Bathtime Fun!

I feel like most of the pictures I take of Cole are in the bath. I am starting to resent what I think this really means...that I don't have nearly enough time with my child, because the only time I can get pictures of him are during bathtime...the 25 minutes we can just play, play, play. The other time we have together (during the week), I run a tight ship. We are always racing out the door to daycare, racing home from daycare and it can be pretty hectic. Bathtime is nothing but fun! Here are a few pictures from tonight. He really does love being a big boy in the bathtub...tons of space. He discovered my big loofah brush and just like the cell phone, it is now his toy. You will notice that Cole now realizes when I am taking his picture and is this is his "cheese!" I like the last one because it shows off his 2 big teeth (look close)!

I have been working with Cole on self feeding for about 2 months. I spend the money on "puffs" for him, only to put them on his high chair tray and discover later that all 12 of them are in the chair and on the floor...but still, I press on. This weekend, while I was getting his lunch ready, I put puffs on his tray. Wouldn't you know the child just grabbed one (with his RIGHT hand of course) and just popped it in his mouth. He then repeated it over and over again with great precision! A big day Cole...momma is so PROUD!

A new use for the duck!

As mentioned in a previous post, Cole's days in the ducky bathtub were numbered. I finally gave in to him being in the big boy bathtub after another one of my sister's "set him free" speeches. She wins, Cole is set free. He loves the tub and is taking full advantage of all of his new found space.

So now what about ducky? The duck that has brought me and Cole so much joy over the past few months, what about him? Do I just deflate him and pack him away in hopes that baby #2 will enjoy him just as much? I couldn't stand the thought of it...so on Sunday I invented Mr. Ducks Wild Ride (you may remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from your childhood visits to Disneyland)! Here is how the ride goes, I put Cole in the duck (fully clothed) and then I drag him around the house at top speed all through the kitchen, we jet down the hallway, through his room and back to make the loop through the dining room. The child has never been more entertained. He sits back in the duck and just smiles the whole time. The duck is still bringing us joy, even outside of the tub -- this is why I love the duck. Here is a picture of Cole just as we are starting one of the rides, I feel like he's holding on...getting ready for the fun, maybe even a little bit unsure of why he's dressed, in his bathtub (can you see the look of confusion on his face?).

The other recent excitement around our house is Cole's fascination with Fletch. There have been a few moments that were touch and go recently, but by this photo you would never know. We like to call this one: Cole and Fletch can be Friends.

Sailor Boy!

Shawn's dad arrived yesterday for a 2 1/2 week visit. Among the many treasures for Cole he brought with him, one was this hat. Now, this is not just any old hat. This was the hat that Shawn got on his first trip to Disneyland when he was 3 years old. I love seeing Cole wear it and only slightly disturbed that my 8 1/2 month old's head is the size of a 3 year olds. I try not to get caught up in the details...

I think I mentioned in a previous post that Cole is now standing and thinking that he wants to start "cruising." I haven't yet captured the perfect picture to prove this, but this one will have to do. His teachers at daycare keep telling me to prepare that he will be walking soon. Denial, denial, denial.

The HAWK strikes again...this little face and super cute hairdo greeted me on Wednesday evening after work. Love my monkey!

Give me an O, give me an L, give me an E...what the heck does that spell?

Bath time fun...a great part of the evening. I am savoring the last few days of Cole in the big rubber ducky. My big boy is getting too big for his fun bathtub and it won't be long before he's on his own in the big boy tub. Last night he got very excited about the letters that he has to play with in the tub. I have only put out for letters...the 4 that spell COLE. He was a busy boy, eating the L and holding on with a good grip to the O and the E.

Life is great in Chandler. We're sweating all day, everyday and trying to smile through it. The Monsoon has arrived and we got 1 1/2 inches of rain in less than 2 hours on Sunday. Lucky me, I was leaving the grocery store right in the middle of the storm. At least Cole wasn't with me on this trip. With the monsoon comes the humidity...ugh.

We enjoyed our weekend at a local resort, but are probably the only people who check out at 6:40am to come home. The painters finished everything on Saturday, so by Sunday morning we felt good that the fumes has died down enough to come home and put this place back together. Slowly but surely it's looking like home again. The color turned out great and I tried to capture it on film, but it really is such a subtle color that it's hard to see in the picture.

I've learned so many things as a new parent...but one of the most important is that nothing belongs to just you anymore. If you have something and your child likes it...chances are it's theirs now. I learned this lesson the hard way, with my little pink Razor cell phone. Now those that know me, know how much I loved that little pink phone. I thought it was so darn cute and really so easy to use. After 2+ years I had finally mastered all the buttons, cameras, video, etc. Then along came Cole. He also liked my little pink phone...so much that he decided to eat it one day. The end result...a little pink phone with little buttons that no longer worked -- saturated with teething drool, the phone died. So...now, the phone belongs to Cole and I am stuck trying to learn how to use my new fancy phone that will speak my text messages to me. It's good for a giggle. Here is Cole just tormenting me, "ha, ha...the phone is mine!"

Happy 4th of July!

We survived yet another trip with Cole on an airplane, this was Take 3. Once again he was a trooper! When we landed in Seattle and were getting off the plane one gentleman even commented, wow I didn't even know there was a baby behind us! Good job Cole! Now, on the way back to Phoenix yesterday the same could not be said. He was feeling rather chatty yesterday and talked a lot for the first 20 minutes of the flight. Luckily the chat fest wore him out and he slept the rest of the flight waking up only minutes before we landed back in Phoenix. 109 degrees greeted us last night and it was a big change from the nice cool (and cloudy) temps in Seattle.

The visit was a whirlwind and I realize now that I didn't really get very many good pictures! I guess when your life involves chasing a crawling 8 month old around, you don't get the chance to take many pictures. I did capture Cole preparing for the Minor Leagues...

A few highlights are below. We waited until 9pm on the 4th of July to actually buy fireworks. You would be surprised how hard they were to find. The Cresswell kids were in luck, we finally found sparklers and a few other treasures. We had a visit from Catherine and her 2 little ones. Braeden is now 2 1/2 and little Addison is 4 months. It was great to see them, but you will notice is nearly impossible to get a good picture of 2 adults, 1 toddler and 2 babies under the age of 1. Oh well, we tried! I couldn't promise Amy that I wouldn't send this picture into CPS...just a note that Grace was just "holding" the beverage while Amy went to the bathroom. She will definitely win Mom of the Year if I submit this photo. :)

Another funny one, this is Phil pondering -- what is the crazy holiday you Yakees celebrate all about?

It was a wonderful trip and I am looking forward to going back in August to host a baby shower for my sister. She looks ready to have that baby, but has 3 more months to go!

We are having the entire inside of the house painted this coming weekend. We have a lot to do to get ready and are looking forward to spending the weekend at a local resort to get out of the fumes and the chaos.

More from the Blu's soon...!