Thanksgiving (in redux).

Some people don't update their blog because they're very, very busy.  I don't really have an excuse, so rather than bore you with non-excuses, I'll jump right in on a long-procrastinated account of Colin's comings-and-goings.

We spent Thanksgiving in Portland with Brad's family.  Colin filled his time thusly:

Visiting friends.  This is Colin's friend, Scottie Worth.  Scottie asked Colin to stay at his house and sleep in his "down bed" (lower bunk).  Scottie seemed really into the idea till he held Colin. Once he got a feel for how much Baby Colin weighed, he retracted his offer to be roommates.  

Going on doggie-back rides.  This wild beast belongs to Colin's Uncle Rob and Aunt Carla.  The ride was short-lived.  It ended as soon as Dori (the dog) got distracted by some of Colin's cousins.

Playing with his grandmother.  This pop-up toy (from the 70s) was such a hit, we came home and bought him the 2008 version, which is surprisingly not different.

Being cute.

Playing with his Uncle Kent and Aunt Amy.

And learning to play the piano.

Not on the list: sleeping.  At least, not till the very end of the trip.  While the family met for a very long, very noisy birthday lunch for Brad, Colin did this:

Mug Shot.

Here's Colin's most recent mug shot.  Enough said.

The Ultimate in Color Coordination.

This is a shout-out to Anne, who got Colin* this nifty little get-up.  Here's what great about this outfit:

1. It's adorable.  I mean, just look at it.

2. Anne had the good sense to get a 5-month-old baby an outfit for a 9-to-12-month-old child.  She must have read up on Colin's most recent weigh-in.

3. Although Anne has never seen our house, our new couch, or the throw pillows purchased to match the new couch, the outfit she bought is the ultimate in color coordination.  Throw in Colin, and you've got a splendid package.

* For those interested, Colin is looking at the TV.  Specifically, he's watching "Gilmore Girls."  He and I did so much watching of Gilmore Girls while I was on maternity leave that he knows Lorelai (Lauren Graham)'s voice and watches her intently.  The boy's got taste.

Photofunia.

I finally found displays worthy of Colin's cuteness.

A billboard:

A museum installation:

His own community-access channel:

(My thanks to www.photofunia.com for jumpstarting Colin's modeling career.)

What Statistics Really Mean.

Colin had his four-month check up on Friday.  

I've never fooled myself.  I know Colin is big.  Like, really big.  I think this because strangers on the street will stop us and say things like, "Wow, he's big. Like, really big." 

But on Friday, I found out exactly how big.  He is 26 1/4" long and 19.2 pounds.  That's the 89% and the 96%, respectively.  I took it in stride at the moment.  "Sure," I thought.  "Ninety-sixth percentile.  Who isn't?"  But then I got home and realized exactly who isn't: 99 people in 100 aren't in the 96th percentile.  And then I got to thinking about what those statistics really mean.

If there were 100 babies in a room (and let's be honest: that's a lot of babies), and someone patiently lined up all 100 babies in descending order of weight, Colin would be the fourth baby to be lined up.   The fourth!   He'll fall asleep waiting for the other 96 babies to be organized. And by the time the job's done, he'll be ready for snack.

If you're the 4th-heaviest baby in the room (or, if it makes you feel better, the 96th-lightest), raise your hand!

Shout-out.

This entry serves as a shout-out to Maren, who bought Colin this totally rockin' Nike leisure suit.

In addition to being super cute, the outfit is functional, too. See, Colin is commonly mistaken for a girl* and, despite Serena Williams' lucrative endorsement deal, nothing says "boy" like Nike.

* Brad thinks that it only happens if the person asking has a daughter.  I think it's more widespread.  I think it happens because Colin is super-naturally pretty.  

The Music Man.

Colin's been standing more and more, and we thought he'd dig being in a standing position while playing.  So,  Brad and I took the plunge and bought him an exer-saucer.  The exer-saucer we bought has a music-playing, push-button (for lack of a better word) device.  It has five buttons, all with an animal's picture on it.  The first time you hit a button, it mimics the sound the animal makes.  The second hit gives you the name of the animal in English.  The third - the animal's name in Spanish.  On the fourth, it plays classical music (or totally non-classical music made to sound classical, in the case of the cow playing "Old McDonald Had a Farm"). 

Colin has loved music since he was born, and he's a huge fan of not the exer-saucer as a whole, and not that particular device, but that particular device while playing music.  When music is playing, he's happy as a clam.

When music isn't playing, this happens.

After getting sad enough often enough, Colin is now expert at slapping the button three times really fast, all while grimacing.  After the fourth hit, when the music starts, he's super-psyched. (He has yet to play with any of the other toys.)