5 1/2 months...

I can't believe Cole is 5 1/2 months old. It doesn't seem like a very long period of time but already he has developed so much and I seriously can't imagine our life without him. When I started this blog 2 months ago, Cole hated being on his tummy and now he spends most of his time there. He couldn't fall asleep by himself and now he puts himself to sleep every night. He also didn't really notice anything except for his hands. And now he has a bunch of toys that he plays with and even has some favorites.  



Even though Cole has a ton of toys, the empty water bottle is one of his favs!


Cole has been eating rice cereal successfully everyday for the last 2-3 weeks. Although lately he's realized that he's wearing a bib and is sometimes more interested in putting that in his mouth than eating. And since his appetite has grown, he's also been drinking a few ounces of formula a few times a day. He's funny because he has to have his hands on the bottle like he's holding it but he's constantly putting pressure down and away from his face. It sometimes turns into an arm wrestling match trying to keep the bottle in the right position...he is freakishly strong for a baby!

Rice Cereal - Round 2... a success!


It has been so amazing to watch him grow. You can totally see that he's really starting to think and is beginning to turn into a clever little boy. For instance, since he is still not rolling over from front to back consistently, we still have to go into his room when he lands on his tummy and doesn't want to be. But when we watch on the monitor, we've noticed that he'll let out a few cries, then stop and try to look over the crib towards the door, then he'll let out a few more cries. He does it over and over until we go in there like he's looking for us and wondering why we're not in there yet! He also loves the remote - he always has his eye on it. I even bought him a toy remote that I point at the TV several times a day. But he is not fooled and still wants to play with the real one!

 This is not the most exciting video in the world. But it is so amazing what he's doing! He has been moving these little rings up and across on his activity center. I am seriously so proud of him!

I have decided not to obsess about his sleep anymore. I've come to terms with the fact that it may never be perfect and I may never get a solid 8 hours again. Some nights are great and they seem to come just in time before I go crazy because it hasn't been so great. Here are some funny things about Cole and his sleep:

1. When he gets tired, he grabs a handful of the hair on the top of his head and pulls. He does it over and over again and for some reason it doesn't really bother him even though it hurts me when he pulls my hair.
2. As soon as I put Cole in his crib to go to sleep for bedtime or naps, he always closes his eyes, turns his head to one side and covers his face with one arm.
3. He is still sleeping with his feet up at some point almost every night.

I am sad to say that we're saying goodbye to the faux hawk and hello to the comb over. The cute hair that Cole was born with that gave him a natural faux hawk is now more than twice as long as the rest of his hair and is starting to fall over. And since the hair underneath is not as thick or long, he sometimes looks like he has a comb over. I'm debating on whether or not to give him a hair cut...


A couple weeks ago on October 3, we celebrated Lucy's 9th birthday...



Lucy with cake



Opening presents!



Here are the cookies I made for Lucy to take to her softball game she had on her birthday.
(Thanks mom for the recipe and icing supplies!)

Last weekend it was actually hot in San Diego and we went to the beach. This time is was much easier with Cole because he could lay on a towel and play with toys. Last time we went to the beach all he could do was lay on his back and move his arms and legs.



me and C




C and V




He was having a good time.


Some other pics of Cole...


Wearing his new beanie on a rainy day

 

He still likes pulling the diapers out...he really out did himself this time!




Reading...




Playing with Vere's iPad already!
Cole is going to be part of this new technology generation...it's crazy.




Hanging out in his pjs.



Glad that daddy came home from work early! 

 

New experiences...

So far it's been a busy month for Cole. With so much going on, it's no wonder his sleep is still off.

Rice Cereal: Last month, I asked Cole's pediatrician when he would sleep through the night and not wake for his midnight snack. Dr. Martin thought he probably was waking up hungry since he's so big. He suggested giving Cole some rice cereal before bedtime and I might gain another hour or two on his first leg of sleep. So that afternoon I picked up some rice cereal so I could give it to Cole before bedtime. If you've never tried to feed a baby solid food for the first time then it sounds so simple... give him some before bedtime and gain 1 or 2 more hours of sleep - awesome! But when Vere came in and found me on the rocker with Cole on my lap and a bowl of rice cereal on the table next to me and asked why Cole wasn't sitting in his own chair or wearing a bib, I knew that this was not going to be the simple task I was envisioning in my head. Needless to say, night 1 of rice cereal was not a success. And neither were nights 2 and 3. I soon realized that there is just no way I could introduce something this new to Cole just before bed, the time of day when he is the most tired and cranky. It was an impossible task. So the next day I started giving Cole the rice cereal at some point in the morning/early afternoon. That way I could get him used to it so I can one day give it to him before bedtime and then I may finally get another hour or two of sleep. But that dream is a long way off. I actually did have a couple of successful and super messy attempts but have decided to call it quits for now and will try again at 5 months. It was just too much work and neither one of us were ready for it. And at this point, I can live with waking up in the middle of the night.



Rice Cereal!



Travels: September 10 - 13 was the 3rd Annual Koga Family Reunion in Carmel. We rented a villa right on Highway 1! The weekend was so much fun! And I'm not just saying that because I managed to come home with the Koga Kup this year :) We really are lucky to have such a great family. We have so much fun together. This trip was Cole's first time flying and I was so nervous because we never know what we're gonna get. But he did such a great job on the way out there. Not one cry the entire day. It was funny because people on the flight even commented on what a well behaved baby we have and asked if he was always that mellow. The first night we were there, Cole actually slept the longest he has ever slept before. The room we stayed in was a level below the rest of the house. There was no heat in that room for some reason and there was a door to outside so there was a constant cold draft of air going through the room. Cole had on a long sleeve onesie, a long sleeve shirt, footed pants, sweat pants on top of that and 2 blankets! But when Vere and I came to bed he was freezing so I pulled him into bed with me. I don't know if it was the comfort or warmth of sleeping with his mommy but he slept 8 hours straight! Then went back to sleep for another 3 1/2 hours! I told Vere that Cole was gonna sleep in bed with us every night! But he quickly shot down that idea. Also, thank you Kimber for bringing the space heater - we wouldn't have survived without it! After that first night however, Cole began slipping into his pre-sleep-training days and had the two worst nights of sleep he'd had in weeks. He also was not an angel on the flights home. I did manage to get him to fall asleep on both flights but he did not go down without piercing a few ear drums first. The people on those flights did not comment on what a great baby we have...

Reunion Highlights:

• Winning the Koga Kup.
• The Koga Kup Tournament itself was super fun. Kimber organized it this year and added some seriously entertaining Minute to Win It games.
• The usual Koga smorgasbord.
• The 17 Mile Drive, although it was kinda cold.
• The jellyfish exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
• Uncle Curt saying that the brown mm's are the best because they're chocolate flavored. (sorry Uncle Curt... but that really was funny!)

Cole at the airport in his new stroller ready for his trip. He loves this stroller by the way. I guess it's kind of nice being able to see what's going on. Before he was in a travel system and always stayed in his car seat.



The villa

Our view of the ocean



The 17 Mile Drive: Bobby, Curtis Ross, Tommy, Yu-Chen, Chelsey and Kimber at Spanish Bay (I think)

KC, Maya, Vere and I at the same place. Cole and Kalia were sleeping in the cars. Which were parked 20 feet from us, we didn't just leave then in a parking lot somewhere.

Bird Rock with lots of seals on it.

Vere and I in front of The Lone Cypress along the 17 Mile Drive.



Bobby stacking his cups during the tournament.

Chelsey moving cotton balls from one plate to another with vaseline on her nose. These are the Minute to Win It games.

Curtis Ross trying to knock down soda cans with rubberbands. Sarah, Jan, Auntie Cheryl and Yu-Chen all laughing at something in the background.



Even mom got in on the action!



Cole with cousins Kalia and Maya.

Cole sitting on cousin Maya's lap. Maya was so cute - she had to have Cole on her lap just like Kalia.

Cole with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

Cole with Auntie Midori

Mom with the cookies she made to look like Scrabble game pieces to go with the Koga Kup Tournament theme.

We also celebrated National Grandparents Day on September 12. Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie Midori, Uncle Ben and Mom.



The cake



Kalia and Maya looking at fish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium 



The jellyfish

More jellyfish

Jellyfish video. I wish I had made it longer...



Vere (last year's winner) passing the Koga Kup on to me after I beat out KC in the final round. We were happy to bring it back home to San Diego. Better luck next time guys :)

2010 Koga Family Reunion Pic (minus Jan, Auntie Midori and Uncle Ben because they were still at the aquarium and Tommy was leaving with his cool camera).





Below are some of the other things Cole has been doing this month...

Cole in the middle of his new playroom. It used to be our living room. He has accumulated a lot of new toys this month.

Cole playing in the activity center he got from the Levensons. It was so cool because he was actually making the bird spin.

Deciding which new toy to play with.

This is Cole's new thing. Pulling clean diapers out of the diaper caddy when I'm changing him.




And then he tries to put the diaper in his mouth. He has really been grabbing at everything lately.



This is how Cole has been sleeping at night - with his feet up. Sorry if you can't see it that well, it's on Cole TV (aka: the baby monitor).



Cute video of Cole...and Vere.

Milestones...

The last couple weeks have been super busy for all of us. Vere and I had our Kick-off Event for our new charity - Kits for Africa, which was a great success. We pulled in a good crowd and made a decent amount of money to go towards our cause. BIG thanks to everyone who came out to support us. It was my first night out without Cole and it was surprisingly not stressful and it was actually nice to be out in the real world and have conversations with adults. The kids were able to attend and helped us pull raffle tickets. We also had the most amazing raffle prizes donated... signed Luis Castillo official jersey, signed Shawne Merriman football, signed Dick Vitale basketball, a football signed by about 20 of the Chargers and more! It was insane. But at the end of the night I was ready to get back home... I missed Cole! My mom was nice enough to come down to SD to babysit so we could enjoy the important night (thanks mom!).

Vere talking about Kits for Africa and thanking everyone for coming

The kids pulling raffle tickets with Charlie

Bobby and Chelsey

Pascale (right) and her friend Gay

That following weekend, Mark and Victoria had a Bon Voyage Celebration. They were getting married in Maui later this month so they had a party beforehand to celebrate with friends. It was the first time anyone had met Cole so it was fun to introduce him and show him off. And even though he was up way passed his bedtime, he was totally mellow and just people watched the entire time. It was also nice to see old friends, meet all of their kids and meet new spouses... OK I seriously have not been keeping in touch. I brought my camera but forgot to take any pictures.

Last weekend my parents were down for a visit. They watched Cole on Saturday night and Vere and I went out on date night - the first in over 4 months! We just went out to dinner and came home but it was nice to have time alone. Catrie, Levy and little Reecia also came down to SD that weekend. We had brunch at our place and played with the babies. And I forgot to take pictures again...

This is one of the only pictures I took last weekend. Cole and Grandpa. The other one was of them too. They were playing together for so long that day... it was cute.

We've also had a lot to do before this weekend because we're participating in a South African Cultural Day event on Sunday hoping to spread the Kits for Africa word. Plus, I've had a ton of other work to do as well as hang out with little Cole so it's been a little crazy...

Now on to Cole... he had his 4 month well visit yesterday. He was 17 lbs, 2 oz. and 27 inches long, which means he was 89 percentile in weight and 99 percentile in height. They called him "a huge baby". But at least he's symmetrical and growing in length as much as he's growing in weight.

It's crazy because he's already changed so much since the last time I posted. Aside from gaining a couple pounds and growing a couple inches, he has hit so many milestones!...

1. He knows his toys exist. He may not think about them after the fact but he is kind of playing with them. Before he wouldn't even acknowledge them or would just look at something if it was held right in front of his face. But now all of a sudden he actually sees a toy, picks it up and holds it with both hands, then tries to put it in his mouth. It's seriously amazing.

Playing with one of his toys on his new blanket that Tutu made him.

2. He's rolling over - from back to front. Pretty much every time I put him on his back, he winds up on his stomach. Unfortunately, he still hasn't figured out how to roll back onto his back which is weird because it seems like that would be easier.

This is a twofer! Cole playing with his ball and rolling over!

3. He is talking so much now. Not real words of course but some seriously happy sounds.

Cole talking. Even after his Dr. appointment and vaccinations, he was still in a good mood. He is such a trooper :)

4. The mini swing and the baby carrier. He sat on the mini swing for about 15 minutes the other day! Unfortunately is hasn't happened again but I did take pictures and video because I was so surprised. He also likes being carried around in the Bella baby carrier when we're doing things around the house. OK, maybe these aren't true milestones but I thought they were serious breakthroughs!

Just a photo as proof. I won't bore you with a 60 second video of Cole swinging back and forth.

Cole in the baby carrier

Sleep Update: Cole's sleep has had highs and lows the last few weeks. It's just crazy how one little thing can effect a baby's sleep. After about a week of sleep training, I admit I started to get a little lax on the naps. It is just so hard to hear your baby cry. People told me it would be and I didn't believe it, but it seriously is. So I started rocking him - for nap time only. And of course it totally effected his night sleep which was going great at the time. Suddenly, it would take him over an hour of crying to get to sleep at night. So I realized I had to go hardcore on the naps again. And miraculously, sleep was great again. Cole would fall asleep at night in 5 minutes, sometimes he didn't fuss at all and his first leg of sleep is now up to 6-7 hours! His naps took a little longer - 15 minutes but he'd sleep for about 40 minutes and would take 3-4 naps a day. Even though my books say Cole should be taking 2-3 naps a day and they should be 2-3 hours long, I'm pretty happy with the 40 minute nap.

But now we have the "Rollover Factor". Cole can rollover onto his stomach but can't roll back. And since he hates tummy time, he gets upset when he suddenly finds himself laying on his stomach. Then I come in to flip him over and then just leave the room and he gets more upset. So now, it's taking about 30-45 minutes for him to go to sleep at night and during the day - sometimes longer. I actually started writing this post last night but didn't finish because I had to go upstairs and flip Cole over 4 times. And just now as I was finishing the post, Vere and I had to go up there a total of 6 times and he only had a 30 minute nap. It's never ending. I'm sure his sleep will return to normal again right around the time that his first tooth comes in...

The next month will also be super busy for us. We have the SA Cultural Day event this weekend, the Koga Family Reunion in Carmel in a couple weeks (Cole's first time on a plane) and Vere will be traveling 13 days this month so Cole is going to have some serious Mommy Time!

Some more cute pics of Cole...

Cole in his big boy chair

Cole in beanbag heaven.

Cole's bald spot... well it's really more like a bald band that goes around the back of his head. And it's actually worse now.

Cole's first day at the office... OK this is kinda silly but it was all Vere.