Recent pics

(supervising his parents/employees while they shovel his driveway) 

(jumped right up on this trailer thing that was parked down the street) 

(cleaning up the snow that got tracked in. only to dump it out again. this takes 30+ minutes) 

(putting all the animals down for a nap) 

(lately he shows up to our work with a craft from playgroup) 

(pretty cute. we are told he LOVES glue sticks) 

(beverages for all) 

 (coffees and waters)

This blog might as well be called the Cohen blog. Which is exactly how it should be. We are loving this parenting thing so much. Even at 3 am when Cohen is crying and coughing and we are super exhausted and worried and watching cartoons and forcing gatorade and honey down his throat. It's the best. I know that I'll remember those late nights the most.

We went through a few months where Cohen would get up at 5 am or earlier every single morning, and at the time, it was exhausting. But it's long over now, and Jon and I smile about those mornings of an extra cup of coffee and making one more tower out of blocks before the sun comes up. I have loved every single day.

Sick little guy

Oh man, what a rough couple days. It started with a fever on Thursday afternoon and graduated to a barking toddler by Friday night. I was so freaked out by the noise, we packed Cohen up in the car to take him straight to the ER. But he promptly fell asleep, so we drove around for an hour, and when he woke up he was happy and not barking.

Later that night, the barking returned. Really, if you have never heard the barking of croup, like I hadn't, it is really freaky. We called the hospital, talked to an RN for a while, and learned that you treat croup at home by alternating hanging out in the bathroom with the hot shower on bust, and going outside in the cold.

We were the weirdos walking around the streets in our pajamas in the super early morning hours this weekend. Dude slept between us in 30 minute stretches, while Jon and I just watched him and listened to his breathing. We are definitely first-time parents. I don't think Jon or I slept more than three hours the whole entire weekend. Today, things are looking up, and Cohen is slowly returning to his usual self. Respect for all the exhausted parents out there.

Cohen's first salon visit

Last week we finally decided that the dude needed a haircut, and we couldn't wait until the next time he saw his auntie the stylist. Sometimes I chop his bangs when they look long, but other than that, the only haircut he has had was by his auntie at Christmas. There were two other little boys getting their hair cut at the same time, which was nice, because Cohen loves watching what other little boys are doing. 

While we waited, Cohen drove his bus over the magazines in the waiting area. When the stylist called his name, he ran after her right to his chair. Jon and I followed:)

He didn't  love the cape, but he had his bus underneath, so he was ok. The cut took over ten minutes, and Cohen kept looking at us with a quivering lower lip, but he stayed strong and didn't shed a tear.

I have to admit I was tempted to tell the stylist to just do it super quick because we really don't care how it looks, as long as it is out of his eyes. But then I remembered that no one wants to be told how to do their job! She was awesome with Cohen, and seemed to know right when he had had enough. We were so proud of him!

Recent pics...

(Dude had a really bad ear infection* a few weeks ago.  After the antibiotics started to kick in, he was happy to watch cartoons and eat homemade popsicles.)

(Making snow angels in our backyard) 

(Sledding every single day) 

(We bring the cow everywhere we go lately) 

(Walking) 

(Considering a swim) 

(Loves washing his hands at the sink) 

(Always reading)

*A few weeks ago Cohen had a bad cold that lasted for maybe three days. Then a few days later, he woke up in the morning crying, and didn't stop crying the whole morning. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't do anything. He didn't have a fever or appear to have anything wrong with him, but by noon, my mom senses were telling me something was actually wrong. We got an appointment with our family doctor for 2 pm, and Cohen pretty much cried/screamed the whole drive there, while we waited in the waiting room, then when we waited for the doctor in the exam room. It was extremely stressful. It broke my heart to see that he must be in pain, but he couldn't tell me what was wrong. We are lucky this is the first time he has really gotten sick. Anyway, the doctor had a quick look in his ears, and said they were both infected really badly. She was like, how long has this been going on for, because it's really bad? Which totally activated my mom guilt. Within a half hour of taking his first dose of antibiotics, he stopped crying, looked at me, and said, "hi!" Which was the best. He was back to his normal self in a few days. Thank goodness for antibiotics. 

Library list

Room:
I am just starting this one. I am hopeful! I read 50 pages into this book, and kept falling asleep. So I bailed. Room promises not to be about Canadian politics, which is nice.
Update: I loved this book. I plowed through it in just a few days, and was hooked from the first page. I would highly recommend.

The life-changing magic of tidying up:
When I was around eight, we moved from Germany to New Brunswick. We stayed in a hotel for a month or two, and every day the bathroom in the hotel would be restocked with those little cute bottles of shampoo. I saved/hoarded every single one, until my little suitcase was filled. When we arrived days later in a new hotel room in NB, and I opened my suitcase, all my stuff was covered in shampoo. Of course. I remember that moment every time I am tempted to get my hoard on and save something, especially something free.

I kept thinking about that whole scene when I was reading this book. She is all about getting rid of all the papers. So I pulled my two cardboard boxes that I have been carrying around since I was a teenager out of my closet and got to work. I found so much crap in there. Letters. So many letters. Letters from old boyfriends. Letters from my best friend when I was lonely and living in Texas. Also, a letter from an elementary school teacher explaining why I didn't get as good a grade as I wanted on a test. The instruction manual from the cd player/double cassette deck stereo that I got for Christmas when I was maybe ten. Pictures of a pen pal I was assigned in middle school, who I never actually met. A silver bracelet that is nice, but has an inscription in it that is no longer accurate. A huge pile of pay stubs from my year working at Subway. It all went in the garbage. And it feels so good! I would highly recommend it.

PS: The Clarenville public library pretty much never gets new books, so Jon and I usually buy our books online, then donate them. Our library does have a crazy amount of DVDs, and they just keep coming. The librarian is even shocked by how the library is starting to feel like a video store.

On changing tables

I recently saw this about the lack of changing tables in public men's rooms. Seriously, where are the changing tables? It's something you never really notice before you have a baby. And I assumed that all public washrooms would have a changing table. But that is so not the case. I can't tell you how many times Jon has come back from the men's washroom to say that there is nowhere for him to change Cohen. And what is sometimes even crazier is that there aren't changing tables in ladies rooms a lot of the time. This morning we were at the doctor's office for a checkup. No changing table in the ladies' room! At the medical clinic. So weird. My favorite situation is when the changing table is in the wheelchair accessible stall, so you have space and also privacy. No, my very favorite is when there is a family washroom that we can all go into, like at the airport. There's my little rant for the day/week.

Hotel Review: Executive Suites Hotel, St. John's, NL

We spend this past weekend at the Executive Suites in St. John's. I actually didn't even know we were staying in this apartment hotel. I had booked what looked like a regular downtown apartment on Airbnb, and when we arrived it was actually this place. Oh, it was nice!

Cohen ended up coming down with a really bad cold the day we got there, so we ended up watching a lot of tv and not getting much sleep. I was feeling really thankful to have a big tub that we could put Cohen in since the warm bath seemed to help with his congestion. 

 (living room with big tv and fireplace)

(nice modern kitchen with dishwasher, etc) 

(big comfy bed + big tv = good sunday morning) 

(the bathroom had a tv and a big shower) 

(and a huge tub that Cohen "swam" in three times) 

Price: Around $185 per night. Really average for downtown St. John's
Bathroom: So nice. Huge tub, sweet shower, tv. We ended up hanging out in the bathroom a lot while Cohen swam around in the tub.
Breakfast: No, but full stocked kitchen to make your own
Wifi: Yes, really good
TV: The best. There were three televisions, and they were easy to use and in good locations (important to me!)
Pool: No.
Location: Sooo great. We walked to supper downtown, and it took maybe 5 minutes. Really close to the Sheraton hotel and right beside Hometel.
Parking: Free and really convenient.

Notes:

The biggest negative about this place is the lack of a restaurant on site, and a pool. Similar to the Murray Premises hotel a few blocks away. But. In the little welcome package, they include the number for a little deli/grocery around the corner that will deliver groceries or prepared food for $4. Pretty convenient. I would have taken advantage, but instead Jon walked over and picked us up some necessities. And there are a lot of coffee shops and restaurants nearby, so I don't think it's a deal-breaker. And as for pools, we are finding that the public pools in St. John's (here and here and here) are just so great for little kids that we can't even be bothered with a hotel pool.

So far, this hotel wins for our little family. We will definitely be staying here again and again. We loved that there is a separate bedroom so you can close the door when the little guy goes to sleep, and we loved the huge bathtub. The location is also amazing.