Banana Punch and BabyCakes

Our sweet cousin, Chase, turned one whole year on April 22 and we got to celebrate with him. He is an amazing little man....born 2 months early. He has the strongest will and absolute determination and has inspired me more than I can ever put into words. Chase has a condition called Chondroplasia Punctata. When odds were not in his favor, he beat them. Having him in our lives is the biggest blessing and joy.

Greta sang happy birthday to him several times. He was confined to his jumperoo and forced to listen to every rendition. Jack has an absolute attraction to Chase and can not keep his hands off of him! They jump insync and blow bubbles and raspberries. I can't wait to see them as little friends running in the grass and playing with worms and stuff.

It was so great to see family and friends. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze and trees blooming around us. Katie served banana punch and baby cakes and Greta was in Heaven for it. By the end of the party, we made our presence known in true Colling style....Greta was naked and Jack threw up on his sweater. Rock on!

Look at Me!

My feet may be big, but my carbon footprint is tiny! This is Jack at about 7 months scootin' around in his bumgenius cloth diapers. They are so cozy on his tushy! Jack seems to really like them...see his sexy pose? Jack also says 2 little thumbs up to homemade organic baby food...bananas and breast milk is a favorite! What a wonderful world!

Happy to be here

We are just a few days short of 7 months old. Jack is very happy to be here. He is taking on the world, and believe me when I tell you that there is no holding him back. He is crawling with lightning speed and pulls up on everything. I find that he has this insatiable need to explore and examine everything in his sight. He wears me out, but when I see that smile I can't help but feel happy, too.

Greta has a new friendship blossoming with our neighbor, Caitlin. She is 3 months younger than Greta and such a spitfire! We are really going to have a fun summer and are planning weekly trips to the zoo and farmstead with her. Potty training is going very well. We have been using EC (Elimination Communication) for about a year now, so Greta is really good at knowing when she needs to go and telling me so. It makes her laugh to hear, "tinkle tinkle". What a hoot.

Greta has the sweetest spirit. Last Friday we took my dad to the Veteran's Home in Warrensburg, MO to see if it would be a good fit for him and his healthcare needs. Greta sat on Papa's lap in the wheelchair the whole time we were there, through the whole tour. She sat so still and was so quiet. She laid her head on his arm and even started sliding between his legs, but still didn't move. Another grandpa at the home gave Greta a little pack of M&Ms and she held them in her hand the whole time up and away from her body like she was amazed to see them. It made me feel so happy to see those two together. Greta and Papa are quite a pair. So, when my dad is ready to stay at the Veteran's home, I think there will be a lot of happy grandpa's there to see Greta, and I think her heart is already big enough to share her love and compassion. And Jack will share all of his big smiles!

A big day for Gigi

I went peepee in the potty!

Dinner out on Friday

So, getting out on a Friday night is nothing like it used to be for us. It usually takes a few diaper changes to get perfectly ready to jump into the car...or somebody spits up on me or himself, or both. We have to find Niney the blanket, a cup of milk, and a binkey or two for Jack. But, on Friday night, we did it and had a great time seeing our old friend, Cohen and his parents, Tara and Jason. We met at our favorite kid friendly restaurant in Leawood, Ingredient. The ice rink they had in the winter was down and the sod was laid with the deck chairs all around. We took a blanket and made ourselves at home. After eating dinner we walked over and picked out a few flavors of gelato. Banana and toffee, and caramel with sea salt were my favorites. Greta and I shared and Jack played in the grass until he fell asleep in my arms. I don't know why yet, but every time we take Jack to a party or dinner with many people, he sleeps. Noise is obviously not an issue for him! Maybe we need to join a late night bowling league or something.

Scratch that. I can see him army crawling down the lane as I type this. He is fast and furious on his little tummy. When he crawls, he makes raspberry noises, too. Greta calls him the choo choo train. Oh my goodness! And, we had to lower his crib mattress as I found Jack standing up in the crib grinning at me right before we left for dinner! How did he do that so early? The baby is in a world of discovery!

Greta is a great role model for him. She couldn't be any sweeter, and it melts my heart every time she sings "Baby Mine" to me. On Easter, we showed her "The Sound of Music" and she was amazed that they were singing "Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens, MAMMA!" These are a few of her favorite things...mine, too!

Peas

Jack is a big fan of eating. Greta is my food model. She tries the baby food first to show Jack how good it is. Even peas were a hit after a few bites!

I have to admit that starting Jack on solids has been a big step for me. I breast fed Greta for 17 months and Jack has been exclusively breast fed up to this point. Breast feeding a baby is such a large commitment, but for me it has been a labor of love. I don't mind the late night nursing when I think about how quickly it will be a blurry memory. It has been such a sweet experience for me and I know that starting solids is the first step to weaning, so I find it a little bit sad. But, only sad for a little while because seeing your baby thrive and try new things is the best part of being a parent...Especially when they delight in something as simple as mushed up peas! So far Jack has tried avocado, bananas, peas and sweet potatoes...And I mixed them all with breast milk because that is the control freak that I am!

Easter

Great Grandpa and Grandma came from Andover to see the kids and bring chocolate bunnies. Poppy and Grandma came from Louisville and spent a long weekend with us. We had spring showers and beautiful sunshine filled days for their visit and had fun at the park with ice cream cones. It was so much fun to dye Easter eggs with Katie and Chris and Chase. I will never forget how excited Jack was to be with Chase! He was really bursting with enthusiasm! Jack couldn't resist touching and bouncing over to Chase. It warms my heart to see them play together. Greta dyed eggs and sang "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". We ate D'Bronx pizza and carrot cake! Greta and I agree that the pink eggs are the prettiest.

Easter morning was just a ball finding eggs with Greta. We ate chocolates all morning and had a hard time saving room for brunch when Grandparents arrived! I made Egg Foo casserole and lemon cakes, cinnamon rolls and had fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and grapes. We had hot coffee and sparkling orange juice. And I put the biggest bows in Greta's hair that I could find!

I missed my parents this year. They were heading up to Mayo Clinic for the care of my Dad. He has Parkinson's Disease and has been suffering. I pray that this Easter brings new life and hope for him the most. I know it will!

Jack

Jack, the realization of motherhood has just dawned on me. There will never be another second of my life that isn't concerned with yours. There will always be a little place in my thoughts dedicated to you and your happiness. Sometimes this big picture is frightening to me in this cold and busy world...So for now I am going to focus on the little things and hold them still for just a moment.