Bragging rights.

This is my blog, so I am allowed to brag about my child, right?

Okay, just making sure.

This is a video of the little guy rolling over. Yes, rolling over, last week at 3 weeks old.

{For those that do not understand the significance of this, most kids roll over between 4-6 months. Jaxon was one of those kids... he was 5 1/2 months before he made the move.}

*clears throat*

And then there was Cohen...

I'm not necessarily insinuating he'll grow up to be a super genius or even an Olympian someday {although that would be nice}... I'm just merely showing my child off.

'Atta boy, Cohen... Momma is proud.

Tomorrow we'll work on walking.

I did it.

My sister totally called my bluff.

She said there was no way I would go through a Christmas season without putting up my tree.

I told her, yes I would. We aren't going to be home for Christmas anyways, and I don't want to come home in the New Year with a Christmas tree sitting in my living room waiting to be taken down.

"But how else are you going to get in the Christmas spirit?" she asked. Then proceeded to tell me she would help me set it up and decorate it, even if Scrooge my husband wouldn't help me.

Yeah yeah yeah, she twisted my arm.

But I'm so glad she did.

Now I have a place for little guy's 1st Christmas ornament, and Mr. Man's fire truck ornament, that he picked out himself.

It's true what they say ... this really is the most wonderful time of the year.

The menu.

I am beyond excited to be hosting Thanksgiving this year. When my parents first asked if they could come {silly them, don't they know they don't have to ask?}, I was a little scared only because I knew I'd only be 3 weeks out after having a baby. But my mom reassured me she'd do all the cooking... they were just going to be bringing Thanksgiving to Texas.

Well, I am not letting that happen! I feel great, and feel like I can totally do this. Day by day the task of taking care of both of the boys is less daunting, and my body feels healed. Today I got all the grocery shopping done and table decor bought. So why not ... here we go ... I can do this.

Here's what we'll be eating ...

Breakfast

~ Breakfast casserole

Hors D'oeuvres {served from 10am and beyond}

~ Deviled eggs

~ Homemade cheese ball & crackers

~ Pinwheels

Dinner {shooting for a 3pm eating time}

~ Ham

~ Stuffing

~ Cheesy Potatoes

~ Creamy Green Bean Casserole

~ Sweet Potato Souffle

~ Snicker salad

~ Rolls

Dessert

~ Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pie

~ Bishops Ice Cream Pie

I absolutely love hosting things like this ... now I just need to figure out my schedule so that I can get as much done ahead of time as possible, and sit back and enjoy as much time with my family as I can.

So so so excited!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Gift giving.

I love giving gifts more than I like receiving them. I know, a lot of people say that, but I really mean it. I think it's a while different ballgame when you become a parent ... Christmas gifts no longer have anything to do with you, it's just about your kids.

I get giddy when I'm wrapping gifts, in anticipation of what the persons reaction will be when they open the gift. My heart starts skipping a beat thinking about Jaxon opening his gifts this year. I think he'll really enjoy it this Christmas, compared to last year when he was only 10 months and didn't even really open the majority of the gifts himself. I can just hear him now... "Woooaahhhhhhh!"

Here's what's on his list this year...

Power Wheels 'Lil Quad

I actually bought this for him already, as Target had it half off this past weekend. Can't wait to see him riding it!

Color Me A Song - Crayola

Outdoor toys

Since Jaxon loves being outdoors so much, I'd like to get him a slide of some sort, and maybe some ride on toys.

LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal & books

The new Thomas the Train set - or a similar "small" train set

Someday I'd like him to have a big train table and train set... but we just don't have the space for it right now.

Puzzles

Any kind of "big boy" car/truck/tractor/vehicle

He's all-boy and loves any kind of vehicle that makes noise... I think his favorites right now are tractors and fire trucks.

Cohen's list ...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Scout

Lamaze toys

Wagon for two

{Now, before you accuse me of going crazy buying gifts for my boys, I am not buying everything on their lists. These are just ideas that I've given their grandparents to choose from, or if they have something better in mind, that's great too! We are thankful for anything.}

Here's a question for Mom's of 2 or more... I'm completely torn when it comes to buying gifts for Cohen. I know he's only going to be 2 months old, so he'll have no idea what's going on. But the "fair" momma in me feels torn that Jax is going to get toys and then the little guy will be sleeping. So how do you keep it fair? Do you buy the same amount of gifts, and just try and keep it around the same dollar amount spent? Or do you set a dollar amount for each child and buy for them until you've spent the same on each child? Any ideas or suggestions you have for me are much appreciated!! :)

And what about you -- what's on your/your kids' Christmas lists this year?

{P.S... Kaela and Mom... I know you both read this... I am still waiting for your lists... :)}

Tidbits.

Just an update with some random pictures scattered throughout ...

- I went to the grocery store for the first time today with both boys. With Jax up front, and Cohen in his car seat in the basket of the cart, there was absolutely no room for groceries. I was able to pick up a few of the necessities that we've been out of for a week, but nothing else. Note to self: bring the wrap the next time I go with both boys. And a snack for Jaxon to prevent the melt-down that ensued today over not being able to eat everything right off the shelves.

- Cohen had his 2 week check-up yesterday. He now weighs 7 pounds, 11 oz - which is exactly a pound more than he was at 4 days old. So in less than 2 weeks, he gained a pound... hooray for a happy and healthy boy and successful breastfeeding!

- We signed up to have our picture taken for the church directory. Our appointment was for 3:00 on Monday. At 2:20 I called to cancel, because I was on the verge of tears trying to figure out what we were all going to wear... considering Cohen only has about 2 actual outfits (he lives in pj's, what can I say?!) and 90% of my wardrobe still doesn't fit me, I was really stressing over something pretty silly, and decided it wasn't worth it, so I cancelled. Luckily they're doing them until December, so I can reschedule for a later time when Cohen and I both can fit into cuter outfits. I know I should be a little easier on myself considering I'm only 2 1/2 weeks post-partum, but it's hard. You just want to be back to your regular size, you know?

- It cracks me up that every time Cohen has a bath, it's a big event at our house. Everyone partakes in this event. How would you like to bathe with 3 people watching you? Poor little guy... haha!

- I still haven't decided if I'll be decorating the house for Christmas this year or not. My sister doesn't believe me that I won't, but the thought of it is a little intimidating right now. I'm also on the hunt for a "1st Christmas" ornament for the little guy and realizing I just bought a "1st Christmas" ornament for Jaxon last year -- it makes me think ... you know you had your babies too close together when . . .

{just kidding, I love it.}

- I should be honest and show you a preview of what 80% of Cohen's newborn pictures looked like:

Poor little guy was hungry and Mommy kept taking pictures anyways. Don't worry, he was fed. No babies were harmed during this photo shoot.

- Only 5 days until my family arrives for Thanksgiving. Some nights I can't sleep thinking about them coming... I am so stinkin' excited. {that's not the only reason I'm not sleeping... :::cough::: Cohen...}

- Jax is up from his nap, so the that's all for now folks. Have a great weekend!

Amateur.

There are many days that I wish I lived closer to Leah, but since Cohen has been here, my jealousy for the people who live within her "shooting distance" has grown. Her talent is unspeakable. For the life of me, I can't find a good photographer in this town who wants less than $250 just for the sitting fee, and that doesn't even include prints. Is that outrageous or is it just me?

Anyway, so I decided taking Cohen's newborn pictures was going to have to be done by me-myself-and-I. It's gonna have to be good enough, because with Christmas around the corner, we just cannot afford the price of a professional.

Here's some of my fav's...

I hope I can always remember how tiny he is, how his fingers wrap around mine when he's holding my hand, his amazing fresh-baby smell, his hairy arms and shoulders, his tiny body that drowns in newborn-sized clothing, and his smiles while he's sleeping.

I love my newborn. These are the days I hope I never forget.

Hilarious.

If you're in need of a good laugh today, check out this video of my not-so-little brother doing a remix of the popular song "From This Moment On". I can't watch it without almost peeing my pants from laughing so hard.

The only sad part about it, is the fact that it takes away from my sister in law's beautiful voice in the background. Thanks Kaela for being a good sport :)

What can I say ... our family is just beaming with talent.

Cheeeeeeeeeese!

Monica, you were absolutely right. Every time I am nursing Cohen, Jaxon immediately needs me. So I have taken your advice and once I know it's time for Cohen to eat, I grab a snack for Jaxon. It's the perfect way to divert his attention from "I need Mommy" to "I need fruit snacks".

In that same way, every time I am taking pictures of Cohen, Jaxon immediately needs me. He starts crawling all over me and sticks his face right in front of the lens.

Enter exhibit A:

Instead of getting frustrated with him like I typically do, ::hangs head in shame::, this time I decided to play along. Snapping a ba-jillion pictures of him... most of them out of focus, blurry, and with most of his face missing... but here's a few of my favorites.

You just can't help but smile.

Not bad for an impromptu photo session, eh?

How's it going?

This is the question that I keep hearing from so many people. It's amazing the amount of love and support we have felt from so many people, 99% of them hours upon hours away from us.

The answer? It depends on the day...

Yesterday? Great! Cohen was easy-peasy. Jaxon was happy. The weather was beautiful. We went on a long walk, Jaxon played for hours outside, Cohen didn't make a peep unless he was hungry. Daddy came home from work... and a great way to end my day? Grey's Anatomy was on.

Today? Not so hot. I am overwhelmed. Stressed. Tired. In pain. Feeling sorry for myself missing my friends. Staring at my dirty house wishing I could clean it, but can't due to my c-section recovery. Thinking about the groceries I need to get, but can't drive for another week. Honestly scared that it will never get easier.

I know we all have our good days, and our bad. Today just is the ladder of the two.

Overall though, we are doing good. Cohen really is a great baby. He nurses well, sleeps for 5-6 hour stretches at night, ::knock on wood::, and is a very quiet and laid-back baby. Jaxon seems to really like his brother, he is constantly all over him, which makes for some stressful times worrying about the safety of the baby... especially when Tyler walks into the room as Jaxon is pulling Cohen out of the bouncer with one arm... yeah, mental note to self: never leave the two of them alone in a room. Ever.

I can't wait for Thanksgiving when my family comes to town. My Mom is the only one who has met Cohen, so I can't wait for the rest of the clan to meet him. Like I told my friend Karalie, having a baby is so fun and exciting, but it's even more fun and exciting when you're surrounded by people who are excited for you, and about the baby. Hence the reason I really really really miss KC. See... told you I was feeling bad for myself today.

Anyway, if you're not my friend on facebook, here's a link to view all the pictures we took while we were at the hospital, in case you're interested: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=563684&id=500320088&l=799dcc28a3

Now, here's a little sneak peek as to what we've been up to since getting home from the hospital:

Lots of "supervised" big brother holding little brother moments

Lots of time spent sunbathing, trying to get rid of jaundice.

Nana and Papa came to visit to meet Cohen

Papa and Tyler made Jax a sandbox while they were here! We've already spent hours upon hours outside enjoying it. Now if I could just teach Jax to leave the sand IN the sandbox ...

Jaxon and his Uncle Cooper shootin' the breeze... in their matching Hawks gear. The only difference is Cooper's says "I'm a hawkeye, like my Dad" and Jaxon's says "I'm a hawkeye, like my Grandpa".

Lots of time spent in the swing ...

Brotherly love ...

Went on our first outing ... to the park and out to dinner.

Jax spotted a dog while we were there ...

Swinging ... love his smile :)

Cohen's umbilical cord came off, so it was time for his first bath ...

Not a peep out of him ... he loved it! Much different from Jaxon's first bath, ha!

My Mom bought me this wrap, it's called a "Sleepy Wrap", very similar to the Moby. Cohen has spent lots of time in here each day... it's the only way I'm able to still help/play with Jaxon and hold Cohen at the same time. He loves it, I'm sure it's very comforting for a newborn to be wrapped up tightly against your Mom's chest. Oh, and it's handy for times like now when I'm blogging... much easier to type with two hands than one. ;) Thanks Mom... and yes, I promise he can breathe in it... you can quit worrying about him now. :)

Oh, and just lots of time spent being adorable ... which, I guess comes pretty natural. ;)

We've also been going on a morning walk each day... here Jax is holding Cohen's hand during the majority of our walk. Swoon... :) Even though most days I don't feel good, I keep hearing my doctor's voice telling me the more I can get up and move around, the better and quicker my recovery will be. So... on walks we go!

How about that for picture overload?

Well, I guess "mommy time" is over for the day... I hear Jaxon crying up from his nap, Cohen is whimpering needing to be fed, I still haven't showered... oh.. my phone is ringing, and the dog is barking.... {just kidding, we don't have a dog.}

Where's my diet coke.

And... here I go!