23 months...he will be 2 next month!?!?!

Whenever anyone ask me how old Cole is I always say "he will be 2 next month" after about 18 months I stopped saying months. At 19 months-22 months I would say "he will be 2 in April" and now it is "2 next month!!!"...that is just crazy talk. Today, I went to visit my friend who had IVF. She now has a 6 week old baby boy. When I first walked in she gave me a hug, then she said "I have some stories and questions for you", I laughed and said, "isn't he 6 weeks?" she said he was on Sunday why? I said... "because at 6 weeks is when I thought I was going to loose my mind. I had terrible anxiety" She just smiled and said, "so it's normal? I am so glad to hear that". I seriously HAVE to write my book! I really should look more into it. NO ONE tells you this stuff. I would love to share my experience as well as others, since we do not all have the same baby. I really felt like I was able to help Lindzey today, not because I know all the answers, but because I am real and honest. I am not opinionated and my answer is always, this is what I did or this is what worked for Cole, etc...but you have to take the information you get and decide what is best for YOU and YOUR baby. Moms and women are just SO judgemental they can really make you feel bad, but then they never tell you the "real" stuff about being a new mom so then "as if" you do not have anything else to worry about, you worry more, thinking you are the only mom in the world whose child did X or didn't do X. I need to write my book :)

Cheeese!

Now back to my wonderful "2 next month little boy!" MESS, MESS, MESS :) That is what Cole is these days. My dramatic, hormonal, sweet loving and hugging little boy. He still loves the word no! I have tried to be more conscious in giving him choices and letting him have some choice in what he wears and does. I know as a teacher choice can do wonderful things for a child, yet I was not really offering it to my own child. He was so funny when I gave him a choice in his clothes for the first time. Remember choice is two, so I still have a say in the two I offer him :) I said "Cole, do you want to wear this shirt? or this shirt?" his little eyes lit up and he cocked his head as if to say, "seriously? are you letting me choose? or is this a joke?" It was SO cute! I could tell how much that did for him. So I really started paying more attention and letting him choose when possible. Hopefully this will help with our use of the word NO!

Reading with the girls

Cole still LOVES books and animals. He goes to bed every night with a flash light and a few books. As soon as I do not hear him anymore I go take them out, but it is just so sweet to hear him read on the monitor. I pray with him before I leave the room, but then I will hear him saying"Dear God, mommy, daddy, Bad, Bean, KK, fam-e, fends, Amen!" LOVE IT!! Brad, Ben and KK are definitely his favorites, but they are the ones he sees the most in everyone else's defense. Since I have not had a washing machine for almost a YEAR (March 25th will be a year, long story, just tell Casey what a saint I am to put up with him for making me go this long without a washing machine, it's his fault! and he knows it :) So Ben lives with Brad and those are the two places I do laundry the most, my moms and Brad's. Cheese is still a favorite. I seriously think he would eat it ALL DAY every day. I think he must dream about it. He even wakes up saying, "cheese, mommy?"He also loves peanut butter and his new found love, PBJ!. He loves his fruit too! Strawberries, Bananas, Grapes, Blueberries and Cantaloupe are his favorites. He also loves smoothies. So I blend it all up and throw in some spinach too! Those are mommy tricks you gotta use when you can. So the birthday planning is coming along and I cant wait to celebrate this little guys birthday next month. Thank you Lord for a healthy, happy and beautiful child.

Playing in the crib

PB is one of his favorites

My little farm boy!

Silly boy

Cole and his girls, Jessi and Julia

Just playing with my tractor