He's Walking!

Cole is officially walking! He's been doing the Frankenstein walk with his arms ahead of him for about a month now attemping two or three steps at a time, but now he walk a good seven or eight feet without falling down! He still uses his arms for balance, only now they are straight up in the air like a little monkey. He likes to practice between mommy and daddy on the floor wherever we are. He has also been pushing objects (boxes, larger toys...) up to furniture in an attempt to get to higher ground! He has made it onto the big chair, according to Heath. He has tried getting over the gate separating the main room from the kitchen area. He still loves to be held and grab whatever is in reach.

First Halloween

This was also written on December 1, 2007. We just got back from our trip to Arkansas where Cole was able to meet the rest of daddy's side of the family. He had a great time! He must have since he would wake up once or twice during the night afraid he was missing something. It was nice but very tiring. We were running around the entire time trying to make sure everyone saw him. He's growing so fast! Jocelyn and Don were here for their anniversary, so we meet up with them as soon as we got back. They had many gifts for Cole which he was able to enjoy after our trek through the mall. It was a madhouse of Trick-or-Treaters, but it was something we couldn't let Cole miss out on. We saw some pretty amazing costumes from adult Superman to SpongeBob to baby Tiggers. Maybe next year, he can collect candy!

First Thanksgiving

This was written on December 1, 2007. Neither Heath nor I had any energy to do much the week of Thanksgiving even though we had extra time off. On Thursday, we slept in as much as we could considering Cole gets up between five and seven thirty. We all got ready and went driving around to see what was open. We both thought everything either opened late or closed early. I guess we got out too late to find out. We had "dinner" at Mimi's Cafe. They were doing a special feast for Thanksgiving with all the fixin's, as Heath would say. Cole preferred to toss Cheerios on the floor and try to pull down the decor. The day flew by, but we got our turkey!

New Babysitter

This was added to Facebook on December 10, 2007. So the whole childcare issue has been a nightmare. We tried what my coworkers (other teachers) were doing with the daycare. Did not work out. That is a whole 'nuther story you can ask me about. We found a girl from the Big Island out here with her two young sons in elementary school and her husband. She takes care of Cole and another baby about the same age. It was inevitable that she would take a vacation or just quit us altogether. We introduced Cole to his new baby-sitter today. He was stunned at first; kinda stand-offish. Then! He started flirting with her! Heath and I thought it was so funny. If it works out, we'll use her for our evenings out (which have yet to happen with the exception of our anniversary THANK YOU, KRISTEN)! I'll let you know how it goes.

First Christmas

This was written to Facebook on December 26, 2007. We spent Christmas Eve tracking Santa's trip and setting out cookies and milk for him. Cole tried to eat them...I played Santa this year. Cole was very excited waking up two or three times throughout the night. We spent Christmas morning opening presents, eating cinnamon rolls, drinking egg nog, and waiting for the turkey. Cole's reaction to the first gift was the best--we got it on video. By the third gift, he had the hang of tearing open the gifts instead of just tearing the paper like he's used to. We were worried about the Elmo being age-appropriate, but it turned out to be the most interesting toy (possibly for Heath and me)! We might have to put it up for a while, but it was a Special Edition, so of course, I HAD TO get it NOW! Anyway, Cole putted around all day with his new toys and then slept through the night. The whole thing was, as my good friend Tiffany has said in the past, very magical! I hope your holidays are wonderful! Love you.

New Babysitter Experience

I put this on Facebook on December 19, 2007. It worked out okay. Cole was pretty clingy the first few days not wanting to go to the babysitter and hanging on to my shirt. He cried when I put him down. I cried on the way to work wondering how people work instead of staying home with there babies. Necessity? Perhaps. Anyway, if you've had a sitter or daycare, you know about keeping a feeding and poop schedule. Well, the sitter told us about a poop Cole had today that made her gag and he wouldn't sit still to be changed! She was worried the whole time while changing him that he would pee on her like boys do. That whole episode convinced her to wait a few more years in starting a family. Ah, good little Cole.

Da...da...

Cole has been talking since he was three or four months old, but he is clearly attempting conversation. He points at Heath and says, "Da" or "Da, da." He has been saying "Mom" for awhile, but he says it when he's hungry, mostly. He has only said it on one occasion that would make us believe he knew what he was saying. He is now saying what sounds like, "I want that." It is very exciting, but at the same time, very depressing that this experience has come so quickly and now is past. I look forward to each new milestone and yet, dread it...that it passes as soon as it comes. I only hope I can remember the details long enough to write them down in a way that will give me the memory and return the emotion each time I read them. That is my simple motivation for this blog.