Friends ♥

Last weekend two dear friends came a long way [from the far-off-land of Ann Arbor] to meet Cohen. 

Leslie, Me, Cohen and Chelsea

(even though he doesn't look it in this picture, Cohen had a great time and was busy smiling and flirting with the pretty ladies)

Leslie brought not only herself, but also the ever-important Saturday-morning-visit staple of donuts! The girls took turns holding and entertaining Cohen- when he would fuss and I would offer to take him back, they would say "Oh no, we're here now- this is your and Kyle's time to take a break".

Le Sigh :)

I feel so lucky to have met these two while working at UofM. They're amazing, beautiful ladies and I'm proud to have them as friends :)

When I first announced we were expecting, Chelsea said she had something she wanted to make for the baby (I was also given strict orders not to snoop on her Pinterest page to try and figure out what it would be haha). 

During their visit, she gave Cohen the surprise: hand-made blocks with his name on it! 

Not only do the blocks say his name, but on the other side they also have the date he was born:

How cute is that, huh?! We love them. They are proudly on display and will remain so for a very, very long time :) 

Thank you, girls!

2 Months!

"Treasure these moments when he's little, they grow too fast."

I can't tell you how many times I've been stopped while out and about with Cohen and told that same thing by complete strangers. It happens everytime we go out. 

It didn't hit me until this past month just how true that statement is.

In this past month, this little peanut has changed so much.

He is now...

12 pounds & in the 50th percentile for weight.

23 inches long & in the 76th percentile for length.

Sleeping a minimum of 6 hours straight during the night

(but has slept 8 hours straight through several times...yay sleep!).

Has started smiling BIG, and smiling when he sees mommy and daddy [or hears our voices] :)

Is no longer fitting into 0-3 month clothes...it's a minimum size 3 month requirement for big guy, now!

Is cooing and "talking" in his own little way all day, every day.

Is so content to play on his own, but loves the snuggles even more. 

Has neck strength like none other- he can hold his own head up for MINUTES before needing a break.

Is learning to play in his swing, bouncer and jump-a-roo, and beginning enjoy it:

Words can't describe how grateful we are to be able to raise this sweet baby, 

and how thankful we are to be his parents. Here's to the past 2 months being the best of our lives, as well as the upcoming months and all of the exciting changes little boogie will show :) 

Happy 2 Months, Cohen Kyle! 

Like Timmy and Lassie

Eat your heart out, Timmy and Lassie. Welcome the new "boy and his dog" IT couple: 

Cohen and Cooper

It shouldn't suprise anyone who has followed our lives throughout the past few years that Cooper was OUR BABY for the longest time. He filled that void that Kyle and I felt while wanting a [human] baby of our own for so long, and he will ALWAYS be our "first baby" :) 

We were so nervous about how Cooper would receive Cohen when he first arrived. SO nervous.

He was resistant at first, yes. He felt neglected at first, I'm sure. But over the past couple of months, Cooper has adjusted to his new "role" in the family just as all of us have.

Needless to say, Cooper has [slowly, but surely] warmed up to his little brother :)

Coopy loves giving the baby kisses. 

...and the kisses make the baby smile :)

Seeing them get along so well has been totally reassuring for Kyle and I that if ever there was a well and clumsy Cohen fell in, Cooper would be happy to help his little brother :)

Teacher of the Year

It's no new news that teachers, in general, are severely under-appreciated and highly under-compensated. 

My hubs is one of the hardest workers I know. Not only does he teach math to junior highers all day, but he comes home and works on grading and lesson plans every night. For the record: Kyle isn't one of those "I'm going to do just what I have to do to keep my job" teachers...he puts so much effort into trying to find every way possible to help his students find success in NOT ONLY his class, but all of their classes (and yes, he has students come to him for clarification on assignments from OTHER classes and he graciously stays after to help). 

Sounds busy, right? 

Throw in there the fact that he's also taking grad classes and working on those assignments every night, attending additional training's to stay current with teaching standards, AS WELL AS making sure to spend as much quality time as possible with his baby boy. Let's not even address once coaching track in the spring and cross-country in the fall is thrown into the mix. 

Kyle is the most hard working person I know, and sometimes it feels like I'm the only one who sees it. 

Not so, Molly, not so...

Last week, Kyle came home and humbly told me "Now don't get too excited, because it's no big deal, but I got a letter at work today saying that someone wrote into the Department of Education to nominate me as Michigan Teacher of the Year". 

HAHAHA

I laugh because he started the statement with "don't get too excited". He knows me too well.

I DID get excited. I'm STILL excited.

I'm excited that someone in his workplace [anonymous] was able to recognize the results of Kyle's hard work. I'm excited that, after a difficult first semester of both select parents and politicians placing blame on teachers for lack of student success, Kyle stood out to someone [besides me] for working his booty off to help HIS students succeed. Do his efforts always pay off? Of course not. Does he try everything possible to offer them opportunities to succeed? 

You bet your buns. 

Kyle may try and play it off like it's no big deal, but I couldn't be more proud. I feel it's long overdue for MY teacher-husband, as well as so.many.other hard-working teachers to receive recognition for all that they do. 

The Many Faces of Cohen

Just a brief share of just some of the MANY faces of Cohen: 

HAPPY BABY!

Pouty lip isn't funny...but it totally is :) 

"What 'choo talkin' bout, Willis?"

Goofball!

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

Since the night we brought him home, Cohen has taken our version of a "bath" every single night before bed. Up until recent, those "baths" have consisted of laying him down on a towel and wiping him down with a soapy washcloth just as the nurses did the night he was born. 

But...

Guess who's moved up the ranks and is now taking a real bath in his big-kid bathtub?! 

THIS STUD RIGHT HERE. 

Cohen enjoys LOVES bathtime.

As I said, part of our continually evolving night-time routine always includes a bath [of some shape or form haha], and we normally don’t start it until he begins to hit THE WALL (Definition: “I’m so tired I can’t hear your consolations because I’m so upset”). That ceases immediately when his cute little tushy hits the water in his big-boy bath.

Cohey can lay there in his bathtub for upwards of 30 minutes, just playing and kicking those strong little arms and legs and watching the water splash everywhere…

…Even when he’s wearing his sleepy eyes and is so tired he can’t bear to take his paci out.

Love this little water bug.

So much.

Turkey Day 2012

Ever since we have been married, Kyle and I have done a "rotation" of spending the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) between his family and my two families. This year, we had the pleasure of spending Cohen's first Thanksgiving with the Anderson family! 

My family has always been so loving and welcoming of others; it is so much fun to watch the people that I love so much be so accepting of the new family members my sister and I have been bringing into the mix 

{I would never expect otherwise}.

Cohen was such a good boy on Thanksgiving, and loved all of the new, smiling faces he met during our time together as well as bonding with those he already knows {shout out, Uncle Kris and Auntie Mandy, Keegan and Grandpa Gary!)

Meeting Great-Aunt Nancy and Cousin Melissa:

Hanging out with Uncle Kris, Aunt Mandy and Grandma Lynn:

Spending time with Grandpa and meeting Cousin Libby:

 Spending some quality time with Cousin Keegan:

Hugs :)

Showing Cohen where his ear is!

Snuggling cheeks haha 

Helping Cohen talk on the phone :) 

At one point Uncle Mike gave Keegs a cool treat, and he wanted to share with Aunt Nancy and Grandpa!

Hahaha :)


What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had. Regretfully, I didn't remember I had brought my camera until half way through our celebration. Cohen also loved meeting his Cousins Kevin and Michael, Great-Aunt Diane, and Great Uncle Dan! There will be so many more pictures of our time together in the future :)

The Cohen Who Changed Christmas

For the past several years, Kyle and I have talked about how anticlimactic the holidays feel as adults. Without children present at our holidays, there just seemed to be so much less *magic* in the air during those celebrations...especially during Christmastime. 

And then came Cohen. 

Not to say he even remotely understands or is excited by anything other than bouncing and us talking in ridiculous voices mere inches from his face, but watching him slowly become increasingly aware of the sights and sounds around him is *magic* enough for us this holiday season. 

Several nights ago, How the Grinch Stole Christmas was shown on T.V. for the first time this year (this is the first show I watched in HD several years back in which I actually noticed a difference between watching something in high definition and standard definition, haha). As the movie started, we noticed Cohen seemed to be staring directly at it. 

It goes without saying, Cohen is just a baby (duhhh) and there is no way he could actually make out the images on the screen from across the room. He sure did seem to enjoy the bright HD colors, though! :)

About half way through the movie, and after he had been watching the screen nearly the entire time, we decided to let him sit closer to the TV so he could try and actually see what was happening [playing ignorant to the fact that, again, he is a baby and can't actually make out the images haha].

For a 7-week-old, this kid sure does love watching Christmas movies! Haha!

Christmas is going to have such a different dynamic now that we've been blessed with this little peanut. 

This is going to be fun.

After watching the Grinch, Cohen was in an excellent mood. He turned his little head up to my face and started giving me the biggest, wettest, lickey-ist {what I like to think were} kisses in the world. 

It tickled. 

And it was Hee-larious.

                                     

Annnnd to finish, one more random picture I was able to sneak while Kyle was napping with the little man today:

Like father, like son. 

Too cute not to share :)

And so it begins...

...my first blog entry EVER. After {entirely too} much consideration and discussion, Kyle and I decided to nix our Facebook accounts. It simply isn't what it used to be, and it's time to move on from many aspects of the Facebook world. 

The only hesitation I felt in closing my Facebook was losing that source communication with my close family and friends, and how those who care enough to want to keep tabs on our growing family (especially Cohen as he grows), but don't live close enough to share frequent visits, can continue to do so. 

This is my attempt to maintain that option for those I love to watch our family live, love and grow without the scrutiny other social networking sites often include. 

In the upcoming weeks I will do my best to forward our blog information to as many friends and family as possible; however, it's inevitable that I'll unintentionally miss some people. Feel free to pass this on to any family or friends who you think would be interested in following :)

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