Top 5 Things

I love my son to death, but he has recently developed typical toddler habits that drive me nuts. Here are the top 5 things Colin does that drive me crazy:

1. The Whine: You know the whine! The sound that I compare to Jim Carry's line in Dumb and Dumber, "You want to hear the most annoying sound in the whole world"? I am liable to give him anything he wants to put the wine to put a stop to the wining. Want my diamond ring to play with? How about daddy's power tools?

2. The Fit: Outta' no where comes the fit. Because I take too long to prepare his meals, or I want to change a dirty diaper, or I want him to get in his car seat, or I stop him from throwing the iphone in the trash (or the toilet). BTW, Christmas morning he threw his monitor in the toilet at 5 am while we were trying to get "5 more minutes" of rest after our 4 hours of sleep the night before.

3. The Food Toss: Sadly this happens nearly every day, at every meal. He's done eating but there is one more thing to do - toss the plate, throw the vegetables and my favorite "look at mommy while I slowly push my sippy cup over the side of the high chair". Now I have a dirty floor, a messy baby, and a dog who might vomit blueberries and pancakes in the bed tonight. Awesome!

4. The Destroyer: Magazines, important mail, anything within reach that is fragile enough to be torn by little fingers. The best is the destruction of the cabinets or the clearing of the coffee table or the continuous throwing of the dog food/water bowls.

5. The Dare Devil: Dare Devils have no sense of gravity and neither does Colin. The saying, "What goes up must come down" has NO meaning to Colin. David and I feel a drop our stomachs every time Colin climbs on the couch, jumps on the bed or stands on objects that are not made for standing. This usually results in a huge wine (see #1) and a fit (see #2).

Can anyone relate? I'm being brutally honest, I LOVE him, but he does drive me nuts sometimes - especially today!

Christmas 2010

What's different about holidays now? The fact that we have changed our traditions to make them flexible for toddlers and babies! Unwrapping gifts is now organized around nap time, and we now attend the children's church service. Holiday dinner was moved to lunch and there was no time for eggnog or socializing.

Keep in mind that the average attention span of a toddler is around 3 minutes and our families buy a lot of presents. David and I had to keep a constant eye on Colin to be sure he wasn't eating paper or trying to pull down the tree.


When you are 16 mos., every Christmas tree looks about 30 feet tall!



Colin opening his first gift...we should have practiced!

Merry Christmas Eve

Here is someone who will be intently listening for Santa's sleigh bells tonight. See, he even sleeps with one ear open...

Father/Son

People have said that Colin looks a lot like David. I couldn't agree more. In fact, David's aunt even said, "Jolyn, you were just a vessel" and I thought that was hilarious and SO true. Funny thing is that David doesn't see it...David, can you see it now? :)

Colin, Meet Santa

All the toys in the world won't make Santa's lap a sweet spot for a 15 mo old. However, I love this pic for the baby book. It's a classic!

Gingerbread House

We attended a fun Christmas workshop over the weekend. Colin and I made a Gingerbread house for the very first time. He loved eating the marshmellows off the house, and I dipped into the m&m's. In fact, the house is looking pretty bare now that David has gotten a hold of it. :)





After our sugar high, Colin met Santa and took a very tearful picture. Classic! Here he is making a run from St. Nick (who smelled a bit like jolly ole' Marlboro Lights).

Colin's First Champagne Brunch

I didn't get to experience the fabulous 4 Seasons Brunch until I was an adult, but Colin is on the fast track to developing his spoiled little taste buds. Actually, he ate mostly pancakes and the crackers that he stole from the buffet table.

We (on the other hand) had 3-4 plates of traditional breakfast, salad, sushi, duck, roast beef, pastries, fruit and a lick off the ole chocolate fountain. What a treat! David and I were both wishing Colin would take a nap so we could enter a food coma of our own. Luckily, we got our wish and it was a nice, relaxing afternoon.

Here we are with the Peden/Pike family.




I think it's hilarious when Colin pulls David's hair. Look at the grin on his face...he knows he's being naughty...but he's making everyone laugh, so why stop?

"Cry it Out" From the Baby's Perspective

Dear Fellow Babies,
OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 5 months. The first few months were great-I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, around the clock. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 5-6 months. Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep-they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:
Night 1-cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2-cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3-every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep; she is just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

The other night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:
-My sleep sack tickled my foot.
-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
-I burped, and it tasted like rice cereal. I hadn't eaten rice cereal since breakfast, what's up with that?
-The dog said "ruff". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day.
-Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
-Too hot, too cold, just right-doesn't matter! Keep crying!!
-I had drooled so much my sheets were damp and I didn’t like it touching me.
-I decided I was sick of all the blue in my room so I cried.
-It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. -You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy. Also, be weary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

Sincerely,
Baby Colin Peden :)

Happy Birthday David

David's one request for his birthday was to sleep in. So I got up with Colin at his favorite hour, 6am. Now that David is all rested, I think Colin is ready for him...

Jolyn's Favorite Things

I was SO excited about Oprah's Favorite Things (episode #1 and especially episode #2) that I started thinking about MY favs. From a girl who loves to make a list, here are my picks...

1. Ugg Slippers
I wore these SO much that I need a new pair this year. Put these babies on with a pair of fuzzy socks and you will be SO cozy.


2. Restoration Hardware Throw Blanket
I now sleep with 2 of these, and David and Monster may get one of their very own for Christmas. They are SO warm and comfortable, easy to wash, lightweight and one side is soft and the other is "stay-in-bed-until-noon-if-you-can" soft. BTW, if you can sleep 'til noon I kinda hate you.


3. Mustela Baby Products
Colin's skin was so dry after a couple days using J&J, so I switched. If you have the same problem, you have to try this line.


4. Caliderma Replinishing Cream
The folks at Westlake Dermatology turned me on to this and I've been using it now for years (yes, I even threw out my fancy la mer lotion) and it works great.


5. Hue Jeggings
Dress them up or down - these supersoft leggings look just like skinny jeans but are incredibly comfortable. These are my new mom jeans!!!


6. Torry Burch Flats
I know I'm stealing this from Ms. O, but these really are MY favorite shoes. The signature TB flat - in patent leather - comes in lots of fun colors. I'm still cheering for my UT horns so I got them in orange. LOVE them!!!


7. Harmony Universal Remote
This puts me in control, how could I not love it? I can turn on the tv, dvd, blue ray, apple tv, radio, cd, blah, blah, blah...you get the picture...we have a lot of electronics and now I can operate ALL of them with one click. You'll need a technical genius to set it up, but after that it's easy to use.


8. BabyGap Footed Sleepers
Colin spends alot of time in his PJs, and what is cuter than this?


9. Banana Republic No-Iron Dress Shirts
Need I say more? David is pretty picky (anyone surprised?) and hard to shop for, but I think he would wear any of these shirts.


10. My Chi
I have been addicted to this product ever since I laid eyes on it. I even have the matching hair dryer. What would I do w/o you Chi? xoxo


11. Desk Calendar
I still love the sensation of scratching off the days and tasks. Don't show me a palm pilot again, a silly electronic calendar, or a fancy iphone app. Give me paper and pen please. Forever.


12. Crabtree Jojoba Soap
This soap reminds me of taking bubble baths at my grandmother's house in her big jacuzzi tub. It smells fantastic and squeaky clean.


13. Restoration Hardware Turkish Towels
These are the most absorbent and durable towels. David will only use these and he refers to the old towels as "sandpaper."


14. Joe Malone Fragrance
Orange Blossom, you are the scent for me. I could eat you.


15. Softlips Lip Vanilla
I bought the value pack (4 pack) and I'm almost down to 1. I think my lips might be addicted to this stuff.


16. Dog Harness
I call this Monster's sports bra. Stop dragging your dog around by her neck! Get one of these for your best friend.


17. Snuggle Sack
Second only to a warm lap. Okay, so we spoil our dog a little bit. So what!


18. Martha's Mag
For someone who doesn't cook, sew or garden, it's amazing how much I love this magazine. Go figure - I can still appreciate fine living, right?


19. Teeth Whitening
Give me Zoom, Crest Strips, at-home-trays...I love what they do for your pearly whites.


20. Temporal Thermometer
I can't believe people used to take your temperature down THERE! For crying out load, get one of these and that's strictly "exit only."

Colin's 1 Year Pictures

Christi Cosper from Candid Chic Photography took Colin's 1 year pictures, and we love them! She was wonderful to work with - most of her portraits are taken outdoors with natural lighting (although indoor portraits are available). It's a great way to capture beautiful portraits for holiday cards & gifts!

Her website is: http://www.candidchicphotos.com

Here are some of Colin's pics...

Colin Shares His Snacks

Happy Halloween

Gymboree Halloween Party

Colin, I mean, Kermit the Frog, will not wear his hat! And it's SO cute.

Look out, you slide FAST when you're wearing a full costume!

I giggle every time I see him in this costume. It's not easy being green but Colin pulls it off.

All the cuties in their costumes...

Introducing...

..."Keepin' Up With The Kahl's!"

My sister will be blogging about my beautiful niece very soon. Stay tuned!



http://www.keepingupwiththekahls.blogspot.com/

LIVESTRONG Challenge

Colin participated in his first 5K run/walk today! The Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge is a two-day fundraising event to raise money for the fight against cancer. Over the past thirteen years, the Livestrong Challenge has raised over $60 million dollars - WOW. One of my favorite parts about this race is seeing all the cancer survivors receive their yellow rose as they cross the finish line. This is called the "Yellow Mile," inspired by Lance Armstrong's signature color.

This year my friends and I walked to recognize Amy's dad, Danny King, who has survived 7 battles with cancer! We even made "Team Superman" tee shirts for the entire group - Colin included. The nine of us walked through the morning rain, up and down the Austin hills while pushing 3 strollers...all for a great cause. Go Superman!!!