Sick Boy - AGAIN

While I was in Las Vegas for work last week, Colin came down with something nasty. Nana took him to see Dr. B who said it was a viral infection - the third one in two months! Needless to say, we will be cracking down on washing our hands and unnecessary trips into filthy, unhealthy public places. Not to mention, he missed his Mama!

Saturday morning, I was changing his diaper and noticed large red blotches all over his body:

SCARY! He was all clear when he went to bed so I was pretty confident it was not food allergy related, so I called the pediatrician to get some answers. Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria. In other words, they have no idea where the hives came from. Probably related to the viral infection. Colin will be going through a lot of Allegra and Benadryl through the upcoming week.

Other big and exciting news - Colin is in a big boy bed! For now. Yesterday, we had him in his crib and were playing with him when he started to climb over the top! I started envisioning him falling head first in the middle of the night and immediately Chris and I set to work to transform his bed from a crib into a toddler bed:

Isn't he sweet? He actually climbed out of the bed, grabbed his second mouse, climbed back in and arranged it just so and then posed for the camera! LOVE him. 

Last night, he played in his room until around midnight which is when we set up the pack-n-play. Today, he napped very soundly in his bed. Not sure it was a good idea as of yet. We will keep you updated on the Big Boy Bed Adventures!

Funny Faces

I love my child but he makes some of the funniest looking faces, especially when he tries to smile for the camera:

Yes, that is a smile. Here's another one of him posing with his 'buddies':

This one isn't really a smile - but it will make you smile!

I have been very blessed to see Mr. Colin's little personality evolve over the past fifteen months! He is a wonderful little boy who is as fun as he is curious. I cannot wait to see what the next few years hold for us. 

Christmas 2009

We spent Christmas in Pittsburgh, PA this year. Thanks to the great nor'easter, the city was blanketed by snow just in time for the big day. Colin got some use out of his still-too-big snowsuit:

Not only did I not post for almost two weeks, but I also forgot to take pictures of Colin on Christmas morning - yikes! Here are some pictures of him opening presents back at my parents' house the Sunday after:

Isn't he sweet? And we LOVE the Penguins sweater from Caitlin! After our first Penguins game this holiday, we decided that we wanted to get Colin interested in hockey. My family must have read our thoughts because he received the sweater and a Penguins hockey stick from my aunt and uncle within days!

My family lives a little outside of Pittsburgh, in a small town in Western PA. Western PA has produced a lot of big football talent, especially quarterbacks, but other than that, there's not a whole lot to be said. To get out and about one day we took a trip to the Beaver Valley Mall, where Colin took ride on a few of the quarter-rides:

Probably not the most sanitary things, but he was smiling! 

 It was nice to spend time with our family that we do not get to see a lot. And, of course, the food was great! I hope everyone had as great a Christmas as we did. Happy, healthy New Year (and decade!) to all!

12 Days of Christmas

First Day, One Messy Bedroom:

Chris and I were laying on the couch and decided to let him 'play' independently for a few minutes. This was the disaster we walked into!

Second Day, Crayons for Dinner:

Sometimes he writes on paper, sometimes he still tries to eat them. I don't think we are quite ready for art projects yet.

Third Day, 'A Puppy!'

Other than "mama", "mommy" and "baby", Colin's most commonly used word is "a puppy". He has also become very fond of his stuffed animals. He will carry as many as his little arms (and legs!) can hold! This puppy was from my Grandma and has quickly become one of his favorites!

Fourth Day, A Big Boy Potty!

We have placed a potty in each bathroom in the house in hopes that Colin will miraculously understand what it is for. This is a work in progress...

Fifth Day, My First Present of the Year!

I was shocked to see that he actually knew what to do. Well, other than sitting on the box. I didn't grab my camera in time but he actually made a good amount of progress on his own. 

This was a package from the Seamon family- Thank You! Inside was a book, 'If You Take a Mouse to the Movies', and the stuffed Mouse to go with it! The Mouse has also become one of Colin's favs and he sleeps with him every night!

Okay, so it was only 5 days not 12 but I'm sure I will have more to add soon! Enjoy your last few days of shopping, wrapping, and baking - isn't it the most wonderful time of the year?

Here Comes Santa Claus...

I'll admit it- I've been a bad blogger. We went to Pittsburgh this weekend for the UC/Pitt game and I FORGOT my camera! Unbelievable. I always have my camera. So no pictures and no blog from this weekend, sorry!

Recently, I've had a lot of requests for Christmas gift ideas for Colin. To be honest, the kid is very blessed, to say the least, and has more than enough toys to keep him busy! Here are a few ideas:

1) MONEY ::: I've opened a separate bank account for Colin and it is growing! You can help it grow by giving him a monetary gift for Christmas. 

2) DONATION FOR A CAR SEAT ::: Colin will soon pass the 20 lb. mark (finally!) which means he can upgrade to a big-boy car seat. Yes, he's still in an infant carrier. So if you don't want your monetary gift to just sit in an account and collect dust, you can donate it to the car seat fund!

3) CLOTHES ::: Even if Colin doesn't grow out of his current clothing size any time soon, warmer weather will be here again before we know it- and I'm hoping that will be sooner than later! Currently, he wears 12 mos., so for the summer 18 mos. should work. Sports attire for the Steelers and Bearcats will always be appreciated!

4) LEARNING ACTIVITIES ::: A kid can never have too many books! And think ahead too, he will be reading for years to come if I have anything to do with it. Also, he's not a big TV watcher, yet, but I wouldn't mind starting a Sesame Street DVD collection for him! 

Bonus Post!

I wasn't able to post to the blog while we were out-of-town, so here's a bonus round for all to enjoy!

Chris taught Colin to kick a ball while we were hanging out at his mom's house. Future soccer star? His Pap wouldn't have it any other way.

Turkey Day 2009 and Fort Wayne, IN

Since we will all be going into Pittsburgh for Christmas, we made a trip to Fort Wayne to see Chris' family for Thanksgiving. Chris has always said that it is one of his favorite holidays with his family so I was very excited to be a part of the festivities!

We arrived Wednesday evening and Mr. Colin proved to be very helpful in the kitchen. Here's a picture of him helping to prepare green beans with Chris and his Dad:

For the big day, we went to Michelle and Marc's - Chris' sister and brother-in-law's- house for dinner with the DeBolt side of the family.  Colin napped through the early dinner but we managed to set aside some of the turkey, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes for him. As you already know, his allergies did not allow him to have everything but he was very THANKFUL for his hefty portion:

One of the best parts of Zahm household is the playroom. A kid could get lost in the thing for days! Colin found a little stroller to rest in and Miss Hudson pushed him around the playroom as if he were a little doll. He loved it!

Saturday morning, we joined Michelle, Marc, Hudson and Chris' mom, Diane, for Breakfast With Santa at the Pine Valley Country Club. It was great! Santa and Mrs. Claus came around to each table before reading the kids a story. Then we waited in line to sit on Santa's lap. Of course, it was already past our nap time so my little bandit did not have a very pleasant Santa photo shoot. He cried and cried and finally calmed down for us to get a few quick shots:

Isn't he handsome? 

First time with Santa!

Christmas picture? I don't think I'm ready to go that route just yet. Maybe next year!

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was filled with great memories among your wonderful family and friends. I don't know about you, but I try daily to give thanks for the blessings He has bestowed me but I fall short of even that task! I'm glad that we have a holiday dedicated to giving Him thanks - because you can't have Thanksgiving without giving thanks!

"Give Thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done" 1 Chronicles 16:8