Stinka Man

Summer is coming to an end, and I'm going to miss seeing Cohen in this little crab bathing suit!

Cohen continues to keep us busy! We play at ImaginOn at least a few days a week. It's fun making new friends there! We always love seeing Ms. Paige and Lillian and Ms. Deborah and Julia, but we've also enjoyed getting to know Kim and her son, Brady (he is four days younger than Cohen) and Mandy and her daughter, Mae. Cohen and I are excited to meet some new friends at the Midwood Mommy's Group this afternoon, and we are meeting our new friends, Anna and her daughter, Ella, for a walk tomorrow morning. Fun, fun, fun!

Oh, and Cohen started crawling around on his hands and knees at ImgainOn this morning! It was very exciting! He has not completely given up the army crawl, but he's getting very close. A little part of me is going to miss seeing him scoot around with his "dead leg" as everyone giggles. I won't miss his entire front side being dirty by 9 a.m., though.

Our little basketball star!

Cohen can't stay away from the Dustbuster.

You should see his face light-up when we turn it on!

Two, Maybe Three Teeth

Cohen has definitely cut another tooth, maybe two, but we can't tell for sure. This is very exciting to us, but poor buddy is not enjoying it. It is a FIGHT to get near his mouth, but we've caught glimpses of his gums during our tickle sessions. Our little man is teething, and he is working hard to get them through! Cohen used to operate like clockwork - asleep by 7:30, wake around 6:45, nap at 9 and nap at 1 (two good, solid naps). Things have been shaken-up in our house since Saturday, and it has been a struggle to get him to go down in his crib. I, of course, am loving rocking Cohen and holding him (things he never dreamed of doing until now - he's always been a wiggle worm). I just hope this teething phase passes and he can get some good rest during the day.
Since we can't get near Cohen's mouth to take a picture of his new "additions," here are a couple of pictures from last week.

This is why you don't give a baby your wallet to play with on the drive home from Harris Teeter.

Cohen discovering the stairs. Not good.

Great Weekend

David and I had so much fun with our friends, Jon and Anna, at the Counting Crows concert Friday night! It was a unique show, as it was a collaborative effort all night from three bands - Counting Crows, Augustana and Michael Franti. All gave a great performance, but Michael Franti stole the show. Wow! The new Uptown Amphitheater in Charlotte is amazing, and we can't wait to see more concerts there. Cohen didn't even notice we were gone for the night. He was sound asleep in his crib while Haley babysat.

Cohen is growing into an amazing little man. Here are a few pictures of him with his new toys.

Cohen loves the new toy GG bought him!

Thanks Jon and Anna for the firetruck! Cohen loves zooming around the house!

Sweet Iced Tea

Be sure to check out the two-part post Laura and I wrote for Sweet Iced Tea.  North Carolina Week:  Charlotte (Part 1) was posted yesterday, and Part 2 will post today.  

Cohen's Favs

For those of you who have never heard of the TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba, please check it out on Noggin. It's the funniest children's program I've ever seen. And I can't even explain to you Cohen's fascination with DJ Lance Rock (see picture below). Cohen usually doesn't sit still to watch TV, but he does love his Baby Einstein DVDs and Yo Gabba Gabba. I really want to dress Cohen as DJ Lance for Halloween, but they don't make costumes small enough for him. If any of you creative readers out there want to make him a costume, let me know! I am also tossing around the idea of making Cohen's first birthday party Yo Gabba Gabba themed...of course, David would dress-up as DJ Lance Rock! I'm not sure if Cohen would laugh or cry.

The awesome DJ Lance Rock

Cohen also loves Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends. This show is adorable, and Cohen will stop whatever he is doing when the opening song comes on, even if he is in a different room in the house.

Cohen is now eating Cheerios, and he loves them! He picks them up and pops them into his mouth with ease, except when his hands get sticky. Cohen even goes face first to eat them directly off the counter.

Cohen still has a strange fascination with wires, water out of the faucet, my Medela pump, shoes, the dustbuster and wheels on strollers. Cohen is also ready for football season. How do I know? Every time he cries or gets fussy, I do the FSU Warchant and he immediately starts to smile. Some call it brainwashing, I just call it good parenting.

It's Heeere!

Cohen's first tooth made its debut yesterday! The first beautiful, white spec is proudly shining in our little man's mouth. We can't wait to see the tooth in its full glory. The funny thing is that the tooth that popped through first is on Cohen's upper gums, next to the spot where his two big front teeth will be. He may have a tooth or two poking through on the bottom, but he will not let us go anywhere near those gums. I will have to do some creative investigating today. Nevertheless, Cohen is so proud of his new pearly white!

On to other big news, Cohen said Da-da! My feelings aren't totally hurt because he has not put that word into context. Cohen babbles up a storm saying, "Aaaah," "Ba-bah, bah," "Da-da," and various combinations of all three. He loves waving his arm up and down while talking too. It's adorable! GG swears she taught him "bye-bye" or "bah-bah." I'll admit, Cohen does appear do be doing this at times. I am working hard on getting Cohen to say Ma-ma. Hopefully soon! Oh, and his giggles are to die for! I swear, Cohen's laughs are the sweetest sounds you'll ever hear. You can't help but to laugh along with him.

Here's a picture of "Stinka Man" eating his yummy sweet potatoes.

GG Time

We all had a blast with GG this weekend! She flew-up to visit before school starts next week. Cohen loved taking GG to story time at the library and family fun time at ImgainOn. We cooked out, ate pizza at Hawthorne's, walked around the mall, walked to the park, saw ducks at Freedom Park and GG even bought Cohen the coolest new toy at Target (pictures coming soon)! The weather was beautiful, and we got to spend a lot of time outside. What a fun few days!

GG & Cohen swinging



Cohen and the ducks

Eight is Great!

Cohen had a fabulous time celebrating his eight month birthday! He started the morning off with a walk around the neighborhood with Grady, then he had a nice breakfast of baby oatmeal and homemade applesauce with banana. After a good morning nap, Cohen celebrated some more at his favorite place, ImaginOn, with his friend, Lillian, and her mom, Paige. We had such a fun time! After playing, Cohen ate a yummy snack - a little watermelon and a teething biscuit. He was pooped out and slept for two hours in the afternoon! We took a walk around the neighborhood when Dad came home, then Cohen ate dinner - baby oatmeal and avocado. Cohen ended the day wrestling on the floor with Dad. Mom and Dad are celebrating with cupcakes tonight! It's hard to believe our little man is eight months old.

"Bah-Bah, Nana"

We had a blast with Nana this weekend! Cohen showed-off his moves (scooting and pulling-up) and talked Nana's ear off. He is now saying bah-bah-bah. We can't wait to hear Ma-ma and Da-da! The four of us went to ImaginOn and Brixx for lunch Saturday and Discovery Place Sunday. Nana even babysat Saturday night so we could go out with our friends, Ja and Kaitlin. It was a fun-filled weekend!

Cohen is loving his Johnny Jump-Up.

Cohen was so sad to see Nana leave. He threw a fit this morning saying goodbye.