Happy first birthday, Cohen!!!

These pictures aren't the best, but they show how happy Cohen was with his first birthday gift, which was a thoughtful toy from his sitter, Paula. She took him to the store, and he kept playing with this toy. He loves it! My heart feels so full when I think about how much people care for our little guy. He has been showered with love (and gifts) from friends and family since he was born. We are so lucky. And now he is one!

Lately....

- He is still not walking by himself, but he crawls really fast, and can walk really fast around our ottoman and coach. 

- He is pretty much only saying 'dad.' He babbles on and on, but I can't pick out any words. 

- He eats everything. We just give him whatever we are having. Today for supper he had black beans, multigrain bread with avocado on it, chunks of havarti cheese, strawberries, and banana bread. 

- We are completely done nursing. He is drinking full fat milk from a sippy cup, and he drinks a ton of water. 

- He thinks it is really funny to get chased by his dad, and to pull his mom's hair. 

- He sleeps from 7:30 pm to 6:30 am straight. 

- Although he has my eyes, for sure, I find him looking more and more like his dad. 

And more details only interesting to immediate family...

Baby's first dental cleaning!

The other day our sitter brought Cohen in to work for a quick hello, and one of our hygienists had a cancellation, so I decided it was time for Cohen's first cleaning. Even though I know that the first dental visit should happen by the first birthday, it is just something that I think a lot of parents let slide, then suddenly another year has passed. Anyway, I sat Cohen on my lap in the hygienist's chair, and she did a quick cleaning with Cohen's head resting on her knees. I was expecting tears, but he didn't cry a bit. He seemed to like the taste of the paste, and seemed a little confused about what was going on. It took about a minute to clean his six teeth. After, the hygienist gave him a new tiny toothbrush, which our sitter said he held tightly to for the rest of the afternoon as if it was a special prize.

I am so glad Cohen got his first taste of going to the dentist. In our province, the government pays for a dental exam every six months until the child is 12 years old, which I will definitely take advantage of. I didn't have time to even think about taking a picture, so I just wanted to document it so I will remember. Love that little guy and his little teeth.

Hotel review: Courtyard Marriott, St. John's

We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in St. John's on Saturday. We like to go into town every few weeks or so, just to go to coffee shops and walk around downtown and buy books, etc.

(very uncomfortable furniture)

Price: $315 (taxes included) per night for the "junior suite", but I think you can get a normal room for around $200 per night. 

Bathroom: Nothing special. The products are Paul Mitchell, which is decent. The bathroom was old and beige, but clean. 

Breakfast: No, but there were sometimes cookies when we passed through the lobby, which is a Marriott thing for sure. 

Wifi: Free for the super basic package, but $4.99 if you wanted to watch videos or anything. We didn't end up needing anything more than the free basic wifi. 

TV: Good TV. There was one in the bedroom and the little living area in our room, which was nice. 

Pool: Nope. 

Location: Excellent. The best thing about this hotel, for sure. We could push the stroller right from our room, to all the good downtown shopping. The Sheraton, our usual favorite, is close to this hotel, but still not quite as good for location. 

Parking: Free, and right across the street. Easy. 

Notes:

- OK, I am all about room service now that we have the little dude. I used to think of room service as super fancy, but I don't even find it that much more expensive that going out for supper. Anyway, this hotel was under extreme renovations on the weekend, and room service was not available! There was no mention of this on the website or on the reminder emails they sent me. Not cool. That is actually a make or break thing for J and I these days. 

- And, due to renovations, no gym. Also, not cool. J always looks forward to checking out the hotel gym after the dude goes to sleep, and I sometimes do too. I'm sure it will all be awesome after renovations are done. 

- And the room was teeny tiny. For the money, so not worth it. And the suites are all on the main floor right off the lobby, so it really feels pretty shabby and weird, and not like you are staying in a hotel at all. I would say that the stay was probably worth more like $185. Though they did give me $50 off when I complained about the lack of room service and gym. 

- Bottom line: I don't think we will be back. The location is the best, but the location of Murray Premises is exactly as good, and that hotel is way, way cooler. 

Lately...

(watermelon all the time) 

(a few weeks ago I chopped off his bangs right after I chopped off 10 inches of my own ponytail. I really notice it in this picture) 

(he watches while we play backyard badminton most nights before supper) 

 (can't get enough smoothies. can't figure out straws yet)

(biking most evenings these days) 

(at this coffee shop, the high chair is very old, and you tie your kid up with a scarf)

(walking around St. John's) 

(biking) 

(more biking)

New mom tired

I first suspected I was pregnant when we went to the gym as usual on a Saturday afternoon, and when we got there, I felt so tired I could not even get on the treadmill. I just felt bone-tired. So we went straight to the drugstore and got a pregnancy test. But then the test said the morning is the best time to take the test, so I waited until Sunday morning. And we were pregnant! And then throughout my pregnancy, I was going to bed at like 9:30 pm, and taking naps, and just wanting to sleep all the time.

I'm not really a new mom anymore since the dude is almost one year old (crazy!), but I have been thinking about the 'new-mom tired.' Someone commented to me when I was a brand new mom that there is nothing quite like that exhaustion mommas deal with. And I completely agree. My pregnancy tiredness was nothing compared to when I was up with the little guy all night every night for weeks straight.

(sooo tired (and my bra was showing, like pretty much every picture of me during that time))

When I look at pictures from when Cohen was brand new, I remember so clearly how I felt. It takes a while to feel like yourself again. I think it's partly the hormones, but mainly the lack of sleep. I remember this one time when Cohen was maybe 2 weeks old, and Jon asked me if I wanted pizza or burgers for supper. I started crying. I was too tired to make even the simplest decision. And yet, I felt so confident in my ability to take care of Cohen. Amazing.