Missy Fish

Somebody became a serious swimmer while we were in Vermont!  In fact the first thing she asked me when we got home was where she was going to swim!...  We have since purchased a year pass to Jordanelle and been going a few times a week.  Pretty soon she won't need her floaties!

 

 

I love how Indy enters near the end...in true Indy fashion...he always seems to sneak into the shot :0)

Update: Month Twenty and nine days..

Let's pretend that I'm not consistently late with these updates...or maybe I'll just face the fact that I am twenty times busier than I was with just Kate and stop talking about it :0)...  Oh this boy...he cracks us up daily!  He has been talking up a storm this month, and we are loving every minute of it!  His top words include "hesee" (horse), "wa" (walk), "doh" (go)...which has already evolved into "go", and "sue" (shoe)...which he is obsessed with...there have even been a few nights that he has slept with his shoes over his pajamas because he refused to take them off!  He has started holding up one finger (but saying "do" (two)) when people ask how old he is, I guess he's already prepping for September!... He and Kate have been busy playing house complete with babies and purses, both of which Cole loves.  He is so cute putting the babies to sleep and then telling us to "shhhhh" as he walks off waving bye and carrying his purse :0)  He's not all gentle and nurturing though...immediately after this little game he can slam stuff around, go push his trucks into the walls, and throw rocks in the driveway...he's multidimensional :0)  I love it!

 

 

Getting ready for take-off...

 

 

He's been jumping form the couch to the ottoman like a crazy man!!!  He gets pretty excited on the landing!!

 

 

He's showing the truck on the game he's playing on my phone.



Update: Month Sixteen

Month sixteen brings a little boy who is obsessed with trucks, tractors, trains, and dogs.  He makes a sound for each and if he hears one (usually a truck or dog...), he runs to see it.  He says "daw, woo woo" pretty much non stop and it is pretty much the cutest thing ever!  Cole also makes other animal sounds including sheep, cats, horses, and monkeys.  Aside from all that he loves reading, and his favorite book right now is called Truck Duck, which he pronounces "truu duu".  As he turns each page he keeps repeating "truu duu", even if it is cab crab or boat goat...again, cute stuff!  His other favorite thing to do is wrestle with dad and Kate.  Marc pretends that Cole is knocking him over and he just thinks that he is the toughest guy around :0)  Cole has also been quite the dare devil, much to our dismay...lately he has taken to jumping off the furniture!  Luckily I know some great orthopaedic surgeons!  He still only has four teeth, but manages to get the job done with those alone.  I don't think that I need to say that I am quite busy!!   

Wearing dad's ear muffs!  

 

Little boy blue :0)  Cole loves playing on the playground with Kate!  He especially loves the slide!!

Update: Month Fifteen

Does each month pass as fast for you as it does for me?  Or is it just the fact that I am constantly chasing two kids around that makes it go so fast?!  As much as I may "complain" about it sometimes, there is nothing that I' rather be doing, especially when one of the cuties I'm chasing around is Coley!!! 

He finally got a fourth tooth just last week...maybe it was my singing "All I want for Christmas is Cole's front teeth!"  I'm hoping some more come in soon, although I mentioned before that being toothless doesn't stop this boy from eating!  To add to his list of fake sounds, Cole has been doing a fake nose blowing...we've been doing a lot of that in the last month and apparently he thinks it's pretty fun to do!  If only Kate thought so as well...  Cole walks around "talking" all day long, it's especially funny when he has a phone and he's "walking and talking"!  As far as real words, I have nothing new to report, and although I know he is right on track it's weird, because Kate was saying about 20 words at this age!  But enough comparing...  Cole continues to be obsessed with trucks, dogs, and now cows.  In fact the new milk we started buying has a cow on the front, and he starts mooing and wants to hold it when he sees it!  I might have to give Cole his first hair but soon because as you may be able to see in the picture below he's beginning to get quite the mullet! 

 



 

Cole loves to wear this sweater.  Where ever it is tucked away, he manages to find it and then he brings it to me so I can put it on him.  I have to admit that I love it, becasue when I first knit it for Kate I was hoping that her sister or brother would wear it too :0)

Update: Month Fourteen

 Why do babies have to grow up so fast?!  This past month Cole has really started to think he is a "big boy"!  Even with a lack of teeth he wants to eat only solid foods, he's (finally) drinking milk (thank goodness!), and he is trying to transition to ONE NAP.....NNNNOOOOO!!!  The only good part about that is that I can shift bedtime to an earlier time (for one kid anyway).  Cole is constantly hugging and kissing us, and he loves to snuggle...I pray that he stays as sweet as he is now forever!  He continues to be a happy little guy, and he has the funniest fake laugh that he does if he hears someone else laugh or if he hears you say that something is funny!  He is finally saying mama, although not as often as he says dad.  He also says hi, bye, and (his version of) Kate.  He makes animal and truck sounds, he is starting to point to his head, hair, nose, and mouth, and he is now signing "more".  I LOVE watching how Kate and Cole are able to interact together more, but it is frustrating for both of them at times.  Kate loves to play store, but when she mentions it Cole thinks that we are literally going somewhere so he just hangs out by the door waiting to leave, meanwhile Kate has headed to the living room to play...minor miscommunication!

 

 

Cole has only three teeth...those bottom two and one on the top that we call his "snaggle tooth" :0)

 

 

 For being such a "boy", Cole LOVES stuffed animals!  He always sleeps with one or two, and often brings one up in the morning.
 

He's quite the dare devil these days!  He can also be found climbing the kitchen chairs, the couch, the tub...pretty much anything you can think of!

Update: Month Twelve (and six days)

I don't even know where to start.  I may have said it already, but I'll say it again, I can not believe that Cole is one!!  I have a toddler!!  I don't want a toddler, I want a baby...but that is what happens, they grow up (too fast) right before your eyes!  You think I'd know that since this is the second time around, but it's still so hard to wrap my head around!  If I do have to have a toddler, I'll take this one for sure!  Cole is the happiest baby I have ever met!  Aside from the scream he has recently started doing, he hardly ever fusses and is so easily distracted that if he does start to fuss you can usually stop him before he ever really starts.  He had a rough first half of the month (I thought he was finally teething) and had it not been for the 103 degree fever I would not have know that he was really sick...turns out he had a double (horrible) ear infection.  So he spent 10 days on amoxicillin (which made Kate REALLY mad  because she wanted the "special pink medicine" as we have called it when she has needed it in the past) and is as good as new!  I think had it not been for that he would have been walking even sooner.  Back on the 12th he started taking 3-4 consecutive steps and by the 22nd he was walking across the kitchen...that's when we finally called it!  Today he was walking with his arms by his sides, no longer above his head or out in front of him for balance! 

Cole loves to talk on the phone and can often be found babbling into it.  It's especially funny when he walks and talks!  He also loves to dance and his signature move is the funniest little head bob.  He moos and barks for the cow and dog, says Dada, has said Mama only once, and has just started pointing to eyes and nose.  And last week he melted out hearts just as Kate had when he started signing "I love you"! 

 

 

Cole was really cracking himself up here!  He had just finished dinner and was using the rag as a hat :0)

 

 

This is when he wasn't feeling so well.  You could tell because he was actually sitting still.

 

 

Playing hide and seek in the closet.

 

 

Wearing Kate's boots!

First day of school

 Although Kate went to about 16 days (yes, I was carefully counting!) of preschool this summer, today was her first day of her new preschool.  We were very excited in May when we got a call from this school saying that there was an open spot!  We had been on the waiting list for a short three months and were (apparently) beyond lucky that a spot opened up so soon....did you know that people put their children on waiting lists for preschool the day they are born?!  I'm not even kidding....Cole is on the list now...he's been on it since he was 6 months old...madness!!!  Anyway, we really are excited to be at our new school, and after a fun first day we're looking forward to a fun school year!

 

 

Kate picked out her own outfit for today, it's not quite what I would have picked, but it did match, and it wasn't worth fighting over :0)  She insisted on the spoon in her sock for this picture.

 

 

Another "first day" shot.  Don't you just love that pose!? 



Update: Month Eleven (and 4 days)

And so another month flies by and I have not yet done Cole's update...  Part of it is lack of time to sit here and part of it is denial :0)  How is this little man getting so big?!...and going to be ONE in a few short weeks?!?  This was a big month for Cole, we started swimming lessons which he loves!  He opens his mouth and closes his eyes under water, which is the opposite of what he's supposed to do, but he manages not to get water in his mouth so it's all good!  He started mooing like a cow, pointing at things (which is really cute), putting a phone up to his ear and saying "hi", really cruising the furniture, and standing from a squat!  He is REALLY working hard on walking in the past few days, and yesterday even took a little step/lerch forward!  I was so excited for Kate to do these things, but now with my second baby, I wish he would just slow down and stay a baby for a little (long) while longer!!

 

 

Playing out back at the "beach"...more on this to come as promised (much) earlier.

 



 

 Hiking at Park City Resort.

 

We had a really fun day at the zoo recently.  Even though it was really hot outside, all the animals were active and right up by the glass.  Cole really enjoyed the monkeys, he's waving "hi" to this guy.

Update: Month Nine (and 12 days)

Nine months!  No, I didn't forget about the update, I was just unable to do it until now.  We have been in Vermont (posts on that to come) and I couldn't blog there. But I'm back!!!  It's been a huge month for this little guy!  Cole started crawling just after the last update and the very next day started pulling up to a stand.  He is now flying around the house and on the verge of standing all by himself...I can't stand it!!   He needs a lot of fuel to accomplish these tasks, and he is downing almost 6 jars of food a day plus all the table food he can manage with his lone tooth (the second one is poking through as I write this!)!  Despite all the food, Cole only weighs in at 15 pounds 8 ounces, but he carries most of that weight in his kissable cheeks and thighs :0)  Cole stays very true to the nursery rhyme "Old King Cole"...he is a merry old soul...in fact several times in the past week people have asked "Is he always that happy?!"  Yes, yes he is!...unless a tooth is poking through...  Then he's still super happy with occasional fussiness, easily distractable though...   

Such a typical Cole face!  He is one hilarious boy!

On the move

Can you believe how bad I've been at posing lately?!  (Please don't answer that, I know how bad it's been because I am my own worst critic, but I just can't find the time!)  Anywho...I am finally posting about Cole crawling!!!  It's been about 2 weeks now that it's been official and of course he's getting faster by the day!  Almost immediately after starting to crawl he began pulling himself up to stand, so he'll do that but then doesn't quite know how to get down...it's the only time he slows down for a minute :0) 

This is a typical Cole smile!  He is such a happy boy!!

Moments after having his picture taken...later skater!! 

Incentive

Being the caring big sister that she is, Kate thought she would lay out a cracker trail for Cole as an incentive to crawl across the kitchen.  Cole was too busy playing in the living room to notice her hard work, but it didn't go unnoticed by mom...perhaps because I was the one who had to do the cleanup :0)



The kitchen sink

Now that Cole is sitting up (and far too wiggly to stay in the baby tub) he can take a bath in the big tub...or even better...the kitchen sink!  I used to love bathing Kate in the sink...funny enough she still wants to get in there from time to time :0)   

Along with sitting up and trying to crawl, Cole is also trying to pull himself up...quite a sketchy task in the slippery sink! 

I know he's not looking, but you can just tell that there is magic in his eyes as he is reaching for something on the counter.  Also note that his hair is finally coming in!  I'm in love!



Recital

I can't believe that Kate has had her first dance recital!!!  How did that happen so quickly?!  (On a complete side note, we've also been looking at preschools...are you KIDDING me?!)...ANYWAY!  The dance was as cute as you can imagine it was, I do have a video, but since I can barely upload a 30 second video here, there is no way the 2minute 30 second video shot in 1080 HDMI is going to upload...sorry :0(  As far as pictures go, (sadly) these are the best...Kate was way more interested in dancing than getting her picture taken.  I have none from onstage..I was shooting the video... 

Such a little princess.  Kate's class danced to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Getting a few of "the wiggles" out before the show.  Kate's dance was the second of the show, so she didn't have to wait long to get up on "THE BIG STAGE" as she was calling it.  After her performance she continued to dance in the aisle...nobody seemed too annoyed by it...

After her dance, Kate was running around here with some other kids...being on stage must have been a real adrenaline rush...she went non-stop for about 2 hours after being up there!...then luckily went right to sleep!

One more try at a picture in costume...it was a no-go. 

Update: Month Seven

It really doesn't seem possible that Cole is seven months old!!!  He is growing up far too fast!!  Last you heard he was content to lay on his back and chill...well that has changed in the past week or so!  He finally figured out that he could roll from stomach to back to stomach to get places.  He has also learned how to pivot to change direction and in the past two days has started a little army crawl.  Now that he is sitting up I can "plop" him down and he is still in the same spot a few minutes later, but he is quickly realizing that if he leans to the side he can get into a position that allows him to "roam" around...I don't think there will be any stopping him now! 

Hanging out in his car seat.  He is quickly outgrowing this seat...and I am quickly getting tired of lugging it around...almost time for a new one.

Coley rolling around :0)  With a boy around we get to buy cute books like the truck one behind him!

Still eating EVERYTHING you put in front of him!  (He ate half an avocado the other day!)  He downs a jar of food in no time flat and then he'll eat as many Cheerios as you can give him.  Just yesterday he learned how to get them into his mouth on his own!!  He looks so tall in his seat because he's standing in it...one foot is on that chair and he's pulled himself up...strong man :0)



Finally!

I can sleep a little easier now that Cole is sitting up...won't have to worry until his nears his next milestone :0)  He thinks he's quite the big boy now that he can sit up and has be enjoying practicing his new skill!  I'll post more pictures of this cutie soon...I just have to take them first :0)

Peas please

We've been having fun introducing Cole to new foods.  The latest flavor was peas...as you can see, he was a fan :0)  This was his also his first time in the highchair, and boy was he proud of himself sitting up there like a big "kid"!!  (He's already growing up too fast!!)

Update: Month Six

Cole has been moving right along since his last update.  In the past month he has started rolling from his back to his stomach (he could already roll from his stomach to his back)...so now he could potentially roll around the room, but he doesn't really have any interest in that.  Unlike his big sister, Cole is content to hang out in one spot :0)  He is on the verge of being able to sit up on is own, and he loves sitting on the couch propped up by the pillows.  Just this week Cole gets a little upset if his toy falls out of his reach, and he has also started grabbing for things that he wants and he gets upset if he can't quite get it.  Aside from occasionally getting upset about his toys, Cole is the smiliest baby ever!  He smiles at everyone and everything, it is so cute!!  Sometimes I swear that he says "wow" and "hi", although I know he's not, but he does make quite a lot of different sounds...he's already quite the talker :0)  I think Cole's favorite thing to do right now (aside from stare at his sister) is eat, and since starting off with rice cereal last month we have introduced him to bananas, apples, carrots, pears, and peas...he didn't really like the apples, and he LOVES carrots!

Our sweet boy.

Update: Month Five

I couldn't quite decide if Cole turns five months old today or tomorrow...then after realizing that I was putting WAY too much thought into it, I decided that today made more sense :0)  Cole started out the month with his four month check-up where he weighed in at 13 pounds 3 ounces...guess we were a little off thinking he was 15!  At that appointment we got the go ahead to start solid food, so Cole had his first taste of rice cereal this month and he loves it.  He gets really excited at dinner time because he knows that he is going to be eating too, it's really funny!  He starts smacking his lips together in preparation and then his legs start kicking, and he's probably actually burning more calories than he ends up taking in!  Cole brings everything to his mouth now and enjoys playing with anything he can get his hands on.  On Sunday he found his feet and by today he was already figuring out that he could get them to his mouth!  It's amazing how fast he figured that out!   

He loves the exercauser!  He's actually standing in it, and he manages to turn himself around with ease.

He's SO smiley!  And giggly too...it doesn't take much to get him going, especially if Kate is around!

Bath time after a long day.  I used to put the washcloth over him to keep him warm, but now he just grabs it and sticks it right in his mouth...warm water, yum...

The presents just keep coming

It would have been a great Christmas present, but we never got our act together in time...  It was probably better that we were late anyway, if she had these on top of everything else on Christmas morning we NEVER would have got all the presents opened!  Marc picked up these skis and boots on Saturday afternoon while Kate was napping, and we waited until later that night to show her.

Kate ate a great dinner, knowing that she had a special surprise if she did so...and oh what a surprise it was!  Marc brought them into the living room and she was SO excited!!  "WOW, thanks Dad!", she kept repeating over and over :0)  (I got a video, but it's long and sadly it will never upload here.)  We finally got her to bed after all the excitement, and of course they were the first thing she looked for in the morning.  After a good breakfast (skis are a great incentive to eat!), she and Marc hit the backyard for a little "on snow time".  She loved it...now it's all she wants to do!  We'll keep you posted...see if she still loves it as much when we take her to the park where there's a little incline :0) 

Update: Month Two

This month has been huge for Cole!  He has really come alive with his cute little personality, and we are loving every minute of it!  He (silently) laughs all the time and has been cooing like crazy.  He really reacts to Kate, which just melts my heart, and of course she just adores him!  She says he is her "BEST FRIEND EVER"!  Along with all his cooing, Cole pumps his arms and kicks his legs wildly.  He has started to bat at toys in front of him, and this morning while he was having "tummy time" he rolled over...then smiled as big as ever, like he actually meant to do it :0)  One of the best things that this month has brought has been a (fairly) predictable schedule, so things are feeling a little more normal around here.  I still feel a bit overwhelmed at times, but overall things are good :0)

I love that sweet little face!

He's been enjoying sitting up like this...he can really see what's going on this way :0)