep relatively soon, but more often than not he continues to bang on the gate. He also has a tendency to sleep right by the gate - why! And now we're starting to deal with the fact he can knock down the gate and escape. My oh my...his sister better be easier but I have a feeling that won't be the case.
I've also found that despite Chris and I trying our best not to traumatize our children, we now also have the pleasure of worrying about psycho kids in the world too. From kids spraying him in the face with water guns to older kids screaming in his face trying to get him to leave them alone, we've been challenged in that way as well. We just do our best and
But there are joyful moments that help to balance it out; Colin has told a few people name that his name is "Hot dog" when they ask. He is starting to develop a strong imagination when he plays with his toys and it is so sweet to watch (he washes his dinosaurs in the bath tub and dries them off). Colin has also taken a liking to soccer and catching a Nerf football (easier to catch because it has a "tail") and he continues to have a flair for the dramatic and show off for people.
Colin is a total blessing and I'm thankful for each day I get to spend with him, but by the time he hits five years old I may have bitten both my lips off and have clenched my jaws so much that the psi is the equivalent of an alligator! Until then, we'll just stay busy!
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