growing up so fast...

Intently concentrating on books while hanging out with Aunt Kelsey. She sent me this pic while I was working and said she could tell that Colton loves to be read to because he turns the pages in books from right to left on his own.

This is how Colton fell asleep during nap time in his crib this week. Wes sent me this pic while I was working. SO stinkin' cute!

One of Colton's favorite parts of meal time...the clean up! We wipe his face and hands with a wet paper towel and he loves to suck on it for a bit. :)

These pictures in the kitchen are taken after Colton had his dinner. We were still eating and enjoying a Friday night at home. He was too cute to not get out the camera.

He isn't walking...but he is very steady on his legs with a solid stance in his feet.

Every time I get the camera out now Colton immediately puts on the charm. He is a complete ham for the camera. 

The minute I got the camera...Colton made this squishy face & be-lined it toward me.

Crawling every where.

Cheese!!!

A crawl in process.

November family picture

Happy 1st Thanksgiving, baby Colton!
We are so thankful for you.

so thankful.

Thanksgiving morning....

"What did I get myself into?!?"

is the text I got from Wes as he prepared to run his first 5k at 8a.m.

He did amazing and I am sooo proud of him.

For the first time running a 5k his time was 30min 23sec.

You go honey!!

Thankful for...my sweet husband who is the best friend I could have ever asked for, the perfect husband for me, and an amazing father to our son.

cute shirt, huh??

 In the morning, Wes ran, we played, and I cooked.

Thankful for...finding happiness in simple objects--like an empty diaper box.

Thankful for...the baby babble from a sweet little boy as he plays.

Thankful for...a little boy who is so creative and sweet.

Thankful for...this little boy who brings us such joy.

 We shared Thanksgiving dinner with our sweet friends: Kim and James, Gloria and Victor, Jane and Jim. It was so nice to go to Kim and James' house and just bring a few sides (pumpkin cheesecake, Grandma Lenore's bread stuffing, sweet potatoes brulee, mashed potatoes, and mashed cauliflower). Colton only ate his homemade baby food: acorn squash w/cauliflower. He didn't want any of the sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes...he's a purist and didn't want all the seasonings this year.

Thankful for...the blessing of friends to share a delicious meal with.



Thankful for....our baby's 1st Thanksgiving!!

Thankful for....this sweet face.

Thankful for...our family that is complete with this little boy in our lives.

Thankful for...being Colton's Mommy.

 Thankful for our friends in Las Vegas that make holidays like Thanksgiving not so tough since we are far from home.

Gloria, Victor, and Colton.

Colton and James. (somehow I missed getting a pic of his sweet wife, Kim)

Colton and Jane (Kim's mom)...(I also missed getting a pic of her kind husband, Jim)

Aunt Kelsey & Uncle Peter!

Peter had a work conference in Las Vegas for a few days and Kelsey came too so she could visit us Colton.

Wes has Tuesdays off, so it worked out perfectly for Kelsey, Wes, and Colton to hang out all day after having lunch with Peter. We all went to dinner at Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe that night. Needless to say the company and meal were wonderful.

Colton is reaching for Kelsey's pretty hair in this pic.

Colton is distracted with Daddy's hands in this pic.

On Wednesday Kelsey hung out with Colton while Wes and I worked. They had a lovely time together!

Colton even sent me his first text message. It went something like this:

jkgkjgjgjnkvjiuridfi.

So cute, huh?? I am pretty sure he meant to say, "I love you, Mommy!"



Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Peter got these blocks for Colton. He loves to chew them and to knock over the stacks. He could do this for hours!!

Stack 'em up!

knock 'em down!

proceed to chew on a block or two...

Aunt Kelsey loves her nephew Colton.
Colton loves his auntie!

a perfect Sunday.

It was a perfect Sunday morning.

Grey sky (such a nice change from our constant blue skies).
I wore a scarf and closed toes shoes (this is the sign that fall is here, finally!!).
Our family together (the one day a week we have all day to enjoy each other).
A walk around Town Center/Square. (I can never remember if it's Town Center or Town Square, thus the combined name.)
We loved every minute of it.

Colton LOVES the water so we took a break in our stroll for him to enjoy.

Add caption

Very serious about watching the water fountain.
He doesn't get overly excited when watching water--no giggles or smiles. But you know he is enjoying himself because of the intent concentration and interest. He will track the water with his eyes, and lean forward to get just that much closer to it.

"Oh, you had coffee," you might be thinking.
No, no. Not coffee. Not hot chocolate.

Red Velvet Hot Chocolate.

Yes. It's back! We discovered this last year--I was preggo and not into coffee. So on a whim tried this fantastic concoction and became instantly addicted.
It's red, it's white chocolate, it's the perfect temperature of hot, it's rich, it's creamy...it's so worthy of it's own framed picture in our house so that it can be fondly remembered when the desert reaches a warm 112*degrees.
The biggest bummer:
It's only for the holiday season...so you know I will need one of this yummy drinks weekly--at least!!

Family.
our 9 month old little man--distracted by the water in this pic, but oh so adorable in his deep concentration.

@ 9 months old

well-check at 9 months:
He weighs in at: 19.7 pounds
(he gained about 2 pounds since last weighed in August)
and his height is: 28 inches
(Her measurement showed that since August he hasn't grown...however, I find that very hard to believe. So...there must have been a mis-measurement at some point considering he's quickly growing out of his 12 month pajamas and is wearing 12 month clothing.)
The pediatrician was super impressed with Colton's activity level, his baby babble, and his interest in details.

food @ 9 months:
Colton is eating baby cereal w/ applesauce every morning. He enjoys homemade baby food for dinner that is mixed with baby cereal. His favorite meals are: acorn squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, and pears. He prefers the texture to be smooth and tiny bit runny. Colton nurses 3-5 times a day (the last 2 could be middle of the night...especially when he's teething or has a cold). During the day when I'm at work he takes a bottle that is half momma's milk and half formula. It depends on his mood if he's into puffs or Cheerios as a snack.

sleep @ 9 months:
bedtime...
Colton falls asleep about 8pm and sleeps until 7am.
Lately he has been waking up 1 or 2 a night to nurse...we think this is a mixture of teething, growth spurt, and the cold he is getting over.  The middle of the night nursing is exhausting, but thankfully he goes right back to bed.
naps...
Colton takes 2 naps a day. In the morning between 9:00 and 10:00 and the duration is about a 1 hr to 1.5 hours. His afternoon nap begins between 1:00 and 2:00 and the duration is about a 1.5 and 2 hours.

play @ 9 months:
I know Colton is our first baby...but he is the smartest little guy!! He is turning the pages of his books when we read to him. He has grasped the concept of where things go when I hide them behind my back or in a drawer. He remembers exactly where the spots of imperfection are on our walls and floorboards & will return to them time and time again. Colton is very determined and thoughtful with a serious expression while investigating or finding something new.
He is very creative: the diaper box, an empty water jug, a plastic bin of clothes, the laundry basket, the door stop, the cabinet doors, and his sock or slipper all make great toys!
Colton and Daddy "wrestle" all the time. Colton plays a bit rough at times...so I am thankful for Wes to step in that role (my hair is often the baby's target and he is strong!).
He is into trucks--specifically the wheels that spin on the trucks. He hasn't begun to drive his trucks. He flips them over and makes the wheels spin.
Colton loves his blocks that we stack and he knocks down. We could do this for hours.

movement @ 9 months:
Colton crawls fast, everywhere. He is quickly pulling himself up on anything that stands still and is somewhat stable.




@ 9 months:
into helping with laundry!
Colton will come into the laundry room and swing the dryer door, pick at the linoleum, play with the door stops, bat the door back and forth, and play with hangers while I do laundry. So helpful!

@ 9 months:
pulling himself up quickly on anything he can.

squishy face!!!
a Colton original for giving us a grin and letting us know he's happy!!

@ 9 months:
wearing 12 month clothing, 18 month pajamas.

We have been so blessed by our friends who pass on their boy clothes to us. (Amy and Claire, you rock!!)  We haven't had to buy much of anything since Colton was born. Sure, a cute outfit here and there on clearance...but really his entire wardrobe is set. Our son is definitely the best dressed little boy!!

 

look at those top 2 teeth!!
5th tooth is on it's way in (just left of the top front teeth)

This is just one of the tubs full of 12 months clothes that I brought in to stock the closet and dresser in Cotlon's room since he had outgrown all 9 month clothes. Colton had so much fun playing with the bin that we left it inside for the day. He pushed it, he banged on it, he sat up against it, he cruised all around the perimeter. Who knew a plastic bin could be so much fun!!

@ 9 months he is soooo into detail.
Case in point:
 There is a small bump in our wall that Colton will pick/scratch at with is finger. (see it by his left index finger?)
He also scratches at one specific place on our baseboard that has an imperfection, to all of the cracks in our kitchen floor linoleum, and he'll pick at a string hanging off my shirt when he's nursing.  

Oh look! Here's another spot for him to scratch at on the wall!

I love my baby boy!!