Chris - Natalie - Cole

2010-05-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

WoW! It's been a while. I almost forgot I had one of these! So much has happened...
We built a house in Idaho Falls, and love everything about it here. Our neighborhood and ward is by far the most amazing I've ever been in. It took Cole a little while to adjust to the changes [he's get upset everytime I left the room] but he now ventures out on his own.

We decorated his room with a Cat in the Hat theme- he is beyond obsessed with that book. When visitors come over, he likes to take them in there and he points out each picture of the cat in the hat. I also put quotes on his wall such as "Up up up with the fish," "The Cat in the Hat" and "El gato in a sombrero, ole ole!" When I point and read him the quotes, I'll ask him what the last word says and he'll finish it by saying"ish," accompanied by the sign for fish, "ole," or signing
"hat." It's crazy to see how fast he grows and how quickly he picks up on things.

I got called into the Primary. I serve as the secretary. It is the perfect calling for me, and it's been fun to be back in the Primay; there's so much I've forgotten. The ladies I serve with are amazing, and have so much energy and ideas for the children.

The artery in Cole's heart has started to calcify, or in other words, his body has recognized it as a foreign object and is trying to get rid of it. We are scheduled to go down to SLC in August to do a
sedated echo so we'll have more of an idea as to when to expect his next surgery. His cardioloist
is thinking three to four years, but it could be more or less.

Chris is staying busy with work and school. He's still a FireFighter out at the site, and also works at Agristor and drives Wrecker for a company out of Shelley. He is also doing online school which the site pays for. He keeps so busy, yet never complains. I don't know how he does it. Cole gets
so, so excited evertime Chris comes home, and everytime he comes across a picture of Chris, he
points and says "dada." We got some luggage tags with a picture of all of us on it, and Cole packs it around with him all over the house.

Cole is very helpful around the house- besides opening the door and adding detergent and softener, he does the laundry for me. He loves moving it from the washer to the dryer, and then into the basket where he pushes it into the bedroom and unloads it. He can even put away some of the clothes! After we're done, he takes the basket into his room and loads it up with toys to haul around. He also helps cook, clean, and vacuum. I hope he doesn't lose the excitement when he's older!

Back in Blackfoot

2008-12-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

We have recently moved into a small house in Blackfoot. It's been exciting to get all of our stuff gathered up and unpacked. The kitchen is exactly what I was hoping for; lots of space! I'm slowly but surely learning how to cook. I haven't experimented too much yet, though. We almost have everything organized, that is, everything except Cole's room. It's kindof become more of a storage room for now. Everything that we haven't gotten to has ended up piled in there. I'm sure we'll have it sorted out by the time he's old enough to want his own room. We still haven't gotten around to putting decorations on the walls though. Hopefully we'll get around to putting them up sometime this week.

Finally Off Oxygen

2008-12-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

It's been so nice not to have to pack an oxygen tank around everywhere with Cole; he has been off oxygen since November 18. I'm sure he's much happier not having that canula shoved up his nose. This morning we went to the doctor once again, and he received his first out of four shots to prevent RSV. I think he handled it much better than I would've! He's gaining weight steadily, now weighing 11 pounds 15 1/2 ounces. I can't believe how big he's geting! He's been so much more interactive; lots of talking and seems to focus much more when he's being talked to.

Baby Cole

2008-11-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Christopher Cole was born September 12 at the University of Utah Hospital, where he was immediately transfered over to Primary Children's where he had open heart surgery, 2 TE Fistula repairs, and a hernia repair. He was released October 18th, and has been doing fantastic. He was brought home on oxygen, and will hopefully be off around the middle of November when we have our first follow-up appointment with the Cardiologist. It's been fun to watch him learn and grow as he experiences new things. He loves his baths, and especially being wrapped in a warm towel after. He sleeps in some of the strangest positions, but acts completely comfortable. I guess it's good to be able to stretch out after being cramped up for so long. He's a very content baby and is very good natured, especially considering everything he has been through. He's a trooper, and we're loving finally having him home!