Cole's first "FIRST"

I knew that there was a reason that Cole was putting EVERYTHING in sight into his mouth including my fingers, his toes, all toys, anything COTTON that came near his mouth and he even managed to get a diaper in there at one point (a clean one, of course).

COLE CUT HIS FIRST TOOTH! And better yet, he did it before JD! Now, not that I compare them all of the time (I try my best NOT to do that) but it sure is nice to see my little underdog do something first! JD always has made the milestones first since he was bigger and a bit healthier at birth. Our little late bloomer is leading the charge with his choppers...

We had the boys 9 month well visit today and they are right on track. JD weighed in at 18 pounds, 12 oz (I thought he hit 20 and was a bit disappointed that his gut looks bigger than it really is) and Cole was 16 pounds, 5 oz. JD is 27" long and Cole is 26" long. Their heads are still on the large side so we have a while longer before they grow into them I guess. We're still trying to figure out where the big heads came from - Chuck and I have absurdly SMALL heads. In fact, we can both wear kids hats - sad but true. In any case, at least our kids won't be tagged with having to wear childrens hats and sunglasses for the rest of their lives like their parents.

Cole is rolling around now like JD - doing his best to hold on for dear life to his toys when JD starts rolling his direction. And frankly, Cole braces himself pretty well when JD starts coming since he'll usually steam roller right over him to get whatever is on the other side. That is, after somehow grabbing all of the toys along the way to take with him. He's really very entertaining to watch.

JD gets frustrated very easily (someone recently mentioned that was much like his beloved Uncle T?) when he can't get to what he wants - we're working with him to help him learn how to use his legs to propel him forward instead of crabbing backwards into every wall and permanent fixture before freaking out that he's stuck. He still loves his jumper and is slowly eating us out of house and home. He loves ALL baby food and most recently has found the new fondness that all babies have with cheerios. He's the entertainer of the family for sure - just a good natured fun little dude. This picture gives a little glimpse of what we're in for. T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Cole is smiling 99.9% of the time these days - as long as I keep him pumped with tylenol to keep those teeth numb. No really, he is a happy boy and just loves attention. He also loves to sleep and has become our champion sleeper. He's still more of a fan of his bottle than he is baby food - but we're working on that. His reflux has left him with some feeding difficulties so we're going to have an Occupational Therapist come out and take a look. He's getting better at it every day but it's a slow process. If this is the worst of our issues after having a 2lb preemie, I'm ok with that. I know that someday he will grow up and eat real food so not to worry that he's a bit slower on the food plan. He too enjoys the jumper but he's not nearly as insane in it as his brother. His personality is certainly more laid back and he is always observing - very intently. He loves nothing more than to watch and listen to whatever is going on around him. He studies things that he holds very closely and often times watches his own hands with a fascinated look on his face. He's still as patient as a saint - and rarely complains about too much. Here he is with his new "taggies" from his Great Aunt Kathy!

That's about it for updates...we're in disbelief that it's been 9 months already since the kids came into this world...won't be long now and I'll be posting pictures of their 1 year birthday. Time flies when you're having fun!