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.