Summer time

I have been enjoying my time at home with Colin this summer.  I only work on Wednesdays, and my sister and dad have taken turns watching Colin for me.  I'm excited to start my new job at UIndy in August, but there's a lot to come before then.  I have an awesome opportunity to go to Baltimore in July for UIndy and work in conjunction with our national certification organization.  We're travelling as a family to Pittsburgh at the end of July for my doctorate class.  I'm planning a quick weekend trip to Chicago with my college roommates, and we have family coming to visit in August.  I am so excited to have Colin's cousins here (minus the littlest) and watch them interact with each other differently than Thanksgiving!

Here are some pictures of what Colin has been up to this summer so far:

Started swim lessons through the Parks & Rec department; he loves it (despite what this picture may indicate)

We got a new dryer, and he's entranced by it regularly.

He cut his top two teeth within three days of each other, which led to lots of time with the pacifier and the teething ring.**

He figured out pulling to stand in his sleep sack.

He rocked a muscle tee.

He decided cruising beside the couch was no longer challenging enough.

He figured out clapping (and then never stopped...even when he's crying).

He went to the downtown library for story time and played in the baby center.

He played in his baby pool.

He played the piano.  We've entitled his work "Minuet in all the keys."

He tried to escape after bathtime.

**I must say, Colin is not too bad with teething.  He's a cranky mess during the day, but blissfully he continues to sleep through the night.  Needless to say, I assume the next child will stay awake crying all night when teething.  I'm soaking it up.

We've also been weaning from the pacifier.  I had been dreading it for months, and I kept finding a reason to put it off.  He always gets the pacifier and Douglas (his little frog) at bedtime and naptime, but lately, he has been putting Douglas in his mouth first.  He also gets very upset when he tosses Douglas out of the crib.  So I stopped giving him the pacifier when he went to sleep, and while I spend a few more minutes with him before laying him down, he has done amazing.  So thankful!

Colin wants to welcome his newest cousin (and our newest niece) into the world.  She is amazingly beautiful and even outweighed him at birth :)