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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!