Collins News

Hi to all,

Things are just trucking right along here in Midland. Brian's working more than ever, partly because he was voted Region Vice President for TMEA this year, which adds little duties to his normal repertoire. He seems to be coming down with something, complaining of achiness and scratchy throat, and his cough could wake the dead. I put all kinds of meds on his nightstand. . .but you can only lead a horse to water, if you know what I mean.

Wyatt and I have been really busy. We started going to KinderMusik, which is a program that is apparently national, since little Miss Maddie is also involved. Wyatt really, really, loves his music class....though right now he's interested in chewing on the instruments he should be playing. The teacher's name is Miss Cindy, and she's very Bohemian and really into her music. It's a lot of fun.

Usually after music we have a playdate with two or three other moms and babies. It's hard, because Wyatt is crawling all over the place and the other babies are still just blobs....though some are trying to scoot. Wyatt doesn't understand the concept of sharing, so he zips over to any baby holding something interesting and promptly takes it away.

On Tuesdays I go to a Beth Moore Bible Study at Midland Bible Church, with my friend Andrea. Wyatt goes to the church nursery from 9:30 to noon, and it's about to kill me. He's started separation anxiety, I guess. He cries at the TOP of his lungs for a long time. Even when I get back, two and a half hours later, his face is still red and puffy. Then he cries as soon as he sees me. It just breaks my heart. I want him to be around other babies and learn how to be in a group, but it's tearing my heart out, and I don't know how to deal with it.

The same thing happened the other day at MOPS, another group I am in. MOPS is Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, and is a group for moms to get together while the babies are in the nursery. Same thing. Cried again. Then when I went to pick him up, he had a welp on his cheek. I held my composure for a little while, calmly showing the people in charge, but by the time I got in the car I was crying so hard I was slinging snot everywhere, on the phone with Brian screaming about how my baby had been abused. Of course, he's fine....he'd just fallen over onto a basket that two other boys had been fighting over. Still, I was livid. They should have called me to comfort him....I mean, I was just down the hall!! Frances came right over and we comforted him while we ate a light lunch, both of us speculating about the bruise that would follow. It turned out to be only a yellowish brownish bruise. I do have to tell you, though, that MOPS was the most fun I've had in a while. I met lots of great, real women that also stay in their pjs some days, because, what's the point of getting dressed when you get spit up on and drooled on, etc. It really was fun. I won't get to go next time, since we'll be in Austin, but I am definitely glad I joined. After the welp incident, two ladies called me (Brian knows one of their husbands--Daniel Bryant) and one lady wrote me a nice note, all wanting to make sure Wyatt was okay and that I'd be coming back.

In other news, my ten year reunion is the 29th and 30th of this month. The postgame party is going to be in my mom's backyard, which Brian and I already decorated with white lights so it will be nice and bright. We're serving concession stand style food....chili dogs, nachos, big pickles, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun, albeit expensive. So far, 75 people have RSVP'd to this shindig. More are sure to come, especially since my friend Ann is not on the list, and she's bound to invite everyone she sees at the game to come to the party. The more the merrier, I'm sure!! I'll be sure and post some pictures after it's all said and done.

Oh, the picture at the top of my post is from Monday of this week, when Wyatt and I went to the park behind our house in his brand new (used) go cart...it's a little car, with a really tall handle so I can push it without bending over and breaking my back. He LOVED it. You can see how happy he is in that picture.

I hope all of you are doing well. I can't wait until Christmas so we can all get together again.

Melanie

Did you say rain???

Send some of that rain our way if you don't mind! Good Lord we need it!!! This heat is just unbearable.

I appreciate any advice you have on how to handle the school stuff! I want to be involved, but I don't want to risk having the teacher holding any grudges against Levi because his mother is overbearing. And, I'm not sure if I should inform them of his history ... there were issues at his school last year because he became a little too aggressive when someone invaded his personal space. He's still a little touchy about it, and I don't think he should be faulted for it. But, I know him. If someone crosses that line, he will lash out and I'll be getting more notes from the school. How would you suggest I handle that? He's come a long way since it all happened, but I would imagine it will be a long time before he's very trusting.

And, the first day was ok, but since then I get the "do I have to go?" routine every single morning. Geez, school just started and already he doesn't want to go back. It bothers me a little because he was so excited for school to start.

From a teacher's point of view, how should I handle all of this?

As for me and school, I have a final on Wednesday, which will be the end of Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Terminology! YEAH!!!! Then we start training on instruments, and doing mock surgeries. I can't wait!!!

I go to court tomorrow morning hopefully to finalize the child support stuff for Jessi. If we can't reach an agreement tomorrow, then it looks like we'll have to go before the Judge. I'm sure he doesn't want that, though, so maybe everything will go smoothly tomorrow.

On other news, Dad has his heart catheterization on Wednesday to look for the blockage. They'll keep him overnight. So, we're hoping they don't find anything major. And, he's still waiting to have the surgery to repair the damaged rotator cuff. We'll keep you updated on everything.

Ok, so things have gotten busy ....

Wow, a lot of birthdays this month. Happy (belated) birthday to Brenda, Brian, and most importantly, Wyatt!!! The pictures from Wyatt's birthday were adorable, thanks Brenda!!

I know it's been a while ... obviously, school started and it's been a little more overwhelming that I expected. I just keep telling myself, it's only for a year. I can make it. Only a year ... only a year ... then I can get my life back ... whatever there is left of it anyway. School is going well. We have a test every day, so my head it pretty much buried in a book when I'm not dealing with the kids or sleeping ... though it tends to haunt me in my dreams. Did I mention that there is a test EVERY day??? Anyway, it's going well, though.

Levi started at his brand new school yesterday. Apparently his seemingly nice teacher from orientation wasn't there ... her alter ego showed up for class on the first day, but he'll adjust I'm sure. Today, as I was walking him in to class, we got to meet the hallway nazi. They are in a hurry to get the kids accustomed to the new school, and were not permitting parents to walk the kids to class. They pretty much had to tear him from me. I wasn't very happy about that, but I wasn't alone. There was a group of parents nearby who looked like they were getting ready to tackle the lady. But, all in all he is very excited about the 3rd grade, and in his words "I think it will be a good year for me." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, 8 going on 30.

Jessi is doing well. She's beginning to cruise a little around the furniture. Too cute! To see those chubby little legs holding her up ... ugh, I could just eat her up! She started saying Gigi this week, which was very exciting for Mom. So, now she'll get away with just about anything. She's done really well with the Stage 3 foods, and has been getting to sample table foods, which I believe she prefers. Shocking, I know! I can't wait for the momentous occasion of NO MORE FORMULA!!!!! 6 weeks and counting ...

I'll try to get some pictures uploaded at some point ...

It was good catching up on everything reading the blogs. I'm glad that everyone is taking advantage of this. What on earth did we do before?

Kristi

Collins Update

I know it's been a long time since I have posted.....but, well, things have just been pretty busy around here. I've been watching another baby for a friend of mine. Tomorrow is my last day, and I'm very happy. The baby's name is Zachary, and he's a good baby, but sometimes is VERY fussy. I will have kept him a total of nine weeks in all, which helped out a little in the $$$ department.

Wyatt is growing like a weed. He really is. He weighs over 22 pounds and just seems to be getting bigger. He is "cruising" around the living room, pulling up on anything and everything. He loves to walk around the couch and the hearth. I am still nursing him at 3 out of his 4 feedings. I got permission from the pediatrician to put him on cow's milk for the 4th one. Thank goodness.....it gives me a little bit of a break during the day, and the milk is so much cheaper than formula would be.

In other news, Brian had a wreck yesterday evening. The lights at the intersection of Wadley and Midland Drive weren't working, so cars had reverted to the 4-way stop method. A teen didn't realize this was the situation, and slammed into Brian pretty hard. Brian was then knocked into the car in front of him, and one other car was hit in the process. All the cars had to be towed....except for the 4th car that drove away before the police even came. Brian is okay so far, but he didn't sleep well last night and has a pretty ugly bruise on his left shoulder where the seatbelt engaged. We're just SO thankful that he's okay. The teen got two tickets, so Brian was cleared of any fault, but we still have to sort through all kinds of insurance paperwork, rental car stuff, and need to find out whether or not they decide to total the Civic. So, please keep us in your prayers, that all this works out and that Brian continues to feel good.

We've pretty much decided to stay home for much of the summer. Brian has quite a few band obligations, so that takes care of most days. Of course, we'll go to Padre with the family and that will be fun. And, we've rented my great-grandmother's house in Sanderson for a couple of nights in June as just a way to get out of town without spending a lot of money. My mom grew up in Sanderson, and was even born in that house, so I thought it might be fun to show Brian. I think Wyatt and I will accompany Brian to band camp this year. WT has a pool with a lazy river that's indoors, and I think Wyatt would enjoy that. He loves bathtime so much, you know!!

I've planted a garden in the backyard. I had a garden a couple of years ago, but it didn't do so well. How's it going, you ask? Well, crashed and burned on the first one. And the second? I don't know. I'll tell you tomorrow, but it's looking good so far. HA!! Anyway, I have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and squash. We'll see how they all turn out. Plus, my little pear tree that I got for Valentine's Day is looking good, but I don't think she'll make any fruit until next year. She looks really healthy, though!

Well, I guess that's about all I can think of to catch you up. I hope you are all doing well.

4-20-06 re Easter

Our little road trip was so much fun, and I will definitely keep some memories from it ... like Jim's Package. And, the blisters have finally healed from the cork screw. Turns out you don't get what you bargain for at Jim's Package.

I've included a few pictures that did turn out ... there were many that didn't. I need a better camera!

Oh, and a big THANK YOU to Aunt Frances for the wonderful collection of Flat Stanley memorabilia!!! You did such an incredible job, and certainly outdid the others. Bonus points!! Ha! I can't wait until we can bring it home. Definitely something for the scrapbook.

The lasik appt for Mom went well. She is definitely qualified, but she hasn't mentioned when she'll go through with it. Another one of those things you have to make time for I guess.


Sorry, I just couldn't resist. The grandmothers are hard at work cleaning up the gravesite. It's amazing how much you really can accomplish when you put your ... uhm ... heads together.

Easter Trip

Right now, mom and I are for sure going with you guys, and will have Jess in tow. Mona is going to try to make it ... depends on whether or not they'll let her off of work on Friday.

Sounds like fun! Can't wait to see you!!

I don't think so

I think the posting from March 6th was Kristi's reply to your March 5th posting......look down at the bottom of your posting and it says you have 1 comment......Maybe that's why...

March 3rd ...

Alrighty, this thing is working like it's supposed to. I am so glad that everyone is enjoying it. I love logging in ever so often and being able to catch up on everyone's lives. Melanie, glad you are on board, and thanks for the baby food making tips! The idea is great, but our freezers pretty much stay full of meat from everything in the animal kingdom. So, I'll just stick with the jar food, which is going really well. She doesn't like cereal or bananas ... that has been established. She loves applesauce and sweet potatoes, though. We've cut down the amount of her formula intake quite a bit, so we'll see what happens with the weight. She's now rolling over stomach to back, back to stomach, and sleeping through the night. She is a very happy baby, FINALLY!

I'm glad to hear that all of the babies are doing well, and Melanie I can only imagine the back pain you have had to endure. I'm also glad that you are enjoying the stay at home thing. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible before school starts. I've made it through the final review, have ordered my scrubs, and am now waiting on a final interview. You wouldn't believe how strict these people are. Sometimes I think it borders on discriminatory, but I'll overlook it if I get in.

Let's see, what else is going on? Mom and Dad are planning a vacation this summer, and right now we just know that it will be somewhere near the ocean. They are going to take Levi with them ... he's never seen the ocean before, and he is very excited! Of course, his first question was whether or not there would be sharks. Wish I could join them, but once school starts, it will be Mon-Fri for a solid year, and if you miss more than 10% of the classes, you get kicked out. No pressure. Levi's Spring break is coming up, March 13-17. I'm not quite sure what we'll do, but we will have to do something!

Well, I had a few minutes to spare, and now I'm being summoned to the baby's room. We really should figure out a way for us to all get together soon!

I'm here!!

Hello to all!!

I am on the bandwagon now!! For my first post, I guess I'll just fill everybody in on what life is like right now. First, I am LOVING being a stay-at-home mom. Wyatt is going to be 7 months old on the 2nd of March, and he is absolutely the CUTEST thing I have ever seen. He's got two teeth, and Brenda and I are sure he's about to cut two more on top. It makes me a little sad, because he's starting to get out of that "baby look" and more into the little boy look. He's been kind of congested and coughing for about a week, but is not running a fever and seems as happy as ever. I am keeping a close eye on him, though.

Brian spent most of last week in San Antonio at the TMEA convention. I really think he had a blast seeing some of his favorite buddies. He got to visit and relax some, which is good, because as you all know, he works himself to death during the year. While he was at TMEA, Wyatt and I got to spend some time with Brenda, Del, and Maddie. Del was working really hard at his own convention, so he was pretty scarce. Brenda and I BOTH understand what it's like to have our husbands work super hard. So, we had a great time. Wyatt LOVES his cousin Maddie. He wants to chew on her, mainly. I have to admit, I wanted to chew on her too, because she is so adorable!! I got to babysit while Brenda caught up on her dr. appts. and errands. I was thrilled, because I got to hold a TINY baby. Wyatt is just huge compared to petite little Maddie, and it was nice to hold a baby and not have a backache immediately afterwards. At one point, when I was in charge of both babies, Brenda was in the shower and Del was in his office working. I got the great idea to put Maddie with Wyatt in his pack and play. Wyatt was thrilled. Maddie, um, not so much. She let out a wail and then Wyatt chimed in. So there I was, holding a 20 pound meatloaf, and a 12 pound turkey, bouncing them both up and down. It was a sight, let me tell you!!

Brian came back to get us and we headed home to Midland Saturday morning. The weather was C-O-L-D and we ran into a little mist that froze on the windshield. Luckily, that was as bad as it got. We mad it home in one piece. We saw our brand new little pear tree had been planted in the back yard. That was my Valentine's gift from the Collinses. I LOVE fruit trees, and can't wait to eat the first pear! Of course, coming home from a trip means at least a day of laundry, so that's what I am working on now. I really don't mind doing laundry. In fact, Brian knows he is NOT allowed to touch any laundry, even his own. I am a little territorial about it.

So, that's the story. I hope to post some new pics of Wyatt soon. I hope all of you are doing well!! Can you believe we're heading into March already?

Melanie

Pictures of Jessica

Here are a couple of pictures of Jess that were taken yesterday at the sitter's. It was the first time she was left with a sitter, and the last time she'll be left with that particular one. Am I being unreasonable in asking that the person keeping my child at least have a clean house? Anyway ... wanted to share the photos with you. I'll have to get one of her legs, too, so you can see the creases. I could squeeze 'em all day!

2-17-06 Update

Wow, so much has been going on. I'm in the process of trying to get into a Surg Tech program at Concorde Career Institute in Arlington. It's one of the few accredited schools for the program in the area, and pending a final review, it looks like I'll be starting classes mid-May. And, by the end of June 2007, I will be a certified Surgical Tech ... fingers crossed.

I had a very interesting birthday ... spent the first several hours of it at the courthouse. We finally went head to head with Jess's dad for child support. He's got a "B" of an attorney, and mine is quite the pushover, but child support is starting. We'll have a final court appearance to make around September I think ... he's trying to get out of retro-support. You know, like she hasn't needed anything the first 4 months of her life. He's also wanting visitation, which he has yet to exercise. I'm not thrilled about it AT ALL, but it's his right. I've had several offers to have him "taken out", but I really need that check every month. Once I get my certification, though, I may reconsider those offers. :-)

Jessica is doing well. She weighed in at 15 lbs, 9 oz on Wednesday ... doc says she's in the 90th percentile for weight, so we should probably start pushing solid foods to cut down on calorie intake. She's turning into quite the butterball. She's not a big fan of cereal, so I bought some veggies, hoping maybe it's the flavor she's after. Don't be shy. If anyone has any suggestions, lay it on me. It's been too long since Levi was this age, so I don't remember how he did with solids.

Levi is still doing great in school. It seems as though reading isn't his only strong subject. The kids have so many levels of math tests to complete before the end of the year, and he finished all levels a week or so ago. The kid is a perfectionist. He does not like to fail. It definitely comes out when he's playing video games. You would think the world was ending ... you can ask Mona. He screams at the tv constantly if the game isn't going his way. Too funny! Just don't let him see you laughing. He's going to his dad's this weekend ... unfortunately. That's a whole other story. Yes, Darrin is still married to his fatal attraction ... I don't think she's boiled any bunnies, but I bet she's run over a few. That marriage is a living advertisement for birth control.

And, since Mona won't respond about Ethan, let me have the honor. Mr. furniture man is still very much in the picture. You know the stage ... I like him so much, but can't let him know - does he like me that much? ... maybe I love him, but does he love me? ... I won't say anything unless he does ... oh my God, I haven't talked to him in 5 minutes ... I miss him so much! Blah, blah, blah ... I'm pretty sure that I'll never date again. Mom has met him, and he passed the mom test with flying colors. But, Mona has kept him from the rest of us, for good reason I'm sure. For some reason, I expect to see a guy in a toga with a bright light surrounding him. He's just been built up so much. She better bring him around quick before it gets to the point where he can't possibly live up to the image we have of him.

Mom and Dad are doing well. They celebrated their birthdays in Vegas last week. I guess they didn't do very well. After all, they did come back.

Ok, well, I have to run ... have to finish making a ring-tailed lemur for one of Levi's school projects. I thought homework was supposed to be for the kids! :-( Oh well ...

Blog ya later ...

Update on the Gages

It only seems appropriate for me to get this started. For those of you who don't know, I am currently unemployed. Getting up at 4:00 every morning, and not getting home until almost 7:00 every night, was certainly getting old ... especially since I was going to a job I didn't feel good about. So, what sort of job would I be proud of? After a lot of consideration and research, I have decided to go back to school to work on a Surgical Tech certification, and then possibly build on that. Basically, I would be the person in the Operating Room assisting the surgeon ... you know, passing the needed instruments and cleaning as needed. Until classes start, I'm enjoying spending more time with the kids. I'm able to take Levi to school and pick him now, which has made a huge improvement in his behavior. And, I get to spend some much needed one on one time with the baby. Which brings me to the kids ...

Levi is doing very well in school. He was tested recently on his development, and the results were very positive. He is reading and comprehending at a 4th grade level, which is awesome for a 2nd grader. He continues to get awards in math and behavior. And, recently, he was elected to test for their gifted program. I believe that will take place some time in February. We made an attempt to get him into karate, but it didn't take. He says he'd rather play football or basketball, but we'll see ...

Jessica is doing so much better. The last round of antibiotics finally wiped out the bacteria they found in her blood, and she has been thriving. She's about 14 pounds now, and is turning into quite the "butterball" as her PaPa likes to call her. She recently discovered that she has a voice, and coo's most of the day. She's sleeping really well at night ... FINALLY! I cannot tell you what a relief it was when she started sleeping through the night. Anything more than 3 hours at a time was huge!!! She's also just started rolling from her stomach to her back, and she is so proud of it. She smiles from ear to ear when she flips herself over.

I'm hoping to get a couple of recent pictures uploaded at some point today. But, this pretty much sums it up for us at this point. I can't wait to hear from you!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Welcome Everyone!! Let the blogging begin ...

After opening an envelope from Aunt Frances containing pictures, Mom had a great idea. She suggested we create a family blog, a website where we can post pictures, family news and updates, and any other information we wanted. What a great and easy way to keep in touch! Let's face it. Reaching out and touching someone just isn't what it used to be. Who has time to talk on the phone any more?? Speaking for myself, and probably for a few others, having an infant in the house certainly makes talking on the phone a challenge. Oh, who am I kidding? I've always hated talking on the phone. Anyway, let's move on ...

So, help me get this thing started. Upload a favorite picture, tell us what's new in your life, or just say HI. We'd love to hear from ya!

Kristi