4, 5, 6, almost 7!!!

Cole will be 7 months old tomorrow. I really can't believe it. I just counted the months to make sure and yes, he will definately be 7 months old tomorrow. Wasn't he just born?

I'm going to use this post to write about his 4, 5 and 6 month updates and post some pictures. I've still been taking his monthly pictures and writing in his baby book, but it has not made it to the blog until now.

4 months old

Cole had some big milestones at four months. He began sleeping in his crib on the night he turned 4 months old and has been in there ever since. It was also the first night that he slept unswaddled and he slept great that night. I loved having him in the co sleeper in the bed with me, but it was way past time for him to move to his own bed.

Cole also began eating some solids at 4 months. We first fed him some rice cereal mixed with my milk. He wasn't sure about it at first, but it only took a few feeding before he realized that he loved it. This baby boy loves to eat and has since tried all the baby fruits and veggies and some meats. We haven't found anything that he doesn't like and we can't feed him fast enough!


Here are his official stat's from his 4 month well visit:

~13 pounds, 7 ounces (19th percentile)
~24 3/4 inches (41st percentile)

At 4 months, Cole was:

~ Wearing a size 1 diaper
~Sleeping great through the night in his bed!
~ Wearing size 3 month and 3-6 month clothing
~Nursing about 6 times a day and learning to eat baby food
~Learning to like his Jumparoo
~Watching his BabyFaith DVD's

Cole's very first cereal feeding. I promise he loves it now!

Cole with Mommy!

Cole laughing in Daddy's arms:

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5 months old

By 5 months old, Cole was on the perfect schedule and his schedule was much more predictable so it made it easier to plan our day. He is just a dream baby! He typically sleeps from about 9:00 p.m. until about 7:00 or 7:30 the next morning. He usually naps about 1 hour in the morning and about 2 hours in the afternoon. I don't have his official weight/length from this month because he didn't have a doctor's visit, but I think he was over well over 14 pounds by 5 months old.

At five months old, Cole was:

~Wearing a size 2 diaper

~Wearing 3-6, and 6 month size clothing

~Playing with his feet. He found his feet and loves them!

~Chewing and drooling on everything. We thought he might get a tooth, but no teeth yet.

~Rolling around. You could put him on his play mat and he would roll off of it and across the room!

~Splashing in the bath and loving it! (and making a mess!)

Loving bath time:

Chewing on those feet:

Playing in his jumparoo:

Playing on his playmat:

He adores his big sister:

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6 months old

If I had to describe Cole in just one word, it would be joy. Just pure JOY! He is such a joy to be around and so much fun. I've always thought that 6 months was the best age for babies and I still do. He isn't quite mobile yet, so I don't have to worry about that and he can interact with us so much more now! He is so very aware of his surroundings and loves to take everything in.

I don't think anyone can argue with me about one thing: he is a momma's boy and I love it! Right now, I think it's mainly because I have his main source of  food! I hope he will always be a momma's boy.

These are his official stats from his 6 month well visit:

~15 pounds, 15 ounces (20th percentile)
~26 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

As you can see, he is growing like a weed and has doubled his birth weight! Up until 6 months old, I was exclusively breast feeding Cole. At six months we began giving him 1 bottle of formula a day and he is doing great with that. I plan to very slowly start weaning him and be done breastfeeding at around 9 months. I'm just so glad that I've been able to do it for this long.

At six months old, Cole was:

~Wearing a size 2 diaper
~Wearing 3-6 and 6 month size clothing
~Laughing, smiling and babbling all the time. He loves to hear himself make noises.
~Eating 1 meal of baby food a day (usually at lunch). I give him cereal, 1 veggie and 1 fruit.
~Nursing 5 times a day and taking 1 bottle of formula a day.
~Jumping in his jumparoo!
~Drolling and chewing on everything, but no teeth yet
~Reaching out for people. He reached out for me first and has been reaching out for others ever since.
~Not sitting alone yet, but it won't be long!

And most importantly at six months old, Cole was melting Mommy's heart! He loves to be held and is so spoiled and I'm sure I hold him more than I should.

A few more pictures of Cole at 6 months:

Chilaxing in his stroller:

Splashing in the pool:

First time at the beach:

Playing with big sister:

Okay, so now I am caught up on Cole's monthly updates until he turns 7 months old........tomorrow!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

The opening line of A Tale of Two Cities is the best way that I can think of to describe the past few months.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

Losing dad has been the worst thing I've ever been through. This has by far been the darkest days of my life. On the other hand, being a stay at home mother and wife to my wonderful family has been the best experience that I've ever had. These days have also been the brightest days of my life and I think they always will be. I can't imagine anything else on this earth that could make me any happier.

It's been almost 3 months since I've blogged other than Dad's obituary that I just posted before this. I still can't believe he has an obituary. We lost dad a few days after my last post and I've barely even looked at my blog since. I sat down and looked through my old posts this week. I've been blogging for three years now, and I'm so glad that I have. I would have forgotten about so many fun moments if I wouldn't have taken the time to write them down and post pictures. I've written so many posts with great memories of dad. It made me smile to go back and read them.

I hope to do better with my blog posts, because I truly enjoy doing it. It is for me more than anything. My reason for blogging is still the same as I wrote in my very first blog post.  I still want to post updates from our everyday life to keep our friends and family updated, while also creating this virtual keepsake for me and my family. My scrapbook and photo books can't capture the everyday moments and journaling that I can do on this blog.

With that said, I'm off the work on a new post on Baby Cole who will be 7 months old tomorrow! Where is the time going and why can't I keep him little for longer? The last post on him was at 3 months so I have some catching up to do!

Thomas Hilman Weeks, Jr.

Thomas Hilman "Papa" Weeks, Jr., age 64, a native of Columbus, MS and a resident of Daphne. Sunrise October 14, 1946 - Sunset June 10, 2011

He is survived by his wife, Penelope R. "Penny" Weeks; five children, Carrye (James) Campbell, Jonathan Weeks, Adam (Lacey) Gordon, Jennifer (Brian) Davis, Rebekah (Terry) Shaeffer; seven grandchildren, Tristen, Will, Jeanne, Addie, Chloe, Jake, Cole; three sisters, Linda Sobley, Bonnie Johnson, Suzan Bardwell and many other loving relatives and friends.

The family will receive friends Sunday, June 12, 2011 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm at Bay Community Church in Malbis. A Celebration of Life service will begin at 5:00 pm at the church.

A Graveside memorial will be held at Jubilee Memorial Gardens following the Celebration of Life service.

2011

I knew it was going to be a bittersweet year before it even started. I remember praying on New Years Eve of this past year. I was struggling with so many emotions and I remember not feeling well. I didn't feel well physically because I was entering my ninth month of pregnancy and was just plain miserable. I also wasn't well emotionally, because I knew what else was to come. I was so excited to begin 2011 because we would soon be welcoming our son into our family. I couldn't wait for that. However, I was also dreading the year 2011, because I knew it was the year that I would say goodbye to my father....my sweet daddy... Addie's Papa.

I haven't written about this yet, because I didn't know what to write. I still don't know how to put it all in words. I can't even sort it all out in my head, but I'm going to try to write about it from my perspective.

Let's rewind to November of last year. I got a call one afternoon from my step-mother, Penny, telling me that dad had received some bad news that day. Six tumors were found on his brain. Tests later in the week revealed that there was also a spot in his lung and kidney. It was a hard week for our family and we all decided to get together that weekend. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and dad was scheduled for brain surgery on Tuesday.

I have to tell this little side story: I picked Addie up from preschool one day that week and I told her that we were going down to see Nana & Papa for the weekend. She was so excited; she loves going to Nana & Papa's house! She was being unusually quiet in the backseat and I knew she was thinking of something. She finally said with such enthusiasm, "Mommy! That means you get to see your daddy!" My eyes just welled up with tears. She didn't say that she was going to see her Papa. She made sure I knew that she understood that I was getting to see my daddy that weekend. It was like she and her sweet little spirit knew how much my dad means to me, just as her daddy means the world to her. I needed to hear that and I'll always remember her saying that.


Anyway, we had a wonderful time with our family that weekend and I am so thankful for the time that we all got to spend together. Dad enjoyed his 6 1/2 grandchildren as he called them that weekend since Cole was on the way. I had a wonderful and meaningful conversation with my dad and was absolutely amazed with the peace that he was showing to all of us during this difficult time. We made some wonderful memories that weekend and of course, since I had anything to do with it, we took many pictures:

Our Family ~November 2011:

Nana & Papa with their Grands!

Addie & her Papa:

Dad had brain surgery that following Tuesday and we found out that it was cancer; small-cell carcinoma to be exact. The surgeon couldn't give us much information that day, but I googled it at the hospital on my phone and knew instantly that the long term prognosis, even with treatment, would not be good. After recovering from the surgery, he immediately began radiation to his brain. I didn't see him again until Christmas and I could tell it was taking a toll on him. It was making him very sick. He still put on a smile though and tried his best to enjoy our family.

This was during Christmas. Dad, Addie, me and baby Cole in my belly!

You see, he still didn't look very sick at Christmas, but he was. He began to lose his hair the week after this picture was taken. He began chemotherapy after that and became even more sick. I couldn't travel down to see him after that because I was so far along in my pregnancy. My sweet stepmother, Penny, would give me the updates and I talked with him often on the phone and prayed for him numerous times a day. I remember him telling me not to worry, that he was going to be there to meet Baby Cole. He didn't promise anything more than that, but he said that was going to meet his grandson.

He kept that promise. He couldn't be at the hospital when Cole was born, but as sick as he was, he and Penny made the trip up to see us the day after we got home from the hospital with our new baby. I was experiencing the normal emotions from just having a baby, and seeing my dad that day was almost more than I could bear. His appearance was dramatically different from the last time I saw him and I could really see how sick he was. I was so glad he was there, but it was a very hard day for me. I was trying my hardest to keep it together, but I had to go out of the room and recompose myself more than once.

 Papa was so excited to meet Coley Thomas, his grandson, his namesake.

At this point, Addie didn't know anything was wrong with Papa. She wondered out loud why he was wearing a hat and he just told her that he got a hair cut. She didn't seem to think much of and marched right along and enjoyed Nana & Papa being at our house. This picture is funny to me. She jumped into the picture as I was snapping it.

Here she is trying to get under his hat with him:

It was very hard that day when he left. I hugged him and cried and cried and cried. I knew in my heart that that was the last time he would ever be at my house again. I don't cry much and Addie was surprised to see me cry. I just told her that I was sad to see him go and she was so sweet and hugged me and told me that it would be okay.

Another side story: Soon after Cole was born, I was in the car with Addie & Cole. It was one of our first times out after Cole was born. I can't remember where we were going, but she spoke up and out of the blue said, "Mommy, I'm so sorry that your daddy is sick." Again, she said your daddy, not her Papa. I just think it's so thoughtful and so considerate of her to word it like that. I still hadn't told her anything about Papa at that point, so finally, I told her that yes, Papa is sick and we need to pray for him everyday and since then we have.

As much as we have prayed for our sweet Papa, it appears that he will not be healed here on earth. He has been under hospice care for several weeks now, and we only have a few days left with him on this side of heaven. We've spent a lot of time down there during the last few weeks and we are heading back down there this weekend.

This picture was taken when Cole was about six weeks old. Dad was admiring his sweet new grandson.

Cole had lost most of his hair and we joked that they were both baldies!

These next few pictures were taken during Easter weekend. We had a big party for Papa at my sister, Rebekah's house. Brian took these and I love them. I will always treasure these photos.

My dad means the world to me. You can click here to read a post that I wrote about him on his birthday about 2 1/2 years ago. I've enjoyed the time that we've had with him recently. I've got to spend another holiday with him, take more pictures with him, and have more conversations with him. It doesn't make it any easier, but I'm thankful for those special memories.

It has been and will be a difficult year for our family, so if you pray, please pray for us. He will me missed dearly, but we are a family of Faith and we believe that we will see him again soon.

Standing on His Promises,

Three Months

This is just a brief update on Cole at 3 months. Brief, because that's about all I have time for these days! What happened to all that time that I was going to have when I became a SAHM? Ha!

Cole turned 3 months old last week and I cannot believe how much he has grown in just 3 short months!

I'm not sure exactly how much he weighs now, but I think it is somewhere between 11 and 12 pounds. His next well visit will be at 4 months so I'll have all of his official stats then.

I read over the list of facts that I wrote about Cole at his two month post (which was my last post) and most everything is about the same. His little personality is really starting to shine now and he smiles all the time and is starting to laugh out loud. He is such a joy! He has recently found his hands and his tongue and loves to play with both!

This little guy has stolen my heart... just like his daddy and big sister did before him! I never knew how much fun a baby boy could be and this is just the beginning!

I hope to update again soon! I have a post just about  my sweet Addie that I've already started on that I hope to be finished with soon!

Two Months

It's hard to believe that our sweet baby boy is over two months old now! He's growing so fast. I took him for his two month well visit last week and he had a great check-up. He received his first set of immunizations so it was hard to see him get those shots, but other than that, it was a good visit.

Current Stats:

~10 pounds, 5 ounces (14th percentile). This is up from 7 pounds, 12 ounces at his one month check up!

~22 1/2 inches long (24th percentile). This is up from 20 1/2 inches at one month.


As you can see, he has grown a lot during his second month of life...2 1/2 pounds and 2 inches!

Cole is a such a good baby and is so laid back. He is developing a sweet little personality and loves to interact with people now. He is smiling and laughing and cooing at us and it is so much fun. I love this age! He probably gives the most smiles to Addie. When she is near him, he watches her every move. It's so sweet...I can tell that he is going to adore his big sister! He already seems to want to do what she is doing. She is such a good big sister to him and I know that she will be such a good example to him.


A few facts about Cole at 2 months old:

~He has outgrown his newborn clothes and is wearing 0-3 and 3 month sized clothing.

~He is wearing a size 1 diaper.

~ He nurses every 2 to 3 hours during the day for a total of about 7 or 8 times a day.

~He loves his paci!

~ He is sleeping through the night!!! He usually has his last feeding around 9 or 9:30 at night and goes to sleep right after that. I usually don't hear from him until sometime between 5:30 - 6:30 the next morning. Then, he nurses and usually goes back to sleep until about 9:00. I know, I am so blessed that he is such a good sleeper!

~He is still sleeping in the sleeper that is in the bed with me. Addie was in her crib by this age. I'm going to have a hard time putting him in his crib. I love to hear his peaceful breathing at night and I just love having him right there next to me!

~He still likes to be swaddled and sleeps in his straight jacket swaddle blanket every night and during his afternoon nap.

~He is starting to really like his swing! He hated it at first.

~He will sometimes take little cat naps in the mornings, but not for very long since he sleeps so well at night! He usually takes one long nap (about 2 hours) in his crib in the afternoon.

~He loves his mobile, I mean LOVES it! It's the wind up kind and he gets the biggest smile and nearly laughs out loud when I wind it up for him. I'm serious when I say he loves it!

~He enjoy his bath now.

~He likes to be outside and likes to stroll around the yard with us in the evenings.

~He has rolled over both ways now, from front to back and back to front!

~He's not too crazy about tummy time and will either roll over to his back or will just get mad and cry.

Here are a few more pictures from his two month photo shoot. I actually took these on the day he turned two months and he did so good that it only took one session this time!

A few snapshots during his second month of life: