Our Cole is 8 Today!

Eight years ago we were blessed with the birth of our second son, Cole. Cole has been keeping us on our toes since he was born. On my last day of work before my maternity leave (6 days before my due date), I was experiencing contractions on and off all day. That evening we went to dinner with my parents, during which I continued to time my contrations. Casually I announced that we'd have to go to the hospital after dinner. We dropped Ian off at my aunt and uncle's house and then headed to the hospital where my parents (and aunt and cousin) later met us. I was only dilated a few centimeters and the nurse was going to send me home, but I asked if I could walk around instead. The next day was going to be my mother-in-law's birthday and I didn't want Cole to have to share his birthday. So after walking around for an hour, I was much further dilated and they admitted me. I also declined any medications or epidurals because I didn't want anything to slow my contractions. I even told the doctor he had to be born before midnight. Time was ticking away. I got stuck at 9 centimeters and they finally broke my water for me. After that things happened pretty quickly. Cole entered the world at 11:29pm.

Cole has been a joy to watch grow up. He has a strong personality and is a natural leader. He's funny, carefree, adventurous, agile, strong, sensitive, curious, smart, cute, and confident. He learns things quickly and is a natural athlete. He's also very comfortable with himself. He knows that he's small for his age, but it doesn't affect him. He's also been keeping his hair on the long-side for the last couple of years, and is frequently called a girl by those not paying attention, but he doesn't let it bother him. We call him a monkey because he can climb anything practically. He is also a great snuggler and loves to have fun. We have enjoyed these eight years of having him in our lives and look forward to watching him continue to grow and develop.

Here's a look at Cole through the years:

Baby Cole at the Hospital
(I don't think hospital photos are meant to be flattering.)

Cole at 3 months, with very red hair.
(Reminiscent of Conan O'Brien or Donald Trump? lol)

Cole at 1 year old - now a blondie.
Where did the red hair go?

Cole at 2 years old - doing his two favorite things:
Sucking on his fingers, and holding his blankie (which he called an Ah-ja).

Cole at 3 years old - already our little Monkey!

Cole at 4 years old - with his brothers.
Gotta love that cheesy smile :)

Cole at 5 years old - It's fun to play dress-up.

Cole at 6 years old - The beginning of the long hair stage.

Cole at 7 years old - loving having long hair

Cole is 8 years old today!
And he has yet another hair style - still keeping some length.

Happy Birthday, Cole!! We love you very much and are so very grateful to God to have you in our lives. You are truly a blessing. Thank you for the incredibly sweet, loving, fun, and kind boy that you are.