Back from the Beach!

Cole had a fantastic week at GiGi's beach house. He loved the pool, he loved the sand and he loved the ocean, he loved the rides at the boardwalk, he loved his nightly ice cream treats. I could go on and on. He had a great time and keeps asking to do it again!

Here are some pictures of our trip.

One thing I agonized about was sleeping arrangements for him. He has outgrown the Pack N' Play. I thought about doing a sleeping bag, but was unsure if he would stay in it. I also considered letting him sleep in a twin bed with a rail, but decided to go with this kids Aerobed instead.
We put his special Mickey Mouse sheets on it and he was thrilled. It worked great and he only fell out once (without injury). I definitely recommend the Aerobed for kids!

Baby #2... 18 week belly picture

If you're interested, here's the latest belly picture. It was taken yesterday at 18 weeks and 2 days. Our next ultrasound is on June 17. We should be able to get confirmation then that the baby is a boy. Cole is getting used to the idea of a brother. He has stopped, for the most part, insisting the baby is a girl. He is very sweet to his baby brother too. He asks to see him, pulls up my shirt, then sticks his finger in my belly button. He also gives my belly hugs and kisses!

Cole's Birthday Weekend!

Cole had a really fun birthday weekend. Saturday we went to Down's Park and had a picnic lunch. We went to dinner with Grammy and Pop and then out for ice cream. On Sunday, we went to Aunt Ellen's house for a little party and then to the Herndon Festival! (you can click each picture to view it larger)


Eating his birthday breakfast...a plain waffle!

Daddy and Cole race on the seahorses

Yum, a picnic lunch!

Cole and Grammy at the park

Eating his blue ice cream

Blowing out the candles

Cole's new drill

Cole loves rides!

2 year Checkup

Cole went to see Dr. Fitch today for his 2 year well visit. He is still deathly afraid of the dr. She is fantastic with him, but he still is very, very apprehensive. We took his dr. kit along and that seemed to help a bit.

I was looking forward to having some updated stats, but Cole REFUSED to stand on the scale. Everything time I tried to put him on it, he'd put his legs out completely straight. Eventually he stood on it with one foot, so the nurse was able to record something.

He weighed 32.6 pounds (90%). I’m a bit skeptical about that since he was 32 lbs at 18 months (and of course because he was standing on one foot).

He was 36 inches tall…3 feet! (also 90%). That means he can get on lots of rides!

Cole got his hepatitis b booster shot. He did surprisingly well and only let out a little scream when the needle went in. He did not want a band-aid and keep yelling “take it off, no like band-aids”, so I did and then he was fine.

Dr. Fitch suggested that we start a vitamin (like Flintstones) and she said we can try some Children’s Benadryl for Cole’s sneezing and watery eyes. She also recommended the book “Hello Baby” for big brothers and she suggested the following sunscreens:

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby

California Baby

Blue Lizard

We don’t have to go back until Cole is 3, but we will be going back for flu shots in October before Cole’s baby brother arrives. He got two sticker crafts and a lollipop, so he was thrilled when we left.

I know I’ve said this before, but I just LOVE Cole’s pediatrician. She is just the sweetest lady. She takes her time and sits down with you to chat and answer your questions. She is so good with Cole and always tries to make him feel comfortable. She is also a mom of small children around Cole’s age, so I feel like she can really relate. If you are looking for a pediatrician, I highly recommend Arundel Pediatrics!

*Brag about myself: While I was checking us in, Cole was climbing on the benches in the waiting area. (It’s like a three tiered play area) He started slipping and I was able to run from the check in desk and catch him before he fell. The receptionist kept going on and on about how impressed she was that I was able to do that. :)

Bragging about my genius son!

At his birthday party yesterday he got a new book about Thomas the Train. We read it last night before bed and he took it into bed with him to look at before he fell asleep. This morning when I went go get him (side note: he has figured out how to climb out of his bed, but we told him he's not allowed to unless Mommy or Daddy are in his room... it's actually working) he picked up his book and was paging through it. I sat in his glider and waited until he was ready to get out of bed. He then decided to tell me about the book (remember this story has been read to him ONCE).

Cole: Mommy, Thomas is sad.

Me: Why is Thomas sad?

Cole: Scared to cross the bridge. It's windy.

Me: That's right!

Cole: Oh no! Thomas' wheels went off the track.

Me: You're right. Who helped Thomas?

Cole: Harold the helicopter. Percy was scared too.

Me: Scared of what?

Cole: The windy bridge.



Can I just say that I taught 4th graders that could not identify the conflict and solution in a story. It wasn't a short simple story either, it was like a 30 page picture book.

WOW!

Cole's 2nd Birthday Party!

We had Cole's 2nd birthday party today. Lots of his friends were able to come. They swam and ran through the sprinkler and had a great time! Here are some pictures of the fun:

Playing in the pool with Brady

"Bucket Head"

Running through the sprinkler

Playing with his new tunnel toy

The cake..I swear it was cute before it got lop-sided and the M&M's ran from the heat

Shoveling it in




Opening presents


Playing with his new mini golf

Playing with his new dr. kit

A few hours later

Happy 2nd Birthday Cole!

March for Babies

Last Sunday, Cole and I went out and did The March of Dimes, March for Babies. It was a 4 mile walk in Baltimore and we did it with some of the other moms in our Stroller Strides class. Unfortunately it poured the entire time! Cole enjoyed riding in the stroller and holding his umbrella for the first two miles, but then didn't want to hold it anymore. He also didn't want the canopy on the stroller up or his hood or hat on. If you are planning on taking long walks in the rain, I recommend one of these:
Some of the other moms had them and they seemed to work great!

We were both soaked but we survived. The only casualties were Cole's baseball hat and his snack bowl. Both were dropped somewhere along the route and there wasn't a chance that I was going back to look for them.

I planned on taking some pictures, but didn't want to pull the camera out in the rain.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored our walk! We certainly appreciate your support!