8 Weeks Old!

Our little man is growing up so fast! He was giving mom some good half-smiles today. I couldn't catch any of those on camera but here's a closed-mouth little grin. This morning was the closest to social smiles yet! Here's some pics and video from this morning.

Ti - RED

This is my very, very tired and RED baby - from the screaming and rubbing around his eyes. This is actually when he woke up - 10 minutes after I laid him down thinking he would make it for a nice long nap!! Not so, the long ones lately are only when I'm holding him or if he is lying next to me. I need to find a pillow or shirt that smells like me to trick the little guy.

We still have trouble getting him to sleep both for naptimes and bedtime. He wants to fall asleep so badly but seems to have trouble getting there. He doesn't even fall asleep while eating usually. He'll still want to suck because he isn't asleep but his little belly is so full he cries and he of course doesn't like to settle for the pacifier either. It takes a while but he finally agrees and goes to sleep. Luckily, for the most part he falls asleep right after his middle of the night feedings.

(Please excuse the pink bassinet sheet - the others were dirty. Hey, I put blue blankets on him! Normally I don't like the loose blankets either but he wasn't bundled and swaddled when I got him to sleep and it is chilly in our house.)

Bathing Baby

Cole really didn't like bath time until this week. Dad started giving him baths before bed every night and he really enjoys them. From the moment he hears running water he calms down. Well, he likes the sound of running water anyway but at least he doesn't scream now when that water touches his skin. More bath time pictures are on his website (see link to right).

Baby Blessing & 7 Weeks

Almost forgot - Sunday was Cole's baby blessing - being the bad photographer I am I didn't take any pictures! Cole wore his little suit and so many people came to see the blessing. In addition to the immediate family (we miss you Kylene and Jeff!), Grandma and Grandpa Poling were here as well as Uncle Lynn and Aunt Barbara and family from College Station and Rick's Co-worker Serena came. The blessing was absolutely beautiful. Linda kindly took notes during the blessing. I'm so grateful that she did. I was so proud of Cole for not crying!

Yvonne was holding Cole prior to the blessing and was anxious to see if Grandpa Rees would give him up after the blessing. She was so giddy to see Cole being passed down the aisle back to her. It was so cute - I just love to see people excited about our little man. We are all blessed by his presence (even when he is crying inexplicably).

So Cole is 7 weeks now and is mostly progressing in the strength area.
1. He holds his head up about 100% of the time now.
2. He can push into a standing position with just a little help on the balance part.
3. He is SUPER attentive so is very good with focusing on any object with his eyes. He recognizes mommy by sight.
4. That super attention causes him to fight sleep nearly 100% of the time. Poor mommy and daddy.
5. Since birth he has made cooing sounds. They are more often now and more varied.
6. He sure has a good set of lungs on him...(he's demonstrating that right now...gotta go!)

Random Cute Pics

This was Jeremiah before Cole started cry. T had a total meltdown when he started to cry. Naturally he thought he did something to make Cole upset. I felt so bad for Jeremiah - his tender heart is so adorable!

Time with Daddy

Cole was chilling with Rick and being so cute so I pulled out the camera. It was only after I took the picture that I realized his pants were pulled clear up to his chest like an old man! This picture still cracks me up. He looks so funny!!

Bath Time!

Cole doesn't really like baths - but he is getting used to them. Yesterday was the first time he didn't cry during the bath or after for the drying and lotion! After the bath last week we put him in his warm reindeer outfit. He loved it - as he fell asleep right after but not before squeezing his hands so tight you couldn't pry them open if you tried! He's so stinkin' cute!

Remember the Alamo!

We went to San Antonio on Saturday with Grandma and Grandpa to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Cole happily rode in the baby carrier. He was really good the entire trip but I think he was sick of being confined when it came time to drive home. He was so tired he cried most of the way. He fell asleep when we got home though and slept from 9PM to 2AM!! I was so shocked I kept waking up to check on him. It seems no matter what time we get him to sleep he is waking around 2AM so if we could just get him asleep earlier than 11PM (his usual time to finally conk out) then Mom could get more sleep!

Visitors!

Grandma and Grandpa Poling came to visit for a few days and boy was Mommy excited because after Monday and Tuesdays PERFECT (no fussy behavior)she was exhausted by Wednesday and Thursdays horrid attitude - constant crying and not staying asleep for longer than 10 minutes. I had to constantly rock him back to sleep. Ugh.

Cole really took to Grandma and she fell in love with him too (I mean, how could you not??) Grandpa was so excited to see him again. In just 3 weeks a baby grows so much!


Also, Cole's baby acne is in full force - just excuse his red bumpy cheeks and chin!

Kissing Machine

Rick is a kissing machine - he can't stop whenever Cole is in good spirits. This is him all bundled up Sunday evening as we got him ready for bed. He was so alert. He loves being swaddled. Do you think he likes the constant kisses? Look at that face - What do you think?

Poopers

Cole must hate Mommy's favorite outfit. I've put it on him twice now and each time within 15 minutes of wearing it he pooped out his diapers all over it. This second time is proving difficult to get out. Stop that! I mean really, isn't this CUTE?!

Sunday Sunday

So this is the outfit he wore two weeks ago - his first church outfit. I put it on him this morning and barely got the shirt buttoned! It's a good thing the vest has room! Guess this is the last time this little man is going to wear this.

We took Cole to the doctor on Saturday. After spending a splendid Thanksgiving in College Station with family, I was told multiple times that he has acid-reflux and should get him on medication which would help his fussiness. The doctor agreed that his symptoms sounded like acid-reflux (general fussiness all day, continual spit up and vomitting, etc.) So he is now taking prilosec. The doctor originally wanted to start him on Zantac but them mentioned that it is the less-effective remedy but is the least expensive too. We wanted none of that - give us full strength solutions for this kid! So we'll see how his behavior improves. Because really - this guy is all splotchy and red from A) crying and B) baby acne (he has it BAD!)

Diaper Problems

So since our little man was born with chicken legs and no butt, we have a slight problem with diapers. Pampers Swaddlers newborn size were working magnificently up until a few days ago. All the poops leaked out the legs. Then I had some 7th Generation newborns that worked really well. We have 4 packages of newborn Huggies and they are HUGE around the legs for him. Yesterday, I thought maybe I'd try them again. This morning I was looking some things up on the internet and feeding Cole with him on my lap. All of the sudden I felt something warm in between my legs. "Gee, that was weird - but it doesn't feel wet. Oh well." Yea right! The little man peed right through the leg opening in the diaper, through his clothes and on me. Joy. Well, at least it's completely sterile, right? So I changed him and tried the Huggies again. I thought I'd wait until after he was done eating to change myself. So we then continued the feed in the recliner in his nursery. Then I felt something warm on my butt - "No way! How could pee get there?" Sure enough, I don't know how but it went onto the recliner and then sunk down to the seat. Okay, twice in one morning is enough to say NO WAY to Huggies. Imagine if that were one of his runny, uncooked scrambled egg poops! Ew! So I upped him to Size 1 Swaddlers which we have instock. Let's hope these work! I can't believe I'm moving him out of newborn diapers...that means he's growing up!

I mean - look how big my little man is getting! The first is a picture of him in his swing this morning. The other was taken October 27th. He's officially grown out of his preemie clothing and is pushing the length on some of his newborn outfits, though NB pants still fall off since he is so slim. Slow down buddy! We like you teeny!


All day yesterday and last night Cole was pretty relaxed and well behaved but became very fussy from being tired but would no longer easily fall asleep and stay asleep. So after the 1am feeding I pulled out my two other baby books I hadn't yet read. One of them was "The Happiest Baby On the Block". I didn't even know this book was about Colic and fussy babies. So we're trying the methods this morning since he again was fighting sleep - wanting to be on the breast but then crying because milk was coming out and refusing the pacifier. So I used the 5 "S's" of the book and within 1 minute Cole was sound asleep in the swing with static playing on the radio. AMAZING! We'll see if this continues working.

Week 4 Update

He's now 5 weeks! Time flies! Well the good days and bad days continue but the good days are SOOOO good. He is so angelic. When he is awake on a good day, he will sit still and quiet for hour or two just amazed by you, your voice, toys, etc. The picture above is from this morning - after spitting up BIG TIME all over his clothes of course. He's getting really good at following things with his eyes and looking right at you. That's why when he is crying and fussy from all the gas pains, burping, heartburn, etc. it just really breaks my heart. Hopefully, the bad days become less and less as he gets older. He is also coming VERY close to breaking a smile out of joy. Mom's really working on that one...

Yesterday was his second trip to church and Aunt Jefra held him the entire time! I didn't get a picture of last week's outfit so I was sure to get one this week.


He fed at 7:00AM with a little "snack" at 8:30 that put him to sleep. He then slept until 11:45! I was shocked but it allowed me to play the piano for the young primary children during their singing time for most of church. Here he is after church with Jefra - starting to beg for food.

And after his afternoon feeding yesterday - look closely and you can see the little drop of milk dripping off his cheek. He's starting to get some fat on that chicken neck of his!

And Cole snuggled into Grandma Rees. So adorable.


There are more pictures of his facial expressions this morning and more on his Webpage ColePoling.shutterfly.com

What is Colic Anyway?

I haven't posted any updates for a while because
A) We had a few terribly fussy days where I got no sleep and then finally called in for reinforcements. On regular days, Cole is SO well-behaved and is a wonderful observer when he isn't napping or eating. He's easily entertained and loves to look at everything. However on these fussy days he sleeps very little and wants to be attached to mom (literally) 100% of the time.

B) Grandpa Poling came to visit - and I felt bad that Cole was still not feeling up to par and he didn't get to see him happy, calm and wanting to play! I was kind of out of it while he was here too so I didn't get to visit with him much.He'll be back the first week in December with Yvonne this time so hopefully things improve by then.


C) We had another terribly fussy days - this time Rick was home for one of them and saw just how frustrating it can be.

We determined it isn't really "Colic", whatever that is. Rick hates that word since it really doesn't describe a diagnosis but rather is basically the same as saying the baby is fussy. It's probably just something I ate because he has terrible gas pains, burping and heartburn for a day or two and then it passes and I get my happy boy back. It's so hard to watch him so upset. I've definitely cut out a few things that we noticed trigger these fussy days - chocolate and all dairy. Just to be safe I'm cutting out certain vegetables that are known problem makers too. If anyone knows Rick, then you know he doesn't go a week without pizza - which is now a "no-no" for me. Oh well!

We managed to make it to church on Sunday but I totally forgot to get a picture of Cole in his suit. I'm SUPER absent-minded lately so this really comes as no surprise. It's all that lack of sleep. Of course, when I have time to nap with Cole, I never can fall asleep - hence this posting. We've not taken a lot of pictures the past few weeks but we have a few. He is starting to put on weight now (he finally fits in most newborn clothes, though not all) and his cheeks are getting SO cute and chubby, though you can't really see it in this picture. Too bad - it's so fun to see him grow!


Our little man hasn't been sleeping in his bassinet either since we realized he sleeps MUCH better sitting upright and cradled by his car seat. It's been a life-saver for Mommy. However, how can you call this sleeping comfortably?


Usually he is swaddled tight but I didn't want to disturb him before today's nap to do it and look - he is STILL sound asleep. I wonder if they get cricks in their necks? I would move him but I'm enjoying the quiet after two days of crying.

Two Weeks and Counting!

Here's our little guy right before he had a royal fit on Sunday afternoon. I have no idea what bothered him so much but he just didn't want to settle down and playing with him, changing his diaper or feeding him didn't help. Then we had a fun day on Tuesday. We're guessing the pasta sauce from Sunday's dinner at mom's didn't sit well with baby. He was extremely gas-y and burp-y Monday night and all day Tuesday. So much so that he would even wake himself up. Overall he was pretty good about it but he just wanted to be held all day because he would get upset from all the rumblings in his tummy. I was okay holding him all day because I felt so bad for him. He even let out two HUGE BELCHES - like he had just had a six-pack of Coke or something. Remind me to lay off the pasta sauce (sorry mom!) for the time being. He was pretty much back to normal Tuesday night. Thank goodness!

Oh, we had a doctor check-up on Monday as well. That same day his umbilical cord fell off - yea! We now have an official belly-button. He is now 19 inches long and weighs 5 lbs 11 oz. So he is gaining about an ounce a day. Keep it up - we need some chubs on those chicken legs!

P.S. A few more pics from the second week of his life were added to his site.

Cole's Picture Site

Since I only post a few pictures on the blog, if you would like to see more, I will be keeping the following site updated. Also, if you have pictures you would like to add to Cole's picture site, you can add them on this site so all his pictures will be on one page.

http://colepoling.shutterfly.com

Pacifying and Working

From the ultrasound pictures we knew Cole would suck his thumb. It didn't take him too long to find it and he is a pro at holding his pacifier too. (Thank heavens for those because this little guy loves to suck.) The pacifier he prefers is from the hospital and is open to see through. It's hard to tell here but his thumb is in the opening of the pacifier with his hands grasping the top. That's a simple way to get the thumb in!

Otherwise, the process starts like this - fingers in the mouth or hand close to the mouth when

wham - thumb in mouth. The shadows make it hard to see - but it's in there. It's staying in the mouth longer and longer too. I'm still not sure how I feel about it but really I figure there's not much I can do. He'll find a way to suck his thumb if he really wants to!

More First Week Pictures

Because we're new parents and because we can - we take pictures all day every day. Enjoy!

More Sunbathing Pictures:

In his swing - which we're not sure he likes yet - I think he's a little small for it still.

Just hangin' out while mom updates the blog - he really likes to lay on his side but we only let him do it while he's alert.

Our little pumpkin.

First Week in Pictures

Daddy & Cole - Rick is just so adorable with Cole. He gives him lots of kisses and is just so gentle. Once I asked him to wake Cole up so I could feed him and it was more soothing sounds and gentle strokes on his face - probably making him more sleepy! Daddy is just so in love with his baby boy. It is so beautiful to see them together - it makes me love them both even more!

Cole's 1st Walk - we walked to Ryan and Jefra's new home - only about 1/4 mile away! We'll be going here lots. He LOVES his car seat which fits nicely in our stroller. He may not look it but he is VERY content whenever we put him in it. Although we learned last night that he gets very scared driving in the dark car. Mom had to jump in the backseat, turn on the light and talk him through it before he calmed down. Otherwise he loves the car ride!

Cole loves to put his hands together like this - our praying son already! However, it was while taking this shot of him doing so while grandma held him that we realized one arm was purple! Eek! We don't really know why but figured something was cutting off the circulation. We pulled him away and unwrapped him from his blankets and the color quickly returned. I've been cautious to look for this while holding him now just in case. He's so small I'm sure his circulation isn't the strongest either so any tight hold might be just too much. But back to praying - he falls asleep like this in his bassinett too!! Ugh - too adorable!!

Sunbathing - for jaundice. He LOVES the sun. Even if he is fussy he'll calm right down while lying in the sun. Again - just like daddy!


This picture shows just how long his legs and arms are compared to his body - and his long feet! The preemie outfits fit his size well but we have to be careful of the length because his legs are so long he pushes right through the sleepers!

Mom is getting used to the schedule and gaining her energy back (it helps that he has eaten like clockwork - every three hours - for the past two nights). Our little guy is such an angel.

Meet the Cousins!

Robert and Beverly brought Jade and Jeremiah by to meet Cole. Oddly enough, Jade was afraid to go near him but happily talked about him. Jeremiah could not wait to hold him. He sang songs and put Cole right to sleep. It was SO cute!