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It's the Simple Things

Do you ever stop and think about the simple things? Like a clear, blue day...

a warm cup of coffee

lamps on throughout the house

holding hands with hubby

warm towels from the dryer

and my favorite simple pleasure is this little boy after a bath

Farmers Market

These FABULOUS pictures were taken by Hillary and her AWESOME camera. Here's to still hoping that tax return fairy is nice to me so I can be just like her and take beautiful pictures.
Last Saturday we took a trip down to Farmers Market with some great new friends. It is located down at the old Pearl Brewery and the new area of the river. It is GREAT! It was fun to walk around and see the different vendors, sample some foods and listen to the music. Mostly, it was nice to be with friends and the babies.

It was a chilly morning so all of the babies were bundled up tight.

This is Aubrey, Cohen's girlfriend. She's beautiful!

This is Spencer. He and Cohen are a week apart. Spencer is always smiling! Cutie pie!

Here is our baby bug, all bundled up. Have you had your fill of baby cuteness for the day?!

Magnets for Thought

In case you wanted to read a post about fridge magnets, today is your lucky day!

This all started when I was drinking my hot tea tonight and looking at this cute little face on the fridge. This is Katie's son, Santiago. He turns ONE soon. I can't even believe how time has flown by. I remember the day Katie called to tell me she was pregnant. I remember the day I called her to tell her I was pregnant. I also remember the day I called her when I was spotting and scared to death early in my pregnancy and I felt at peace after talking with her. The last I saw them was in June when they came for our big couples shower. So, I can't wait to see him again, on his first birthday! Katie will finally get to meet Cohen and we will hope they come this summer for Cohen's first birthday!

Speaking of first birthday. I was talking with my team today at lunch. We were talking about scrapbooking. I told them that my whole reason for starting this blog was basically to scrapbook Cohen's first year so that I could make a book to give him on his first birthday. I kinda see it as his "baby book". There will be some posts, like THIS one, that probably won't make the book, but I think it will be such a neat thing to treasure.

Well, after I looked at his picture, I started thinking how a fridge can tell SO many stories. So, around the fridge I went with my iPhone, taking pics. John walked in while I was taking a picture of an avocado in a bowl and scared me half to death. Why are you taking a picture of an avocado? (Insert laughter here, weird face and quick walk off.)

This is us in Scotland at his cousin's wedding. The MOST amazing trip of our lives we have decided. I can't wait to go back. (History: My father in law was born in Scotland, came here, met my mother in law and decided to stay. His whole family lives back in Scotland and it was SO awesome to be there with them. We got to see them over Thanksgiving again when they met us in Florida, and we get to see Carlyn in February when she comes on a weekend visit)

If I am not calling Rebecca, I am calling this Nurse Line. Moms in SA - good resource to have!

I like how this receipt from Babies R Us is being held up by a "How to Make a Margarita" magnet. Because after you spend that much $$ at Babies R Us, you need a margarita.

The magnet in the top right is the White Glove service from Humana that I rave about. A nurse will come to your house for $35 and bring you a goodie bag filled with stuff sick people need, all your prescriptions at no extra cost, and will check you out and diagnose you RIGHT THERE, in your home, in your classroom, wherever! I have used this service twice. I never thought I would be getting strep test swabbed in my throat sitting at my own kitchen table. Good thing I could reach in the bag for a Gatorade right after.

The princess castle magnet is from Hildie's first birthday party. What a cute party favor! I just may be stealing this idea Natalie!

The other magnet is bittersweet. It reminds me of our Golden Koozie. Koozie is gone and living with a nice family in Austin somewhere with Bradley, in case you didn't know. It's a long story.

Lifesaving first aid tips, garbage day pick up reminders and temperature warnings. All very handy.

Halen and Cohen - cousins

This is Chris. He has a really great job with the Spurs where he works too much but LOVES his job. He will go far with them someday, just you watch.

This was a newborn picture of Cohen taken at the hospital. You know when 365 photography comes around and somehow convinces you to buy that expensive package? I might as well have been the photographer though, because I did all his poses. In fact, they wanted to use this one in the catalog! I love that we got these, but I don't love the spam mail I get each day in my inbox from 365.

My in laws at our wedding and Cass. The destination frame is because they are so far away. Please come visit again soon!

This angel is a souvenir from our wedding retreat weekend. I love it! When I look at it, she reminds me of the amazing time we had.

This last magnet says "Life is about dreams. Teaching is about making them come true." Now, if only I could get the kids to think that deeply!

I wish I could see your fridge and hear your stories!

Scottish Roots

Daddy has been waiting since before I was born for me to fit into this onsie. It says "Born to be a Rangers fan." If you know my daddy, you know that his favorite soccer team is the Glasgow Rangers in Scotland. Momma says that's where Daddy's roots are. If you thought Spurs fans were dedicated, you should see these Rangers fan. Well, I haven't seen them yet. But, Daddy says some day I will play for them.

No, I am not sick still, that is fake poo on my onsie bottom. Lovely huh?! It says "I poo on Celtic." Celtic are Rangers #1 rival.

Here is mommy & daddy on their trip to Scotland in '08. They got to go to an actual Rangers game!



They loved Scotland. It was a very special trip to go overseas and visit family members.

On this bus ride, to the Rangers game, Daddy told Mommy he loved her for the first time. Isn't that sweet? They are making the "YES!" fist getting excited for the big game!

This is mommy's Rangers "kit". I like it and may want to head over there to Scotland sometime soon to check out this neat place.



But Daddy, do I have to wear a SKIRT?!!!

Five Months Old

Our sweet baby boy - you are five months old! You bring so much happiness and laughter into our lives each day. This month was an emotional rollercoaster. You were sick for several weeks. First, you had RSV. But, we made it through your first Christmas and were so blessed to get you well quickly. Soon after, you encountered a salmonella bacteria somewhere and were very ill. It was a hard time for mommy and daddy because you were so sick. You are a fighter though. You always stayed happy and strong and with prayers and love, you fought through that sickness too. I am AMAZED by YOU. How did I ever live without you?

Here is what you are up to at 5 months old, little boy:

• You weigh 16 pounds 3 oz. You wear 3-6 month old clothing, but your legs are long, so sometimes you fit into 6 month pants.
• You have started to eat rice cereal once a day. At first, you absolutely hated it. Soon, you realized this was food and started grabbing for the bowl. We tried to start you on your orange veggies, but you got sick. We will start this weekend with carrots followed by sweet potatoes.
• You love to watch us eat! You are amazed by food. You like to chew on plastic cups. I thought you may have teeth coming soon, but Dr. McCray said you have a ways to go. You enjoy when I rub your gums quickly. You like to chew on ice in your mesh feeders.
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• You love to play, laugh, squirm and giggle. Your bounce up and down in your jumper and you think it is pretty funny. You also love to play on your mat or on a blanket with Cookie Monster and your stuffed frog. You find toys very intriguing and you coo and talk to all of them.
• You smile SO big when you see me or daddy. You know most of your family members now. Sometimes, when you meet someone new or you haven't seen someone in a while you get shy and turn your face quickly into my neck to hide. It is so sweet!
• You still sleep pretty well. This month has been rough though through the illnesses. Your bedtime routine goes like this: Cereal, play, bath, book, bottle, bed. I wish I could read the book after your bottle, but you are so content after eating, you fall right asleep. You usually sleep from about 7:30-5:00.
  
  

• Look at what an absolutely beautiful baby you are. Your hair is light brown and fuzzy. You have just enough to comb to the side and look "handsome". Your eyes are darkening to a dark blue and sometimes hazel color. Your skin has a beautiful color to it. Your features are perfect and my days are not complete without your playful smile. I think you still look so much like Daddy.
  
  
  

• You can roll over from your back to your front. You haven't quite mastered rolling back over. But, you will. When you are on your belly, you like to raise your head up and push up with your arms and look around to see who is watching. You get quite a kick out of cheering for you when you roll.
• You sleep in your crib! What a big boy. Ironically, the first night you slept in your crib was when you woke up very sick. So, Daddy and I slept on the floor in your room for a couple of weeks. Finally, when you got better and mommy got braver, we let you sleep in there on your own. You love your crib. Most mornings, I find you quietly cooing to yourself. You don't cry when you wake up. You are so content and sweet.
  
  
  

If You Thought I Was a Clean Freak Then...

Warning: This story is sad, graphic and disheartening.

I have been MIA for the last week. I am posted a few pics but they haven't been recent. (Well, the baby food pics were before our nightmare of a week) I almost didn't post about this, but so many of you love and care about Cohen, that I thought I would share our story, plus maybe we can prevent this from happening to someone else! I also haven't posted Cohen's 5 month stats and picture. We celebrated 5 months on the 11th. We have so much to celebrate! I promise to do that soon.

It all started last Friday afternoon. Not this past Friday. I mean like over a week ago Friday. We took Cohen to his 4 mo. well check almost a month late because it kept getting pushed back because of his RSV over the Christmas break. Dr. McCray was so glad to see he was on the road to recovery. His lungs sounded great and she was very happy with all the milestones he has reached and how wonderful he looked! She said in a joking way " I don't want to see you guys for 6 more weeks, until his 6 month well check" Meaning, she doesn't want him in the office sick.

Well, the nightmare began that Saturday morning. He woke up with a fever of 103.5 We thought he may be having a reaction to vaccinations, in which case a fever is very common, although 103 seemed a bit high. We gave him Tylenol and canceled our plans for the day. I called the nurse line and my great friend Rebecca (who was my best friend growing up and have reconnected since my pregnancy. She is SO good to me! I call her my 24 hour personal nurse line. So lucky to have her in my life again!) Tylenol was not bringing the fever down and diarreahea had begun. By the time 4pm rolled around and the fever still hadn't subsided, our doctor informed us to head to the ER. Yes, the ER. Again. This is a very emotional thing for two new parents and a sweet baby boy. Mimi joined us on this trip. It was not a fun one. Cohen was poked with an IV needle for bloodwork. The good news was we had done a great job of keeping him hydrated for the day so he wouldn't need fluids. But, they kept it in just in case. The pain is undescribable to see your baby in that much pain. They couldn't find a good vein. Must have gotten that from mommy. (see birth story post) Then they had to test his urine which meant a catheter.Enough said. Then they took a stool sample. Then they did a chest xray. Then we had to wait and wait and wait. We were sent home with nothing. No results, no explanation. Nothing.

All we could do was keep him fed, changed, and hydrated until results came back. Monday rolled around and nothing got better. No one had slept. His bottom had become raw from so many diapers. We were changing atleast 20 diapers a day. Very dangerous. Very hard. Very sad. In fact, it is bringing tears to my eyes now, and we are at the end of the road of this sickness. But, it still hurts. We were in the doctor's office 3 days this past week. Fortunately, John was able to stay home all week and my VP was nice enough to let me leave my class with my teammates so I could go with Cohen and John to the appointments.

We spent this entire past week waiting on fecal results. Some tests were coming back negative during the week. Good. But, not good enough for me. We wanted answers. Just answers and for Cohen to start getting well. John and I were literally up every hour for days changing his diaper, feeding him, holding him, comforting him. Thank God for John. He is an amazing father. Patient, loving, comforting, wise, strong. Just more reasons to be so thankful for our lives coming together.

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around with no results from the lab, I couldn't take it any longer. I called the doctors office in tears. Just tell me what to do! Please! I can' go another whole weekend watching him suffer. Dr. McCray got on the phone immediately and reassured me that Cohen was going to be ok, as long as we kept doing the things we were doing. And she assured me I'd get a phone call by Saturday, letting me know the results.

Saturday, my mom came over and gave us some time to get out and run errands. All day long I waited for "the call." Finally, it came! The news was not good, but it was not bad. Not as bad as it could have been. (All week long, I felt so bad for the people in Haiti, suffering, dying, not having access to medicine or Pedialyte or food or doctors. I imagined mothers feeling desperate and alone and scared for their babies. I couldn't imagine the way they felt, knowing how I felt)

Dr. McCray confirmed that Cohen had salmonella bacteria growing in his intestinal areas. Worry and panic struck me. That sounded HORRIBLE. But, in fact, it happens in babies. More often than we'd like to think. Where did this happen? Well, we can't pinpoint that. John and I haven't been sick, so she said it likely wasn't from our home. He could have gotten it from daycare. Maybe someone didn't wash their hands well after changing someone else and made him a bottle. I don't want to believe that because I believe in my heart they try their very best to make sure their 10 kids stay safe and healthy. But, it could have happened. Yes. He could have touched some other child who had the bacteria on his hand and put it in his mouth. It could have been the waitress at the restaraunt we went to the week before who grabbed Cohen's hand. Maybe she didn't wash her hands after the bathroom. Although I washed his hand furiously with a paci wipe as soon as she walked away. I can't pinpoint it, but I can try to prevent this again. It's gross and disgusting and NOT fair to him. You can think I am dramatic. That's fine. But, this has been hard. Maybe it's another "hard thing" on the road to many other things raising a baby. I am sure it is. But, I don't wish it on anyone!

I'm exhausted from rehashing this. Cohen is getting better and is on an antibiotic and is not contagious and is happy. That's what matters now. But, I warn you, if you thought I was a crazed clean freak, hand washing, hand sanitizer using nut before, you can bet I will be even worse now! :)

Thanks for listening. And thanks for praying for Cohen <3

Eating Solids

This picture is fitting dontcha think? I mean don't you feel "chubby" after a good meal and want to sit back and take a snooze?

Hey! Here I am in my big boy high chair.

I am kinda liking this rice stuff.

Wait a minute! YUCK!

New day, new start. I like it now!

and I like to sit on the table with mommy and daddy after and play!

Dinner with Chris & Emily

On New Year's Eve, we traveled to the home of Uncle Chris for an early dinner with him and Emily. We knew we didn't want to be out late when all the crazies hit the highway. In fact, we were asleep well before midnight. Oops! In the future though, maybe we can make dinner with them a NYE tradition and stay up in time to celebrate. I remember when I was little we would wear party hats and blow horns at midnight. I think that would be fun for the little Co man someday.

Yes, we take pictures of our food. What family doesn't?! Emily and Chris made us steaks, asparagus, potatoes, and a yummy black eyed pea-ca di gallo....is what I like to call it. Emily always comes up with some snazzy meal ideas. It was good! Thanks guys!

Here are the famous chefs with the cutest little Spurs fan in SA.

Emily got Cohen a croaking frog puppet for Christmas. This thing is hilarious and he LOVES it.

Uncle Chris just loves his little nephew. He always wants to hold him and play with him. There have been times when I have had to tell him "Give me back my kid!" haha I am glad he loves him so much. I am sure once Cohen gets older he will have all kinds of fun adventures with his uncles.

"Hi. Tonight I rolled over for the first time from my front to my back. Everyone cheered and clapped for me so I kept doing it. I thought it was real funny to roll over and look up real fast to make sure they were all going to cheer. They did! Uncle Chris took a video of it, and mommy is wondering why that video hasn't arrived in her email inbox yet. Oh well. Maybe we will see it again someday. If not, you can just come check me out in person. I do it pretty well now!"

Letter to You as 2009 Ends

Dear Cohen,

Although I am excited for the many moments to come in 2010, I am also sad to see 2009 end. In 2009, your daddy and I got married! The day I married him, I thought I could never love him more. But, I do love him more every day for the man he is to me and every time I see his love for you in his eyes and your love for him in return. In 2009, you grew inside of me. I felt you kick for the first time and wiggle and squirm. I heard the amazing sound of your heartbeat and watched you stretch my belly farther than I thought it could ever stretch. I carried you for 9 months of 2009. You were all mine for that time. No one knew just what it felt to love you like I did. Until I got to share you with the world, August 11, 2009. That time will always hold such a special place in my heart.

2010 will bring us many wonderful things. We will experience many of your firsts: your first tastes of food, first words, first teeth, first steps, first haircut, first birthday. The day you say "mama" will take my breath away. The sounds of your little footsteps will soon be heard throughout this house. I can't wait to watch you grow and see what a smart little boy you become this year.

There are many things I need to focus on this year as your mommy. I want you to grow up in a house filled with constant love and with positive role models and with a strong love for God. I can't wait to learn more about His word and share those teachings with you. I will strive to be the best mother I can be to you and the best wife I can be to your father. You both deserve my very best. I hope to instill many things in you: love, compassion, empathy, needs, wants, right, wrong, prayer, hope, self worth. I promise to teach you everything you desire to know and foster your creativity and imagination. I will read to you, tell you stories, sing, dance, laugh and play. I will take you to the zoo and to the beach and will always keep you surrounded with your family, grandparents, aunt and uncles.

I will love you endlessly. I will always be here for you, learning your needs and answering your cries. I will laugh with you and cover your face in kisses. I will keep you warm and safe and will do my best to never let you down. You ARE our greatest gift. Goodbye and Thank You 2009. 2010, here we come! We can't wait! We love you Cohen Ross!

Love, Mommy