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Guest Post - Colt Wallace

My mommy has been so busy this week that she has not even had time to tell you about my first birthday party! I wanted to help her out so I offered to write it for her ... who better to write about my party than me, Colt Wallace.

I woke up early last Saturday morning because I was too excited to sleep! Mommy came and got me out of my crib and took me downstairs for breakfast. When she sat me in my seat I realized that everything looked really different. There were so many new things to see.

I had asked that we have a construction party since my head has been "under construction" for the last 6 months. So, there was a dump truck in the middle of the table, construction hats on the hutch, balloons everywhere and caution tap all over the doors and light fixtures. I was captivated by everything and just sat in my chair to look at it for awhile. There were also extra people down there. My Poppy, Mimi and Pop had all come in, from the airport where they live, to play!

We all sat down and had a fun breakfast and then I got a bath. When I came back downstairs the doorbell rang and it was my friend Savvy Smith. When I welcomed her in I saw that Daddy had put big orange cones with "Happy Birthday" balloons lining both sides of the driveway ... it looked really good. After Savvy came in it seemed like the bell rang kept ringing and all of my friends were there. (Let's see, who all was there ... Addy Green, Kya Muse, Rylan Muse, Brock-olli, Park Prater, Miss Amber, Cornbread, Copper Lee, Maddox Lee and all of the parents that belong to my friends.) We all played on the floor and had the best time. Then, it was time for lunch.

Mommy and Daddy had made brown bag lunches, like a real construction worker would have. The bags had big sub sandwiches, chips, apples and juice (of course, I had a milk because I still need to grow more). After lunch Mommy got something out of the frig, which she called a cake, and everyone started singing to me. Everyone put on their construction party hats and sang "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Colt, Happy birthday to you." Then, the best part of the party happened.

Someone cut the cake and Mommy gave me a piece as big as my head. Oh my, it was so goooooood! It was so good I didn't know what to say, so I just shoved more of the cake into my mouth. In fact, it was so yummy that I wanted my whole face to get in on the fun so I rubbed my hands all over my face and hair ... I could not get enough cake. I kept eating it for almost 10 minutes and loved every second of it. Mommy finally took the plate form my chair and cleaned me off.

I was still interested in the cake and whined a bit when I couldn't have more. But, when we went in the living room we opened presents and that was fun too. I love the paper that gifts come with and liked to show it off after the present was opened. Since it was my first time to open a birthday present, Addy and Kya helped me open them all. I was getting really tired after all of this had happened so all of my friends went home so that I could take a nap.

It was a fun day and I can't wait for the next one ... any idea when that will be? If you see my Mommy, let her know that I would like another party soon so that I can have more cake!

By Leaps and Bounds

Colt learned how to scale the couch tonight! I was impressed and clapped in praise of him. Then I started thinking about the proportions with which Colt was dealing. The couch comes up to his shoulders and he lifted himself off of the ground and up onto it. That would be like me trying to dead lift off of the ground and onto a Honda Accord ... Now that would be a funny site. When you think about it that way, Colt pulling himself onto the couch is very impressive! You go baby boy, you deserve a cookie for that unprompted feat of strength!!!

Times Are Changing

I realized tonight, when I got home from work, how different my life is now that I have a child. Before Colt, my nights looked extremely different. I used to be able to work until I was done and then pick up fast food with Michael on the way home. Or, we could knock off work early and head out on a date for the evening, getting home whenever we were tired.

As it is, we have to leave work by 5:30 so that we can pick up Colt and get home by 6:15. When we get home we head to our specific corners. Michael gets Colt from the car and takes him in to change his diaper from the car ride and inevitable "car ride" poop. He then takes off his clothes in preparation of my end of the corner and distracts him with books.

While Michael is doing those things I am busily unpacking the cooler from FCLC and getting Colt's dinner going. Since he is a growing boy he can't have just anything, it needs to be balanced, colorful and healthy. While Colt's dinner is in the works I am sweeping around the kitchen preparing tomorrow's lunch, cleaning out the diaper bag, replacing the items that were used during the day. Like packing more socks, shoes, pants, shirts, diapers and snacks for the next day's activities.

Once I have finished those things Colt's food is done cooking and ready to be served. I get him seated and fed. While he eats, Michael and I get our food ready to eat. Hopefully this is fast enough that Colt is still eating when we sit down to eat. Once dinner is over, I distract and play with Colt while Michael cleans the kitchen.

This takes us to 7:10, and it is time for a bath. We get upstairs to put Colt in his bath and then to his room for pj's. This takes us to 7:25 and there is just enough time to read 2 books, say our prayers and put Colt to bed.

No longer do we enjoy relaxing evenings or spontanious nights out. Moreoever, we will get up tomorrow and do the whole thing over again ... but I wouldn't change a thing!

Colt needs discipline

Colt has gotten used to his discipline and we are going to have to try something new. His biggest issue is pushing the buttons on the DVR. He loves the little shinny buttons and that they make noise when he pushes them. We are very consistent about saying "no sir" when he gets close and looks like he is going to touch a button. If, after we say "no sir" he turns and touches the button anyway we pop his hand. This has been going on for several weeks and Colt has gotten used to the actions.

Yesterday, he was walking by the DVR and he turned to look at me. I said "no sir" firmly and then watched to see what he would do. Colt turned back to the buttons, looked for a few seconds and then walked past. I was so proud, I got up off the floor to go hug him and tell him what a good job he had done. Before I could get to him he dropped to the ground and clapped for himself ... he was so proud!

I wish I could say that was the end of the story and that I had won a moral victory with Colt; but, unfortunately, that is not the end of the story. After he dropped to the ground he stood back up and went for the buttons. Confident that he would remember the scene that had just ensued, I said "no sir" but stayed seated. He looked at me, turned back to the buttons and pushed the big one in the middle. Before I could scolded him, he stuck his hand out, fingers spread, to receive his hand pop. I followed through, popped his hand, and he did something I was not expecting. He dropped to the ground and clapped for me, as if he was proud of me. I could not believe it.

So, if you have any ideas on how to discipline my 1 year old please let me know!

Where has all the boy stuff gone?

As a mom of a little boy, I constantly find myself asking "where has all of the boy stuff gone?" If you are not a mom or if you are a girl mom, next time you are out shopping walk into any boutique and peruse the layout. You will find that there is a wall with boyish clothes and items, but the rest of the store is stocked with girlie accessories. As a girl, I totally understand the need for lots of accessories! But, when it comes to shopping for my Colt I can't ever find enough "cool" stuff for him. So, I plan to use this section of my blog to post random places to find fun boy things.

As I find things online or around town I will update this posting to let you know where I find things. Likewise, if you find great boy things around town please comment to let others know where to find them! Together, I am confident that we can find where all the boy stuff has gone.

Colt's new seat

Colt got a new car seat today; it is actually well over due. At 31 inches, 27 pounds, Colt has been too long and too big for his current seat for a long time. I don't think that I conscientiously put it off, but I have taken my sweet time getting his "big boy" seat. That all changed today when I tried to put him in the seat after church and the clips would not snap closed. As soon as we got home Colt went to play with Savvy and Michael and I headed out to find his new seat.

Knowing how I am, Michael was prepared for the search. Yes, I am concerned with the safety features, that it was made in the US and that it will be sturdy enough for my little road runner. However, I was most concerned about the color and the cup holders. When we bought the first car seat we wanted it to be generic so that we could share the seats with multiple children, so I wanted the same thing for this one. Since the first seat was sage and chocolate brown I wanted this one to be similar. We had to go several places to find the right brown one that met all of our standards, but we finally found the right one.

When I read the package I realized that this seat is good until he is 100 pounds! 100 pounds! Unreal, I know a few junior high students that could fit in Colt's seat and it made me wonder ... how many students could still be sitting in a booster seat and how long will it take Colt to grow out of it!