Puppy

Cole received this soft little puppy from our dear Uncle John. Puppy quickly became Cole's favorite gift. He cuddled and kissed him immediately, smiling sweetly the entire time. He especially loved listening to the gentle lullaby Puppy plays. 12/25/ 2011.

Gift from John

Cole understands proper gift-opening etiquette -- always read (eat?) the card before opening the gift. 12/25/2011.

Books with Nana

Nana may have retired from teaching fifth graders, but she'll never tire of teaching her grandbabies. She especially loves collecting books for her little men, and it's extra fun when she has the opportunity to curl up and read to them! Cole loves to listen and help turn the pages, and we love to watch his little eyes -- you can just see the wheels cranking! 12/24/2011.

Stacking

Cole scored big in the stacking toy category this year. These cool blocks rank among his favorite toys! 12/24/2011.

Cole Performs

After some demonstration by Nana, Cole seemed to get the hang of playing his xylophone. We think you'll agree that we could have a maestro on our hands. 12/24/2011.

Nana Demonstrates

Nana shows Cole how to make beautiful music with his cool new xylophone. 12/24/2011.

Xylophone

A special present from Opa and Nana! 12/24/2011.

Present!

Cole seems to enjoy eating his way through wrapping paper rather than simply tearing. Oh well! To each his own! 12/24/2011.

Opa's Buttons

Cole, Mommy, and Daddy visited Opa and Nana in St. Joseph, Minnesota for Christmas this year. During his stay, Cole enjoyed special fun times with Opa, who is an early riser just like Cole. Opa and Cole let Mommy and Daddy sleep in while they explored the house and played. Cole especially enjoyed examining Opa's buttons. 12/23/2011.

Santa Baby

12/22/2011.

Ornament

Cole and Momma made special ornaments for Cole's first Christmas. The plan was to get Cole's cute little handprint on a cute little ornament. As you can see, the artwork didn't really come out as Momma had planned. Guess Cole's just more of an abstract kind of guy. 12/22/2011.

Eight Months Old!

Thought we forgot the 8-month picture, didn't you? Nope -- totally took it, just almost forgot to post it. Here it is! By the way, this month has been a whirlwind of fun for Cole. He has started rolling over (and all around) in bed at night, and now seems to enjoy sleeping on his tummy. He is "talking" more and more (mostly gurgly vowel and consonant sounds), and he has started signing "milk" and "light." No teeth yet (although he sure seems to be working on them), and he still doesn't seem to be inclined toward crawling, but he's a master at reaching far for objects and rolling onto his stomach to capture out-of-reach toys. His favorite game is to climb on Mommy and Daddy and bounce while standing (assisted). Much to his parents' delight, he enjoys "singing" to tunes in the car. 12/21/2011.

From Bobpa to Cole: Part 2

It's a real fire helmet! The helmet used to be Bobpa's, but Bobpa decided to pass it on to his special little buddy. He had a brand new name badge fashioned just for Cole. We're sure Cole will treasure this priceless gift for years to come. 12/22/2011.

From Bobpa to Cole: Part 1

Cole found a funny looking package under the Christmas tree. What could be inside? 12/22/2011.

A Very Cardinal Christmas

Cole pictured with Daddy's favorite Christmas present. 12/22/2011.

Cuddles with Daddy

Not feeling well, little buddy? Daddy's got the perfect medicine: Daddy cuddles. 12/18/2011.

A Very Amma Christmas

Cole and Momma enjoyed a fun Sunday morning celebrating the holiday season with their Amma Maternity buddies. It was a fun morning of Secret Santa exchanges, delicious treats, and, of course, lots of play. Here, Cole is pictured with his friends (clockwise from Cole) Eliza, Ava, Alexis and Mem. 12/18/2011.

Standing Practice

12/16/2011.

Cole Meets Santa

Every baby needs a "Baby's First Christmas" picture with Santa Claus. Mommy was rooting for Cole to burst into tears for that classic baby-meets-Santa shot, but, alas, Cole just looked unimpressed and unamused. It's ok, Cole -- you'll realize soon that Santa is, in fact, quite an interesting fella. 12/17/2011.

Puffs

The one thing he hasn't managed to get in his mouth. 12/15/2011.

Books are Belicious

12/06/2011.

Standing! (Kind of)

One of Cole's favorite new games is to practice standing (with a little help). 11/20/2011.

Attack of the Baby!

11/09/2011.

Sweet Peas

We're still not quite sure how we feel about sweet peas. 11/02/2011.

Pat-a-Cake

I'm a little behind on uploading videos, so this one's a little old. Anyhow, Pat-a-Cake is one of Cole's favorite games, and it usually elicits much laughter. Not so much here, but, well, we don't have video cameras strapped to our hats, which means we don't always capture his roaring laughter, or when he recites the alphabet backwards and skips about unassisted. You'll just have to believe us. 11/01/2011.

Lovey

12/07/2011.

Warm Winter Suit

Ready for snowflakes! 12/07/2011.

Book Worm

Cole loves reading books with Mommy and Daddy! He has favorites from time to time (we know because he'll light up when we read the title or show him the cover). Right now, his favorites are Hop by Phillis Root, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. 12/06/2011.