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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.