Claire: 9 Months Old

Today, Claire is 9 months old. This summer has been so busy, something almost every weekend and we are still going. We are completely booked for August and almost there for September. My kids aren't even in organized sports or school yet! How can this be??

Anyway, Claire's monthly post have been lacking, so I told myself "you have got to write something about that sweet girl this month!" Much has changed since her last post.

-Her favorite toy is anything that she can put in her month and chew on, especially her pacifier.

-Raspy singing/static voice, followed by a shrill scream. Maybe a singer in the future??

-Rolls every way possible.

-Pivots, slides backwards, moves all around the living room. Very close to crawling I think. I can tell she is thinking about it and just trying to figure out how.

-Sits up completely independently (7.5 months). Also, gets down to a crawling position from sitting up, on purpose (not falling into it).

-Prefers to sleep on stomach now (8.5 months). Just put her down on her belly, pacifier in, blanket over back and head, lay her head down, and she is out. Super easy baby!

-Bedtime is closer to 6:30 or 7, sometimes later these days which is great, because she then sleeps until 7 or 7:30am the next morning. She no longer wakes at night mad on her tummy because she now prefers to sleep that way. Yes!

-Eczema is extreme still and we have a whole medicine bag full of products to use on it. It does not seem to bother her which is a blessing because it looks painful.

-She is not big on eating baby food or soft solids. She still prefers to only nurse or take formula. She doesn't even want water or juice. A sippy cup? What's that? Totally unique and different from her brother at this stage. We gave all baby food away and he only nursed 2- 3 a day, and the rest of the time ate everything we did and drank water from a cup. She will get there. She is a happy, so I know she is not starving.

-Eyes are blue, hair is turning blonde. Weighs 15 pounds. Tiny girl. Wears 6 month clothes and some are still too big.

-Very happy, content baby. Loves to watch Cole play and he is beginning to play with her and her play back.

-Loves to nap in her pool float! Awesome!

Claire: 5 Months Old

-Claire does not smile a ton like other babies, but one sure fire way I have found to make her smile is by sitting her up facing me and doing cheers, hands motions and all. So cute. She just lights up.

-Chews on her pointer finger. Her favorite toy is her hands.

-Pulls up legs while laying on her back and rocks back and forth.

-While on her tummy, she pulls her legs up underneath her and inches forward a bit.

-Started taking a bottle from ME without a fight. And I have gave it to her at room temperature a couple times too.

-As far as sleeping, we are making good strides. In my last milestone post, I mentioned she was making it through the night without waking up. That lasted about 10-12 days. Then we went back to some good nights and some bad ones again, followed by traveling and congestion. Her bedtime was between 7 and 8pm. About a week and a half ago, she ate at 3 or 4pm two days in a row and didn't wake up again for 12 hours. What? 12 hours without eating is totally normal for her but that's too early to go to bed because she can't make it 15 hours. But I have learned not to wake her late in the day. It totally messes up her sleep cycles. And she only does that late in the day. I would wake her if it happened in the morning/early afternoon hours. So I am trying my best to push that back a bit. So now I do all I can to make her stay up until 6am and she sleeps until 6 or 7am, with a few exceptions of course.

-It's been 5 months and I have only had to buy one package of diapers! I was so blessed with diapers by friends and family or pre-bought just the right amount so far. Thank you everyone! It's such a blessing to just have to open her closet instead of having to go to the store.

-She loves to stand, play in her Jumperoo and look outside.

-She seems to have outgrown her bouncy seat.

-We are trying cereal again. I say "we" because it was me that wasn't consistent about giving it to her, not her refusing it.

-She talks/coos a ton. Jabbers. So sweet to listen to.

-Eyes are still blue. Hair is still brown/auburn.

-Happy and content. No major meltdowns pretty ever. If there are, then it's because I am not responding to her needs and she has given me all the warning alerts.

-Goals for next month: MORE FLOOR TIME. I am so bad at that this go around. But she always naps so much that she isn't awake alot just us either, not that it has to be always just us. But it would be fun bonding time. We need to get rolling. :)

-Recognizing and smiling at Cole more. Loves to watch him play, sing/talk to her.

-Nicknames: Claire Bear, Sweets, Little Bit

-She is an observer/studies everything around her. One very similar trait that is like Cole at her age.

Claire: 4 Months

Last Friday, March 4th, Claire turned four months old. How the time is flying. I bet I say that every post too. Sorry. It is. I can't believe it is now okay to start rice cereal and thinking about digging out our high chair from the very back of her closet. Really?

This last month has been a bit hard. As soon as I posted her three month report, all chaos broke loose. Seriously. I have a friend that would always tell me as soon as she posted progress on her blog, things would change. Well, it happened to us as well. In that post, I talked about finally having a routine and nighttime sleep was improving, etc. For about three weeks after that, we had many hard nights that led to tired and grouchy days for me, which also led to many headaches/migraines. Poor Cole. He wanted a playmate so badly some days and I just wasn't much fun. And there was one weekend in there that was not only Claire keeping us up. The first night it was Claire, then Cole (which never has issues going to bed) and then me the next night with heartburn. What in the world was happening? It was crazy.

Anyways...

Claire CAN make it all night without eating, so when she would wake up, it was very frustrating to say the least. She typically went to bed at around 10pm or so and would wake at 3:30am and then EVERY hour after that needing her pacifier, during these last three weeks. I often thought, "Do I feed her? Would that make her sleep the rest of the night?" Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Confused? Yes. Mad? Yes. I know, I know. You are thinking I am a horrible mother for saying I was mad and frustrated. It's true. It's honest. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my sweet girl, but we were ALL tired and in much need of rest. I needed her to sleep. She needed to sleep.

With Cole, I let him cry it out. With Claire, I was (until last month) afraid she would wake Cole up, so I was not so great about letting her cry it out. And typically, she really DOES need something, such as to burp. But after talking to another friend, with two older children and a baby, we decided to let her cry a bit more at night and not worry about it until it started to wake Cole. Has it woke him yet? No. He is one hard sleeper.

Also, my pediatrician has always suggested starting a 7 or 8pm bedtime from the beginning and going from there. That is not something I started with Cole but worked up to. I see her point of possibly interrupting deep sleep and the baby never returning that deep sleep if woken mid-cycle, but my concern was always would that mean more middle of the feedings? With Cole, waking him at 10pm to fill him up was never a problem. I think it was for Claire. Individuals? Yes. Can't treat them the same that's for sure.

Exactly one week ago, things started looking up around here. Sleep started to happen again in this house. We hosted our small group last Tuesday night. Claire ate about 5pm and was ready for a nap about 6:15pm. The first couple arrived just about then so she was not fully asleep so she required us to go in twice for a pacifier, but after that not one peep. Did I plan for that to be her going down for bed? No. Well, it was about 10pm when we were finishing up small group and I said to a friend, "What do I do? She is not awake. Do I wake her?" I went back and forth. And the reason it was such a debate was because Claire has this habit of waking up 45 minutes into her naps, pretty much every nap and we have to go in and re-swaddle or put her pacifier back in, but when it is bedtime, she does not wake up at the 45 minute mark, so the debate of "Did she think we put her down for the night?" began.

**Side note: Thank you for praying for me and my lack of sleep/headache problem. This week has been so much better. Not one headache! PTL!**

Brent and I decided not to wake her. I thought for sure she was going to wake up as soon as my head hit the pillow. She has done that before. Nope. She did not wake up until 5:38am!!! Are you kidding?! How wonderful was that?! Could we repeat it again??

The next day, I tried to figure out the timing to have her eating the last time about 8pm. On her previous schedule her last feeding would fall at 7:30pm but she has been showing signs and definitely able to go four hours between feedings. Plus, if we add cereal too, then she really will not need as much milk. Theoretically. My theories have been wrong a time or two though.

With all that said, Claire's new bedtime is between 7 and 8pm. And she has slept until 6 or 7am pretty much every morning without interruption!! I can't believe it!

I feel like every month end we are going to a new schedule. I am still learning about Claire. My baby girl is so unique and special and plain different from her brother. And I am completely okay with that and LOVE her for it. Tired? Yes. Ready to know what she needs (regarding nighttime sleep) without a doubt? Yes. Are we getting there? Yes. I am good with progress and progress we are making together, sweet Claire! Mommy loves you!

This week, her naps have improved as well. We have had several naps that were not interrupted by the 45 minute intruder and slept the entire 1.5 to 2 hours without much help. The initial put down is easy 8 out of 10 times. Just lay her down awake and she goes to sleep. She is also willing to take naps in her car seat, which happens a lot when I know we are about to leave for church or Bible study that fall right at nap time. It is my best option for keeping her asleep and not disturbing her. The hard part is putting her back to sleep when she does wake in the middle. I have almost started not to let her cry (very opposite of her brother) because if I can catch her at the first sound and stick her pacifier in she is almost instantly back asleep every time. It is when she wakes up fully or gets worked up that is difficult.

So here's what I am thinking for her schedule:

Option #1:
7am: Wake up, eat. Play.
8:30am: Nap #1 lasting about 1 to 1.5 hours.
10am: Eat + cereal. Play.
12pm: Nap #2 lasting about 2 hours.
2pm: Eat. Play.
3:30pm: Nap #3 lasting about 1 to 1.5 hours.
5pm: Eat + cereal. Play.
7:30pm Eat and Bedtime.

**We have not started cereal just yet. But just thinking and planning.**

Of course, this is just a rough estimate. The ideal plan. It is still flexible and adjustable according to activities outside our home, errands, commitments, etc. Tuesdays and Sundays with Bible study and church, it always is a bit off and that is okay. The main goal is to accomplish EAT, WAKE, SLEEP cycles. And we are there for sure. Exact times, that changes and that is just fine with me. As long as Claire gets the rest she needs. She definitely isn't lacking in the food area. :)

Knowing when Claire is tired is easy. It is so cute. She will put her hands over her eyes, palms out and open. I will have to get a picture of it. Precious. Or she will cross her arms over her eyes. There is no wondering if she is tired once she does that signal. Thank you, Claire for telling me exactly what you need! Love it!

Milestones:

-Discovered her hands. To her, this is her favorite toy. She just looks and studies them for countless hours. Easy entertainment.

-Still drooling. I am talking soaking wet clothes and terry cloth bibs are needed. Something new and different for me.

-At the beginning of the month, there was a week of bloody murder screaming as I tried to feed Claire. I didn't know what was happening. This was definitely not her norm. I finally decided to take her to the doctor and acid reflux was thought to be what was going on. Of course, she stopped the screaming after going for her appointment. We had some things to try and meds, etc. but I am still not convinced that is what was wrong or maybe it was just a couple bad days of it. And now it's gone?

-Slept in crib for the first time February 6th (Superbowl) and every night since then.

-February 7th, started using Jumperoo. By month end, she can touch the floor and even bounce a little.

-February 11th, rolled over tummy to back to the right for first time.

-February 13th, used outside swing for first time and LOVED it.

-March 2nd, Claire has began to laugh, sorta. It sounds like a grunt or cough almost. She mostly just opens her mouth really wide and you can see it in her eyes. The best and only way so far to make this happen is tickling/shaking her belly.

-Still swaddling and using a pacifier.

-Pretty much only takes a bottle from Miss Connie at church, which I am totally okay with since that is pretty much the only time Claire needs a bottle. Miss Connie knows all the tricks! :)

-Supported sitter.

Features:
-Dark hair.

-Blue eyes.

-Chubby cheeks. So cute.

-Wearing size 2 diapers.

-Wearing 3-6 month clothing.

Goals for Next Month:
-Still working on tummy time and rolling over more.

-Start introducing cereal.

Claire: Three Months

Here is what has gone on during month 3 of Claire's life:

Eat, Wake, Sleep:
-At the beginning of this month, she would wake to eat once a night.

-By mid month, we dropped the eating but were still waking at about 5am and with re-swaddling or pacifier would go back to sleep until 7am.

-At month end, Claire is sleeping without waking (somewhat) from 10:30pm to 7am. We pretty much have 3 good nights of uninterrupted sleep, followed by 2 nights of waking at 5am or so. And repeat. Goal: to get that to stop, be consistently sleeping through the night, and move her to her room.

-This month, I finally started an official Wake Time = 7am. I have seen that Claire sleeps through the night better (without a cold of course) and is less fussy during the day. She eats basically every 3 hours and is flexible when needed for outings, so that means she eats at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm most days, give or take a few minutes. That schedule worked well with Cole at his age and with our life routine around our house. I kept trying to figure out a way to have them napping exactly at the same time but to make that happen the rest of the day would be awkward and her eating would fall at dinner time, etc. I am now okay with having two schedules and I still worked in an hour break or so for myself.

-Her wake time runs about 1.5 hours. So her nap times are roughly 8:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm and sometimes 8:30pm. The 8:30pm is hit or miss. Sometimes we keep her up if she is not fussy and wanting to sleep so Brent gets time with her but other days she needs her rest. Eventually we will drop the 10:30pm feeding and her bedtime will move to 7:30pm. But that will be another month and another goal to accomplish.

-The last two nights, Claire has been sleeping so well in her 5:30/6pm nap that we pushed her feeding time back to about 8:30 or 9pm and put her to bed for the night. I don't know if I like this yet. She hadn't quite mastered the previous bedtime (10:30pm to 7am) yet, but time just got away from us the last two nights so we tried it. She didn't wake up to eat ever, but she did cry out more often. Hmmm...what to do??

-Her naps are different then Cole's were. He wasn't or I don't remember him being effected by the 45 minute intruder. She is and it is like clock work. I don't get her up unless she is crying uncontrollably. She normally just requires a burp, re-swaddle, or pacifier. And sometimes a good rock. That is a last resort. And then she will sleep the remaining 45 minutes for a total of 1.5 hour nap.

-Requires sensitive or soy formula.

-Still fights bottle some. She will take it one day without fight and not the next. Right now, we are doing a trial to see if there is a particular bottle she prefers over another. Trying Nuk bottles right now.

-Still likes to be swaddled.

-Takes a pacifier better now.

Milestones:
-Responds to us cooing at her with smiles and cooing back.

-Recognizes us more and lights up more when we talk to her.

-Like to be held facing outwards to be able to look around. Such a big girl already.

-Tries tummy time in small intervals. 2 minutes max right now.

-Turns almost in circles on play mat. Not full ones but is definitely in a different spot then where I would leave her.

-Drooling began around 11 weeks.

-January 31st: Sat in Bumbo seat for the first time.

-Cole still calls her Claire Bear. Also says "Hey sweetie" or "Whatcha doing cutie?" to her.

Features:
-Still has very blue eyes.

-Hair is still dark. About the same amount she was born with as far as I can tell. Just a small bare spot on the back of her head.

-Wearing size 1-2 diapers. Could see us moving to a size 2 when we finish this box. I don't remember Cole moving through diaper sizes this quickly.

-Wearing 3 month clothing.

Goals for Next Month:
-To move Claire to her crib.

-To have more floor time with Claire giving her more opportunities to discover her feet and to think about rolling over.

Cole: 2.5 years

Dear my sweet Cole,

On Friday, January 21, 2011, you turned two and a half years old. You have changed so much in the last six months that I felt you needed a half year birthday post.

You are growing so fast. You are getting taller every day. Your hair is growing longer every day. Six months ago you hardly had any at all and now it seems to not stop growing and it's curly! You are wearing 2T clothes and some 3T t-shirts. You love shoes. Mine. Daddy's. Yours. Even your sister's shoes.

You are still in pull-ups while you sleep. You take 1 nap a day from around 1-3pm. You go to bed at 8pm and are typically up about 8am. A solid 12 hours of sleep. You wake up so happy 90% of the time. Ready to go. Talking away. There is definitely a difference in your mood when we have to wake you versus you waking up naturally.

You have such a sweet, gentle spirit. You love your little sister. You want to know where she is, what is she doing, and love to talk to her. You still love the outdoors. You love all sports. You love playing with your friends and cousins.

Your like a little man. Yes, you have your two year old moments. But you keep up so well, adjust quickly to change and instruction. You seem to understand consequences for your actions most of the time. Your speech is beyond incredible, understandable by many, not just us, and always commented on by others. People are usually shocked to find out your real age when asked in public.

You are a joy. You have a sweet smile and a contagious laugh. You are a blessing to our family. You are loved.

We love you Cole! You are precious to us. We love that you are growing up beautifully, but slow down a little. :)

Love,
Mommy

Some of Your Favorites...

Favorite Books:
One Fish Two Fish = "Cat and Hat...the new one"
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Giraffe and a Half
Mr. Bird from Big Blue Book of Stories by Dr. Seuss
This Curious George book with 8 stories included:

Favorites include: Curious George and the Pancakes, which led to making pancakes 3 times in one week with chocolate chips, of course. And Curious George and the Animals.

Favorite Shows and Movies:
Super Why
Word Word
**Both of these shows have really helped you learn and recognize your letters.**
Mickey Mouse Club House
Go Diego Go
Dora the Explorer
Toy Story 3 = "Stoy Torie"

Social Interaction:
You love to go "talk to neighbors."
You can almost say anything. Repeat everything.
Uses "May I..." sentences.
Not at all shy.
Easy going.
Learning to pray. Current prayer: "Dear God, thank you for food. Amen." Now, to teach you to thank our Lord for all the other ways He blesses us.
Starting to memorize Scripture. Current and first verse we are learning is Genesis 1:1.
Makes family connections (names all members of family-ours, friends, extended family, even pets).
Learning your full name. "Cole Al-N Pear-Mo"

Favorite Quotes:
"I show you something."
"I need (fill in blank) to feel me better."
"My names Mater, like TaMater, without the "Ta."" -You quote that with the movie Cars.

Favorite Songs:
Old MacDonald
Jingle Bells
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Favorite Activities:
Pretend play: cooking with food, dress up
Building with Legos and block train
Reading tons of books

Claire: Two Months

Last Tuesday (4th), Claire turned 2 months old. I can't believe how the time is flying by. She is absolutely precious and growing way too fast! She is loved very much by so many but let me tell you, she has her little brother wrapped around her finger. It is way too cute watching him with her. He truly loves and cares for her. I am excited to watch their relationship bloom as they get older.




(Both photos taken at 2 months and 1 day old)

Two Month Milestones:
-Holds head up fairly steady. Strong neck.

-Wearing size 1 diapers, but I think once we have used all that we have, that we will move up to Size 1-2.

-Wearing 0-3 month clothes still in most brands. Needs to move up to size 3 in Carter's though. That is a NB size in one of the pictures. It is a little snug. haha.

-Always moving, kicking legs, etc. Very active.

-Blue eyes are still there!

-Started cooing and smiling at 7-8 weeks or so.

-Only have tried formula 4-5 times. She is not a fan and throws up volumes afterwards. Talking
to the doctor about other options tomorrow.

-Semi-pacifier user. You have to kinda force it on her and hold it until she takes it, but then she loves it. Just can't make up her mind about that one.

-Cole's nicknames for her right now are "Clair bear" and "Miss Claire."

-Took for out of state trip to Oklahoma for Christmas with Bebe and Papaw.

-Eyes follows lights and sound.

-While in OK, we made our first ER/hospital trip. More on that in another post.

-Baby acne cleared up around 8.5 weeks.

Sleep/Routine:
-Still working on a routine. I need structure and like flexibility. So I am working on having both. I think I have decided to do what I did with Cole and start her day at 7. It seemed to
work well for me with errands and dinner for Cole. Figuring out how to work two schedules is tough but we are getting there.

-Still waking about once a night. The time varies a little based on her last feeding, so I am going to try and be more consistent with that since I know my plan for her start time now. Last night she ate at 10:30pm and slept until 6:15am or so. Super! She is getting there.

-Needs to be swaddled for sleep to help calm those active legs.

-I need to work on letting her cry a bit more. She is so loud I am terrified of her waking her brother, who is sleeping great. What to do...

-Still sleeping in a pack n play in our room. Napping for the most part in her crib.

-The bouncy seat is a life saver for her sleeping with congestion.

Two Month Check-up:
Height: 23.75 inches = 92%
Weight: 12lbs 4oz = 83%
Head: 15.25 inches = 49%

Milestones of Turning Two

Wow! I thought a baby changed so much from birth to age 1 and they do so don't get be wrong BUT their second year of life is filled with so many more changes as they go from a baby to wanting to be an independent toddler.

6 Days Old


13 Months


12 or 13 Months


2nd BirthDAY


In the month of July 2010 alone, Cole was potty trained, upgraded to a twin bed, and no longer sits in a highchair but in a booster at the table with us. He also started climbing! Yikes. He his been able to climb on lower objects like his old toddler bed and couch for awhile but never could manage our bed or even attempted the dining room table chairs. But sure enough a couple weeks ago, I turn around for two seconds and he is up sitting in his booster ALL BY HIMSELF. Talk about panic.

Counting is another thing that has really taken off the last few months. For whatever reason, it helped to count his toes while trimming his nails, so the counting begun. Then, we also discovered that counting to 10 and sometimes 20 helped calm him down if he was having a meltdown. You can't talk to someone and them understand you while they are screaming and crying so this really helped in this area. That lead us to count lots of things around the house and out places. His loves it. Cole can count to 20 on a good day, but will usually leave out 6, 14, and 16. Funny. Why those numbers, we don't know. But he is pretty consistent about it.

Common Phrases Around Our House:
"mommy, hold joo (you)" -- which is his way of saying "hold me"
"I want to drive daddy's truck."
"I want to play washERs."

Cole has also become VERY polite and persistent. He will remind you to say "excuse me" if you forgot and will not stop saying "thank you" until you acknowledge him with "your welcome." He also has a real desire to PRAY! Which hearing a 2 year pray is incredible!! No, they aren't elaborate or fancy prayers, but he is giving thanks to his God and it is completely precious and honestly sometimes shocking when you walk into a room and you see him with his head bowed, eyes closed and hands folded. Keep on praying and praising, Cole!

A favorite part of my day is my morning wake up call and the pitter-patter of Cole's little feet running across our living room to my room, with him saying "Mommy, I slept GOOD!!!" Super sweet moments.

Some of His Favorite Books Right Now:
"read yours" = Dinosaur Garden (He can almost read this to us!)
"ham" = Green Eggs & Ham
"george" = any Curious George book

Favorite Show
"a-go", which is diego

On July 30th, we had our 2 year check-up. It went so great. Our doctor told us Cole was in her GT program, that is verbal skills were outstanding and his motor development great too. She said it is more typical for boys to have more of the physical development down then verbal and girls visa versa, but he is doing super and above in both, in her opinion. Keep it up little man!

Stats:
Height - 35inches (75%)
Weight - 33lbs (95%)
Head - 50cm (90%)

Napping 2-2.5 hours, starting between 12-1pm.
Bedtime around 8-8:30pm, wakes 7:30-8am. The last week it has gotten a little earlier, but not typical so we are working on getting that corrected. We started locking the door again this week so he will just play until I get up.
naps down to 2-2.5 hours.

Celebrating 18 Months

Dear Cole-man,

Happy 18 months, sweet boy. I hope you know how much you are loved, because you are loved beyond words. Your daddy and I can't imagine our lives without you. You make us laugh daily. You love to explore and imagine how things work. You study intensely and try and try again until to get something. You love the outdoors. And you have started pretend play in the last month by cooking and mixing while I cook. You amaze us every day with all the words you know. You are such a talker and I hope you keep it up because I love to hear you tell about things and what you are doing.

Can you believe you were this little??

(Cole's Birth Announcement, pictures taken and designed by his Aunt Larra at 6 days old)

And now you are this big??


As I said, you love to play outside. You would stay out there all day, every day if I would let you. Any time Maci, our dog, goes outside you want to go too. You love to swing and slide. I love that you are active. As soon as you see your shoes or I put on your socks, you know that we are going outside and you get so excited and start screaming, "outside, outside!" You were given a swing set for Christmas and you love to play on it. You have no fear. You are climbing up the rock wall with help from me right now, but you will have it down before I know it. You are getting to big too fast. Slow down, please.



You love Maci, our dog. And she is warming up to you. I think she preferred when you weren't moving as fast though because then she could sniff at you and move on, but you are catching up to her in speed and she has no place to hide. She loves you, I know it. You just scare her when you chase her with you golf club. You are allowed to carry it, but swinging it at her and anyone else is not allowed. You are still in the process of learning that one though. Yesterday, at lunch, you noticed she was out of her food before I did and quickly told me, "more, Maci, more." Then tonight, you found her travel food and starting looking for her in a hurry to give her some food. You are so sweet to look after your puppy. Thank you for helping me take care of Maci-girl.

Since 15 months, your vocabulary and how well you speak has exploded. You were saying several words then, about (10-15) and jabbering, but now, you can say 50+ words, plus the jabbering, repeat anything we say, and speak clearly (we aren't the only ones who understand you). Keep it up buddy! You are doing great!

You love to read. That is probably helping your vocabulary a bit. Your daddy made you a reading fort that you love to climb into and read in, mostly before bed. You and I usually sit in the chair in your room and read in the early morning when you first get up. And as soon as I sit in that chair you say, "book, book, more books please." So polite.

You can also tell me where your head, nose, mouth, eyes, ears, and belly button are located. That only took a couple diaper changes to teach you. Amazing. That's what you are to us.

Your routine has always been predictable which helps me plan our days together and errands we need to run. At 18 months, you take two naps a day at 10am and 2pm for about 2 hours each. At the beginning of the month, we took you to a wedding and lost your last pacifier so ever since you have been pacifier free! You were down to only using it at nap time so it was not a drastic transition. And you did great with the final stage after about a week.

You are a great eater. You will eat pretty much anything you are given. When you get up in the morning, as soon as I finish changing your diaper, you get up and run out of your room saying "breakfast" and head to your high chair.


(You are usually a very neat eater, except on spaghetti night, but that part of the fun!)

You love to copy everything your daddy or I do. You are very social and love playing with your friends. You love to give hugs and kisses. You are so sweet. You love going to church and hanging out with your teachers and classmates. Every time we drop you off, you head straight to a pink umbrella stroller and start pushing it around. You love to push things, whether it be my luggage on wheels, your big stroller or play shopping carts, anything on wheels. You love to dance.

You are a busy little boy. You love to play, but really I don't know if you have a favorite activity to sit and do because you are never sitting for more then a minute. If you call walking and talking and carrying as many objects around the house as possible an activity then that is your favorite, because that is what you do all day long. I love to just sit back and watch you.



You are loved. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are precious. I would love for you to stay just as you are, little and my baby, but I know the Lord has great things to you in your future and I am excited to see that unfold in your life.



I love you, sweet boy!

Love,
Mommy

More Evidence!

Cole is Walking!

Do I have a Walker or a Step Taker?

My question is simple or I thought it was...Do I have a walker or step taker? I can't decide and the world wide web is not helping me answer my question. So what do you think???

According to dictionary.com, the definition of walk is:

to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion.

Well, Cole does that, but when is it legitimate to call him a walker, to check that off on the milestone list, to add it to the list of accomplishment on the right side bar of this blog? **Side note, we are not pushing or rushing this, I am just really curious of when a parent goes from saying "yes, he is taking some steps" or "yes, he is walking."**

Each day Cole gets better at walking. Last night, he took 19 steps, then a lego got in his way. He got right back up and then took 28 steps. Cole is not able to get to a standing position on his own yet, so either Brent and I have to stand him up or he has to crawl to the next object that he can pull up on. I have noticed this week it is about half and half: half crawling and half walking. Although today, he has pretty much walked all over this house. He walks along cabinets, walls, holding on to one of my hands or completely independently.

So what is your thoughts? What stage of life is Cole in? Crawler/Step Taker? Or Walker? Is there a middle stage that I don't know about?

It's been awhile...

Well, it has been awhile since our last post, so there are many updates. Let's get started, this may get kinda long...

First, Cole's all bundled up, for what you ask??

SNOW in TEXAS!!

Cole experienced snow for the first time with his cousin Brody couple weeks before Christmas. I went to College Station for the day to help Larra around the house since she has not been feeling well with baby #2 and it turned into 2 days. Who knew, I would be stuck in CS because of SNOW! Crazy, but most Texas residents are not taught how to drive in such weather. It was great to spend that extra time with them. Maybe next snow day the boys will be old enough to play with their dads in the snow.

New Skills

finding myself in the mirror...so exciting

about 1 month ago...trying rice ceral and not liking it

last week...now Cole eats about 1 Tablespoon twice a day...

supported sitter

Cole is doing so many new things every day it seems like right now. He is very active in his Jumperoo and Baby Einstein activity center. Yesterday, he was going from toy to toy and even pushing buttons without any help (I was in a completely different room). He is passing toys from one hand to another, rolling from back to front and to his back again (he stopped for awhile) and making more facial expressions/laughing when he gets tickled by Maci playing ball or his dad coming in the room or playing peek-a-boo. It is amazing to watch him develop each day.

just a cute picture...says the mommy ;)

Here is a slideshow of our Christmas:

We did a lot of traveling this Christmas. The weekend before Christmas we spent in Bryan/CS with Brent's family and extended family. It was a great time seeing everyone and playing the Wii at Cole's Mimi and Papa's house. Brody and Cole just watched us play the games it was so funny.

On Christmas Eve, we drove up to Tulsa to spend the rest of the week with my parents. We had a great time there and I was able to catch up with a couple friends from high school. I love going to Tulsa.

New Year's Eve

Teresa and Stephanie

The girls playing Mexican Train Dominos with sombreros (courtesy of Steph's mom).

We spent the evening in the Woodlands at Stephanie's parents home. It was a great night of games and friends. Thanks Steph for being a great hostess!

Cole is Rolling!

Check out our video of Cole rolling over! This is the second time that we saw, I didn't have the camera ready for the first time. Cole forgot to tell me he was about to do something super cool! ;) First time parents I know, laugh it up...

New things in month 3

Cole went to his first softball game 2 weeks ago. It was colder then I thought once we got there but he was so bundled he was not the slightest bit cold, just me. Babies are so cute all bundled!

Cole's First Halloween

Brent and I helped with the Fall Festival at church for a little bit on the 31st before leaving for College Station. Our Sunday school department had a putt-putt booth, so it was right up Brent's alley. Cole was a pumpkin. His good friend Ava let him borrow her costume from last year. Thanks Ava!

Cole with Alicia and Ashley

Ava, Desi, me and Cole

Bryan/College Station Trip #2

Spending time with family:

Matt, Larra & Meemaw with Cole

Papa, Mimi, & Brody: Cole loves his cousin Brody

On Friday, we went to College Station for the second weekend in a row. This time we were able to meet up with our old boss, Dottie or "G-Dot" like her grandkids call her. Brent and I both worked at Loupot's Bookstores throughout college and Dottie was an amazing boss and person to work for, so we try to go by the store as much as we can to stay in touch. It was a great time and Dottie's first time seeing Cole.

Just new things...

Cole joined Brent and I for dinner for the first time last week by sitting in his brand new high chair. I think he enjoyed being with us at the table for dinner. Such a big boy!

We are working on our rolling over skills. Cole is almost there, but he gets stuck on his left arm and can't get it out of his way to get all the way over yet.

After some hard work, Cole fell asleep like this, definitely not his norm.