4 months

Guess who's 4 months!!  This picture is very representative of this stage, because for the last couple weeks he hasn't been able to keep his hands out of his mouth!  

He is a happy boy most of the time, especially when he has had his naps (which he fights).  He has a sweet contagious smile and loves to snuggle!  

Monk and Ella have become very fond of him and LOVE cleaning up after his spit ups, which are frequent and large!  

We have discovered the Bumbo!!!  William loves it and so do we!! (Look at that core strength)

The Collin's household has been very busy since our last posting... I have started back to work, which is bitter sweet, I love my job and love have a little me time, but I also hate been away from our little guy.  We have a nanny who is working out well, her name is Shawnice and she seems to be bonding with Mr. William. 

William got his far share of wrestling matches, and got to enjoy an ACC championship ....

 Devin Carter and Sean with ACC trophy :)

and... Wrestling Nationals!!!  We took our first plane trip with Gramps (a trip I will never forget) to OKC for wrestling national.  He not only got to watch Virginia Tech wrestling place #8th in the country, but he also got to watch Devin Carter wrestle in the finals!!  

 I love wrestling, so I was thrilled to be at the tournament with William, but an added bonus was that it was in OKC (close to my family), so we met with Aunt Shirley, Uncle Rusty, Robin and Grams of course.  We also got to meet up with my good friend from residency, Nicole Willis and her husband and adorable daughter.

 Now that wrestling season has come to a close Sean has fired up the smoker.  He and his good friend Stephen Hypes are getting ready for a BBQ competittion in May.  If you are interested check out their Facebook page "Still working on it".

 Sean, William and I have also gotten to get out and enjoy the beautiful Virginia weather.  We took William on his first hike at Cascades, he loved it!

Whitney and Benji Latham (friends from residency) stopped by for a visit with their two boys, Marty and Atticus.  Marty is only 6 weeks and bigger than William!!   We had a great time catching up :)

Well that's all til next time... 

2 months

Well, it's been awhile since my last post and Mr. William has grown leaps and bounds!!  He has become quite expressive and his smile melts my heart!  Especially when he coos and squeals :)

Auntie Liz and cousin Ollie came to visit :)  

We had a winter storm and William braved the cold with Dad :)

 Grandma Pat came and stayed with us for about a week, which allowed Sean and I to have a snow date and built a snowman, just the two of us!  It was a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Grandma Pat and I drove to Greensborro to visit some relatives.  Uncle Donnie was quite comfortable with William and William with him.

 William was always at ease with Uncle Curt's and loved kisses from Neko

Getting snuggles with Serena....

 As William has gotten older he is starting to become more observant.  He LOVES his activity gym and is focusing on the different things dangling.  He especially likes the lights!

Grams & Great Grandma Max also came to visit!  This was their first meeting....

Great Grandma and William had quite a good time getting to know each other.

William is discovering his hands more and more, he has them in his mouth frequently, but he also is starting to grasp rattles and fingers :)

The 4 generations!  What a crew!!

William and I have had a wonderful almost 3 months at home getting to know each other!  I have been so thankful for all the help my family has provided.  Sean has been on the road a lot with wrestling and I have not had to spend one weekend alone.  Thank you Pat, Mom, Grandma and Liz for all your help!  We are also very thankful to Curt and Serena (our cousins) for their hospitality during our first road trip!  I start back to work on Monday and have very mixed feelings.  I love what I do, but it will be hard to leave our little guy.  We really like our nanny Shawnice and think she will be a great fit with our family.  More posts to come :)

4-5 weeks

William has continued to become more alert and interactive.  He is tracking (following objects with his eye).  He is cooing and seems to be more aware of his hands :)  Here are a few pictures from the last couple weeks :)  He is feeding well and hit 10 pounds this week!

Dr. William… my Mom and I set this up, he slept through the whole thing, even when we had to shake the bag to get him out!  

 He is destined to be an avid reader like his dad...

Family photos...

Rockstar dad :)

William and I try to go on walks.. we manage to get out on a walk about every other day

Both my mom and Sean's mom have come to stay with me (on two different occassions) while Sean has been on the road, which means I have not had to be home alone with William yet, which has been wonderful.  I have greatly appreciated the help they gave me.  

  

Smitten...

discussing plans for her next visit :)

William attended his first wrestling match, in hokie attire of course

 We have been overwhelmed by the generousity of friends and family and thier gifts.  Several people have knitted beautiful baby blankets for our little guys, which keep him warm on the cold winter days.  Below are some booties from Germany from one of Sean's althetes (Alex, National Champion in the Hammer throw)

3 weeks

Well we are starting to settle into a routine :)

A few things I love about this stage....

1.  I love his little noises, his grunts when he feeds his coos, he has been a very noisy baby since he was  born..
2.  I love the little things he does with those little hands, like when he stretches or puts his hand right up next to his chin

3.  I love that he is starting to focus and stares right into my face, it melts my heart every time!
4.  I love his random smiles when he is sleeping, probably from gas, but I still love watching the corners of his lips curl up (of course it is impossible to get a good picture)..

4. I love seeing him with his dad, his dad is so smittent and is always right there to help me, whenever I need a hand..

William and Dad enjoy reading Jungle Book

We went on our first family outing... Brunch at Boudreaux.  

As you can see he also has quite a temper :)  

He has a little weight to put on before he is ready to go to the mats (wrestling)...

Williams first date with Kinsley Rogers :)

He is a sweet little guy we look forward to getting to know better and better.  We are so blessed to have this little guy in our lives.