Cohen 3 weeks

Pictures of Cohen at 3 weeks. As of Tuesday he weighed 10.1 pounds. He's growing fast.

(he looks like baby Benjamin Button in this photo...it cracks me up)

Cohen at 3 weeks:

- Your not very active yet. You like to sleep A LOT, which mommy and daddy are not complaining about. You sleep somewhere between 41/2 to 6 hours straight at night. You wake up for a quick 20 minute feeding and go back to sleep for another 3 hours. We call you our angel baby.

- You had your first trip to the emergency room. Daddy got sick and passed his sickness onto you. You scared mommy when you vomited up green so mommy took you to the emergency room, where we waited for 5 hours. By the time the doctors examined you....you had already passed your sickness.

-  Poppy took all of us out for lunch the day after Christmas...it was your first trip to a restaurant and you slept the entire time.

- when we lay you on your tummy you can roll over to your back. You even did it for Nana when she visited.

- you do not like kisses from Bosco (our Boston Terrier). He tries to kiss you TONS. You make a grumpy face and cry. Mommy and Daddy laugh.

- Daddy calls you coco and mommy calls you coconut.

- You LOVE your thumb.

- your absolute favorite thing is having your hair played with. You LOVE it and you even smile when we brush your hair. Mommy and Daddy love all your hair.

Christmas

Mom and Dad came in for Christmas.

Cohen 2 Weeks

Photos of Cohen at 2 weeks:

Cohen 1 Week

FUNNY THINGS!

Here are some funny things that have happened since Cohen's birth:

DRAGON BREATH:  (this is my personal favorite) the conversation goes like this:
Me:  (noticing a very weird look on Stu's face)
Me:  Stu? is everything ok? Why are you looking at the baby like that?
Stu: Good God the baby has some fierce dragon breath
Me:  What?  What are you talking about...give me the baby
Stu: here smell it
Me:  STUART...the baby pooped his pants and the smell is coming up through his blanket
US:  hysterical laughter!!!

HAIR SPRAY: (my mom was visiting)
Mom: I'll change his diaper
Me: sure...here you go (hand mom the baby and head into the kitchen to get a drink)
      (here a loud scream...go running into the dining room)
Mom: (hunched over shaking her head like there's a bee in her hair)
Me: MOM...what's wrong....what's wrong
Mom:  starts laughing
Me: confused?
Mom: Cohen peed in my hair
US:  laughing
Cohen: laying on the changing table asleep

SOFT SERVE: (Julie's visit)
Julie:  I'll change Cohen's diaper
Me: are you sure?
Julie:  Yeah
Me: OK...(hand her the baby)
Cohen:  (loud wet fart sounds coming from changing table)
Julie:  (panic noises and a bunch of Oh my Gosh...Oh My Gosh...stop stop stop...crap...yuck
Cohen: (fart fart fart)
Me:  (go into the dining room to see what my sister is Oh My Goshing about. I didn't think too much about all the fart noises because Cohen farts really loud all the time.)
Me: (My eyes grow big and I see the mess...Cohen has projectile pooed all over my sister...on the floor....on the changing table....all over two diapers and it just kept coming out and Julie just kept wiping and wiping and it wouldn't stop. It took me, stu, and Julie to get it under control. It was a mess!!

Cohen's Birth

What a whirlwind I've been caught up in.  I'll rewind the last two and a half weeks:

December 2nd - I went in at 4:00PM for my induction. The reason I had to be induced was because the doctors wanted a full cardiology team on staff. A few weeks prior we found out Cohen had a heart abnormality and after seeing specialist after specialist no one could pin point what exactly was wrong with Cohen's heart.

We arrived at the hospital and got checked in and settled into our room. Our room was AWESOME!  We had a big view of the boats on the Mississippi River. The induction was started about 5:30PM. Stu and I watched movies most of the night. I was up the majority of the night because of all the IV fluids they were pumping through me and intense labor pains.

December 3rd - 5AM the doctors broke my water and at 6:15AM I got an epidural. The best decision I made. Stu and I played cards and watched movies for a few hours and I rested a bit. The Epidural is the way to go. I will post pictures later of us playing cards in the hospital room. The doctors and staff were cracking up.

Around 1PM they decided to have me start pushing and I was taken to the NICU to deliver. Since I was considered high risk because of Cohen's heart I couldn't deliver in my Labor and Delivery room.  I delivered in a room staffed with around 15-20 people....most of which were the cardiology team. After 40 minutes of pushing Cohen was born at 2:08. He weighed 7lbs 15oz and measured 21 1/4th inches long.  I got to see Cohen for about 30 seconds before they took him away. That was hard, but I understood they had to check him out right away. Stu got to spend some time with him before he had his echocardiogram done. His heart was fine, but we were told it is something they will have to monitor throughout his life. Thanks to everyone who lifted us up in prayer.

LAST BELLY PICTURES

Here are the last pictures of this big ol belly Woo Woo!!

Thanksgiving!

Stu and I celebrated Thanksgiving this year in New Orleans. It was just the two of us...well three, but Baby  is still in the oven. We had a great day. I got up early and cooked. I made enough food for 10 people (it's hard to cook a Thanksgiving meal for two people) so we have a lot of leftovers...YUMMY!!  We ate a big meal...took a big nap....played A LOT of Wii....(We're seriously addicted to the new Mario Brothers Game) and took the dogs to the park to walk off some of those calories. The weather was perfect here....sunny and 63 not a cloud in the sky!  Here are some pictures from our day. Sorry they are all of me and the dogs and none of Stu.

Baby Update

If Baby Flannery doesn't arrive by next Wednesday, December 2nd the doctors have decided to take him.  They will induce me.  My doctor recently discovered after an ultrasound that Baby Flannery's heart has an abnormality and the doctors are not sure how severe it is. After seeing MANY specialists and a pediatric cardiologist the past week the doctors feel I need to deliver at the main heart hospital here. They have set up a team of cardiologists to see the baby after he comes out and be able to fix anything if needed. I had to switch doctors and hospitals during my 9th month, which if you've already had a baby understand this is kind of a hard adjustment.

So...if you are reading this say a little prayer for Baby Flannery that everything with his heart will turn out to be ok.

As of today baby weighs 8lbs 3oz so by next week he's gonna be a big bubba. I'm hoping I can push him out.

On a happy note...I can't believe I get to meet my little guy next Wednesday. I'm so excited to be a mommy.

FUNNY NOTE: today when the doctor told us they were going to take the baby next Wednesday Stu's face lost all color and turned white. It took awhile for the color to come back. Stu was also very excited because since we found out I was pregnant he said we'd have the baby December 2nd so he could very well be right, but Baby Flannery could still come before =)

36 WEEK BELLY - 9 months WOO WOO

Here are the 36 Week belly pictures!!  I'm HUGE.

If you can't find it...try the refrigerator?

Since the beginning of my pregnancy I have thrown around the term "pregnancy brain" loosely. Blaming things here and there on the "pregnancy brain". NOW however....I have come to full grips with the term "pregnancy brain". It is aweful and it really exists...I swear to it.

I am a very organized person (I'm a Virgo)...everything has a place...and I'm really good about putting things back where they belong....THAT WAS UNTIL...I entered the 8th month of pregnancy. Stu and I have no idea where I put things most of the time. The weirdest thing is most of the items I lose we find in the refrigerator. This must be because being pregnant I am always in the refrigerator looking for food, so why not just put everything in there??? HMMMM....the other day Stu came home from work opened the refrigerator and asked me why the Windex was in it....random things have appeared in there (socks, pens, pads of post it notes, dish soap, dog food bowl, keys, etc) This morning we couldn't find one of the Netflix DVD's and Stu actually asked me if i looked in the refrigertaor yet...and the sad thing is he wasn't joking...HA!!

OTHER FUNNY THING FROM THIS MORNING:

Here is this morning's conversation with Stu while he's in the bathroom shaving and I'm standing outside the door watching him....the conversation goes like this:

STU: humming some tune I don't know
ME: Hey...I was reading yesterday on the internet about how much weight I should lose right after having the baby.
STU: Uh-huh (obviously not interested in this conversation)
ME: (Ignore the fact he is not interest in this conversation...continue talking....)  blah blah blah they say  by 8 weeks post baby I could lose 20 pounds...it depends on how much of the weight was water retention.
STU:  I don't think you'll lose that much in 8 weeks
ME: (running images through my mind of my hands around his neck choking him)

We've been discovered???

Yesterday I was contacted by a woman who runs a website called unique-baby-gear-ideas.com. She asked if she could feature our Dr. Seuss room on her website. I just thought that was so cool...and I called Stu to share the news and make sure he was ok with it.  So...if you want to check it out here is the link to the website Baby Flannery's nursery pictures are on.

http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/dr-seuss-wall-art.html

More Nursery Pictures

Here are some more pictures of the nursery...last pictures were yellowish.

   

Surprise Baby Shower - LA

Stu works with some of the best people in world. He's a very lucky guy to work with such caring gals...and guys too!  Last weekend Stu and I made plans with our friends Steven and Lauren. We were going to go to dinner and then to the Krewe of Boo parade downtown in the CBD.  Unlike most weekends...i actually got ready (meaning I got out of my weekend clothes of sweatpants and a T-shirt) and we drove to pick up Steven and Lauren. We got to their house and walked up to the front door and then they opened it and I walked in I was greeted with "SURPRISE".  I was confused which I'm sure was shown on my face...I actually even said "Surprise" back at them....then I turned the corner of the living room where i saw all the baby stuff and a big beautiful Dr. Seuss cake. They threw me a surprise baby shower. It was so awesome. We ate amazing food prepared by the grill master himself Steven...and had good conversation and I just enjoyed everyone's company. It is so nice to know there are people here who care about us. Sometimes having family so far away makes me sad, but all Stu's Co-workers made me feel so loved!  Thanks everyone.  Here are some pictures.

Me and Lauren

Grill Master - Steven

 
 
  
     

Saints in Lamaze

Well, we just had our last lamaze class and we are official graduates with paperwork that validates this claim...Baby Flannery should feel safe coming into this world with Lamaze certified parents.  It was after watching the news following the Saints game a few weeks ago that we realized "John" from lamaze class was Jonathan Vilma, the Saints star linebacker #51. No one in the class seemed to notice or if they did notice who "John" was no one bothered him. Well this being our last week we decided to buy a baby Saints jersey and ask Vilma to sign it....and he did. Here's a picture of Baby Flannery's signed Saints jersey. What a great story we have to share with baby when he arrives. 

SUNSET

I was sitting in the living room updating my blog and I happened to look out the window and this is what I saw...so I grabbed my camera, went outside, sat on the porch and took these pictures. (Note: These have not been retouched)