Meeting Santa

Last night Ryan and I took Kolton to the local mall to meet Santa. It seems pretty silly to take a 6 month old who has no clue what's going on to meet Santa, but we wanted the classic picture. We were very curious to see how Kolton would react and both bet that he would cry (I think because we were both secretly hoping that that was what would happen...I know, harsh, but aren't the crying pictures so funny?). To our surprise, he didn't even fuss. As you can tell by the picture, he wasn't quite sure what was going on or who was holding him, but there was no crying to be heard. We had a hard time getting him to look in the direction of the camera because he wanted to look up at the curious man holding him. When it was time to get him from Santa, the man asked if we really wanted to take him with us because he was enjoying holding such a cute kid that wasn't crying. Here is the picture.....

Yes...I know, Santa's shirt is hideous!! We were one of the first ones in line and as he came in and sat down, he took of his coat and I about died! I went to the mall today and happened to walk by the Santa and he was taking pictures with his coat on!! Should have waited until today!

Rice Cereal

Last night we gave our first attempt at feeding Kolton rice cereal. He wasn't too fond of it and most of what we tried to put in his mouth ended up elsewhere, but we know it will take time! I'm hoping once he gets the hang of eating it, he will sleep better at night.

4 Months

Kolton turned 4 months a week ago and had his check-up yesterday. Here is an update on his growth:

Weight: 15 pounds 2 ounces (50th percentile)

Height: 25 inches (50th percentile)

And they didn't do his head for some reason

So it looks like we have an middle of the pack baby. Everything else was good and he is learning and growing each day. We learn more and more about him everyday and get to see more of his personality shining though. Here are just a few of the things we have learned about Kolton:

LIKES:

**baths--every time I undress him to get in the bath he gets super happy and gets a big smile

on his face when I pick him up to put him in the tub. He could stay in the bath for hours!

**screaming/yelling--he likes to listen to his voice and many times, this means screaming and

yelling. Cute and funny at times...annoying at other times! :)

**his feet--he has found his feet and loves to pull his legs up and grab his toes. Usually he

screams/yells while doing this.

**his stroller and going on walks--just about everyday I take Kolton for a walk in his stroller. He is a very alert little boy and loves to just "chill" in his stroller and look around.

**drooling and spitting up---not the funnest thing!

**standing--he would much rather stand then sit.

**his mommy--I think he might be a mommas boy! :) Not that I'm trying to influence it!

DISLIKES:

**naps--we have had trouble with naps for awhile now, but he has now realized that when we walk into his room and turn off the lights, it's time for a nap, so he starts crying the minute

we walk in!

**his car seat/car--he has gotten much better within the last few weeks, and in fact, will fall

asleep in it. This is a big change from crying as soon as we left the driveway!

**loud/sudden noises or people crowding around him--Kolton is a sensitive little guy. Being

the only child in a somewhat quiet house with quiet parents, he hasn't been around loud

noises or big crowds a ton. When he is, he often makes this pouty face that is the cutest

and saddest thing or he will get scared and cry.

**being on his tummy for long--he can usually only last a couple of minutes before he starts crying. He can roll over onto his back, although it is a rare trick for him. And that won't happen if he gets upset while on his tummy.

Kolton's First Halloween

This year was Kolton's first Halloween (duh...). We dressed him up as a panda. Here's the story behind our decision to make him a panda....Ryan was a panda when he was a little kid and his family always talks about the picture they have of that Halloween. There have been many laughs around that picture and of Ryan as a panda. So Jason and Tiana (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) came across this costume before Kolton was born and had to get it for him so he could be like his daddy :) It is the cutest panda costume! It has been sitting in his closet for many months and last night he was FINALLY able to wear it!

A little blurry...he wouldn't stop moving...he was excited! :)

ALL smiles :)

So once he was ready, we took him out trick-or-treating. And let's just say that it is quite awkward and embarrassing knocking on doors and asking for candy when my child obviously cannot eat any of it!! We ended up following a few other kids so that it wouldn't be quite so weird, but that didn't really work. It was a good thing Kolton got tired after about 5 houses and didn't really care because we were happy to be done!

Ready to go home!

Mountains and Pumpkins

Last saturday was a fun filled day. We took Kolton up to the mountains for the first time. We didn't go too far up, but it was still a nice trip. It still amazes me that we live so close to the mountains, but are only able to see them a few days a year since the smog is so bad here. All in all it was very relaxing.

car ride up

Daddy and Kolton

Smiley baby

When we got home, I thought it would be fun to paint our pumpkins (I decided to paint instead of carve them because I thought it would be more fun to do with Kolton). Kolton didn't know what was going on...I mean he's only 4 months....what was I thinking? Despite the mess and need for a bath afterwards, it was a fun time.

Getting ready..not quite sure what's going on

Here we go!

First mishap...

Second mishap...

Working so hard!

Ok, getting bored...15 seconds later :)

Tired after a long day!

Pumpkin Patch

A couple weeks ago we took Kolton to his first pumpkin patch. He had a great time and was pooped by the time we left.

Kolton and Mommy

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with Kolton this year. I LOVE it!! There are days where I miss teaching and working, especially the social part of it, and think it would be a whole lot easier then being home, but I would not trade it for anything. I love being able to see Kolton grow and develop...from rolling from his tummy to his back to learning to grab toys and stick them in his mouth to the giggles. Being a mommy is wonderful and amazing!

One of the things we enjoy doing during the day is going for walks to the park:

3 Months

Here's some pictures of Kolton at 3 months...

Kolton's Blessing

On September 13th, Kolton was blessed by Ryan. Being as this is our first child, we were both pretty nervous. You want it to be special and even though you know it will, it is still nerve-racking, especially for the father. Despite our nerves, the blessing was perfect and the spirit was very strong. Ryan did a wonderful job, knees shaking and all. :) I am so grateful for a husband who holds the priesthood. Kolton also did a great job... was awake for it and didn't fuss or cry at all. It is a day that I will remember!

We were surrounded by loving family and friends for Kolton's big day. My parents and brother flew in for the weekend. I LOVE when I get to spend time with my family.

Catch Up Time

Well I have decided I'm not a very good blogger since it has been about 2 months since my last post. I thought I would play catch up on what our little family has been up to lately. Enjoy!

2 month check-up

The other day I took Kolton to his 2 month check-up and here are the results:

Weight: 12 pounds 4 ounces

Height: 23 inches

Head: I forgot it....I know, bad!

Along with the general check-up, Kolton also received his round of shots. He received 3 shots and yes, he did cry. Poor little guy. He had no clue what was coming that day. Even though he cried, he calmed down shortly after. I keep telling myself that I was allowing my son to be in pain only for his benefit...right?

So Kolton is definitely a thriving stud. He has had no trouble gaining weight, that's for sure! His cute little thighs are getting pretty chubby! Lately, he has found his hand and at times would rather suck on his hand than his pacifier (we might have a thumb sucker in the future...). We are still working on nap times. He wakes up within 30 minutes after I put him down, without fail and no matter how tired he is. It has been very frustrating trying to get him to take a good solid nap without being held. But we are making some progress (just slowly). I can't complain too much because he does great at night.

I can't believe it has been 2 months since Kolton joined our family. We love him very much!!

his cute little smile (and dimple)

on his 2 month birthday

what a stud!

A few facts about Kolton

Since Kolton is 6 weeks old, I thought I would share a few facts about him:

1) He is a grunter!!!  The first 2 weeks after he was born he rarely cried...just grunted.   At times it can be really funny and cute, but at 2:00 in the morning, it's not too funny!!

2) He LOVES ceiling fans, especially the one in our living room.  In fact, in the picture of him smiling below he is looking up at the fan.  We are still trying to teach him to smile when he sees mommy or daddy....right now he just smiles at his best friend...the fan.  One day I'll get my smile!

3) He's not a big fan of soda, which is a big bummer for me.  I'm going through withdrawals...

4) He is colic.  Because of this, Ryan and I have not eaten dinner together for the past 3 weeks.  It is the worst thing to have your child screaming and act like he's in a ton of pain and there's nothing you can do about it.  One thing he does like during his colic episodes is to sit in his bouncer on top of the dryer.

5) When Kolton was born, he had the funny ability to bend his foot to touch his shin.  It was the funniest thing ever!  You can kindof see it in this picture...

6) Kolton came out with his hand by his face and to this day he loves to sleep with his hands up by his face.  

7)  When Kolton is awake, he loves to be facing forward to look around.  This is how we walk around the house when he's awake:

8)  He's not a big fan of his swing, but hopefully one day he will enjoy it more...that will give me a little break! 

9)  He is a great baby and we are very lucky that he chose us to be his parents.  I can't believe how quickly he has already grown!!!