Oh how time flies, when we are having fun!

Our vacation has come and passed. We went to a Portofino Resort and Spa off Pensacola Beach and it was fabulous! Don't let the name fool you, it is the most kid friendly resort--they have a kid "playground" in the water on the Gulf side and counselors that will do activities with them. We however did not par take in any of these luxuries, we just bummed on the beach. We knew because of Kinson's quirkiness and finicky behavior it was going to be hit-or-miss if he was going to like it or not. The first day was a no go, he got out there and really just played in the sand a bit, luckily it rained and we went shopping the rest of the day. The next day, Nana performed a MIRACLE and had that boy out in the waves!! He didnt get out for 2 days!!
There are so many stories and good times to share but I need to get the little one to bed but here is a few pics (there will be many more to come). And big shocker, there are a few pics of ME!! I had a friend ask why I had no pictures of myself up and I didnt have a good answer except that Bear still doesn't know how to work our camera so when he does take a picture it is not to good. Nana took these for us :)

Only 2 more months

until our little girl is a year old!! This year has been so long, yet gone by so fast. We weren't scheduled for a 10 month check up but Cohen was having some ear trouble so she got one anyway. She is really having problems with her right ear, that was the one that caused her to need tubes, she had one ear infection that NEVER went away. We were hoping after tubes that this would help this situation, but it has helped to drain the infected fluid out, but however too slowly. She has had 2 ear infections (or 1 that just wont go away) this month, so she is on another round of antibiotics and if doesn't help then we will get some powder from Marty's Pharmacy that they compound to "puff" in her ears to hopefully kill eaverything. If not then back to Dr Lee to decide the next step. Her ears clearing up are so important to her and us as we try to eliminate all factors that might mask as a delay. Hypothyroid kids have a tendency to have speech delays and she is already delayed in her language skills we know but we would like to eliminate the factor that it could be because of hearing difficulty, so we hope that one of these solutions will help.

What else is Miss Cohen up to?

• pulling up on EVERYTHING--don't stand still too long, she will pull up on your legs!!
• attempting new textures of food-- she sort of gags easily
• stealing all of Big Brother's toys
• loving bathtime, if Kinson doesn't drowned her first!
• sleeping 11+ hours a night, and she looks too cute in the morning to wake her up so we open the door and hope noises will wake her up
• attempting our 6th or 7th sippy cup....this hasn't been going so well
• wrapping herself around her Papa's finger! She didnt have to try to hard!!
  

Always learning something new!

Our little girl is on the move!! She is just continuously amzing us with her determination. She is now crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. She looks so funny because she is the size of a 5 month old! However she is growing! We went for her 9 month check up---yes i know it was late-- but she is weighing a little over 15 lbs!! That means she has finally doubled her birth weight!!! This is especially important as she is so active and we anticipate her weight gain to slow down a bit. But she is just so darn cute, again I know I am very bias, but we really can't ger enough of her!!

Adventure Racing--Take 2!!

We were off again, this time to Baton Rouge! We had so much fun even though it was so hot! This time what made it so much more fun was that not only were we cheering on Bear's team but we were also cheering on my coworker, Helen's team, which was an all girl team. This race was the same as the last, running, biking, and canoeing, all bvased around a map and a list of checkpoints. It was such a close race......but the GIRLS won by 2 1/2 minutes!!
Between 2 kids, the campus, and each team on different routes, I had a difficult time taking pictures, so here are a few!

This might make the grandmothers proud....

My mother in law has been cleaning out her costumes that have accumulated over the years and needless to say, Cohen has such a large dress up collection (in size XS-18!!) that Cinderella and Snow White would be jealous!! So the other night we decided to see what her future holds!!

Tomorrow is the day

that I dread each year. I don't know how to explain how I feel when this day approaches each year. I can't believe that it has been 8 years since my accident, I would have never believed that my life would be where it is today. I dont have to be told how far I have come and the obstacles that I have overcome, that is my job to tell others so it is hard for me to understand this side of it. I still feel like adversity is something you accept and move on. The last few years have been relatively smooth as the day approaches and passes. I have always just tried to keep busy and but like I said the last few years it just hasnt "bothered" me. But this year has been different. This day has been in my mind for a few weeks now, however I had to look up the day because I couldn't remeber the exact date! But it happened on a Sunday so Sunday was exceptionally hard for me. It was as though i kept looking at the clock replaying what I did all day before/after. I wish I could put my finger on it this year, but I feel like i have been made aware of my arm more the last few months. Kinson has become aware that Momma is different and now that all the kids in his class are so vocal they are also very curious. Each day I have to explain that I am not "hurt" to them, just different. I also hurt my thumb a couple of weeks ago and it really scared me knowing that if something happened to my left hand I dont know what I would do. I know that this is just a bunch of rambles and probably makes no sense but it is sort of therapy for me. And it tends to be cheaper than my other therapy that usually consists of many stores and credit cards! However this weekend I did start my retail therapy and got a new rug, 2 chairs, and an ottoman for our living room but it is on order and wont arrive for 2-4 weeks so this will have to do in the meantime!

Where has this sweet boy gone?

This face looks so deceiving but inside that little boy there is a plan brewing. The plan consists of making everyday tasks as difficult as possible for his mama and papa!! I wish i could take pictures of our bedtime routine but we dont have one anymore. He moved to a toddler bed a few weeks ago and all since of routine has gone out the window with the crib. He hates to go to bed, kicks screams, and will make himself hyperventilate to get his way. He sleeps in his school shirt because he hates to change clothes and I hoose to fight that battle only once a day. We wake up early and sneak in his room and slide on his school shorts and if we are lucky we can change hisdiaper too before he realizes that he should be fighting us. The task might not be as bad except that Kinson feels the need to sleep in SHOES everynight! Dont ask us why but again we pick and choose our battles. If you can just imagine what he looks like at night....school shirt, diaper, and red lighting mcqueen crocs!! I am going to try and get a picture.

Today though our little man had to go back to the dr with strep for the third time this year. Last year it was pneumonia and bronchitis and this year strep, I hate that he has to be sick but this year was much easier. But as bad as he is at home, he sure can charm the ladies. He was a complete angel with the nurses letting them weigh him, take temp, and even listen to his chest.....he normally goes ape crazy after his traumatic experiences. He did great until they checked his ears and he screamed and told the dr "You hurt my ears, make it feel better!" He is riding around with Bear hoping that at any moment he will fall asleep so we can forgo the kicking and screaming tonight in exchange for an early night that is sure to be shortened when he awakens feeling puny and crawling in our bed!

Time is going by sooo fast....

my little girl turned 9 months old Sunday!! She really is starting to grow up and be a "real" baby as me and Bear say. Yes we know she is a real baby, but she is finally beginning to do things that babies do. She started combat crawling last week and boy has she gotten fast. She will get up on all 4s but really likes squirming around on her tummy. She has the cutest, shy personality. She will look at strangers and smile and then bury her head in our chests acting bashful :) She definitely gets that from her papa!
She LOVES to eat right now, although not much from her bottle but she wants to feed herself. She loves her mum-mums and cheese crumbles. We havent tried too many table foods because I learned with Kinson, once they start eating tablefoods they hate babyfood. Well with her small size, I like to control that she eats a certain amount each day and anything over that is great. We wont get weighed again until Monday so I dont know exactly how much she weighs but at home it is between 14.5-15lbs.
Her verbalization has increased some, especially in the morning or during diaper changers. She usually has the best stories to tell us then! Still no real so called babbling but definite sounds on a regular basis now!
As far as her thyroid is going, we are still taking Synthroid each morning (this will be our routine indefinitely) and she will have bloodwork done again Monday to see if she is still within the range they would like. I know I always say how amazed we are each day as we watch her develop, but we truly are in awe of how strong she really is.

Marshmellow Cream, who would have thought?

It could cause a HUGE meltdown?! Kinson "helped" me in the kitchen the other night, I gave him the marshmellow cream after I got out what I needed and let him go to town. He is so picky i never thought he would actually taste it. After one bite he was hooked! He loved it, but it was close to bedtime so I had to cut him off and he did not like it one bit. He threw a MAJOR fit.....these seem to be getting more and more common!

So innocent....

Just a short update on Cohen's progress. She is doing GREAT! She is waking us up each morning to some sweet sounds and we can't complain. She has started to ooh and aah a good bit and making some hard consonant sounds when she is good and awake. We found out that she tends to do better in the morning especially when well rested and full! She is holding her bottle now, which is big for us just for the sake of time because it still takes he about 20 minutes to finish a bottle. So now she can hang out in her bouncy seat each morning and take her time. Still no crawling but she can get to whatever she wants! She scoots and spins constantly. She will get to furniture and can get up on her knees and really wants to pull up, so we will see if she even crawls. Again we wont complain that she isnt quiet so mobile but definitely not delayed yet!
If you look at her you would think that she has grown 2 sizes but the scales still dont show it. She is hanging out around 14lbs 5oz and 24-25in long. These are both in the >1% growth percentile but all we can do is encourage food whenever she wants it. She had her first surgery a couple weeks ago, she got tubes. We opted for those for 2 reasons: 1: we thought it was affecting her hearing which in turn affected her speech and 2: it affected her ability to suck on the bottle because of the pain it was causing. We have seen a great improvement in both areas. She is a trooper with her medicine, she has to take a pill, yes you read that right A PILL, each morning and can't eat for at least 30 minutes. Well that wouldnt be too bad but she has to wait the 30 min and then take her Prevacid which would like her to wait another 30 min to eat! She really does well and tries to be patient.
She really is doing so well compared to where she started! We are so thankful and encouraged by her.

Happy Independence Day!

We live in the most kid-friendly neighborhood and each year they have a parade for every holiday. On the 4th of July the Pearl River Valley Fire Station is kind enough to lead the parade. And oh does kinson love a firetruck! However it seems as though the anticipation of it was actually more exciting than the actual firetruck itself. He could hear the sirens as it rode through the neighborhood and he kept saying "It's coming!" However when it actually got here he wasnt as excited. But he was a big fan of the beads!!


The Fourth Of July is one of my all time favorite holidays and I think it has to do with where I work and knowing so many men and women who have fought for our freedom. Their stories are amazing and it is a rminder to me each day that freedom is not something we should take for granted. Thank You!!!

I can't believe she is 8 months old....

Our little girl is a little fighter these first 8 months. For her 8 month birthday she got GREAT news, she graduated from physical therapy for her neck!! That is right, no collar! She still is a little weak but has made great improvements over the last few weeks. We will miss Ms Kim, however we know that with her hypothyroidism and low tone we might have to have her services again (let's hope not).
She also saw the endocrinologist last week. After waiting 3 hours, we saw Dr Bastian and he was so helpful. He spent a good 45 minutes with me (now at least I knew why we waited 3 hours) explaining all her tests and examining her. He did show concern in her small size (14lbs 2 oz, 24.5in long) but also said at this time there isn't too much we can do. He was thrilled to see her TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level was within normal range, 1.4. She started at 8.9! He still has further testing to do to determine the specific type of hypoT she has but definitely leaning towards autoimmune hypoT. This is mostly due to my history with autoimmune disorders and my new diagnosis of hypoT. She goes back in July to continue with her testing and developmental evaluations.
What is Cohen doing these days besides being a Bathing Beauty?

• sleeping from 7:30-6! (she might fuss around 2 for her paci, but otherwise we cant complain)
• sitting up for hours it seems like
• spinning in circles on her tummy
• finally eating 1 jar of babyfood at one sitting
• she LOVES mum-mums and puffs
• makes a mess with a regular cup
• attempting a sippy cup
• LOVES her papa, she reaches for him no matter who is holding her
• she started Big Girl school with Kinson and the first week got SPOILED ROTTEN, we had to talk to them about that!

She really has come a long way in a short period of time. We couldn't be more thankful for all of the support that we have had. We just look at her and are amazed!

Can we say HOT!!!

It went from warm to unbearable in just a few days! So what do we do to stay cool? Get in the water of course! Last weekend, we went to the Crawford's celebrate Cole and Laurie Claire's birthdays. We always have so much fun with them. Cohen stayed with the Birthday boy the entire time! She loved the water. Kinson on the other hand, just walks and does whatever everyone else in NOT doing! He had nothing to do with all the water stuff or slides. He was more interested in the food. Typical.



Birthday Boy!!

This is another example of the heat. Kinson played in the garage last weekend for a little bit as we were rearranging to accomodate the new gym. He never stops moving. After about an hour, this is what he looked like. And it was only 9:30 in the morning!!! He was filthy, dirty, and just plain BOY, but he was loving every second of it.

Lately, I have gotten up on Saturday mornings to go to nearby garage sales. I have really enjoyed getting up early and going by myself, even if I dont find much. A few weeks back, the kids got up extra early so I didnt go, but instead we decided to pack up and head to the park to beat the heat. On the way, I saw some signs and so we made a detour so I could do a quick drive by. I usually only am looking for kids stuff so I can quickly tell whether or not we need to stop. Well off to the side they had a push car. Yes, Kinson has about 5 push cars but this one had a push handle and I was really thinking Cohen could use it one day. So I jumped out and the lady really didnt know what she was selling and just said make an offer. $5 later it was mine and we were headed to the park.

We had the wagon in the truck for him and Cohen to ride but of course he decided that morning he was not going to share. Again, typical. So we got out the new car and he LOVEd it, we pushed him around the whole park while Cohen rode in the wagon. Even if he never gets on it again, $5 was worth just that one morning of heading off a typical Kinson tantrum!


He lost his balance, but you can bet he wasn't about to drop those cookies!!

The next morning we were in Sam's and saw the same push car for $49.99!!!

Hot Summer Days....

Do you notice that Kinson is putting that alligator on top of Cohen's head? Heaven forbid, Cohen touch him because he will start SCREAMING "CoCo, no pinching, no hitting!"

Happy Early Father's Day!

If there are 2 things that Bear is fully committed to, it is family and working out. So it came as a complete surprise to me after his many years in the fitness industry that he wanted to get a "home gym." His reason: to be able to spend more time at home with the kids and be able to fit working out in whenever it was convenient with their schedules. But I quickly came to realize that this was not going to be some girly equipment that I might could use or a treadmill or something. He was talking weight bench, bars, plate weights, cables, ....the whole gym in our garage!

Well we started to price pieces thinking we could slowly build this gym of his up, well wow it was going to be awhile before he was going to get his gym. Well this is where my bargain shopping habits come in to play. I love, love, love a bargain and will search one down before I will buy something full price. I religiously search Craigslist multiple times a day and what do you know, a gym almost identical to what he was looking at came up for sale. I emailed the guy and Bear set up a time to meet him and 2 hours later it was his. The best part---It was selling for what we would have paid for just the plate weights!!! So last Sunday, Bear and Kinson spent some quality father/son time in the garage putting together parts of the gym. Kinson was in heaven, he had to dress like Bear, hold wrenches and do what Bear was doing, and just as Bear would do, when I would open the door to check on them Kinson would turn around and say "Mama, shut the door!"

Like I said before, this is not a girly gym so we will continue to have a membership at the YMCA so not too sure where we saved the money at yet!!

Quick PT update

Cohen went back to PT yesterday to see if she had progressed enough to avoid a neck collar, well she has progressed very well, however it is now habitual for her to hold her head tilted so we will indeed need the neck collar :( But the good news is the one that they ordered was way too big for her so we will get to postpone it another 3 weeks! So we are going to work hard to see if we can break her habit!

These pictures made me realize how much her and Kinson are beginning to resemble! And please forgive me for her clothes falling off, I am putting her in 3-6 months clothes even though they are too big, I refuse to buy 0-3 months clothes anymore!!!

Yum, Yum!

Well, I said I learned so much at her last therapy session on how to feed her better....I will let you be the judge!!

7 Months....

and what is so significant about these pictures?....her mouth is closed!!! Although this is still very seldom it is a huge feat for her. It helps us to understand that the medicine is working as it shrinks the size of her tongue and helps the swelling decrease. Cohen has now been on the Synthroid for 4 weeks and we can tell a significant change in her. It is very hard for us to describe but we know she is different. She is still a very content child but she is beginning to show more smiles and emotion, both happy and mad. She has gotten more demanding which lets us know that she now has the energy and desire to tell us she wants something. She went for Speech Therapy yesterday to help assist with her feeding and also her nonverbal deficits. I learned SO MUCH!!! and after an hour of oral stimulation Cohen made a few sounds on her own while the ST and I were discussing our homework! I was thrilled!!

Another encouraging note, she has had an ongoing ear infection since late March that finally required 3 shots of Rocephin last week, why is that good? It could also explain her nonverbal issues as well. We will return for a follow up to her ears next week and if the are still dull, then we are off for tubes. The ST told me she has seen multiple children who exploded with sounds as soon as their ears cleared up. She sees the ped endocronologist June 8. So we will continue to be patient as this all unfolds and we watch her grow and learn daily. It is so hard for me to be on this side of the "therapy" world, now I understand my patients family's who want to know why the progress isn't faster. Patience, patience, patience!!

Rainy Days....

It has definitely gotten harder to entertain Kinson when the weekends have been like they have been recently....RAINY! We have tried every play place, shopped, visited grandparents, etc just to get him out of the house for a little bit each day. This past Sunday afternoon we went to Burger King and he loved it! He actually made a new friend while we were there, which is a big deal because Kinson isn't the kidest to others! He loved climbing and sliding and of course didnt want to leave, but he is getting better with understanding we will be back.

Girls Trip!

Everybody needs one of these once in awhile, especially as when it seems we can't take anymore, we just need to get away! Luckily I have a wonderful husband who loves to spend quality time with Kinson and Cohen and realizes the need for this time away. So this year for Mother's Day a group of girls I went to highschool/junior high with decided we would head to the beach for an extended weekend.

It is hard for me to believe that we have been out of school over 10 years! We have all been through so much since we graduated high school but we have always been there for each other. It is hilarious when we get together, our highschool hearts tend to come out and it is a never ending gossip/laughter fest! Just what we needed! Thanks Casey for opening up your condo to us!