Day 190

The family woke up to flooding and pouring rains, but lo and behold, the city of Norfolk decided school should still be in. So, Colton and mom put on their rain gear, loaded up the car, and trudged through the conditions. About midway through the morning, mom decided this was absolutely ridiculous, and after talking to Colton's babysitter about the propensity of flooding on her street, mom left school to retrieve baby boy and arrive safely back home. Mom, Colton, and Chipper ended up enjoying a nice day inside, where Colton continued to get closer and closer to crawling (he now rocks back on forth on his knees, but still can't quite figure out how to get moving) and showed off his funny faces...he now likes to ham it up for the camera; as soon as he sees the thing, he gets excited!

Day 189

Whew! Luckily, Colton didn't seem fazed by this round of shots and did not run a fever. The bad part about that was that it meant he and mom had to trek off to work like normal (she had kindof gotten her hopes up that it might mean a day home with baby boy). Colton had a good time at his babysitter's house and then came home to show off his new skill: sitting up. He can now officially sit up totally unassisted (and without even leaning forward) for pretty long periods at a time. From what we understand, this means crawling is right around the corner, so watch out world!

Day 188

Colton had his 6 month checkup today. While he hasn't grown as much as mom and dad thought he had (he now weighs in at 15 pounds, 15 oz. and is 26 and a half inches long), the doctor was pleased with his progress. She also assured everyone (**mom**) that Colton's speaking of syllables will come with time and that he is developmentally doing fantastically. At the end of his appointment, Colton had to get his shots, including his flu shot. Mom and dad gave him some Tylenol afterwards to hopefully ward off a fever (fingers crossed). One of the more exciting tidbits from the doctor is that Colton is now able to eat soft foods of any of the foods he has tried (ie: he can eat actual bananas...they don't have to be his jarred bananas) and that he can now eat Cheerios. So, of course, Mom sent Dad to the store for Cheerios as soon as they got home. Colton LOVES his Cheerios; it took him a little bit to figure out what they are for, and he still is having little success actually getting them to his mouth, but when they do make it there, man are they tasty!

Day 187

Oh my goodness, mom is totally slipping...she must have been so excited yesterday about the Steelers victory that she forgot to report that it was Colton's 6 month birthday!!! That is a really big deal...yikes! At 6 months, Colton is completely vocal and ready to move. He can get up on all fours, but then seems very confused as to what do while there, so he just falls back down. He can support himself sitting up independently. As he continues to eat more and more, Colton is growing so quickly and brings everyone around him so much joy. So without further ado, Colton's 6 month portrait...

Day 186

Well, Colton's charm continues...he cheered the Steelers on (or slept them on, as the case may be) to another victory today. Colton really enjoyed watching football at Meme and Papa's, and even had some fun playing with Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC's dog, Molly, although he had to admit she was not nearly as much fun as Chipper. After the game, Colton came home to spend the evening with his dad and Chipper while mom went to her monthly wine appreciation group.

Day 185

Colton enjoyed a nice, relaxing Saturday with mom, while dad went out golfing for one final time (we'll see) this season. Colton and mom ran a few errands before coming home to do some organizing and napping. Grandma stopped by for a visit later in the afternoon, and once dad got home, Colton joined mom and dad for dinner out at Zia Maries. All in all, it was a pretty fantastic, much-needed Saturday wihtout much going on, a nice change from the hectic pace the family has been keeping lately.

Day 184

Colton was so happy to have made it to Friday! After spending his day at the babysitter's house again (she made mention of the fact that he has yet to repeat an outfit...oops!), he came home to play with his best buddy: Chipper. Colton is so fascinated by Chipper recently, watching him constantly, laughing as he swings his toys around, and trying to grab the toys from him. Mom and Dad were going to a concert, so Colton spent his evening with his babysitter from the JCC. When mom and dad got home, he was tucked snugly in his crib, although he did wake up briefly just to say hello to everyone.

Days 182 and 183

Whew...this working/going to the babysitter thing is sure busy and exhausting. Colton came home last night to a surprise visit from his Uncle Jordan and Mojo, whom he had not seen in many weeks. Colton was excited to see them and have more people to play with for an evening. Today, Colton spent his day at the babysitter again, where he was spoiled by all the older kids' attention. Mom walked in to see him rolling around on the floor, showing off for everyone! Once home, Colton spent the evening cooing away; he is really testing out his vocal abilities these days, as well as his mobility. He is now able to get up on his knees, but can not move forward yet; mom is guessing crawling is not too far off!

Day 181

Colton had another good, busy day. After spending his day bouncing in his doorway swing, he greeted mom with a huge smile when she walked in, once again making her day. Colton stopped by the JCC for a quick visit before coming home to spend the evening playing with mom, dad, and Chipper. Colton is really enjoying watching his crazy brother play, laughing in delight every time Chipper runs by shaking his toy. Colton also had a blast in his bath, laughing hysterically each time mom played peekaboo with him. I'm telling you, there is nothing better after a long day at work, then coming home to a laughing baby:)

Day 180

Colton started off his week, being particularly cute and fun today! He literally made mom's day with his huge smile when she walked in to pick him up at the babysitter's and then reached for her when she picked him up from the JCC (baby boy is definitely getting to know his mom and dad). Colton is also getting increasingly mobile. He has managed to get his knees under himself to attempt crawling, but then falls right back down! While he is still not crawling, he is able to roll around with ease and even spins himself around. As you can tell from the picture, this lands him in some pretty interesting places when left alone!

Day 179

Well, Colton may very well be a good luck token, as he watched the Steelers to another victory today! Technically, he didn't watch most of the game, as he napped at Meme and Papa's during it, but he did very much enjoy the parts he was able to see. The only problem Colton seems to have with football is all the noise people make whenever a big play happens; the noises scare him and he starts to cry each time, but he is getting better! After the Steelers victory, it was home with mom and dad to relax before starting another busy week.

Days 177 and 178

Colton has had a busy and fun last couple of days. On Friday, he was spoiled once again when Aunt Genna stopped at his babysitter's house on her way in from DC to pick him up. Colton stopped by school, where mom's students were delighted by his superman impression (he is quickly gaining celebrity status there). After the visit, Colton took Aunt Genna home to play with him and Chipper for the afternoon. At night, he got to go to the Outback for a fill-up meal with mom and dad. Saturday morning started off bright and early, with Colton getting ready to head to temple again for Yom Kippur. Once again, he was fantastic there and received tons of attention. He took a quick nap after temple before trooping down to ODU for a little football tailgating. Grandma had offered to come pick him up early, so he wouldn't have to make it through the whole game, so he left after tailgating to come home.

Days 175 and 176

With mom's much dreaded Open House yesterday, Colton spent his day with Meme (and Papa) before dad picked him up. Mom was very sad to see that he was already fast asleep by the time she made it home, but got to make up for it a little bit by spending lots of quality time with the little guy after work today. Mom and Colton took Chipper for a walk, made dinner, had some squash, played, and had a fun bath before he went to bed. To make up for yesterday's lack of a picture, I will give you all two today (you're welcome!) to show you all the new fun Colton is up to: sitting at the dinner table like a big boy for dinner with mom and dad (he doesn't even need the straps on the highchair anymore, but Dad is too much of a worrier and insists he uses them) and sitting up in the bathtub to play with the water...he loves the water!!!

Day 174

Well, after being "particularly good" yesterday at the babysitter's, she reported today that Colton was more fussy than usual. She was quick to point out that it was in comparison to him and not to a normal baby, as he is much better than a normal baby!!! Hey, we are suckers for compliments over here. Colton came home and had a nice dinner and playtime with mom for a little bit before going to bed.

Day 173

Colton woke up bright and early to start his work/school week. The babysitter said Colton was "particularly good" today, although he somehow managed to get carrots all over his socks after putting him in his mouth as the poor ladies tried to feed him. After spending the day at the babysitter's house, Colton returned to the JCC for the first time in a few weeks. The girls there were really excited to see him, commenting on how much he had grown and how cute he is (we already knew that, of course). After a quick dinner, Colton had some much-needed play time with mom and dad before hitting the sack.

Days 171 and 172

Despite having his first cold, Colton enjoyed a wonderful weekend. He started off Saturday by going out to breakfast with mom and dad. After breakfast, he had some one-on-one time with dad while mom did some quick shopping and then one-on-one time with mom while dad went golfing. At night, he went over to his grandma's house to spend the night while mom and dad had date night. Dad went to pick Colton up Sunday morning so he could get ready for a very important day: his very first Steelers game!!! Colton has been looking forward to this for quite some time. Interestingly enough, the Steelers were playing the Falcons (dad's "team"), so Colton took everyone, including Meme and Papa, to Wild Wing to watch the game together. Colton hung in there like a trooper during the game and was thrilled to see the Steelers win the game in overtime!!! Hopefully, it is a good omen of things to come during Colton's lifetime of Steelers games:)

Day 170

Colton was back to his babysitters, Carol and Cathy, today as mom and dad returned to work after a lovely day off! When mom came to pick him up, all the other children wre surrounding him, proving he must be the cool kid of the bunch! At night, he went out to dinner with mom and dad. With cooler temperatures starting to come in, Colton got to wear his jean jacket for the first time, and looked quite studly in it!

Day 169

L'Shana Tovah! Colton spent his first Rosh Hashanah at temple with mom and dad, Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC, Meme and Papa, and Papa Sr. and Doris. He did amazingly well, talking a little through the service, but not having any outbursts at all! Mom was thankful that Colton provided a nice distraction (and reason for escape for that matter), especially through the insanely long sermon. Some would say Colton even became the star of the services with his studly outfit, as one fellow congregant commented made him "the hands-down most stylish" person there! After a long day at services, Colton joined the family at the Jewish Mother for some lunch and then came home to take his nap with mom and dad. After dinner out with mom and dad, he watched a little bit of football (well, at least the pregame stuff) before going to bed.

Days 167 and 168

Whew! Colton has had a very busy last couple of days. Not only was it mom's first (and second) day of school, but Papa and Doris also came in town to visit. Yesterday, Colton spent his day at the babysitter and then rushed home (actually, got stuck in traffic) to head out to dinner with everyone. Today, Colton repeated the same routine, traffic and all, but instead headed over to Meme and Papa's house for Rosh Hashanah dinner with everyone. He sure is relieved to have tomorrow off, so he can sleep in, relax at home, and journey to temple for the first time (wish us luck!)

Day 166

Colton spent his very first Labor Day with mom and dad doing a little shopping and enjoying a nice, waterfront lunch. After coming home for a quick nap (which he obviously DID NOT want to take), he headed over to his grandparents' house (the Hobbs side) for a cookout with his great-grandparents, great Aunt Debbie, and Judy. Colton loved all the attention and loving he got over there, and especially enjoyed his grandfather's tutorial on riding a Harley, but it completely wore him out. He fell asleep as he finished his bottle and slept the rest of the night!

Day 165

Daddy went golfing today, so Colton was lucky get to spend the day with his mom. He started off the day by taking Chipper on a much-deserved, long-awaited walk. After the walk, it was off to do a bit of shopping. Once home, Colton took a quick nap and then woke up to get ready for a night at Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC's house. Mom and dad finally got to use the very generous Mother's Day present from Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC out at Il Giardinos, while Colton stayed with them for a little. They must have been really fun because Colton stayed up with them the whole time, but fell asleep as soon as he hit the car.

Day 164

Today was opening day of ODU football, and Colton was primed and ready for the big game and more importantly, the big tailgate! He took a long nap in the morning to ensure he would be ready to enjoy the game. Decked out in his ODU t-shirt, he seemed to really enjoy the festivities, although he couldn't quite get his hands on the yummy food. Colton started to get a little tired as kickoff drew near, but fell asleep snug in his Baby Bjorn. The parts of the game he did see he did like, and he made it almost until halftime. After leaving the game, Colton still had one more stop to make at his friend Lily's one year old birthday party. He really was a trooper all day, and mom and dad were just so excited to officially have him with them this year!

Days 162 and 163

Colton has been busy the last two days adjusting to mom's return to school. Yesterday, he spent his day at the babysitter's like normal before mom picked him up to take him back to school with her for a little bit before dad could pick him up before Meet the Teacher. Even though he was not there, Colton was quite the topic of conversation; it seemed everyone wanted to know how the baby was!
Today, Colton woke up to find that Hurricane Earl was barely producing a rain drop and promptly took off for the babysitter again. Luckily, mom is really lucky to work for a fantastic principal who let her leave early to pick up baby boy and spend the afternoon "working from home" with him (note: not much work got done, unless you count preparing tomorrow's tailgate dishes). At night, Colton spent the night out to dinner with mom and dad at Outback (he had his carrots, not steak!) before coming home for some fun. Check out this video to see it all; I swear it might be the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Day 160

Colton is getting adjusted to his new lifestyle and actually seems to be enjoying it (as much as mom hates to admit it)! Every day when mom gets to the babysitter's house, Colton is busy watching the other children and is smiling the whole time. In fact, he seems so happy that mom reasoned she could venture back to the gym a couple days a week, so he stopped by the JCC on the way home today and had a good time playing with those ladies as well! Colton came home for dinner and a bath with mom and was about to go to bed when his great-grandparents (and Judy) stopped by for a visit. He was happy to see them for a few minutes before turning in for the night.