Roly poly (cont.)

Olivia captured Cole rolling with the camera on her cellphone. He's really got it down now! Pretty much every time you put him down on his back he wants to roll to his tummy. I love his face once he's gotten over his shoulder. He just looks so proud and then the tongue action is priceless.

Mr. Independent

We've had our ups and downs with getting Cole to take a bottle. The first couple times, he took it like a champ. Then once it started to be a more regular thing (when I went back to work) he protested a bit. And now he seems to be getting more comfortable with the idea again. So comfortable, in fact, that today he wanted to hold the bottle on his own. Little Mr. Independent.

Something sweet

Cole got a Valentines Day card from Grandma and Grandpa K that had the sweetest quote on it. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so I thought I'd share it.

[visual: Piglet is sitting on Pooh's tummy] "Sometimes," said Pooh. "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

And how very true that is. I am thankful everyday for Cole. He fills up my heart and more.

Bumbo

We got this Bumbo seat from Cole's Uncle Scott and Aunt Stacey and put him in it for the first time today. It's perfect for him right now as he'd much rather be sitting (or standing, actually) than laying down. That laying down stuff is for babies!

Sleeping in

This weekend we slept in both Saturday and Sunday mornings -- Saturday until 9am and Sunday until after 10am. Cole woke up at 5:30am both mornings and then I brought him into bed with us and after 30 minutes or so, he drifted back off to sleep. It was WONDERFUL! I think this might have something to do with the fact that he got his 4-month shots on Friday and was a bit out of sorts all weekend. He seems to be doing a little better, although I think that his teeth might also be bothering him. Plus his nose has been super runny. Poor little guy!

Beaver basketball

On Saturday we took Cole to his first Beaver basketball game. It wasn't the best basketball, in fact it was a bit hard to watch as the Beavers got destroyed by the Huskies, but Cole seemed to enjoy all the action.

Wednesday afternoon

I have to admit that going back to work has not been the easiest, but I am so grateful for my flexible schedule. We hired a nanny for Cole, Brittney, who comes to our house Monday-Thursday from 8-2pm. And then either Cory or I are here by 2pm to spend the afternoon with Cole. And I'm off on Fridays (yeah, love that). So, Monday and Thursday it's Cory and Tuesday and Wednesday it's me. This Wednesday Cole and I spent a lot of time on the floor practicing rolling over. He's only done it that one time unassisted, but he's so close to being able to do it more. Now every time we put him down on his back he starts rolling onto his side and gets so close, but can't quite get the momentum going to get over his shoulder. Anyway, I had my camera out, so I thought I'd share a couple photos.

He really does enjoy time on his belly. He's starting to do the airplane move where he lifts his legs up and puts his arms out. A little pilates action!

He's also getting into a little bit of a crawling motion, although I know it will be a long time before he's actually on the move.

Up close and personal. Check out those bubbles and all that drool! He is a drooling machine these days.

A new favorite toy (thank you, Grandma!)

Playing around with the camera on my Mac.

Oh, and his bald spot. Not the most attractive, but I did want to make sure to get a picture of it so we can remember it when it's gone.

Roly poly

This afternoon Cole officially rolled over from his back to his tummy. Several weeks back he rolled from his tummy to his back, but that seems to have been just a one-time deal. Today he started pulling his knees up when lying on his back and then rolling onto his side. We were in the midst of a diaper change and decided to let him hang out naked for a little bit. Cory and I were both sitting on the floor with him and he was rolling back and forth and then all of a sudden, he rolled over. I think he surprised himself because he kind of looked around, like, hey, what just happened. Luckily I had the camera out because I thought the naked baby with just socks on look was pretty funny, so I was able to capture the moment. I have a bunch more pictures, but these were the most modest ones.

The Snowy Day(s)

A couple weeks ago we got several inches of snow. School was canceled and kids were out all over the place sledding, building snowmen, having snowball fights, enjoying this wonderful white stuff that we hardly see here anymore these days it seems. Anyway, just wanted to share these photos of me and Cole that Gem took. We were heading out for a walk around the neighborhood to check out the road conditions. The downside of the snowy weather is that it does make it a bit tricky to navigate the hills, but we were able to get out once it warmed and the ice started melting.

teething?

For the past couple weeks we've noticed that Cole has been drooling quite a bit more than normal. At first we thought, maybe he's teething, but then thought, naw, he's too young. Then in the past week we've noticed that what used to be sucking on his hand/thumb has turned into chewing. And then he had his first diarrhea diaper. And most recently, he has not been sleeping well at all. Like last night he was up pretty much every hour from 12am until 4:30am, when finally I just woke him up because he was so upset. Once awake, he's fine, but when he's sleeping, he just gets really worked up, maybe because his mouth hurts and since he's sleeping isn't able to think to put his hand in his mouth to soothe the pain. Today we decided to get out a teething ring and give that a shot. He went to town on it. So, I think he might officially be teething. Poor little guy! And poor us. Not to be too selfish, but man, I need some sleep! I'm hoping that he starts feeling better (how long does it take for teeth to pop through?) and I really hope that we're all able to get some sleep soon.

What's new with Cole

I've been a bit lazy about updating the blog recently and am now realizing how much there is to share about what's new with Cole! He is changing daily. So, here we go.

What's new with Cole.

He's discovered that his tongue can makes cool noises. A week ago he was really into raspberries. For several days straight he did continuous raspberries (see photo below), which was funny, even when he did it throughout a client meeting that I had to take him to. Luckily the client has little kids so he didn't seem phased by it at all. These days he seems to be off of raspberries, and has moved to just sticking his tongue out at whatever and whoever happens to be in front of him.



Currently his favorite toy is his hands. It doesn't seem to matter whether his hands are covered with mittens or inside the arm of his pajamas, he wants his hands (preferably both at the same time) in his mouth.



Hanging out with Dad in the afternoons. Since my return to work the first week in January (which needs to be a blog entry all on its own) Cory has altered his work schedule so that he can be home with Cole two afternoons, which is so wonderful. Check out Mr. Mom, feeding Cole while making dinner. Aw, so proud.



Playing and observing. In the past week we've definitely noticed that Cole has become much more interested in toys and just about everything else. His senses are heightened and he takes time to observe things around him. See photos below of him on his play mat, which he loves, and then with Gem, who he also loves, and his bee (Bizzle). It's so cool to see him "wake up" a little bit more to the world in which we live. The other night I was eating an orange and put a slice up to his nose so that he could smell it. His nose crinkled up a little at first and then he looked at me with big eyes and such a precious smile as if to say "hey, I like that new smell." The other afternoon we were getting ready to go out and I had him in his car seat then threw on a hat and went to pick him up. He looked at my hat with this puzzled expression, then looked at my face, then at my hat again, then smiled. What I imagine him thinking - "Oh, it is you mom. You just look a bit different!" There are many stories that I could add in this section. It's just the coolest thing to get to introduce him to what we all take for granted and what is so new and curious to him.





Getting bigger and stronger. He really enjoys tummy time and also enjoys sitting (with help) and working on standing. His little legs are so strong! We decided to switch pediatricians, so we had an appointment last week to interview a new doctor, Dr. Gamelin. Cole seemed to have a connection with her right away, maybe it was her Canadian accent. At any rate, we all really like her. Since we were there, she just went ahead and did his 4 month check-up (minus the shots). He's super healthy, weighs 15 lbs 1oz, and is 26" long.



Other things that I don't have photos of but are worth mentioning:
- Grunting, lots of grunting, and not just when he needs to fart or poop. He just likes to grunt. It's very manly.
- Exaggerated yawns. You really just need to experience this one to appreciate how precious it is.

Okay, I need to be better about updating this more regularly to avoid this type of barrage of updates. Those of you who have seen Cole recently I think will agree that his little personality is really starting to shine through.