Our big boy is 7 months!!

Seven months! That's right, 7 months. Colton is growing by the day and is getting cuter by the minute. :)

Colton is now weighing in around 18 pounds, and is approximately 27 inches long. He's pretty roly-poly, although statistically, he's right on track. He is getting very talkative, with lots of squeals, shrieks, coos, and babble including ma ma, da da, ba ba, and when he's tired or upset, he moans mmmmmmm. He likes to bang his toys (typical boy), and is very good at picking up small objects, switching them back and forth between hands, and still puts about everything in his mouth. We can't tell if he'll be a lefty or righty just yet. He is THIS close to crawling, he gets up on all fours and rocks, and reaches for toys or people he wants to get to, but usually ends up on his tummy-- which makes him mad. He can play independently really well, although he has been a little clingy to Momma in the past week. He doesn't have any teeth popping through just yet, but we can see white dots come and go on his gums, although I can't feel a thing. He's been clingy and whiny more the past 2 weeks, so I'm hoping that is due to teeth getting ready to emerge. That will sure change his looks when he has toofers in there!!! It's only a matter of time!! He sure does have strong jaws though, when he pulls your finger or knuckle into his mouth, he can sure clamp down!

Colton loves being with family and friends. You should see the smiles that appear when brothers and sister come in the door! He likes playing with his cousins and is recognizing them, as well as grandparents, aunts and uncles, besides Mommy and Daddy. He also loves being outdoors. It is a rarity that he's fussy when we're outside. He likes taking walks and swinging. He's intrigued by the dogs, too. :)

Our little guy is still deciding if he's really into this eating thing! I think he realizes that nursing is easier and faster, but he's been pretty good at trying new things in the past month. So far, he's had avocado (yuck), sweet potato (yum), pear (yum), carrot (yum), banana (his favorite), grapes (in a handy "nuby" holder-yum), and mango (yum). Next up are green beans and peas, then maybe squash and apple. It's fun introducing new foods but it sure takes a while when you can only add one at a time every 4 days in order to watch for allergies! He has had no problems thus far. Some days are just better than others when it comes to eating. He rarely will eat food at breakfast time-- I usually end up throwing most of it away. Lunch is usually so so, and dinner is by far the best time for him to eat. He seems more interested, enjoys it more, and stays focused longer. We just keep on tryin'!

Colton seems to be getting the sleep thing down a little better too! At the beginning of April, he FINALLY slept through the night-- once. :0) He slept for over 7 hours, although I woke about 5am wondering why I hadn't heard him, or if he'd cried and I'd slept through it! ha! He has recently been sleeping between 4-6 hours regularly. He goes to bed between 7-7:30 on a regular basis (occasionally a little later if we're out and about), and wakes up between 10-11pm for the last feeding of the night. He nurses, goes right back to sleep and then usually sleeps until 3-5am. I sometimes bring him down to our room at the 4-5am hour and let him nurse/sleep with us until he wakes up between 6-7am. He is still the happiest in the morning-- just like Daddy. :0) He squeals, talks, coos and babbles the most when he first wakes. He's still napping 3 times a day-- 9am, noon and 3pm, usually for 40-60 minutes. However, today was unusual-- he took a 2 1/2 hour nap!!! It was marvelous! He's either having a growth spurt, or getting teeth! Regardless, it was a nice break for Momma. We're hoping he keeps sleeping longer and longer-- I won't know what to do with a consistent week of 7-hour-of-sleep-nights!

At 28 weeks, Colton was dedicated at our church. We were fortunate to have a lot of family there to support us and see our little guy. My aunt and grandma were here from Nebraska, so it was great for them to be able to attend, as well as my family, Bryan's family and a few of our close friends. Colton did well, didn't spit up or cry, and was as cute as could be. It was a special day.

We are cruising right along with our normal, everyday lives. It seems as though a lot of Colton's
"firsts" came last month, and now we are settled into routine. We are continuing with swim class for a few more weeks. Then, we'll only have a month before our neighborhood pool opens. I think I'll take Colton to the pool at the Y or the OC in Ozark a couple of times in May so he can practice his skills. :0) He loves the water! We attend Bible study at our church on Wednesday mornings. It's nice to see girlfriends and study God's word together. Colton usually naps there as it falls right during his morning nap. So far, so good.

We are getting ready to change things up a bit, as Bryan is headed back to work on April 27th until June 27th. We are sad to think about it, but Daddy's gotta bring home the bacon! ha. He is not looking forward to missing out on Colton at this stage-- he's doing so much and learning every day. BUT, we're thankful for Skype and being able to literally see each other nearly everyday. We're hoping the big kids can still come over fairly often to hang out and spend time together. I'm not looking forward to a big quiet house, but am looking forward to a smaller grocery bill! ha!!

In other news, Bryan's gym, CrossFit of the Ozarks is going well. We are training a few people to help run it while he's gone. I am actually learning the ropes, too, so I can help out. My sister Jenn and her hubby Rob are active at the gym also, and are going to be a great help. We hope to maintain the current clientele and grow some while Bryan's gone. If you're local, come check us out! :0) www.crossfitoftheozarks.com

Colton and I don't have any set plans for May and June but I am hoping we'll take some kind of little trip or getaway. Not sure if that will be Nebraska, or elsewhere, but having something to look forward to is always nice. We will have some company right after Daddy leaves. My girlfriend from high school, Liz, is coming for a long weekend to see me and my sisters. We got reconnected on FB and she's leaving her 4 kiddos and heading down from Ohio for some girl time! That will be fun.

Well, I've been attempting to post pics for the past 45 minutes with no success. SO, I'll shoot this out and try again tomorrow! I KNOW that's what you look forward to! :0) I hope the issue is resolved tomorrow.

G'nite!!