Treats!

Yesterday we ate dinner outside. The current state inside our house is a nightmare and there really isn't any place to hang out. Cole has been getting a little jealous lately, when we eat in front of him. Since there was nothing to distract him from us joyously shoveling food in our mouths, we decided to give him his first baby biscuit. Actually he got his first and second biscuit. The first biscuit lasted about four seconds before he decided to hold it out for Bella to grab. He was so happy when he gave her that treat, big smile on his face and he laughed. I think this is the start of Bella and Cole being BFFs for life.


Once he started on his second biscuit he seemed to like it okay. He bit off some chunks that were too big, sucked on it for a few minutes and then he threw it on the ground so biscuit time was over. Bella got another treat in less than 10 minutes and Cole smiled again. Cole washed down his biscuits with some prune juice water (no need to explain the necessity of that) and we were happy because we got have a leisurely meal

Biscuit 1 or 2

Rescue Mission - Too Big

 

 

Gross (red mark explaination below)

Necessary after all the drool

This Saturday Cole slept over at Grandma Debbie's house. In the morning we picked him up to find that giant red mark on his face. The story she tells is that he woke up in the middle of the night crying and couldn't be consoled. Apparently he self-injured himself. It started out as a little scrape and as the days go by it gets redder and bigger. Good thing this is Debbie's last week of babysitting because this, coupled with the mosquito bite incident, would have gotten her a pink slip for sure.

Lake Nagawicka

Another Fuchs family get together. After so many unbearably hot and humid days it was finally cool and breezy. Too cold to swim but just perfect in the shade. We did lots of eating, visiting and exploring. Cole was introduced to some family members he has never met and seemed to enjoy all the attention.

Baby Monster

 

Is it me or does he look extra orange?

 

No pants + grabbing a beer...haven't we all found ourselves in this predicament? Also, doesn't his baby butt look pretty large?

Sticky + Cousins

We have been lazy about posting lately. Summer has been so busy and there is never enough time. We are looking forward to cooler weather and slow Fall days so we can catch up on everything we have neglected. A bit of what we have been up to...

Oranges: A new fun food for Cole. He loves sucking out the juice and they keep him pretty busy because they are slippery suckers! The sour face is the best, he has done this before with apple yogurt but that time it was so sour he made himself cry. This time around he shakes and makes his face and then gets right back into the business of eating. So messy and sticky; eating is immediately followed by a long soak in the tub.

Cousins: A few weeks back Cole got to spend some time with his cousins, Lisa and Walt. We were excited for Cole to see them because he loves to look at their pictures at Grandma and Grandpa's house. After we all hung out on Sunday, Lisa and Walt slept over and were with Grandma the next day while she babysat for Cole. I guess Cole didn't want to nap because he didn't want to miss out on the fun. He loved playing with them and Lisa and Walt were so sweet and gentle with him. When I picked Cole up that afternoon, Lisa had drawn a big heart on the driveway and inside it said, "I love Khole" and another heart that said, "Khole is a good boy." I think everyone had fun!

Eight Month Photo Shoot Gone Wild: Cole was less than enthused to participate in this month's photo. You can see the sequence of events. 

The famous "Neutral Face"

   

Happy

   

Getting bored

   

On the move

   

Escape!

   

Plan foiled and pissed about it

   

Worse than the neutral face

   

So big...and still pissed

   

We hope to be back with another update sooner rather than later. We are in the middle of a house project and have some other improvements planned.

Feeling Like Croup...

Holy crap...worst night EVER. Cole did not sleep. He's got a case of the croup, which besides sounding like a STD, is apparently very painful. I have never been so tired. We tried everything; rocking him, feeding him, rubbing him, anything we could think of we did.  We even took a car ride and plopped him in bed with us and had him watch TV.We were unsuccessful on all counts. Luckily for me, I just returned from a fun trip up north with the guys and Jason (thanks Ryan) and needless to say I was already sleep deprived. Although, before I complain to much about my tiredness, don't worry Cole will be fine. He got a steroid dose and it should clear up in a few days. We are going to have him pump some iron so he makes the most of the 'roids and beefs up those thighs. Our fingers are crossed that he sleeps DEEPLY tonight.

Spoiled

In the past two weeks Cole's crawling has really improved. No more army crawling or rocking on all fours, this Boy is mobile! With increased mobility also comes the need for more space. If you remember Cole's "cage" there really wasn't much room in there for him to cruise around. It was just a safe space to plop him if we needed to take Bella out, unload the dishwasher or change the laundry. Back in those days the goal was to keep Bella out...doesn't look like Cole was getting up to go anywhere.

Whose tiny baby is that?

 

 

Enter our playroom-dining room hybrid. Enough space for Cole to crawl around like mad and it is baby-safe. Of course it is the biggest room in our house which actually works because now the whole family can all fit in Cole's cage. He and Bella play - this really means he crawls towards Bella making loud baby noises and she gets upset and runs away. Nick and I can eat, fold laundry or go through the mail. If need be we can leave him alone in the room...although Cole seems to be developing a nasty case of separation anxiety, so he would prefer we stay put.  Some of the fun we are having in this new space:

Inflatable toy wrestling

Balling wearing some of Dad's sweet bands

Parking!

Hiding

Lots of stuff to sniff

Baby-proofing gadgets

Reading

Nick is very jealous that Cole has a room devoted to his needs. He has been wanting to set aside some space, anywhere in the house, for an office. He really does need this space because he is constantly spreading bills and other annoying stuff from his rental property all over the house and then doesn't clean it up. There is no room for that so instead he got a box.

And if he doesn't clean that up and put it away as instructed...he gets nothing.