6 Months Old!!!!!!

I can't believe my baby boy is already six months old. It seems he is growing up all too quickly. Everyday there is something new he learns or does that is different. I have a few little anecdotes for you - I'm not so hot at writing in a journal for Cole so this blog will have to do!

Cole will sit in the swing beside our desk while I'm working at the computer. He doesn't like to lay back in it so I prop him up with a blanket. Well, he discovered a new "toybox", namely our trash can before I emptied it! He was having a field day pulling all the paper out!

Friday night Rick and I went to a dinner and listened to Janice Kapp Perry and her husband speak. The event was put on by the Austin Management Society (chapter of BYU management societies) of which Rick is now the President-Elect. Grandma and Grandpa Rees watched Cole for us and Grandpa couldn't wait to tell us what Cole did on the piano. Almost every day I will sit at the piano with Cole on my lap and we will play. It takes his entire upper body to push the keys down but he loves it. He will even sit still as I accompany the primary children as they sing in church. Anyway, Grandpa was playing on the piano with him and Cole was moving his hands as usual when my dad says Cole decided it was better to put his little hands on Grandpa's and let him show him how to play. I wish I'd been here to see it (and get a pic of those two hands playing)! Grandma Rees has her own little thrills with Cole too. I've never seen it but she swears he throws his arms up in the air and starts whining for her whenever she comes to meet Grandpa as he's babysitting.

On Saturday Cole officially sat up on his own. I'll sit him up and try to let go and he'll be okay for a few seconds but it's me letting him go. Well Saturday was different. We were playing and he was sitting and holding my hands for balance when all of the sudden he let go of my left hand and then let go of my right hand and sat there (although a bit wobbly) for a good minute or two before he toppled. I sat him back up and he immediately let go of me. My little man - He thinks he's such a big boy now. He wants to sit up BY HIMSELF all the time now.

I'm glad he's making these developments but I'm in no rush to have him really crawl or anything. (I don't even want him seeing babies crawl or walk because I'm just not ready for that!) I don't think I'll be able to contain him though and he might just skip crawling all together. Sunday morning he was sitting and playing in front of this mirror. (What do you think of that CRAZY hair?!)

Cole likes to stand so I stood him up and instead of holding onto my hands I had him hold on to the sides of the mirror, when all of the sudden, just like he did with sitting, he let go with his left hand and then started to let go with his right when I grabbed him - NO WAY am I letting him stand on his own or even try it right now!! I need my baby to stay a baby!

The funniest but unexplainable little event happened Saturday afternoon as well. I was holding Cole on my hip as we were walking around the yard. (I was measuring the perimeter of the fence since we are replacing it soon.) All of the sudden Cole started laughing. I looked at him to see what was so funny but he just stared at me. I proceeded with measuring again and he started laughing - well he laughed SO HARD that milk came out of his nose!!!!!!!!!!! Cole doesn't really belly laugh very often so for him to laugh and then squirt milk was crazy exciting. I was dying to know what was so funny! Sadly, it could have just been a tickle in his nose from allergens or something too. It was hilarious nonetheless. Too bad I didn't get a picture of all that milky goodness on his face!

Cole will sit in his bouncy seat in the bathroom as I shower and get ready. I was blow drying my hair and when I turned around this is how Cole had rearranged himself in the seat! He was thoroughly enjoying sucking his socks and lounging but stopped when I pulled out the camera. I think I'm going to have to start buckling him into the seat!


And one last little fact - Cole will usually start crying - I mean REALLY crying - when he sees another baby or toddler crying. Since he almost never cries it always shocks me when he does. We were at a friend's home today when her daughter started crying because her kite broke. Cole was a mess he was so upset. He would calm down but then the little girl would start crying again and he'd start back up. My friend heard that babies that do that are developing compassion or empathy. I certainly wouldn't be surprised. Cole already shows many tendancies to be like his father - and Rick has the biggest heart and love for others.

Well, we go to the doctor tomorrow for his check-up (and shots - ew). We were told something today that Rick and I have never heard about Cole: that he looks big for his age! He's so light and small but he is tall and he does have sort of an older looking face - maybe because he's so observant. I'm pretty sure that's where the comment came from because trust me - he isn't big!

And just for fun - a close up of the boy eating his toes.


P.S. We can't wait for Grandpa Poling's Visit!!!

Cole's 4-Month Photos

These are scans of some of the prints we ordered. If you would like to see all the pics and order prints just email me and I'll send you the pdf file of the pictures and where to order them. I have all the pics of the prints we ordered on facebook as well as colepoling.shutterfly.com.

Excersaucer

Cole spent a long time playing in the excersaucer today. I think it was about 35 minutes! Thank you, Thank you Erickson Family for donating his new favorite toy!

Aunt Kylene and Easter!

Happy belated Easter everyone! It is actually my favorite holiday even though I have absolutely no decorations for it and we didn't do candy or Easter baskets this year. Maybe that's why it's my favorite. I like the simplicity of it focusing on the Savior. Although Grandma and Grandpa Poling sent Cole an Easter basket that belonged to Grandpa Poling when he was little which both Rick and Jimmy used. So now Cole gets to use it too! They also sent a super cute v-tech Teddy bear - which Cole already finds fascinating - and some cute clothes! It was a beautiful day here with fresh morning rain followed by the sun. It was just great. Sadly, Rick had to work on Easter so that was a bit different. I actually accompanied the church choir on the organ. I usually just "mock" play the organ since I'll skip the feet. But I worked at this piece so it would sound like it was supposed to with the feet and all. In the end I think it sounded good. I'm very grateful for opportunities to enhance the talents the Lord has given to me.

The best part of Easter weekend was time spent with my sister Kylene! It was our sister-in-law Beverly's birthday Friday so we had a family dinner on Sunday for Easter and her birthday. Saturday night Kylene and I made cupcakes instead of a birthday cake and make a cake stand for them. We got the idea from a friend of Ky's. Our ended up being a little "mad-hatter-ish" but we enjoyed making it none the less. The problem was we had to cut styrofoam so it was difficult to get it to lay even. But here was the end result!


Cole Update:
*He is rolling over more easily now (still need to capture on video though) and he doesn't mind being on his tummy anymore.

*We are slowly reducing his doses of Prilosec and is doing well with relatively little medicine. I've even missed a dose here or there and he hasn't had a terrible reflux fit afterward.

*His naps are getting more stabilized but this past week his evening wakes are totally different. He's been going down at 7:30 but now gets up at 10:30 for a feed! It makes me wonder if we really should start him on cereal soon. We are so reluctant to do so because he has shown so many sensitivities. For example, when we were having cake and ice cream yesterday, we gave Cole just a teensy amount of ice cream to see if he would even eat it. Normally, Cole doesn't even open his mouth to try anything as he hasn't had any interest. Well, he tried it and maybe had 1/16 of a teaspoon all together. He broke out in hives on his face about 5 minutes later! No milk for this boy! I kind of knew that since his skin will get really red even when I drink milk (so I drink Soy).

*Cole is also doing well with sitting up. He still needs a little support because he can't hold himself up very long and if he leans forward too much he doesn't have the back strength to pull himself back up but he is doing so well. I'm so proud of him! I boxed up his preemie, newborn and 0-3 month clothes this weekend. I can't believe how small he used to be!

*In other news, he is losing quite a bit of hair. He has hardly any on the sides or back now. It's just all on top - he's the opposite of an old man! It looks like he still has a lot of hair in his pictures because of how long the top and the very front is though. But here's a pic that shows just how little he has.

He has such a sweet temperament. He is calm, observant and happy almost all the time. Even if he is tired or hungry he will be so well behaved. I look back on those first 3 or 4 months and am so grateful those fussy colic days are well behind us! Oh, and I almost forgot - he likes to hang upside down.


Roll the Pics!

Silly Cousins

So Cole also has a fairly recent fascination playing with his feet. As soon as he lays down his legs go right up in the air so he can grab his feet. It's so cute. I got a couple of pics right before bath time the other day.

Jefra had her baby shower last Saturday. Jade and T were so excited to hold Cole. This was Jade's first time holding him as she had been very hesitant about this new little guy. Now she's all warmed up and ready to hold him. Cole loved her so that got her even more excited. Hopefully, she's all prepped now her for her new little cousin, Cannon, coming soon!

This picture cracks me up! Everyone is doing different things and looking like kids having fun should look - crazy hair and all!

Funny Bones

Cole's first continuous belly laughs? Caught on camera! I was doing laundry and folding clothes. Cole likes to pull the toys off from his bouncy seat. I kept reacting when he would pull them off so he eventually realized this is a FUN game! It totally tickled his funny bone. I was ecstatic the camera was handy!

Feet, Babbles and Cars

Cole has become quite the talker. In just the past two days he talks almost nonstop when he's awake. He used to only do it when he was upset or tired. But now unless he is studying something new or distracted by toys, he babbles. What's funny to me is that it almost always sounds like he's telling a sad story. The other night when we were reading a book before bed, Rick commented that it sounds like he is reading the story (since he feels he most hold the book with mommy too).

Also new in his development is he now enjoys grabbing his feet. Sometimes it makes it very difficult to change his diaper now because of it. I love watching him entertain himself with his play and babbles. Despite the fact that Cole HAS rolled from his tummy to his back, he seems to have forgotten. I can't get him to do it again at all. Little stinker. But he does enjoy rolling onto his side from his back. He can reach his feet better that way!

My friend Catherine got Cole some super cool sunglasses. We have some fabulous weather here lately so Cole and I laid outside for a bit and later took a stroll with his sunglasses on. What a stud!

Rick left this morning for Colorado. Why? To pick up a new car for us (used to the rest of the world). I'm super excited to see it! Rick has been wanting a "fun" car that is still somewhat practical for a family. This one allows him to enjoy one of his favorite things - riding with the windows down - except this is ALL the way down. See for yourself!

Hope he makes it back safe. Although it's beautiful and 70's here, he said it's snowing and 30's in Colorado. Lucky for him the drive back brings him through cities he lived in while serving a mission there. Guess who I don't expect to be coming back in too much of a hurry?!

Oh yes, and the marks on Cole's face is because he really, REALLY scratches his skin ALL the time. Poor guy has eczema. I do all I can to keep it from getting dry and peeling and keep his fingernails short, but sometimes it gets away from me. It's worst on his forehead and the back of his knees though he has other patches on the back of his head and on his tummy. He scratches his head and tries to scratch the back of his knees but since he doesn't know how to get there he ends up scratching the tops of them. The kid was doomed to have bad skin though with both Rick's psoriasis and my sensitivities!

Photography and Sleep

The past week Cole and I spent time dealing with photographers and their crazy rules. Well, at least one photographer's craziness. She took AMAZING photos but unfortunately we didn't find out her pricing until the picture viewing. You have that one chance to order at discounted rates and the pictures aren't posted anywhere online so family can order what they would like. Well, the discounted rates are still ridiculous. The cheapest "package" was an 8x10 and 5x7 of one pose for $115. Usual prices for a 5x7 is $70 and $120 for an 8x10. Needless to say, as much as I loved the pictures (I totally got teary looking at them) I walked away with none. I just couldn't reason spending so much money on a couple of pictures for just the 3 month sitting when we would have another at 6, 9 and 12 months. The package with the amount of pictures we would want would have cost $600-800. That's insane. Even if I was rich I'm not sure I'd spend that much. What would I do with all those fancy canvas prints when he grows up? So I spoke with other photographers and we even did a photo session at JCPenney to see if cheaper versions would suit my taste (um, they didn't). We did a photo session with the photographer that took our Rees family photos last summer. She's great but she's also 8 months pregnant. We hope she can finish up the pictures and post them for family and orders before her baby comes. Keep your fingers crossed! But until then, we will have to be satisfied with my camera and cheap lighting. I'm sure you don't mind though! I'm just a photo snob really. I would love to gets some books on photography to learn more and be able to take better photos or do retouching after the fact, etc. Ahh...someday...

Cole is pretty much on a regular sleep and nap schedule now which is GREAT for mom. He goes to bed about 8:00pm and wakes somewhere at 7:30am. We were putting him to bed at 7:00pm but that just isn't sufficient time for Rick to always be able to see him or spend time with him even though he is tired at 7. He naps around 9:00am and sleeps for 1.5-2 hours. His second nap is about 1:00pm. He usually gets another small nap around 4:30 or 5:00pm but not always. I am LOVING schedules. However, I have issues with my sleeping. It seems that now when I nap while he naps I can't sleep at all at night. Grr!! So I'm just pushing myself to make it through the day without naps. He wakes up twice during the night. We were down to one waking but I don't know what happened because we're back to two. I don't mind though because they are short and he goes back to sleep quickly.

In other news, Rick accepted an offer for a new job at the Austin Country Club. So we've been making decisions surrounding that this past week as well. It's definitely been eventful. Interstate Hotels and Resorts made him a really great counter offer but in the end he just felt the decision to go to the club was best for now. I'm excited for him and hope that he'll be happy there. He doesn't start for a couple of weeks. He is however getting a new phone from the job and is UBER excited about his upcoming iphone! :-)

Now for more pictures and video!

Cole upgraded from his carseat in the stroller to the big boy seat!! He really is growing up too quickly for our liking.

I bought a couple of baseball type outfits for Cole but Rick didn't think he was big enough for them...ahem...just see for yourself!


We love Austin weather. We go from 80 degrees to 40 degrees in one week. How can we say we love it? Well, the cold and rain don't ever last long. We're back up to 80's! But the cold weather gave Cole a chance to wear this cutie outfit from Grandma Solotes!

Cole is very ticklish on his thighs. He even laughs when I'm changing his diaper because he's so ticklish. I was tickling his thighs with one hand while holding the camera with the other so forgive the shoddy views. Also, I think the music definitely needs explanation...we were playing with a Baby Einstein CD on in the background.

**I have no idea why I lose all video quality when I upload to YouTube. Any techies have any genius solutions?**

Progress!

Last Thursday Cole rolled from his tummy to his back. He did it four times but has since to do it for the camera so I can't give you video to prove it. Little stinker! But the same day he figured out how to use his hands to sit up in the "tripod" position. He starts out pretty tall but after a minute or two starts weakening and ends up folded over in half. It's super funny to see and oddly enough he doesn't mind it which makes it even funnier. Here are a few pics...




Yesterday we went to a photographer to get his pictures taken. He was all smiles and super cute so I can't wait to see how they turn out. Rick had the day off so he accompanied us and the entire day was so much fun just playing with my men.

We made tacos for dinner and had Cole in his Bumbo seat as we were in the kitchen. Rick first gave him his hefalump to play with, but Cole was more fascinated with the Old El Paso taco shell box. He is so cute since he grabs for everything now and wants to play with my phone, my ipod and whatever is beside him. (Oh and it was super hot yesterday and Cole LUVS being naked, hence the clothing-less attire.)

He uses his little voice now more than ever too. He'll talk to his toys and then as he gets tired of playing with them he'll get a little agitated in his cooing until it turns into a full blown "Get Me Away From These Creatures!" He cracks me up. His "talking" sounds like he's saying a long drawn out "Hi".

We started watching "Baby Signing Time" this week and BOY does Cole love it! The first time we watched he would look at the TV and then me (who was doing the signs as well) and finally thrust his hands out and looked at them. I think he knew he was supposed to do something with them but that's as far as he got. I think most of all he just likes watching the babies on TV. We don't really let him watch any television so it's probably pretty exciting in general for him.

Here are a couple of video clips of Cole!

4 Month Update

Just thought I'd post these pics taken of Cole after we got home from the doctor last week. Look at the rolls he's getting on his legs. He looks big and healthy to me so I don't know how he's only the 10th percentile for weight. I did just realize that he grew 2 inches in 6 weeks though! He really handled the shots so much better this time. However, he was vaccinated for "whooping cough" and oddly enough has developed a rather loud "barking" cough. It isn't all day coughing so I'm not worried...yet.

He now smiles and gets excited when you clap your hands. He also tilts his head and does his half-smile when Mom laughs. He knows he's dang cute!

And this photo just makes me laugh...he is one crazy boy!