Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Merry Christmas Eve & Happy 5 Months to Cole!

On Christmas Eve, Cole Joseph turned 5 months old. It was a very busy day at the Eatherton's, as we were preparing to have our California family (the Kirkpatricks and the Kalvarias) over for a non holiday-specific and not at all religious Dec. 24th party. To add to what was already an exciting day, Cole decided to roll over for the very first time all by himself! If you haven't already seen it, you can watch the video here. Even though the guests all departed by 8pm, a good time was had by all.

Spreading "Reindeer Food" in the front yard

Baby's First Christmas (Eve)

This Christmas baby is ready for bed!
(Thanks to the Schrimpl family for the PJs)

So much brotherly love

Cole's 5 Month Stats


Weight- 18 lbs of pure yummy chunky baby (by Mom & Dad's scale)

Height- Will have to wait for Cole's 6 month appointment for that stat

Clothing Size- This boy is flying though his clothes at warp speed! He is officially too big for his 3-6 month clothes. He can fit into some 6 month onesies, but not pjs (poor baby has a little blister on his pinky toe because the footies on his 6 month jammies are too small!) He has just started wearing 9 month clothes from Carter's. I cannot wrap my head around this! Brady was in 0-3 month clothes until he was 5 months.

We have sadly moved from size 2 Swaddlers to size 3 Pampers Cruisers. He isn't cruising anywhere yet, but if he decides to up and crawl, well, I guess his diaper will be ready!

Teeth- Not a one, but the drool is out of control. I swear we go through 5 bibs a day. Cole will chew on pretty much anything he can get his chubby little hands on, but his two favorite chew toys are his squeaky Sofie and Mom's finger (go figure). I'm thinking about getting some of those Chewbeads necklaces... anyone ever tried one of those? Thoughts??

Sleeping Habits- Sleep is still a delicate subject in the Eatherton household. We had started getting into a better rhythm with Cole just before our trip to Chicago, but when we returned the bottom fell out. He started waking again multiple times throughout the night and his naps went back to 30 minutes. We were all miserable... again. So we decided to spend the 4 day weekend sleep training again, which unfortunately, produced a bit of crying (Cole & Mom). But he's slowly adjusting back to his "routine" and we hope to be down to one night feeding only very soon! Fingers crossed.

Feeding- Sadly, we stopped breastfeeding Thanksgiving weekend, so Cole is 100% formula fed now (Similac Sensitive). It was just not working for either of us. Since we made the switch to formula, Cole and I are both much happier, so I think that it was the right decision. Four months is a good amount of time and I'm glad we were able to make it that long.

Cole also started eating rice cereal and oatmeal shortly after he turned 4 months. He had been watching us eat food like a hawk for weeks, so as soon as we got the a-okay from his pediatrician, we started. He immediately knew what to do! I think he'd probably eat anything we gave him, but he definitely prefers the rice cereal over oatmeal, and his favorite purees are bananas, sweet potatoes and peas. I hope, hope, hope he is going to be a good eater! If not, I think we'll send him over to Miss Jolie's house for a little Food 101...

Daily Activities- Cole is taking 3 naps a day, which doesn't leave much time for activities during the day. If he's not eating, sleeping, or pooping, he enjoys gnawing on toys in his exersaucer, watching his big brother and Tinley play, and pinching the tags on all of his stuffed animals. He also gets a kick out of pulling Mom's hair!

Mobility- He started rolling over from his back to his belly on Christmas Eve and hasn't stopped since (though he's only rolling over one way). We wonder how long it will take before this creates a NEW sleep problem.

Vocal Skills- Cole makes a lot of gurgling sounds (goos/gaas) but he's proving to be the strong but silent type. If you catch him at the right time, he will babble a bit for you, but he's mostly pretty quiet. He is also very stingy with the laughs! He'll smile and give you a few giggles, but he has still not done a full out belly laugh. I am anxiously awaiting that day!

Cole Rolls Over For The First Time!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

An Early Christmas In Chicago

As I mentioned, we made the trek home to Chicago a few weeks before Christmas this year. One reason is that airport travel around the holiday is nuts. Another reason is that some of our family goes out of town for Christmas. But the main reason is that we have never had our own Christmas morning in our own home, with our own tree, our own gifts, etc. I know it may sound selfish, but now that Brady is getting older and understands the holidays a bit more, we wanted him to be able to experience what it's like to wake up on Christmas morning and see what Santa brought for him and his little brother.

Even though we didn't get to see everyone for as long as we'd like (the trip home is always too short!), we think it ended up working out well for our families too. We spent the first half of the week in Plainfield with my family, and the second half of the week in Park Ridge with Matt's. It was so nice getting to spend time with our nieces, who we only get to see via Skype, and for the boys to get to spend time with all their aunts and uncles. This was the first time Cole met Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Jason, Uncle Justin and Aunt Megan (and of course, Aubrey and Reese). We cannot wait until we move home and all the kids can grow up together!

Here are a few photos from our trip...

Cole encountering his first Christmas gift!

Brady and his sleeping bag from Grandma & Papa

Aunt Amanda & Cole

Grandma Debbie & Cole

Grandma Linda & Cole

Cole and Sofie

Cole's first "Christmas" family shot

Brothers!!

Aunt Lindsay & Cole

Reesey Piecey (aka, Reese)

The Eatherton cousins in the Christmas pjs

Watch out Reese, he's almost as big as you!

Cole's Baptism

We decided to make an early trip to Chicago for Christmas this year, for many reasons. One very important one was that we wanted to have Cole baptized at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Downers Grove (where Matt and I were married and where Brady was baptized) and we knew it would be hard to do around the holidays.

We were very blessed to have both our immediate families present at the service, including Cole's sponsors, Uncle Mike, Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Jason. Auntie Susie and Ashlynn also came! It was a very nice service, and except for when the pastor poured water directly into Cole's eyes, he was extremely well behaved.

After church, we had a luncheon back at Grandma Debbie and Papa's house, just before we hosted an Open House for my family and friends. Unfortunately, in all the commotion, we never brought out Cole's cake. But aside from that, we had a very nice time celebrating Cole's special day.

Cole & I found something to be hysterical


Baptismal water in eyes, uh oh!

Ashlynn & Cole

Auntie Susie & Cole

Cole and his sponsors-- Uncle Mike, Uncle Jason & Aunt Lindsay

Our family!

Cole with all his grandparents

The Eatherton cousins-- Aubrey, Reese, Brady & Cole

Cole with his baptism blanket, knitted with love by Grandma Debbie

Monday, December 24, 2012

Cole Turned 4 Months (A Month Ago!)

It's hard to believe Cole is 5 months old today! What's not hard to believe is that I forgot to post his 4 month stats/photos (even thought it's been in "draft" since 11/30!) Hey, I've been busy... :)







Weight- 16 lbs 13 oz (72%)

Height- 26 inches (80%)

Clothing Size- His 3-6 month clothes are getting a little snug and he is officially filling out his 6 month clothes from Carter's.

Teeth- None yet, and the doctor said she doesn't feel any coming up. He's still a drooling fool though and will gnaw on anything he can get his hands on.

Sleeping Habits- Just saying the words "sleep" and "Cole" in the same sentence brings on a ton of anxiety! With an inconsistent nap schedule and frequent night wakings, sleep has not come easy around here the last month or two (and makes for a super cranky Mommy!). Without knowing if it's a behavioral or medical issue (he's still taking 2 ml of Zantac 2x a day for acid reflux), we are just trying to "coach" him into falling asleep by himself by putting him down for naps/bedtime drowsy but awake. This is supposed to help him transition from sleep cycles on his own, without needing to be rocked or fed. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't (50/50).

To deal with the frequent night wakings, we have set designated eating times for him (midnight and between 4-5am) and are trying not to feed him at the other times (we cleared this with his doctor). Consistency is key... so Matt has become "official night soother" when he wakes at off times. God bless him for that; I just don't have the willpower to not pick him up and rock him back to sleep. Thankfully, he seems to be learning to rest a little better. Fingers crossed we are finally on the right path!!

So, right now, here's sort of what he does...

Wakes around 7:15 am

Morning nap between 9-10 am (usually for 30-45 mins)

Goes down for another nap 2 hrs after he wakes from his morning "nap" (usually between 11:30-12). Sometimes he'll sleep for 40 minutes, and sometimes I get really lucky and he sleeps for 2 hours. We never know what we're going to get!

Takes a short afternoon nap, again about 2 hours after he wakes from his lunch nap (usually 30-45 mins)

Bedtime routine starts at 6 on the dot (so we can establish a 7pm bedtime). Bath, lotion/massage, pjs, singing, bottle, book and bed.

Wakes to eat around 12 and again between 4-5am. Hopefully he'll drop one (and then both) feeding soon. He has slept through the night one a couple of occasions over the last 2 months, so we know he can do it!

Daily Activities- Cole's "activities" include tummy time, playing in his exersaucer

Mobility- He can roll over from his tummy to his back. This started about 3 weeks ago!

Vocal Skills- Just the same "goos" and "gaas", but they sound wonderful!!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Raising an Ad Man

It's official... marketing blood runs through Brady's veins. I'd like to think it's because he spent 9 months in utero roaming the halls of Leo Burnett, soaking up all the creative juices around him. But, chances are it's all the TV he's been watching lately, while we're dealing with his baby brother who doesn't like to nap...

It all started with his Christmas list-- Cuddleuppets. Stompeez. A pogo stick. All from commercials.

Then, a couple days ago, he asked Matt if he'd like some Chex Mix because "it's a bag of interesting".

Yesterday, we were singing Christmas songs and Brady belted out "Nationwide is on your side". Just to make sure he wasn't biased, I followed it up with "Like a good neighbor..." to which he replied, "State Farm is there". Yikes!

The clincher was this morning when he informed Matt and I that there was a man on TV that sounded like Tow Mater who has heartburn (Larry the Cable Guy is in a Prilosec commercial).

Something tells me we're going to be in big trouble when Brady starts telling people they should call their doctor if they've had an erection lasting more than 4 hours.

** Please note that all these commercials (minus Viagra) air during age appropriate TV shows. It's not like Brady's watching Dancing with the Stars or anything... ok, maybe he watches that. **

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Baby's First Thanksgiving

Seeing that he was a few days shy of 4 months old, and his diet consists mainly of breast milk and formula, Cole's first Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful. In fact, he even napped through dinner (by Mom's design). Brady was almost one at his first Thanksgiving, so he was able to eat some of the delicious turkey and potatoes. Something tells me Cole will get (more than) his fair share next year!

On account of all the madness that's been going on in our household, we opted for a quiet Thanksgiving at home with just the 4 of us this year. It's always hard to be away from family on the holidays, but there's something to be said about not having to get ready, pack up 2 kids, and run from house to house.

Always the photographer and never the subject (which is good since I didn't even take a shower!), here are a few pictures of the 3 things I'm most thankful for this year.

Dad and his two boys!

Almost ready for nap

Such a proud big brother!

Next Thanksgiving I'll be walking!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We look forward to celebrating an early Christmas with the family back in Chicago in just a few days.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

October Recap

There were so many fun events/milestones that happened in Oct., I'm so mad that I didn't get them up on the blog as they happened. Unfortunately, we've had our hands full with Cole the last few weeks--he has not been eating or sleeping well-- so when I got a "free moment" (laughs out loud), I really just tried to relax and get some rest. But I really want to get these photos up, so here is a recap of the month of October... you know, just before November ends. Ugh.

More Firsts for Cole


First Storytime with the big boys

First "Brother Bath"


First time on the Playmat (without tears)

Brady, The Soccer Stud

Brady has been going to soccer every Saturday morning and has been loving it! Even though the lessons are more about learning to listen and follow directions than actually playing soccer, he is picking up on the fundamentals and getting in a little game time. I'm sure every parent says this about their children... but he has some mad athletic skills!!

Cole and I finally made it out to a practice and captured a ton of photos. Here are a select few...







Pumpkin Patching

It's hard to believe we celebrated our 3rd Halloween in California. I love that we have a "tradition" of going to the same Pumpkin Farm every year. It's great to see Brady in the same environment year after year, to mentally picture how much he has grown. He loved taking Cole to Pasterino Farm and showing him how he can ride the train through the haunted house without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, when it came time to pick pumpkins and take pictures, Cole had had his fill... so we didn't get his photo with Brady, but we did manage to get a few good ones!








Halloween 2012

For Brady's first 3 Halloweens, I was pretty much responsible for choosing his costumes. This year, he knew well in advance that he wanted to be Batman for Halloween. Given that I didn't have a lot of time to go hunting and pecking for a "make your own costume" this year, I was happy to order him a Batman costume online. And when he requested that Cole be Robin, I ordered him one as well! Brady requested that Matt and I dress up as The Joker and Catwoman, but well, that didn't happen...


Brady at his Halloween Sing at school


Brady and his best gal Lyla 

Halloween parade-- lots of Super heros this year!

Decorating cookies at school

Baby's 1st Halloween! 

Spiderman Leo & Batman Brady

Baby Robin (not too thrilled!)


The Dynamic Duo!

Phew, that was a long one. Now that that's done, I better get started working on November's recap... Or take a nap :)

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