The Whole Hospital Story

My head is still spinning from the events of this summer. I still shudder every time I think back to the week of July 5th and a flood of memories and emotions comes over me. Excruciating pain. Fear. Discouragement. Helplessness. Being forced to deal with something I never saw coming threw my life and my family's life into a complete tailspin. Once again, I knew God was teaching me that only He has complete control of everything. 

Sick. The first weeks of summer I was overcome with morning sickness. And afternoon sickness. And evening sickness. Early in the summer we learned I was pregnant. Again, all of the anxiety and fears that come with being a "high risk" pregnancy overwhelmed me. We kept it a secret from everyone for as long as possible. No reason to worry our family and friends. Every day was a struggle to keep up with a very active 2 year old and 4 year old. And on top of that, we dealt with several rounds of strep with both the boys. I had my share of that sickness, too. It was one thing after another. Just when I thought I was beginning to see the slightest sliver of light at the end of the tunnel, everything changed. 

We had a fun 4th of July weekend. The boys were beyond thrilled to be in our city's little parade in Cohen's tiny red Mini Cooper and enjoy fireworks at my parents'. But, Cohen seemed off. Again. I took him to the health care clinic the next day where his strep test was positive. 

The next day started out like usual. However, when I was feeding Henley breakfast, I got a sudden, sharp pain in my lower left abdomen. I immediately worried about the baby. I quickly found my doppler and confirmed that the baby's heartbeat was there. I barely got through feeding Henley and had to lay down. "Surely this will pass soon,"I thought to myself. After all, I was only 14 weeks pregnant and both my trips to the ER with Cohen and then Henley were at 16 weeks. Excessive bleeding with Cohen and my first TIA with Henley. What in the world could it be this time? As the pain intensified, I called Chris and told him I needed him to come home and possibly take me to the hospital. I called my mom to pick up the kids. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my day in the ER with some minor problem, but I couldn't function. 

After the most uncomfortable car ride in my life, we were there. I could hardly convey how I was feeling because I was in so much pain. They started an Iv and pain medication and set up a Sono. The ER doctor came in after awhile and said my test showed a possible mild uti. Really? Mild? That is not the word I would use to describe how I felt.  They gave me round after round of Iv pain medication with hardly any relief. They still wheeled me down to Sono where the lady said everything looked fine. After hours of uncomfortable waiting, the doctor came in and said, although they couldn't see the left ovary, everything looked fine. They would do one more Sono on my kidneys to make sure I didn't have stones. Nothing there. They gave me medication and said they were discharging me.  By the time they came back with the papers, I was in tears because I couldn't imagine being sent home in so much pain and discomfort. I like to think I have quite a high threshold for pain, but I felt like they thought I was making this up to get a stash of pain medication. They did say I could be admitted and observed all night. That sounded expensive.

At home, I had to take Percocet every 4 hours just to function. I couldn't take care of the kids. I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep. I called my OB and their suggestion was that I was constipated. On Wednesday that week, I insisted on keeping the boys because it was Henley's 2nd Birthday. I did my best, but I was really struggling. The next day I went to my family doctor and she said I did have a uti and they were going to give me a prescription. However, she also set up another Sono for the next day. I tried to be optimistic, but knew this was not the answer.  I took my first pill but still couldn't eat or even walk. I laid down while Chris put the boys to bed. I tried to get up to take a shower and everything went black and I had trouble breathing. We called my doctor and she said this was definitely not progressing like a uti. I felt like I had no other place to go, but back to the ER. My mom came to stay with the boys. I endured another horrific car ride to the hospital. We called my OB and he talked to the ER doctors and told them whatever they needed to do, they needed to find my left ovary on the Sono. One of the worst things they did in the hospital was trying to find my baby's heartbeat with their doppler. They must not do it often. First, it's super painful since they are pressing down where all the pain is originating from and second, it took them way too long to find it. Every second was excruciating. Tolerance was low during this whole ordeal and all I wanted to do was grab the doppler and do it myself since I have my own at home and do it all the time. After they finally did that, the Sono lady wheeled her machine in and found the problem fairly quickly. My left ovary was four times the size it should have been and had little blood flow. They suspected torsion and admitted me about 2 AM or so.

The next day was a blur and my OB said I would probably have surgery around 6 pm since the blood thinner shots I take needed to wear off. They did schedule an MRI to try and get a better look. I was on a lot of pain medications and Chris was, unfortunately, a victim. At one point, I blurted out that I hated his shirt. Then I told him he could never be a doctor because his bedside manner would be horrible. Oops. I finally made it to the MRI. One of the worst positions to be in is sitting, so the wheelchair rides were horrific. The MRI was nothing short of pure torture. It was 45 minutes of not moving while enduring loud noises and some contraption over my pelvis that intensified the pain. Sometime during the test, the pain meds wore off. I was so relieved when they pulled me out. Then my heart sank when they decided they didn't get everything they needed and I went right back in. I couldn't fight the tears any longer. They streamed down my face for the rest of the test. I was wheeled back upstairs to get ready for surgery.  I was so uncomfortable, I really thought I would die before surgery. I found out later that the radiologist who read the MRI didn't even believe the ovary was twisted. And advised my doctor to cancel surgery. My OB decided to go ahead and operate based on how I "presented". They moved me down to pre-op and I wasn't even anxious about surgery because I saw it as my only solution. I was only worried for my baby. Before I knew it, it was time and my eyes were fluttering closed. When I started to wake up I was shaking violently because of the pain. I heard loud moans and asked the nurse if that was me. She said no. They immediately listened for heart tones on the baby and that familiar beat made me relax. I only saw the clock and it said almost 8:30 at night. I said, "My husband has to get home to my kids! He needs to take care of our kids!" They let him back to see me. I assured him I was fine and he could go. I was still in an unreal amount of pain, but it was a different kind of pain. Later, I learned the doctors were astonished at what they found. My ovary was twisted twice and tucked under my round ligament. There was 10 ounces of blood in my abdomen. Apparently even a drop of blood in your abdomen can cause a large amount of pain. The ovary had twisted because of a large cyst. No one can explain the chain of events or why or how this really happened.  The condition was just so rare that no one expected it or was looking for it. My OB said he has delivered around 13,000 babies and has never had this happen to a pregnant woman. It was all so unreal. I spent 2 1/2 more days in the hospital to have my blood monitored because of the blood thinner. I was scared to come home. I was still in so much recovery pain that I was afraid I couldn't do anything. I couldn't lift over 15 pounds. Both of the boys are a tad heftier than that. My amazing mom took the boys every day for two weeks. I felt lost and in a time warp. How did this happen? Why did this happen? I am so grateful the Lord protected our baby girl. My doctor admitted to downplaying the risk to our baby. With all the medication and surgery, it was riskier than I knew. However, it was God's hand at work in timing, because I was out of the first trimester but baby was small enough so they could move my uterus out of the way to operate. 

I am starting to finally mentally and physically move on. The toll the whole ordeal has taken on me has surprised me. But, while I continue to struggle with why all this happened, the only evidence left is three small scars. Henley likes to occasionally run his fingers along them after he has "kissed baby sister" and look up at me with his big, blue eyes and ask, "Hospital?". I answer yes and he looks off for a few moments.  Strangely, even though the times in the hospital, especially this time, have been the most trying times of my life, I cherish them the most. That is when I felt that God was nearest to me. One of my favorite verses says, "...if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (Psalm 138:8) He was there.

While I hope this is the only excitement we experience this pregnancy, we can't deny I am a high risk pregnancy until the end. With my condition, we could lose the baby at any time. The only thing I can do is trust. So, if you have made it this far in reading and you think of us, please pray! Pray for our precious baby. We know He can do all things! 

Henley's birthday. I was trying to make it!

Henley's birthday morning

Smiling even after a positive strep test

Very hot baseball game

We love summer time

T-ball

At the circus 

Unfortunate Prediction

Where to even begin? This year has flown by at an alarming rate. We celebrated Cohen's third birthday in April and Henley demolished his first birthday cake about a week ago. Both boys are such a fun age. Cohen keeps us laughing with all he is saying and I am completely addicted to Henley's baby laugh. Cohen continues to be large for his age and Henley is headed in the same direction. I would have to say the phrase we heard most often was, "Oh, he is such a big baby!". Thanks? I think at this time, though, Cohen's face looked so much older. The best part is watching them interact. Cohen is always asking about Henley, comforting him, entertaining him and can't wait to see him after he wakes up. No one can make Henley smile like Cohen can! We love it when Cohen asks Henley for something, turns around and says, "Henley says yes!". Of course, there is also the familiar scene where Henley has Cohen's toy, Co snatches it away, Henley goes after him with all 6 teeth and they both end up in tears. It has already begun! But, for the most part, they adore each other.

Right now Cohen loves Curious George, swimming, going to daddy's softball games and popcorn. Henley loves World Cup soccer, anything he can chew on, talking up a storm and the dogs. Life is full and they keep us on our toes. So much so that I have rarely had time to deal with my health issues. Ever since I had the TIA last February, I have been passed back and forth between my family doctor, a neurologist and cardiologist. The consensus seemed to be I should maybe/maybe not be on blood thinners. The heart surgery to close the flap in my heart would not be beneficial to me since I could form a clot anywhere, anytime, not just in my heart. So, to get a definite opinion, I made an appointment with a hematologist myself. He was waiting on medical records to confirm that I truly met the criteria for having anti phospholipid syndrome and took labs himself. 

Well, I had joked with my parents that since they were leaving on vacation, I would probably end up in the hospital like I had the previous 2 times they were out of town. Does anybody else say things for the sheer reason if you say them out loud you don't think they will come true? About a month ago, the boys and I had gone on a walk around lunch time. We returned and I was preparing their lunch. I was seeing really bright flashes and had a horrible headache. It was really strange and I had the urge to call Chris and tell him, but chided myself not wanting to over react and bother him at work. While I was feeding Henley lunch, this sensation came over me and I could hardly breathe. My jaw locked up. I tried to talk to Cohen and what was coming out was not what I was trying to say. I tried to make some phone calls, but just wasn't making sense. Needless to say, an ambulance, fire truck and police car later, I ended up in the ER. Chris ended up driving me, but he couldn't make it from work for awhile, so sent every emergency responder within a ten mile radius my way.  So, basically I spent the night and had the entire stroke work up again; MRI, CT scan, neck and heart sonogram, speech therapy, occupational therapy and a few more therapies. No permanent damage found. But, my hematologist said there is no doubt in his mind that I need to be on blood thinners. Permanently. The whole ordeal has been overwhelming, but through it all, God has been faithful. There was a moment that day when I wasn't sure if I would ever see my kids again. Instead, I am pretty much back into the swing of things. I am slower at processing things and I really struggle to find words, but hopefully that will improve over time. Here are some pics from the last several months:

Beautiful Chaos

Just like the last few birth announcements, this post is more than a little overdue!  Henley Dale Johns was born right on schedule on July 8th at 3:31 PM weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. The labor was shorter this time, but since I progressed quickly near the end, poor Henley dropped quickly and came out with facial bruising and popped blood vessels in his eyes. He didn't even open his eyes for the first few weeks because he was so swollen. The bruising caused jaundice problems, so he was not a very happy baby at first. He came out mad and starving, I think, and cried all day and night. Stark contrast to sweet, quiet, little Cohen. I wasn't ready for that and hardly knew what to do. It also became apparent in the first weeks that Henley had a reflux problem as he was vomitting frequently. I had read the book about sleep training, but I really haven't found that to apply to my reflux baby. I was afraid Henley had colic since he just seemed so discontent with life, but after his jaundice wore off and we got medicine for his reflux, he is actually a very happy baby! Cohen was so serious and such a string bean and Henley is smiley and chunky. 

Cohen is a wonderful big brother. He loves his "baby Henley" and is always checking on him. He cannot wait until he is awake and just loves to sit and talk to him, often climbing into his crib to have chat and play. He had a somewhat difficult time adjusting at first with the change in dynamics but has seemed to settle nicely.  Cohen finished out the summer taking swimming lessons and is now excited about football, Christmas and Shocker basketball. His Elf on the Shelf is now back in style! He calls everything "ho ho" that is Christmas and seems to add new things to his Christmas list each week. His speech has really taken off and he actually is quite hilarious. Unfortunately, Cohen has had ear infection after ear infection so we have an appointment with an ENT doctor later this month to get tubes put in. I am not really letting myself dwell on it since it will be difficult to watch him undergo any procedure. However, we are extremely blessed that this is the biggest medical problem he has had so far. He actually has an ear infection as I write this while we wait for our scheduled appointment.

Adjusting to life with two little people is an exciting ride! I am so glad for the blessing. Having said that, we are lucky to have survived this long, people! I am humbled every day by this job. I bow at the greatness of every mother after these few months. Some days, just wow. After my first few days and weeks flying solo with both, I considered the day a success if 1) we were all alive and unharmed at the end of the day and 2) we all three weren't in tears when Chris got home.  God has really taught me to relax and lower my standards since almost nothing is in my control. Life is almost comical most days. Last week, one night we got a grand total of about two hours of sleep and I hauled both boys to the doctor for Cohen's ear infection. Cohen was turning the lights off and on and singing into the light on the table like a microphone while Henley was bawling. On the way home, "we" managed to spill lemonade and coffee. It was raining all this time and Cohen insisted on getting the trash bin the trash men wouldn't take because it was too heavy without sharing the umbrella. Anyway, each day presents a new set of challenges and we are growing more accustomed to our new normal. Although hands down, the absolutely most difficult job I could ever imagine, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Those days of freedom, uninterrupted showers, going to a movie or staying up late for fun, are a distant memory. Now, I cannot imagine life without double diaper duty, crying in stereo, stains on my clothes that makes me shrug and think, "wonder what that one is?" and forgetting to change, cold food and the darkest circles under my eyes I have ever known. But, I also can't imagine life without the pure laugh of my four month old and the peacefulness of a (finally) sleeping baby or late night snuggles with the 2 year old and putting out imaginary fires with our styrafome hoses and wearing our bright, red fireman hats. Oh, it really is the life! It is messy and chaotic, it is exhausting and draining, but it is beautiful.

Unexpected Bumps in the Road

  Well, since we hope to greet our second boy in a few short weeks, I thought I might touch on how this pregnancy has gone.  It is hard to believe, but when people ask if this time around has been easier, I think I would have to say no. I am so blessed not to have been on bed rest and chasing Co around definitely keeps me from sitting around stewing about every little detail like I did with him, but I still take more than my fair share of stewing moments when I get a moment's silence. This time has just been plain hard. Oh so worth it, but hard. I think, which I never imagined, I will be mom to two boys. I just don't think I can go through this again and Chris gets nervous at the talk of three rug rats, anyway. He says they will outnumber us then. Plus, we would most likely end up with another boy. So, no pink. No princesses. No American Girl dolls. No unbelievably cute clothes with lady bugs, strawberries or other things I could not get away with dressing the boys in. But, that is ok. This is obviously God's plan for us and I am completely and totally in love with a 2 year old little boy already who has shown all the things there are to love about boys.

Anyway, I thought at the beginning I may be having a girl because I felt so much sicker than I did with Cohen. Although, I have found my memory is not exactly the best. And I think trying to keep up with Cohen magnified the sickness.  Being on bed rest vs. full time mom is quite the change in scenarios! We also struggled all winter starting at Thanksgiving with one sickness after another. Seemed like one of us was sick all the time. At the worst, we were all sick at once. I was more sick in the last 6 months than I have been in the last 6 years! And Chris never gets sick. And Cohen was completely healthy his first year. So, it was overwhelming. We would maybe get a week or so break, then amazingly get another round! So we were ready for spring when it rolled around and it seems like the sicknesses have at least spread out some.  

The most unexpected and somewhat scary incident happend the first week of February, though. We were having a run-of-the-mill Friday night. We had run some errands and had dinner when we decided to get crazy and rent a movie. Never mind we were gambling on the fact we either a) would never watch the movie b) would watch part of the movie or c) would pay a late fee so we could take the time necessary to finish it. Nevertheless, Chris ran in to rent one of the pre-approved movies we had discussed and I stayed in the car with Cohen. Cohen was upset because he wanted to tag along. As I was trying to calm him down and reason with him, I found myself grasping for words that weren't there. Everything came out mumbo-jumbo. At leat Cohen calmed down to give me a quizzical look because even he recognized how odd I sounded.  At the same time, I received a simple text that I could not comprehend. I read and re-read it attempting to understand it. The whole car was spinning and the radio seemed to get exponentially louder, causing ringing in my head. When Chris came back, I struggled to explain to Chris what had happened. I stuttered and struggled and he tried to remain calm, asking me several questions. He pulled the car over and gave me a stroke test like raising my arms and whatnot. I seemed to pass that and assured him I didn't need to go to the ER, but we needed to get Cohen home and to bed. He reluctantly headed home. I continued to stutter but seemed to slowly improve. When I got out of the car, I was tipsy and had trouble standing, but kept going. I was just exhausted and had to sit down. Chris got Cohen to bed and came out of Cohen's room asking if I was ready to watch the movie. I had a nagging feeling I should not ignore this episode, so I had Chris call the doctor on-call who told us to go immediately to the ER. I was flustered and upset, but we called my sister to come stay with Cohen.  She arrived in pajamas and I decided Chris should stay with Co if my sister was willing to drive me to the hospital. My parents had decided to take a rare trip out of town to see the WSU Shocker basketball team play in Northern Iowa. My sister was a good sport and though totally unprepared to go out in public, took me to the ER. I thought it would be a late night nuisance and waste of a co-pay and they would send me home with looks on their faces like they felt sorry for this hypochondriac. In fact, if I weren't 16 weeks pregnant I would probably have stayed home eating popcorn and staying up way too late watching our movie. The thought had crossed my mind that I had also made a trip to the ER at 16 weeks with Cohen that resulted in bed rest. 

I was really surprised after several questions and simple tests they told me they were going to admit me. I hadn't packed for this! I hadn't been away from Cohen for one night! I guess they noticed I was still struggling to formulate thoughts and suspected a stroke. The autoimmune disorder I have makes my blood clot too much, but with my daily injections and medication, the possibility of stroke was far from my mind. My ob was called and he agreed I needed to stay. It was late by now and they were calling in a ct scan person. That test was miserable! I had to have my head wedged in one place for about half an hour while these super loud noises were directed at me. All I could do was close my eyes, pray and forget I am claustrophobic. When that was done, I was eventually wheeled up to a room where the nurse interrogated me for what seemed like hours. I eventually fell asleep about 5 AM at the end of it. My sister had gone home to change and also go by my house to grab a bag Chris had put together. She came back up and fell asleep during the interrogation as well. They came in and woke us up to take blood. Then began a day of tests. I had a neck sonogram where we also found out we were having a boy! That was the highlight of the trip. Then I had occupational therapy where I walked down the hall clomping with my left foot like I couldn't quite pick it up. I had a consult with a neurologist and had to wait all day for a heart sonogram. I am glad the neurologist came in, otherwise I may not have gotten any answers.  He asked me a bunch of questions and right before he left, he looked at my eyes. "Hmmm. Interesting. Have you always had a droopy left eyelid?" No. What are you talking about? He said one pupil was slightly larger than the other and he suspected I had Horner's Syndrome. He said that might explain some things and he would be back after he looked at my tests again.  He came back and explained that there were a couple of things he saw. On the ct scan, there was a small, white dead spot on my brain and in my neck sonogram the blood flow indicated a dissected carotid artery. So, basically I did have a TIA, but they were not sure how all this tied in. The course of action was to double the blood thinner shots I was already on and hope the dissected artery would repair itself in a few months. Further tests could not be done until I had the baby. I would follow up with the neurologist's partner. After learning all this, I really just wanted to go home. Chris brought Cohen to visit me, but he was freaked out by all the ivs and everything hospital-like. They told me I could not go home at least until some blood clotting number was a certain level. I was more than upset   to stay another exhausting night when the nurse returned and said all my doctors agreed I could go home. What a weird experience!

Well, I haven't had any more "stroke" symptoms and my follow-up neck sonogram was clear.  After meeting with the neurologist last week, I will have one more test after the baby is born to determine the course of action for the future regarding blood thinner medications.  I have three injections a day and a handful of medications to take.  I have had a few other set-backs and worries, but everything seems to be ok now. We started weekly sonograms 5 weeks ago at 32 weeks and so far, this baby is passing faster than Cohen did. He seems to be a mover! Not sure how that will translate when he is born. 

Overall, I am excited, anxious and apprehensive.  We do not have the nursery ready or all of the things we need.  I am also very aware that my time with Cohen will never be the same again, which makes me sad. Cohen is already more attached to Chris right now, calling for him in the night and being upset in the morning when he is not there. When we meet Chris for lunch during the week, he is upset when he goes back to work and not home with us. I try not to take it personally.  I hope Cohen adjusts well and enjoys having a brother. I know it will take time and presents new challenges, but we are glad he can have a sibling and we are adding to our family.

Chances are you will not hear from us again for awhile, but the plan is to be induced Monday, July 8th.   We appreciate any prayers as we know as much as we plan, anything can happen! 

Exhausted Silence

To say it has been awhile, would be an understatement. I am so disappointed because I have failed to document so many things in Cohen's life the last several months.  The only excuse I have is that it was a difficult summer and a fall full of teething and a winter flurry of sickness. Plus, it is not easy for me to be pregnant. But, that is another story.  Our continual bright spot is Cohen. He turned two last month and it is oh so bittersweet. I enjoy each new stage and he really has turned into a little boy, but I miss the baby.
Cohen was a parrot for Halloween.. He surprised us by going around quietly, collecting his candy. He seemed to figure out what to do. He sure was cute!

Christmas was a struggle because we were all sick. It all started around Thanksgiving and really hasn't ended, yet. Cohen got a cold and had bouts of the stomach flu off and on in December until his cold turned into bronchitis/pneumonia at the beginning of January. Poor guy! Chris and I have had it all and it seems like one of the three of us is sick all the time. It is absolutely unbelievable and so wearing. I am exhausted and hope for a reprieve soon. A few weeks ago Cohen had a double ear infection and I simultaneously had some sort of nasty bug that I still haven't shaken. Cohen is done with his medicine but still wakes up coughing at night. Unfortunately, I think we are taking another trip the the doctor's office this week. Anyway, we worked really hard this year to get Cohen gifts that he would really enjoy and he was feeling so under the weather that we tried not to take his lack of enthusiasm personally.

Cohen has grown in leaps and bounds in many ways. He is 37 inches tall and 32 pounds. He says several words and has developed many favorites and hobbies. We bought him a kids' microphone recently and he "sings" into it by screaming or wailing and puts on a performance with hand motions and head tilting and hand raised like a real performer! It is one of the cutest things I have ever seen, although a little loud. Chris took him to a WSU basketball game this season and ever since, Cohen loves basketball and anything with the WSU mascot, Wu Shock. He plays for hours with his small basketball hoop and ball, but he always needs to have a game on for inspiration. March Madness is perfect for him! Unfortunately, the only game we have recorded is the one against Creighton in the championship Missouri Valley Tournament where they lose. But, don't tell Cohen that! He was so excited to watch some of the recent WSU vs. Gonzaga game that he could hardly stand it. He was cheering and screaming and wore himself out. So, for now, basketball is the hobby of choice, which may work out since he is pretty tall right now.

As you can see from the previous picture, Cohen has a new friend. He has never been one to become attached to anything. But, we started hiding the elf from "Elf on a Shelf" in early December each morning, Cohen became attached. He was enamored with Christmas overall and is so disappointed that the Christmas section in Wal-Mart morphed into the Lawn and Garden section. I guess this is his way of holding onto Christmas all year long. We never thought the elf would be so popular, so we never gave the name much thought. We are stuck with "Elfie". I even had Chris wage an eBay war to buy a new one for back up. There have been a few scary moments where Cohen has been aware of both of them and the look on his face was was priceless. We recovered quickly, though. Anyway, any time you see Cohen, you see Elfie. Kids everywhere exclaim, " He has an elf!"

Brushing Elfie's Teeth!!

Cohen seems excited to be a big brother in July, but we are sure he doesn't realize all it will entail. For now, he loves to talk about it and point out my ever-expanding belly to everyone and say "brother".  We are trying to have his summer go on as normally as possible and have signed him up for swimming and gymnastics. 

Oh, yes. There also was a big second birthday! Actually, we just had a small party with just my family this year but we made a big deal out of the day. First, I took Cohen to the bookstore on the WSU campus to get him a stuffed Wu. He was beyond excited to be on campus and see all the black and gold and Wu everywhere. He loved being there. His excitement made it all worth it, even though we had to park really far away with a limited time parking space and find our way to the student center which was under renovations, re-direct his idea of a good gift for himself (a $40 leather basketball) and hoof it back before my time was up for the parking spot. We must have seemed really out of place on a Friday morning out there! A huge pregnant woman hauling an over-energetic, two-year old that kept shouting, "Shock, shock, shock!".  Oh, well. I survived. We then met Chris for lunch at one of Cohen's favorites, Chik-fil-a.  I then dropped him off at my mom's to get a nap while I ran around and picked up the last of his "Thomas the Train" decorations.  My sister had put hours into making a very elaborate "Thomas" cake, as well. He was so excited about all of it! For dinner we had pizza and then he opened presents and had cake. He received many pieces to  complete the train table he got for Christmas. He also got a big Thomas tent that he wanted everyone to sit in with him. Overall, it was a great success!

Already 2!

Dessert at Chik-fil-a

The cake!

Well, there is much more to talk about, but if I go on, I will never post this. So, I will retire for now.

See you next time!

15 Month Update

We now officially know why Cohen is bigger than most two-year olds and strangers expect him to talk and interact with them more than he does!  Cohen is 33 1/2 inches tall and in the 97th percentile.  He weighs 27 pounds(75th percentile) and is definitely a work out to carry around.  He is wearing mostly 18-24 month clothes, but has for awhile. I am glad he is healthy and Chris is proud of his tall boy, but I think he is growing way too fast!  His fourth molar finally pushed through, so he has a mostly toothy grin and a really light blonde mop of curly hair.  He is turning into a little boy and a baby no more.
Cohen is quite opinionated and throws the tantrums off and on to show it.  I just lay him down where he can't hurt himself and let him roll and writhe around until he is done. Usually over something very small, like moving him from one place to another.   He will even check to see if I am watching, and if I grant him a sideways glance, he will start groaning and crying again.  Silly kid!  He especially throws a fit if we take him away from his toy mower for anything.  He spends most of his free time mowing our carpet.  It is the first thing he looks for in the morning.  We began hiding it in the closet and he learned to open doors!  He also loves toddler-sized furniture.  He spends a long time situating himself in his little chairs and we are in big trouble if we attempt to sit in them.  Cohen will be across the basement and his antennae is up when we sit down on his stuff. He runs right over and ousts  us immediately by pulling our arm.  He also enjoys sitting in regular chairs now, too. For a few minutes. Then off to the next thing!
Cohen continues to add to his vocabulary. He also understands several commands and heads off to do what we tell him.  He has added a new dance move when he hears his favorite parts of a song.  He raises both his arms and flaps them up and down.  He mostly does this when he thinks we aren't looking.  So adorable!
He continues to love going to the pool, but this is the last week for toddler time.  This week he hasn't been up to it so far.  He hasn't been himself since his 15 month shots. But, we will try tomorrow maybe.  We have noticed he snores lately and is more restless at night.  We are trying to discern if it is allergies or a more serious problem, like his adenoids, that we need to check out.  We pray it is the former. He also wants his pacifier when he sleeps. After all this time, he is now attached to pacifiers! We only have a few months to break the habit.  But they have helped get him to sleep and away from a bottle. Most times we can sneak in at night and grab it from where it has fallen out of his mouth, otherwise if he sees it, he either has to have it or a big meltdown is on the way.
Cohen is so much fun right now.  He is so sweet and gives us many hugs and kisses. He pats my face or Chris's shoulder and starts babbling as if to tell us he loves us. He talks to the dogs and cat like they know what he is saying.  He is even starting to pick up the smallest schnitzels on the ground and take them to the trash to throw away.  He randomly will break in to dance with just the music in his head and continues to laugh when we do or at something we've done.  He loves bath time and loves to play with the TV remote, but as soon as he has turned it off he runs to me to fix it.  Whenever Cohen sees anything out of place, like a mess Tucker has made with Kleenex, he points at it and tells us.  He is such a smart cookie!

And now, here are a handful of our family pictures taken a few months ago: