on nursing and working and pumping

 (feeding the dude (6 months old) between patients at work)

If you are not a mom, you might want to skip this post. I know I was sooo not interested in stuff like this before I had Cohen. Anyway, sometimes I fall into a hole of blog-reading, where I end up reading about someone's life for hours. I recently became totally addicted to reading these adventures in breastfeeding stories on this really cool blog, Verse. My experience with breastfeeding has been so excellent and easy. This is what nursing has been like for me:

So we finally got iphones...

(little dude loves his red rattle)

(fast asleep in his new carrier)

(afternoon babywearing)

(snowshoeing in the sun)

(new coworker = homemade cupcakes)

(loves to help mama fold the clothes)

(dad's first day at home with coco while mama works)

a few recent pics of our little dude

(he loves to grab the camera)

(another pool pic)

(post swim)

The week has flown by. J and I are looking forward to going for a little skate on an outdoor rink some neighbours made on the ball diamond near our house. I am thinking we'll pull Cohen around on the ice in his red sled. I am so loving my little family these days (and all days).

Baby's first swim

We were so excited to head in to the city this weekend so we could take Cohen for his first swim in the hotel pool (other family firsts here). There is only one public swimming pool in our town, and it is freezing. No good for our little baby. 

I ordered Cohen's sweet little swim diaper from here. The pool at the Sheraton in St John's is perfect for baby because it has a whole section that is only a foot deep for kids. The water is pretty warm too. 

As soon as we dipped his little feet into the water, he started splashing and kicking like crazy. Cohen's default facial expression is pretty serious, but I think he liked it. We let him splash around for about 10 minutes, then we wrapped him in warm towels. I can't wait to try again.

Firsts

We have had a few "firsts" in our family this past week. Last Thursday evening, J and I left Cohen with a babysitter for the first time (not including our daytime sitter when we both have to work). The awesome thing about Cohen sleeping through the night is that we can get a sitter after 7 pm, and Cohen will be in bed the whole time we are gone.

The occasion was J's first time playing for a crowd. J took up guitar a few years ago, and practices a little most evenings. When we went to the Clarenville coffee house a few months ago, J thought it might be the perfect crowd to play in front of for the first time. It was. The crowd consisted of maybe 100 or 120 people, with I'd say 70% seniors. Each performer plays two songs, and lots of the performers have never been onstage before.

As we waited for J's turn on Thursday, I could tell he was nervous, and he said his throat felt really dry, like a desert. The host is really friendly, and introduced Jon by making fun of our profession a little, which I think takes the edge off the performer's anxiety a bit.

Jon started playing his first song, "Let it be" by the Beatles. He sounded so good for the first 30 seconds or so, then he stopped. He started again, and stopped again. My adrenaline was pumping, so I can only imagine how Jon felt. Jon made a little joke, telling the crowd that he had heard this was a good audience to crash and burn in front of. The crowd applauded. The host ran up and told a quick story about how this had happened to him a few times in the past. It was awesome. Anyway, Jon decided to jump right in to his second song, "Sail away with me" by David Gray. This time, he nailed it. He took his time, and his voice sounded great. He sounded at ease. I heard someone behind me say that he sounded a little Bob Dylan-ish. When he finished his second song, the crowd applauded even harder. I had tears in my eyes. I felt so proud at that moment.

I love that I am married to someone who loves to learn, and is not afraid to make mistakes. He challenges me to step out of my comfort zone, just by example. After J came off, we rushed home to our sleeping babe. It was a night I'll never forget.