The meeting

With the Christmas season in full swing we thought we'd introduce Cole to the person in charge, Good Ole' St. Nick. Well it took about a minute before Cole burst into tears! So much for a good picture :) I wonder how many years its going to take before I can get a good one to put in the cute frame I bought just for the special shot.

We've been busy elves ourselves...decorating the tree, attending holiday parties and of course shopping. Cole has been a super trooper, spending hours in his stroller while Mom shops away. I'm wondering when the awe of the Christmas tree and ornaments is going to go away. He loves to point to them and wait for the answer as to what they are...."giraffe, snowman, santa (mom saying "ho ho ho...hoping to have Cole catch on...no luck!), giraffe, pooh bear......I could go on forever and Cole would keep pointing. He's also pretty intrigued by the wrapped gifts under the tree but doesn't know that they can be opened...thank goodness! Best of all I think he likes the Holiday cookies...but what kid doesn't!

Fa la la la la...la la la la

Cole is gearing up for the holidays in his spiffy reindeer ears (and adidas outfit!). He is enjoying having a tree in the house and lights on all the houses.

Our NFL Beauty King

Cole is at the strangest stage...babbling in what seems like a foreign language (that only his parents are foreign to!) and playing with the oddest things. Recently he has taken an extreme liking to Mardi Gras beads. We have several strands around the house that he puts on...takes off...puts back on. His animals wear them, he takes them to bed, he wants to wear them in the bathtub. One odd little boy!

A mother's right

Okay so Cole will likely hate me someday for subjecting him to the torture of such a girlish costume but you can't deny that this isn't cute!

On to other things...Cole is now 18 months old! Wow...a year and a half, where has it gone? As his 1.5 year milestone, Cole decided he would finally hit the 20lb mark :) So we now legitimately have the car seat forward-facing, although we switched it 6 months ago to allow the little man to have some leg room!

We also wanted to point out our new blog link in the "friends and family" section. A friend of mommy's, Russ, and his wife, Kimmie, just had twin little boys, Jake and Drew. Hopefully Cole, Drew and Jake can meet some day.

That's all for now!

Trick or Treat?

Cole had a great time going out for Halloween last night. He got the hang of the whole thing pretty quickly and amazingly threw away his shyness, if only for an hour! He strutted his little toddling self right up to the front doors and helped himself to 2 pieces of candy, thank you very much....because just one is not enough for this cute of a costume! Of course, many thought he was a rabbit and we also got a few "what a cute little girl" comments (umm...excuse me but he has a BLUE ribbon around his neck!) Maybe next year we'll go for something a little more boyish :)

Fall Sundays are...

football Sundays! It seems fall has finally hit in terms of the weather in the DC area. After 4 continuous days (and 6 inches!) of rain, the cooler temps of the season seem to have settled in. It has taken all our might the last few days to keep the Little Man inside...we definitely have our work cut out for us this winter. I am going to have to invest in some warm clothing for both me and Cole because NOTHING is going to stop him from being outside!

The Wonderous Things...

that a 17 month old can accumulate! Cole is quite a funny guy these days. He is a really sweet little boy blowing kisses, giving kisses and lots of hugs too. His collection of stuffed animals seems to be the biggest receiver of these sweet affections. He has started to drag them off to corners of the room...or under chairs...to shower them with his love and attention. He likes to talk to them, read to them or drag them from place to place. Its quite a hoot to watch!
Cole is also working on knowing where his nose, eyes, ears and mouth are. Since he's such a quick learner we're now moving on to belly, knees and toes. Perhaps the funniest thing to me is how much he seems to "know". We tell him to put something in the garbage and off he goes. He can pretty much follow any command...and don't dare mention going outside or "bye-bye" because he will be instantly at the door. Such a cutie.

Trouble times three

No really these three are no problem when they are together...right now! I can imagine though as the Atkins cousins get older that they may get into some trickery. In the same trip to York, PA, we got together for a nice picnic put together by Nicole and Karen....yummmo! Cole also got to meet up with some of the family that he had yet to meet, particularly his Great Aunt Ramona and Great Uncle Larry.
This past weekend, mom and dad got to go to C'ville, where they were hoping to take Cole to his first live football game at UVA. Unfortunately, the game time was set for 7:00 pm and suddenly taking Mr. Has-to-be-in-bed-by-8pm to the game was out of the question. Instead, Cole spent his first weekend away from mom and dad with his Maw-Maw. I think the whole experience was much tougher on Momma!

Family & Farm Fun

Cole and I spent Saturday with my Nanny's side of the family for a mini-reunion. Her nephew Glen and his wife Linda own 75 acres outside of the DC area where they raise Alpacas for their wool. It was really neat to watch Cole interact with the animals. In fact, he seemed pretty at ease with the whole farming lifestyle.

Hangin out

With all our adventuring this summer, we've also tried to slow things down a little and spend some time at home. It's certainly where Cole shows his true colors and is really in his element. Craig has been trying hard to complete our patio in the backyard and we are finally happy to say that it's done! The last few evenings have been wonderful hanging out back there. Cole participated as much as possible, handing the level and rubber mallot to Dad at every chance he got. He also was quite infatuated with the drainage rock and stonedust base of the patio. Now that the patio's complete, he's moved on to bigger and better things...mulch and flower bloom picking!

Cole is quite the jabber jaw these days. Not too many distinguishable words but he will repeat just about anything. He also likes to feed the squirrels acorns from the neighborhood trees and loves to take walks around the neighborhood.

This past weekend was our first experience watching football as a family. Cole got quite excited, along with his dad, when Penn State scored. He has taken to clapping his hands a lot lately and cheerfully exploded along with Craig when PSU scored. We'll be heading to a UVA game at the end of the month so we'll see what he thinks about live football!

Beach Bum

Check out this bathing beauty! Cole had a blast at our weekend trip to VA Beach. Who wouldn't with all the fishy crackers, juice and sand you could ever want? He seemed to have no fear when it came to the water however despite the beautiful, warm weather and nice water temp too, Cole couldn't help but shiver.

We also made a trip to the aquarium which sent him into another excited frenzy. The seals in the tank outside of the aquarium were a particular favorite.

15 months

Cole is a busy toddler these days. Walking, talking and generally getting into everything. He has refined his use of "da..da..da" to "dat..dat..dat", while pointing. His only other words are "ma-ma" and "da-da" but I could have sworn I heard "shoe" yesterday. The doc says 3-5 words at 15 months are typical. I am amazed at how many words he recognizes (but can't speak). Park, outside, food, upstairs, and night-night all send him into a frenzy.
It's also really neat to see how he recognizes his usual territory. He walks my mom to the park and to the metro to pick me up in the afternoons. I love how the little things send him into a giggle frenzy. I took Cole to the pet store yesterday and he could barely catch his breath laughing as he watched a mouse on an exercise wheel. If I could stand to have one in the house, I'm sure it would be hours of entertainment for him.
Cole continues to be a little guy. At his doctor's appointment on Friday, we were alerted that he has fallen off of his growth line. Looks like our 15 month, 19lb little man needs to eat more (I don't know how though...he is constantly eating!).

Super Strength

We spent a relaxing weekend in PA this past weekend with Craig's family. On Saturday we went to Uncle LJ's graduation party where Cole enjoyed watching the volleyball games. On Sunday, Pap and Grandma had a BBQ for the family. Cole entertained us all with his amazing ability to hang! Everyone thought it the was the funniest sight. He just loves to do it, pointing back up to the hanging devise with this standard "da....da....da" of late.
Speaking of "da...da...da", it has become Cole's way of communicating with us and letting us know what he wants. I hear it so often I'm wondering whether I want to know what he needs or wants at all! But really, it's very cute...until he begins to scream when he doesn't get what he wants.

Lazy Dayz of Summer

The hazy, hot summers typical of DC have set in and in many cases have left us searching out cool (that is as far as temps go!) places to hang out. We found ourselves along Alexandria's waterfront under the shade of a big tree and in the company of this cannon last weekend. Cole rushed to the water at every chance, freaking me out at the 6' drop to its surface. I was not about to jump into the Potomac to rescue him (well okay so I would but I certainly wouldn't like it!). Take care and keep cool.

Keota Street Biker Babes

Happy 4th all! We celebrated America's birthday in our usual fashion with the 12th Annual Keota Street Parade. Cole and Emory headed up the kids group in their red, white and blue attire along with festive tattoos, do-rag, and tiara. This year's Grand Marshall, Max Fix--my granddad, was quite surprised at his appointment to the most prestigious position of the parade. Friends and family gathered to watch the parade, join in the after parade ice cream, water battle and of course the cook-out. By 7:30, our little one was wiped out and so buzzed from sugar it took him an hour to babble his way to sleep in the crib at home!

Camp cook

Well we survived our 3 day adventure in camping with the little guy. In fact, it wasn't the lack of sleep, the park ranger's eviction of the 2nd half of our group or the clingy toddler that proved to be the downfall of the trip, but the COLD! It was a generous 50 degrees at night and I nearly froze to death, despite 2 sleeping bags and the body warmth of Cole and Craig.

Regardless we had a great time in the PA wilderness, hiking and taking in the sites of the Youghiogheny River. Cole loved to walk through the rapids (a lovely 56 degrees!) and even better were all the rocks!

Every Boy needs....

..a set of wheels! Cole's Pap purchased this snazzy ride for him for his first birthday and although it doesn't look like it in this picture, he is totally in love with it. It has become the 'cool' way to ride around old town and is definately saving my back from some heavy lifting!

Just like Dad...

Happy Father's Day to all the male figures in Cole's life. As you can see from this photo, Cole was not so happy at my encouragement to take a photo of him in Dad's shoes and tie. I think the scowl only makes the picture better!

Not much else happening on our end. Enjoying the summer with various outings to the zoo, the pool, and the playground. Next weekend we'll be camping in Pennsylvania...stay tuned for some sure to be good stories!

Cole proofing...

Regardless of what common sense told us, we had put off baby proofing (and even denied that it had to happen) for a long time. A few bruises and a couple occasions of blood coming from somewhere (in some cases, never to be determined), we have the baby gates in place and padding around the edge of the coffee table. Cole has now officially taken over the house, if the toys hadn't before.

I suppose its all in good measure. Cole and dad had oh so much fun installing the gate at the top of the steps. Cole seems to really like his dad's cordless drill! The brackets to attach to the wall were pretty interesting material too, heck any ole' plastic is worthy of chewing on!

Down Time

After 3 exhausting weekends we finally had a weekend at home for some good ole down time. We spent 3 glorious days doing just about nothing and it was great! Don't get me wrong, the little one keeps us running (literally these days!) but after continuous weekends of being away, it was just good to spend some time at home. Craig and I did get to scoot off to a movie for our anniversary, thanks to the Reed Family for keeping Cole occupied for an evening. We also took Cole to the pool. He was a little timid of so much water but I think he'll warm up to it after a few tries. Otherwise it was just time at home...blowing bubbles, reading with Cole and running after our new walker :)

Go Team Gram!

It's hard to believe that it has been an entire year since Cole's Gram, Nancy, left us. Their spirits passed each other as Gram was on her way to heaven and Cole came into our lives.

We remembered her with a family Chinese take-out dinner that even Gram would have been proud of (we sufficiently over-ordered so there would be PLENTY of left-overs!). We also participated in a walk in her honor, the Walk for the Whisper, held in Reston this past weekend. We made t-shirts for Team Nancy and Cole strolled along in her honor. It was great fun and even better to have everyone together. Thanks Team!

Happy First Birthday

Our little man hit a HUGE milestone today...one! We celebrated this weekend with a big party and lotsa cake. I think Cole had fun?

Spring has Sprung...

and the Little one is loving the outdoors. For the past two weekends, we've had glorious weather in DC and we've taken full advantage of it by spending the majority of our days outside. Last weekend Cole assisted in remulching the planting beds by plopping himself right in the middle of them and eating the mulch. Then he helped to wash the car and ensured a full supply of soapy bubbles by playing in the water while mom and dad did all the work!

He's also full swing into ALMOST walking. It's his favorite day time activity and when the big people are too busy to assist in his activity he is likely to throw a HUGE fit. Thank GOD for toys that help with this, although the big people have to help steer them :)

Cole's First Cut

So after much debate and turmoil, we finally decided that it was time to take the plunge and cut off those curls. Who knew it would be such a hard decision? If it were Cole's to make, I'm sure he would have trimmed his hair long ago. All the hair tucking behind the ears, the neck hair tickling him and the bangs hanging in his face. As cute as he was with the little angel wings, he's even cuter with his little boy trim. More pics to come soon...

So Cole says "yea, this Easter Bunny guy...."

"...he brings some good stuff. Just look at this shiny thing i have here. I chewed on it, because it is so neat looking, and this good tasting stuff starting coming out. Then Mom came and took it away from me...I guess I wasn't supposed to do that! Oh well, It sure was good while it lasted. Back to the Easter Bunny...he also brought me these odd shaped balls that were filled with things that made noise when I shook them. They're fun! Later on we went and searched for those same things out in the yard. My pap helped me. We found 12 of them, and every one had something inside that made it rattle. Oh what a good time."

One hikin' fool

Cole was a little skeptical at first about being dragged up and down a mountain on dad's back but he eventually grew comfortable enough with the whole experience to take a nap in the pack.

Here we are climbing to the top of a mountain in Phoenix with friends Jake, Rhoda and Nathan so that we can get an aerial perspective of the City. Neato!

Oh so Grand!

We just returned late Friday night from our very first vacation with the little one and we had a great time! Cole loved being outdoors so much and out west that's what you do...spend time outside! We had great weather to do all sorts of things like visit the Phoenix zoo, the Botanic Garden and the Grand Canyon. Cole hung out in a pack on dad's back as we decended into the Grand Canyon over 1,600 feet down on the South Kaibab Trail. More pix soon...

What you lookin' at?

 

Mom, Dad and Cole spent a nice weekend together preparing for our upcoming trip to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. Cole, however, had to take a few moments away from our planning to cheer on his favorite team (Go Hoos!) as they competed in the NCAA tournament (too bad they lost). Regardless, he looked awefully cute sporting his new sneaks and UVA gear.

Ewwwwww!

boys will be boys

Kiss me...

... I'm Irish! Actually, I'm not sure whether Cole has any Irish blood but you would think given his fair skin and my reddish hair, there is likely some in our lineage somewhere!

Old Town's yearly St. Patty's Day parade was on Saturday, amidst 60 degree temps and sunny skies. Cole thoroughly enjoyed the bagpipers, marching bands, police motorcycles and various dog groups. Best of all we got to enjoy it with our family, even Cole's Pap and Grandma made it down from Johnstown, PA!

Cole also turned 10 months on Tuesday. Wow time is flying!

Crawling is for babies

Our little man continues to be anti-crawl and apparently when he takes a stand over something he's going to be stubborn about it (the Taurus in him!). He does LOVE to pull up on everything within reach, however unstable it may be.

An update on Cole's other milestones at the moment....he is a constant babbler of "da da da" with an occasional "ma" thrown in. He's up to 7 teeth right now, with the 7th just popping through...still a little pain to go through. We finally hit the 16 lb mark! 9 month clothes here we come (Cole's almost 10 months so he's a little petite!). Much to our dismay, Cole seems to be a needy little boy...requiring someone's (mostly mom's) constant attention and love. For now, I don't feel bad giving him the attention, but I also don't want to raise a spoiled little boy. Is this normal?

Snow bunnies

ahhh...we finally got to take the little man out for some good ole' fashioned sled riding. I think we were taking it a little too easy on him though because we never could get a reaction out of him. I think we should have taken him on the "big boy" run complete with a jump...that would have been sure to get atleast a smile.

Ladies Man

Our trip to Suffolk/VA Beach was a ton of fun as shown by Cole's rendezvous with his friend Ella. The weather was great and Cole was a good boy during the 3 ½ hour drive. Our friends Carl and Erin hosted us and we had our own floor in their house! It was truly bliss as far as traveling with a little one goes.

Cole enjoyed himself too as he got acquainted with Carl and Erin’s 7 month-old little girl, Ella. At one point they grabbed on to one another and seemed to be downright “making out”! We also got to see my friends Rebecca, Sophie (with her 2 little boys that Cole just did not seem to be interested in) and our friends Scott and Allison….phew what a trip!

Drool Meister

I thought this photo captured the essence of the last month or so very well....a drippy, wet baby (zoom for the good stuff!). No, not from swimming pools or fun bath time experiences, but from drool-filled teething, snotty noses and such! I discovered tooth #7 on Saturday!

All I want to know is when can we move on from teething to crawling???

One Sick Fellow

...it seems that the month in between Christmas and now all we have done is nurse our little one back to health. First a cold with cough...and I thought that was bad, but a fever surely tops it all. Cole caught a virus...although not diagnosed by the doc (he said it was a stomach virus going around)...we think it was roseola and it sent his temperature to a blazing 104 for 3 days. Then came the rash just when I thought things had turned the corner and of course, the pediatrician was closed!

Either way our little man has returned (Thank God) and although a little cranky from the incessant teething (#5 is here...#6 on the way) he's generally himself again. Maybe now I can go to the bathroom without holding him :)

Playtime at the Atkins house

Cole's cousin Emory took over the play mat on Friday night and someone was not too happy. Then again it could have just been the teething...or the separation anxiety. It's always something isn't it?

Teeth #5 & 6 are on their way and we were paying for it all weekend. The little guy really turns into a clingy, momma's boy when he doesn't feel well. Oh well, just an excuse to hold my little man even more! 

Our Winter Wonderland

...consists of playground visits and long walks through Old Town this winter. Apparently Old Man Winter decided that Washington wasn't worthy of a visit this year. With two weekends in a row of unseasonably warm weather (76 last Saturday and 60 both days this weekend), we're getting awfully accustomed to no jackets and flip flops in January!

Cole is loving the outdoors as usual, particularly since his cold has disappeared and the teething has calmed for a bit (he now has 4 of them!). His current activities include long attempts at crawling, which end in frustrated cries for "maaaaaaa". We've also started a "signing for hearing babies" class, which has introduced Cole to 10 other 7.5- 10 month olds....he is fascinated!

To be a kid again...

We are so sorry we haven't posted in so long. The holidays kept us quite busy. Cole's first Christmas was at his Pap's in Alexandria on the Saturday before Christmas. On Sunday, Christmas Eve, we packed up and headed to York, PA to spend several days with Craig's family. Monday brought on Christmas #2, with Craig's brother's family including Dave, Amy, Connor & Blake as well as Cole's grandparents...Pap and Grandma Denise and Great grandma Lena. Tuesday brought on Christmas #3 with Cole's other grandma, Carol, and 2 uncles, Shane and L.J. Cole is one lucky little boy. Of course, the most fun part, in Cole's eyes, was the ribbons and the wrapping paper :)

New Years was low key this year...not because we wanted it to be but Cole came down with a nasty cold that kept us in the house for 5 days. Of course the addition of 3 more teeth in one week didn't help the situation either!

Anyway...we do wish you all a Happy New Year.....with much luck, prosperity, and love for the coming year.