My two babies

Happy 1st Birthday, Colton!

I can't believe that the little guy is one already.  Time flies.  Our poor second child did not get the same type of party that we had for Eden, but we had a small gathering for him with friends and neighbors.  Colton had a pretty good time and ate some yummy carrot birthday cake.

On his first birthday, here are some Colton stats:

Height:  30.5 inches (75%)
Weight:  22 lbs 14 oz (50%)
Head:  19.25 inches (90%)

He is bigger than Eden was at one year on all counts.

Here are some fun facts about Colton:

Favorite food: Avocados.  Colton loves food and will eat basically anything that you put in front of him.  He also loves goldfish.
Least favorite food: Bananas.  I thought that all kids love bananas, but neither of mine like them.
Favorite activity: Crawling, climbing, standing, banging, yelling.  Colton is a lot more physical than Eden.  He always wants to be on the go and doesn't like to be held or put in the walker anymore.
Favorite TV show: Colton doesn't really understand the TV yet.  He likes to look at the pictures, but he's not too interested in shows or characters.
Funniest trick: Likes to feed mommy and daddy, and pretends to feed us and pulls away the food at the last second (which he finds very funny).
Spoken words: Not a lot of words at this point.  He says Mama, Dada, Rula, poop and uh-oh.
 
Colton is a typical boy.  He is all about making loud noises, being vocal, and going fast.  He is also super strong.  He's got a lot of boy energy and doesn't like to be still.

Colton also has a bit of a temper and gets really mad when you take something away from him or if you try to feed him.  He throws himself back, arches his back, and cries.  Oh, crying...Colton can go from zero to tears in about 5 seconds.  It's pretty amazing -- wish I could do that!

He shows more independence than Eden at this age.  He absolutely will not let you feed him.  He wants to feed himself, to drink by himself from a sippy cup, and to try and get around by himself.

Colton still gets the hiccups when he laughs too hard (he's done this since he was a little baby).  He has a really funny laugh and can get on a roll fairly easily.

He likes Eden from afar.  He seems to think that she's pretty funny, but he starts to cry if she gets too close.  I think that he's had it with being sat on, choked, dragged around, hit, etc.

As for eating and sleeping, Colton is a great eater and napper (Eden was never either one of these things).  He still naps twice per day for 1-2 hours each nap, which usually means that he won't go to bed until 9-9:30.  We can't wait until he gets onto one nap per day so that he goes to bed earlier at night.

Colton is not walking yet.  He's very good at crawling (fast!) and can stand up on his own, but is probably a couple of months away from walking.

Overall, Colton is a very sweet little guy.  He likes to laugh, has a sense of humor, is fairly easy going, and can also be a little shy at times.  He is all boy.

Here are some pictures from his birthday party:

10 Funny and Cute Things that Eden Does to Make Us Laugh and Smile

1. Eden has assigned a favorite color to each of us:  yellow to Eden, blue to Colton, green to Rachel, and orange to Markham.  (By the way, orange is not Markham's favorite color and we're not sure how she came up with this.)  She is adamant about our colors and will not let us share them.  For a while, she asked Markham every day if he likes orange.  Recently, she started letting Markham like yellow and green because they are Oakland A's colors.
2. She loves baseball and says that it's her "favorite."  She chants "Let's go Oakland!" and she even knows some of the players' names (which makes Markham very happy).
3. Recently, Eden has been starting her sentences with "Well, ..."  This is very funny to hear.  Sometimes, she puts her finger to her mouth as if thinking about she wants to say while she says "Hmmm..."  Very cute.
4. At bedtime, when we're lying together in her bed, she says "you're my favorite mommy," and "you're my best mommy."  Then she kisses me goodnight.  So sweet.
5. Eden is super competitive and independent.  Everything is a race or competition (she has to win), and she has to do everything by herself.
6. Eden is really into shoes, clothes and accessories.  She loves trying on different shoes, and often says things like, "Ooh, I love your shoes, Mommy!" or "I love your shirt!"  Gee, thanks, Eden. 
7. If I seem concerned about something, she'll often come over to me, put her arm around me and say, "It's okay, Mommy.  Don't worry."
8. She looks out for Colton.  She tries to make him laugh if he's upset.  She is always on the look out for choking hazards and says stuff like:  " You can't have this toy, Colton.  You might choke on it."
9. Eden likes to yell out "Markham!" or "Rachel!" when she's trying to get our attention.
10. Eden speaks in very complete sentences:  "Yes, Daddy, I would like to go out to the garden to pick tomatoes." 

Overall, Eden is a loving, funny, happy goofball!  She brightens our every day.

Love this one!

This one is my favorite.

Colton Laughing

Colton has the absolute best laugh.  He truly laughs with all of his heart.  Here he is cracking up at a diaper being thrown at him. 

My Little Man

I love this little guy.  I can't get enough of him.

Colton's 9 month Check Up

Colton did well at his nine month appointment.  No major concerns or issues.  The little guy is doing well.  He rate of weight gain seemed to have slowed down since his last appointment.  Maybe it's because he's moving around more these days.  Here are his stats:

Height:  28 1/2 inches (50%)
Weight:  21lbs 2oz (50%)
Head:  18 1/2 inches (90%)

Colton is a big guy.  He weighs almost two pounds more than Eden at this age.  One thing is for sure, he likes to eat.  His favorite food is oatmeal.  He pretty much likes everything else that we feed him, too.  Markham has been making a lot of pureed foods for him (veggies and chicken), and he eats it all up.  He loves his milk, too.

He's a really easy baby.  He's pretty happy no matter what, except for those times when he is hungry or tired.  He loves being held by mama.  He's a good sleeper, too.  He takes 1-2 hour naps (the opposite of Eden), and he sleeps the entire night (7-8pm to 6-7am).  He's always ready to give a smile or a laugh.  Eden always cracks him up.

Colton doesn't know too many words yet.  He knows Mama and Dada so far.  Eden was definitely more advanced with words and concepts.  Colton likes noise.  He loves music, and he loves to bang things and make loud noises.  He also likes to clap and bang his hands on the table.

As for moving around, he can't quite crawl yet.  He's trying, mostly by doing this move that I like to call "the butt dance" where he lies on his stomach and shakes his legs.  It's funny.  He pushes himself up on his hands, but not much else going on.  Believe me, I am not in any hurry for him to be mobile.

He's a sweet little man and we love this little guy.  Eden absolutely adores him and loves taking care of him. 

Happy Mother's Day

We celebrated Mother's Day with a picnic at a local winery. We had a really nice time, and Eden really enjoyed her first picnic (complete with apple juice in a wine glass for her).

First Horseback Ride

We went to a fair and Eden really wanted to ride the horse, Ben. I thought that she'd be scared of him, but she loved it. She still talks about Ben.

Making Music

Little boy really likes to bang things and make loud noises.  He actually broke one of these metal measuring cups by banging them too hard.  He's a strong little guy.

6 Month Check-Up

Colton had his six month doctor's visit.  Here are his stats:

Height:  26 3/4 (50%)
Weight:  18lbs 10oz (75%)
Head:  18" (90%)

Big heads run in the family, although Eden finally seems to be growing into hers.

Here are the other things that Colton is up to these days:

• He can sit on his own, but not very well.  He topples over fairly easily.  Eden did the same at about this age.
• He hasn't had any solids yet -- just milk.  We are getting ready to give him solids.
• He is not sleeping through the night yet.  Although he can fall asleep on his own, he wakes up at around 5am and wants to be fed.
• Loves bath time.
• Loves to giggle and smile.  Cracks-up when you pretend bite his tummy and thighs.
• He is starting to interact and laugh at Eden.
• Smiles a lot and all around a happy guy!