5 months old!  My baby boy is 5 months old!  He's getting so big  and is quite the character.  Although he is much more laid back than Dealey has ever been he shines at all the right moments!  He loves being in his walker a few times through out the day and is getting more and more mobile in it.  He rolls over on his stomach well and seems to like the view from that angle and we've started oatmeal!! mmmmm!  Oh but don't be fooled even though he is more laid back he has totally figured out he must be LOUD to be heard over his brother!  He loves to shreak and talk to us and even has small meaningless conversations with me at time.  He's growing up so fast and I love it! Check out this sweet picture, who could resist this face! And of course the 5 month bumbo!

4 MONTHS AND SO FULL OF SMILES!  My sweet baby is such a bright happy light in our life right now. I feel so blessed to have him in my life....

 

3 MONTHS : AND ALMOST UPRIGHT?!

Cohen is 3 months old today!  I can't believe how this time has flown by, I love that it has but it doesn't feel like it's been 3 months.  Co is very active always moving around in your arms looking at the world and trying to take it all in.  Really I think he's trying to figure out where that loud noise is coming from.  I point him towards Dealey and he smirks a bit.  He's so much more smiley and social than D was at this age which is kind of fun.  He's realizing he's going to have to speak and speak loudly to be heard over his big brother.  He loves sitting up on the couch and watching D run around like the crazy person he is and while tummy time is still a source of frustration for him, we keep trying and he'll indulge me for a few minutes at a time. I keep telling him he doesn't want a funky head but he doesn't listen. Hum, I don't think will be changing any time soon!  In D's 3 month pictures he was about to jump out of the chair and Co is just hanging out I hope this is a sign he's going to be one laid back little kid...I like it! 

It's funny I feel like I can't talk about Co unless I talk about D too, don't want to forget the first born or leave him out!  So in true Dealey fashion, he's at it again!  This time he came out and asked me to take a picture...oh my Jesus, what a kid he is.....

because I can't get my undies dirty.....

This is what Dealey said to my mom when she found him taking his underwear off in the backyard.  I grabbed the camera and well the pictures speak for themselves.  He's a strange kid, a strange strange kid.

PS. I asked what he was doing in the 3rd pictures, he said, "raking"...I said, "okay".

DO YOU DOO-NANNY?

I learned about this outsider art festival in Alabama called Doo-Nanny on one of my favorite sites Design Public. Has anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a blast. Anyway, I don’t understand exactly what it is, but it sounds fun and I love outsider art. I wish I had the time to travel around to all these crazy cool art shows...maybe someday my boys will do it with me without attitude or dirty looks. I can dream can't I?

Here's what they had to say:

A truly unique experience!….a casserole of southern folk art, home cookin, homemade movies, camping, foot-stompin music, experimental architecture, guessing, oddities, unusual characters, a movie festival, surprises, cracker ingenuity, experiential transomism, and much more!… Folks coming in from NY, TX, CA, and beyond beyond…

Begun as a roadside folk art show in 1996, the Doo-Nanny is now located on a beautiful 80 acre farm in Seale, AL, near Columbus, Ga, and includes a wacky “lo-fi” film festival, fun food, and and eclectic assortment of music and activities.

2 months and he hasn't missed a meal yet... I just got back from C's 2 month check up and all is well. It was quickly obvious that he has not missed a meal although I could have told the dr. that she didn't need to weigh him to find that out. He weighed in at 12 lbs 5 oz which is an over 4 lb gain from his one month check up and puts him in the 75%. He has grown 2 3/4 inches in the last month coming in at 22 3/4" and just about average for his age. His head is 16 1/4" and 90% yes, we have large headed children. You know it has to be large to hold all those brains!

Everything looks good a little cradle cap but nothing too serious and he's a little flat on the right side of his head but not too bad we just need to try to get him to look left more. Maybe I'll just have D stand on his left side and scream at him he seems to actually enjoy the loud noises that come out of Dealey....Mommy doesn't so much.

Here's his two month bumbo! You can see how much he's grown. It's a good thing they don't do a percentage on feet, he'd be of the charts! Also my new favorite pic of C, his first big gummy smile!

oh so wordless wednesday!

Cohen : One Month

C turned one month old yesterday. I wanted to post last night but we lost power and had to go to my parents house for the night. I can't believe it's been a month already. I'm excited it has been a month and that we survived! It's one month down and 11 to go to reach the stage I like much better this baby stage is not for everyone and it's definitely not for me. I try to start each day with a joyful heart but it's hard sometimes no matter how much you love someone to not get frustrated with them at times. C is such a joy though a very chill and laid back kid unless he's hungry. If he's hungry get out of his way. He's crazy alert and has been since birth and looks around with wide eyes at all that's going on. He has started cooing and ahhing more and more and is always quick to turn his head when he hears Dealey. I wanted to do a side by side of Dealey at one month and C at one month but I've moved the pictures to an external hard drive so I'll have to get it done later. I will say just like Dealey it's hard to miss the huge hands and feet on C's body but like Dealey I'm confident he'll grow into them....eventually.

who wouldn't be excited to feed someone
who came at you with this face?

brother love : i knew dealey would warm up to sweet baby c. he came to visit us today and first thing, wanted to hold cohen. it was awesome, just what a tired mommy needed to see.

1 hour shy of my first 24 hours as a mom of two sweet boys and I'm nothing short of completely overwhelmed.

The first night I remembered being tough with Dealey but this was a whole different experience. I am NOT a fan of c-sections. I hate that I'm so dependent on the nurses and Matt. I can't console my baby because I can't move, I can't change him or swaddle him very effectively and it's just gives you such a feeling of defeat. One thing that is going well is feeding. When Cohen latched on the first time just after we got out of the O.R. I got so excited because that one time was more than we were ever able to get Dealey to latch on. It's been as good as I could have expected it to be and I'm clinging to those very moments of joy during feeding to get me through these first few days.

I know it's all natural but friends I need your prayers to make it through this. How will I make it all happend that's the question that keeps running through my mind....Pray for wisdom and the ability to release. I look forward to sharing this journey with you guys. Each of your love, support, wisdom and friendship are true life lines for me! Thank you.

I honestly didn't know how I was going to feel about Cohen, I mean I knew I'd love him but I just love my Dealey so much it's hard to imagine having such intense love for another little one, but how could you not when they're this sweet?

Happy Birthday Cohen! Matt and I are so excited to introduce our sweet little guy to the world. It's been an amazing day full of loads of emotions and I still haven't quite digested it all but we wanted to share a few pictures with everyone! More to come of course but here's a little sample. The last picture is my favorite.....

Cohen Brent Maples
January 11, 2010
10:30 am
7lbs 14 oz : 19 1/2 in

(oh and practically perfect in every way)

Feeling the love at a much needed time. I got a sweet subliminal message through another friends blog in this image. If you know me you know what it's all about. I love you too G.

GOT SMOOTHIES? We do! One of Dealey's favorite things to do in his kitchen is make smoothies. He's favorite flavor. Banana, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Pickle, Snap Pea. Sounds yummy huh? And he always serves them with a spoon. However if you ask him, he'll tell you it's a mango smoothie....

I love that he's being creative it makes my heart pitter patter but what I love more is that he's being creative in the kitchen with food. I have a secret hope at least one of my boys will want to hang with mom in the kitchen and by my little chef. He'll make some girl insanely happy some day if he can cook and grocery shop and meal plan...

A Dealey of a Christmas. It was such a joy to be able to make this Christmas something special for Dealey as it will be his last Christmas as an only child. After weeks of waking up happy he decided to wake up totally pissed off on Christmas morning! A perfect morning for the average 2 year old I guess. He refused to get out of bed and wanted Mommy but then kicked me out of his bed when I came in to sit down. Then he asked for Daddy who was promptly shoved out the door upon sight. So then Nana thought she'd try, not sure what he did but we heard him scream. So hey why not let Gaffer give it a go, yeah my dad didn't even make it down the hall way before getting an ear full of 2yearold. So we decided to cover up Santa's gift turn on Jungle Junction and try Matt carrying him out like it was any other morning. As it turns out all he needed was 5 minutes of Jungle Junction to reboot his brain. I guess toddlers are like PC's always in need of updating, repair and the complete reboot at least once a week.

So after we got calmed down first a sweet picture with puffy red eyes then the kitchen was unveiled...

Next play time began, he of course washed his hands first!

Then time for some Christmas morning ice cream....of course! Followed by the perfect pose.

After a relaxing breakfast and some more play time it was time for a much needed nap then off to Nana's for Christmas dinner and MORE PRESENTS! But before we leave the house, we of course need to have car coming out of our eye.

Then before we could get coats and shoes off and settled in it was time to dive into Nana's manger. Unlike Mimi's this one isn't meant to be played with. So quick note to self: we need to get a manger scene Dealey can play with for Nana's house next year!

Before heading home we had a yummy dinner and opened some fun presents, including a pot & pan set for the new kitchen. After some banging of pots, Matt says, maybe we should have looked for a wood set....to which I responded what fun would that be? But before we left Nana's it was time for some trick-or-treating...uh?

And finally back home for some more kitchen play. I guess Dealey had a long day because before long this was the view....head in the oven.

All in all it was a wonderful day and while I'm so ready for Cohen to get out of me and give me my body back it was wonderful to share one last holiday with just the three of us. I definitely think this picture sums up the day perfectly. All smiles!

Matt and I hope each of you had a beautifully wonderful Christmas too. I'd raise my glass to you but Cohen's being stubborn and hanging out inside me so I'll have to raise my glass a little later! But never-the-less here's to another year of family, friend, fun and laughter.

Today was a very surreal day. It started off seemingly wonderful. We were looking forward to finishing up our Christmas shopping. Dealey was going to spend the afternoon with his Mimi and D•Dad and we of course wake up each day now wondering if today will be the day that Cohen arrives. Then about noon it was if the world just sucked the breath out of us both. The day would not be quite the same, Christmas will not be the same and even in a way seems wrong to be excited about the life we are anticipating and ready to celebrate.

First we found out that Matt's aunt Margie died last night about 1:30 am. It's a total shock and huge blow to the whole family. She was only in her mid 50's and just seems strange that we'll never see her again or talk to her. Margie along with a few other Maples family members have a congenital heart defect that sometimes causes you to feel as though you are choking. It's something that Matt's 80 something year old grandmother has as well as his cousin. It's something you can live with and function normally with and as best they can tell she had an episode of feeling like she was chocking and this time seems to have caused her to go into cardiac arrest. We won't know for sure until they do an autopsy but at the moment it seems to be the only logical explanation according to the paramedics and the hospital.

After hearing this news I called my mom to let her know what had happened only to find out that her cousin died yesterday as well unexpectedly from an aortic aneurysm. She too was young.

It's been a rough year for both our families. Matt and I both lost grandparents that are very very dear to us and I just hate that this is how this year will end. With heavy hearts full of sadness, eyes struggling to hold back tears and consuming thoughts about how unexpected and cruel life can be. Knowing that we too must plan for the "unexpected" is just about the worst feeling. I don't want anyone but Matt and I to raise and grow our family through life, any other way just doesn't seem right.

If you read this and think about it, please toss out a prayer for both Matt's family and my family that we will all be able to find a way to cherish both of these women during this Christmas season. And for those in both families that undoubtedly feel a sense of hopelessness that they will find and follow the life that still lies ahead of them. I know all too well that sometimes it's hard to look past the misery of the moment to see the possibility of hope and happiness that can be yours if you choose to pursue it.

IT'S DONE! Cohen's room is done and I love it so much I can't wait for him to be here and be able to start spending time in that room playing with him and Dealey. So here's a few pictures! I guess technically it won't be 100% done until he's here because we have some big picture frames to put some amazing pics that I know Allison will be taking of C & D and maybe a family pic who knows. In the 4th picture you can see the two frames sitting out in the hallway. One is going to go over the crib just to the left of the awesome molding shelf in picture 1. The other is going to hang just off center above the changing table.

Before I show the pics though I want to thank everyone who helped me pull this room together I couldn't have done it without each of you! My sweet friends, Erin, Nicole, Lynsi & Allison helped me paint the room and get things started. Nicole helped me dye the sheets and put one of the best features of the room up, the guitar graphic. My parents helped most of all though, my mom painted the closet, helped me paint the bed and cut and sew the curtains. My dad built new drawers for the changing table that I later painted the gold color. My dad also helped me measure and get the closet preped for hanging new rods and getting the bookshelf in there. And yesterday he spent many hours trying to figure out the stupid crown molding I just had to have as the top shelf of my little molding project. So it's easy to see that there is NO WAY I could have gotten it done without my friends and family!

A WEEKEND WITH NO BOYS....(except for the one I'm growing inside me!) This is something I know I will come to treasure as the years go on. Sadly though this weekend with the pleasure of no boys came the pain of not being able to spend time with Matt's family and celebrate sweet Ella's 2nd birthday. But I know Matt took a ton of fabulous pictures so I'll get a little slice of the fun when he gets home.

I had hoped to accomplish loads this weekend and as I started doing various things I realized I do this much every week, what was I thinking? I should be resting a bit. Alas I did get almost all my Christmas gifts made which I can't wait to share pics of them but I can't of course until after Christmas or people will know what they're getting.

I also got the last project for Cohen's room underway and it will be finished on Monday (thanks in advance dad for the help)!!!!!!!! I cleaned, did laundry, got my office/guest room put back together and yes I did rest a little and enjoyed a small glass of wine last night with my friend Erin. So I have a few hours left before the boys get home and I'm torn between doing a few more projects and just taking a shower and relaxing....In my perfect world I'd have time for both so I guess I should stop typing and get busy so I can get everything I can done before they get home!

SNEAK PEEK! Okay so today my sweet friend Nicole came and help me put one of the most important pieces of Cohen's room up, the guitar graphic. I mean who needs a bed when you have the coolest guitar graphic on your wall just above the coolest zebra print ottoman? Lucky kid. So I thought I'd give a little sneak peek of C's room. Sorry about the flash, I'll have Matt take some good pictures of the room once I get the last little art project done and the curtains hung on the window. You can however see a bit of the curtains in the picture we got the pair that went over the closet hung this weekend.


Also I lost the camera a month or so ago at my baby shower so I had a few fun pictures to share off it and thought why not throw them into this post rather randomly! So here's a picture of the yummy food at the shower. And while I'm on the subject of the shower I just want to thank everyone again it really was a special day. While I did get to have two showers when I was pregnant with Dealey they were stressful and awkward as I had already been put on bed rest and had to have them at our little loft which was fun, but tight and it was hard too that we couldn't register for some fun stuff because we had to think of how little space we would have once in NY. So thank you to everyone who made this day so special for me....

This last picture...Well, who can argue that there is any better place to watch "Meet The Robinsons" than lounging in a laundry basket? I asked him if he wanted a pillow and he said "no thank you mommy" and he watched almost the entire movie from this spot getting in and out a few times, I guess to stretch his legs?!