Discovery Place

Cohen and Brady had the best time at the new KidScience section of Discovery Place this morning! Words can't describe how amazing this place is. Cohen loved the enormous water play area - he was soaked within five minutes of being there. The rest of the time was spent running around exploring. We will definitely go back again soon!

A Beautiful Day

Spring is here! We have been blessed with amazing weather lately, but I fear it's going to get chilly again soon. Cohen and his best buddies, Brady, Julia and Lillian headed to Freedom Park this afternoon to soak up some sun. As usual, they were the hit of the park as they zoomed around in matching cars.


We had a nice family dinner at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Common House, tonight. Cohen walks around like he owns the place. We sat outside, and Cohen loved watching the cars, trucks, motorcycles and buses drive by as we ate. Good thing I brought the jar of peanut butter with us. Cohen dipped all of his food in it, including french fries, chicken tenders and carrots. YUM! The boy loves himself some peanut butter.

Park Play

The weather in Charlotte can't make up its mind - one day it's nice and mild, the next it's cold again! Either way, Cohen is loving all of the park time. He often gets to go twice a day - Freedom Park in the morning and our neighborhood park in the afternoon. He is one lucky boy!

Happy Wednesday!

First off, happy birthday to our fur-baby, Grady! He is eight years old today. Cohen enjoyed some quality time with his "big brother" this morning with a walk around the neighborhood and playtime on the front porch.

A storm is a brewin' and we're getting ready for days of rain here in Charlotte. Cohen and I spent the afternoon indoors at the Nature Museum. We are now official "members," and we are excited to spend many fun days here in the future. Cohen loves exploring everything this awesome museum has to offer.

Cohen's favorite place to hang out is the butterfly garden.

I am trying to teach Cohen "gentle touch." He did pretty well with the flowers.

Cohen hanging out on the rocks by the swimming turtles.

Splashin' around

Cohen found a frog toy that he dragged all over the museum...

...including his favorite ramp (which he goes up and down at least 20 times while we're there).

Music Together ended this week, but we're looking forward to starting the spring session in a couple of weeks! Here's Cohen with Mr. Phillip.

"He-llo to Cohen, we're so glad to see you!"

Mr. Molars & Grits Face

Poor Cohen is getting THREE molars at the moment. To top it off, he busted his top lip at the park on Friday, and has had a bloody scab since. I know he's in pain, and his mood can change from happy and sweet to full-blown crying-tantrum within seconds. Motrin is our best friend at the moment, and thank goodness for grits and oatmeal because he can't eat much else. The only thing that seems to appease him when he's hurting is playing outside, so we've had many fun days at the park, and we've created a play area for Cohen on the front porch. He's loving it!

As you can see, he has mastered the art of the tantrum. He knows exactly what he's doing to get what he wants, and 95% of the time, this face doesn't work.

Life is Doggone Good.

Last week was an emotional whirlwind. It all came to a head Friday afternoon when I spoke with our vet who informed me that Grady was laid out on an exam table and not doing well. All of the vets in the office were stumped as to why our sweet boy was in a coma. David and I went to visit him, and I hysterically cried because I thought it was the last time I'd see my Grady. He was unresponsive, and we felt the best thing to do was move him to a 24-hour vet to monitor him throughout the night. After a restless night, we received the best news Saturday morning - the questions were answered, and Grady was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. It's not great, but it's treatable, and thank God we have our dog back! My heart is full again - the space reserved for my sweet, furry baby who provides the best unconditional love - it is healed. Life isn't the same without a dog.

As we nursed Grady back to health over the weekend, Nana flew-up for a quick visit. Cohen had a great time visiting and playing with her!

Cohen's Tricks

Cohen loves showing-off his "tricks." Here he is during dinner last week (he is being spoon-fed peanut butter - his favorite!).

Growing-Up

Cohen is growing into the sweetest little toddler. We are very proud parents! Here are some of his latest developments:

• Cohen can point to his nose, tummy, head and hands on command - just ask him, he loves doing it!
• He can put the correct color puzzle pieces back into the right spots in his book.
• He knows how to turn the TV on. His all-time favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. He isn't a huge fan of the cartoon segments, so he always hands me the remote to fast-forward for him.
• Cohen will go get items around the house (shoes, socks, etc.) on command and bring them to us.
• Cohen loves to play "hide the hand" game. He will pull his shirt sleeve over his hand, prompting us to ask, "Cohen, where did your hand go?" He will then pop his hand back out with the biggest grin...and repeat the game over and over.
• He loves to turn light switches on and off.
• Cohen talks up a storm these days, but he doesn't really say many words. He loves to say da-da. When David comes home from work, he literally goes crazy, running toward the front door, yelling, "Da-Da!!" Cohen also says "ugh-oh" when he drops something, and he loves to make his own "vroom-vroom" noise when he plays with his cars, trucks and trains. Also, after I put Cohen down to bed the other night, I said, "night, night," and he said it back to me! What an angel.
  

Big Brother

Cohen is so excited to announce that he is going to be a big brother! That's right, Baby Hathaway Number Two is on the way! David and I are still a little shocked, but we are beyond thrilled...who wouldn't want another baby just like our Stinka' Man? The baby is due on September 6 - our seven-year wedding anniversary. Our family will soon have a new addition, new excitement, new adventures, and we can't wait!

Snow Round Two & GG

We had our second snow in Charlotte this weekend. It was only a few inches, but Cohen and the dogs had a blast playing in it! GG also flew-up to visit. We've had a great time!

Home Away From Home

Cohen and I had a fun morning at our home away from home, ImaginOn. It's pretty funny when the parking deck attendant calls me by name, all the librarians know and love Cohen and the exhibit guides play with and know Cohen. We're very fortunate to have an amazing children's library just five minutes from our house. Cohen could go every day - He loves walking around and exploring new things. He waves to his "friends," talks as we pass people and blows kisses bye to all the ladies.

It's hard to stay focused on the road when I have this little face talking to me in the backseat.

Cohen coloring

Cohen driving the truck

Cohen cooking me dinner

Cohen playing his favorite game, Count the Hats

Surviving the Cold

Cohen and I have been housebound all week because of the cold Charlotte weather. Deborah and Julia were so nice to host us, along with Paige and Lillian, for a play date. Now that Julia is walking, it made the playtime a little more interesting. We witnessed a first tug-a-war between Julia and Cohen over a stuffed Elmo doll. Hopefully our little ones grasp the concept of sharing soon! I just can't believe our babies are now officially toddlers.

We had a nice "luncheon" with the kids.

What a Week!

It's been a while since our last post. Poor Cohen had a rough time last week. First, he got a new tooth on his bottom gum, then woke up with a stomach bug that lasted most of last week. In the middle of all of that, poor buddy battled a huge canker sore and cut his first molar. He lost more than a pound (which is a lot for a little baby!). It was a sad site. He would cry and just wanted to be held on my chest for hours. Thank goodness Cohen made a turnaround by Friday. We received the best news that afternoon too...Cohen was accepted at our first-choice preschool, Myers Park Baptist! He'll be going a few mornings a week starting in the fall. We are beyond excited for him!

After a week of being sick, Cohen was ready to play this weekend! He went to ImaginOn, Chuck E. Cheese, the park and a Super Bowl party on Sunday. I also think he's gained back all of the weight. He's eating like a teenager now...I honestly have never seen a baby eat so much food.

Stinka Man

Mommy & Cohen blogging

Snow Fun

We woke up to lots of beautiful snow this morning! Cohen is loving it. He throws a fit every time we come inside to warm up. It's freezing!

Little Mess

Cohen is really into everything these days. He loves sneaking in the kitchen and playing with the dogs' food and water. He'll pick up a handful of pellets and throw them, put them in the water bowl or place them in the cabinet drawers nearby.

The other day, Cohen was playing in his basket of toys in the living room. He found his plastic plate in the basket and realized that it did not belong there. So he picked it up, walked it into the kitchen and placed it back in the tupperware drawer. He's so smart!

Cohen also loves going through the storage closets in our living room. He'll pull out the broom, mop, bucket, vacuum, etc. He can entertain himself for a while trying to sweep the floor. He loves following the vacuum around the house as I clean. He's a great helper!

Fun Weekend

Despite the rainy weather, Cohen had a fantastic weekend! One of his best buddies, Sam, drove up from Jacksonville to hang out Saturday morning. The boys loved playing with their dads, and they even made a trip to the park. Cohen gave Sam lots of hugs and gentle pats on the head. Saturday afternoon, Aunt Laura took Cohen to ImaginOn. He loved spending special time with his auntie!

One of Cohen's favorite things to do is dig through our entry table drawers. Saturday night, he decided to try on all of my winter gear.


We decided to take Cohen for his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese on Sunday. He had a great time exploring all of the games, watching the band play and eating pizza. We put him on a few "rides" - He was happy at first but then became reluctant as they moved and made noises.


Cohen was a natural at skee ball.

Cohen has really grown up this past month. Although he is a man of few words, Cohen definitely knows what we are saying to him. He still loves to wave at everyone and give high-fives. Cohen also loves to read books with us. He will dig through a stack of books, select his favorite, then walk over and hand it to us to read together. Cohen also started a Music Together class a couple of weeks ago. He is mesmerized by Phillip, the instructor. It is such a special treat to sing, dance and play musical instruments together each week.