In honor of St. Patricks Day-even though it's a month away

Have you ever wandered why I make the big bucks??? Yeah, me too!! Above, you will see what Collin's name would be if he was a leprechaun. These are the things that I do while I am bored at work thanks to my new air card. Technology is a beautiful thing. I'm not complaining that more people aren't out there beating up there families, causing me to earn my money, but is it too much to ask for just every once in a while?? Do you sense a lack of satisfaction with my current position? Don't get me wrong I am far from miserable enough to return to Patrol and push a cruiser around all day but a sister needs some work every once in a while!

Relief may be on the way but I will have to wait until Tuesday to find out. I put in for a job in Assault Squad which should be much busier, dare I say, too busy? Mama needs to stay busy or she wants to go home to spend time with her baby and this job isn't cutting it! I am number 3 so 2 other people would have to pass for me to get it. This would also allow me the opportunity to learn some tricks of the trade from Yoda aka dad since he also works in Assault Squad on 3rd shift. We would actually work together a couple of hours a night.

But, back to my time wasting solutions...I checked out a website called blogthings.com. They have a bunch of stupid but fun quizzes to take that tell you things like your star name and if you are normal or not. It has entertained me for several hours now so if you are in need of some mindless laughter you should check it out. BTW my star name is Venus Velveeta, Wyatt is Jimi Vicious and Collin is Amadaus Vicious. My leprechaun name is Paddy Greentooth and Wyatt is Sneaky Potfiller...hhhmmm?!? Also, just in case you were wondering, my rapper name is Freaky Supastar, Wyatt is Ghetto Beatbox and Collin is Dr. Millionaire. Oh, and I am 45% normal...is that good???

Since this is the story of Collin rather than the story of Heather lets catch up. We are all feeling better but Collin still has explosive #3, and I mean explosive! Hopefully you all know what #3 is, if not, never mind. He is not walking yet but he did stand unassisted the other day and clapped his hands. I don't think he even realized what he was doing. He crawls with one foot in front of him so he is just a step away from standing up and taking off.

If you have ever been in our house you know about the infamous ledge or drop off from the dining room down into the family room. I ripped out the railing when I moved in never contemplating children but simply liking the open space.

Once kids started hanging out at the house I thought we would just have to keep an eye on them. Brylie seemed to learn that she had to stay away. Kahlen...not so much. She was the first to tumble off. But, she escaped without injury and she hasn't done it again. Collin likes to fly up the stairs and sit right on the edge and just look at us. When we tell him no, he just smiles and starts rocking back and forth as if to say "what are you going to do about it"? It is a joke to him. I wander if it will still be a joke if he actually falls off? I have covered all sharp corners on the TV stand since Kahlen fell off but so far I am sticking to my original game plan. I think kids (and adults) learn from experience. I know that kids depth perception is not developed yet and all the developmental stuff they tell you in books but my kid is a genius!

I have contemplated putting up some sort of gate but I'm not there yet. I may be giving him way more credit than I should but his joking around tells me that he knows that is a bad thing that he should not do. Does that mean the next step is he'll do it? We will see. Now if I can just keep him out of the dog food.

Speaking of the dog...Bosley and Collin are getting along very well. Bosley has adjusted nicely and they share their toys like good boys. I was a little confused as to why Collin was always crawling around with toys in his mouth, now I understand. They play tug of war with stuffed animals. Bosley has literally pulled Collin across the floor because he just won't let go. Usually when he does it is because he is laughing so hard I think he forgets to hold on.

Collin loves playing chase and loves to be pulled down the stairs by his feet. He thinks it is hilarious. He will go upstairs and when I call his name you hear a high pitched squeak and then a giggle. He thinks most things are funny. When he is in the tub he will hand me his tub letters and numbers and I make up words for the letters and show him the sign for the letter. When he gives me a number I count and sign the numbers up to that number and he about falls over he thinks it is so funny!?! I have no idea why...I'm just glad someone thinks I'm funny!

I could go on for hours just like I can sit and watch him forever. Everything he does is so stinking cute! Well, I would like to say back to work but since the phone isn't ringing-back to surfing!!

The Flu

Yes, we all have it-the flu. What a taxing experience having a baby and a sick husband while you are sick. I never thought 2 people would have to fight for space with 2 bathrooms but it happened. We had contemplated devoting each bathroom solely for a certain activity and none other ,if you know what I mean.

Thank goodness I bought diapers because poor Collin is going through them like crazy. We didn't even bother taking him out of his PJ's today although I think he has been in at least 7 different pair. Luckily, he only has one end of the deal and he seems to be feeling okay otherwise.

Gone are the days of being a baby. You really have to suck it up. Luckily, we have kind of taken turns being the one that gets to "act" sick. You can get through anything for a little bit then by the time you are worn out hopefully the other person is rested up and ready to go. Not that we haven't snapped at eachother but I think we will make it through!!

The worst part is everyone is out of town. I was supposed to be taking care of my parents animals so they are suffering too. I hope they come home soon because we are at dangerously low levels of toilet paper!!! We may have to declare an emergency and call out the troops!

I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!

Collin's 1st Birthday

Collin's birthday cake was a caterpillar. It had 5 small cakes, 2 yellow and 2 chocolate and one half and half. The head was for Collin to tear into or should I say Collin, Brylie and Kahlen?? Collin is okay with sharing this year, we will see about next year?!? He also had the cake from his FLASH pictures and an ice cream cake at Nana and Pops.

This is what was left of the cake...not much!!

This is Collin opening his gifts. Once again Brylie was a big helper opening the packages for Collin because he could really care less about opening and more about playing!!

I should have put this in reverse order because we opened gifts first and cake last. Then...everyone to the tub!!!

Now it is Brylie's turn (she is 3 on 2/4) so Collin wanted to sent her a message...and it's not HPEV B1RTDAVI BRV1LIE!!!

I think we need another set or two of the bathtub letters! We had to make do with what we had!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Collin had his first birthday on January 23rd. We took him to Flash to get his 1 year pictures taken. They are so cute...of course. Not Tennille King pictures but they will do for now!! We took a little cake and let him tear into it while they took pictures. He really seemed to like the sugar!! Imagine that?!?

Wyatt had to work so we spent the evening at Nana and Pops. Uncle B, Aunt Jessie and the girls were there and we had ice cream cake. Keeping with the Collins tradition of dragging out your birthday as long as possible, we will have some people over on Sunday for cake. I am making a caterpillar cake-hopefully it will turn out!! I will post pictures after Sunday.

It is hard to believe little Collin is one! He has only been with us for 4 months though in some ways it seems like he's been with us forever. Everyday he does something new. He has a new face that I have to get a picture of so I can post it. He looks like he's about to start crying and he closes his eyes and opens his mouth then the next second he is back to a normal face. He probably keeps doing it because we laugh at him every time he does it. He is the happiest baby and we are having so much fun.

We are trying to plan our first big family vacation so if anyone has any good kid friendly ideas let me know. The 3 cousins are so much fun when they are together although the adults may need a vacation from vacation after taking on those 3!!! Hopefully the 3 of them can grow up and have lots of great memories of their times together.

Stay tuned for some great new pictures!!

Collin's First Haircut

Leann at Kenneth's was nice enough to give Collin a nice trim so he can look extra handsome for his one year picture. He was not really thrilled about the whole thing but it could have been much worse!! Thanks Leann!

Christmas Pics ... Finally!!

It was a great first Christmas with Collin. Although he could really care less about opening presents it was just so nice having him here. It is amazing how much our lives have changed in a matter of a year. Chritmas time last year we were just in the research phase of our adoption. I was getting ready to graduate and my graduation present was to turn in our application for a little girl from China. Here we are with our boy from Guatemala and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he was meant to be with us. He is the perfect fit and a great addition to our family! Here are a few photos from our Christmas.

BEFORE>>>

AFTER>>>

Christmas Eve Craziness!!

Testing out the new toys.

Everyday Something New...

I Can Do...

Walk all around the family room (with the help of my toy).

Sit by myself in the bathtub-no more baby seat in the tub! I WON'T SIT IN IT!! I REFUSE!!

Sincerely-"baby" Collin

In the few seconds it took me to type what is above, Collin was here and then I heard the smacking of little hands on the hardwood floor upstairs and dog food rattling. He set a speed record for going up the stairs-and I didn't even see it-BAD MOM!!

Now after the time it took to type the above paragraph he has opened my recipe drawer and thrown all of my recipes that I had cut from magazines all over the floor.

I think we are in trouble!

GOTTA RUN before the next adventure begins!!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

LOOK WHAT I CAN DO!!

The days of putting Collin in the family room and thinking he will stay there are officially over! A couple of days ago Wyatt was taking a nap and I was cleaning up the kitchen (how ironic). Collin was down with Wyatt in the family room playing-or so I thought. I heard a noise and went to check on him and he was half way up the stairs!!! My heart about stopped!

It is so amazing how fast he is growing. It seems like everyday he does something new. He is crawling at lightning speed, he pulls himself up to standing, he claps, he tries to snap his fingers and now he CLIMBS STAIRS!!! He laughs all the time, sometimes even when he's asleep. He loves yelling and now he has started a new squeaking noise which I like better than the yelling because it is not as loud! And he loves "BIG HUGS" and to give "BIG KISSES". They are big because his mouth is wide open!!

I have some other cute pictures to post of our random family outings for Christmas. The Collins Family doesn't know what has hit them! These kids have Rocked our World!! What FUN!! We are having a blast and these kids are going to be best of friends!!

We all went to Wildlights at the zoo. It was really cold and the kids were so bundled up they could hardly move but Collin seemed to enjoy looking at the lights. He stayed awake the whole time. This is monumental because I took him to the zoo about a dozen times while I was off work and he would sleep through the entire outing and then wake up as soon as I put him in the car to go home!!

This is Collin showing his cousin Kahlen a thing or two about how to eat out of a bowl. You have to get your entire face in there!

And last but not least-THE ELUSIVE TRIO-at it again! Still no picture of the cousins together. I'm not giving up yet! I can't figure out how to get the pictures right side up so you will have to see them sideways-SORRY!

Christmas Lesson #2

DON'T LET THE LITTLE ONES DECORATE UNSUPERVISED

Because they don't decorate cookies...they decorate their faces and eat all the cookies!!

COLLIN MEETS SANTA

Today Collin got to sit on Santa's lap for the first time. He was not very excited at first but eventually he warmed up. What a fun experience watching all the parents make fools of themselves to get their kids to smile-then it's YOUR TURN!! HAHAHA Merry Christmas!!!

More Christmas thoughts

Since I have pretty much done everything I said I would never do I might as well keep up the trend. We were not going to buy much for Collin this Christmas because we still have gifts in boxes that we were going to wrap and put under the tree and maybe even wrap some of his current toys. He's a baby, he wouldn't know we were re-gifting. He really doesn't NEED anything. And, more importantly, we are running out of space!

But...sometimes I go shopping and I see something that I know he would just LOVE! So I've picked up a few things here and there. Today I started organizing the gifts and found that I have gone slightly overboard. Is this how kids get spoiled? Is it wrong to want to give your child everything? I mean, he could have one toy and he would be perfectly happy. I don't mean to be sappy but I remember being in Guatemala and seeing poverty like we can't even imagine here. I remember coming home and the excess and importance we place on "meaningless stuff" kind of disgusted me. But here I am, doing it, and doing it well. I don't know what to say...Merry Christmas?

Christmas Lesson #1

BUY PLASTIC ORNAMENTS!!!

Need I say more?

Celebrating Adoption Photos

Collin had a session with Tennille King, a photographer that donates a free session and photos to newly adopted children to document this special time. The program is called "Celebrating Adoption". She came to our house and took the pictures. Some are in his bedroom and others are in and around his playroom aka the old livingroom. Since he is crawling at the speed of light it is tough to keep him in one place for too long. She was very patient and the pictures came out great. Bye bye FLASH! It is worth the extra money for the quality of the pictures and you pick the location for the session. She is a natural light photographer so she doesn't have a ton of equipment-only a camera!

I am adding the link to the bottom of the blog titled "View Collin's Photos" to view the online gallery. It will only be up for about 10 more days so look fast! They are SO cute!! The password is "WILSON".

I have added her web page also. I highly recommend her!!!!

1st SNOW!!

I couldn't resist bundling Collin up like the kid from "A Christmas Story" and taking him out in his new sled. I think the trauma of putting all those clothes on far outweighed any excitement over snow or the sled. Actually, I don't think he cared for the cold stuff. It may take a while to adjust to the new weather!

COLLIN'S FIRST THANKSGIVING

We had a very nice, relaxing Thanksgiving. We visited with Wyatt's family first and then went to Salvi's to eat with my family. My family usually eats out but that may end soon. It was not exactly a relaxing meal with 3 kids under 3 at the table. We will have to see next year. The food is so good and no one has to cook or clean so it is hard to beat that deal. We usually have to work so it is a quick and easy way to get together with the family.

Wyatt had to work so Collin and I hung out and relaxed at home. Even though I have been home with him every day there was something nice about escaping the holiday stress of having a million different places to go and just sitting at home instead. I think Collin had about all he could take anyway. Everyone wants to hold him and he gets passed around a lot. I'm not real good at telling people they can't hold him and that when he wants me I need to take him. He is still adjusting and bonding with us. He is doing so well that it is hard to remember that sometimes but you can tell when he has been a little too stressed and I always feel bad afterward.

After a bit we got hungry again so we went across the street to Matt and Ann Marie's and crashed their dinner. Collin and Mallory had fun playing. Hopefully they will stay in thier house for a while so that the kids can play when they get older. They look so cute with their matching cars and they really do play well together. We are really lucky to have such good neighbors!

The pictures are from Salvi's, Collin with his cousins and Pops finally getting some time with Collin.

Adoption has touched our family in so many different ways and all are wonderful. I am thankful to people I don't even know and probably never will know for bringing a life into this world and then allowing another to care and nurture that life into something wonderful that can make their mark on our lives and on the world. A birth mother makes a selfless decision to do what is best for her child and makes a family that wants so badly to have a child complete.

I can say that I have learned what mothers always say you can never understand until you have a child of your own. I look at my son and it brings complete joy and happiness with no strings attached. I have never known what it was like to love another human being more than you love yourself. Don't get me wrong, I love Wyatt to death, but the love for that baby is indescribable. I would do anything for him.

My favorite time of day is bedtime when I can just hold him and be quiet and feel him relax into my arms and into sleep. I don't think a night has passed that it hasn't brought tears to my eyes thinking of what a miracle he is and wondering how it is possible to love someone so much. I hope every night that his birth mother feels a sense of peace and knows that someone loves him and is taking care of him and that he is a happy and beautiful boy.

Our First COFLAC Gathering

Yesterday we went to our first gathering with COFLAC (Central Ohio Families with Latin American Children). It was at Jeffrey Mansion in Bexley. Every month a group of people who have adopted from Latin America bring there kids together to play and have fun. Collin was still a little young but the older kids seemed to have a great time playing so I am sure he will love it when he gets older. We got some good play time in while we were there. It brought back a lot of memories since I was there pretty often as a kid. It still looks the same-it's a beautiful place. If you've never been there you should check it out.

Trick or Treat

We had a very eventful Halloween. Mommie and Collin went to a fun party at Amy's house and then Mom and Dad got to go to a grown up party thanks to Nana. Trick or Treat was fun. Mallory and Collin went around to a few neighbors then off to Nana and Pops to trick or treat with Brylie and Kahlen. Poor dad only got to spend a couple of minutes with us until he got called back to work. By the time we made it back to the house all of the kids were asleep so there are no pictures of all the cousins together in their costumes-too bad!!

Collin and his cousins-Brylie and Kahlen

Something tells me we will never be able to get all 3 of them to look at the camera at the same time?!??!! So much for the family photo!

Baby's First Halloween

Today we took Collin on his first trip to Circle S Farm to get pumpkins and check out the fun. We checked out the petting zoo, the hay barn and the slide. We found out Collin is this big...

We climbed on the giant pumpkins, and tried to enjoy our cider and doughnuts but the bees wouldn't let us. After we checked out the farm the last thing left was to find the perfect pumpkin...not an easy task!

We looked and looked...

Collin did taste tests...

But finally he found it...way down there!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!