COLE hard facts

A new way of sleeping? It's like he's on guard or something...or raising the roof?

We had our 6 week doctor visit today. All is in order! Cole is growing and growing.

12.1 pounds
23 5/8 inches

Not always...

peaches & cream.

Life here in Vienna for some families is not always peaches & cream. I talked to a VCS mom today who was really burdened for her elementary aged son. He's having a tough time fitting in after living here for almost 2 years. Classes here are small, so you don't have 4 sections of 4th grade to choose friends from, or a neighborhood full of kids who speak your language. It's just a tough thing, and I often forget that when I'm having such a good time teaching and being with the kids at VCS.

In other news...a girl from my 4th grade class this year was recently suspended for multiple accounts of theft. Sad news, because maybe she was really seeking approval from someplace, and using theft to get it. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't the best way.

Please continue to pray for kids & families at VCS, and for us as we carry out the roles God has given us here for this time. It's a really cool place, yet not immune to hard things in life.

Weekend Highlights

Yesterday at VCS the elementary kids put on a Mother's Day Coffee. This event is one of the most highly attended events all year at school. Moms come and have breakfast with their kids and there is a small program made up of skits and songs that make moms cry:). It's a great thing. I had the privilege this year of being the MC of this event. I did it last year too, yet this year it took on new meaning because I too, am now in the mom club. The moms and students flocked to Cole yesterday morning! They loved hugging him and watching his faces. It's been amazing to me to see that people from many different cultures all react to babies the same way. They coo and cuddle and want to touch his tiny fingers and toes. What a testament to God's miracle of creating life. It spans cultures and languages.

Another highlight of our weekend is yet to come! The Vienna City Marathon is tomorrow. The course runs three times in our neighborhood, so we have a prime watching spot. Three of our friends at VCS are running it. We're armed with signs and cheering voices! Good luck Mike, Matt, and Lance!

The BIG Cheese

First real smiles! What a fun thing!

Cole & Chris Time

After work yesterday, Cole and Chris sat on the bed and debriefed the day.

Today after work, Cole & Chris danced around our living room to Jungle Boogie. I managed to capture the moment! Chris also had Cole singing Jungle Boogie with a whisk microphone in the kitchen, but I was too slow to capture that one. Bummer.

Cole's Pastimes Lately

Cole likes just chillin' in his rocker seat...staring.

Cole has a new fascination with walls. He's once again...staring!

1 month

It's been one month as of yesterday. Wow!

Tummy Time Trick

Cole is getting more and more tricky during tummy time. The past couple days he has been lifting up one leg and pushing like he wants to turn back over. No turns and flips yet, but we're getting there. He also has been turning his head from one side to the other on his tummy. Way to go, Cole!

Bubba's Animals

Hey Bubba! We put magnetic strips on the backs of the wooden animals you sent. They stick perfectly to the doorframe of Cole's room. We'll move them down when he can play with them and learn their names. Thanks for a great gift!

What's Next?

220 kids from 30 nations walk through these doors daily...the doors to Vienna Christian School. These doors have become normal to us now that we've worked and lived here for almost 2 years, and it's easy to walk in and out and forget about WHY we do it (especially now that we have a baby demanding our attention). We do it so kids from all over the world who happen to be in Vienna for a short while can have the chance to hear about following Jesus and get a quality education. That's why we're here. Our roles are different now than they were two years ago, though, so I want to update you on the latest scoop for the Franks in Vienna.
1. We have decided to stay in Vienna 2 more years.
2. Chris will remain in his position as the Business Manager, and will begin to take business classes at a local university here in Vienna.
3. I will not be teaching 4th grade, but will be taking care of Cole and staying involved at VCS in some capacity yet to be determined. I have the freedom to be as involved as I'd like, and I would really like to continue to be a part of the lives of the elementary kids.
It's strange now to think that we both came here as teachers and now neither of us teach. We are thankful, though, for the place to which God has brought us, and we do love living in Vienna. The kids at our school could one day influence their countries in powerful ways, and imagine if they could do that with the strength that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. We get to be a part of that daily, now just in different roles than before. Thanks for allowing us that privilege.

A Beautiful Saturday

Today was the most beautiful day we've had in Vienna so far this spring! Today was also my dad's last day in Vienna, so we went to Zanoni & Zanoni for ice cream and we met our friend Jana there. Jana came to VCS with us 2 years ago, and she is leaving after this year to marry Jimmy. We will be at her wedding in San Antonio, TX, in August. The middle picture is Cole in the new magical sleeping position: sideways. Pure cuteness.

3 Week Doctor Visit

Today Cole had his first appointment with his pediatrician, Dr. Stein. Everything looks great! The doctor's office is only a few minutes walk from our apartment. Since his birthday, Cole has gained just shy of 1 kilogram, so now he's up to 4.73 kilograms, or 10.4 pounds. He also has grown 2 centimeters, so now he's 56 cm long. Cole & I celebrated by getting an ice cream cone from Zanoni & Zanoni, which is conveniently located just around the corner from Dr. Stein's office. I didn't pick it for that reason, though, I promise. They have a new cookie flavor called Biscotto. It's super yummy.

We Haven't...

Fallen off the planet, I promise. Sorry for lack of posts. Here's the latest from the Franks. On Easter Sunday, an amazing rainbow appeared outside of our window...very cool. Yesterday Cole attended his very first amateur sporting event...a VCS softball game. We also had our first foray with the stroller on public transportation, and our first night out to dinner. Whew! It was quite the eventful day. AND, to top it all off, I lost my wallet in Prater, the park by our house. Bummer, right? Yes, but as we were getting ready for bed, the doorbell rang and two police officers had my wallet. The best part was that everything was intact. Nothing stolen. Whoever found it must have turned it in, thankfully.
That's not all...
Cole has hit a growth spurt we think because he has turned into a ravenous eating machine, and hasn't been sleeping so well at night. But, all that is worth it because today was the FIRST time he ENJOYED the bath tub! OUTSTANDING! It's fun having a baby:).
Last picture...my mom & dad after witnessing Cole's and my victory over the bathtub today. What more can you ask for?

Happy Easter!!

I hope you have a great day and enjoy rest and joy - remembering the enormous statement God made by flexing his muscles and bringing Jesus back to life after being dead. Thanks to God!

Mama sleeps, too!

how cute and adorable and sweet and darling and every other appropriate word. :)

More Sleep!

More sleep!

Contrary to popular belief, we have been doing more than sleep! We visited an Easter market downtown Vienna. I've been takiung Cole on walks in the park by our apartment. Omi took care of Cole while Chris and I had breakfast at a local cafe today.

Notice...the middle picture is of Cole in his (well...our) favorite hat...DON'T MESS WITH ME. It's been useful to fend off the ladies. He's still a little young. Maybe a few more weeks and then we'll turn him loose.

Omi is Here!

My (Anne) mom arrived from the states yesterday to meet Cole and hang out with us for three weeks. So far, she's been a professonal baby holder, and this afternoon she and Cole read The Very Hungry Caterpillar together. My dad (Grandbob) arrives next Saturday. We're excited to have them!

for the COLE fans

So many friends have been bringing us dinners this week, and then staying a little to hang out. It's been great! The other night when Chad, Phil, & Megan were here, we attempted to give Cole his first bottle. Success!
We've also taken Cole on a few Vienna adventures in his Baby Bjorn lately. Yesterday we went to the hospital for Cole's circumcision. Ouch! We also stopped at the Coffeeshop Company on the way home and enjoyed our drinks as we walked along the Danube Canal home.
And lastly, just this morning Chris and Cole were reading The Treasure Principle together on the bed. Not sure how much Cole understood! We're trying to keep Cole awake for a little while after he eats each time, so today Cole & Chris hung out.

Theme: Sleep

Trip to Prater

This is Anne and Cole on their first walk together. We all went over to Prater today - it's a huge park that is a 5 minute walk from our apartment. There is a huge road down the middle only for pedestrians, bikers, etc. You can see all kinds of people jogging, biking, roller blading, strolling, sitting on benches, etc. Once spring really hits, it will be much more pretty with all of the greenery.
Anyhow, the walk was nice, but it tired Annie out. Cole was just fine - he didn't make a sound. I think he enjoyed the fresh air. You know, I was thinking we might get reprimanded by an old Austrian lady that we shouldn't have our baby's neck exposed to the draft. It's common to believe that it makes you sick - unless it's like 70 degrees or more. Strange but true. And people here (usually older Austrian women) feel free to let you know their opinions and what you ought to be doing about your driving, how you dress your child, how your windows are dirty, or whatever.
One cool thing about Austria is that babies are a big attraction. All kinds of people look and smile (normally its abnormal to smile) since you have a baby. They chat away to the baby and think it's great. You get a lot of positive attention that doesn't normally happen. I've seen old sophisticated men making crazy baby faces and chatting away to babies - something that would be absurd in any other circumstance.
By the way - isn't it a cool stroller? I like it a lot. The car seat pops out of the top and can be replaced by the seat for bigger kids.

first day home

so...it's anne here! it's been great to read all of your comments about our new life with cole byron frank. we are super thankful and feel very loved & encouraged.
it's nice to be home from the hospital now, even though the stay was restful and much needed. i got a massage daily and rested on the balcony in the sunny weather some.
so yesterday was our first full day at home as a family...woah.
cole is eating like a champ, and sleeping like a champ most of the time. he seems to be nocturnal, go figure. i've been amazed at the power he exerts in his diapers! yesterday he projectile peed all over himself, his hair, and his clothes. i thought i could dodge the bath thing for a few days, but plans changed, and our first bath happened. below you see a clean & snuggly cole after the pee was cleaned off!

yesterday's highlights

Mom on the balcony. 

Cole getting snuggly warm before the trip home. 

The new and improved Franks. 

Annie, enjoying the sun on the balcony at the hospital room. Notice the flip flops - a key part of the trip home. :) 

Home again

Annie and Cole just couldn't wait to get back home again. We're all here now - thanks so much for praying for a safe delivery for Anne and Cole, eventhough you didn't know his name yet. Cole is doing fine - sleeping right now in a bassinet that our neighbor let us borrow for a few months. He's been doing all the normal baby things (as far as we know) like sleeping, eating, filling up his diapers, and even using his manly power to pee on Anne. :) That was pretty funny - I'd heard boys do that sometimes, and Cole didn't waste any time.
Anne is feeling very well. She still needs more time to totally recover, though. I've been having thoughts about all of these changes - and thinking about how God views it all. There must be thousands and thousands of babies born every day. Somehow, God knows about and wants to be close to each and every person and situation (parents and child). That just doesn't make sense - how can he do that? He has set up an amazing system of how the human body works - both mother and baby. And the emotional things that go on also play into all of this. God really is a creative genius. But this makes me think of how we are all like children and some of the many comparisons the Bible makes between us and children; God and parents. I was an orphan and he adopted me. Crave God's words to me like a baby craves mom's milk. And then I think about how God loves me eventhough I'm not perfect, but he loves me because I'm his son. It's only better when I pay him attention back, like a parent and child.

Enough deep thoughts from Crispy.

Donnerstag

So, Thursday is the day we're all going to be back home - good news! It will be really nice to have Anne and Cole here. And I think Anne is looking forward to that much more than me - just be more free and have the comforts of home. Cole's room is all set and I guess we're as ready as we can be - but of course we have tons to learn. There's always tons of advice coming our way and we need to blanance that with what we feel is best.

Enough with all the boring typing, Chris! Put on more pictures, you might be saying. Well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I left the camera at the hospital. Although I could always put an "old" one on the blog and you'd never really know...

this one is for you, then:
hmmm, I guess that picture will be on top. oh well.

First Visitor From Afar

Where is afar, you might ask??
Orlando, Florida to be exact. My friend and old roomie (from the old Austria days in Guntramsdorf) John just flew in this morning. Well, he didn't come just to see Cole - he's here on a work trip. But we like to think of it as our first international visitor. He even beat Megaoma to the punch, plus Grandbob.

We're about to go over to the hospital to visit Anne and Cole. Don't worry, you picutre crazy folks - I'll put up more pictures soon. :)

Day Two

So, I just got home from being at the hospital all day with Anne and Cole. They're doing well - Cole looks better now that his head isn't so much of a conehead anymore. Anne is feeling great - even put on some of her own clothes.
We had a few visitors and phone calls, which we great.
Also, the weather today was amazing - probably 65 degrees, which is the warmest it's been in soooooo long. I'm sorta sad to say this as a SoCalifornian, but it felt HOT sitting in the sun and so nice. I used to think 65 was kinda cold.
I changed my first diaper and WOAH - it was a stinky nasty one. I think we let it go too long before checking. I realized today that his weight was actually 3.785 kg which means more like 8 pounds and 5 ounces I think.

Anyhow, I'm going to add a few pictures on top now. Enjoy.

He made it!!!

It's true, official, and frank: our baby was born this morning!!
His name is Cole Byron Frank.
He was born at 5:45am on Sunday, March 26th.
His weight is 3.875 kg ( 8 pounds 7 ounces).
His length is 54 cm (21 inches).

He's healthy and sleeping a lot. Anne is doing better than I imagined - and I have a pretty wild imagination.

Now for some pictures:

And here he is!!! 

The new and improved Frank family!