I am back!!

Okay, so I know it has been a month since my last blog and for those of you who check everyday I am very sorry!!! All I have to say is thank you for your faithfulness to the blog while I have been so busy! I will just start out with what I can remember to update everyone on (I may forget a lot!)

To start out, Cole is getting so good at walking!! Now he will let go of the couch and take a few steps without us egging him on. He had his first haircut on Friday April 8th, and he did wonderful! No tears and he only tried to get away once or twice! I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone, my baby will be one in two weeks and one day! I can already feel the tears that will be shed that day! We will be in Sioux Falls over Easter, which is the weekend before his birthday so we will have a small party for him down there and then one on his actual birthday in Grand Forks.

I had a bridal shower in Sioux Falls over spring break in March and one up here a week later, both of which were wonderful and so nice to see friends and family! We're down to 39 days until the wedding and tying up loose seems to never end! Three more weeks of the semester left as well and I am looking forward to the summer! Although with all the free time of no school and wedding to plan I think I may feel a little lost!

Flood season in ND is upon us and while it is not as bad as it has been in years past, I am still amazed by it every single year! I29 north of Fargo for about 30 miles is closed, so I am also thankful I did not plan to go out of town this weekend!

I do not know when the next time I will update is, but I promise it will be at least once before the wedding and then hopefully much more after that!!

A couple steps!

Cole took a couple steps tonight! He was standing by the end table in the living room and turned to the chair and took two steps to get to it! I think he has done this before but by accident, this was the first time he's done it knowing what he was doing!

We went down to Sioux Falls this past weekend and missed the blizzard up here! We had a nice time though, the bridal shower that my sister threw was on Saturday and it was nice to see people and catch up. The next time we'll be home will be over Easter weekend which is when we'll start tying things up for the wedding! This is going to be a short post because I need to get to bed since it's almost midnight and Cole will be up at 7am, but I just thought everyone should know about Cole's newest milestone!

Poor blogger!

I apologize for my lack of blogging lately! Between school, wedding, Cole, working out, working and other life dilemmas blogging has been the last thing on my mind! But now that I have made the time I will make sure to catch everyone up on the past two weeks or so!

My mom and Becca came this past weekend and we had a great weekend hanging out and talking all about wedding stuff of course! They also saw (and took pictures) of me in my wedding dress, which I think they like but even if they didn't they're good at lying! Our centerpieces have started coming in the mail one by one, the UPS and Fed Ex man are going to know this address by heart! Everyone is just going to have to wait and see what they are at the wedding though, don't want to give away too many surprises!

Jason, Cole and I are going to Sioux Falls on Thursday, weather permitting, for a bridal shower my wonderful sister a.k.a wonderful maid of honor is putting on. Pray for good weather and safe driving, both of which are a concern of mine in March, especially with a baby.  My car broke down last week so it is in the shop, we are hoping it will be ready by Thursday because it will be nice to drive it to Sioux Falls and save on gas!

Cole has learned to wave in the past few days, he can't get the motion down but when someone says bye he will put his hand up in the air so at least he understands that is how to say goodbye! He amazes me everyday with the things he learns! I promise I will try to be better with the blogging however no promises until after the wedding! Of which we only have 72 days until the big day! Looking forward very, very much to May!!!

Overwhelmed

I am suddenly feeling very overwhelmed with wedding details, school, work (sometimes) and Cole! I don't know why it is all catching up to me now but somedays I feel that it might give me an ulcer. To say the least wedding stuff is always on my mind, I sit in class and in between taking notes I am jotting down lists of things I need to do for the wedding. Or while Cole is sleeping I am constantly on the internet or on the phone calling someone! I don't know what I will do with all my free time after the wedding...thank goodness it will be summer, Cole and I will be at the park and the pool everyday!

Cole has started mimicking Jason and I which is very funny to watch, if we scrunch up our nose he will too or if I laugh at something he will have to laugh also. Sometimes I make weird sounds and faces just so he'll do it! I love watching him learn, it's so amazing how he picks up on the smallest things. He has been a very happy boy this week and while I always enjoy him at his best and worst, this week has been very nice to see.

Spring break is 2 weeks away and I cannot wait for a little vacation from school!

Standing!

Cole finally stood for longer than 5 seconds tonight! And I wasn't even encouraging him to do it! I was eating dinner and he was standing by my legs (hoping I would give him some) when he just let go and stood there and kept standing for close to 10 seconds! He has stood by himself many times in the past few weeks but only for three seconds. I do believe he could stand a lot longer but he can be a little stubborn and as soon as I try to stand him back up, he'll bend his legs into the sitting position and will not stand at all! It's funny to watch though. Jason finally had to lower Cole's crib last night and put stoppers on the cupboards in the bathroom and kitchen. He stands up in his crib now and I just don't trust him to not try to crawl out! And he opens any cupboard that he can so all the ones with cleaners are locked!

On a wedding note, my dress and the bridesmaid dresses came in on Friday so Becky and I went today and while I wasn't planning on trying it on Becky talked me into it! I am thankful she did though because it looked great and I picked out my veil and earrings as well! I can't wait to wear everything three months from today!! Next goal...work on invitations!

A taste of spring

So today has been one of the most beautiful days here in Grand Forks in months! Almost 40 degrees and I didn't have to wear a coat or gloves! Cole is enjoying not to have to be bundled up as much either so getting him ready is more enjoyable for the both of us. He has been standing by himself more and more the past couple of days and it is fun for me to see him do it especially when no one is trying to make him do it. With all this practice however he does have a few more bumps and bruises on his head, but he takes them well and after about 3 seconds of crying he's back trying to do what got him hurt in the first place! Jason and I went out for Valentine's day and had dinner with his sister Becky and her husband Jaime. It was very nice to get out of the house and eat dinner without someone standing at my knee begging for bites and whining every couple of seconds. Cole enjoyed his Valentine's day evening at home with Grandma who we were very thankful for!

On a few wedding notes, my dress comes in on Thursday so I am very excited to see it and get it fitted to wear in only three more months! We will also start addressing invitations next weekend and get ready to send those out in another two weeks as well. It seems like now I have a ton of wedding things to do along with a loaded semester of classes, I will be very, very happy to see May roll around in the next few months!

Kisses!

Cole has learned how to give kisses and it was perfect timing since it is right before Valentine's day! It is so cute I could just ask for kisses all day long from him, I have never enjoyed kisses more! It has been a very busy week for me with three tests and one more tomorrow I would say I am ready for the weekend but I work overnights so I do not get a break until next weekend, but I will look forward to that. Jason will be working out of town Monday-Thursdays in Minot for awhile, and while I am used to having him help out at nights I am also thankful Cole is nine months old and can entertain himself while I get stuff done. The weather was hopefully at it's coldest today and we're in for a warm up from here, 30 degrees will feel hot after these past two weeks!

Doctor appt.

Well I am behind by a few days but Cole had his nine month appointment Monday which went very well, he's a healthy 21 lbs 9 oz and 29 1/4 inches long! 60th percentile for weight, 80th for height. No shots either so he did not mind this appointment but his one year he'll make up for it by getting four.  We just bought him a bigger car seat too, he got one for Christmas from his uncle Andrew but it's one that only faces forward and since he can't do that until one (they recommend two years of age now) we went and bought another one. It will make it easier to only have to lug him around and not an extra 10 lbs of car seat. He has been getting more brave and letting go while standing a lot more, his balance still isn't quite there to stand on his own but he practices a lot! We had a very, very cold week that past few days, yesterday the windchill reached -50 degrees however we're lucky today and the temp is in the twenties, that makes it feel like a 70 degree warmup from yesterday! Hopefully no more days that cold, I am definitely looking forward to warmer weather in the next couple of months!

9 months old!

I can't believe it has been nine months since we first got to meet Cole! Why have these past nine months gone way faster than the nine months of pregnancy! Cole finally got his right bottom tooth in today so four on top and four on the bottom, no more crooked smile. He woke up at 6am this morning, took one nap all day long and has been the happiest he has been in days. I however could've used an extra hour of sleep this morning! He has started walking with his Fischer Price walker, sometimes he gets a little ahead of himself but he is doing very well, that much closer to doing it on his own! He also has a mind of his own and when he does not want to do something he will make sure everyone knows it, Jason and I have to team up sometimes to get his diaper changed, coat, hat and gloves on and then into his car seat. Now I am very good at doing this on my own because that is how I make it through the days when Jason is working and I am home by myself. But a couple of days ago Cole was being particularly hard and Jason and I were having a hard time getting it done together and Jason turns to me and says "I have no idea how you do this on your own." I just burst out laughing because in my head I thought, somedays I don't either. And then I start thinking, how do people do this with more than one child? And how did my mom even survive with four?! Luckily for now I have time to spend just figuring out how to get one baby to cooperate!

School has been going well, I have a paper due on Monday which I will of course do Sunday (evening) but we had a great weekend with Andrew and Becca last weekend and it was great to have them come visit if only for two days! Looking forward to this weekend too even with the colder weather coming in!

Cole- 9 months

Brrrr!!

I always know to expect weather this cold but for some reason it seems more and more miserable every year! Today with windchills well below -40 degrees I walked to class and I am happy to say I made it there keeping all fingers, toes and ears! Lucky for us this was supposed to be the coldest week and it should warm up to at least -10 degrees for the rest of the week! Cole and I ventured out into the cold tonight to go to a house of a friend of mine! Jes, Ellie and Haley are wonderful hosts and Cole had fun getting out of the house and playing with Jes's dog Marley. Cole has tried a few more different foods this week including a mashed up banana, pancakes, and Red Lobster biscuit. He has been getting more and more brave with his walking along furniture as well and now tries to let go and grab onto something else, a few falls here and there but he is doing very well getting around on two legs! Becca and Andrew are on their way up here for the weekend to visit, so hopefully the weather warms up enough to go outside without the worry of frostbite. And since we have five close family birthdays this month I will just say happy birthday to Jason (tomorrow), Grandpa Paul (Jan 14) Aunt Becky and Uncle Andrew (Jan 17) and Grandma Karen (Jan 19)! It's a busy birthday month in this family! And just incase anyone forgot the wedding is exactly four months from today, and all of a sudden I feel like I don't have anything done. I know it will all fall into place but planning a Sioux Falls wedding from Grand Forks is a little more tough than I had planned, but looking forward to being Mrs. Vasquez in 120 days!

A long first week

Well I made it through the first week of what is going to be a very long spring semester! Between wedding planning, school papers and Cole I have no time to sleep! I will be looking forward to May for a break from at least two of those things though. Cole has gotten very good at walking along furniture and is finding his way to many things that he should not supposed to play with. He has also for some reason decided to protest his fruits the past two weeks. Most babies I have been around would much rather eat fruit than veggies but not Cole, instead of telling him to eat his vegetables I have to bribe him to eat his fruit! I gave him some pancakes cut up tonight and he loved them, his dexterity is getting there but he has trouble getting small pieces of food into his mouth, however when it comes to picking up the tiniest piece of lint off the ground and getting it into his mouth he has no problem! We are preparing for some cold weather moving in tonight so I plan to stay inside for all but one hour tomorrow!

Computer's back! Let the posting resume!

Okay I FINALLY have my computer back so I will be able to update the blog more than once every two weeks like I have been the past month! The computer has a brand new hard drive and I am hoping it will stay in good shape for at least another two years now! A lot has changed with Cole in the last few weeks so I will try to update on everything but also keep this post kind of short! He has started pulling himself up on everything now and walks along the couch and his toys, I have a feeling he'll be walking well before he is one! He also learned that he is able to climb the stairs just a few days ago so now I will need a gate for the downstairs as well. We're slowing easing into more solid foods besides his regular baby food, he does very well with some of the Gerber graduates as well as small pieces of bread. Another big accomplishment for us anyway are his going to sleep habits, we finally broke him of having to be rocked to sleep which usually started with a half hour of crying and throwing himself around. Where as now when it is nap time we lay him in his bed and he goes right to sleep! I think he was telling us he was ready to go to bed like a big boy!

Jason stayed home sick with the stomach flu today so Cole and I stayed away from him! Hoping he feels better tomorrow though. School started today so I do not need to get sick this week! However I would much rather have it than Cole get it but hopefully we'll both be lucky and dodge it all together. We have an Arctic cold front moving in by the end of the week and I am not looking forward to even colder weather, however after about the middle of Feb. the warm front will move into stay so only one more month of the frigid temps! I need to get to bed since tomorrow I have early classes but I will keep up with the blog now so check back often!!