1st Haircut!

Colton got his first haircut on Saturday, November 13th! While it was a little sad to get rid of his baby locks, it looks sooo much better! While the"party-in-the-back style" may still be popular in some areas of SWVA, it was not doing my baby justice.

Here is a video of his 1st haircut. As you can see, he wasn't too happy about the whole process!

5 1/2 minutes in the life of Punkin!

Since my last blog so much as happened but a few highlights include - Colton turned 1 and we had a big birthday bash! He weighed 20 lbs (20th percentile) and was 30 inches (55th percentile). He finally got his top two teeth! He can really jabber a lot of new words besides just dada and baba and some of his favorites include: light, wheel, truck, tractor, car, dog, and horse. We moved! Chad and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! Life is crazy busy as always!

Here is some video of Colton's birthday cake eating experience - he wasn't too impressed to say the least. We had a minor meltdown trying to get him in the highchair and the only cake he actually ate I fed him.



Here is a random 5 1/2 minute video I shot today for those who don't get to see Colton on a day to day basis. He grows, changes, amazes and challenges me daily. It is somewhat boring video but if you haven't seen him in a while it could be entertaining.



And at 1 year, 3 weeks and 3 days our little Punkin still isn't walking but he can cruise around a table, couch, or hang onto cabinets and get anywhere by foot fast. Today I brought up a walker toy from the basement that he really hasn't shown any interest in using and he actually took off -here is some video that I thought was pretty comical:

I'm gonna getchu!

I've had very little time for blogging this summer but thought this video was too cute not to share. Colton is into everything these days and hates being told "no" but gets a kick out of being chased. Enjoy! Hope to get back to my blogging soon...stay tuned!

Mother's Day!

Although I celebrated Mother's Day last year while pregnant with Colton, this year was my true first Mother's Day and I loved every minute of it. Being a mother is a life changing experience that no one can fully prepare you for. It is amazing, it is challenging, it is a test of patience, it is an indescribable love!

Yesterday I reflected back on the past 7 months of motherhood and I thought back to the 1st night in the hospital with Colton. He cried the entire night. The only time he didn't cry was when he was held upright on mine or Chad's chest and since neither of us had slept in 24 hours it was exhausting. It made me feel almost helpless but I knew I would do anything for my baby. For heaven's sake, I couldn't even fathom sending him to the nursery so I could sleep and heal from my C-section. Night 2 had to be better but it wasn't! As soon as the evening came and Chad and I were ready for bed, Colton was ready to scream and cry. I remember thinking before he was born that a mother's touch would be natural and that I would naturally be able to soothe my baby. But, boy was I wrong! He cried and cried which lead to me crying and Chad having a hysterical wife and baby. Why couldn't I console the baby that had been in my stomach for 9 months??? I felt so helpless and almost like a failure. Seven months later I realize that I had to learn that mother's touch and today I'm 100% confident that when Colton looks in my eyes that he loves me like no other. He is turning into quite the momma's boy and those nights in the hospital seem like a distant memory.

Mother's day is also a reminder of the amazing woman in my life who loved me more than I will ever know. She has been gone now 11 years and I miss her everyday. What I wouldn't give for her to meet Colton. But I know through her I learned how to be an amazing mom and I know she would be proud of me. My mom taught me that as a mother you never think twice or blink an eye about making a sacrifice for your child and no matter what the sacrifice you get pleasure doing it. That's your job and that's what makes you happy!

I also reflect on the person I was pre-mommyhood. I always had close to perfectly highlighted hair, it was washed & blow-dried daily, my nails were always manicured, my house was close to perfectly organized, my car stayed clean, I kept this blog up to date, I was able to multi-task and get almost anything done and while I do an okay job now the old me would be appalled with my sloppiness and imperfections! Nowadays if it doesn't get done and the time was spent playing with Colton or rocking him for a nap or taking him for a walk, I'm okay with that. He is growing so fast and soon enough he will be in school and I will have time to do all those things that used to be so important to me. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some super moms out there that manage it all and I applaud them and want to be them. But I realize there are many times I just need to "let it go" and I try not to let my strive for perfection get in the way of seizing the moment as a mom!

Lastly, I want to give credit to my husband for helping me to be a great mother. I'm pretty sure that without him I would struggle.

I hope all the mommies and mommies-to-be had a beautiful Mother's day! xoxo

And here is a link to the pics I uploaded on FB this morning: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2501366&id=6230200&l=13548103c2

Just like his Momma!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I despise all things bananas - I don't like the taste, the smell, texture or anything with banana flavoring. In fact, smelling them from a distance sort of makes me gag. This morning I sucked up my despise of them and mashed one up for Colton. And let's just say he may be just like his Momma! Peas (his least favorite veggie) got a better reaction the first time. It was too funny not to capture on video. This video isn't nearly as funny as the 1st reaction to the taste. We will keep trying them though. He will tolerate peas now although I think his initial reaction to bananas was far worse! I don't blame him either!

Happy Easter!!

The weekend was an eventful one to say the least. It started on Friday with a 6 month baby well visit for Colton. Colton is now 16 lbs 12 oz (30th percentile) and 26.25 inches (50th percentile) and doing great. Unfortunately the doctor suspects a rash that he has had and that has gradually gotten worse over the past month isn't actually dry skin or baby eczema (my diagnosis) but that he is allergic to Dreft detergent. The doctor put him on a steroid ointment and I spent the weekend re-washing EVERYTHING he owns and we are thankful it is 100% better! I just feel terrible that I didn't figure it out earlier. Poor thing is a little guinea pig for these 1st time parents!

We had a great Easter! We went to church as we do every Sunday and smoked a ham for our Easter dinner. Chad and I enjoyed dying eggs and playing Easter bunny. I don't think our eggs will win any awards for beauty or creativity but it was fun nonetheless.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter as well! Here is a link to some pics I uploaded on Facebook today: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489429&id=6230200&l=facceec317

New videos!

Here are a couple of new videos of Colton. The first is from last Friday when Roberta & Charles came out for the weekend to visit. Charles wanted to try the paper tearing trick. The second is yesterday when Chad came home from work and took his belt off and told Colton he was going to "tan his hide." The video footage on the second one isn't that great because I was holding Colton on my hip but you get the point. Enjoy!

Also, some new pics that I posted on Facebook this week:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2485215&id=6230200&l=3928eb5acf

Tearing up junk mail is so funny!

Or at least it is to Colton! This morning I put Colton in his jumper while I went through some mail. As I ripped up some of the junk mail he started laughing so loud! For those of you who know Colton well, you know that he is a pretty serious little dude and to get him to laugh out loud takes a lot of work. As I continued to rip, he continued to crack up laughing. I immediately called Chad so he could hear him and Chad said "did you get it on video?" Well, it is a little hard to rip up mail and video and by the time I figured out how to do it Colton was ready for his nap. So this afternoon while paying some bills Colton found ripping up paper just as funny so I was able to get some video footage!

View Colton's 4 Month Pics

Colton's 4 month pics are posted and can be viewed at:

http://www.rachelkemble.com/client_proofs

At the top right click on "Access Gallery" and then type in the passcode: october02
(As in his birthdate, October 2nd)

I'm very happy with them and will have a tough time deciding which to order! His little dirty looks crack me up!

Rolling over from back to belly...I finally got some footage!

A few weeks ago, Sunday, February 21st to be exact, Colton successfully rolled over from his back to belly. Over the past couple of weeks he does it every couple of days and unfortunately Chad and I usually miss it which means we've never gotten it on video either. We usually turn around to find him lying on his belly and usually not real happy about it. He pretty much hates his being on his belly. If you remember, back in November and December he could roll over from belly to back but doesn't do that anymore so now he makes it on his belly and is stuck and usually ticked off about it.

Today while playing with him he rolled over about a dozen times. After about the 8th time of rolling over, it occurred to me...GET THE VIDEO CAMERA OUT! Since having a baby my brain doesn't works as well! Although quite tired and in need of a nap, Colton actually performed for the video camera so here is some footage:

5 months old today!

Colton is 5 months old today! It is truly amazing how much faster time goes now that we have a little one. His personality is shining through more and more everyday. He continues to sleep through the night (knock on wood) and is finally starting to settle into longer naps. He loves to talk and sing now too which is so much fun!

Unfortunately Colton's little cold took a turn for the worse. Yesterday I noticed he felt hot and took his temp to find he was running a low grade fever. I took him back to the doctor and sure enough he has a bit of an ear infection in his right which they had warned me could happen. He didn't show any other signs of an ear infection but has definitely lost his appetite in the past 24 hours. I'm hoping the antibiotic kicks in and he is better in no time.

Saturday we took 4 month old pics (better late than never) and he did really good, much better than his Newborn photo shoot. Here is a sneak peek of pics. I will post a link to all of them when the photographer gets them online. He looks very serious in all of these pics but I promise he did do plenty of smiling for the camera. He wasn't too happy about being laid on the cold hardwood floor for the last pic though.

http://rachelkemblephotography.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/family/

4 Month Stats

Colton had his 4 month baby well visit on Thursday and is growing great. He was 15 lbs 4 oz which is about 55th percentile and 25.5 inches long which is 75th percentile. He tracked 50th percentile in both through his 3 month appt. so in the last month he has had a true growth spurt in length.

Unfortunately Colton developed a little cold towards the end of the week and this weekend has been really icky. Saturday he was his same happy, rambunctious self but today you can tell he does not feel good at all. He isn't very snuggly anymore but has only wanted to snuggle today and cat nap in our arms. Poor lil' punkin. If he isn't better tomorrow I will take him back to the doctor to make sure it is still just a cold.

If you are a parent you already know that there is nothing worse than seeing you child sick. I would rather be sick 100x over than watch him cough and not be able to breathe good. :-( It breaks my heart!

I'm not sure how I managed to keep him healthy when Chad and I were both sick as dogs the end of January. It makes me so mad that he now he has some random cold. Hopefully we will see some major improvements tomorrow.

Colton & Riley meet for the 1st time!

For the long President's Day weekend we headed to NC for a rendezvous with my niece, Lacy, and her husband, Boomer, and their beautiful daughter, Riley, who live in Richmond, VA. Since Riley was born only 6 weeks before Colton, neither Lacy nor I have had the chance to meet each others babies. We decided a long weekend at the lake would be great fun! Lacy and her fam came down from Richmond and we flew in from Denver. We had a wonderful weekend although it snowed and was cold. It was fun to cuddle up by the fire and play. I took a ton of pics with my new camera, here they are: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2474898&id=6230200&l=38fb458564

Still sleeping!

I'm happy to report that Colton is still sleeping from 7p - 7a! It is amazing and much needed sleep for this mom & dad. I actually think I'm learning to sleep again too. The other night I didn't wake once which was the first time since before my 3rd trimester of pregnancy. The funny thing is that I woke up tired...how could that be? Too much sleep?

Here are some January and early February pics. One of my best friends from Bluefield, Colton's Auntie Kim, flew out last week for the weekend and took a lot of these. We thoroughly enjoyed her visit and I think she enjoyed the additional birth control! :-)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2471885&id=6230200&l=98b6dbaf3d

Colton Turns 4 Months Old & Welcomes New Playmate, Carson James Schaub

Yesterday Colton turned 4 months old which is just hard for me to believe! He is absolutely amazing and it is hard to imagine mine and Chad's life before him.

The past 3 nights Colton has slept 12 hours which is HUGE! Until that he was getting up at least once but most of the time twice to eat. All of a sudden Sunday night he went the distance. We put him down about 7p and he doesn't get up until 7a. It is awesome! Unfortunately Chad and I still can't sleep through the night.

I have to admit, I like the 3-4 month age better than the "newborn" phase. He is so much fun now. He loves to hear himself "talk" and laugh, he loves his jumperoo, playing airplane and really has developed a little personality. I don't feel like he is as "breakable" anymore. If I could birth another 4 month old I might consider having one soon but since that isn't possible Colton will wait awhile on a sibling. Chad and I need to enjoy some sleep and forget those sleepless nights before a 2nd one will even be an option!

Colton was supposed to go for his 4 month well visit today, however his pediatrician had a family emergency and needed to reschedule for next week. He will go in two weeks when Chad can be in town and go with us. I will keep you posted on his weight.

Sunday our good friends, Becky & Brian Schaub, welcomed their little boy, Carson James, into the world 5 weeks early! Although 5 weeks early, Carson was a little tank weighing 6 lbs 11 oz and 19.5 inches long. He was on track to being a 9-10 lb baby. Carson is doing really good but still in the NICU. We ask for your prayers that he can come home soon. Colton is definitely excited to have a new playmate in town!

Being sick is no fun!

Being sick is no fun, especially when you don't get any sick days! I've been sick (head and chest cold) now for almost a week and a half and have developed a slight case of OCD trying to keep Chad and Colton from getting it. Ugh! I'm learning as a SAHM you don't get to call in sick! Chad also got some funk that started Sunday and stayed at home Monday and Tuesday from work to help me and to keep from spreading his germs at work. Thankfully Colton isn't sick yet but he is a little stuffy so I'm just praying it clears up quickly and doesn't get any worse. :-( He is still smiling and laughing so it hasn't dampened his mood. However, this picture wouldn't prove that...not sure where he gets his dirty looks from (okay, maybe me) but they make me laugh!

Over the weekend I hosted a shower with 3 other women for our wonderful friend, Becky, who is expecting a baby boy around March 6th. The shower turned out great and now we wait for Baby Schaub's arrival. Colton is so excited to have another playmate in Denver.

Also some wonderful news...one of my very best friends from Bluefield and college, Hope, and her husband, Eric, are expecting a little boy around July 1. Hope and Eric live at in Charlotte so Colton will have a best friend on the lake during the summer! Finding out Hope was pregnant was almost as exciting as finding out I was pregnant!!! (I tried to find a pic of them to download but I can't seem to find one. I will keep looking because I know I have many!)

Ahhh, warm weather I have missed you!!!

Today it was almost 60 here in lil' D so Colton and I were able to go on a nice long walk outside which made us both very happy! Some of the sidewalk areas still have snow and ice on them but the BOB jogging stroller went right through it.

For those of you who know me, I'm a summertime girl. I love sundresses, flip-flops, water sports, grilling out, outdoor concerts and all things having to do with summer. So, I actually LOVED being pregnant during the summer but having a fall/winter baby is not the most fun. Not only have we had to deal with a crazy flu season but Denver has had a super cold winter this year. Colton and I are definitely looking forward to spring and summer when we can get out and take a stroll everyday. Needless to say, if I can plan it differently next time I may try to have a baby in March/April so that we don't have to battle the flu or super cold days with an itty-bitty baby.

Until Spring, we will relish in the beautiful sunny warm winter days and thank God for giving us those when he does!

Hello 2010!

Happy New Year and how 'bout them HOKIES!!!! (Colton wore his new Hokies jersey that he got for Christmas to watch the game and we are pretty sure it is lucky. ;-)

Here it is almost a month since I last posted anything to the blog. I continue to say this but I will repeat myself...Colton keeps me busy! It is absolutely wonderful but makes my days, weeks and months just fly by! So with that being said, part of my New Year's Resolution will be to put a little update up at least once a week. :-)

Colton turned 3 months old on Saturday and is growing like a little weed. I took him to be weighed on Monday and he was 13 lbs 9 oz and 24 inches long which is about 50th percentile for both. He is growing perfectly! He continues to change and do something new everyday. His new trick is being able to rotate 180 degrees under his Baby Einstein activity gym. He never sits or lays still...Chad says he takes after me in that aspect!

We had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed visiting family and friends back east. Colton had another opportunity to meet more family and friends. He is quite the social butterfly. Although Colton was completely unaware of Christmas, he got so many awesome gifts. He is already spoiled rotten!

2009 was an awesome year for me and Chad! We've said that it will be hard to top. We hope everyone has a blessed year and hope to be in touch more often.

Here is a link to some pics I took in December and over the holiday:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2458629&id=6230200&l=d84c953ca0