So this is a video of Cole dancing and clapping spoons together. This is a song used in Kindermusik. He enjoyed it so much in class we did it at home for the next few days too. He got so shy though when I pulled out the camera so you missed his rambunctious dancing. Lyla gets in the act too.

So like I said we've been sick over here. I was congested and had a sinus infection which weakened my immune system and lead to Strep. How you say? Well, doctor says that given we know Rick is a carrier for Strep (as in he can have it but not get sick, thus can "carry" it) that makes me essentially a carrier too. I just won't get sick until my immune system is low. And no, we don't carry the strep virus all the time just infecting everyone willy-nilly. Promise.

So Lyla wasn't feeling well while Grandpa Poling was here. It started Saturday, November 12th when she popped her first tooth. (YEA!) I was genuinely surprise to find her bite my finger while feeding her at the park and find that it HURT! And it obviously hurt her too because she cried. Royally. She loves her drama that girl. Don't hurt her. You'll get an act.

Anyway, so Monday it started with a fever which persisted until Wednesday. At first I wasn't concerned because I thought it was a teething fever, but after three days with her sleeping TONS and generally needy and sort of limp, I thought it might be more. Also, that is when I started feeling worse and felt strep-ish myself. So she and I saw a family doctor. He said she had an ear infection and prescribed Amoxicillan. "Great!" I thought, "So this will be done soon." I got on meds too. But Wednesday evening and Thursday she got CRANKY. Really cranky. I can't say she was cranky until then. Friday morning a rash showed up all over so we headed to her pediatrician. Turns out my poor girl was dealing with teething, a DOUBLE ear infection, and a virus all at the same time. The fever was viral and the rash was just the after effect. (It's gone now.) Her pediatrician gave her a new, stronger antibiotic too. I was glad because she hated the Amox but loves this new stuff.

We are starting to catch glimpses of our playful, sweet Lyla again. Thank heavens! I feel so sorry for moms with babies who have tons of ear infections. The ear drops help somewhat but generally the thing that would snap her out of her crying and wailing was going outside. So this is what we did a lot. Poor thing. Looks miserable, huh?


And baths. She loves the water. She loves baths with Cole. She loves her brother. Seriously. She lights up like a Christmas tree when she sees him. (Speaking of which, ours is up now - earlier than we've ever put it up.)


She lays down in the water, licks it up (see above), splashes it as hard as she can, chews the bath toys, lets Cole pour water all over her - face and all, and generally comes to life no matter what the mood. Oh and she also enjoys standing up - this is her creeping her way to standing. She thought she was being so funny since Mom kept trying to get her to sit back down.


Here's a cute video of them in the tub too.

The only benefit to Lyla being that sick: she learned to cuddle. Well, at least with Mommy. I enjoyed that part immensely.

Cole had his 2 year well check two weeks ago. We went to a new doctor (Dr. Ransom) recommended by my aunt who has taken all her children to him. Cole prefers males so I was excited about the chance to take him to a male doctor at a new clinic hoping he would no longer associate the doctor with pain (aka. shots). He loved the waiting area playing with the automatic doors, water fountain and beads. However when it came time to go back to the room he freaked out. He didn't want me to take his shoes off to get on the scale and was generally crying and asking for home. Mind you I had Lyla with me too (not such a good idea in hindsight) so it was tasking but we made it through. When we got to the waiting room I gave him his ipod and he entertained himself nicely even when the doctor came in.

The doctor was SO GREAT with Cole. He made Cole laugh and let him play with anything he wanted. I'm sure Cole was thrilled that we simply left after he checked him out. Dr. Ransom gave me some advice on 2 year old behavior but other than that things are good. Well, he did tell me that I need to get pretty firm with Cole sticking to no more than 16 ounces of milk a day. So we've been trying a ton of techniques to get him to eat more and drink less. Some days it works, others it doesn't. He is teething like crazy so I'm sure that affects his moods and his likelihood of eating too.

Cole has also had a cough for a few weeks too. We actually went back to the doctor today to make sure it wasn't anything serious and it isn't. Phew. Best news about this visit - he was THRILLED to be there. He ran into the office way ahead of me and laughed and ran around like he was at the park or something. He skipped into the back when called and hopped on the scale, let the nurse take his temperature and smiled while she did it. A resident came in first to look Cole over and he didn't freeze up or get scared (The resident was male. hmm...) When Dr. Ransom came in he asked for the duck (doc makes duck noises when he checks out their stomach). Dr. Ransom went on and on about how great Cole is compared to other 2 year-olds and the resident nodded in strong agreement. I assured them that is only because Cole has never received shots here so he has nothing to be afraid of, which means I'll probably be getting his shots elsewhere always so he doesn't completely melt down when we have to go to the doctor (because I know he still does as he did when we took Lyla but that is another post).

The 2 year stats: 25 lbs and 34.5 inches.

Rick's dad came in last week to visit and he said his mother told him that doubling the 2 year-old height is a good estimate of how tall they will be as an adult. That would make Cole 5'9" if that is the case which is probably about right given Rick is 5'9".

And speaking of Grandpa Poling's visit - it was SO FUN! He took Cole out nearly everyday for some one on one time. They went shopping, played at Chuck E. Cheese and ate at Chic-fil-a. Cole would come back so exhausted. Cole also loved Grandpa's new truck and thought playing in it was worthy of doing "again" and "again". (Those who know Cole, know he loves his "again".) And sorry, but I don't have any pics of the visit. I don't know why I don't take pics when people come over. Ugh!


But here's a pic of one of our days playing outside. Now that it has cooled off Cole is all about being outside - all day, every day. Mom loves it too though.

I know it has been so long since I've blogged. We've been busy and then sick so I'm just now getting around to it. The next few days I'll post some new stuff...promise. First up...carnival outing.

A little carnival comes to College Station twice a year. So November 1st we packed up the family and headed to the mall parking lot to give it a try. Cole loved all the lights on the rides. The first ride he went on with daddy was really, really fast and LOUD. It didn't look that fast watching it but after one go around he was waving his arms doing the "all done" sign. I felt bad for him, but as soon as he got off he wanted on again. We distracted him and went for a more tame ride - little trucks that ride on a track. Again he went with Dad and he loved it.

He seemed to be getting the hang of the rides idea so we let him go on the next one alone - little boats. He rang the little bell the entire ride. He doesn't look too thrilled but he was. Trust me. The video quality is poor. (Way to go iphone - does anyone know how you get better quality? How or why do people use the iphone video if it is no good for web sharing?)

So we eventually went back to the trucks and let him ride them alone but he didn't like that and endured the ride signing "all done" the entire time. Oh well. We went on some other rides too. He talked about the carnival for quite a while and wanted to go again so overall I'd say he enjoyed it even though he would get a little scared on some of the rides.

Afterward we went to Golden Corral to eat. Lyla ate like an adult and crazy as it may be so did Cole! We kept laughing at how much Lyla was eating though, and to top it off she had dessert too! She gobbled up ice cream - yum, yum!

My kids are just growing up so quickly!


Lyla is starting to crawl in a more traditional manner, though she still plops to her belly and army crawls. Her preference is standing mostly. She can hold a stand using pure balance and determination for up to about 5 or 6 seconds. She is speedy at getting away from me during diaper and clothing changes. But she is so cute and proud of herself for her accomplishment it just makes it funny.


She enjoys eating baby food now but prefers whatever we are eating. You can tell when she really likes something because she'll make "yummy" sounds. I love finding things she loves to eat!

Cole gets jealous of Lyla at times but mostly adores his sister and enjoys playing with her. He is looking forward to her being stronger and able to take his wrestling easier.

This is a funny clip of Cole dancing to the music on Toy Story. He was very excited this day. He was eating cold rigatoni pasta and calling it cheese. He ate it like candy.

See these two large balls? We have these as $2 alternatives to what he wanted at Target. I don't remember what it was he wanted when I got the green one, but I got it because he doesn't really have many soft balls at home to play with and he seems to like the larger ones. I got the red one because he was SO UPSET that I wouldn't buy him a baby doll that crawls. He saw it on the shelf and just went crazy. He put it in the basket and begged for the "Beebee!" Usually he is pretty good at getting distracted and we can leave the store peaceably but not this time. I tried telling him he has a REAL baby at home and doesn't need a fake one. That obviously didn't cut it. The ball didn't take away all his complaining for the baby but I wasn't going to fight two wants at 8 in the evening. I gave in to the ball. He loves them. They're cheap and fun. The only problem? He wants to sit on them but doesn't like falling off.


Saturday before Halloween was full of fun, fun, fun. Cole dressed up like Woody from Toy Story, minus the actual shirt and he refused to put on the boots. His hat looks like a Mexican Sombrero here too. Actually he fought me putting it all on. After all, I had just woken him up early from his nap in order to get them both ready for the Hay Ride at Miramont as well as the Trunk or Treat at church. You can see how excited he was about getting dressed up.


The activity at Miramont was small but very nice. Cole decorated a pumpkin with puffy stickers and sugar cookies with all sorts of candy and icing.

This is Lyla in her pea pod. It was Cole's costume from last year. He wore it (okay, squeezed into it) at 12 months old. Lyla didn't even wear it as well as Cole (aka, squeezing into it even more) at only 8 months!

A few minutes later she was like this...and stayed so pretty much the rest of the evening.

Cole loved the Hay Ride because he is VERY into tractors from "Cars" and from the construction going on in front of our house. Here he is with daddy on the ride while eating candy.


Here are a few more pics from the Miramont event.


Afterward we went to the Trunk or Treat at church. If you have never heard of one before let me sum it up. People open their trunks up in the parking lot and pass out candy. Some decorate them, some don't. And kids go from car to car "trunk or treating" instead of house to house. It's a safer and faster version of the traditional Halloween routine. It is rowdy and so much fun. There were about 50-60 cars there I think so LOTS of candy, though I didn't let Cole take any home actually.

Halloween day was pretty calm. We didn't even get many kids by the house. I think we just live too far back in our neighborhood because there were TONS of people up near the entrance. Cole and Daddy played with some sparklers outside but we didn't go out other than that.

Cole got so many cool things for his birthday, but this hat was one of his favorite. I don't think I've ever taken a picture of how he walks around some days with blanky in hand (sometimes two of them) with his milk cup almost empty just hanging out his mouth. I can't believe he doesn't take it out. He'll keep it in there forever.


And Cole's other birthday surprise came today! I put it together while he was napping and told him there was a surprise for him after he woke. He got VERY excited when he saw it had PEDALS! His legs are a little short to reach the pedals when you turn the steering column but by tonight he figured out how to slouch and reach better. He is working on the whole "steering" mechanics as that is totally new to him but this is definitely a winner!


(Note blanky in hand again. :-)

Cole's 2nd birthday was such a mix of fun and disasters that all you can do is laugh. It all started out well. We actually it started the night before when daddy brought home sparklers from work. Cole LOVED them!


In the morning, he watched his favorite show and while I was busy with Lyla, I came back to find this:


Yep. Lotion in his hair, all over the couch, his clothes, everything. So Lyla went down for a nap and we went into the tub for a wash down (and a haircut). Later we went to Kindermusik class (which he adores). I treated him to a mommy and son lunch at McDonald's where they have a fun playscape too.


Then we were off to pick up Lyla at Auntie B's. He loves it there and even thought his Uncle Lynn was hilarious in a scary Halloween mask. Then it was home for naps and that is when everything started going askew. He woke up cranky - bad news. But I hoped a walk outside would cure that. Then dad came home with Cole's balloons and cake. (I had intended to make one but time and energy just escaped me.) As Cole started playing with them I thought, "I'd better go hold the balloons so they don't fly away." But then I saw dad had a handle on it and instead I grabbed the camera inside. I got one picture.


Then this happened.


Uh-huh. 2 minutes of fun. He actually enjoyed seeing them fly away though.


I bought regular candles for Cole's cake at the same time I bought Rick's "3 and "0" for his cake. Well, they were nowhere to be found so Cole had to settle for a "3" candle to blow out. Uh-huh. So sad - not that he knew, but we sure did and I felt terrible.

Daddy and Cole dived into the cake. Then Cole started his allergic reaction. Uh-huh. No cake for Cole tonight. It was the icing though so he did get some later.


Cole enjoyed opening his gifts and we were so excited to have him open up the disco ball he loves so much at Chuck E. Cheese. Rick has a sort of curse though. Nothing he buys ever works. This time was no exception even though he tested it to make sure it turned at the store. Yea, it turned. The lights just don't work. Uh-huh. Well, he has another surprise coming, it just isn't here yet. Hopefully, that will make up for the blunder. You can see he was enthused for this "ball" (well, not overly so given he was already exhausted but this is pretty excited given the circumstances).

All in all the day was fun for Cole as he still doesn't really "get" what birthdays are. Every time we would sing to him he would say "mouse" (aka. Chuck E. Cheese where he has seen him sing to others). But I have definitely resolved to be much better at birthdays from here on out as some of these "Oops" could have been avoided!

Cole and Lyla were playing so cute today that I thought I'd pull out my camera. Though Lyla is so quick now I don't get very many good pics of her as I would like. Cole has always avoided the camera like the plague. The few shots I got of just him CRACK me UP! What is he trying to be? America's Next Top Super Model Toddler? hahaha...I mean, look at his pout!


Hands in the hair...


Oh but he is a sweet boy...


Well, the rest aren't so model-ish and yes, it does appear that Cole is ready to whack his sister, but no, he didn't. He always just wants to squeeze her or hit her or lay on her (which Lyla finds funny). I think he just wants to be close but not sure how to get out this immense affection he feels for her. He never hits her as he stops himself, but this sure makes for a funny picture!


They love to play in Lyla's room on the guest bed and in her crib. This is in her crib. Cole was clapping his hands on her tummy. You would think it hurt but she thought it was hilarious. Silly girl. Whatever he does, she loves.


Oh yes, and she now stands in her crib. This is always fun (not) because she doesn't know how to get down so she just screams bloody murder when she is tired of it. This is especially delightful when she stands up before going to bed. I'm sure all moms have been there.


And lastly, her energy faded and she resorted to her usual stance.


Cole turns 2 years old tomorrow. I can't believe Lyla is almost 8 months. Where has the time gone? Lyla now takes a bottle, and oddly enough, seems to prefer it sometimes. She even takes formula. I've had to supplement for various reasons. So thank heavens she drinks it! Most of all this girl loves to eat. She wants to eat, eat, eat! The exact opposite of her brother in that area for sure. He could care less. Give him milk, milk and more milk. Oh yes, and Cole is officially a "Cars" fan. I think he has watched the "Tractor Tipping" scene 100x's in the last three or four days. Great fun for mom too. Well, actually I prefer watching "Cars" over "Toy Story". For some reason, "Cars" doesn't get old to me. Well, at least not yet...

The past few weeks have been pretty full for the Poling family. Rick and Cole made a quick trip to Miami, FL to be with Grandpa Poling for his last day as a police officer and his retirement party. Cole is still free to fly and Rick wanted to have some daddy and son time. They got there on Friday afternoon, surprised Grandpa at his party and then went to the Miami zoo on Saturday and home on Sunday. I was so excited to see my men when they got home, but unfortunately, the entire escapade wore out little Cole that he was less than enthusiastic about anything for the next couple of days. He seemed to take it all out on mom. No hugs, no love, nothing. He gave me the cold shoulder for two or three days. But once caught up on naps and filled up with food he was back to loving mom and everything else too. (He really wouldn't eat for daddy while he was in Florida - he is just a routine kid. He needs it to eat otherwise he will always just want milk - all day, and only milk. He drank a half-gallon in just two days in Florida.) Sorry, no pics to share of the event but Rick did send me this one from the airport - it was a "Make a Wish" flight so there were balloons, juice and cookies for the kids.


Cole is even more attached to Daddy now than ever after their party time. Everything daddy does, Cole does. Dad wore a hat so Cole needed a hat...(and he loves all hats now in general).


While they were away Lyla and I enjoyed some alone time. It isn't often I get Lyla and just Lyla. It was heaven really having a quiet house again. I didn't realize how busy and noisy it usually is until Cole was gone. Wow he keeps things happening here. She was adorable (as usual) and enjoyed our one on one time too.


I discovered a few things about my girl having more time together. She loves dolls - well, at least Cole's Woody doll. She usually picks it over anything around her. She loves earrings. Not so much to grab them out of your ear, but she is almost mesmerized by them and stares at them adoringly. Does the same for shiny rings or necklaces too. Girl much? Also, she loves to look at herself. She even gives herself slobbery kisses in the mirror...


As well as blow raspberries just for the fun of it...

Lastly, Lyla is a crawler but more like a leap-frogger. Her cousin Ally, has the traditional crawl down pat but Lyla just really prefers to work on walking. She will pout to have us stand her up and from there she wants to let go of your hands. What does she think will happen? She also practically leaps off the bathroom sink. We used to sit Cole in the sink while we got ready and he was content to play with everything around him. Not her. She stands up in the sink and then crawls out almost immediately. How am I ever going to get ready now? Seriously, this girl wants to grow up too fast! (Oh yes, and she loves make-up brushes too...)

And here are some crawling videos.

Cole will be two next week. T-W-O! Again, I'm probably a loser mom, but we are just doing a family cake and presents. I just don't see myself whipping up a big thing in the next week. I should have been more on the ball but I'm pretty sure he won't care, right?

Down the street are these black signs with red circles. Since we moved here Cole and I have always played a game with them. I'll hold him up high so he can touch them and then we'll run to the next to touch it and so on. It's strangely one of his favorite things to do. This was him sort of playing the game without mommy...and I tried to get him to talk on camera. It worked...sort of.

Cole talking more...sort of...

I put Lyla in the playpen probably at least once a day. This is for my own sanity. When they get really mobile it's nice to have a place to play where I don't have to worry about what they are going to get into. Cole loves to join her in it but sometimes annoys her to pieces. She usually recovers quickly from his shenanigans and overall secretly loves that he is there trying to play with her.

Cole watches the way we play with Lyla and tries to mimic us. He tries to tickle her neck but ends up clawing at her face, he plays "peekaboo" but ends up smashing his hand against her face and he tries to play "little piggy" or tickle her toes too. He means well so I try not to be too hard on him and he isn't really hurting her, just annoying. She better get used to it I suppose.