Cole is getting more verbal every day. He now says the following things:
Ball
Mommaw
Dada
Car
Hi (and if you don't say "hi" back, he will say it even louder...even if it is to a stranger in Target)
ByeBye
He says buh-buh-buh for the Nick TV show "Bubble Guppies"
Chee=Cheese
Eggie=Veggietales (But he is over those now; all he wants is Toy Story currently)
Ca-Cow=both Grammie and Grandad (I don't know why he interprets those words that way, but it is consistently what he calls them)
He has a toy that plays the alphabet and he grunts along with each letter up until about "G", where he gets bored and restarts the song.
He gets sad when we drive past the gym without going inside.
He is pacified when he asks to do something and I respond with "Just a Minute" or "In a little while". He just (usually) nods his head and moves on to something else. I'm thinking this phase will be entirely too short-lived...:)
He will walk around the house saying "No, no, no..." for several minutes.
He responds with a resounding "Ya" which often sounds like "Da" whenever he likes something that you say.
He no longer has much stranger anxiety, but when I leave him with Lee to go do something, he screams. And then gets over it.
He is very sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. He was helping me cook and I needed to chop something up with a big knife. So I explained to him beforehand that the knife was a "no" and that he could not touch it. I tried to use my best "teaching" voice, positive, but firm. However, his lip started to quiver and those eyes took on the appearance of a puppy who had just been kicked. I had to pick him up and apologize for making him sad. I guess he thought he was getting into trouble for something he hadn't even had the chance to do yet. Poor thing. And yet, when I started the chopping, he didn't even try to touch the knife...so I guess he learned...:)
I found out today that a pregnant friend had lost her baby at 16ish weeks. After I got off the phone I looked at my child, playing quietly on his new chair, and my eyes filled with tears of blessing, and of heartache for the child my friend would never know. It is those lessons in life, the way someone else's pain teaches you something about yourself. No matter the angst that Cole can put me through, I can't imagine my little world without the sweet face of God's greatest blessing shining back at me everyday.
4.26.2011
3.10.2011
It hasn't been a month, and already another blog!! :)
I'm going to start with me first. My family would say that's what I always start with, and while they might have a point, I like to think they are just teasing. ;) Anyways, here's the latest: I'm obsessed with my teeth right now. I hadn't thought much of it until today when I was telling my friend Margie how great my teeth whitening kit is working. As I got excited about telling her about my nightly flossing and mouthwash routine, I realized I had turned a corner in my life: I love my teeth. We both started laughing at my little obsession, but it's true. I absolutely adore my new dentist, I love the way my teeth feel so smooth when I run my tongue across them. And, the professional whitening kit I received from my dentist for FREE because I had a coupon? Really does work. It's only been 4 days, and I'm already proud of my newly white teeth.
Now for a more serious matter: I really love God. He's been patient with me as I've transitioned into this new role of mommyhood. He never left, even when I would read a romance novel instead of the Bible, because he knew I'd come back. I think He understood that I couldn't handle anymore than "fluff"...and the Bible is a lot of things, but "fluff" isn't one of them. Not that I left, exactly, I was just surviving and not searching for Him anymore. I've realized my lack of searching for a while now, but only recently have I decided to take bigger steps. I am no longer hiding under his wings, knowing he's protecting me, but not being able to see Him. Nope, I can see Him now. I'm not hiding in His shadows, but searching for Him throughout my day. I see Him in the rain that has fallen so prettily lately. I Praised Him when my daffodils showed their pretty faces this week. I hear Him every time Cole says "Mommaw" (that's kind of how he pronounces it...I so love to hear it). I know that when Cole puckers up those lips for a kiss I'm being blessed by Him. And I see His actions constantly in Lee, with his giving heart and selfless attitude. I am far from perfect, but that's ok. God knows when I need to be sheltered and protected. But He also believes in me and knows that once I'm strong enough, I can be His mighty faith warrior. Because with Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). So I'm going to keep searching for Him, striving to get closer to Him all the time. And when I stumble and need to be protected, I know that He will once again pull me under His wing and I will know "the Lord has heard my cry of mercy..." (Psalm 6:9).
In Cole news:
As I said, he says Mommaw now, emphasis on "maw". He said DaDa for the first time today, which made Lee the happiest man in the world. Of course the next time Cole was prompted to say "dada", Cole pointed right at Lee and said "mommaw". But he's getting there. :)Cole will also say "all right!" and "I did it", and he said "margie" (Gee) and "Elijah" (LiJah) today. We'll see if he remembers them next time he sees them.
There are a lot of other words that we think he has said, but can't get him to repeat. Like "Veggietales" and "I love you". He started singing along with Veggietales today. It was the cutest thing he had done in, like, 10 whole minutes.
I taught him how to do a fist bump this week. We are working on the sign for "thank you" but it is a little challenging because it is similar to another sign we have taught him. :) You see, for "thank you" you touch your chin with your fingertips, then pivot your hand straight down, in an arc motion (that may not explain it well...just youtube it if you are really curious). Well a long time ago I taught him to blow a kiss when saying good bye. So he kisses the palm of his hand (similar to touching his chin) and then throws the kiss to the side (instead of down, for "thank you"). So the signs are similar and it is taking him longer to learn "thank you". But he gets a twinkle in his eye when I am teaching him, so I think he'll pick it up eventually.
Today he brought me his pajamas at 4 in the afternoon and started yanking on his sweats, trying to get them off. So I helped and he stayed in his pj's the rest of the day. Then he pulled off one sock, and I just let him walk around with one sock on, one sock off. I figured that one foot must have been hot. But the other? It was just fine the way it was.
I've rambled enough for one post. If you are still with me, you must really love my family. Oh, and Lee's really good, too. I didn't talk about him much, but he's still around and as awesome as usual. Last Wednesday he was watching Cole (I go into work since Lee has Wednesdays off) and finally, after 16 months of having this kiddo, Lee understood completely why I sometimes just hand Cole off as soon as Lee walks in the door at night. Lee was worn out by the time I got home. :)
Now for a more serious matter: I really love God. He's been patient with me as I've transitioned into this new role of mommyhood. He never left, even when I would read a romance novel instead of the Bible, because he knew I'd come back. I think He understood that I couldn't handle anymore than "fluff"...and the Bible is a lot of things, but "fluff" isn't one of them. Not that I left, exactly, I was just surviving and not searching for Him anymore. I've realized my lack of searching for a while now, but only recently have I decided to take bigger steps. I am no longer hiding under his wings, knowing he's protecting me, but not being able to see Him. Nope, I can see Him now. I'm not hiding in His shadows, but searching for Him throughout my day. I see Him in the rain that has fallen so prettily lately. I Praised Him when my daffodils showed their pretty faces this week. I hear Him every time Cole says "Mommaw" (that's kind of how he pronounces it...I so love to hear it). I know that when Cole puckers up those lips for a kiss I'm being blessed by Him. And I see His actions constantly in Lee, with his giving heart and selfless attitude. I am far from perfect, but that's ok. God knows when I need to be sheltered and protected. But He also believes in me and knows that once I'm strong enough, I can be His mighty faith warrior. Because with Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). So I'm going to keep searching for Him, striving to get closer to Him all the time. And when I stumble and need to be protected, I know that He will once again pull me under His wing and I will know "the Lord has heard my cry of mercy..." (Psalm 6:9).
In Cole news:
As I said, he says Mommaw now, emphasis on "maw". He said DaDa for the first time today, which made Lee the happiest man in the world. Of course the next time Cole was prompted to say "dada", Cole pointed right at Lee and said "mommaw". But he's getting there. :)Cole will also say "all right!" and "I did it", and he said "margie" (Gee) and "Elijah" (LiJah) today. We'll see if he remembers them next time he sees them.
There are a lot of other words that we think he has said, but can't get him to repeat. Like "Veggietales" and "I love you". He started singing along with Veggietales today. It was the cutest thing he had done in, like, 10 whole minutes.
I taught him how to do a fist bump this week. We are working on the sign for "thank you" but it is a little challenging because it is similar to another sign we have taught him. :) You see, for "thank you" you touch your chin with your fingertips, then pivot your hand straight down, in an arc motion (that may not explain it well...just youtube it if you are really curious). Well a long time ago I taught him to blow a kiss when saying good bye. So he kisses the palm of his hand (similar to touching his chin) and then throws the kiss to the side (instead of down, for "thank you"). So the signs are similar and it is taking him longer to learn "thank you". But he gets a twinkle in his eye when I am teaching him, so I think he'll pick it up eventually.
Today he brought me his pajamas at 4 in the afternoon and started yanking on his sweats, trying to get them off. So I helped and he stayed in his pj's the rest of the day. Then he pulled off one sock, and I just let him walk around with one sock on, one sock off. I figured that one foot must have been hot. But the other? It was just fine the way it was.
I've rambled enough for one post. If you are still with me, you must really love my family. Oh, and Lee's really good, too. I didn't talk about him much, but he's still around and as awesome as usual. Last Wednesday he was watching Cole (I go into work since Lee has Wednesdays off) and finally, after 16 months of having this kiddo, Lee understood completely why I sometimes just hand Cole off as soon as Lee walks in the door at night. Lee was worn out by the time I got home. :)
2.28.2011
Almost March...
So my resolve to write more about Cole didn't hold up...oh well.
Here's the latest:
Cole turned 15 months on Feb. 10. We went to the doc and he was 32 inches (he grew 4 inches in 3 months...seems like a lot to me...) and 24 lbs. He has his front 8 teeth, 4 molars, and all four of his canines have been working their way out for the past week. His eyes are getting greener rather than bluer, but they still have hints of brown. So we still have no idea what color they will turn out to be. They are pretty, though. :)
Cole has had some trouble with constipation, to the point of having a couple of hemmorhoids. The first one I saw completely freaked me out...it was like a hard blue bubble where a bubble should never be...I called the nurse and she advised me to give him a warm bath. Fortunately both times I have seen a hemorrhoid, it has gone back in on its own...the nurse told me I might have to push it back in sometimes. Yuck. Hoping that time will never come. :) I've changed his diet somewhat and it has helped tremendously. He hasn't had a banana in months, which is sad because he LOVES them. But he loves all fruit, so I don't think he has missed them. I also cut down his cheese intake and I give him applesauce or yogurt mixed with baby prunes. It looks nasty, but Cole seems to like it.
He is truly a toddler when it comes to food preference. Long gone are the days where he will eat anything and everything. Some days he loves black beans; the next day he won't touch them. Other days it is rice that he wants, and then he'll turn up his nose at it the next day. He likes most anything that Lee and I are eating; but if we don't take a bite, he may or may not be interested. The one food group that he will always eat more of is fruit. I haven't found a fruit he doesn't like yet.
Recently we have pushed his nap back a couple of hours. He used to take one at 9, and it was really making Sundays difficult, because he would be cranky and needing a nap, but wouldn't take one if there were people around (like at church). So now he goes down around 11 or 12, and it has really helped. It makes my mornings better, too, because he's used to being awake now and we can run errands early, instead of trying to fit it in between morning and noon naps. He still takes an afternoon nap, but it is closer to 3, and he sleeps for 2 hours then (morning nap is usually right at an hour).
Cole sat through church this past Sunday for the first time! We occupied him with goldfish, sippy cup, legos, and Veggietales on the ipod. I was leery of that last one, but I guess if it gets him used to sitting still in church, it is something we will faze out as we can.
He is still in the 4 mo.-12 mo. class at church. Supposedly it is because the children his own age cry too much, and it upsets him...I'm afraid they are sugarcoating that and really he's just a crybaby himself. :) But Miss LeAnn in the baby class is so good with Cole that I really don't mind if he's in there...as long as he's not in the way or a burden.
He loves blowing raspberries, poking belly buttons, and building with Legos. He gets frustrated easily--I have to encourage him to not quit and help him to figure out his problem, but I try to make him solve it himself, with minimal help from me.
He's becoming a big helper. I'm still having to do some training when it comes to trash receptacles, but he knows that Kleenex goes in the trash, Water bottles go in the Recycling, and diapers go in the diaper genie. I test him on all these and he is consistent about it. Occasionally he will try to put something where it doesn't belong (bibs in the trash, for example), but those 3 items he never gets wrong. He is getting good at cleaning up: today he put 2 books away after he was done using them. He like to organize things and is starting to notice and fix things that are out of place.
There is one of my pairs of shoes that he always gets out if I leave the closet door open. They are brown fuzzy plaid clogs and for some reason he is very attached to them. I have probably 40 pairs of shoes, and he always grabs that same pair and will carry them around the house. He can now put them on, too, so sometimes he will clump around with them on his feet. I don't understand the attachment, but it's pretty cute. I'm just glad they aren't my 5 inch stilletos. Lee is too.:)
Cole is very attached to the blanket my mom made him. If he gets in trouble and is upset, he will run to his crib and pull it out from between the crib rails. He drags it all around the house and I have to be sneaky if I want to wash it.
He hates that we can't go outside (it's been a cold, windy winter) so I can't wait for spring! He will go to the big sliding doors in the dining room and look outside and talk to the outside world. It's kinda sad.
Oh, and he will pucker up and give me a kiss when I ask him to. I love those little lips! :)
Here's the latest:
Cole turned 15 months on Feb. 10. We went to the doc and he was 32 inches (he grew 4 inches in 3 months...seems like a lot to me...) and 24 lbs. He has his front 8 teeth, 4 molars, and all four of his canines have been working their way out for the past week. His eyes are getting greener rather than bluer, but they still have hints of brown. So we still have no idea what color they will turn out to be. They are pretty, though. :)
Cole has had some trouble with constipation, to the point of having a couple of hemmorhoids. The first one I saw completely freaked me out...it was like a hard blue bubble where a bubble should never be...I called the nurse and she advised me to give him a warm bath. Fortunately both times I have seen a hemorrhoid, it has gone back in on its own...the nurse told me I might have to push it back in sometimes. Yuck. Hoping that time will never come. :) I've changed his diet somewhat and it has helped tremendously. He hasn't had a banana in months, which is sad because he LOVES them. But he loves all fruit, so I don't think he has missed them. I also cut down his cheese intake and I give him applesauce or yogurt mixed with baby prunes. It looks nasty, but Cole seems to like it.
He is truly a toddler when it comes to food preference. Long gone are the days where he will eat anything and everything. Some days he loves black beans; the next day he won't touch them. Other days it is rice that he wants, and then he'll turn up his nose at it the next day. He likes most anything that Lee and I are eating; but if we don't take a bite, he may or may not be interested. The one food group that he will always eat more of is fruit. I haven't found a fruit he doesn't like yet.
Recently we have pushed his nap back a couple of hours. He used to take one at 9, and it was really making Sundays difficult, because he would be cranky and needing a nap, but wouldn't take one if there were people around (like at church). So now he goes down around 11 or 12, and it has really helped. It makes my mornings better, too, because he's used to being awake now and we can run errands early, instead of trying to fit it in between morning and noon naps. He still takes an afternoon nap, but it is closer to 3, and he sleeps for 2 hours then (morning nap is usually right at an hour).
Cole sat through church this past Sunday for the first time! We occupied him with goldfish, sippy cup, legos, and Veggietales on the ipod. I was leery of that last one, but I guess if it gets him used to sitting still in church, it is something we will faze out as we can.
He is still in the 4 mo.-12 mo. class at church. Supposedly it is because the children his own age cry too much, and it upsets him...I'm afraid they are sugarcoating that and really he's just a crybaby himself. :) But Miss LeAnn in the baby class is so good with Cole that I really don't mind if he's in there...as long as he's not in the way or a burden.
He loves blowing raspberries, poking belly buttons, and building with Legos. He gets frustrated easily--I have to encourage him to not quit and help him to figure out his problem, but I try to make him solve it himself, with minimal help from me.
He's becoming a big helper. I'm still having to do some training when it comes to trash receptacles, but he knows that Kleenex goes in the trash, Water bottles go in the Recycling, and diapers go in the diaper genie. I test him on all these and he is consistent about it. Occasionally he will try to put something where it doesn't belong (bibs in the trash, for example), but those 3 items he never gets wrong. He is getting good at cleaning up: today he put 2 books away after he was done using them. He like to organize things and is starting to notice and fix things that are out of place.
There is one of my pairs of shoes that he always gets out if I leave the closet door open. They are brown fuzzy plaid clogs and for some reason he is very attached to them. I have probably 40 pairs of shoes, and he always grabs that same pair and will carry them around the house. He can now put them on, too, so sometimes he will clump around with them on his feet. I don't understand the attachment, but it's pretty cute. I'm just glad they aren't my 5 inch stilletos. Lee is too.:)
Cole is very attached to the blanket my mom made him. If he gets in trouble and is upset, he will run to his crib and pull it out from between the crib rails. He drags it all around the house and I have to be sneaky if I want to wash it.
He hates that we can't go outside (it's been a cold, windy winter) so I can't wait for spring! He will go to the big sliding doors in the dining room and look outside and talk to the outside world. It's kinda sad.
Oh, and he will pucker up and give me a kiss when I ask him to. I love those little lips! :)
1.15.2011
What Up?
Happy 2011! Once again we ended 2010 with a road trip to TX to see family. It was an adventure that was unexpectedly prolonged, due to Lee's uncle Time passing away. He was a great man; a hero to many.
We came home with a list of projects to work on this year. Up first is hanging a new chandelier in our dining room. We bought one last night and as Lee was putting it up today, realized that it was missing several parts. So that project will be put off until we can get back to Lowes and exchange it. Oh, the reason that we had to replace it? I tried putting a light bulb into it that had a cracked casing, and the whole thing blew (shorted out, not exploded), including the dimmer switch.
Cole just got over a 4-day fever. He was miserable, but fortunately had no other symptoms, so it was a minor virus, as all things go.
Cole figured out how to blow raspberries and gave Lee a kiss like that this morning. I wished I could have got a picture of those little puckered lips, plastering themselves on his daddy's cheek.
I'm resolving to post more Cole stories on here, since I won't remember them when Cole gets old enough to tease him about it, and facebook statuses don't save well.
We came home with a list of projects to work on this year. Up first is hanging a new chandelier in our dining room. We bought one last night and as Lee was putting it up today, realized that it was missing several parts. So that project will be put off until we can get back to Lowes and exchange it. Oh, the reason that we had to replace it? I tried putting a light bulb into it that had a cracked casing, and the whole thing blew (shorted out, not exploded), including the dimmer switch.
Cole just got over a 4-day fever. He was miserable, but fortunately had no other symptoms, so it was a minor virus, as all things go.
Cole figured out how to blow raspberries and gave Lee a kiss like that this morning. I wished I could have got a picture of those little puckered lips, plastering themselves on his daddy's cheek.
I'm resolving to post more Cole stories on here, since I won't remember them when Cole gets old enough to tease him about it, and facebook statuses don't save well.
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