The Cole Chronicles

Monday, October 28, 2013

3 Months

Rebecca is officially 3 months old today!

I can't believe it has been 3 months since this little lady joined us. She is getting so active and noisy. We can definitely tell that she recognizes us now. When I come to get her up from naps she starts to kick, smile, and coo. Seriously...cutest thing EVER! She eats and sleeps like a champ. I love getting 8 or more hours of sleep at night. Rebecca has started to do this kind of giggle thing that just melts my heart. I love getting to stare into her big beautiful eyes and imagine what she is going to be like as she grows up. She's weighing about 15.5 lbs now and about 25 in. She has been in 3-6 or 6 month clothes and if she gets much longer we are going to have to bump up another size. Her torso is where a lot of her length is so onsies get tighter before her pants do. However...she's got chubby legs (at least 3 rolls between her waist and knee). And her sleep and plays are starting to get a little snug around her legs. Hopefully we can get a little more use out of her 3-6 month clothes though. We feel to blessed to have such a wonderful baby. Did I mention she's the cutest ever? :) She's gotten better at Skype/Facetime sessions. She doesn't just stare at the screen the whole time anymore but will kick and coo a little bit. So grateful for the devices we have today to keep in touch with families and friends. Here are a few pictures taken recently. Hope you enjoy her cuteness as much as we do!

Rebecca is a Boise State Fan. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Jemmett for the cute outfit!

Sitting on my chest one morning - staring me down

Rebecca before Church looking like a doll face

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Family Dates

Now that time together as a family is harder to come by, we have been taking advantage of Saturdays and days that Benn has off school. We had bought these Boston City Passes that got us into 60 different attractions around Boston for a 24-hour period. So we decided to go to the Aquarium and Science Museum. We had a wonderful time and Rebecca was a total champ being dragged around all day and taking naps in her stroller.

The aquarium

Benn and Rebecca with the penguins.

We loved the penguins! They were super cute!

Rebecca loved getting carried by Daddy - O

She was bracing herself for the wild ride! :)

Inside a space thing

This funny mirror at the Science Museum

Poor little girl was exhausted after our fun day!

We also spent a Saturday with some friends at a Farm. They had so many fun activities! We went through a corn maze and Benn raced ducks with a friend. We walked through a pumpkin patch and found a spectacular pumpkin for Benn to carve. We got to watch a pig race and take some fun pictures on an old tractor (which I especially loved!). They also had a fantastic fresh produce area so I had to get some sweet corn and tomatoes. The corn was so good I regretted not getting more! And the tomatoes were so juicy I was in heaven! It's so fun to do things together as a family and we are so excited to continue having adventures as Rebecca grows up.

Some friends - we all had our babies within 7 weeks of each other

DUCK RACES!

Rebecca just kickin' it in her stroller

Benn the Farmer, a particular fav of mine...:)

Rebecca's first tractor picture. Too bad I didn't have her in her John Deere clothes!

One of Rebecca's classic faces. We think maybe it's just too hard to smile sometimes because there is just too much cheek that has to move for a smile.

The pumpkin...pics to follow of the carving product

Look at those two cuties! Love them!

My wonderful family :)

Grandparents

So Benn's Grandma and Grandpa Cole came to Boston to go on a cruise so we were lucky enough to get to spend a couple days with them. It's so wonderful to have people take some time to visit us. We loved getting to get to know Benn's grandparents better. They are wonderful people. So here is a picture of them with their great-granddaughter!

Mommy/Baby Dates!

So there is a group of ladies in my ward and around Boston that get together once or twice a week for play dates. Rebecca and I have started going the past couple of weeks. It's been so fun to get to spend time with other adults during the day! We have gone to a sculpture park, a preserve, and a cemetery. So here are some pictures from those fun outings (some are just the scenery because it's been so beautiful this fall with the changing leaves).

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Being a Mom

It's still so weird to call myself a Mom. I look at my beautiful baby and sometimes I forget that she is mine! These past 6 - 7 weeks have given me a new appreciation and understanding to what it means to be a Mom. And I realized that it all comes down to one thing. And that one thing is...

being a Mom means putting yourself second.

My whole day revolves around when Rebecca needs to eat and sleep. I can't shower, sleep, or go to the store whenever I want or whenever it's most convenient anymore. And I imagine it will be a long time before that changes. My fashion is lacking because breastfeeding clothes are not exactly the most fashionable things. I'm still working on getting my body back and, lets be honest, it will never be exactly like it was before I had Rebecca. My clothes often times smell like spit-up and my hair gets done...sometimes. Quality time with my husband is rare and let's not even talk about quality "me" time! My life has forever changed and I'm starting to see all the different ways it has.

At one point I thought to myself, "Why do people do this and how in the world do they handle doing it again, and again, and again?" And then a few days ago, Rebecca was looking right at me while I talked to her and she smiled. Now, when I say she smiled, I mean she SMILED - her eyes lit up, a little dimple showed up, and you could see her gums. I wished I would have been able to take a picture of it! As I looked back at that moment, I understand why people do this again and again and again.

I have a new understanding of love and appreciation for Mothers. I will kindly disagree with anyone that says being a stay-at-home mom is not a full-time job. Mothers are heroes! They gladly give up whatever they need to for their children. Some of you may be thinking, "I don't always give it up gladly..." but the reality is that you still give up whatever it is - gladly or not. So thanks to all those mothers out there! You guys are amazing and are true inspirations to me. And to my own Mom - I have always known you to do whatever you could for us kids. And I have realized there were plenty of other things you gave up for us that I never noticed. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a stellar Mom! I love you and hope to become the Mother you are.

Monday, September 2, 2013

One Month down, a lifetime to go!

Well, our little lady is one month old! We found out that she is growing great - at her 5 week appointment she weighed 11 lbs 10 oz which is in the 95th percentile. So...she is definitely not petite! We LOVE that she is more awake and alert now. It's still a little hard to play with her, but we are able to get a little more response out of her. She has some great smiles that appear every now and then, which makes it a little hard to catch on camera (even though we have tried MANY times). She is starting to sleep 6-7 hours at night which is AMAZING! I love it - a good 6 hours of sleep does wonders these days. We love our little girl and feel so blessed to have a strong, healthy baby. And to make it even better, she's adorable! Here are some pictures that have been taken over the past few weeks.