just stuff

seems that now that we're so impatiently waiting the big event, there are no other major or significant happenings to pass the time... so i'm just posting randoms.monday night- this was how cole told me he was ready for bed. i had the little point and shoot handy but had to use full zoom because if i didn't "sneak" the shot, he'd have gotten up and i'd have lost it... that's why the photo is so dark. grrrr.

yesterday afternoon/early evening, kelvin was out plowing the driveway and getting fuel for the furnace... cole, of course, was intrigued. once he figured out how to climb up on the chair, he was SO proud of himself!! the first time he did it, he didn't think much of it, since he was too busy waving at daddy through the window. i think he sat up there for a good half and hour... ahhh, no havoc for a full 30 minutes! anyway, after supper, cole decided to try it again, so i had to get it on camera (of course).

settling in...

we aren't quite sure what this face is all about, but it's funny! now that cole knows how to navigate the chair, i no longer have a safe place for my stuff... this particular chair is blocking a certain someone's access to things he doesn't need to get into (i.e. mommy's scrapbooking supplies and other various crafting items, as well as a big cd wallet and my nice fake orchid...). with space limited like it is, i just don't have anywhere else to go with it, so i guess this particular little person is just going to have to learn to listen. he knows how to ignore us when we catch him getting into trouble, so i'm pretty sure he knows how to listen too. i think he has a bad case of selective hearing. either that or he knows that by the time mommy can work her way up from the couch (if she happens to be sitting there) or waddle her way over, he can be long gone from the "crime scene". i can just imagine him giggling to himself when he gets into trouble, because he knows i can't get to him very quickly... and i myself giggle when i think of how he may react in a little while when i can once again keep up with him. poor kid will have to adjust to mommy being adequately mobile again...

so- it's so weird to think that it's new year's eve! we have no plans... obviously we can't really go anywhere. for one, cole would NOT do well staying up late, and neither would kelvin. if this baby's still a no-show by midnight, i'll for sure be up to see in the new year. dr h mentioned the possibility of a new year's baby, so maybe we'll get REALLY lucky... ??

update

so- the deal is, baby's head is still high up, but i'm between one and two cm!!! cole stayed higher up until the last minute, though, so i'm not too worried about that. there are lots of babies that don't drop until labor starts, from what i read and am told. at least SOMETHING'S happening... maybe soon?? c'mon, baby girl- mommy says it's time to quit being stubborn!

still waiting...

...*sigh*...

although last night i was thinking "this might be it" for a little while, but of course, nothing came of it. the false labor contractions have been getting a bit stronger, so i guess that's a good sign. if it weren't cold and i didn't have a toddler to worry about, i'd be out walking ALL DAY to get things moving! i have my appointment at 12.55 today, so hopefully there will be some progress. my fingers are tightly crossed; the more days that go by, the more nervous i get, knowing that even though cole was 3 1/2 weeks early, he was almost 8 pounds... but maybe this little girl will be on the petite side and go a little easy on mommy! that, and once christmas break is over, it'll be much more difficult to make arrangements for cole... yikes!!

here's the sling i made (my prototype)... you can't see them here, but inside on the lining is the adjustment system. i've tried it and it holds really well- if it holds a screaming, squirming toddler, that's a good thing, right? my dream is to start my own line of adjustable slings (of course, i can always make fitted ones too), something that i can do at home so i don't have to rely on daycare. i've found several prints (100% cotton fabric) that are cute and trendy, so when i get the time and a little extra cash, i plan to go get a few swatches for samples. maybe eventually i can get a website too ($10 a year through yahoo isn't that bad, really)! in the mean time, if anyone's looking to try a new product idea or wants a sling for themselves or a gift, feel free to let me know... !

happy holidays, deer!

we went to mom and dad's on christmas day for a ham dinner with grandma krisher and grandma and grandpa pheifer... it was SO good! cole enjoyed playing with grandma's utensil drawer, of course, but now he shows a little more control. instead of taking them ALL out and throwing them on the floor, he takes out one (sometimes two or three) and shuts the drawer. he's learning!mom and dad had gotten this little chair at an auction a few months before cole was born... now he's big enough to use it! he looked so proud to be sitting in a chair just his size, with his (rubber scraper) scepter! i honestly have no idea where his obsession with kitchen utensils comes from...

cole and daddy yesterday afternoon... awww! we ended up staying overnight at mom and dad's, and got to spend some time with ted and his girlfriend, ellie. cole took to ellie rather quickly... a real ladies man. uh-oh.

this is what happened on the way home last night. dumb deer. it was pretty unavoidable, really. the thing kind of ran into us. there were two deer; one was in the other lane already and just sort of stood there and watched his buddy get schmucked. what a sweet friend, huh? we weren't going that fast since it was pretty foggy, so none of us got hurt, thankfully.

poor van... :(

anyway, other than that, we had a pretty relaxing two days. i did spend the better part of thursday afternoon timing contractions (they were about 2 minutes apart, occassionally as far apart as 10 minutes), but nothing really came of it. obviously! maybe today...?? kelvin's gone to ted's place for a gun-cleaning session with him and dad, and they were talking about heading down to the cabela's store. i told him to have fun, just make sure that he's free to leave on a moment's notice, should the need arise. as for me, i'm hanging with the wild-child and making sure that there is enough clean laundry and that the house is in order. just in case. everything we do now is "just in case", it seems. baby girl is pretty still... she's moving enough that i know she's ok, but that past two days or so, she's been fairly quiet. i've decided that i'm going to live in my pj's until the big day, that way i don't have to worry about not having enough clean laundry. not really... just that my pj's are about the only thing that fit comfortably these days!

finally, i finished a prototype for an adjustable pouch-style baby sling (see previous post). i'm hoping there'll be enough interest that i can make and sell them; maybe patent it? anyway, i'm still looking for a volunteer or two to "test" one... or if anyone wants a made-to-fit one, let me know, i'd be more than happy to have something to do, other than sit and wait!!

baby slings!!

just a quick post for any and all mommies out there... in researching various types of slings, i've come to the conclusion that pouch sling seem to be the most popular. however, since they're all made to fit (ranging from extra-small to xxl), if you lose or gain enough weight your sling will no longer fit right and you'll have to order another in your new size. same goes for if baby is REALLY into the sling and you have spouses, grandparents and sitters that spend time with baby- chances are, they're not all the same size as you, meaning that you'll have to buy more than one sling so that baby's happy with everyone. i have come up with an idea for an adjustable pouch sling, which accomodates all sizes from xs to xxl... i've made a protoype that works well- mind you, it's accomodating both a very large belly and a toddler. it uses a series of eye hooks, which hold far better than velcro, snaps or drawstring and toggle systems, and are very simple to use. if anyone thinks this is a marketable idea, please let me know! if there's a mommy or two out there who would be interested in "testing" one out, leave a comment... thanks!!

more fun with auntie sarah!

a certain small someone was VERY excited to have his auntie sarah come and stay overnight (and babysit)! she came over yesterday afternoon, spent the night and stayed with cole while i ran to new london for my 36-week appointment (more like 36 1/2 weeks, but who's counting, haha!). anyway, cole couldn't have been happier to spend some time with someone besides mommy!we made cut-out cookies, and since he can now reach things on the countertop, that's where cole goes to find "fun" things to play with. i thought i was going to die laughing when he disappeared into the kitchen and came running back out wearing one of my oven mitts!! it looks SO funny- he knows exactly how to wear it, but it reaches up to his shoulder...
playing on the floor with auntie sarah!!

kelvin got an rc car... he decided that since he sacrified the snowmobile that maybe he could get into a slightly less expensive hobby. i told him that was up to him, whatever he wanted! so he went on ebay and found a nice red cat rc... it came yesterday! of course, he spent most of the afternoon and evening with it. i'm told it can reach speeds of 60 mph, and it'll be hilarious when my dear husband gets a speeding ticket... and he's not even in the car.

cole wasn't sure about the car, but he thought the box was the bomb. mr independent even managed to lift it up off the floor... it's not a small box, either!!

random photo- had no idea it was on here till i uploaded photos from the camera chip. yes, my dear sister with a mike-and-ike up her nose. don't ask.

so- our dr appointment was pretty uneventful today. no change, but i was reminded that things CAN change quickly, so no long-distance travelling! hmmm- mom and dad aren't really long distance, now, are they? that's where we're headed tomorrow for the day... but i digress. weight gain was pretty minimal (yes!!) and baby girl's heartbeat held steady at 145 bpm. the last 24 hours or so, she's been less active. she squirms enough that i know she's ok, but i'm guessing she's getting a bit cramped and impatient. you and me both, baby!! dr lamb also said that a lot of times, how early or late you are with a first pregnancy determines how early or late you'll be with subsequent ones. knowing full well that that's not the case 100% of the time, i'm still hoping we meet this tiny little person within the next week. dr h is back from vacation this weekend (i was told that if i go into labor saturday, he'll be here), and i'm scheduled for my next appointment on monday the 29th at 12.55- we'll see if i make it! i've made it further this time than with cole- at this exact day of pregnancy with him, he was born! wow- seems so unreal.

anyway, my wonderful brother-in-law called last night and wanted to go shopping after my appt today, since he has some time off. unfortunately, someone hit a telephone pole so he got called in to work. ahhh well- another day! the roads aren't the best anyway; although, after hearing that i'm not dilated at all, i was looking forward to walking around (in a nice warm store, of course) in hopes of getting things moving. i'll have to run up and down the stairs here at home... HA!

** happy holidays to everyone- to all our family and friends, we love you!! **

a new weigh to have fun!

until he becomes obsessed with flushing the toilet (and probably throwing things in there before doing so), unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper or digging through the bathroom wastebasket, cole has discovered the joys of the scale. hey- i'd have fun stepping on it too, if i weighed a LOT less! anyway, this little gadget now serves as entertainment while i take a shower- much less work than giving him a basket with clothes so he can "do laundry"... i don't have to bend over numerous times to pick up stuff off the floor. i kid you not, stepping on and off the scale had him preoccupied for almost an hour (which is why i snuck in the shower then instead of waiting).this child is fascinated with the strangest things...
but at least he's happy and quiet! playing with the scale is pretty harmless, so it's mommy-approved!

yup- barely 25 pounds; this includes shoes, jeans, a bulky sweatshirt and mommy leaning against the scale (ooops). last time i weighed him was last week, just before his bath one night. no clothes, full tummy, about 23 pounds. it's going to be SO strange when the baby is born- we'll go to pick her up the first few weeks and have to peel her off the ceiling because we're so used to picking up cole... we'll go to heave her up like her big brother and whooops! there she'll go...! we're going to have to work on that one in advance- kind of like reverse weight lifting.

anybody else out there tired of this beastly cold??? i am... it's wreaking havoc on the budget because we're CONSTANTLY getting more fuel. kelvin fills it up himself since it's a bit cheaper that way. still, once it gets cold enough, there's no such thing as cheap heat. brrr. unless you go with geothermal, which is pretty expensive to install but pays for itself pretty quickly. someday, when we're rich and carefree, we'll build a house and do geothermal heating and cooling. the first part of that last statement makes me laugh... at least i can dream about being warm!! :)

good morning, and nothing yet...

once again, cole woke up happy. he usually does... and he slept a LONG time, too, almost 11 hours. he even took a nap yesterday, which was amazing. he fell asleep on the way home from the winter meeting, and even though he woke up, walked around (crying, of course) and survived a diaper change, he went back to sleep and slept for almost 2 hours. that's amazing... he NEVER goes back to sleep in his crib after conking out in the van! and then the amost-11-hour night on top of it... lucky me!of course, the morning just wouldn't start right without the famous "cheese face"...

cole likes to "share" his grabby... yes, his blanket has a name. it started over a year ago, when we discovered he loved to clench this particular blanket in his tiny little fists and just kind of knead his fingers in it. plus, it's green- that's where the first half of the name comes from. weird, i know, but at least when he asks for grabby, we'll know exactly what he wants!

grabby overboard!!

anyway, it's almost 9 am- i've been up since about 7, and since then i've made at least 2 dozen trips up and down the stairs. i'm exhausted. must be the hormones making my brain even foggier than usual... next house we get is going to be a ranch. i used to LOVE the idea of a two-story house, and until i got pregnant, still liked it. now i can see the reasoning behind a single-story home. oh well- the moving around should be good for getting things going; it's WAY too cold to even think about going out for a walk. after a day or so of "new" cramping and strong (but irregular) contractions, i'm hoping my appointment on wed. will show some change/progression. we're definitely ready to meet this little girl- i think she might be getting a little impatient too, judging from the frighteningly vigorous squirming. sorry, little one- mommy's belly was made to stretch, but not like THAT!! yikes.

happy saturday!

hope everyone else is having a good weekend so far!! i was a bit skeptical as to how last night and today would go, since cole was pretty cranky yesterday afternoon and evening, and with kelvin staying the night at ted's and then doing some over-time work in appleton today, i wasn't too optomistic about how our weekend would go. so far, so good! see, the grin says it all: "happy saturday!". cole's so proud of his new shoes- they're lighter than his thomas tennis shoes, and they don't leave little blue marks on the floor. and, they have laces... which he thinks is just the coolest. he likes his bargain pants from target too- so do i! they're versatile (dress 'em up, dress 'em down; either way, they're stylin'!) and even though they're an 18-month, they're going to fit him till the cows come home, i think. he's petite enough that most of his 18-month stuff is plenty big yet. nice... they'll last awhile!
poor kiddo has been battling a rash around his mouth and chin... i'm pretty sure it's from teething (and the dry air), since it hasn't spread or anything. some days it's barely noticeable, but today it looks like i forgot to wipe his face off after his pop-tart (gasp- i fed him sugar!!!). i think i'll have to get some vaseline for it, to keep it all from drying and cracking and getting too chapped.

so yes, it's been a great weekend so far! nothing spectacular, just the little things that make life nice; like, a happy toddler. funny how such a small person's temperament can make all the difference... ! really, though, it's the little things... like a brand new bar of soap in the shower (funny how that's special for only the first day), the very light flurries in the air that look like glitter, the feeling of knowing everything has a way of working out, even though sometimes it looks doubtful; small things like that. maybe it's such a good day because the winter special meeting is tomorrow... so far, it looks like we'll be there! no major contractions in the past few hours, so nothing's happening yet. thursday i had some real strong "take-your-breath-away" ones, but they weren't regular and eventually tapered off; for awhile, though, i was wondering if i should be throwing last-minute stuff into our hospital bag. i'm not procrastinating, really- i have everything packed for the baby (the carseat is even ready to go, all strapped into the van!), but if i packed stuff for me, i'd have to wear the same two outfits every day until we go. if i have to throw in a quick load of laundry once i'm for sure in labor, it's no biggie... it'll give me something to do to pass the time. although, waiting for the wash machine and dryer can be rather agonizing- anyway, i have a list in my head. normally that's not a very reassuring thought, since i tend to forget everything these days, but if i were to make a list on paper, i'd no longer have a reason to remember it and once the list disappears (as it most assuredly would), i'd have no record of what i was supposed to remember. this is the one time when the list is safest in my head...

on my to-do list...

...is make cookies or something for the neighbor. he plowed our sidewalks and driveway while i was out and about. it's amazing- he sure doesn't have to do it, but he does. this guy is our age, has a four-wheeler with a plow and could do his driveway and be done, but instead makes the rounds if kelvin's not home to do it right away. i think the guy deserves cookies. one of these days, we'll get snow when he's not home and we can return the favor.

let it snow and other tidbits

i can hardly believe the snow we're getting- i remember last year, it was after christmas that we got any REAL snow... not until february. cole likes it- he's not too sure about the actual snow, but he gets a kick out of watching the plows and stuff.

i was capturing our son's odd fascination with empty soda bottles (kelvin's, not mine!!) and managed to catch a little of the snowstorm in the background.

and his obsession with the microwave also mystifies me... but he is VERY good at letting me know when it beeps, just in case i didn't hear it myself. it's a duty he doesn't take lightly, that's for sure!!!

when nothing else seems to satisfy, wooden spoons usually work (for a few minutes, anyway). cole's been using the spoon like a cane, it's really funny to watch! that, or he bangs it on the back of his head. don't ask, because i don't have an answer for that one...

we braved the roads to go to hobby lobby (again) and walmart today. really, if people didn't drive like complete morons in the snow, they wouldn't be that bad. by the time we headed home (around 10:30 0r so), it had already stopped snowing. whoever plows the parking lot at hobby lobby does it backwards- they left the entrance completely unplowed... meaning i had to take another way out. after several failed attempts at getting out onto the main road, i allowed myself a nice loud "arghhhh!"; when we got to walmart and i went to get cole out of his carseat, he pointed at me, growled, and laughed. hmmm. guess we know who was paying attention!!

cole had been trying new words lately; usually just once, then we don't hear them again. like, a few mornings ago, he said "shoe" while i was getting his shoes on. and this morning, he said "man". he has a toy cop car that came with a little policeman, which happens to have made the cole's dresser his permanent beat... for the purposes of keeping a squirmy boy in place during diaper changes and whatnot. we've just been referring to him as "man", so that's what cole called him too! he can also pick both mommy and daddy out of a photo, too- this morning he was looking at a picture of kelvin and i, and when i asked where daddy was, he pointed to kelvin. he pointed to me (in the photo) when i asked him where mommy was- yay!!

and lastly, we've discovered the secret to avoiding a tantrum when we try to get his jacket on to go somewhere: if we get our coats and shoes on first, then he's more than happy to cooperate. huh. wish we'd known that before... could've saved a lot of headaches..!

the pantsless wonder goes shopping

seems that our son just may be part exhibitionist... i have to say, he most certainly did NOT inherit that from me. i can't be certain where it came from, since as far as i know everyone we're related to goes about fully clothed. anyway, despite the fact that the floors are like the frozen tundra (that was NOT a reference to lambeau field- i may live in wisconsin and love cheese, but i can do without the packers, thank you very much), cole was too happy to run around with his shirt, diaper and socks. again.

in case anyone wants to know, the reason his pants came off was because he had a nice little diaper-full during breakfast... for those who know my sensory issues, you won't be surprised to know that once freshly changed, i could still smell it on his pants, even though they were clean. out came the febreze, and the pants were deodorized. i may be nuts, but i'm smart enough to let his pants dry before sticking them back on!

bummer it turned out a little fuzzy- my pantsless son, the romantic. let me just say, that was a mighty exhuberant smooch! awww, he melted my heart!

this is what i found upon stepping out of the shower...

... help with the bills!! too bad that one was already paid. oh, but there was one proud little boy on the floor- the way he looked up at me, well, words can't describe it. fellow mommies, you know what i mean!

we spent the morning out and about in appleton- kelvin sold the snowmobile, which meant that i could go get a few things we needed to get before the baby comes. and yes, cole wore pants. we stopped at hobby lobby for stuff for birth announcements (which i promptly started on when we got home- all we need is a baby so we can put on the photo and stats!), went to the mall where i got a bra at motherhood and found a few deals at target. i got cole a cute pair of pants (ironically) for $2.49 and found a sweet classic pooh jumper set for the baby- it has a white onesie with pink stitching, a gray velvet jumper dress and little pointelle gray leggings. i couldn't resist. at goodwill i found some newborn onesies (under $1 each, so well justified), a pair of pjs, pants and a striped button-down shirt for cole and a larger onesie and a cute knit dress for summer for baby. walmart had suction-cup bowls, a suction-cup plate with utensils and new shoes for cole. the plate was a bust- gerber just hasn't been living up to their promises lately...

anyway, later in the evening, kelvin told me that the $40 in fuel that he got for the furnace yesterday was pretty much used up. already. WHA?????? yeah, that's what i thought too... durned cold snap. that little tidbit about knocked off my fuzzy pink socks (which are coming with me to the delivery room; they're like heaven for your feet). yikes. so i asked if replacing the fuel furnace with the gas one was really going to save us much. he said "yeah, a little... but it'll really help with the resale value on the house". oh, goody- let's list it right now! which we may do soon...

and finally, the once-pantsless-now-fully-clothed wonder made another attempt at the stairs tonight. i took the baby gate down because we were getting ready for his bath (last thing before he goes to bed) but got sidetracked. i had to show kelvin my new nursing bra. as all my bras go, it's wonderful. that's why i buy them. then after a few days, the sparks start to fizzle, things start to sag (literally), and the romance is gone... so i had to show him quick, while things were still happenin' with me and the bra. i tried on a lot, and came home with ONE. again, fellow mommies- those of you who have severe issues shopping for regular bras know what i mean when i say that shopping for nursing bras is downright brutal. but back on track- cole got up to the fourth or fifth step before he realized that oh yeah, he can't get back down. so the tears started, followed by a brave attempt to crawl backward down the steps. he made it down one and gave up on the next; instead of staying there and waiting for one of us to stop laughing and come rescue him already, he promptly started going UP THE STAIRS again! one of these days he'll figure it out. eep.

so much to do, so little time!

from a toddler's point of view, you can never do too much in a day. rather, you can never get into too much trouble in one day... haha! after the stairs episode on friday, we continued to "get a lot done", as cole might put it. for starters, we "clipped coupons"......or rather, scattered the coupons on the floor. much easier to sort through there, i guess!

"ooooh, 40 cents off spaghetti sauce!!" quick question- why is it that there's no cents symbol on keyboards?? i just noticed that. oh, and all those coupons? either expired or will expire before i ever use them, so technically, no waste there!

then, we did laundry. cole likes the upstairs laundry... i may have already mentioned that. he "helped" fold a load of towels; more like i gave him a rag and he wiped down the inside of the dryer door for me. he did a wonderful job! *wink*

there's my little helper!! if the dryer had been running, i could have gotten an awfully funny shot of what he does when there's a load in- he backs up to the dryer so he can feel it vibrate against his heiny. it must tickle because he giggles like a madman.

this is what cole thought of taking a bath saturday morning. i put him down to throw away his diaper and he made a break for it... right up the stairs, of course.

brushing his teeth like a big boy...

we headed down to mom and dad's for the day, because kelvin wanted to help my dad split wood. i guess they got quite a bit done... :) cole hung out with sarah, chase, mom and i- he even took a nap after lunch: about an hour and a half, which is REALLY good, considering he was on the floor in a room other than his own! he did really good about not making too much of a mess with grandma's utensil drawer...

we got him boots and mittens from fleet farm before we left town. we looked all over- walmart, kmart, goodwill... the ONLY place we could find little toddler boots that weren't furry, pink or otherwise girly was fleet farm. he's not thrilled about the mittens, but he wasn't outside for long enough to get too cold- after they were done with splitting wood, kelvin and my dad took him out on the sled around the yard. we could hear him from inside the house, screaming with sheer delight! i guess sledding with daddy and grandpa is a blast!

and finally, cole's learning to spoon-feed himself! while i'm so proud of him hitting this milestone, at the same time i want to cry because he's becoming more independent. he doesn't need me for everything anymore!! i guess that's a good thing, since for one, i'm going to have my hands full with the baby soon, and two, it would just be weird if he still needed someone to spoon-feed him by the time he hit middle school. ahhh, well- he still needs me to clean up the mess after he's done!!

can you tell he's just a wee bit proud of himself?? it never fails- once he knows the camera is on and aimed anywhere remotely near him, he puts on the cheese-face. silly kid.

i don't have photos, but yesterday was sarah's last christmas concert for choir... chase went, of course, and usually kelvin and i go too, but kelvin and cole stayed home. cole needed a nap and kelvin was waiting for a guy to come look at the snowmobile. this guy came all the way up from oshkosh (he lives south of there so it was a bit of a drive)... guess he's coming back today to pick it up! i know it's tough for kelvin to sell the sled, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices even though it hurts. by the time the kids are older and we can afford it again, this one will have long been obsolete anyway... he's already dreaming of something bigger and better! this actually comes at a good time- there are some things we need to get for the baby, for cole, for us... kelvin needs new brakes and a windshield for his truck so now we can get that taken care of! yay!!! maybe this weekend, if he and levi do the brakes on the truck, i can head over to target and the mall and get a few things for the baby and cole... i need to hit hobby lobby to get stuff for birth announcements too. i really should get those ready to go... !!

oops

once again, i spoke too soon. the mystery of the stairs was too much for cole to ignore... these were taken right after the previous post was published. go figure. all the way up to the top- and so quiet about it! i thought he was playing in the laundry room, since that's what it sounded like from the living room!

see, he crawls up the stairs like any other kid his age, but thinks he has to come back down like a grown-up. it doesn't work well- first of all, he's too short (we checked his stats last night- 24th percentile for his weight and 27th for his height. shrimp.), and second, he doesn't realize that he has to move his hand along the handrail.

my, how you echo! the screaming is MUCH louder in the stairway! too bad the battery's been taken out of his phone- he could have called auntie sarah for help! yes, he went all the way up the stairs with his phone in hand. i should probably mention that a split second after this shot, the phone wound up at the bottom of the stairs.

and when all else fails (for example, mommy refuses to rescue you in attempts to teach you a lesson...), climb back to the top and make cheesy faces. after that, run up and down the hallway for awhile before getting into mommy and daddy's dresser. that's a sure way to get mommy to come and get you!

on one hand, i know that the stairs are dangerous, especially when they're "new"... but on the other hand, how else does a toddler learn how to navigate them safely on his own? the baby gate is back up (for now- oh goody), reinstalled to the sounds of indignant protests from one very small, angry little man. sorry, dude- thwarted again! i have the feeling that even though he can't figure out how to back down the stairs, he'll be crawling over that gate in no time. he's got the idea- put a foot up on the tension bar and you have an easy way over... it's the finer mechanics of it that he's still working on, but no, it won't be long.
*sigh*

auntie sarah's visit

yesterday afternoon we got a call from sarah, wondering if she could come up for the evening, just to hang out. so, we hung out! auntie sarah just has a way with cole- when all else fails, auntie sarah works her magic! the night wasn't complete without a tantrum or two, but it went really smoothly, considering the attitude he's had lately!

i believe that this was after several attempts to teach cole that the computer keyboard is NOT for playing on... which resulted in a fit, of course. but- auntie sarah to the rescue!!!the funny thing about this little boy is that even when he's mad and crying, if he sees the camera, he still tried to make a cheesy face for it. makes me think that things really aren't as bad as he was making them out to be...

awww, snuggles! yes, cole and his auntie sarah are pretty close!

anyway, it was nice just to hang out for a few hours. thanks for coming, sarah!!

i don't have a photo of it (yet), but kelvin let cole crawl ALL THE WAY UP THE STAIRS last night! i was upstairs putting clean sheets on the bed and crib and sarah was up there with me, so of course, cole wanted to come up too. i've taken the baby gate down because it's not one that swings open, so it's pretty much impossible for me to crawl over now... and if i have to run upstairs for something, cole always waits at the bottom for me. until now... i think he's forgotten about it today (so far) since he hasn't ventured near them. it wouldn't worry me as much as it does if he knew how to crawl back down. for some reason, cole thinks he has to go down the stairs the "big boy" way. he can't do it himself though, but shows no indication of even trying to crawl down like a normal toddler. i guess he'll learn eventually- i just don't want him to get hurt! i find that last statement a tad bit amusing, since with the daily tantrums comes head-banging... he has a few bruises from that. i guess boys will be boys!!

snowplows, tantrums and doctors

cole was fascinated with the snowplows yesterday morning! the noise, the big equipment... right up any little boy's alley! good thing they waited till daylight to "move" snow... that way, we didn't have to lay awake listening to them outside our window at 1 am, and cole could watch. kept him occupied for awhile!i put him on the chair so he could see better- fyi, i usually don't allow him to stand on the furniture... notice he had to bring his tractor up with him? uncle logan, this has got to be his favorite toy ever- he says "thank you"!!
and like any normal little boy, we had to incorporate our own version of machinery sounds... cole hasn't gotten the hang of making tractor sounds yet, so he does this kind of growl instead. it's funny... anyway, he was making that sound while watching the snowplows. enthusiastically, i might add; if it were me, i'd have a sore throat.

cole's new favorite activity is throwing fits. we know when one's coming, because he eases himself onto the floor and then starts kicking and rolling around. i have no idea what they're over- this happens several times a day, and i'm hoping that if we just walk away and ignore him, he'll realize that tantrums don't get him anywhere. it's amazing how such a sweet little person can turn into a raging demon in a matter of seconds... yikes! i'm pretty sure that teething has a little to do with it- he's got that fine, red teething rash around his mouth, he's always chewing on his fingers (but we try to give him a paci to chew on instead) and he's got all 8 of his front teeth now, so my guess is that his eye teeth are next. from what i've heard, they're usually the most unpleasant. poor kid! teething tablets help, but not as well as with his other teeth. owie.

our doctor appointment yesterday went well... we thought for sure that they'd be running behind, since that ALWAYS happens with afternoon appointments, but we'd barely sat down in the waiting room and we got called. record timing- we were in and out in under 40 minutes! i'm still measuring a week and a half ahead, and baby girl decided to get feisty and wallop the dopplar real good. she was pretty active this time; usually she sleeps through our appointments. heartbeat is great, mommy didn't gain a ridiculous amount of weight and we had our group b strep test. it was negative last time, so i'm not too worried about it. we DID get checked for dilation this time- usually they don't start checking until 36 weeks, but last time, dr h said he felt that the checking should start early, just to be safe. nothing yet, which is good, i suppose. needless to say, kelvin was disappointed that he was wrong on his guess... i could see him sitting in the chair, silently saying "four". apparently he didn't remember that at 4 cm, a LOT more would most likely be happening! so- we're still safe, and baby's head is still up high, so we'll see where we're at in two weeks. a lot can happen during that time, as we learned from the last experience! our next visit is christmas eve, and the only times available were in the am... AND dr h is off that week, so i have to see dr lamb. not real thrilled about that, since i had him once when i was pregnant with cole and did NOT like him. oh well- it's just one time, i can handle it. since there's a 1/2 day for waupaca on the 23rd (to kick off christmas break), mom and sarah will be free that morning, so i'm lucky enough to have babysitters that day!!

one last little thing- we're positive cole loves cheese. we know he'll eat it with enthusiasm, but when kelvin asked him what he wanted for supper last night and the reply was "TSEEEE!", we no longer have any doubt that it's a favorite! i put him to bed last night, and put him down while he was still 1/2 awake... as i left his room, i could hear him muttering "tsee, tsee, tsee"to himself. the boy loves cheese.

say cheese!

really, say cheese- chances are just slightly more than none that cole will say it too! i was getting him a little snack this morning, which happened to be a few cubes of cheddar, and i kept telling him it was cheese... pretty soon i hear "tseeeee". that's a new one! he said it several times and that was it- i haven't heard it since. but- it was most definitely a word! yay!!

i love it when we get a good shot of his face and his eyes really stand out- i melt.

bonita and cole played a few duets for us last night! our visit was so enjoyable (minus that fact that a certain little someone was VERY testy), it ended too soon. i'd completely forgotten that kelvin's grandma barb is jennifer's aunt... so we're kind of related, in a round-about way! i'm thankful we got a visit in now, because we might not be home during winter meetings... there's a good chance we may be a little occupied somewhere else. speaking of- i have a dr appointment tomorrow and we're anxious to see what's happening (if anything). kelvin thinks that i'll already be dilated a little, but i won't bet on it. of course, if it turns out that i am, i'll never hear the end of it from him. i don't know why HE'S so anxious- he's not the one that's the size of a small island!

anyway, someone smells a little funky (ain't me... for the record), so i have a little business to take care of. smells urgent. we'll post tomorrow, of course... :)