I wonder, sometimes, if I've ever known a happier baby than Collin. Oh sure, he has his moments (like any baby does)... he is most impatient when he is hungry. He will sit in his high chair and yell at me in his 'Pee Wee Herman' voice all the while I'm fixing his meal. Lord forbid I feed him too slow! In fact, meal times are quite a production... after each bite, he looks at me excitedly and says "Mmmm!!!!" and takes a big gulp of water from his sippy cup.
I discovered, recently, that he has successfully learned to feed himself with his spoon. I actually load the spoon up and he snatches it from me by the handle and shoves it in his mouth. From that, he'll either try to keep it and play with it or throw it on the ground... what a goob.
Here is my only concern.. he is grabbing the spoon with his left hand. My dad has said more than once that he believes Collin is going to be a 'south paw'. Neither Tommy or I are left handed.. how are we going to teach him how to write? Throw a ball? Looks like I'm going to be doing some research!
When I was pregnant, Tommy and I were trying to come up with a cute theme for our new baby's bedroom. I came up with Rubber Duckies, Dr. Suess and Puppies... but Tommy liked Monkeys! Today, Collin's room is filled with Monkey's other Safari Animals and quite a few Teddy Bears. Collin loves them all, but he has one toy that he simply cannot do without.
You got it.... his Monkey! It was my mother-in-law, Deon, who gave this monkey to Tommy for the nursery while I was pregnant. This is a very special monkey... one that we must never leave home without. Collin is very meticulous with his monkey. Let me tell you, this is serious business. No laughing matter. He carefully chooses his favorite paw to suck on, which is the right paw, of course (as you can see in the picture). And he sucks, sucks, sucks... yes, he sucks on the left paw, the ears and the nose as well, but it's not his favorite. Can I say, this is the most smelly, disgusting thing?? The monkey's extremities have developed sort of a hard 'coating' from being mouthed, slobbered and spit up on constantly. So, we named him 'Krusty'. Once a week, when Collin's not looking, I try to shove Krusty in the wash. When Krusty comes out of the dryer, he's always so soft, fluffy and he smells wonderful. When Collin reunites with him, he is joyful at first... he pants, reaches out and opens his mouth real big for a nice slobbery kiss. Much to my demise, Collin notices his Krusty is not "krusty" anymore. He looks at me and frowns, as if to say, "Momma, you ruined my monkey!"
Collin is getting so close to crawling. I can tell he really wants to. He has finally started putting his weight on his knees and his arms at the same time! It will be any day, now. He's gotten so good at 'wallering' around on the ground and he's much more comfortable on his tummy. Looks like I have some baby-proofing to do! I need to get the floors extra clean, get the wall plugs out and pack up the baker's rack (the one thing I worry could really hurt him).
All I've ever wanted was a child that would be as affectionate with me as I would be with my child. And boy, were my prayers answered! Collin loves to hug, kiss, flirt and snuggle. I was reading my baby book that my mom wrote in for me.. she said that when my daddy would come home from work I would reach out for him from my mom's arms. When he would come close, I would turn away real quick with a big smile... being "bashful". We would do that over and over again, until my daddy finally grabbed me and we hugged, kissed and played. Collin does the same things! He loves to play the "bashful" game!
As far as our little family goes, we are doing great. Tommy is finally working somewhat normal hours, which is so great. He comes home in plenty of time to play a little with Momma and his son. Then he makes a bottle, rocks him in his room and puts him in bed. Before, he would get home after Collin was already down for the night. What a wonderful way to end the day!
