Colin walking

Here is a little video I captured of Colin walking tonight.

It still is amazing to see him toddling around. I'd say he walks about 60% of the time, crawls 40%. If he crawls, I pick him up and tell him that we walk now. He still loves to have you hold his hand while he walks.

Other new things:
- communication is blossoming every day. Although he is not talking yet,Colin understands A LOT! I talk to him like he is a little person, and am often amazed how he will follow my instructions or communicate back to me what he needs and wants.
Examples:
If he wants to go outside ( which he seems to want to go outside CONSTANTLY) he knows he has to put his shoes on. So when I say it, he will go look for his shoes and bring them to me.
Today I told him we had to put mail in the mailbox, and he took the mail out of my hand, took my hand and led me to the mail box. He has been going there everyday on our walks lately because he likes to open and close it.

He knows  and understands these words...ball, shoes, bath, bye bye, outside, clean up, book, wash hands, brush teeth, bottle time, breakfast ( when I say the last 2, he will take my hand and lead me to the kitchen),kitty cat, paci, and a lot more.
He knows where his belly button is, and will lift up his shirt to show it to me when I ask. He also does the same to me. He wrinkles his nose when I ask him where his nose is.
He likes to put the phone to his ear and pretend like he's on it.
He understands the remote control turns the tv on/off.

I think this is all amazing for a 13 month old ( ALMOST 14 month old). I think this year is going to bring so much in terms of development, and I can't wait to see his progress.

Pool time...in February

Today I joined my friend Kelly and her son Kyler for some pool time. She's a member of the Harbour Island Athletic Club, which has a heated pool. Colin enjoyed splashing around and going up and down the pool stairs. Here he is drying off!

Mama's Boy

This past weekend, I finally saw the movie " I Don't Know How She Does It". It'd been on my "movies to see" list for a while, and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when the main character, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, describes her relationship with her 2 year old son..that being a mom to a 2 year old boy made her feel like a supermodel everyday because in his eyes she was perfect and could do no wrong.

While I doubt Colin thinks of me as a supermodel, I knew exactly what she meant. The bond between Colin and I is very special right now. I am his world, and he makes up a big part of mine. I am the one constantly by his side, holding his hand, interpretting his baby talk, meeting his needs and wants, playing with him...I'm there when he wakes up and the last person he sees before he goes to bed. Often times, if Evan gets home before Colin goes to bed, when he picks Colin up, he immediately wants to come back to me. While I feel bad for Evan when this happens, I can't but help feel a little special.

I have to admit I love this time in our mother/son relationship. I know it is just a season. Probably before I know it, he won't be reaching for my hand, laughing at my sillly faces and giving me his constant preference above everything else. One day there will be a shift...time with Daddy will become more fun and Mom may not be the center of the universe anymore. Then in the teenage years neither of his parents will get much attention and eventually  his future wife will then become the center of his universe. This is all ok and the natural order of things, I know this, but boy  I am going to soak up EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT of Mommy and Colin time.

Books!

Colin has entered a new stage with his book reading. He likes to hand me the book that he wants me to read to him. And then I read the same few books OVER and OVER to him....often times not finishing the whole book before he hands me another, then another, then back again and repeat. These are definitely not books that mama wants to read over and over again, but I comply, because really who can say "no" to this?

A Sunday afternoon at the park

It was just what my soul needed today....some time at the park with my favorite boys.

the life of Colin this week..

Colin continues to show me he is understanding more and more. If I say "out" or "outside", he goes to the porch door and reaches up to the door handle. His favorite activity this week has been reaquainting himself with his water table.

I'm so thankful for this mild winter, I CAN NOT imagine living somewhere that does not allow outside activities...in addition to hanging out on the porch, we have been spending a lot of time outside at the playground and wagon rides around the neighborhood.

Last week, Colin transitioned from 2 naps a day to 1. Like everything else in his 13 months, he did it smoothly. I was so nervous that having him up for longer stretches of time would result in some crankiness but he has been completely unphased, so he was definitely ready for it. I have found that 90% of the time my worrying is unfounded :)

More awake time does leave me scrambling for more ways to keep him occupied. After a while we both get bored with toys/ activities at home and like to venture out to story time at the library, music class at Gymboree or play dates with friends.

Colin's new step stool came this week. This will help him with hand washing/teeth brushing at the sink  and teach him how to spell his name.

And I'll leave you with a picture of Colin relaxing with Daddy!

Bubbles bubbles everywhere

I can't believe it took me this long, but this week Colin had his first bubble bath!