Introducing Baby

I'm kind of back and with a new addition to our family! How very lazy of me to disappear after doing such a good posting year in 2011. It's the tail end of 2012 and I've got two posts to my name. Ouch.

Well, I suppose it all works out. I plan to post photo peeks into our months lost for memory's sake and have a couple of spin-off type posts relative to changes in our home and some bordering on crafting territory.

 I had Collin on May 5th, 2012 at 9:05pm. He was 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches and just perfect.

We've had an exciting time together as a family. B and I took the summer semester off which enabled all of us to be together and get to know each other. Cole was able to take swim lessons (three sessions totaling 20 days) during July/August and loved it. He's grown so much in swim readiness. I truly believe next summer, he'll be moving into formal swimming lessons with the breast stroke style swimming.

 

Cole has adapted beautifully to being a big brother. He has handled it so much better than I could have ever hoped. He has his moments of jealousy and his moments of frustration with some things that Collin will do now that he's becoming more grabby, but overall -- the boys love each other. Cole needs only to smile across the room and Collin is instantly grinning and laughing. He sure does love Cole.

I do miss the tiny squeaks and sounds that newborn Collin made. I miss how snuggly he was. How still he was, but I'm loving every moment of more interested and grabby Collin too.

My mother's day present from the boys. Isn't it just beautiful? I'll be writing a post about the seller and linking up to her for anyone interested in getting a piece from her.

College Notes:

School started again for B/I in late August and we've been able to swap off our scheduling so that one of us is able to be with Collin, reducing the need for childcare. I've had to cut down from 12 units to just 9, but am managing really well.

Our semester ends in mid-December and we'll take a month off before starting it again! Even at my part-time rate, I'm looking at less than two years of schooling. I haven't been doing strictly AA requirements for school. I've been taking extra courses for specialty type certificates. I need to visit with a school counselor to make sure that all of the specialty courses I've taken are transferable towards a BA, which I believe to be true. Junior college is just so much cheaper than a university so everything I can do at a cheaper college will make my education much more affordable in the long run.

Cole will be entering Kindergarten in the 2013 year. We have entered into a lottery for a January start date at a Montessori school but we'll be applying to two Montessori campuses for a regular start if he doesn't get selected in the mid-year lottery. My boy is turning 5 on the 21st!