Where's Waldo?!!

Jeff didn't think a whole lot of the shirt I picked out for Christmas photos. Apparently it's reminiscent of Waldo's shirt! Last weekend we went to Superstore to have a family christmas photo done... didn't go so well... the photographer we ended up with seemed clueless as to how to make a baby smile, and she didn't pick up on any of my cues either. The only picture we got with Cole smiling my face was turned away as it was me that was trying to help out! Anyways, we decided to make the most of the fact we were all dressed up and go home and try for some photos ourselves. Quite a bit of shadows, but cute nonetheless! We did end up with a nice family one as well that someone Jeff knows is fixing up for us and I will try to post when it is done.

Doctor Visit

Yesterday I took Cole in to the doctors for his 6 month vaccinations and checkup. He did really well for his shots once again thanks to Dr. Zaher. He doesn't tell me to sit down but there's not a lot of room so I did and he got me engaged in conversation before giving Cole the shots so that I was talking calmly through them. Went as smooth as I could have hoped for, just one cry and then a little fussing but by then I was holding him and he was fine. I asked about his short naps and he said it's just a stage. Cole weighed in at 21 lbs and measured 27 inches. He's right at the top of the chart for his weight and right near the top for his height as well.

The New...

Well, once again it's been awhile! Sometimes it's hard to get take the time to post updates. Above, is a picture my sister Miriam took when she was down yesterday (for those of you following her blog --in my favourites list-- you'll recognize it from there!) Miriam was here for a short visit and to help take Cole to an appointment for his helmet which was a huge help since Jeff has been missing alot of work for appointments recently. Things with the helmet are going well... we've noticed his ears have really alligned themselves in the past couple weeks. Hopefully he'll be done with it by the end of next month.
Jeff just got back from getting his haircut... the first professional 'do in a while (although I'd guess that if you asked him he'd say his own work is "professional"!) He's been trying to grow his hair out for awhile now and although many times he was going to just cut it himself again I talked him into getting some style advice... and I think he's glad he did. I'll post a picture soon!
The past week I've been following an elimination diet. I'm doing it to try to determine if anything I'm eating is affecting Cole allergy-wise. It basically starts off the first two weeks with the safest foods: rice, potatoes, turkey, chicken and pears... I've also added in apples, olive oil and Ezekiel bread since I thought those were also fairly harmless and I figured I would need a bit more to keep me going! So after another week I get to slowly add in foods one at a time. So far there has been considerably less spit-up and a lessening of gas pains for him, which can still sometimes be an issue at nighttime. We're hoping for an end result of him being able to nap once again, without waking up every 20-30 minutes. Although my other thought to this is that perhaps it's a seperation anxiety issue. After reading up more on that possibility I have discovered that daytime and nighttime seperation can be two different issues, so just because he's not having issues with his nighttime sleep doesn't mean it's out of the question.

Swimming!

This morning we headed out with Cole to Waterworld, a nearby pool. We were really impressed that the kiddy pool (seen here ) was just as big as the adult pool. Cole seemed to like his big pool experience by the end of it... although in the beginning you could tell he didn't know what to think!
I've been checking out different mom and baby groups, and this pool will probably be starting a group in the new year. (perfect for us because with Cole's helmet being worn 23 hours/day I didn't want to start a class until he's through his therapy) I did find they had a really good preschool swim schedule throughout the week though so I imagine we'll be utulizing it quite a bit.

Happy Halloween!

Cole's first Halloween! We dressed him up in his hotdog in the early evening and went by the neighbours then we settled into the garage in our camping chairs and handed out candy. It was the first time since being in Windsor that we stayed home and even though we picked up a couple big boxes of candy we still nearly ran out with all the kids.

Mommy's Little Man!

Hard to believe in a little over a week Cole will be 6 months!

His helmet therapy has been going well and over the past week Jeff and I have both noticed that his ears are lining up almost perfectly now as the one side of his head is continuing to fill out.

Eating wise, he's still being breastfed and probably will be for awhile yet because of his lactose intolerance... hopefully this eases up by the time he's nearing a year. He's now into some vegetables, loving squash, tolerating peas and trying green beans for the first time tomorrow!

We've started searching out daycares for when I return to work in April of next year. So far, we've just been to a smaller house daycare that's located around the corner from us. Neither of us really cared for it though and this next week we're going to check out one called "The Toybox". We know a couple that sends their little guy there and they absolutely love it... splashpad play area, nutritious food menu, written summary reports and pics of your childs day... more money mind you but worth it if he'll be happier there.

Tiny Tots Trick or Treating

Friday afternoon Cole and me headed out to meet up with a friend of mine and her little ones. In Essex, a nearby town, they shut down the main street every year so that all the kids can go door to door to the shops and trick or treat. The forecasted rain held off and it made for a nice afternoon.