Day 282

Happy 2011!  Colton enjoyed a nice last day of 2010 out and about with him mom and dad.  After crawling around the surf shop while dad looked for shoes, he went to Baker's Crust for lunch.  He happened to run into Aunt Genna, Uncle Ryan, and Aunt KC, so he got to  have lunch with everyone.  After lunch, he did a little more shopping, including looking for new carpet which he has been desperate to purchase considering how nasty the other stuff is that he is crawling around on.  His first New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful...he joined mom, dad, and Aunt Genna for dinner out at Wild Wing (where else?).  He was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as they got home, although mom did sneak into his room at midnight for a New Year kiss. 

Day 281

Colton had another busy day (he likes these much more than the ones spent at the babysitter...he told mom).  After patiently watching mom paint the guest room, he was off for his morning trip to the JCC.  Once done, he had to drop Chipper off for his haircut; Colton was very sad to see the lady take his big brother to the back...he kept looking back for him!  With Chipper dropped off, Colton joined mom for a couple of errands and then came home for his nap.  When he woke up, Aunt Genna was here to play for a bit .  At night, he joined mom, dad, Aunt Genna, Uncle Ryan, Aunt KC, Davy, and Michelle...plus lots of other ODU fans...to watch the Monarchs (lose terribly) at Shorebreak.  Colton made it all the way until 9:45, but then was very ready to head home. 

Day 280

Colton was a trooper again today.  After a morning trip to the JCC, he went with mom to have an oil change.  Even though they had an appointment, the wait time ended up being 2 1/2 hours (!), so mom called Aunt Genna to pick them up...no way baby boy was going to wait that long!  Aunt Genna already had plans to go to lunch with Uncle Ryan, so Colton and mom crashed in on their lunch.  After lunch, the car STILL wasn't ready, so Colton trooped on to Home Goods to look around a little bit.  Finally, the car was ready, so Colton went with mom to pick it up and head home.  For dinner, he headed out to Mexican with mom and dad.

Day 279

Whew!  Colton had another busy, busy day after being cooped up in the house for the last couple of days.  He started it off with a trip to the doctor's office for his 9-month checkup.  He now weighs 17 pounds, 9 ounces and is 27 inches long.  The doctor also discovered that Colton had a slight ear infection, so after teh doctor, it was off to Target to fill Colton's prescription.  After Target, Colton went to pick up Meme for her birthday lunch/champagne at the Hilton.  He had a great time with mom, Meme, and Aunt Genna, and even tried to treat the ladies:

After lunch, he joined mom and Aunt Genna at the mall for a quick trip and then headed home to attempt to rest up for dinner (although, he most certainly did not want to take a nap).  For dinner, he joined the entire Kletz side for dinner at Ruth's Chris to celebrate Meme and Uncle Ryan's birthdays.  Colton was a FANTASTIC baby the whole night, smiling and playing. 

Day 278

Colton decided to brave our 14.5 inches of snow (a single-day record for Va. Beach) today to go out and play.  After taking about 10 minutes to get dressed to conquer the snow, he lasted for about 30 seconds out in it.  It's kindof hard to keep a non-standing baby happy when the snow can cover him quite easily!  The rest of his day, then, was spent inside playing with mom and Chipper.  Luckily, Aunt Genna came over for a few hours to add some excitement.  With cabin fever starting to set in big time, Colton is determined to make it out of the house tomorrow...stay tuned!

Day 277

 With over a foot of snow on the ground here in Va. Beach (!!!), Colton was stuck inside today.  He hopes to get out in it for some playtime tomorrow, but for today he just wanted to share his 9-month portrait with you all.  Yep...baby boy is already 9 months old?!?

At 9 months, Colton is a bundle of energy, constantly exploring everything.  He crawls with a vengence (head down if he wants to go really fast), and pulls up to the doors, windows, fireplace, mom, and anything else he can get his hands on.  Colton is able to stand up on his own for a few seconds at a time...we're thinking walking isn't too far away!  Colton is a BIG eater; he loves everything that is put in front of him (including mom's lasagna tonight).  Colton continues to be a happy baby with an infectious smile that makes everyone around him giddy as well. 

Day 276

Merry Christmas!!!  Colton was so excited to be a part of the festivities today, although last night wore him out quite a bit so he didn't wake up until 8:30 (!) to join in.  Once up, Meme and Papa, Aunt Genna, and his grandma and grandpa came over to watch him open his presents and have some cinnamon buns and mimosas.  Colton got lots of new clothes, some shoes, and a powerwheels for him to ride when he is a little older.  After the morning fun, Colton took a nap to get ready for the evening dinner and present opening fun over at his grandparents with the Hobbs family.  Mom got a new camera for Christmas, so here are lots of pictures as our gift to you:

Day 275

Colton had a most wonderful Christmas Eve day.  He began it by running a few errrands with mom while dad finished up his holiday shopping.  After the shopping was complete, Colton joined mom and dad for  lunch at Big Sams and a quick WRV trip.  After his afternoon nap, Aunt Genna came over to join mom, dad, and Colton for dinner at the Japanese steakhouse (Colton loved the fire!) and then to visit a house just a couple blocks away that had their Christmas lights in sync with music.  Colton loved every second of it:)  A picture will be coming soon once Aunt Genna shares hers with mom who accidentally left her camera at home for the day!

Day 274

Colton with his new favorite toy: salad dressing

With another day off from the school/babysitter routine, mom and Colton were busy, busy once again.  They started off the day with a trip to the JCC (after playing with the contents of the refrigerator of course) and then a quick trip to the grocery store.  Once home, Aunt Genna arrived, fresh from Northern Virginia, and the three were off to the McArthur Mall to finish up holiday shopping.  It was a loooonnnggg day, but Colton handled it pretty well, including a few impromptu play sessions on various stores' floors.  After a much-needed nap, Colton joined mom and dad for dinner at the Wild Wing.  He tried his hardest to stay up for the Steelers game, but he couldn't quite make it.

Day 273

Colton had a blissful day, spending the whole thing with his mom just like the fantastic early days of his life. He slept in a little, and then woke up and headed to the JCC with mom. After his time there, he was off to run some errands, including picking up Christmas presents and visiting dad, Papa, and Uncle Ryan at One Hour. All that running around wore out poor baby boy, so he took a nice long nap before joining mom and dad for some dinner at the Outback.

Day 272

Colton was so excited for today: his last day at the babysitter's house for the whole year!!! He enjoyed his time there, and then was happy to see mom, especially because she had some presents for him from her students' families. Once home, Colton was treated to a wonderfuly chicken nugget dinner:)

Day 271

Colton was in especially good spirits today at the babysitter's house (it must be because he knows this is only a two-day week for him). After his day there, it was off to the JCC for a quick visit before heading home...pretty typical day for baby boy!

Days 269 and 270

Whew! What another busy, but fun weekend for baby boy. On Saturday, Colton joined mom and dad at the mall for some shopping. More importantly, he had an important visit while he was there: Colton met Santa for the first time. He didn't cry while with Santa (phew!), but he did seem a little wary of the whole thing, so we couldn't get a huge smile out of him. After meeting Santa, he had lunch with mom and dad. At night, Colton got to spend the evening with his Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC who had graciously agreed to babysit while mom and dad went to see The Lion King on Broadway. In the morning, Uncle Ryan and Aunt KC brought Colton back home, so he could go visit his grandparents before going back to Uncle Ryan's for his surprise early birthday party during the Steelers game. Even though the Steelers lost, Colton had a good time hanging out with everyone, but was very happy to get home and get to bed.

Day 268

Another good news day...Colton woke up to a 2 hour delay, so he was able to sleep in and play with mom and Chipper a little bit. Unfortunately, though, after playtime, Colton was off to the babysitter for another day. The day went quickly, and at night, Colton joined mom for some quick errands. He stopped by Moe's and picked up his first cheese quesadilla which he devoured for dinner. Once home, it was time for a quick bath and then bed for the night.

Day 267

YAY!!! Colton and mom woke up to great news...no school today because of the expected snow. Dad still had to go to work, but Colton and mom enjoyed their morning lounging around. They beat the snow and got in a quick trip to the JCC (the ladies there were so excited to see Colton come back), Target, and the Teeter. As mom and Colton left the Teeter, the snow started, so they were quick to get home and enjoy watching and playing in it.

Day 266

Colton had his first holiday party (sans mom and dad) today at his babysitter's house. He had to wear his best red or green outfit for his "class" picture. Colton also got his first polyanna gift from one of his babysitter friends and although, he didn't get to eat the treats with everyone (he's too little), he seemed to be really enjoying the party when mom showed up to pick him up.

Day 265

Colton was a good sport today. After spending the day at the babysitter's, he braved the bitter cold and joined mom and some friends for dinner out (he had a grilled cheese). After dinner, he headed back to mom's school to play with the kids and watch them perform in the winter program. Like always, Colton managed to steal the show and capture all of the attention, and came home with tons of pictures that mom's students drew for him. Once they finished the performance, Colton went home with dad (who also made the trek to watch the first graders) while mom stayed behind for the finale.

Day 264

Colton had his first snow storm today. It was not enough to close down school (although we're still hoping for a delay tomorrow morning), but Colton was excited to see and even taste the white stuff! He was in for another treat once he got home as he got to eat dinner surrounded by his decorated Christmas tree. He was clearly happy to be there. See....

Day 263

After spending the night, Colton spent his morning with Meme and Papa. Mom came over around noon to reunite with baby boy (he really missed her) have one last family Hanukkah celebration. Then, it was off to Shorebreak to watch the Steelers. Although they won, Colton was very fidgety all day and was anxious to get home so he could crawl around and pull up. After dinner, mom and dad got to work decorating the Christmas tree while baby boy went to sleep...hopefully he'll be able to be more of a part of it next year:)

Day 262

Colton had a fantastic Saturday. He started the day off by joining mom and dad for breakfast at the Broken Egg. He had a pancake and LOVED it! After breakfast, he was off to find his very first Christmas tree. Mom had grand aspirations of capturing tons of pictures of Colton enjoying the trees, but he had just woken up from a nap and was not very happy about being put down...oh well...he did manage to find the perfect tree to take home, and even got a cookie from the nice ladies at the lot. After taking a short nap at home, Colton was off to the ODU basketball game to cheer on the Monarchs. He became a celebrity after making it onto the big screen for the first time:) After the game, he went home with Meme and Papa to spend the night with them.

Day 261

Colton was very excited to have made it to Friday; he loves Fridays! After spending the day at the babysitter, he joined mom and dad for dinner out at Wild Wing (dad claims Colton really missed the place, but I doubt it).

Day 260

Today was a huge. momentous. exciting (pick any other adjective you want) day for us here at the Hobbs house, and this is why:

You see that? That's Colton holding his own bottle and feeding himself! Mom caught a glimpse of him doing this at the babysitter's house and decided to try it for herself when they got home. Lo and behold, baby boy can do it!!! Not only is it a sign of his increasing independence, but it seriously saves us like 30 minutes in the morning, so we are a little excited over here! Yay Colton!

Day 259

Colton was sad to see Hanukkah come to an end tonight. He has really looked forward to opening a present (or more) each night. Tonight, he got his own set of keys to play with so that he can leave mom's alone...hopefully, at least!

Days 257 and 258

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday...Dad was using the laptop to do some work he had to bring home, so mom was unable to get a post in before falling asleep on the couch. Colton would like to make up for it today by showing off a multitude of super cute pictures he has been taking lately. They showcase his two new favorite activities: standing up, EVERYWHERE, but particularly by the back door to look out, and opening Hanukkah presents, especially his new Scout dog from Meme and Papa. He is in love with it already!

Day 255 and 256

Colton had a very busy weekend. On Saturday, he spent the morning running errands and buying Hanukkah gifts with mom. He got tons of compliments everywhere he went (of course!). In the afternoon, his grandmother came to pick him up and take him back to their house for the evening. Mom and dad had the One Hour holiday party to go to, so Colton and Chipper spent the night being babysat! Mom and dad were excited to get home to baby boy Sunday morning. With the freezing cold temperatures and the Steelers game not on until late, Colton spent the day hanging out and relaxing with his family. He was sure to practice his new skill of standing up (he even managed to do it completely independently for a couple seconds before falling), although he did manage to get his first boo-boo as he hit his cheek on one of our tables (you can see it in the bottom picture).Before going to bed, he lit the menorrah and opened a really fun Steelers book from Meme and Papa and a shirt from mom and dad.

Day 254

Wow! What a fun and exciting day Colton had. First, he got to leave the babysitter's house early to go home and spend the afternoon helping mom get ready for the Vodka and Latkes party. Luckily, he was a very kind little boy, and slept for a good part of the time, leaving mom able to make the food and set up. When he woke up, mom's friend Mary came over to help make food, feed Colton, and play with him. Soon, all of Colton's friends and family started coming, and he had a great time sharing the traditions of Hanukkah with all of them. Some were really nice and even brought him presents to open, along with Meme and Papa's gift for the night and Papa Sr.'s presents...can you say one spoiled little boy??? Colton was having a blast, though, and even stayed up until 9:30 taking in all the partying.

Day 253

Hanukkah is in full swing here at the Hobbs residence. Although Colton had to rush home from dinner to quickly get his bath and menorrah lighting in tonight, he really enjoyed the whole Hanukkah experience! He got to open a "laptop" from mom and dad, a musical fish bowl from Meme and Papa, and a Steelers winter hat from Papa Sr. (well, technically he opened that before the menorrah lighting, but still!) which will come in handy as the temperatures around here continue to be brisk.

Day 252

After an uneventful day at the babysitter's house (thank goodness!), Colton rushed home with mom so he could get ready for his first ODU basketball game. Even though the game did not even tip off until after his bedtime, Colton was a trooper for the whole thing, not fussing the entire time. He actually seemed to really enjoy the game, especially the "Ice Cream and Cake" song which he danced proudly to!