Cole at 13 Months

Cole is continues to be as stubborn as he is sweet.  He *can* walk, as far as 10-ish feet that we have observed, but chooses not to walk - especially if his mother is watching.  Recently he crossed an entire room with the encouragement of his cousins and the moment Jacob said, "Aunt Lori, look!" Cole abruptly sat down and held his arms out to me to be held.  I assume that eventually his desire to explore will outweigh his stubbornness.  In the meantime, he is the fastest crawler and climber of all time.

On the sweet side, Cole is adorably affectionate and smiley.  Hug-worthy events according to Cole - before and after a diaper change, before nap and bed, and before being buckled into his carseat.  He loves to chat, although his side of the conversation is completely unintelligible except for "Mama", "Dada", and "Hi!".

Cole is currently rocking six teeth - four on top and two on the bottom.  He uses them to eat a huge quantity at every meal.  He pretty much mows down anything on his tray unless it's a vegetable... as I said, stubborn.

Cole is looking more and more like Brady to me again.

Cole

Brady

One notable difference between brothers - at this age, Brady was not nearly as content to sit on Santa's lap.  

Cole at 12 Months

Cole is a year old!  The last twelve months have passed so quickly- I can't believe his birthday is already here.  

Cole is our little spitfire.  He is quick to laugh, quick to lose his temper, and keeps us on our toes always.  He spends a lot of time trying to climb things/climb out of things, escape contained areas, throw himself off of tall things, put foreign objects in his mouth, you name it.  Recently he climbed out of his car seat and dove face first onto the pavement from the 4Runner... Mercifully he was completely fine other than a nose scrape but I think it took ten years off my life.

For someone so adept at climbing, surprisingly Cole still prefers crawling as his mode of transportation.  He took his first steps about a month ago and now he'll take up to 5 steps at a time when encouraged, but unless there's an audience waiting to applaud, he doesn't bother.

This little dude fuels his high-energy days by eating us out of house and home.  He's still drinking five bottles a day but also regularly eating more food than Brady at meals.

Cole is as affectionate as he is energetic and loves to be hugged, kissed and held.    He'll crawl up for an embrace and then race off to wreak havoc somewhere, only to return a few minutes later for another kiss.  

It's hard to remember our lives without this feisty little boy.  Happy birthday, sweet Cole!

Cole at 10 months

Dear future Cole, I'm sorry I skipped your 8 and 9 month posts.  Please let the photo above serve as evidence that you were perfectly happy during this time even though your mother was neglecting the documentation of your milestones. ;)

Cole is now crawling, cruising and chowing down on all kinds of finger foods- black beans and butternut squash  are favorites.  He still takes two big naps and sleeps well at night.  He loves to play with Brady and any of Brady's toys that he can get ahold of... and Brady is enjoying a renaissance of baby toys.  It's not unusual to find Cole playing with a Hot Wheels while Brady tinkers with the music table.  Whatever makes you happy, boys.

I keep saying I'm going to cut Cole's hair and then chickening out...it tends to arrange itself into a natural faux hawk while he sleeps and will not be tamed.  

Cole is starting to give kisses on request- or his version of them.  When asked for a kiss, he offers his forehead to the requestor in a very regal manner.  We take what we can get.  Brady particularly loves to shower Cole with affection and often punctuates a hug or kiss with the exclamation, "we're BROTHERS!".  Cue heart melting. 

Cole at 7 Months

This little dude is keeping us on our toes! Mostly happy go lucky, his temper does flare sometimes... Major, meltdown-worthy infractions include being left alone in a room, being made to wait briefly for food, and being set down in a seated position rather than allowed to hold onto someone's hands and stand.  The only family member who never raises Cole's ire is Brady, who can do no wrong.  We'll enjoy that as long as we can. :)

A recent growth spurt has Cole in 12 month clothes and desperate to become mobile.  He's babbling and screeching up a storm, occasionally rolling back to front (not a fan at ALL of being on his back or his tummy these days) and still sleeping like a champ.  This month he has traveled to San Diego and Sunriver and has been a dream in the car!  We are so lucky to have this sweet boy.

Cole at 6 Months

Can't believe this feisty little dude is already halfway to a year old!  Weighing in at 18 lbs, 15 oz, he's gobbling up formula and baby food like a champ and sitting up on his own.  

Cole's favorite activity is holding on to someone's hands and standing up.  By my estimation his plan is to skip rolling and crawling and go straight to walking.  This is based on his complete and utter disinterest in being laid on his back or his tummy, ever.  He never even attempts to roll over because he is busy wailing at the great injustice that someone might have something else to do besides assist him in his walking efforts.  He's a determined guy. :)

When not standing or screaming, Cole has been babbling up a storm- his favorite is "mamama", but he mixed in a "dadada" on Father's Day, which was timely.  Looking forward to a fun summer with this guy and his big brother!

Cole at Five Months

At five months, Cole has just returned from his first trip to Gaga and Grandpa's house.  He was perfect on the plane and didn't make a peep.  Lately I'm finding that as long as Cole is being held, he is happy.  As soon as you put him down it's another story.  While Brady was happy to lounge in his jumperoo for 30-40 minute stretches, Cole has a maximum of 5 minutes before sounding like he is being tortured.  He expects attention and if it's not on him, he demands it.  Yesterday he began using consonants in his baby speak and while crying to be held he now yells, "Ni ni niiiiiiiiiiii" in despair.  Despite his flair for drama, we'll keep him.

On the eating front, Cole is a major baby food fan.  Sweet potatoes are his current favorite but this morning he was reaching for Brady's Cheerios, so maybe not for long.  

I love to show Brady baby pictures of himself and ask him who it is- usually he thinks it's Cole.  I see a resemblance between the two of them but only in certain photos.

Believer

Cole was stoic through his first Easter bunny meeting.  As for Brady, he was cool as a cucumber.  As we got back into the car I asked, "So, what'd you think of the Easter bunny?" to which Brady nonchalantly replied, "He's real."