Grandpa came to visit me!

My dad came last week to see Cole! I thought he might be a little wary of holding the baby - it's been a while since he's had charge of a guy so small. But he jumped right in, playing with Cole and doing "Trot, trot to Boston", which is what he said he remembers best about his grandpa. Cole loved spending time with dad - he smiled and smiled the whole time he was here.

Cole's first bottle

Kirk gave Cole his first bottle yesterday! Since I'm heading back to work in June (boo!), we wanted to start Cole on the bottle slowly. He was a little unsure at first - what is this thing and why is daddy feeding me? But it took to it eventually and had the whole bottle finished in no time. The nurse gave me a few tips to make it easy for Cole to go back and forth from bottle to nursing. She said to try to get Cole to take 15 - 20 minutes to finish his bottle and switch arms halfway through. He took all 4 ounces down in 4 minutes! So much for that! Hopefully, he won't have too much trouble getting used to bottles during the day. He's always been a good eater - I don't want to break his streak now!

100 Days Old!

We celebrated Cole's 100th day on Saturday! It's traditional in most Asian cultures to commemerate a baby's 100th day with a few festivities. We had our wedding photographer come over to take a few professional pictures of our little guy - much better than my clumsy attemps at capturing his cuteness.

We also bought Cole this Bumbo chair - several moms have raved about it. He's a littel small for it, but he loves it. It's more fun for him to be able to sit up and look around than lay on his back in the swing. We've been cooking together like this for a few days.

Preppy boy!

One of Kirk's clients bought this great outfit for Cole. I think he looks like a little frat boy in the making. You don't get the full effect of the v-neck button up sweater in this picture. I tried to prop Cole up in his crib, but he thought it was a game and he kept kicking his legs and sliding down. He's such a happy boy!

Boys' Day!

May 5th was Boys' Day in Japan. Kirk's grandma made the red koi, which Kirk carefully balanced on Cole's head. Boys' Day is dedicated to celebrating our children's health and happiness. The carp has become the symbol of the Boys' Festival because it is considered the most spirited of fish, so full of energy and power that it can fight its way up swift-running streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. We hung some traditional carp streamers and Cole and Kirk peeked through them for a picture.

3 months old!

Seems like I'm in awe over every milestone our little guy hits. I can't believe he's 3 months old! We celebrated with some pretty cute pictures - look at those smiles! And then Cole had a bit of a nap - yes, that dark spot on Kirk's shirt is...DROOL!

Many of my mommy friends told me that motherhood really turns a corner in the 4th month - babies start to really play and interact. I'm really looking forward to this last month of my leave - I'm going to savor every moment!