Follies In Motherhood: Jolly July!

As usual we kicked off July by celebrating Blair's 6 month birthday! Every month is an accomplishment when you have a baby, but you really feel like you're in "the clear" when you reach 6 months. It has always seemed like the baby can handle a lot more after they hit that milestone, and they are starting to show a lot more of their personality. More on that later...

Fourth of July sibling picture! Lady Liberty can sometimes be a little mouthy.

I used to think that the people who set off their own fireworks were hillbillies. Now, I have to put my foot in my mouth because it turns out we are now the family that sets off their own fireworks. We did a little last year when Uncle Josh came to visit, but this year we really went all out. We set some off on the 3rd and ~~Chris~~ Colin had so much fun we went back to get more on the 4th. We were extra safe with both kids - Colin loved it and Blair was unimpressed.

Is any summer complete without a bonfire and/or s'mores? We have an (illegal) firepit in our backyard that we had both been anxious to use, especially since it stays light out so much later, so one weekend we did! We brought out Colin's Spider-Man tent, folding chairs, marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate and went to work. It sure was fun, and man, biting into a slightly burnt & crispy marshmallow - there is nothing like it.

We tried some s'mores on the charcoal one evening, and while it was good, it just isn't the same!

Grandpa Doug & Grandma Karen paid us a visit in the middle of July! It was sort of a rainy weekend, but we managed to go to a local farm and pick some blueberries. It was very addicting, especially since they popped off the bush so easily. No surprise, Colin seemed more intent on eating them right off the bush and playing in the yummy sandy dirt than picking & putting them in the bag. We have made blueberry pancakes & muffins, and I've used them in Blair's baby food! Not too bad for under $5.

Chris had a co-worker come over to fix some of the electric in the house, so the kids and I went to the Nature Center. We've been before, but they have great activities for kids inside & outside that can easily fill an hour or two.

Here's a nice progression of Colin playing in the stream, realizing he has to pee and fleeing, and doing the deed. Ahh nature.

Colin was getting an early birthday surprise this month, so I had to take him somewhere while it was being set up. Lucky for us, mom is a pro at finding things to do last minute! Our local airport was having an open house of sorts for families. They had scavenger hunts and some craft tables, but the coolest part was being able to get into the aircraft and and trucks they use at the airport. Of course Colin thought he was the coolest.

Sadly, we don't go on too many adventures these days - Blair has decided to take her morning nap around 9:30-10am which is prime time fun time to get kids out and play. Then, by the time her Majesty wakes up it is lunch time for Colin. I try to take them out for a walk in the morning, but going anywhere really doesn't leave us much time to enjoy ourselves and we end up being rushed. That being said, outdoor activities, science experiments and art has really picked up!

I have some magnetic letters that I'm now smart enough not to put on the fridge, but decided instead to hide them around the yard and have Colin go find them all. Every time he did, I had him guess the letter, then we put them on the air conditioner in order once we had them all. He loved it!

My pet project this summer has been to get the deck in order, so I had some masking tape for edging when I paint. I used it to make a huge spider web, then made some bugs for Colin to throw into the spider web. He had a fun time, but between Carlo trying to eat the bugs and getting the bugs off the tape, he lost interest quicker than it too me to make the damn thing.

We had to get a tree in our backyard cut down - it was very tall (55ft) and was losing large branches. It had been struck by lightning before we moved in and that just killed it from the inside out. Mom & Dad have a lot of clean-up on their hands, but Colin has a fun time playing out in the brush!

I made him a little tree fort and all he wanted to do was eat yogurt in it! Also, he kept telling me "Needs more shade mom." I think this kid's life is a little TOO great!

I was looking through the blog recently to back when Colin was around Blair's age, and saw a fun art project I had forgotten about! You mix flour, water and food coloring to made baby-safe paint. Blair had a fun time smacking it and licking it off her hands, and big brother had to get involved too! Let me tell you how fun it was getting dried flour paste out of that girl's mane (it wasn't).

Outdoor fun.

We made Iron Man a raft out of sticks we found on our walk one morning.

Morning walks & quick playground trips!

Exploding bag experiment!

Vinegar spray experiment!

This experiment was the coolest but it also tested my patience to infinity and beyond. You basically grow crystals by placing pipe cleaners in a solution of borax and water. But you have to make letters out of the pipe cleaners, then tie them to a skewer with fishing line to hang in the solution overnight. It was definitely one of those "Why do I do this to myself?!" moments. But it ended up being really cool, and in the garbage within 24hrs.

Finally, we made slime.

And then the slime ended up here.

As I mentioned, as an early birthday present, Colin got a play set. I took Colin to the airport while Chris put it together and then surprise! I think he was unsure it was just for him in his own backyard. He enjoys playing on it, but the poor kid gets bored with no one to play with! I try to play with him as much as I can, and now he knows how to pump his legs on the swings to that helps.

And of course! Colin loves helping whenever I am baking or cooking. He's much better at it than he used to be in terms of self-control, but every now and then he sticks his finger in the butter and you have to ask "Why?!" Then again, sometimes you shouldn't ask a question if you're not prepared for the answer.

These two are still best buds, no doubt about it. There are times when it gets a little contentious, like when Colin takes a toy Blair has and she screams, and when Colin wants to be in her face and she's not interested so she screams. Colin always asks me to put Blair on the floor to play with her, and she will try to get his attention if she's not already the center of it. He still goes out of his way to make Blair laugh, and more often than not he's very successful. I say this with full awareness that I may again have to put my foot in my mouth in the future, but I look forward to when they can play together a little better.

Colin, Colin, Colin. This child is testing my limits daily. There are so many things to be so thankful for as he continues to grow up, but man alive he's been really pushing the edge of my psyche. If I could describe him in one word it would be menace. He is starting to say "No I don't want to" which on one hand I appreciate because he's being an individual, but on another hand he's a child and I'm the parent and he needs to (usually) do what I say. We're heading into the realm of no naps, which makes me want to turn inside out, because while he isn't tired at 2pm, he is a whiny lunatic come 4:30pm. I try to have him rest on the couch, or read some books in his room, but most days he refuses, then he passes out somewhere random.

Colin and Carlo also now have a working relationship. Colin has his ways of annoying Carlo, and Carlo has his ways of annoying Colin. But they are starting to play together more and more, which is definitely progress.

Poop. In. The. Big. Toilet. Those five words have changed my life. Last month Colin was pooping on the small training toilet, which was disgusting because you had to rinse it out and there were streaks, and ew. Colin is so sweet that he'd try to rinse it out for me since he knew I hated it, and we'd end up here.

Now, Colin poops in the big toilet, and has even pooped in public which I know can be a big obstacle for some parents. You still have to wipe his butt which is nasty, but man. Not having a man-sized poop in a diaper really is amazing. One night, I was out in the garage (Chris was inside) and I walked inside and heard "Hellooooooooo can somebody wipe my butt?!" Hilarious. This was a weird time he pooped in the shower. He's done that once and never again (I hope). We are working on getting through the night without a diaper too! That'll come!

We are working on having Colin do some chores, and playing a more active role in cleaning up after himself. The positive is that he enjoys helping out, so if you do it with him, or show him how, he is more likely to do it.

Some funny Colin stories:

I was getting his dinner ready and he was sitting at the table, and said "Mom, look how big my penis is. I need food before it gets small again."

He was pooping and said "Oh that must be Frank on my underwear."

He asked "Mommy, does sissy have boobs?"

Colin asked for lime yogurt and I'd already given him strawberry. He look a bite and glared me down and said "This is NOT lime."

Colin made some lunch for his superhero friends one day. Everyone had a wonderful, well balanced lunch. Spider-Man had too much fiber though, and had to poop.

And last but certainly not least, my sweetest Blair. She has grown so much in the last month with her abilities, and what she notices, and how she interacts with the world around her. She is so close to sitting up on her own now, will get up on her hands and knees and rock, and blows raspberries. Blair can sit facing front in the stroller now, and she thinks she's so cool (a lot like her brother did a couple years ago!). I also put her in a swing at the park for the first time and she giggled and squealed non-stop. One day I stood her up and let her rest on her activity tree and she stood there without my help!

She is still the happiest baby as well. Blair had her 6mo appointment and was 94th in height and 49th in weight, so currently she's a little string bean.

You wouldn't know it though based on her eating habits! Blair is up to 3 solid meals a day along with breastmilk, but she's sticking to fruits and vegetables, and even now some finger foods! There are some days I cannot get the puffs out fast enough for her. Also - just FYI. She rips the bib off whenever I put one on, so I just give up and let the washing machine do its thing.

As she is eating more solid food, I notice her less and less interested in nursing during the day. I know the time to wean is just around the corner, and while I'll be happy to have a little more freedom, I will miss the bonding with her while she eats. Just another piece we try to hold onto a little too tight and one day it is gone without warning.

Blair has a funny personality. She scrunches up her nose when she smiles, and makes very funny faces where you can read exactly what she's thinking. She'll be like her mother, who cannot mask her true feelings.

She also really, really loves sunglasses.

Even now, you can see she's got a very special heart for Chris. Whenever he gets home and she sees him, her little face lights up and she giggles and wiggles around until he picks her up. Very, very heartwarming.

Blair has a bit of a mean streak, which she shows by a high pitched, wake-the-dead screech. Navy Seals couldn't tolerate this for more than 30 minutes. Horrific. Usually she does it when she's in the high chair without a) food b) attention and/or c) toys. It makes my brain feel like putty - just writing about it puts me on edge. But...look at her.