happy halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Cole and I carved this pumpkin the other day. . .well, Cole watched politely while I carved. It's by far my best work. . .I'm usually limited to the triangle eyes, nose and mouth designs.

This was Cole and I last Halloween: the "oh, look, it's two pumpkins" joke is old. . .so don't say it. . .

I got Cole a Halloween costume, but I got it in an 18 month size . . which is way too big for him. Not too sure what I was thinking or when I thought Halloween was. . .exactly. So needless to say, there will be no costume this year. Bill's been teasing about a drawing a moustache on him so we'll see what happens while I'm at work.

Choosing to not bother Cole with a costume is probably a good idea because this week has been a tough one for the little man. Yesterday he slept for a total of 29 minutes all day! He literally chewed his own hand raw. We've tried frozen washcloths, teething rings, my fingers, his fingers, baby Tylenol, baby Ambesol and some old fashioned rocking and cuddling. . .but it doesn't seem to help. We are all hoping this tooth breaks soon.

Cole has been eating very well despite his tooth troubles. He's learned to pick up food and put it in his mouth. He doesn't get the food in every time. . .and sometimes he gets frustrated because the food is clenched in his fist, and his fist is in his mouth. . .but he can't figure out how to get the food out of the fist. It's fun to watch. I tried to take a video of it for you but he's learned to get excited when he sees the camera. . .so he just giggled and forgot there was food in his fist anyway.

We've switched from Cheerios to these organic puffed brown rice thingys. I can't find organic Cheerios anywhere. I've been to the earthy-crunchy health stores, grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Target. . .you name it. . .trying to find Cheerios that are organic and not flavored. So we decided on puffed rice. It's healthier anyway. We were going to try those Gerber finger puffs. . .but the amount of sugar in those things was appalling! No wonder kids are bouncing off the walls. . .jacked with sugary peach puffs all day. Or. . .maybe the boring un-sugared rice puffs are why Cole's so fussy. . . ;-)

And finally. . .who knew that my old magazines would be the best toys ever? Who needs fancy toys that light up and make noise when you can put a magazine on the floor and entertain a baby for at least 40 minutes?!? Cole looked at the babies in the magazine. . .talked to them. . .and then ripped them out of the magazine and thew them all over the floor. It was the longest period of our day that he wasn't fussing over his teeth:

Oh, and totally unrelated to Cole or this blog. . .check out this blog I found from a woman in NH that writes about great NH related stuff:

http://livinglocalnh.blogspot.com/

It's mostly about how to support local NH businesses and farms. . .but I've gotten some fun recipes. . .check out the Italian Stew with butternut squash. . .yum.

flu shots and cheerios

Cole had his weight check today with Dr. M and I'm happy to report that he passed with flying colors. He clocked in at 17.7 pounds. . .about a pound heavier than our last visit. He hasn't grown in length enough to notice. . .but he's gaining weight the way he should according to Dr. M. . . .phew.

We did, however, have to get a flu shot. I didn't have Pops to hold Cole down this time either. I'm pretty sure the shot was tougher on me than Cole. Cole barely flinched! Tough to keep track of all these vaccines but the flu can be a nasty thing for an infant. . .so Dr. M gave us a preservative-free option (meaning no Thimerasol. . .which is linked to Autism in some children) and we decided it was the best option for us.

Dr. M is also my doctor and Bill's doctor. . .and we'll both be looking forward to getting our flu shots at our next visits. Great!

Cole and I have been trying to stay as active as we can while the weather is cooperating. We bundle up each afternoon and still go for our walks. . . he doesn't try to tear his hats off anymore, either!

Here we are getting ready to go. . .

Cole also tried yogurt for the first time this week. Sorry to say I don't think he's a fan. . .yet. I'll try to disguise some in some banana mush later and see if that works.

Is that priceless? Funny that he still opens his mouth for more while making that face!

Cheerios were a big hit this week, too! He finally has seemed to learn how to grab food and feed himself. For awhile there. . .I'd hand him pieces of banana or a piece of tofu and he would just smash it in his fist and laugh. Today, he grabbed the Cheerio. . .placed it very carefully in his mouth. . .and was very proud of himself!

check this out

Look what I found while going through old pictures. . .that's me and Tracy not too long ago. . .





(There were other people in the picture as well. . .but I don't want to put their early 90's hair on the Internet. . .) ;-)

I know a lesbian. . .he works at the post office!

My Grammy died this week. Stinks to have to start your update that way. . .but it's what we've been consumed with this week, so I tell you. I was just telling someone on Sunday that she was doing well. . .playing cards with friends and going to church. And on Tuesday morning she was found in her apartment.

I'm sadder than I thought I'd be, too. It's made me think about our relationship and how it relates to me now that I'm a mom. My Gram was closer to me than any aunt, uncle or cousin I have, and for a good portion of my teen angst years. . .closer to me than my folks. She was able to explain things in a way I could understand when I wasn't willing to listen to many other people. We were very close and she was a confidant of mine that I'll really miss having around.

If I didn't realize it before, I sure do now that I need to help Cole establish relationships with his grandparents like my folks did with mine. Both my grandparents really helped shape who I am, and Cole will be very fortunate to have similar relationships with his.

In classic Grammy style. . .she wrote her own obituary. Here's a link to it: http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=206753&fh_id=10707&s_id=06A7980AC04FE44678BF842173AE69F9

I think I laughed out loud when I got to the part that said. . ."she enjoyed going to Foxwoods." She sure did.

Some friends have reminded me of some funny Gram moments that we've had together. . .like the time. . .

. . .she asked a group of my friends if they knew what condoms were. . .and then fell into our Christmas tree because she was drunk. . . .

. . .told another group of my friends that "she had a friend that was a lesbian. . .and he worked at the post office". . .

. . .gave Bill a martini when he was 19. . .

. . .told my most recent boss that I really shouldn't be working for his "crummy place" because I have a Master's Degree. . .

. . .pinched Cole to hear him cry because "she just loves the sound of babies crying". . .

. . .brought a dish of raw meat stuffing to Thanksgiving and insisted it had been in the oven for over an hour. . .

Makes me laugh. . .and that's a good thing.

Cole got a neat CD the other day. . .Lullaby Renditions of Radiohead. Radiohead is one of Bill's favorite bands and this CD is a collection of their songs, made into instrumental lullabies. I think Bill enjoyed it more than Cole. If you're interested. . .they have about a million others to choose from. . .like lullabies from the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, AC/DC, Metallica, the Cure, Bob Marley. . .and more! http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/web/page.asp?pgs=products

We'll be in Gardner most of the weekend, but Monday will see Dr. M for our weight check up. I'll keep you posted next week how we made out!

scrambled eggs with cauliflower?

So let's see. . .what's been new this week?

Cole's still fussy with what I think is more teeth on our horizon. He's not sleeping through the night. Cole was sleeping through the night a few weeks ago, and then he started getting the two bottom teeth - and now he wakes 2-3 times a night. It's not fun. Luckily, he's only awake for a few minutes and then back to sleep for a few hours.

We've got quite a daily routine down, though. . .and Cole certainly appreciates it. His naps, feedings, and bedtime routine are like clockwork. I'm not home a few nights a week now due to work, and Bill has become a master of putting Cole to bed. Some nights when we are both home I ask him to do it because Cole responds much better to dad's bedtime routine than mom's. ;-)

Cole has started to crawl which has been exciting. He gets up on all fours, and really thinks about what to move and how. . .and then makes a few "steps" before falling down to scootch the rest of the way.

Here are a few pictures of Cole tackling his Teddy this morning:

And then realizing I have a camera and crawling toward that. . .

Cole spent a bit of yesterday afternoon at Memere Paradis' with Aunt Debbie and Aunt Pat. He was totally worn out and slept like a champ when he got back (I'm sure they did, too!). He came home with some new toys and had a great time.

Aunt Debbie also gave me a fantastic book by Jessica Seinfield (Jerry's wife), called Deceptively Delicious. It's loaded with fun kid-friendly recipes that "hide" nutritious fruits and veggies into traditional kid fare (i.e. macaroni and cheese with pureed squash in the cheese!). I've already looked through the entire thing! Although Cole isn't ready for mac and cheese yet. . .Bill might be the perfect guinea pig for some scrambled eggs with cauliflower! ;-) Thanks Debbie!

Check it out if you're interested:

http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/

The only other thing we're dealing with right now has to do with our nursing schedule. So here is my disclaimer:

Stop reading now if you're like my friend Kara and :

1. refuse to believe I have that anatomy

2. refuse to discuss that I use them to feed my son

Okay, now that we have everyone on board that wants to be. . .

I think Cole and I are starting to wean from nursing and it's a bit sad to think it's come earlier than I would have liked. My work schedule and my place of employment isn't conducive to pumping so I've slowly started to deplete the source. Some would say, "just pump in your car", but it isn't safe for me to do that in an empty parking lot at midnight.

For the past 7 months Cole was 95% breastfed and we supplemented with formula a tiny bit when we travelled or to mix with food. Within the past month we've gone to a 50 - 50% and we're going through cans of formula much quicker. Cole will nurse for about 20 minutes and then be hungry shortly after as opposed to eating 8 ounces of formula and being fine for a few hours. We do still use nursing to soothe him and to put him to sleep which is nice.

In my fairytale world of what it was going to be like when I was a parent, I was planning to breastfeed right up until a year old and possibly later. When I think about how tough it was to breastfeed at first - I can't believe we've lasted this long. I can remember literally crying those first few weeks when I'd hear Cole wake up for another feeding!

On the plus side. . .gradually decreasing his nursing has made weaning more comfortable for me physically. I've not had any of the discomforts people complain about and I'm certainly ready to be able to have a scotch and a beer whenever I'd like. ;-) But there is something to be said for the bonding of breastfeeding. . .and if you've done it you'll understand. . .that it's a tough thing to give up.

So I'll keep you posted on that! ;-) I'm also researching where to have Cole's first professional pictures taken. If you have any suggestions. . .send them my way.

apple picking

Here are some pictures from Cole's first trip apple picking today. Although some of the posed pictures didn't come out so hot, there are some candids that are just great!



Cole rode on Uncle Jack's back all day.





Trying to pick his own apples. . .

The great pumpkin. . .

And finally. . .time for a nap!

Cole's big dunk

Cole had his "big dunk" last weekend. Sunday was his Baptism at St. Pat's during the regular Sunday mass. Bill and I had gone to a class to get us familiar with what was going to happen but neither of us remember them telling us that we'd be so involved from start to finish in the mass!

We were told to follow the priest down the aisle to start the mass which sounded harmless enough. . .until he stopped at the back of the church, announced to everyone that we were Cole's parents and would be having him baptised today. . .and then proceeded to ask me to tell the congregation what we wanted from them on Cole's big day and throughout "his Christian life." OMG. I hadn't had a feeling like that since sophomore year geometry when I hadn't done my homework in 5 weeks and was being asked to explain the problem on the board.

I'd like to tell you what I said but I've blacked it out of memory. . .I seem to remember asking them to help us teach Cole faith. . .or something of that sort. Then Uncle Jack and Aunt Colette (Cole's godparents) brought up the gifts, and the five of us were called up to the dunking booth in the middle of mass for what seemed like an eternity.

Incidentally. . .I'm sure it wasn't all that long but I thought I might pass out when I watched the priest with the shakes hold Cole up over his head to show the congregation their new member.

We then headed out to breakfast and the whole deal was done in just a few hours. Of course our families were more than generous to Cole, we had a lot of fun, and Cole still smells of the oil the priest doused him in.

Unfortunately, I told Aunt Tracy not to use a flash in the church (I know, I know. . silly) and so we don't have any pictures from the ceremony. I will, however, show you the shaky priest picture and just apologize that it's fuzzy:

Please notice his monkey shoes.

I'm pretty sure every good man started with a pair of monkey shoes. . .

regardless if he's wearing a dress.

And here are a few from breakfast with his godparents: