10 Months Old!

 Ok, this is getting too close to 12 months old! :( We have had ten TERRIFIC months with our precious boy!

Sleep: The sleep situation is back on track, thank goodness! Implementing a strict(ish) bedtime routine has helped. We do bath around 6:30, book, and last feeding around 7. He usually wants to be in his crib by 7:30 at the latest. I take him in his room and rock him but he rarely falls asleep in my arms. He usually starts wriggling around and that is my cue to put him in his crib and let him roll around until he goes to sleep. Sometimes he rolls for 20 minutes form one corner of the crib to the other. But, the whole time he is absolutely content and quiet. If we didn't have a video monitor I would go crazy wondering what he was doing in there that whole time. I'm sure I would break and peek in on him, which would distract him from his falling asleep process I'm sure! He likes to get his head as far into the corner of the crib as possible which scares me so I always go in to move him. Lately, I've given up on that though because he moves ALL NIGHT LONG! He covers every square inch of that crib!

Naps are also getting better. He has been in daycare full-time for about 2 weeks and is falling into a nap time schedule quite nicely. Sleeping for about 45 minutes in the morning and sometimes 2 hours in the afternoon! I think he is so exhausted from playing and watching the other kids that he NEEDS his nap time!

Napping with Daddy :)

Crazy Morning Hair :)

Eating: Cole is still eating and nursing like a champ! He has tried beef and turkey this past month and loved it. Plus, we have introduced dairy into his diet and it hasn't negatively affected him at all!!! Woo Hoo!

A lot of self-feeding going on...very messy!

Diaper Size: Sizes 3 and 4, getting very hard to change because he doesn't stay still long!

escaping from a diaper change :)

Clothes Size: 12 Months!

Other Fun Facts:

* This past month has been full of milestones!

* Cole has started crawling everywhere! He usually does one knee and one leg swing, it is so cute. I posted a video of it a few weeks back in case you missed it. 

*Cole is also pulling himself up on everything, the couch, toys, people, baby gate (or as Dave likes to call it-the goat pen).

*Not only did Cole get bottom teeth at the end of last month, this month he has gotten 4 top teeth! Lots of drooling going on!

*There have been a few "teething" fevers and one real fever that I chalked up to teething, coincidentally infecting myself, Dave, and other children with a virus (bit time mothering fail!) I also failed big time as a teacher by calling out sick the SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL! But, as luck would have it, I came down with the virus/fever the first day of school and it spiked that night! I am very thankful that Cole's never got as high as mine and that he wasn't as unpleasant as I was!

*Cole started daycare this month. While it was sad for me, he has absolutely loved it! Ms. Stacey is caring and organized and a perfect fit for Cole, Dave, and I. Cole loves the other kids and could care less when I leave him in the morning. Ms. Stacey is generous enough to send me pics throughout the day and update me on Cole's naps/moods. He always looks like he is having so much fun. I'm jealous she gets to snuggle him and laugh at his faces all day while I'm at work but, I also know how lucky I am to have off with him all summer.

Fun pics from daycare :)

*We had the chance to get together with the Wilkinson side of the family this month. It was fun to see Cole and Reese hang out and play. It will be cute to see them grow older together and start to notice each other and interact.

Playin in the pen with Lexi

watchin' horseshoes with Karlee

Hanging with Reese and Nannie

Snoozing with Aunt Crystal

Amy, Brian, Reese, Nannie, Dave, Cole, and I

Buds in the pool

Some other pics from this past month:

Catching up with Mommy's college friends in Baltimore and all their babies :)

Lazy morning with Lexi

Getting into everything!

Had to lower the crib to the lowest setting!

His favorite expression, fish lips!!

LOVE!

9 Months Old!

-->

Nine Months! Cole has been with us for the same amount of time he was in my belly! Time is flying!

These pics are getting harder and harder to take the more mobile he gets!

 Sleep: Sleep has been a major issue! He is no longer sleeping through the night, waking up once or twice for a very short period of time. He also is refusing to go to bed earlier than 9-9:30 and still waking up at 5:30. His naps are still erratic so I am afraid my little man is not getting enough beauty rest! I think his sleep has changed for many reasons, I haven’t been sticking to a strict schedule now that I am off work, he’s teething, and he’s learning new things everyday and doesn’t want to stop doing them to go to sleep! When we are home from vacation, our bedtime/naptime routines are definitely going back in place.

Eating: Cole is still eating meals 3 times a day and nursing 6 times a day (including after his three meals). I’ve had more and more dairy (including ice cream!) and it doesn’t seem to be affecting him so hopefully he is growing out of that allergy.

Diaper Size: Still in size 3

Clothes Size: all 12 months and all absolutely adorable!

Other Fun Facts:

*Cole is fully sitting up on his own and loving it. He is also starting to pull himself up on someone sitting nearby. He doesn’t really reach for furniture to pull himself up but if there is an open leg, he starts climbing!

* Cole is still scooting backwards, I wonder if he will skip over crawling and just go straight to cruising the furniture?!

*Cole is starting to use a sippy cup. He mostly chews on it but sometimes he sucks if he’s really hot! I mostly use it at the beach or when we are somewhere hot and I fill it with water and sometimes a tiny, tiny bit of juice to get him interested in it.

*Mommy and Cole have spent some time visiting Gigi and Pops during the week this summer. We were visiting during Gigi’s birthday and Cole had his first “real” restaurant experience. We went to Bahama Breeze and he was such a good boy!

*Cole has 2 bottom teeth!!! Finally! After all the buckets of drool he produced! The first one started to poke through around mid-July and the second one came a few days later. Again, Mommy and Daddy were both excited and sad at the same time because our baby boy is growing so fast!

*Cole has started to wave hello and goodbye! I’ve noticed it for a while but he REALLY got the hang of it while we were on vacation in Chincoteague. He pretty much waves to anything and anybody. It is SO CUTE!

* Speaking of vacation, Cole had his first Williamson family vacation this year. We stayed in a great house in Chincoteague and had a wonderful time. Cole enjoyed spending time with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Mike and Uncle Jimmy and they loved spending time with him! He had his first ride on Daddy’s boat while we were there. It only lasted about a minute though b/c he HATED the life jacket. I can’t blame him, it looked really uncomfortable!

Not a fan of the life jacket!

Cole's first (very short) boat ride!

Enjoying time up on the dock with Uncle Mike.

Visiting the ponies in Chincoteague

Vacation wears me out!

Walking through town!

Napping with Grandma

Sleeping in with Daddy

Love these piggie toes :)

So grown up! Loving his Daddy's old rings that Grandma brought!

Uncle Jimmy and Cole

Look at those baby blues :)

Williamson Family Vacation 2012

And if all those photos are not enough...here are some more :)

He. Kills. Me.

Hangin with Pops on the Hog :)

 and finally...because I don't think I've ever taken a picture of him crying, b/c he rarely does...

It was bedtime!

Crawling!

Cole's been getting around pretty good lately just by going from his belly to his butt, and occasionally on his knees. This past Saturday, while under Daddy's watch, he officially crawled. Of course, when I came home to watch he didn't do it again....until today! He seems to only crawl towards things that he is not supposed to have or places he is not supposed to go...figures! I tried capturing it on camera all day but he would stop when he saw me holding it. I finally caught him this afternoon going towards the bathroom I was trying to clean. After I got done the bathroom, I got down the hand-me-down safety gates and gave them a good washing too, we are going to need them! :)

8 Months Old!

Eight Enjoyable months have passed since Cole arrived! He’s been up to a lot this summer!

Sleep: Going to bed a little later and getting up a little earlier. Not sure if it is because we are on the summertime schedule where Mommy is off of work or just a new sleep pattern. He still sleeps through the night mostly. His naps are still erratic. Sometimes long, sometimes very short, sometimes not at all!

Eating: Cole is still eating meals 3 times a day and nursing 6 times a day (including after his three meals). He is eating more and more types and volume of food! He has also started to enjoy chicken! We tried it from the store first and he didn’t really care for it. However, I roasted a chicken for him in the crockpot with garlic and rosemary, pureed it and he LOVES it! His acid reflux is still improving with his medicine! 

Diaper Size: Still in size 3

Clothes Size: 6/9 months and 12 months! I am enjoying getting out all the cute summer clothes :)

Other Fun Facts:

*Cole has started to sit up on his own which is so cute but bittersweet for Mommy. I can’t believe my baby is this big already!

*Cole is getting up on his knees and rocking but no forward movement. He’s a pro at scooting himself backwards though!

*Cole continues to enjoy the beach and the pool.

Uncle Jimmy and Cole

Piggie Toes

First time in Gigi and Pops' Pool :)

girlfriend Delayne already skinny dipping! Cole was obviously shocked!!! ;)

ahhhh...beach naps!

* Dave had his first father's day this year! What a great day we had! Both sides of the family met at Gigi and Pops' house for a picnic and pool party. It was a blast!

Here are the photo gifts I made the men of the family, they LOVED them!

* Cole celebrated his first 4^th of July this year. We had 3 days of celebrating since the holiday was in the middle of the week this year. First, the weekend before the 4^th we went to the beach with our usual crew. On Wed. the 4^th we went to the yacht club in Lewes with Grandma and Grandpa. We ate lunch on the deck and enjoyed time on the beach. The Saturday after the 4^th we spent time in Elkton for Gigi and Pops’ 4^th of July Party. I haven’t been in Elkton to celebrate the 4^th in 7 years!

Here are some more pics from this month:

School's out, time for lots of Gigi visits! :)

Styled by Jacob :)

Hangin with the boys, Owen and Charlie