Month of Grandparents

I honestly didn't think it had been since January! My goodness....There has been way too much time that has past so to best summarize you get a list -

• February must not have been very exciting or it was the month I lost my memory card because I have no pictures.
• The Beginning of March Papa Rodney and Granny Carol came to visist

 Papa Rodney and Granny Carol of course spoiled Cole the entire week. It was full of sweets, little to no naps, late bedtimes and lots and lots of love. Cole went to the park, on wagon rides, cuddled on the couch, sorted cars with Granny, ate too many  powdered donuts with Papa. It was very sad to see them leave of course. Cole still goes to Papa's "chair" at the table and says "Papa". So, sad... Or getting the laundry basket and pulling my hand (it took me awhile to figure out that he wanted rides like his Granny gave him.) Thanks Mom!!!

• Cole got really sick this month. 

A low grade fever due to teething (or so we thought) for several days quickly turned into 103 and higher. I took him to Urgent care and Cole put up quit the fight. He wouldn't let nurse or doctor touch him. He screamed - and not just screamed - but screamed for over an hour. He was gagging and sweating he screamed so hard. So, of course they weren't able to get an appropriate oxygen count. At one point it even dipped into the 70's - so we were sent to the ER! Cole was sent home on a nebulizer - just when we thought he was getting better he got an ear infection and it was back to the doctor.

• Middle of March Nana Luscher came to visit

Oh boy - that Nana was a spoiler and Cole ate it all up! Another fun week of parks, and wagon rides, sorting cars by color and lots and lots of chocolate. Nana even taught Cole was it means to "shop". And I thought I was doing a good job training him for the future but I think Nana's got me beat. :) We even took a weekend trip to Durango, Colorado and saw the trains. Cole misses Nana and can still be seen waving bye bye and saying "Nana".

•  

Good Night Moon

Each night as we start Cole's bedtime routine, we tell him to go pick out some books. His stack almost always contains "Trucks" and "Good Night Moon". The last three nights while reading Good Night Moon, Cole has started crying. At first we thought something in the pictures must be scaring him but we couldn't figure out what was so scary about the book. We then realized it was the words "good night". We can read the book just fine if we change the words "good night" to "sweet dreams". But... as soon as you sneak in "good night", Cole starts crying.

St. Kitts & Nevis

I meant to post this as soon as we got back but I got sick. Then DJ and I both got sick and then I was getting errors every time I tried to post.

On New Years Day we began our voyage to St. Kitts and Nevis. Dj was attending a work conference and there was now way Cole and I were staying behind in the snow! It took us two days to get there. Cole did okay on the first two flights (DJ gave him a score of a B- but I gave him a B.) but there were certainly tense times.

Even though DJ had to work most of the week we still got a few family days in and were able to hang out at the pool bar each afternoon. The food wasn't the best but I had no problems living on fried fish, fries and pizza. Cole on the other hand chose to drink his diet for the week. And the mile was terrible!!!!!!! It looked sour, tasted sour and smelled sour but Cole was a trooper and drank it. He obviously wasn't too concerned since he'd rather it be this way all the time.

Cole was hesitant to get in the pool which was strange given it isn't new to him. By the second or third day he was a pro as long as you let him run the show and as long as I made sure to have his tractor in the pool bag. We spent each morning having snacks and playing in the water. However, given we were at the beach in a beautiful location - Birds, Birds and more Birds was the most excitement of his week. Cole learned to say "bird" and whenever we had a visitor he was off chasing it around.

We spent the afternoons on the beach. Cole greatly enjoyed digging in the sand. Sand in his mouth, sand in his sippy cup, sand in his hair - he loved the sand. Cole and I had a great time building sandcastles. I was team construction and Cole was team demolition. I don't think I was able to construct more than 3 towers at a time if I was lucky. The ocean wasn't on the top of Cole's list of things to do while at the ocean. The waves may have been to loud but he did not want to walk in at all. However, by the end of the week DJ as able to take him out with little hesitation. (Don't know where my camera was that day - darn it!)

Cole has gotten very good at copying mom and dad. Although it can be quite funny at times, we have to be extra careful now. Several times while in the hotel room we found Cole busy at the door trying to escaping our room. He had found a room key and was trying to slide it up and down the door crack. Smart...yes but this could have been scary.

Cole met alot of new people while we were gone. His blonde hair and blue eyes "whooed" the locals which was a good thing considering is attitude did not. All and all it was a great trip - UNTIL...it was time to go home. The plane rides home were the most horrendous and stressful times we have had with Cole in a long time. Tears even came to my eyes. It was hard and 4 1/2 hours was too long - but we made it and will most likely be flying to Atlanta this May for DJ's graduation.

Memorable Moments

I really need to get batteries for our camera because I am missing many great snap shots and videos of Cole. Here are a few highlights of what the little bug has been up to -

• Cole is into calling everything "Dadda". Ducks, dogs, pigs (hah!), me and even Santa's are Dadda - A quick phase I hope...especially given I always point to myself and say "Mamma, Mamma" and then point to DJ and say "Not your Mamma".
  
• Cole's morning "routine" has expanded to the need for blankie and doggie. As soon as Cole wakes up in the morning someone is in his room to get him up. We greet him with a big "Good Morning" and he in turns hands you his dog (a little yellow lab from Auntie B) and then his blanket (from Auntie Corey). If you pick him up first he will be sure to let you know and point and grunt towards his crib which is our cue to grab the little dog and blanket. Dad wraps the blanket around him like a cape and sets the dog on the kitchen table. All must be present during breakfast - :) Cole doesn't go very far without his blanket and dog dragging behind him.
  

• Cole vs. Snow  - Cole=0; Snow=3

Round 1. Tree Hunting
The first introduction was when we went Christmas tree hunting and he took a face plant.Snow definitely won this one. We figured he would forget quickly. But so far he hasn't forgotten and don't know if he will.
Round 2. Neighborhood Walk
The face plant was still pretty fresh cause the next day DJ took him on a walk across the street to the neighbors and he wouldn't even touch the ground. DJ took many attempts to set Cole down on the driveway so he could walk and Cole would cross his legs immediately and wouldn't even try to stand up. I have to admit it was pretty hilarious watching this from the front window. DJ finally gave in and carried Cole across the street.
Round 3. Snow Shoeing
Still has not forgotten the face plant. DJ planned on taking Cole snow shoeing on Saturday but it was a struggle the minute the snow clothes came out. DJ finally got him all dressed and ready to go (Cole fighting against it the entire time.). Cole was crying so hard that he started gagging and ended up throwing up; needless to say that was the end of the snow shoeing outing.

Christmas Tree Hunting

This weekend we went to the Jemez Mountains to cut down our 1st Christmas Tree as a family. Unfortunately, I fogot the camera but it was probably for the best since Cole didn't enjoy himself. He was in a great mood on the ride up - talking away to Annie. The minute we got him out of the car and dressed in his snow gear he started fussing. It probably didn't help that his first steps in the snow resulted in a face plant. He was unhappy from this minute forward. No matter how many times we tried to set him down to walk he'd hang on tighter and cry. We finally found our tree and headed back to the car. Cole was still crying and continued to cry until we were on our way home. Family friend Ryan Maupin even gave Cole and I a push on the sled. Cole was quiet while moving but as soon as he stopped he was upset again. So, it's hard to say if he didn't like the snow and was cold, or was upset we weren't pulling him a sled the whole time. Mom and Dad's guess is that the nonstop crying was the result of him not taking his nap earlier in the day. The minute we stared driving down the highway Cole started talking again.

We waited until yesterday to put up the tree and decorate the house. Cole immediately claimed all decorations as his own. His favorite seem to be a big gold bell and a metal airplane flown by Santa. We also started a small "chocolate" advent calendar. We explained to Cole the tradition of the countdown to Christmas and gave him his piece of candy. He caught on very quickly and walked over to the calendar several more times during the day and pointed at the calendar. If he doesn't like the snow at least he likes chocolate!!!

November Fun...

Wow! Where does the time go? The month of November was full of big changes for Cole. He is walking faster and faster and forwards and backwards. He is into absolutely everything and is everywhere. One of his favorite activities has been to chase Annie around the house with his John Deere dump truck. Poor Annie - but she takes it like a champ. And in the end she gets a big cuddly hug from Cole. So cute! Unfortunately, his John Deere truck and tractor are in time out in the sunroom. They are now admired through the window and an occasional supervised visit. Cole was hurting himself too much and too often with these toys. We felt it was best to give them a break for awhile - luckily he doesn't seem to mind and actually plays with toys (anything with wheels) he didn't even know he had! To make things a little less traumatic, I cleared out an entire cupboard in the kitchen and filled it with his toys. Cole enjoys crawling inside and stashing any goods he has acquired in inside. (You have to watch for Sippy cups and/or other important items. He likes to take and hide things and doesn’t’ realize the phone bill needs to be paid.)


Cole is 100% all boy but I have to admit he has shown a small sense of fashion. The other day he must not have cared for the shoes I put on him because he went to his room and brought me a different pair. It isn’t just his shoes. He tries to put on DJ’s shoes and likes to rearrange my collection any chance he gets. My belts are another hit. Of course I try to find the more masculine ones to fasten around his waist. He just laughs and walks all over chattering to himself and touching the belt.

Cole still isn't interested too much in food. He enjoys drinking lots of milk and the constants seem to be blueberries and scrambled eggs. Everything else seems to end up on the floor for Annie. He is also trying new words. What fun and joy it brings to hear his little voice make words!

Mamma
Dadda; Daddy
Annie (Sounds Like Addie)
More
Hi
Tractor
Duck
Dog
Banana(Sounds like NuhNaNuh)

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. We sure did!