I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

It has been so long since my last post that I can't even remember all that has happened. So here are a few highlights.

Colten eating his first real banana - Now whenever he sees a banana, he gets so excited : >


Colten trying a sippy cup with a bit of juice - He wasn't a fan, of the juice at least. He enjoyed biting on the cup, but he kept spitting out the juice. I guess he is not a fan of the sweetness of fruits. If only there was pea juice...


Colten learned how to climb the stairs a day after his 7 month birthday!

More quick updates: My diabetes is still out of control, so I'm off to see an endocrinologist in early November. I'm still hoping that I can figure out some way to control the disease without meds, but only time will tell...

And the biggest news of all, one of my best friends, Krissy, just had her baby girl, Kayleigh, earlier today!!! We are headed up to meet her and to congratulate the Cruz's tomorrow, and I can't wait!!

A Long Overdue Get-Together!

This weekend Colten finally met Steph, Artie, Avery and Spencer! The Belschner clan made a stop in Campbell on their way back to Fort Wayne, and we couldn't have been happier to have them!! The visit went by so quickly, but we loved every second of it; in fact, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think that we had seen each other in almost a year - since Amy's wedding. Wow - that was too long...But we made up for lost time and the kids had so much fun together. Of course the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if Beth and Dave were in town too. But don't worry Beth, Steph and I were already trying to coordinate our trip to South Carolina this summer...Ready or not, here we come : >
We spent the day just hanging out at home, chatting, and watching the kids play. Avery is so beautiful and such a talker too : > We even got to see Avery bust a move to one of her favorite singers on the Disney Channel! And Spencer, what can I say about Spencer? He is so precious and such a great baby; we are so happy that we were able to finally meet him! I don't think that I heard him cry one time all weekend. And I loved getting a chance to feed him too. When he looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes, my heart smiled. And I have no doubt that he will be rolling over any day now; he is so determined.
Of course, we also watched the ND game; Tom and Artie wouldn't miss it for anything. Luckily dinner timed out just right and we were able to eat during half-time. My parents came over (and actually brought dinner - yummy kabobs, salad, cheesy potatoes - thanks so much; it was delicious!) and we all ate and celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday a bit early with an ice cream cake from the DQ (Beth, we totally thought of you!) Dinner sure was entertaining too. Colten "talked" the whole time, Spencer played in his bouncy chair and "talked" to his bunny, and we even got to witness on of Avery's tantrums. I was beginning to think Steph was exaggerating because we had never seen an unpleasant side of Avery, but after being woken up from her nap, Avery was not a happy girl. As my mom and dad said, she really has a set of lungs on her : > Steph and Artie both do an amazing job with Avery and Spencer though. And in a few years, I'm sure that I will be calling on Steph for advice when Colten throws a fit. So I hope you have it figured out by then, Steph; I'm counting on you : >
I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how the night would go, but everything turned out better than I could have ever imagined. I knew that Avery and Spencer are good sleepers, but Colten is another story and I was really worried that his crying would wake up Avery and Spencer. But my little boy made me so proud. He fell asleep so easily despite the cheering for ND and he slept until 5:30 am. But it doesn't end there. He played in his crib for about an hour, turning the camera so that I could no longer see him, and then he went back to sleep until after 7am! I love Colten so much!

With everyone well rested and fed, the kids played a bit more and we snapped pictures incessantly until the Belschner's pulled out just after 9am...At least we somewhat have a plan for our next get-together. Onward to South Carolina!

By the way Steph, I'll get the pictures to you; just give me a little time; I'm lucky I got my blog updated today : >

Avery blowing out her candles

Colten and Spencer - checking each other out

The Boys!

A group photo - finally everyone is looking!

Colten seems interested in Avery's sippy cup; maybe it's time we try one too!

I love this photo of Spencer!


Playtime!

Fruits and a First

The McCutcheon household was pretty uneventful this past week. Just more the the same - very little sleep : > Colten did start fruits last week though. I was so excited to introduce these to him, but to my surprise, he did not share my excitement. We started with pears, but Colten did not like them. He ate most of it but made terrible faces after every bite. I thought that he would love the sweetness, but I guess not. He prefers peas much more! Hopefully I can say the same in a year or so : > By then, he'll probably only want the sweet stuff : > Since starting fruit, Colten has already tried applesauce and bananas too. We had much more success with these, but still nothing compares to his greens!
On Monday, September 21st Colten pulled himself up for the first time all by himself! He had been trying for a few weeks but always needed a bit of assistance...not any more! Here are a few pictures of Colten's latest feat.

Happy Half Birthday Colten!

After about a week without a computer, I realize just how much we need them and don't need them! I missed being able to blog and read everyone's blogs but at the same time, it was nice to not have the computer as a distraction. But don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have my computer up and running again so I can stay connected to everyone : >

While I was computerless, Colten turned 6 months old! And after cancellations and rescheudulings, he finally made it to the doctor on Friday for his checkup and shots. He hasn't grown too much since his last appointment, weighing in at 19 lbs. 6 1/2 oz and measuring 28 1/2 inches. That still puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and 97th percentile for length! Since my parents headed to Columbus to visit Mike over the weekend and since Tom was still working, I had to take Colten to his appointment by myself; I usually prefer support for appointments that involve shots. But Colten was such a trooper. Of course he cried but just a bit until I was able to pick him up. He was so brave : >

On Saturday, the fam geared up in our Browns attire and headed for Colten's 6 month pictures. My goal was to get pictures in our Quinn jerseys and then change Colten into his fall sweater vest (thanks Uncle Mike!). After changing Colten into his sweater and getting the barn and pumpkin scene set, Colten had other plans - crying. He would have looked so cute in the barn scene because the colors matched perfectly, but even after walking around the mall and returning, Colten wanted nothing to do with pictures anymore and instead fell asleep on Daddy. We got some great shots with the Brown's gear though so I guess I would have just spent more money had we taken the fall pictures too...(Can you tell I'm just trying to make myself feel better about missing out on that barn scene? It was just soo cute).

Here are some of our favorite photos from the studio. I'll post more from the week once I upload them from my camera and from my moms. Until then, enjoy these!

This is the only barn picture we got!

I love this picture because it was a natural moment that they captured.

"Go Browns!"

Colten wasn't really into smiling that afternoon, but I think that he has his game face on!

More Firsts and More Stress

Colten is soon to be 6 months old already and I can hardly believe it. He changes so much everyday and seems to be hitting firsts all the time. I can't wait for his doctor's appointment on the 15th so I can find out just how much he weighs and how long he is. He has been wearing 12 month clothes for some time now, mostly because of his length. We had some cool nights in the 40's a few weeks ago and I quickly realized that I did not have any sleepers for him; he had been sleeping in onesies since it has been warm. So off to the store I went, purchasing 2 sleepers from Babys R Us and 3 from Children's Place - all 12 months. Luckily I had Colten try them on before washing them because he could not straighten his legs in any of them...Back to the store I went to exchange them for 18 months...My sweet baby boy is growing up too quickly. Here are some pictures highlighting Colten's new pursuits : >

"Forget crawling, I'm ready to stand!"

Colten has really been trying to stand. He especially likes to try and pull himself up on my mom's couches (they are lower than mine so it's easier for him).

"Now I can sit-up unassisted!"

My first ride in a buggy at Target! I'm a big boy now!


My heart melts when Colten reaches out for me like this!

We went to visit Aunt Tunny, Karol and Jerry. Colten loved Aunt Tunny and let her hold him almost the whole time!


We spent Sunday celebrating Labor Day at Aunt Amanda and Uncle Marc's.

Colten attended his first Canfield Fair on Saturday, September 5th. Unfortunately he cried almost the entire time from being overly tired. I had hoped that he would enjoy riding in his stroller and looking at all of the activity and animals, but he just cried, refusing to sleep. So to keep him happy, Tom and I took turns carrying him around the fair and pushing the stroller with our stuff in it. Maybe next year he'll as excited about the fair as we are : >

Colten in his new blow-up duck tub. Since he sits up more now, I wanted him to have something more cushiony around him. He is even starting to splash and play in the water!

Now that I'm done bragging about my son : > I'll move on to some news about me...

I'm still having some difficulty adjusting to being back in school. I don't have a difficult time dropping Colten off in the morning anymore, and I am enjoying being back in the classroom, but I cannot seem to find a balance once I come home at night. After waking up at 4:40am, I don't stop until close to 9pm and I have yet to grade any papers this year. Once those start rolling in, I can only imagine my schedule. I don't want to seem like a complainer, but I honestly do not know how other women balance this and I am so frustrated with myself for not being able to find a comfortable routine. Colten did sleep through the night for the first time on Wednesday night, but that was after two nights of having me up since 3am and 1:30am. Needless to say, I am exhausted...To make matters even worse, my diabetes has been more out of control as well with readings ranging from 114-134. I know that those numbers are not terribly bad, but they are for me and I have been having a really hard time dealing with it. In fact, it feels like I am going through everything all over again. I work so hard at keeping my numbers under control with my diet and I exercise everyday, and I mean everyday no matter how exhausted I am. When I was seeing results, it was somewhat easy to accept my lifestyle, but now not so much. Instead I find myself battling my body once again only this time I am losing...I want more than anything to control this disease on my own, but I am afraid I might not be able to this time and that scares me. Why can't I just live normally, even for a day? Why can't I order a pizza and enjoy it with Tom while we watch a ND or Browns game? Why can't I skip a day of exercising? Why can't I enjoy a piece of bread or a side of pasta? For some reason, God has given me this challenge. For the first time in a while, I wonder if I am up for it...
Through all of this Tom has been my rock and my parents angels on earth. I cannot thank any of them enough for their support and help.


"As with so many things in life, success depends upon building a system, remaining flexible, using a bit of imagination, and keeping your sense of humor intact" - editor of Real Simple

Long Overdue Updates

Sorry that I have been MIA lately. Not only have I neglected my blog, but I also have not had time to read anyone's posts. I'll try to get to them this weekend, but time has totally gotten away from me as I prepare for another school year and spend every second that I can with Colten before the official start to the year. Technically I guess we already started; we had two teacher report days this past week, so Colten spent those days with my mom just as he will all year. Both Colten and my mom were just fine, but I cried both days, when I left (sad tears) and when I returned (happy tears). I'm sure that it will get easier, but I have such a difficult time being away from him; however, I have to admit that I am excited about the upcoming school year, too! The teacher days put me in school mode again, and it was so great to see my colleagues. School officially begins on Monday, and I'm sure that I will cry that morning as well. But I'm excited to meet my new students, too! I'll keep you posted. Right now my biggest source of anxiety is that I don't have a routine, and I'm not sure how I will ever get any schoolwork done at home. The teacher report days only reinforced this. I woke up at 4:50am, got ready for school and headed out for the day. By 3-3:30 I was home and feeding Colten. Then we played and ate dinner (thanks to my mom!). By this time, Colten was ready for his nighttime routine (a bath, dinner, and sleep). So by 7:30-8pm, I was working out and then packed the lunches and got everything ready for the next day. Needless to say, I went to bed after that. So my question remains: how will I ever fit schoolwork in to that schedule??? That completely stresses me out! I know that millions of other mothers have figured it out, so I guess I will too; I just hope that it is sooner rather than later.

Okay - enough of me stressing and complaining. Let's talk about Colten. . . He's had lots of firsts since my last post including eating squash (we are on to carrots on Saturday), eating in his highchair, riding in his stroller without the carrier, and CRAWLING! As you guys know, I was so worried that I would miss the first time that he crawled, but I didn't! He crawled for the first time on Thursday, August 27th, but he waited for me to come home from school. After I was done feeding him, we were playing on the floor. I moved across the room and called for him to come to me. Usually, he would try to crawl but then fall. This time he made it the whole way!!! And my mom swears that he didn't do that earlier in the day so I believe her. It meant so much to me to see him reach this milestone. So maybe those of you were right who said that I wouldn't miss anything even once I returned to work : >

Enjoy the pictures that follow!

Colten's first meal in his highchair (08-20-2009)

A family walk and Colten's first time sitting in his stroller like a big boy! (08-23-2009)

Colten crawling over to check out Lady's toy (08-28-2009)

Posing for Mommy!

Time to drop the crib mattress! (08-28-2009)
Colten loves to peek over the crib to see what Mommy is doing - pumping!Almost sitting up! (08-28-2009)

Go Green!

Colten is eating vegetables! On Sunday, August 9th we started him on green beans. After making some "what the heck is this" faces and after letting it run out of his mouth, Colten finally enjoyed himself. Now after six days of green beans, we just started peas. So far he seems to be enjoying the peas even more. He ate them so willingly; I was surprised but happily : > After this we are off to the yellow veggies like squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I read that too much yellow can cause a baby's skin to have an orange tint. Is this true? How do you avoid it? Should I alternate yellow with beans or peas? As usual, I welcome your tried and true advice : >


Yay! Colten turned 5 months old on Friday! I can't believe how quickly time is going and how much Colten has grown both physically and developmentally in just a short time. In fact, he is soooo close to crawling too. I'll keep you posted. Right now he can only support himself for a short distance. I hope I get to see him scooting around before I head back to school. Anyway, to celebrate his 5 month birthday, Colten shopped with Mommy and Grandma at the mall and Target. The photo below shows us before our day on the town.

And now for my million dollar question. . . (any and all advice is welcome and needed)! Why won't Colten sleep???? Don't get me wrong, he is sleeping somewhat, and he is in his crib; but he does not sleep for sustained periods of time, even at night. I know that you are supposed to do something different at night than during the day so babies know that they are not just going down for a nap (even though he barely naps too - but that's another issue), and I do this. Every night Colten gets his bath, I feed him (breast milk, veggies, breast milk), and then I put him to sleep. This goes better some nights than others, but for the most part it goes well, and he is asleep between 7:30-8:00 pm. For a while, he was sleeping until about midnight. Then I would feed him and put him back down until between 6-7 am. This was heaven, but it only lasted a few days. Now I have two problems -
#1. Colten wakes up by 10pm to eat, then again around 3, and again by 6 or 7. I have tried to simply put him back to bed, but he won't stop crying until he eats. Can he really be that hungry? How will this work once school starts? (especially because...see #2)
#2. After the middle of the night feedings, Colten will not go back to sleep. He is often up for about 2 hours after each feeding, meaning I am up too. I'm not always in his room, but I am still not sleeping as he plays and/or cries causing me to make multiple trips back to his room to reposition him, to give him his pacifier, to clean spit-up, to sooth him. . .

So if anyone has any advice for either problem or even just words of encouragement if you already went through it, I'd appreciate the help and/or support. I just don't know why he seems to have reverted when it appeared that we were making such good progress.

I'll end with a moment of reflection - Tom's buddy Joe stopped by the other day and while holding Colten asked us, "So is having a baby as hard as everyone says it is?" Simultaneously I replied "yes" while Tom said "no." WHAT!?! (It turned out that we interpreted the question differently, but it gave me something to think about).

In some ways it is not "hard." By that I mean that the love we have for Colten transcends all love, making everything, even the hardest of days, worth it. Colten is easy to love and has even strengthened the bond that Tom and I share in ways I never thought possible. And in some ways, parenting is not "hard." By this I mean that although I do not claim to really know what I am doing, a lot has come more naturally than I expected. One of my biggest worries when I was pregnant was that I just wouldn't know what to do and that I wouldn't have those motherly inclinations. But I do. . . at least sometimes : > As you can tell from issues with Colten's sleeping (or lack thereof), I don't always know what to do, but I do know that I am doing the best I can. Colten is happy and loved and growing everyday in ways I could never imagine.

But to answer Joe's question truthfully, yes, having a baby is hard - the best kind of hard but hard nevertheless. Those sleepless nights, those cries that seem to never end, the loss of "me time", the redefining of a relationship that once only included two people, the chores that never end and often go undone. . .But then Colten smiles at me, reaches for my hand, squeals in delight as I kiss his belly, peacefully rests (even if it is just for 20 minutes), accomplishes another first, or simply nurses at my breast and I melt. So while there is so much that is hard about being a parent, there is even more joy.