Cole: 4 months!

Cole at 1, 2, 3 and 4 months!

I swear I just wrote the 3 month post...and this one is late because things have been so crazy with the holidays and house hunting/buying!


Let's see... Cole is almost 15 pounds. (50th percentile)  He is 25.5 inches long (75th). Long, lean and happy as can be. He is all smiles these days, and I have heard him laugh three times.  It was HILARIOUS and I have been acting like a FOOL to try and make him laugh again.  What a sweet sweet sound!

Sleeping and eating patterns haven't changed much.  He eats every 3 hours, and usually once at night, around 4:30 am.  Our pediatrician told me we could start solids, but it really has no nutritional value (or at least no more than breastmilk)... we will probably hold off until after the holidays and the big move before we make any feeding changes.  But I am excited! Love these new adventures.

Oh, I should mention we bought a house.  We are supposed to close on Friday! I would never recommend looking for a house with a 3-4 month old.  So glad we found one! I will post all those details once we have the keys.

Cole is kicking and trying so hard to roll over.  I think it will happen this week. No sign of teeth yet, but he is putting e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. in his mouth.  I have tried endlessly to pull his fingers out of his mouth and put the pacifier in instead, but he just loves those fingers! Such a slobbery mess.  I surrender.  Kind of.

It is the Christmas season, and while Cole has no idea what is going on, he loves the lights! This season has been so sweet already, having a son of my own, I cannot fathom what God was feeling when he sent his son to die for us.  It makes my heart so heavy. I am in awe that God would do that for us.  For me.

Cole is so so so precious to me....and we are even more precious to our Savior! Merry Christmas!

Here are our favorite pictures from Cole's fourth month:

Sweet Face

Everything in the mouth these days.  Love those elbow pads....

Hello!

Cole loves this monkey, especially for jogs and car rides.

Bumbo success..without crying!

I've tried.  Boy loves his thumb.

Johnny Manziel wins!

Funny Face.

Happy kid.

Holding toys with 2 hands!

Starting sitting with us at the table :)

Mondays in Edgewood

When the school year ended in May, I started going to Edgewood every Monday.  Edgewood is a small community on the west side of San Antonio that has many, many families who struggle financially.  Our church has developed relationships with about 100 families, mostly elderly, and we deliver bread each week to their homes.

It has been so wonderful to be a part of this community.  I love that we go into the homes, sit and visit with them, and sometimes pray over any needs they share.  I don't think it would be as effective or meaningful if we just had a bread pick-up location.

The families got to watch my belly grow as I got closer and closer to my due date, and now Cole is a huge blessing to them! One family calls him "Jaulito" (spelling??) ... they told me it means "blondie." haha! I partner up with my friend Lindsay.  She has a three year old, so we are always changing up things to be flexible with the tantrums, hunger demands, nap times, car seat shuffling, etc.  But so worth it!  I love our conversation and time together.

Every week my heart is so challenged. But I feel like it is such a great opportunity to love the least, and carry out this command.

Thanksgiving!

Our longest trip away with Cole was a success! All three of us crammed into a room at my parents'...and Cole didn't seem to notice. We arrived Tuesday evening and left Sunday afternoon.

We had a great trip with my siblings and their spouses, my grandparents and aunts, all at my parents' house.  15 people, 4 dogs and a cat.  Madness!!

Looking at butterflies with Suzanne

After the feast!

Cole meets Coach and Honey

Nannie entertains Cole

Mimi feeds Brooke

Cousins!

LOVE this picture of my boys.

Cole learns to play Hearts

Had blue crabs on Saturday night...messy and fun.

Proud Jean.

Ended our vacation with some Wits and Wagers.

3 Months!

This month has been crazy fun.  Cole is a learning machine!

We don't go back to the doctor until 4 months, but my guess is that he is around 14-15 lbs and 25 inches.  He looks so huge to me.  Can't believe how fast babies grow. 4 inches and 7 pounds in 90 days is a lot.

Cole also started holding his head up nice and steady.  He prefers to stand...trying to get him to bend at the hips and sit is no easy task!

He can now fall asleep on his own... no rocking or patting needed (most of the time).  He looks at his owl mobile or a fan until he passes out. This is a blessing, but also bittersweet, because he is becoming less snuggly and seems to prefer laying down by himself.  I will never forget those cuddling days though!!! Such a precious season.

We also had a huge milestone in nursing.  Cole made the switch from eating every 2 hours to now eating every 3 - 3.5 hours. Another huge blessing!!! The things you can get done in an extra 60-90 minutes.  Thank you Lord.

Cole has continued smiling like crazy.  He seems to be a very very happy baby.  He started cooing and jabbering on at about 10 weeks old.  I wish I knew what he was thinking.  He has a lot to say.

Our little man is now sleeping about 8-10 hours a night.  Sometimes he throws us a 6 hour curve ball, but I feel so blessed to wake up only once to feed him! We are putting him to bed around 8-8:30 pm, so even if he sleeps 8 hours straight, that is 4:30 am. I am trying to soak in this blessing, because I hear teething and a 4 month sleep regression are on the way......

And as always...here are the best pics of month #3!

Cole goes to his first soccer game!

Still completely awed by Aunt Jean's mobile

Cutest raccoon ever.

Gig Em!

Praying for chocolate milk.

Morning Bible study partner

Morning Workout

Tough life...