One Week

This week is hard. In 6 days, it will be my boys' first birthday. Part of me wants to just go to bed and sleep until it is past, Cohen won't know he never had a first birthday party right? But, my boys deserve to be celebrated. It's just that so many memories and broken dreams are coming back up and making it a challenge.

I have been trying pretty hard to keep myself busy and not "go there" to the dark place where everything hurts. At the same time though, I think I need to go there to some degree. I don't need to stay there, but I need to let myself hurt and feel the pain of losing my baby. It's not easy and it doesn't feel good, but I know if I don't go there at least a little bit now, it will come back again later.

For now, I'm trying to find the balance of celebration and sorrow. This isn't anything new, we've been working on it since the day our boys were born and we said hello and goodbye. I think this week I am going to try and do something every day to celebrate my boys (getting Cohen's handprints, getting something new for Carter's grave, writing letters to the boys) and also let myself feel the feelings that I have. I know that the build up to the milestone is usually harder than the actual day so I am trying to hold on to the hope that I will be able to celebrate and feel good on the boys' actual birthday. Until then, I'm treading water and trying to make it through. I'm going to make it, I know I am but it's hard and it hurts.

By Popular Request

We get asked all the time whether Cohen looks like me or Danny. Some people will swear he looks just like me and others will swear he looks just like Danny. So, who knows. The Rineharts have some pretty strong genes, but so do the Kimmels. So, I'll let you be the judge.

Danny?

 

 

 {Isn't he so cute?}

 

Jana? 

 

{Check out that hair...on the back of this picture my mom had written "We did get her a haircut last week" I can only hope Cohen's is as fabulous}

Jana's Nephew?

Who do you think he looks like?

Flashbacks

These are some posts from last year at this time. It's weird to read them because I remember each and every one of these days like they were yesterday. And yet, it seems so far away, too. I think I was trying to be so hopeful when I was writing everything down, but I can also remember the fear so well. Every day was a struggle as we just really didn't know what was going to happen. Less than a week after these posts, our precious boys would enter this world. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, although of course I wish the outcome could be different. We are so thankful for the time we got with our boys and continue to be so thankful for every day with Cohen. The Lord has carried us through so much. I still can't believe it's been a year.


May 26, 2011
Well, we made it! I honestly wasn't sure if we would ever make it to this day but I'm so thankful that we did!! Since we hit the "viable" mark they will be monitoring the babies heart rates twice a week. They put me on the monitor and watch the babies heart rates for about 20 minutes to make sure they are behaving. I had this done today and it was a little rough because they had hard time finding both babies at the same time. They move constantly move around and I was laying flat on my back for over an hour, which I don't do very well with. But, of course the babies did fine! They also gave me a glucose test to check for gestational diabetes, which I passed so that's also good news.
Please continue to pray as we make decisions about when to get the steroids (I think I mentioned it before) , its kind of a guessing game as to when we get them because we don't want to get them too early but also don't want to wait until its too late! Danny is driving up tomorrow after work to spend the long weekend with me. My birthday is this weekend so my mom brought me a little early birthday cake :)

May 29, 2011
Hey everyone,
Its Danny here just checking in on Memorial day weekend.  We had planned to go camping this weekend, and in a way, I guess we kind of are camping here at the hospital.  Things have been kind of crazy for me lately.  I only sleep in Lynden two nights a week and the rest of the time I'm down with Jana at the UW.  It has been quiet on the baby front this weekend, which is good, but its pretty easy to be stressed out regardless.  Jana has been in her bed for about a week and a half now and is getting very sore and uncomfortable.  Its hard not to be able to help her or get her moving around, but I guess we gotta do what we gotta do.
I just want to say that we're very thankful for all the support and prayer that we've received from everyone and that we will continue to appreciate all that we receive in the future.  Be constantly praying for us as you know we will be constantly praying for our little ones as well.  Thanks again.

 Being here is like being on a roller coaster. One minute everything looks okay and the next minute things are changing and we just aren't sure what is going to happen. I have been rather uncomfortable the last few days and when they weighed me yesterday I had gained another 5 lbs. My Dr came in to see me this morning and when I told her that she said she wanted to check on the babies fluids again. So she did a quick bedside ultrasound and found that Baby B once again has too much fluid and they are back to being concerned about twin to twin transfusion. They want to do an amnioreduction tomorrow and draw off some of the fluid from Baby B. Since this procedure has the potential to induce labor they are also giving me the steroid shot today. We are also scheduled to go today for the echocardiograms of the babies hearts at Children's today, otherwise they would have done the amnioreduction today. So, please keep all of those things in your prayers. 1) That the babies hearts look normal at the echo 2) That the amnioreduction doesn't put me into labor or 3) that I don't go into labor for at least 48 hours so that the boys get the benefits of the steroids. This gives us a few things to think about so please continue to keep us in your prayers! Thank you for all you have already done for us!

May 31, 2011
 Well, we had our visit to Children's and while it wasn't easy, we got some good news. Both babies hearts look good in structure and function! Baby A still has the little calcium deposit but the cardiologist said he really wasn't worry about it at all. The challenge was more in the getting to the appointment. They had wanted me to go by cabulance, but all of the cabulances were busy so they had to take me over by ambulance. I got strapped to the stretcher and all. The ultrasound took about 2 hours which was pretty hard for me. Since I have gotten so big I am pretty uncomfortable and I can't stay in one position for very long. This is one of the things I am worried about for the amnioreduction tomorrow because they will be using a big needle to draw out some of the fluid. My Dr thinks it will make me quite a bit more comfortable, and obviously better for the babies so their little bodies don't have to try and deal with all (or the low) amount of fluid from twin to twin transfusion. I asked the Dr how much fluid she was thought she would take off and she said about 1 to 2 liters!!!!
I got my first steroid shot this morning and will get my second dose in the morning. They said that while the procedure has the potential to induce labor, so does leaving all that extra fluid in there. And also the effects on the babies of leaving that fluid in there. They will do another ultrasound in the morning just to double check the fluids and then they will do the amnio in the afternoon. Here's to hoping for some sleep tonight!

June 1, 2011
  Amnioreduction is done! The Drs came in early this morning and did my ultrasound and then decided since they were both available that they would just do it right then. It wasn't as bad as I thought, the worst part was them putting the numbing medicine in my stomach and then they just use a little straw to get the fluid out....they took out 2.5 liters!!!!! Ugh, no wonder I have been so uncomfortable! I feel way better already and they said the babies were looking better afterward too. In usual fashion, the babies were jumping around and waving throughout the entire thing (they use an ultrasound so they know where they are going). Baby B was even trying to play with the little straw they were using to take the fluid out with. They put me on the fetal monitor for about an hour afterwards and they said the babies heartrates continued to look good. I also got my second steroid shot this morning. They want them in for at least 48 hours which would be 10:30 am tomorrow (hopefully longer!)
The plan for now is just to lay low and hope I don't go into labor, which is kind of the same plan as before. I have been taken off the Ibuprofen because it can cause the baby fluids to decrease and Baby A is already low so they don't want me to take it anymore. They will keep a close eye on me today, although they do expect me to possibly have more contractions just because they upset my uterus by poking it with a big needle. I didn't sleep very well last night so I'm hoping I may even get a nap in today! So, everything went well and as usual, we just keep praying for a quiet rest of the day!

Fess Up Friday

* I wore a pair of swim shorts as real shorts for two days

* I may be a bit diaper obsessed


* On a walk one day I was very thirsty and seriously considered drinking out of Cohen's sippy cup. The serious amount of floaties stopped me

* I am secretly not so secretly anymore, pleased that Cohen is saying "mama" first. He is SUCH a daddy's boy that I was sure he would say "dada" first

* I sing Justin Bieber to Cohen because he gets a huge smile on his face whenever he hears it. We also watched the Justin Bieber movie together.

* I wrote out a check and later realized that I was an entire week off on the date I had written

* I keep forgetting my own birthday is coming up very soon. It may have something to do with the above, or that I spent my birthday in the hospital last year. Or that I'm in denial about getting old(er). 

* Danny and I ate an entire pie in less than 24 hours. By ourselves.

* I sometimes choose Cohen's lunch by what he is wearing and how badly it is going to stain whatever he is wearing when the majority of it bypasses his bib and lands on his clothes.

* Call me crazy, but I like getting to take Cohen out to run errands. It's so nice to be able to put him in the car and have some cute company with me. 

{Cohen appreciates the fruit samples from the Green Barn}

 {We get this face a lot, we are still trying to figure out what it means}

Prettier Summer List

I made a prettier version of our Summer "To Do" List. Basically, we just want to be normal people and get out and do things as a family. We plan on checking a few of these off our list this weekend! One of them we are especially excited about...any guess as to which one?

This & That

We've had a busy week so far....

Yesterday we went down to Seattle and saw Cohen's pulmonologist. And he set us free! He said that Cohen is doing really well and that we can now just be followed by his regular pediatrician. Cohen's lungs still aren't normal or completely healthy. His chest xray still looks like he has some kind of awful sickness, but that's his normal. Dr W told us that by the time he turns 2, he hopes to see a much improved chest xray but he also wouldn't be that surprised if it didn't look completely normal. Cohen is still at higher than normal risk to develop asthma or breathing troubles, but so far he hasn't had any. He also has never been sick since he's been home, which is quite amazing!

{picture from Karen}

He has also sort of been released from his cardiologist. The last cardiologist we saw wanted us to follow up again in 6 months, but each time they do an echo and EKG they look the same. We have seen a different Dr each time and I think none of them want to be the one to officially release him. When I confessed to Dr W that I hadn't scheduled another echo for Cohen, he thought that it was fine and that Cohen didn't need it. While the wall of his heart is slightly enlarged, it has looked the same since Cohen was in the NICU and isn't causing him any problems. So I don't feel too bad about it.

{picture from Karen}

Our friends had their first baby and we also got to meet little Elliott. Elliott is a preemie by 3 days :) He is almost 2 weeks old and adorable. When I picked him up he felt so light. He is 6 pounds and some oz and he seemed so tiny! It was hard for me to believe that we once had a baby even smaller than that. Elliott was a little anxious to come into the world and play but we are so glad he decided to stay put as long as he did!

{Isn't he so sweet? I wanted to put him in my pocket}

{Seriously, such a cute little face}

If you are a sewer and need a project, let me know! Teeny Tears has a list of hospitals and organizations waiting for diapers and we would love to diaper as many little bums as possible and bring a little bit of comfort to families who have lost babies. Email me or visit the blog if you need details!

All Boy

Over the weekend, we went over to my mom's house. She had rhubarb from her garden she was wanting to use so we made some strawberry rhubarb pies. YUM!

My dad had just bought a new (to him) tractor and was driving it home so Cohen got to be one of the firsts to test it out. He grabbed right on to the steering wheel and was ready to drive.

 
I can't believe how fast our little boy is growing up. It seems like every morning I get him out of bed and he is more grown up. He is constantly pulling up on everything and is even starting to cruise the furniture. And of course along with that, he is doing a lot of falling. He gets a little too brave sometimes and likes to let go of whatever he was holding on to.

 My little baby isn't much of a little baby anymore. It's so fun to see him learning so many things. I love watching him try to make his chubby little fingers pick up cheerios and get them to his mouth. His brain is always going, always looking for something new to try. It's a fun age, but I want him to stop growing so fast!

We are off to Seattle to see Cohen's pulmonologist tomorrow. We wanted to take him to the zoo but it is supposed to rain, so we will have to try again another day. But, we DO get to meet Cohen's new friend Elliott and we are very excited!

A Marathon

Grief is tiring. No, actually, it's exhausting. It's different every day and sometimes, just when you think you've gotten past something, you take a u-turn and go through the same part you thought you were finished with only this time there are new hurdles on the track. I've never run a marathon, but I imagine grief is something like running one. Except every time you think you see the finish line in the distance, you take a turn you didn't see coming. Instead of reaching the end of the race and getting to rest, you have to keep running.

There are days when I don't want to be grieving any more. I want to be a normal human being without a foggy brain occupied by having a baby and grieving the baby I lost.  I don't want to feel like I am living under a big black cloud while everyone else plays in the sun. I don't want to be the one crying while driving down the road or heavily sighing every time I see matching outfits while shopping. I have days where I don't want this to be my life. I know it sounds horrible and you may not understand it. I wouldn't trade my  boys for anything but it's probably fairly obviously that I would much rather be a mom who got to parent twins who doesn't have to think about what to take to her son's grave or when to look at his pictures.

There is no way around the tears and the tired feelings. I truly believe that these are things I have to go through to get to the other side. My grief isn't a nice little stack of things that I can easily step around when I don't feel like dealing with it. Sure I can stuff it down for a little while. I have a pretty good "keep it together" mode when I am in public. But it covers every part of my life. It's a little here and a little there.

If there is an upside to grieving, it's that it does change. Slowly it gets a little bit easier. Missing Carter will never go away and it will never be easy to not have him here. But I do feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have days where I feel like planting flowers in my garden. There are days when I feel like I can dance in the rain. Some days I even tell people I have twins (usually only if they aren't with me so I don't have to explain where Carter is). Certain songs still make me cry my eyes out and some days I need that. But there are also days when those songs bring me joy and remind me why I am here. I know that Carter was here for a reason. I know that he is no less of a person because he isn't here. I know he will always be deeply missed by those who love him. And I know that he is happy and he is free. He isn't sick and he doesn't have to face the trials of this life. And for that, I will forever be thankful.

I am thankful for someone who is greater than all of this, who is holding my baby in his arms until I can be there. Until that day comes, there will always be a part of me that will grieve for my son. Sometimes in big ways and sometimes in smaller ways, but it will always be there. I can only hope that when I finish this marathon, no matter how many detours I make, that God will make me a stronger person because of it. There are a lot of things I don't understand, but I do know that there is someone running this race alongside of me, who knows every turn I make and every hurdle I jump over. He knows when I am tired and when I need someone to carry me. I also know that he will never leave me.

"There was given me a thorn in my flesh...Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away fro me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me...For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Beach Trip

Today is the day that exactly one year ago I was admitted to the hospital on bedrest. We had arranged to meet up for a little playdate with some of our friends and it was just what I needed. This year, we spent May 18 strolling and taking Cohen's first trip to the beach. It was way better than being in the hospital.

I have been trying to think of a way to not hate that time in the hospital so much. I guess out of my bedrest I got two beautiful boys. I got to feel safer than being at home and way far away from the nearest hospital that could deliver them. I am thankful for being able to drive there rather than having it be an emergency in which I needed to be ambulanced or taken by helicopter. I got a baby boy who may not have done nearly as well if he had been born earlier than his 25 weeks.

Did you know Cohen's little friend Isaiah is a miracle baby, too? He is. He's pretty spectacular and so is his mom, Kaysha. Thanks for spending time with us today and making what may have been a really hard day a little bit easier. We are so thankful for your friendship!

{"Hey dude, get off my log"}

{"Just pretend to smile and maybe she'll go away"}

And also, if you are keeping up with diaper production, check out our lastest dropoffs here...

I Hope

One year ago today, I was admitted to the hospital on bedrest.

As Danny and I went to bed tonight, he told me had been thinking about last year and what was going on. And that they weren't good memories. I agree. Whenever I think back on my pregnancy, I think about the fear. The constant fear of the unknown that we were faced with every day.

Today, I don't want to focus on the fear and the pain. I just need to think about other things. One late night I was telling my friend about the fears that I still have of losing Cohen. Even though he is "fine", I am still so afraid of losing him. But, I don't want to focus on that either. My friend suggested writing down all the things I hope for him over the next year. That sounds like a better idea to focus on, so here we go.

Cohen:

I hope to see you walk
I hope to show you how incredibly much we love you
I hope to hear you say "Dada"
I hope to continue to hear you laugh and see you smile
I hope to take you to less doctors appointments
I hope you continue to let me snuggle you
I hope to hear you make animal noises when we ask you "What noise does the...say?"
I hope to keep you healthy and out of the hospital
I hope to take you to the zoo
I hope to take you on playdates
I hope you get to meet your friends Jonathan and Daniel for the first time
I hope to take you to the beach
I hope to rock you before bed
I hope to read you your favorite stories
I hope that you stay my little boy forever and ever
I hope that you always know how incredibly loved you are

Mother's Day

Mother's Day has come and gone. I had a good day, considering. I think I mostly tried not to think about it too hard.

Danny got up in the morning with Cohen and I slept in, which is pretty rare these days. Usually even if I have the opportunity to sleep in, I wake up anyway. But, I managed to sleep in and then got breakfast in bed. A huge plate plate of bacon, eggs, and potatoes. Cohen woke up from his nap and joined us for some scrambled eggs. They are one of his favorites these days.

After breakfast we headed off to Sunday School. Our class has been very gracious in letting us have Cohen come to class with us. He is usually pretty well behaved, you know, for an 11 month old. We did have a minor bottle explosion, but other than that he did well.

From Sunday School we swung by to see Carter and then I got an iced tea and we went to the grocery store to pick out lunch. We came home to let Cohen nap and then headed over to my Mom's house to give her a present.

We left the boys there and then the girls all went out for pedicures! Apparently everyone else in town thought Mother's Day pedicures were a good idea too. There was a little bit of a wait so we headed over to my favorite consignment store and got a few summer things for Cohen (under $5! :) We also wandered over for some coffee and then went back for our pedicures. It was nice and relaxing.

Meanwhile, the boys were at my parent's house trying to put up their above ground pool. When we came home they had it mostly up. We barbecued some dinner and enjoyed the sunshine. Michelle and Jordan were the first to take a dip in the icy cold water. I think I'll wait for it to warm up a bit.

{Note Cohen "swimming"}

{Cousins in matching jammies}

 

Enjoying the SUN!

It has been sunny around here the last few days and we have been LOVING it. Last week, we went to Whatcom Falls Park and walked around. Cohen got to try out his new-to-him Ergo and he rather enjoyed it. Here are some pictures from the last week-ish.

{Whatcom Falls Park}

{Both of our faces make me laugh...}

Saturday Cohen got his pictures taken for his first birthday! This was something that I have really been wanting to do as we didn't get any newborn pictures or anything. He hammed it up for the camera and gave her his whole range of expressions.

As you know, Cohen loves to eat so we've been having fun giving him lots of new foods. I am excited for summer when he can have fresh fruits and vegetables. We had a barbecue and gave Cohen some asparagus to chew on...and he ate it!

 Also, Cohen is saying "mama" and "baby"...his OT even heard him today!

{Tub Time!}

Mother's Day was okay...pictures coming soon.

And also, if you shop online, check this out!

Opposite Summer 2012

As we get closer to summer, we have a lot of things we want to do. I was talking to my friend about how hard all the "one years" were going to be. She told me she was going to do the opposite of the things she was doing last year and I think I might try that too. Instead of bedrest, contractions, c-sections and NICUs, I am making a list of things we want to do and experience this summer. I'm not calling it a "bucket list" because, well...you can probably figure that one out. So it's our Opposite Summer Extravaganza. We have been blessed with a curious, adventurous baby who is soon to be a year old. Danny and I both like to be outside doing things and after a long year and a long (LONG) winter inside, we are ready for summer. We are are ready to have a "normal" baby and do "normal" things with him. Here is our list so far. I'm sure it will get added onto.

* Go to Deception Pass

* Make homemade ice cream

* See Cohen walk

* Go tent camping

* Cohen's birthday party

* Whatcom Falls Park

* Visit Edaleen Dairy many, many times

* Keep making diapers

* Go to the zoo

* Go to the beach

* Take a road trip
* Get a tan (save me your lectures, I don't plan on being Ms. Hawaiian Tropic,
 I just would like to not be day-glo pale)

* Go Hiking

* Roast marshmallows

* Meet Elliott Archer Dahl

* Pack a lunch and go on a picnic

* Go to the Fair

* Get/Build a firepit

* Make a stepping stone for the garden 

* Go strawberry picking

* Make freezer jam

* Swim in Gramma & Grampa's pool

* Take a road trip

I also need to make a summer reading list, any suggestions?

Being a Mom

Honestly, I keep forgetting that both Mother's Day and my birthday are coming. I think I just keep putting it out of my mind.

Being a mom has changed me in more ways than I ever thought possible. My trip to motherhood didn't go in any of the ways I had imagined or planned. I have learned that being a mom doesn't always look the same to everyone. I will always be Carter's mom, even if I don't get to parent and raise him. He is my son and I am his mom, and nothing can take that away. If we hadn't experienced such a tremendous loss, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. Knowing that I am missing out on seeing Carter crawl, and babble, and pull up, and nap, and cause trouble, makes me value those things even more in Cohen.

Being a mom of a preemie has also changed me. I think that I wouldn't have appreciated and enjoyed all of the little and big things that Cohen does. Of course I would have been excited about everything my baby does, but knowing what could have been and how hard Cohen has worked to get where he is today, makes me truly appreciate those moments even more. We know how blessed we are to have Cohen here with us, makes us strive to not take any of those moments for granted.

My journey to motherhood also showed me what kind of a mom I want to be through my own mom. I will never be able to fully thank her for everything she did for me. She has been a true example of complete selflessness through all of this. I love you, Mom!

Cohen and Carter, thank you for teaching me about life and what matters and how to love more than I ever thought possible.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's with babies in heaven or on earth, and to all you soon to be mom's! 

A Letter to My Shoes

in the spirit of Fess Up Friday, I have a confession. I wrote a letter to my shoes: 

I have had to face a hard reality over the past few weeks.

It all started when I went into work one day. I changed into my scrubs and went to find my Danskos. I looked all over the place for them but they were nowhere. Luckily, I had another pair of comfortable shoes in the locker room so I put those on and went on my way. Throughout the day I discreetly openly stared at everyone's feet hoping to catch a glimpse of my shoes. Maybe someone put them on accidentally? Or forgot their shoes so they were just borrowing mine? I would be okay with either of those, as long as I got them back.

After a few weeks of stalking black Danskos around the building looking for a pair with a scuff on the left inside toe, I gave up. I had a few false sightings, but my lovely shoes are gone. The earth has swallowed up my shoes.

Today, I would like to say goodbye to my Danskos. Tons of nurses wear these shoes. They are kind of like a rite of passage in nursing. I got my first (and only) pair when I graduated from nursing school. They made me feel like a real nurse.

And so, to my danskos, I will miss you. I will miss your scuff and the way you were molded to my feet. I'm sorry for the time that patient leaned over the side of the stretcher and barfed on you. Thank you for staying up late with me all those long nights on call. I'm sorry for those days in the summer when  I forgot to wear socks to work. Thank you for protecting my toes from things I dropped on you or things I kicked and earning your scuffs. I'm sorry for abandoning you for 6 months and leaving you all alone in the locker room at work. Thank you for getting me through 4 years of nursing. I will be here waiting for you in case you decide to come home. And if you have my shoes, please give them back, my feet miss them. Thanks :)

Okay

In the last little bit, I feel like my perspective has changed some. Of course I still miss Carter like crazy and wish every day that he was here with us. But, I've started to feel a little bit of joy when I think about him. When I see the pinwheel out in our yard blowing in the wind, I smile and think of him.

 Today, I am at peace. I will always be the mom to two boys. My twins. They will always be my little gifts from God. This isn't to say that I am "over it" or that there aren't hard days coming, but today, I am okay.

In this moment, I feel like I am going to make it. I feel like I have been in the lowest valleys possible, the death of Carter and the critical illness of Cohen, and I'm still here. I'm still going. I may not be going quickly, and most days I feel like I only have half a brain, but I'm going. I am ready to not feel defined by circumstances. The circumstances are a huge part of my life and they always will be, but I don't want them to define me. I want them to fuel me forward and continue to change my life. I can't change what has happened, no matter how much I want to. I can't change it. But I can decide where to go from here. I can decide how am I going to use what Carter's life meant to me.

I will always feel the loss of Carter. I also know that I am still going to have times, in an hour, in a day, in a week, where I don't feel okay, but for this moment, I am okay. Thank you for all your continued prayers, they mean so much to us.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" Romans 15:13

In case you need a Cohen fix, check here or here.

March for Babies Afterparty

After leaving the Seattle Center, we walked back to our hotel and got everything packed up. We really wanted to see one of Cohen's nurses but she was working that day so we swung back by the NICU on our way out of town. It was so wonderful to get to see some of our nurses. I think it's fun for them to see their little babies growing up. There was an isolette in the hallway and Cohen was very interested in it. It was an amazing visual to how far this former 1 lb 8 oz baby boy, whose whole body Heidi used to fit through the little doors on the side, has come.

{Heidi and Cohen}

 {Cohen in his isolette at 4 days old}

{And Cohen with an isolette at 11 months old}

When we finally got home, we threw all our stuff in the house, gathered up some food and headed to my brother Joel's house for a BBQ for my mom's birthday. Cohen was so happy to finally be able to crawl around and move after being stuck in his stroller or carseat for the majority of the day.

{Master of the BBQ}

We had taken Cohen to the store one day and he was just smiling and hamming it up for this lady who was clearly paying no attention to him. It's funny because he doesn't actually go that many places, but apparently he is used to getting a lot of attention as evidenced by this picture.

{Proof that I was there}

My dad has been super busy out at work, so we were pretty excited to get to see him. He had to work Saturday so he didn't get to go to the walk, but he wore his shirt to work. 

{Happy Birthday, Mom!}

 

The young master fell apart shortly before dinner was ready. I had been planning to take him home for bed but didn't want to miss dinner. So we tried to put him in a pack n play and he wasn't having any of it. So I ate quickly and took him home to bed. The minute he hit his own bed he was out. We missed out on cake, but I think Cohen really needed his own bed. Ok, now that you have enough pictures to last awhile. I'm going to take a little break and catch up on a few other things...I'll be back in a few days.