Cohen - 3.5

If I'm in denial that Ezra is almost two, I'm definitely in denial that this guy is almost FOUR!

 My little hero.  He is growing so much. Like (literally) leaps and bounds. Getting more steady on his feet and more confidence in his heart. Always up for adventure.
 
He loves preschool and riding the bus. He loves hanging out with his Auntie and playing with his cousins. Whenever we go somewhere he says "Are my cousins going to be there?". He also loves pushing his shopping cart(s) around, trains and cars. Nearly every day I find our front door mat over the transition from the hardwoods to the carpet in his room and it's the "ramp" for his cars/shopping cart/trains. He also likes to connect and hang things across the house, which we have tried to limit to his room because otherwise the house turns into quite the obstacle course. It's so interesting to see his little mind working to make things happen and then carrying them out.

He is our Mr. Literal and just wants to know about everything about everything. "How does it work? Why does it do that? But why? But why? But why...." One day he was very persistently asking the same question over and over and I said told him to drop it. He said "But Mommy, I don't have anything to drop!" Oh dear...Always keeps us on our toes!

20 Months - Ezra

I lost a few months somewhere, time please slow down! Ezra is now a big, bad 20 month old and well on his way to being TWO. I can't believe it.

 At his 18 month check up he weighed 23 lbs 10.5 oz and was 33 inches tall. He is currently in 18-24 month clothes.

He's still practicing his "strong, silent type" but is gaining a few new words. He loves animals and knows what most of them say although he gets a little confused about the horse and yells "baaa" frequently. He also says "Mama", "wa wa" (water), "up", his famous "yeah" and signs "please" and "all done".

He is just thrilled with big brother using the toilet and I can't tell you how many times a day I have to tell him to get his head out of the toilet (boys, sigh). He is a little daredevil and stands up on his rocking horse, leaps off the couch and runs down the slide.

He also has this sweet little side and he gives the best hugs and snuggles to make up for when he is a little, ahem, ornery. He hates being cut off of food, sent out of the kitchen, and having his diaper changed. Sweet boy also has a little bit of a flair for the dramatic... picture hanging his head into his hands and wailing when he is told "no". We just love this little guy to pieces and are so thankful for what a joy he is in our lives.

Extreme Sliding

I used to love winter and look forward to the cold weather and rain so I could stay inside and read books on the couch. Since having kids (busy kids), I'm more of a spring/summer kind of person. We have been quite pleased with our mild winter and have been trying to get outside pretty much any time it isn't raining.

These boys, they are so full of life and energy and spunk and adventure. My cautious adventurer and my not-afraid-of-anything daredevil.

The boys went outside today for a quick episode of what we call "extreme sliding". Spring, come quickly! 

An Opportunity to Share

I was asked to share a little of our story at church for our Bible study. I said yes and then wondered what had I gotten myself into. What do I have to say? How much should I share? What if I can't actually talk and I just cry the whole time and get snot everywhere?

It got me thinking about all those months we spent in the hospital with Cohen. About our broken dreams and hearts. About the day we buried our Carter and the days we watched Cohen struggle continuously. Those days were hands down the hardest days of my life. They were the days when I wrestled with God, his plans and his will. I questioned why a good God would allow all of this to happen.

But, when I look back on those days, even amidst the struggles and the doubts, those are the days that I felt God's presence so greatly. Even in the darkest days, there was light. Sure I yelled, screamed, kicked my feet and was very angry. But my actions and my situation didn't change who God was. He was my constant as the world crashed down on me. God showed himself to me again and again through circumstances, friends, and strangers. He reminded me that in the midst of tragedy, pain and sorrow, he is still faithful and good.

Our experiences have brought us to a lot of places we never would have imagined and given us opportunities that we wouldn't have had otherwise. Losing a child and walking the road of grief and heartache are incredibly difficult and no one should have to do it alone. We have had many opportunities to share our story, walk alongside, and hopefully soften the road a little for those walking similar journeys.

Although it has been 4 years, it's still a struggle to understand it all. There are still days where the pain feels so fresh and present. We have always been open with our story and our hope is that God can use it for his glory. That there can be beauty out of the ashes and even in tragedy, there is still hope. The hope of heaven and that someday everything will be made perfect and right.

These are some verses and songs that have been rolling around in my head that say it better than I can!

Isaiah 61:3 
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise    instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness,    a planting of the Lord    for the display of his splendor.

Tenth Avenue North - Worn
Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn

I want to know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that's dead inside can be reborn

David Crowder  - Come As You Are
Come out of sadness
From wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal

We've been a little quieter in this busy season in our lives. We are facing some of the realities of a preemie who hasn't "caught up by two". I can't tell you how many times we heard that preemies catch up by two. That "this will all be in the past". The NICU journey is in the past, but we are still dealing with the effects of Cohen's prematurity in his life. The reality of it can sometimes hit pretty hard, but we do our best to focus on the journey and how far we've come.

We are still asking some questions and waiting for some answers, but we know that we are working to do whatever we think is best for Cohen. Right now this means lots of appointments and therapy and preschool. We are working to learn more about his needs and how we can meet those needs to give him the best chance to reach his full potential. It's been talking to a lot of different people and facing some struggles. But we love this guy with all our hearts and will do whatever it takes to help him be his best, whatever that looks like.

Our little buddy is determined and happy and always keeps us on our toes. He has always done things in his own time and in his own way. He always makes us laugh with the things he says and we love seeing him grow and change every day. 

Little Biker Boy

A few weeks ago, on a whim, we took the Strider bike out of the garage to see if Ezra would want to ride it. The first time we had to hold onto the bike to help him balance. The next time he was off and running! He is a daring little boy ready to take on the world. Since he found out he could run on his bike (and scare his mother) he has been forced into wearing a helmet. He loves riding his bike and I see a lot of it in our future as we get to spend more time outside. 

Christmas 2014

We had a pretty quiet, calm Christmas over here. Just the way we like it. We didn't put any presents under our tree until a few days before Christmas so that we could start telling the boys they were going to get to open them soon. This year we went with the "something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to need" for gifts. And the boys didn't even need anything to wear so they just got a couple things each. 

Christmas Eve we had some hot chocolate, read "The Night Before Christmas" and the Christmas story out of their little Bible. Then we made peppermint hot chocolate and let Cohen open one present before bed. Once they were in bed we turned on a Christmas movie and set out to put their trampoline together (which was harder than we thought it would be). 

Christmas morning the boys woke up and wandered out to see their presents. Cohen was excited about the trampoline and wanted to open his presents on it. They were probably most excited about the chocolate kisses they found in their stockings (which had to be confiscated until after breakfast).

We had our traditional "coyote" breakfast (fried bread dough with powdered sugar on top) and just had a quiet morning at home. Later we headed over to my parents' house to have Christmas with my side of the family.

The trampoline has been a big hit and Cohen has been getting lots of energy out (and it's supposed to be good for building core muscles and coordination too - bonus!) And no one has fallen off and broken their necks either (another bonus!)