drawings

We busted out the crayolas a few weeks ago to see if Cole was ready. The test would be how long would it take before he put one in his mouth. We were shocked and amazed that he waited a whole 20 minutes before biting the tip off the black one. Of course it had to be the black one. I had to pull out the funny infant finger toothbrush to undo that damage.

Once a day now, we take out the crayons and Cole's own sketchbook (with extra heavy paper) and we draw together. It's the most drawing I've done in more than a few years. I've learned it's best to offer Cole 3 crayons and hide the rest. With 3, he has one for each hand, and there's always one left for me. Sometimes he uses them as drumsticks and hits the paper. Other days he attacks the paper with a stabbing motion creating a sheet of freckles. I don't know if he realizes that he is making marks yet, but we're both having fun with art class.

one year photo shoot

I got the idea for Cole's one year photo shoot from an episode of Oprah a couple years ago. It was a show about quirky family traditions and the special bonds that they can create. One mother photographs her children on their birthdays each year dressed in the same outfit. Her daughter wears her grandmother's Pucci dress, and her son wears one of his father's dress shirts. Now that the kids are older they really enjoy the photo shoot with their mom and they all have fun looking back at the earlier photos.

For Cole, I chose one of Tony's dress shirts and ties and also his Brett Favre jersey. I couldn't decided so I used both. It was tricky keeping the sleeves rolled up so I had to work fast, but I got a couple shots that I really love. These will definitely be framed.

Oh, another cool idea from that same episode came from a father. He has a special handshake with his kids before they leave for school. Each kid has their own handshake and they've become more and more complicated over the years. The handshakes were really funny, and I still smile just thinking about them.

Good ol' Colie Brown

Cole was a natural Charlie Brown. At his recent check-up, his height and weight were pretty average, but his noggin remains around 85th percentile. Tony wanted to shave his head to complete his Halloween costume, but I don't think Cole would've cooperated even if I had let his daddy take out the shears. It was a great costume because it was cheap to make, and with the unseasonably warm temps, it was very comfortable for Cole to wear...oh, and did I mention cute...

The trademark shirt was harder to make than I had expected. I had to cut down a child's size small and re-hem it which meant hauling out the sewing machine from the overstuffed closet. Then the fabric paint I had bought turned out to be liquid dye which bled like ink, making it impossible to paint a sharp line. Of course it was midnight on Friday when I discovered this and we had a costume party to go to the next day. So, I searched through my art supplies and ended up mixing the black dye with acrylic burnt umber. It was no small trick to paint both sides without allowing one side to dry first either. In the morning, the results looked pretty good but the fabric was stiff and scratchy from the acrylic paint. I set the paint by running the shirt through the dryer on high and then crossed my fingers as I put it in the washer on the gentle cycle. My hope was that it would soften the fabric, but I knew there was a good chance it could wash out the paint completely. Luckily, it did soften the fabric and the black stripe survived. Next year I'll definitely start the costume construction earlier!

We spent Halloween Day with Elaine, Mark and Nina while Tony was at the Redskins vs. the Packers game. At night we visited a couple neighbors, but Cole cried when they opened their doors. It worked out okay because he got lots of sympathy candy, but we only stopped at four doors because he wasn't having fun. He's been eating the Halloween pretzels, but Tony and I are splitting the rest of the booty. Next year when Cole can talk, I'm sure he won't be as willing to share.