Please don't bother me...

Colin was too facinated with the toys on his bouncy chair, and didn't have the time to look at me. I guess I'm not as interesting these days.

AND Grandma Donna bought us a box of T O's cereal...just letting you know so we don't end up getting a surplus when we come to Rochester!

The Buffalo Bills boy

I guess it is never too early to gear up for football season in the Tracy house. Today Colin watched the 'TO Show' with me on VH1...it is pretty interesting. I always like watching a show when somewhere so close to home is in the spotlight. Looks like the city of Buffalo is pretty excited to have this new superstar of an addition. Lets hope Terrell Ownes lives up to the hype. Just maybe he will give the Bill's offense the boost that they need. We will keep our fingers crossed, just like we do every season. Playoffs this year? Can I even venture to say Superbowl? Who knows. Just get your popcorn ready.

Oh, and can somebody please get us a box of TO's? I think they are only being sold at Tops. Apparently Colin needs one to join the Flutie Flakes that are on his dresser.

Mommy's new do

Today I had the chance to get out of the house and get my hair done! Whoo-hoo. The little things in life...

I don't know if any of you can relate, but moving to a new town and trying to find a reputable place to have your hair done is a challenge. When my sister and brother in law were visiting us they stopped one morning to get coffee, and were thoughtful enough to ask the cashier where she got her hair done. "Talk of the Town" she said, and that is where I went today. I really like it, and I think this will be my place of choice while I do my time here in Fayetteville. Thanks Carrie and Dave!

Before our walk this evening, Kevin snapped some shots of Colin and I.
The first pic is blurry, but I like it.

Jump Colin, jump!

Ok, not quite. Kevin had set up Colin's jumperoo so his cousin Lily could use it during her visit. I had left it out because I figured it wouldn't be long for Colin's turn. Well, since he has been holding his head up fairly well I decided he needed a change of scenery and I put him in it. I had to put a blanket under his feet so they wouldn't dangle. He really loved it! He enjoyed looking at the toys. I have a feeling he will be jumping like his cousin soon!

Life Lessons on Raising a Boy

To start getting Colin used to his crib, my Mom suggested that I should put him in there from time to time so he can check it out while I stay in the room and fold laundry or something. One day, I decided to look through a book that is on his dresser. It is called Father to Son: Life Lessons on Raising a Boy. It was given to Kevin for Father's Day from his Mom. It is SO cute. It basically consists of little lighthearted and seroius wisdoms for fathers on raising their sons, and all are so true. Some made me laugh, and some made me get teary-eyed! Here are some of my favorites:

*Be his Hero.

*Read to him nightly. He'll love it.
*Show him how to throw a punch. Then raise him to never start a fight. And teach him to walk away.

*If you buy him Superman pajamas, count on him launching himself off counters, chairs, beds-and sometimes onto you.

*Race him. You will never forget the day he beats you.

*Teach him every life is precious.

*Ask him what he did today. Listen.

*Tell him sometimes you are wrong.

*Don't tolerate temper tantrums. Not now. Not when he's 15. The world won't.

*Teach him that God answers every prayer. Sometimes with a no.

*Insist he plays outside a lot. It's much healthier than watching TV or playing computer games. And let him get dirty.

*Don't let him quit out of frustration. He'll never learn.

*Take him for doughnuts Saturday morning. Let his mom sleep late.
*Try not to miss his games. A boy loves playing in front of his Dad and hearing him cheer. He'll always ask "Did you see me?"

*Teach him how to lose. And teach him how to win.

*Teach him if he wants something bad enough, that is a reason to go to work.

*When you drive him on dates, make sure he gets out of the car to get his girlfriend. You'd be amazed how many boys still think they can just honk and she'll come running.

*Never criticize his mother in front of him. Never.

*Teach him how to look someone on the eye and shake hands firmly. And stand up straight.

*Let him face consequences of his own actions. They are the best teachers.

*Condition his use of the car upon his grades. He'll become an Einstein.

*Believe in him

St. Patricks Day in July

When we were home in Rochester for my baby shower in March, my Grandfather gave me a shamrock plant that he bought from kids that were selling them at church. When he gave the plant to me, they were like your run-of-the-mill shamrocks...cute and tiny. When we got back to North Carolina I put them near the kitchen window and have been watering them faithfully. Man, have they grown! These things are HUGE. I even had to put them in a new pot, and they are outgrowing this one too. Everytime I look at them, I smile because they remind me of home, and the wonderful time we had with family and friends anticipating the arrival of Colin. Thank you Grandpa!

Of course I had to get Colin in the "St. Patricks Day in July" spirit too!

Meet Bill

Long story short, Colin has been having a tough time going to sleep without a pacifier. He LOVES the thing. He will actually lay down when drowsy with one in his mouth and fall asleep, but as soon as that thing falls out of his mouth...forget it. I will usually have to pop it back in a bunch of times before he FINALLY falls into a deep sleep, which can take a long time.

I sent an e-mail out to some of my family and friends asking for their opinions on what I should do about this. One response was from my Aunt Kim. She said, "we all know the benifits of a good KIKI." This made me laugh.

You see, KIKI (pronounced key-key) was my cousin Ellyn's most favorite thing in the world. It was a small soft Peter Rabbit stuffed animal that she would use to soothe her. She would stroke his little ears against her face and suck on her fingers...and this seemed to do the trick for her.

Then this got me thinking. My brother Chris had something too...his "Mickey". This was the Mickey Mouse blanket that came with his crib bedding set. He loved this thing. Sometimes he would want a "cold Mickey" to go to bed with, which would require one of us to pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to the desired temperature. Hey, whatever worked!

And then there was my cousin Emily's "Jennica". I think Emily named her this because it was a combo of the names Jennifer and Jessica. Creative, huh? Jennica was a soft pink baby doll that Emily loved to carry around. No offense to Emily, but this thing got pretty dirty and discusting...but she loved her just the same.

SO anyways, I remembered that before he was born I bought Colin something called a Taggies Dog Sleepy Fleece. And taking my Aunt Kim's advice, I have been randomly putting it next to Colin to slowly introduce it to him. I know he is way too little to actually understand that this thing might be able to soothe him one day, but hopefully someday he will reach for it in a time of need instead of crying out for his pacifier. This evening while napping on the couch (and yes, I was sitting right next to him to make sure he wouldn't roll off the couch or suffocate) he grabbed for it. I don't know if this was just pure coincidence since it was lying right next to him, but he has been sleeping soundly ever since.


Oh, and your probably wondering why this post is titled "Meet Bill". That's because when I asked Kevin what his name should be, Kevin said "Buffalo". Gee, big surprise. Thinking that this might be too confusing since it is a dog, I compromised and said "Bill". So his name is Bill. For now.

DISCLAIMER: I apologize in advance to Ellyn, Chris, and Emily for blogging about this. All three of them are now happy, smart and well-adjusted young people. AND to the best of my knowledge, none of them require these things anymore to go to sleep. I especially hope that Chris and Ellyn don't, since they are now 19 and 18, respectively. Haha. Love you all!

"AND IN THIS CORNER..."

Colin "tight-fists" Tracy, weighing in at 11 pounds, 14 oz

(this was Daddy's commentary after tonights bath)

2 Months!

Colin was 2 months old on the 4th! We had his check-up today, and he looks to be right on track. Here are some stats:

Weight: 11lbs 14oz

Height: 22.5 inches

He is in the 50th percentile for weight and 45th percentile for height.

He is smiling a lot and responding to our voices.

He is rolling over from front to back (one way).

He is goo-ing and coo-ing.

This boy really is changing every day!

Unfortunately, along with this great check-up came his first series of shots. He was not a happy camper. Of course he did not like it, and neither did his mommy. It was so sad to see him cry so hard when that mean lady poked him three times. Now he is being a little fussy, and is running a slight fever. I'm sure he will be back to his old self soon!

Here are the monthly pics...the first one is his 1 month old pic, and the second is his 2 month old pic, so you can see how much he has grown over the month! In the 2 month pic, he graduated to a bigger size onsie.

1 MONTH OLD

2 MONTHS OLD

Happy Fourth!

My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue. ~Author Unknown

Today we are grateful for our freedoms and proud to be Americans! Please thank your servicemen and women, they are all heroes in my book.

Not only is it Colin's very first holiday, but he is 2 months old today! His 2 month check-up is in a few days so be on the look our for 2 month pictures and stats!

Colin's future...

After dropping Grandma Patty off at the airport, we decided to take another random sightseeing trip around Raleigh. This time we explored the Duke campus. While we were there, we put Colin on a scholarship waiting list. Kidding, kidding.
It really was a beautiful campus, and a georgous day to walk around. We saw the chapel, and the Duke Gardens. Colin was really taking it all in...looking at the trees and flowers, and inside the chapel he was staring at the beautiful stained glass windows.
What a great day!

Grandma Pat-tee

We had a wonderful time this past week with Kevin's family! Grandma Patty definitely enjoyed having all of her grandkids together. Thank you so much for coming, we miss you already. Remember, you are welcome to come back any time!

Best Buds

Jack seemed to have a blast this past week with Uncle Kevin!

A cousin photo shoot...

Since the three cousins would be together this week, we decided to have a photo shoot. Carrie and I color coordinated the kids in their red, white and blue. We are just SO festive. I really envisioned a catalog-worthy picture, with all three kids smiling and happy in a perfect pose. Needless to say, it didn't turn out that way. Here is the play by play...


We started off on the couch and bribed Jack with a sucker.

Afraid that Lily would topple off the couch, we moved to the floor. Jack seems more interested in the TV, and Lily seems more interested in Colin.


Jack is done with his sucker, and looks really enthused. Lily is still more interested in Colin.

Colin is screaming, either because he is startled by the loud squeal that Jack just made, or because of the vice grip that Lily has on his arm.



Jack is now MIA, but Lily finally flashed that georgous smile! Colin looks a little overwhelmed, probably because a flash is going off in his face every 2 seconds.


Attention back to Colin...
"Who IS this big lady? Someone save me."
Well, it didn't go as I would have liked, but now looking back I wouldn't have it any other way! It definitely captured the moment. I look forward to the years to come with these three! I'm sure it will be interesting...