our lower level to date...

above: a computer room for the moment... the plan is to move the guest room down here once things are complete

below: main room... doors to bathroom and laundry room soon to be along right hand side

Well, I was going to wait and take some pics once everything was complete but it appears things may be at a bit of a standstill for the moment. Fans, trim, doors, and paint touchups still await. As you can see Jeff is on the couch... he was home early from work today due to an upset stomach. Hopefully it passes quickly and Cole and I don't get sick.

Pictures from today...

out our front window: all this snow... you'd think we still lived in London!
Cole in his playroom
above: after lunch today
below: having some water from his straw sippy cup

I should also mention that I've started weaning Cole the past couple weeks. Initially, we tried formula but that wasn't going over so well. So, after some reading and discovering that public health now supports adding in homo milk between 9-12 mths we tried that(as long as baby is eating all foods very well-- no worries there!) The cows milk has been going over fairly well. As of today, he is only breastfeeding morning and night... during the day he gets bottles. Over the course of the next couple weeks he will hopefully be switched over completely. The past week Jeff and I have both noticed he is ALOT more clingy. So we've both been trying to up our snuggle time with him as he transitions over to the bottle.

An Update on our Groups/Classes

We had our last baby sign language class yesterday. I really enjoyed this class and now find it fairly natural to incorporate a large number of signs into each day. Milk, eat, drink, more, change, sleep, bath, please, thank-you, I love you, etc. You can really start to see the recognition in Cole's eyes now as you do the different gestures. Recently there have been a couple times when I think he's attempted to sign "all done" when he was through eating.... we were told that if you think it might be a sign it probably is, and that babies won't be able to imitate them exactly. We'll see!
We have one more swim class with Cole next Monday. He's been doing really well and we were all excited when he started kicking his feet in the water last class... up till then there's been alot of hand splashing but this was the first time his feet really got going consistently!
We never did make it to many of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme classes. They were from 1:00-2:00 which ended up being a little too long for Cole to have to stay in one spot during that time of day. Not to mention, this is also the time our mom/baby group meets up (now called, "Divas and Diapers"). The picture below was taken by one of the girls at our last get-together -a chili lunch- definitely appropriate with all this cold weather! I've been busy the past couple days mac-tac'ing and putting together pics of all our little babies in the group for a friends book. It should be a great tool for the babies to build even more recognition of each other!

A Visit to London

This past Sunday we took off for a day trip to London. Cole didn't have a very good night on the Saturday but with some Tim Hortons coffee and sugar (timbits, and lots of them) we made it through our day! Cole took a little nap on the way, then we stopped for a long overdue visit with Ellen, Mike and their daughter Hailey. I can't believe how much Hailey has changed since we last saw her. She is talking sooo much... she knows how to tell a good long story, just like her momma:) and she has such clear speech for a toddler who's not even 2 yet! We left there in time for Cole's second nap which we where hoping he would take in the car... no such luck! He was pretty good though through our second stop at Pat and Sherry's. He never really gets too grouchy when he's overtired, just hyper (if i had to pick a word to describe it). Above, a picture of Sherry with Cole.

A Nice Day

It's been a pretty cold and snowy the past month, here in Windsor. While the snow has stubbornly stuck around, we did at least enjoy warmer temperatures today. Cole and I went out for a walk and stopped by the park around the corner so he could go on the swings. He still not the biggest fan of swings but I tell him that soon I probably won't be able to get him off of them! And out of the many pictures I had to take I did get one of him smiling... not an easy task today. He was up till 2 AM last night and I have no idea why??... I can feel his first molars (the next teeth to come if he follows the usual order) but I don't know if that's the cause of his restlessness since tylenol/motrin doesn't seem to be doing anything for him.
I should mention in the past week or so he has become able to crawl. I say that vs. "he has started crawling" because he's really not crawling very much or very far. The odd time he will go right across the floor usually heading after the dog or cat but mostly it's just a few feet so that he can pull himself up somewhere and start to cruise around. On his feet or on the floor, he is always on the move.

Visiting and a New, Old Car!

This afternoon Cole and I went over to visit with Sarah and her little guy Emmitt. Cole and Emmitt were pretty cute together and were holding hands a few times... Sarah got these pics of them. Playing with all of Emmitt's toys must have really worn Cole out because this afternoon he took a two hour nap which is pretty unusual for him.

Today we brought home a new vehicle. Jeff got it through a guy at work whose mother was selling it. A 2000 Neon- meticulously cared for, runs smoothly and had a low price tag... a great choice for us to have as a second vehicle! And, with my return to work just around the corner, we're all going to appreciate the convenience of seperate vehicles once again.

Yoyo's Again!

This week, for mom and baby group, we met up at Yoyo's. Cole didn't seem quite as into it as some of the past times when I've taken him. I'm thinking he may be working on some more teeth as his sleep has also been somewhat off. A good time overall though and as always, nice to get out!

Pictures...

happy heart day everyone!... Jeff and I pose for a picture
Cole and Daddy hanging out
from a photoshoot I did of Cole today
Daddy and Cole, again in his playroom

at Starbucks... Jeff to me: "put the camera away you Japanese tourist!!"

Valentines Day Party

Also, just had to add in the photo below of Cole that one of the girls did up... as she said "a match made in heaven"! ...and yes, both of them are trying to get into some v-day candy!

Today we celebrated the babies' 1st Valentines day in our mom and baby group. The babies gave each other valentines and we all enjoyed lots of treats and good company. Cole has a girl counterpart in the group, Allie, who is just as much of a chunky monkey as he is! (Allie sitting next to him on the couch)

9 Mth Stats

Happy 9 mths Cole! Since we aren't due for an official check-in with Cole's doctor till 1 year I weighed and measured him today. He is just over 24 lbs and (I got--although a little harder to be exact) 29 inches tall... near the top of both charts. Jeff doesn't think Cole takes after him, and I'm inclined to agree with him given these numbers, but only time will tell!
Another noteworthy milestone I should mention... after many attempts and many different styles Cole is now successfully using a sippy cup. The winner was a Nuby design with 2 handles and a straw... and no-spill feature:)

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

This past weekend Cole enjoyed a visit with his grandparents. They came down on Saturday and after Cole's PM nap they looked after him for a few hours so that Jeff and I could get out for a bit. We went to Starbucks first for a coffee then headed downtown to the Pasta Shoppe for some dinner. It was so nice to get out! Sunday morning we headed over to their hotel where we all enjoyed a nice morning swim. A first for Cole when he put his face into the water to try to find Grandpa who kept going under and popping up beside him!

Cole's and his Rocking Horse

Cole has alot of fun on this rocking horse that Opa made for him. The booster seat that was designed for it works perfectly for him now and can be removed when he is older. As you can see he is still wearing his helmet... we have (hopefully, our last!) appoint't for it this Thursday.

Windsor Art Gallery Outing

This afternoon, Cole and I met up with the mom and babies group we joined at the art gallery. Cole was in a good mood but quite LOUD and excited as we took our tour there... we started out with him in his backpack carrier but I ended up carrying him for a majority of the time.

A watercolour lesson with a local artist... Cole and I had to leave shortly after this--he was definitely due for his PM nap!

On the Move!

Yesterday Cole was having a blast pushing around this diaper box on the floor. He really seems to prefer it to his walker as it allows him alot more freedom letting him cruise right over to different things... cupboard drawers, chairs, etc. He's definitely getting better at balancing himself and doesn't have very many spills these days:)

Greeting Daddy...

Pictures of Cole as Jeff was getting home on Monday evening, before we took off for Cole's swim class. Swimming has been going really well... Cole loves the water and splashes alot with his hands. Jeff and I take turns going in with him for his lessons.