Friday, November 26, 2010

happy turkey

Ah, we're catching our breath this holiday weekend with no plans and four days of doing whatever comes to mind. Correction, I had one thing planned -- having an untraditional Thanksgiving meal at a nearby brewpub. Unfortunately, it was closed for the holiday and will have to happen another day.

After a series of failed attempts to do other stuff around town which were also closed due to the holiday, we headed home and prepared what ended up being a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner, from the roasted bird to Brian's marshmallow delight. We also had a very special holiday character gobbling around the house -- our very own turkey!

Monday, November 15, 2010

one year old

What a wonderful journey it's been to reach this milestone!

It doesn't seem that long ago when I approached Brian with a dumbfounded look on my face (so he says!) to let him know that I was pregnant. Since then, we've had new experiences every month.

This past month, Cole has become very mobile. He's not quite walking, but if he has something to hold onto, he's off. Three days after his birthday he stood up on his own in the middle of the room. Not quite sure of what he just accomplished, he sat down and did it again right away. This time, he looked straight at me with a huge smile.

I love that he wiggles his little body whenever he hears any kind of music -- from his toys, commercials, one of us humming...oh, and he hums to himself -- or if you simply ask him to dance. He's a pro with his tambourine and maracas and can turn anything into a drum (even his dad's belly!).

Two days ago, Cole discovered how to nod "yes". He also learned how to spit out food he doesn't like. Coupled with a raspberry, each meal time now requires a thorough wipe down of our entire table. And who taught Cole how to tickle mom!?!

It's all really too cute for words! Thank you, Cole, for such a wonderful year. You are my sunshine. Happy Birthday!

Monday, November 1, 2010

treats and treats

Halloween is the last of Cole's "First" holidays since our baby boy will soon turn one.

We started our holiday weekend carving pumpkins. Our carving ambitions were high, but quickly turned to tried and true jack-o-lanterns when the little spinny wheel in our carving set didn't quite follow the outline of our designs. Our Halloween day started off with a spooktacular breakfast! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Cole helped measure out the ingredients for our pumpkin pecan pancakes. They turned out yummy! Even Grandma enjoyed them and she's not a pumpkin fan. After naptime, we headed out for a photographer's studio to capture this last first. We just got the proofs today, but they've got nothing on the classic shot we captured at home when his costume arrived in the mail. Surprisingly since then, he's tolerated the headpiece and we were able to take our little monkey trick or treating at the neighbors'. Here's a pic of him ready for his first treat with a very friendly witch, Maryann. At our last neighbor's house, one of the kids pulled a fast one on Brian and trick or treated out of Cole's bag and took my Now & Later! hmph. At least he didn't get the Smarties. We'll have to keep the goodies away from Cole especially since he now has seven teeth!

Cole shares the next "First" with many of you...watching the Giants win the World Series! Congrats, Giants!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

eleven months old

Today is a double celebration day because it's Daddy-O's birthday too! Unfortunately, I'm away at a conference and will have to wait until the end of the week to celebrate with my two guys.

This month, Cole has been expanding his vocabulary. He's got "mama" down pat. Most of the time he uses it to call out to me, but sometimes, it means box, chair, or whatever is in front of him. He added "dada" last week. Once in a while it sounds like he also says "hi". His favorite sound to make seems to be dribbling his fingers against his mouth. At lunch with grandma this weekend, Cole discovered how to use a straw to sip water.

During our recent visit to the Bay Area, Cole met his great-grandma, great-aunt, and our SF posse. We spent one afternoon at the Children's Park, then had his first ride on a carousel. Later that week, he squealed and laughed at the fish at the CA Academy of Science. We also learned just how good of a traveler he is that week from the plane rides and zipping around the Bay Area throughout the week.

Monday, September 27, 2010

little bird

We had an unexpected house guest this morning. My mom came up to me this morning while she was holding Cole and said, "I think there's a bird in the house." Random. But there he was huddled under our dining room table.

He looked a little under the weather with his eyes closed and head cocked to one side. Brian scooped him up into our makeshift birdie triage -- Stone IPA box with bread, water, and a package of pot feet to weigh it down. Shortly after, he perked up and fluttered up to the top of the box, then to the wisteria pot where he took another little nap in the sun.

Suspecting he was still a young bird, Brian said, "He can't fly." On cue, our little friend flew off into the trees. Perhaps he also had a little chick in his nest who was crying all night and just needed to catch up on some zzz's before going about with his day. I totally understand, little bird.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

hamburglar

When I got home from work tonight, I was greeted by a very talkative Cole. "Mum" has now become a very common word for him, plus he introduced a series of "rah-bah, rah-bah, rah-bah" which sounds like some sort of hamburglar-speak. He was very animated during our conversation and had a lot to share of what he did today. I think we was especially excited to tell me about his new EyePet monkey friend his dad introduced him to. If he could remember back to the other week, I'm sure he'd be using his words to tell me how much he disliked being a monkey.

Monday, September 13, 2010

ten months old

Last week, Cole took his first steps and tonight he said, "Momo". That's close enough for me!

His menu of food is expanding again now that he's able to chew chunkier food. Chicken and stars seem to be a new fave. This weekend he literally bit off more than he could chew of his teething cookie. I watched his head shake and body wiggle when he swallowed a piece of cookie that probably could've been chewed up a little more before going down the pipe. It's kinda funny to watch and scary at the same time.

Our baby proofing effort went into full swing over the Labor Day weekend -- shortly after we discovered that he could climb the entire flight of stairs on his own. Now, we live in a house with a series of gates. Maybe it'll be good early training for slalom skiing for Cole. After all, I was half joking about naming him Bodhi.

He's also growing into a great play mate. This morning, he and I had so much fun playing under our blanket fort. Grandma always giggles when Cole crawls through the round window of his play tent. He's also starting to strum and pluck the uke strings (even with his toes!) which is making his dad very proud. Up until now, it was a percussion instrument he banged on.

The funniest thing he did this month:
Cole likes to "sing". The Sound of Music was on in the background while we were rearranging furniture in our family room. During one the scenes Cole belted out a duet with one of the nuns! We were all so surprised and awesomely entertained!

He continues to fill the house with screams, loud cries, and most importantly his infectious laughter!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

pop, pop, pop

This weekend I had a few false alarms when I thought Cole was able to sneak something past me and was chewing on something. Turns out he was just making the motions of chewing, but didn't have anything in his mouth. Maybe this is what one does when they have FOUR teeth coming in at the same time!?!

It's been over a week since the top two front teeth first broke through. We're just about able to see the tips of them now whenever he smiles. This morning, I freaked out when I noticed the other two! Though I've been sympathetic through the sleepless nights, I'll have even more patience when trying to comfort him when he wails in the middle of the night and early morning.

Despite the teeth coming through and the congestion he's had because of it, Le Bebe has been an absolute sweetie with our guests these past two weekends. He especially loved his play date with Yoko, Uncle Dave and Auntie Tess' little puppy.

Friday, August 13, 2010

nine months old

He's mobile! Last weekend, Cole took the plunge from reaching out far for his toys and started to crawl. He still has a stronger interest to pulling himself up and learning to walk than to crawl, but I'm suspecting once he realizes the power of being able to quickly scoot away from us or go beyond the boundaries of his pillow fort, he'll take to crawling a lot more.

This past month, he also learned how to pick up and feed himself puffs, yogurt melts, and other small food pieces. It's been so great to watch him progress from just pushing around the mashed food on his high chair tray to actually being able to pick it up and put it in his mouth. Cole also went on his first flight to visit the fam in the Bay Area.

My favorite thing we do together these days is play a game of monster. When I'm the monster, he gets tickled a lot while I nosh on his tummy making nom-nom sounds. When he's the monster, he makes the cutest roar-like sound then lays a sloppy slobber on my face. Thanks, son.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

first laptop

I've been holding off on getting this for Cole 'cause I didn't want to be that geeky mom, but each time I'm on my laptop it seems so unfair to tease him with the key tapping noises that make it seem like a big toy. However, when I thought it was harmless to let him play with my keyboard, I lost my left shift key. Those little fingers sure do get in there quite easily! Auntie Winn learned this lesson the hard way when she chose not to heed my warning when we were in the Bay Area for a visit. At first, she thought it was the cutest thing to watch Cole type away on her laptop until she lost the enter key.

Now that he's a lot more curious and determined to reach out for the things he wants (read: my things), I arrived home with his first laptop.

He couldn't contain his excitement with his first keystrokes. His reaction ranks up there with the best so far. He couldn't even use his "words" and just kept humming "mmm, mmm, mmm". Occasionally he'd stop and just give a big toothy grin. Adorable!

I'm sure if there was an internet for babies he'd have blogged, tweeted, and updated his status about his new device before bedtime.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

eight months old

We have one monkey in a barrel. When I bought this ottoman I thought it'd be a nifty source of extra storage. I just didn't think we'd be storing Cole in it. Leave it up to Cole and his dad to come up with fun games. The other game they showed me this morning was Cole as a Scone where he wears our (acrylic) cake dome as a hat.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

who dat?

The other day, Brian surprised us all with his annual (yes, annual) haircut. He mentioned that it took Cole about fifteen minutes to figure out who he was when we got home. ha.ha.

We've been getting lots of close encounters with baby "monkey bird" lately. (Brian says baby monkey bird is Cole's kindred. aww, sweet.) He and mama have been coming down from the eucalyptus and have been perching on our fence. It's their new fave lunch spot.

Often times when we're hanging out in the backyard and baby monkey bird calls out, Cole looks for him. Yesterday, I finally put it together...he responds to that sound 'cause it sounds like his squeaky toys!

Monday, June 14, 2010

seven months old

Big milestones for Cole this month. Two weekends ago, his first tooth broke through and the second one's been coming up right next to it. A little extra cuddle time and teething gel seems to soothe things for him. Though he has several teething toys, he seems to really like my finger the most. youch. Cole's also learned to sit up on his own. He still refuses tummy time and has gotten really good at rolling over just to avoid it. He's been reaching for things while sitting up, so we'll see if it will lead to crawling. The week before his tooth showed up, he also discovered that banging on his piano made sounds. That night, Brian and I were treated to Cole's first piano recital.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

six months old

He's a happy baby and a natural yogi. His gyan mudra must be working. Cole and I went to Baby and Me yoga the other week where he also showed off his happy baby pose and forward bend. (hee.hee.)

He's learned a lot of new skills this month with reaching out for things being his most practiced one. He reached out for the camera today and leaned very close toward the edge of the couch. We definitely have to keep a close watch on him these days.

He's also learned to roll over both ways but, he mostly rolls around in his sleep. I used to think his crib was a big space for such a little boy. wrong. He takes up practically every inch of the crib throughout the night. Boy, am I glad we've moved him to his own bed. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd be getting kicked and scooted over to a small sliver of the mattress.

On Mother's Day Cole and I were up early and chatting when he cooed "mum". Oh what a lovely gift on a special day! I told Brian when he woke up. Of course, he didn't believe me until he heard it himself. Okay, okay, so it was a happy coincidence that was the sound he made when he rubbed his seemingly itchy gums together. I'll take it!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

pool lounger

After a busy day at the Farmers Market then an Arts and Craft Fair at Bernardo Winery, it was time to relax. We put Cole in his floatie and flipped up the canopy. This is the position he slipped himself into. He didn't make any effort to move for a while and just drifted along with us. He's a natural.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

w.a.p.

w: With the rainy days (and hail!) behind us, we blew off our chores and spent the day at the Wild Animal Park. It was Cole and Grandma's first time. Both really enjoyed Lorikeet Landing where one birdie decided it liked perching on Grandma's head.

a: New item on the menu - avocado! yummy. Good thing the high chair that'll be arriving tomorrow is green.

p: Started off with a foggy, cold morning, then turned into a bright, sunny day. The crystal waters of the pool have been taunting us for months. The first time we dipped Cole's toes in the water last month, he cried. Today, he was ready to jump in it seemed. It's still a bit too cold, but was warm enough for all of us to wade around waist deep.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

leaning over

This has been a big week for us.

We're tackling having Cole learn to sleep on his own. I thought I'd buckle the first night hearing him cry but, as others who have gone down this road have assured me, it's getting better (but not necessarily easier). For every minute he cries, I cry twice as long it seems. Tonight, after a short bedtime story and a few fussy cries to let me know he was sleepy, I set the little guy down in his crib. He stirred a couple of times, gave me one last wide-eyed glance, then tilted his head to the side and fell asleep. Hooray! Now, I don't have to cry myself to sleep either.

We've also introduced rice cereal to his menu. The first couple of times, most of the cereal ended up on the tray, him, or me. Once he got it though, he finishing all that was in his bowl. It still gets everywhere, but most of it does end up in his tummy. This morning, I pulled my laptop out of my bag and it was splattered with cereal from yesterday's meal time. I was so proud.

Earlier this week, Cole wanted to be upright more often. When propped up with his arms in front, he was able to hold himself up for a little while. Shortly, he would lean over, but was content with that position. He's getting the hang of it a little more and isn't tipping over as much.

Whew, lots going on. No wonder he fell asleep so easily.

Friday, April 16, 2010

baby rattle-r

I was in the living room feeding Cole shortly after work when Brian walked in from the backyard looking aimlessly into the air holding the golf club we inherited from the previous house owners. He was thinking of ideas for a vessel to capture...a baby rattle snake. eeks! We keep the golf club near the pool pump 'cause that's where the pool guy found a rattler last summer right before we closed on the house.

After several attempts to contact an animal control agency on a Friday afternoon, he ended up calling our local fire department. Since the fire station is just a few blocks away, a pumper truck (which we learned from our adorable three year old neighbor, Simone) pulled up in front of our house in a few minutes. The captain and two other firefighters headed out to the pool pump and handled the situation in a jiffy. Unfortunately, for the little rattler, they aren't allowed to catch and release venomous snakes. Apparently, it's that time of year when rattle snakes come out. This was their second call today.

Cole's picture has nothing to do with today's incident. I just happened to take pictures of him right before this all happened to capture him doing his two favorite thing these days -- gnawing on his burp cloth and grabbing his toes. Soon, his toes will be making it into his mouth. I've seen him get close the past couple of days.

l is for lumpia

I love this shirt. It was a present from Auntie Michelle who recently delivered Baby Kealani. (...still waiting for pictures)! When we received it in the mail, Cole was just a few weeks old and Grandma just finished making a batch. The mound of perfectly rolled lumpias towered over little Cole. Not any more.

Today's program was brought to you by the number 5. :-)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

five months old

Is it me or did this past month fly by? Might have something to do with that big distraction called "work". We've been adjusting to my schedule and I feel lucky to be able to come home for lunch every day to hang out with Cole.

We've also had lots of visitors this month. Every week brought someone new. Lucky us! Cole was always ready to impress showing off his new found skills to everyone. When the Mayekawas and Auntie Winn were here he was reaching for things, pushing off against Uncle Bobby's hands during tummy time, grabbing his toes, and eager to stand when propped up. The week after, he rolled over! He showed Auntie Jen how well he could hold things with both hands. More rolling when Auntie Virgie was here. Auntie Lissa missed out 'cause she only stopped by for a short while close to his bed time. That'll teach her. On Easter, we had a nice lunch with Grandma in sunny Del Mar.

Cole's also moved into his crib in his own room this month. The first week went well, but this past week he's been waking up more frequently. We think he's teething, though our ped says otherwise. Yes, there's more drooling. He also prefers to nurse over the bottle and wakes up more frequently to do so throughout the night. He really likes to bite down on my washcloth-covered finger. Though his fave continues to be stuffing his burp cloth in his mouth, except nowadays, he's really biting down on it.

He's growing fast, but I still find ways to keep him in duckie feet. Love these things!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

four months old

I can't remember when I moved away from counting Cole's age in weeks, but I feel like I've been saying he's three and half months old for about a month. Today, I get to reset my accuracy 'cause he's exactly four months old.

Though he still wakes up several times during the night, thankfully, the times in between are longer. Sometimes I'm able to get him to go back to sleep when he wakes at 4 or 5 am and get a couple of extra hours of sleep, but today wasn't one of them. So, we were off to an early start on this milestone day! Since the rest of the household were still snug in their beds, bright-eyed Cole and I shared an early morning play time with his favorite toys...which he slobbered all over. I think he's an early teether.

He's holding his head up well, but wobbly at times. He's also got a firm grip. His vocabulary of coos continue to grow. (I love our chats!) And he's a wiggle worm while he sleeps. He's my little baby and I'm tickled that I can still clothe him in outfits with giraffe, bear, and puppy dog feet.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

pure honey

I'm back at work this week. (sniff.sniff.) Since Cole's night time routine to wind down starts early, I'm in the room with him shortly after arriving home. I usually read a magazine or play my DS while he dozes off. Tonight, I was stuck with a freshly dozed off baby on my lap without something to flip through, nor an interest to play BookWorm. By some stroke of luck, my cell phone was on the bedside table...

B (upstairs playing a video game): Hello.
K: Hi.
B: You need something?
K: My laptop and a refill of my tea.
B: Okay.

Minutes later, I'm online and enjoying a freshly brewed cup of tea. I love room service!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

powegian in bumbo

In the recent issue of our local paper, the Poway News Chieftain, we learned the official moniker for residents is Powegian.

New this week for our little powegian -- tears! (Seems mine have been flowing this week too, dreading having to leave him to return to work next week. boo.hoo.) Cole's getting better at sitting up and holding things too. Most of the stuff he grabs ends up working their way to his mouth, but he still prefers his hands and burp cloth.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

pirate monkeys

There are a handful of outfits I've been waiting for Cole to fit into and this one with pirate monkeys is one of them. (Thanks, Ann!) I know you can't see the print too well in this picture, but I figured the main subject, Le Bebe holding his head up during tummy time, was more interesting to showcase.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

sweethearts day

Lucky me, I have two valentines this year! As you can see from the picture, the little one has a much higher ratio of valentines. Happy February 14th!

three months old

Last week, it seemed like he was ready to eat right after we finished cleaning up after his last meal. Then, on Thursday, I looked at him as I was dressing him and his face was fuller, as well as the rest of his body. I'm always surprised how much Cole's appearance changes after a growth spurt. I love squishing his drumstick legs!

He's a lot more mobile and alert these days too. He and I start our day with an exchange of smiles followed by a mother-son "chat". He knows exactly how to charm me. He usually has a lot to say, so I'm guessing he's telling me about his dreams from the night before. As his engines get revvin', he kicks and flails his arms for his morning calisthenics. He's especially active under the canopy of his jungle gym, watching his mobile in the crib, and even on his changing table where I taped some black and white images under the hutch shelf above it.

Cole's also found his hands which he stuffs into his mouth a lot. It's like dessert for him. As he continues to learn his skill to grasp things with his hands, his new pal, Sophie the giraffe, or burp cloth makes it into his mouth too.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

queen redux plus one

We had another Grandparents' Weekend. The original plan was to spend the day at the Wild Animal Park, but an unexpected growth spurt feeding schedule on Friday night called for a change in plans. Having been up every hour, I probably would've been the roarin' crankmeister louder than any of the animals at the park before we could reach Lorikeet Landing.

A short drive up to Kit Carson Park with a short walk on a trail led us to Queen Califia's Magical Circle. The last time we were here I was 24 weeks preggo. This trip gave us a chance to take an updated picture with the little one held in our arms instead.

Our day out ended with a late lunch at the Elephant Bar, one of grandpa's faves. Hmm, we stayed within the wild animal theme after all.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

midnight sunshine

A few times last week, Le Bebe treated me to bouts of laughter as he dozed into baby dreamland. Makes you wonder what's going on in his young mind. Probably goes something like this, "Hey, remember that time Mr. Penguin was bobbing his head up and down? Then, he flapped his flippers. ha.ha. What a joker!" (No Batman puns intended.)

Yes, he's wearing a cape. He's my favorite little super hero.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

two months old


Our house was abuzz this past month with holiday activities and many, many visitors who were anxious to meet the little one. Lucky boy! It was one of those time periods which seemed to span a long time yet flew by in a flash. During that time blip, Cole outgrew his newborn clothes, started cooing and flashing his sweet smile, and began to recognize high contrast objects. He's become good pals with Mr. Penguin. (Brian is convinced Cole's scared of his black-framed glasses...I think it's the loud, scary noises he makes when they're playing.) Cole is two months old today!