Food, Faces and Races

Days go by and it seems Cole does something more advanced or new everyday. The other day he seemed so bored. His favorite toys are the musical ones so I put his bumbo seat on the piano bench and let him "play" the piano for a bit. He was content there about 20 minutes without me having to be there either! I loved it and he did too. No banging was involved either as he played nice!


Cole really is not taking well to 3rd foods. Actually, he just doesn't like any foods with meat in them unless it's Applesauce & Chicken which basically tastes like applesauce. So is my son telling me he's a vegetarian??? The doctor says it can take up to 10 exposures to a new flavor before he may accept it. At this point, I'm not sure if it's the meat flavor or the bits of food in the 3rd stage foods. So I'll have to backstep. But I needed to share his reaction when he is barely tolerating something in his mouth. Sometimes it's a food he doesn't like and he eventually keeps his lips closed and won't open them or sometimes it's just when he's nearing completion for eating.

Yep, no great winces, just wrinkled nose and heavy breathing! I think it's hilarious!!

Last week Cole officially had pizza. Well, at least the crust. He LOVES it. Now when he sees pizza he knows exactly what it is and WANTS it. Here he is Friday night enjoying his crust.

And finally, Cole is getting quicker at the scooting/army crawling. It's almost a froggy hop sometimes. He loves to race to dad best. This was taken Sunday morning before church. Enjoy!

San Antonio and Nine Months!

Last weekend Cole and I accompanied Rick to San Antonio to the Westin La Cantera Resort. Rick had to go for a Country Club Managers Association meeting. They have them for the local chapter somewhere in Texas 3 times a year and then a National meeting somewhere once a year. Since the room was paid for it was really just food cost in us going. We loved the hotel and enjoyed our entire weekend. Cole loved being with dad so much (and so did mom) and was really very fun. The nighttime sleep wasn't the best for mom but Cole actually did really well the first night. He awoke only once at 4am. I didn't sleep well because there was a baby in the room next to us who decided to wake up and cry just about every hour of the night...and since I'm still tuned in to babies crying...I was up every hour. Ugh.. The second night Cole was up a few times and was really, really upset. He didn't even want to nurse. After one of his wakings he passed gas and then was SO CALM, so I am just assuming he had gas pains all night, hence the crying and waking. Poor guy!!

While there we went swimming and saw some exotic animals like a hedgehog, bearded dragon, hissing african cockroaches (disgusting), an african constrictor snake (ew), and tropical birds. There were more but Cole was sleepy so we left. This group called Zoomagination brings the animals to the resort. They get them from people who used to own them as pets but then decided they either didn't want them or couldn't care for them adequately. There was so much to do for little kids there. The resort is right down the street from Six Flags so needless to say the resort was filled with families the entire weekend.

Part of the meetings was a dinner at a local country club. The theme was a hawaiian luau. Everyone commented on how well behaved Cole was. He really is SO good, and especially so in public. He is so fascinated by everyone and everything around him that he really doesn't even make a peep!


As I said before, Cole thinks Daddy is all fun (and well, he is). Rick had Cole on the bed and was trying to change his diaper and get him in his PJs. I was brushing my teeth when Rick calls me out to see what our son is doing. As soon as he was naked he started rolling all over the bed and laughing. Of course, I had to get a pic. I'm sure he'll hate me for this later, but he's the one who did it! And if you look close you can see his little tooth which popped up last week.


Cole is officially 9 months old! We had our checkup Tuesday and all is well. He is still only weighs about 18lbs but is now 28 inches long. He's such a little guy and so mellow in his personality so the doctor wasn't surprised that he isn't crawling. He does TRY though. Here's a video for proof... he just get SO upset and only manages to pull himself along the floor. I think I need to let him stay upset until he figures out that I'm not going to save him and he can do it. We'll see.

The doctor did give me some advice on getting him to drink through a straw. I tried it that afternoon and it kind of worked. Then I tried again yesterday evening and viola! Here is the result...drinking formula no less! We may be on the road to some freedom here!

Sleeping, Eating and Drinking

I am SO ready to sleep through the night. I started turning Cole's baby monitor off so I would only hear him if he were REALLY crying ... okay, screaming. It worked. He's sleeping 11 hours most every night. The problem(s)?

1. I still wake up during the night at least once or twice. Grr!!!!!! Sometimes it's around 5AM and I'll hear Cole squirming or whining trying to fall back asleep so I'll go in and nurse him (since I can't sleep either and it helps solve problem #2).

2. He really needs 12 hours of sleep in order to make it a good 2-3 hours before another nap. But he can only make it 11 before starving for food. So I deal with a pretty tired baby in the morning.

I've also decided since the babe can only go 11 hours, going to bed at 7pm and getting up at 6am was not satisfactory for mommy. So I pushed bedtime to 8pm. It fixes the morning problem but adjusting his naps so he can make it until 8pm is still in the works. He really fights a 3rd nap now so I'm trying to delay the morning nap until 10am (have yet to make that one) and then a 2nd nap at 3pm. Right now we're struggling to even make it to 9am and 2pm. But we'll get there!

The best part about Cole staying up later is we've gotten more time with Daddy and he has decided it is SUPER funny when dad turns his back on him and walks away. I thought maybe it was just the after 7pm bewitching hour, but he was laughing at him this morning too since Rick didn't go into work until later. Cole has definitely figured out that Dad is the funny one. I've got a little on video but I'll try to get more.

(Note his look towards me for approval after standing...funny boy.)

We bought some blocks for Cole this week and he loves them. Well, he loves mommy to build them up so he can knock them down. Such a boy.

He is eating more baby food and actually eating fruit by itself without having to be mixed with rice cereal. He loves Cheerios but I have to watch him close because every once in a while he won't chew it enough and he coughs. He also doesn't have the the coordination to put them in his mouth. They are simply too small for his manly hands!

I'm desperate to get Cole to drink from a bottle, a sippy cup, a cup, anything! I'm just ready for him to not be so utterly needy for mom. Rick and I are going to San Antonio in a couple of weeks for a weekend stay at a fancy-smancy resort. He has to go for a business conference so why not enjoy it?! Now as it is getting nearer and nearer I am dying to go alone without baby! I hope that doesn't sound awful. I just think it would be more fun. But without Cole being able to drink enough from any of the above options, it's impossible. He will nibble on bottles and silicone sippy cups. He will drink a little from less secure sippy cups that just drip out when you tilt them. He will drink from a little cup too but not enough for a full dose of milk that he wants and it would certainly be messy in the end. I'm not saying I don't want to nurse anymore, I'm just saying I want other options too! I'm thinking he's too old to get him to take a bottle but if that's what will work, then I'll buy 30 brands if needed to find the one he will take. Same for sippy cups, etc. Any ideas?

Oh yes, and the first baby tooth popped up. It's just barely above the gums but the other is close behind as well!

In other news...

Cole and I went to College Station last weekend with Grandma and Grandpa to spend time with my Uncle Lynn and Aunt Barbara's family. Okay, and their new pool too. It was the first overnight stay for Cole anywhere. He didn't sleep too well in the Pack 'N Play but I think he would have done better if we'd stayed another night. I figured out too late it wasn't really where he was sleeping so much as it was too DARK where he was sleeping. I forgot he has a nightlight in his room. Here he is being so patriotic like his daddy.


It is hot, Hot, HOT here! Cole takes it pretty well though. Give him a cracker, a hat and some shade and he's content.

Daily Activities

Cole really sticks anything in his mouth. Every time he sees me drinking from a straw he wants to put it in his mouth too. He doesn't really know he's supposed to suck on it too. At first I was afraid to let him just play with them, but thus far no incidents and he loves them!


I took video of his nighttime play routine. As soon as I walk into our guest bathroom he throws up the biggest grin. So on evenings when he is a little fussy I'll play with him in here. Well, last night he got in his giddy mode. He just chatters away. This is actually a sign that he is SUPER tired, but I love to see it. As soon as we left and changed his diaper the crankiness began and the whining didn't cease until I laid him in his crib. I'll take giddy baby chatter any day as a sign for being tired over the whining and crying!

During the day Cole and I don't usually watch TV because we have more fun things to do, but if we do decide to turn it on for a change in routine, I have two favorite shows on PBS.

Word World
It is on at 10:30AM here. It is totally not for teeny tots like mine but we both like it. Some children shows really annoy me but this is so creative, the music is catchy and I haven't seen an episode yet with an annoying storyline. They build words and then the word turns into the object. The artistry behind it is so inventive. Cole likes the colors and the songs. I get the "Build a Word" song stuck in my head everyday we watch it.


It's A Big Big World
This isn't as exciting as Word World. It's a mellow little show, kind of hippy-like. It works to help wind down before his nap sometimes. It's on at noon everyday. The show is puppeteering with a green screen backdrop. Again, I like the songs and someday Cole will think it's very educational too.


On Monday, Daddy finally got to go swimming with us. We were at the Lifetime Fitness pool so we couldn't bring any floaties for Cole. It was in the evening and getting a little cooler too so we didn't stay too long but we had a great time!


And finally, our little guy has teeth coming in - It's about time! He hasn't been acting too fussy or anything. I didn't even notice these puppies until Wednesday.


And for the close up...


We'll see how long they last hidden in those gums!

Pool Day

Cole and I were lucky enough to join some friends at the pool on Thursday. Cole loves the water! Because it's been so hot, there wasn't even a chill to the water temperature for him to get used to. I could have had it a little cooler than it was but I won't complain. I usually hate getting into the pool and adjusting to the cooler temperature. We stayed about an hour and had a great time! Cole was exhausted afterwards and fell asleep like a rock.

Here he is with his cool baby sunglasses (UV 400%). Even with 50SPF sunscreen with titanium dioxide (complete sunblock) my little man still got a bit of a tan on his arms. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't used such a strong block?!

Elvis is Alive!

Saturday was customer appreciation day at my mother's store. They had giveaways and goodies but the coolest part was they had Elvis perform! He was really great. I could have listened to him a lot longer. I am not even a huge Elvis fan! The singer is actually a family friend who does this for a living. So fun!


Cole seemed to enjoy listening and watching him too. Then again, Cole was also extremely distracted by the plant beside him.

Then he saw Grandpa's water bottle and that's all he wanted. He's so funny in that Cole loves to try to do whatever he sees you do. He sees me drink from a straw and he wants to try. He'll put it in his mouth but that's about it. So the same goes for us drinking from any cup or water bottle. I should start drinking from his sippy cup then maybe he'd show more interest!


This is a picture this morning before church. I wet his hair down so it would actually lay flat and then hairsprayed it. I know you can't really see his hair in the pic but he looked so cute chewing on his church shoes!


Today was special because Cannon was blessed today in church. It was beautiful. It's fun to have family come to church with us that normally attend other buildings closer to their home. Cole sat with Uncle Robert and Aunt Beverly most of Sacrament Meeting. He was so patient as Jade and T passed him back and forth and back and forth!

And finally, a special Happy Father's Day to Dads and Granddads out there!

Sunny Days and Tasty Crackers

Cole and I have been going for walks almost everyday. We've done this really since he's been born. Well, now it's hot, really HOT. It's actually unusually hot even for Austin in June. We were going in the evenings to avoid the heat but I finally realized that at 6 or 7pm, it's still just too hot and too sunny. Cole's little face gets SO red from the heat, but he doesn't complain. Sometimes, when I get him out of the stroller he is a big ball of sweat. So we've switched to morning walks and it seems to have helped a little. The sun doesn't get steaming until about noon so we go sometime before that. These pics were taken about 20 minutes after we got back. His cheeks are still so red and his lips and chin are wet still from him trying to drink water from his sippy cup (he doesn't quite have the hang of it). But he was extremely happy and didn't seem to mind the heat at all. Such a great kid!

I promised a video of Cole eating his crackers. He really loves them. I like that they don't make a crumbly mess and they are relatively clean. His hands get a little sticky, but that's to be expected. They are basically really refined rice cakes.

Cole has started to pull himself up and thinks he's so cool after doing it. He'll look at you with this big grin. It makes me laugh because he tries to do it all with his legs instead of using any upper body strength so he's wobbly. He still prefers to use mom's hands as his stability bar but I'm working on getting him to realize he can hold on to other things as well.

He's also become quite clingy to me (yes, even more so) lately. He doesn't even want me to put him in the high chair to feed him. He will refuse to bend his legs. There are times when I can convince him, but I'm a softy and just resort to holding him to feed him the cereal and baby food. I'll admit, even though at first it was a little frustrating, it's become quite endearing to see him clawing at my shirt and squeezing my neck begging me not to put him down. Thus far, it's only during mealtimes or when he's tired so he still plays on the floor and such by himself. Thank goodness for that!

Popsicles

Rick loves those cheap little popsicles in the plastic that you push up to eat. Well, Cole has watched him eat them and decided he HAD to have some. Rick thought it would be too cold for him to eat, but Cole seemed to enjoy it!

He's also started eating baby crackers. He LOVES those. I think he just mostly enjoys the fact that he can hold something and actually eat it too. He's eating more baby food and his favorites seem to be butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I think he eats those even when he isn't hungry.

On a regular day, Cole still takes three naps. Most moms look at me like I'm crazy, but it's true. It really all depends on when he wakes up from the second nap if he'll have a third. The third is only 30-45 minutes but it puts him in bright spirits again and has no impact on his bedtime either. Although I have been trying to push bedtime back to 7:30 or 8:00pm instead of 6:30 or 7:00pm. We're down to one wake up at night sometime between 3:30 and 5:00am. He's a little over 18 pounds now and is definitely trying to make all the sounds he can. He has this new "clicking" with his tongue he's started the past two days. He gets happy when he does it so I'm sure he thinks he's so cool. I'll try to get that on video as well as his little hand trick. I thought he was finally signing back to me but he isn't. He's just playing with his fingers. He lifts his forefinger up and wraps the other fingers around his thumb. Pulls out the thumb and then rubs the thumb down the fingers. Odd to explain and even odder to see a baby doing it.

A Few Weeks Highlights

One of my favorite things to do is watch Cole play. He seems to study each toy and carefully decide which one to play with and makes his way to playing with each of them. I really want to know what is going on in that little mind of his! We definitely have a thinker on our hands.

He really enjoys his "cellphone" but one of his favorites is not a toy at all but the remote (not any, but the one he last saw you use). He also really, REALLY enjoys brushing his teeth. Dad's toothbrush is his first pick (An electric one with a really small head.)

Cole and I went swimming a couple of weeks ago. He loved the pool as soon as he got accustomed to the water temperature. Here's a pic of after. Sorry, there wasn't anyone else with us to get a during picture.

I recently purchased these vintage overalls for my little man thinking they would last until he was a year. Sadly, they barely fit now. :-(

Jade, Cole and Jeremiah at the store on one of our errands. Cole wasn't too thrilled about being in the umbrella stroller. He definitely prefers to see who is strolling him around.

"T" thought he was SO COOL!

Jade wanted to hold Cole so badly, so while in Macy's we went up to the furniture section so she could play mom. It was so cute!

I've decided the only word I can think of for what Cole looks like now is cherubic. Just look at those big eyes and puffy rosy cheeks!

Absorbed...

Sorry about the lapse in posting. You can blame it all on Rick really. He left last weekend to attend a wedding in Utah and returned with a book in hand for me to read. I had already warned him multiple times that I had to be READY to read. I already know that I just drop everything and become totally irresponsible and do nothing until the book is finished. I hesitated to start it knowing that is probably what would happen again but Tuesday I started it and...Tuesday I finished it and then Wednesday sort of re-read it again (the parts I liked) and Thursday got another book and Friday...and another today... Rick mockingly asked me last night, "Are you feeding my son? Are you changing his diapers?" Of course I am! I actually have been having a ball with Cole. We even spent time with my niece and nephew this week. Then he asked, "Are YOU eating?" Um, yes and no. I don't really get hungry when I'm reading. But I am also an extremely fast reader. I also have been skipping naps, not working out and I've been staying up late. So by today I'm feeling pretty beat but the reading will be over this week and that's usually how it goes. I'm like a bulemic reader. I binge read and then don't read for months or even years to make up for the total waste of a week or two of life. Silly, I know. But that is the reason for not posting for a week or so.

However, like I said, I didn't slack on the "mom" part of life. Promise. Cole actually developed a new habit in the process...he now rolls ALL OVER the floor and it keeps him completely happy. He loves this new sort of freedom. When I put him on the floor he keeps his knees tucked in so that he's on all fours until he decides he can't really go anywhere like that...yet. He'll kind of rock there for a minute sometimes. So the crawling may come soon, or may not. He also LOVES to stand up holding onto the ottoman. He thinks he's SO BIG.

Today I put him in his excersaucer again and usually when he pushes the buttons that make animal noises I'll say them too. Well, today he thought me making the doggie bark was SO funny. We laughed and laughed together and then I thought "OH! I'd better get this on video." Having laughed a lot about it already the video is sort of weak but you get the picture.

I picked up Jade and Jeremiah from school on Wednesday and we ran errands. They are SO CUTE with Cole. Jade is so motherly which actually shocks me. She is ultra attentive to him and tries to soothe him when he's upset. Jeremiah just keeps asking why he is whining. They both got a kick out of watching him roll over and I thought their eyes were going to pop out when they heard him "talk" as they said (You know, the momma, dadda, baba thing.) Jeremiah kept saying, "Oh, I wish he would say "googoo gaga". It took quite a bit of explaining to get him to see that Cole probably would NEVER say that and most babies don't. He was so disappointed. We played with Jade and Jeremiah on Friday too. They couldn't be prouder of their cousin. When I picked them up from the Gym Child Care center they were shouting to everyone, "HEY! This is my cousin!! His name is Cole!!" It was so cute. As we ran more errands, they each took turns sitting next to him in the back seat. It was so much fun to watch them kiss him and tell Cole they love him.

I'll post some pics soon.