The Parmesan Cheese Mustache

Cole has such a sense of humor... something quite rare for a child with Autism. He loves to make you laugh. Tonight, he asked to play with his John Deere tiller and parmesan cheese. Cole LOVES anything John Deere, he always has. I think Grandpa Denny can take credit for most of that! Anyway, tonight Cole put the cheese on paper plate, took his tiller and ran it back and forth in the cheese. He's done this many times before. 

Cole has also been interested in men with whiskers lately.  He came up with the clever idea to put his face in the parmesan cheese and say to me, "Cole has whiskers!". Way to go Cole!!! What a great imagination. I took a picture and posted it here. I love how it looks like a goatee; something Cole's dad often grows!

Today was a good day. Pat is in Texas for work and Cole has done well despite missing his wrestling partner. The weather change is a big deal for Cole. Each morning he heads off to therapy and school, I put his winter coat in his backpack. I can't get him to wear it, but thank God he always comes home wearing it; hood and all. Once he got home, the jacket came off and Cole wanted to play outside. Connor and I put on our coats and headed out with Cole. He was already riding his bike in the snow-melted driveway without his coat on. The cold weather doesn't phase him. And he doesn't understand that a cold, misty night in November isn't the time for a leisure bike ride! I tried my best to tell Cole that the roads were slippery and that he could fall if we went on a bike ride. He didn't like it one bit and then decided to focus his attention on starting a bonfire. Again, the snow and mist had our bonfire pit and all of the wood soaking wet. Not a good recipe for a crackling fire. Rather than argue and fight, I chose not to fight this battle. I went in the house, gathered as much newspaper I could find, a pizza box and a lighter. We lit everything and it lasted for about 2 minutes. Thank God that was enough to satisfy him. He moved onto the swing and then decided he was cold.

Plus, it was time to see Alli. Alli is one of the amazing PCA (Personal Care Assistants) we have who work with Cole. Wednesdays are Alli nights. Cole LOVES Alli nights. He knows the routine and exactly what to expect. She takes him fun places like Chuck E Cheese (to play with the yellow balls) and to the YMCA to swim (she even takes Cole to the one with the Blue slide he loves). Cole lights up when he sees Alli and he always is "chirpy" (meaning he talks a lot!). 

After Cole got home, it was time to play and take a bath. He's been splashing SO much in the bath. I mean big splashes where the water falls over the side of the tub... the tile is coming loose and the molding on the floor is starting to rot. He gets the ceiling, too. So much that we need to get the popcorn replaced in many places above the tub. But I think I got through to him tonight. I was watching him and he said, "Cole likes splashy kicks!". I said, "Splashy kicks are for the Y, not the bath tub". He repeated it back to me and tonight, there was much less water on the towels I lay outside the tub floor. We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Cole is off sleeping now and I'm testing out my new "Cole and Me" blog. I'm not sure where this will take me, but I think it will be a fun and interesting way to share our daily experiences with you- both the good and the not so good. 

The best part of my day with him was when he looked at me before I carried him to bed. I put him up on our island and was giving him lots of kisses. For the first time, he looked at me and said "I love you" without me having to prompt him. I know he truly loves me. He loves everyone in our family and he knows how much we all love him. I'm so thankful for that. 

I'm also so thankful that tomorrow my sister Tara and her husband will bless our family with a new little baby to love. I explained that to Cole tonight and I think he got it. He said to me, "Tomorrow baby is all done in Tara's belly"... he is so smart.