Big Little Difference

6 months and 6 weeks - Right now that seems like a huge difference

In a year that difference will seem so little, they'll be causing trouble side by side before we know it!

Horse Ride

Somehow I forgot to include pictures of Sevea's first horse ride in the Corn Maze pictures. This was something Troy and I had always wanted to do when we were kids but never got to. This is definitely something we won't make a habit of since I don't really know if it is worth it for $5. But we thought this year was a good year for it. She did really well at staying on by herself and wasn't scared at all. I can't wait to take the whole family horseback riding when the kids are older!

Football time

Maybe if we get Lily in the spirit the Vikes will take home a victory!

A whole lot of cuteness in a little package

My brother and his family came for a visit over the weekend. It was so great getting to see them because they bring along this little girl who is the cutest thing. She may be small but every inch of her is exploding with cuteness. She surely shows Sevea up when it comes to everything we thought Sevea didn't do because she was short. This little girl can climb and move like no ones business. It was so nice to get to see how much she has grown and everything she is learning. I just wish so much time wouldn't pass in between visits. I already look forward to next time...thankfully that should be October!!

Fantabulous Five

The last 5 weeks have been AMAZING! And for more than just the time I have gotten to spend getting to know Cohen. I wouldn't have been able to devote so much of my attention to Cohen if it weren't for three incredible people in my life. Angie, Carissa, and Troy have made my first 5 weeks as a parent to two kids a very special time. When I first lined up the daycare coverage it was solely to help reduce the blow it would have on my daycare parents. Having just started the daycare I was worried about having any kids return if I took a lot of time off. I realize now that it probably wouldn't have been an issue what-so-ever. I've developed relationships with the parents and kids that I think are strong enough the parents would have returned...or so I think :) The thing I never anticipated about having support for the daycare for these 5 weeks was the absolute luxury I was also receiving. I got 5 weeks to concentrate on Cohen and solely on Cohen. I received a comment from someone saying that they hoped I was able to enjoy Cohen since they know it can be difficult with a toddler running around. Since I have had help with daycare that has also meant help with Sevea. So instead of having to care for two children during the day I have been able to focus all my attention on Cohen. Sure I have helped with the daycare but I wasn't expected to or required to. I was able to spend the day acting like a parent to a first born. To me this is a gift that I can't be more thankful for.

And that wasn't everything I got out of the deal. I got to spend 2+ weeks with my sister Angie who I never get enough time with. And the time we do get to spend together is often chaotic with kids running around and never enough time for quality conversation. Okay so this seems silly since a daycare is a bunch of kids running around, but between taking care of the kids we could chat and the glorious 3 hour rest time each day was heaven for the two of us to be able to chat. We made memories and built a stronger bond during her time here and for that I am extra blessed!

Some wondered how this time would be for me since it was technically my maternity leave and I would still be around the daycare. I wasn't sure myself going into it but if I had to do it all over again I would. I'd love for each of them to stay longer actually :) Doing daycare means that I sacrifice a lot of contact with adults during the day and so this time has been sort of refreshing to have someone to chat with during the day other than the kiddos. All in all these past five weeks have been just incredible because I not only got to fall more and more in love with my second born but also three incredibly special people who were kind enough to make this an easier transition on me. I love you guys!

Corn Maze 2011

It is that time of year again. I love that the opening of the Corn Maze here in Shakopee falls between Sevea and I's birthday. It is a fun thing for her to do and a present that keeps giving for me. This year we ended up purchasing a Groupon that made it even more affordable getting us in for only one adult admission. But this meant we had to go opening weekend and since our Saturday was filled up that left Sunday. But Sunday was rainy and not a good weather day. We eventually took a chance with the rain and went for it. The rain stayed away but you could tell it affected the crowds. Good for us in a way I suppose.

We again this year spent time in the corn pit.

A new attraction this year was some jumping pillows. Sevea really held her own for being bounced up and down and falling all the time. She is a pretty tough cookie.

We had lots of fun getting to see the exotic animals and feeding some of them.

Sevea was able to milk her first cow.

 We ended our short amount of time at the Corn Maze with a good ol pig race. We weren't sure how this would go over but the announcer did a good job of entertaining the crowd and it is pretty cute to see pigs run so fast with their short legs. Our pick to win in the male pig division was of course Dale Oinkhart Jr. and he did not disappoint. Troy was a proud spectator :)

And just in case you wondered, Cohen was along for the festivities. He'll probably enjoy it all more next year!!

Cohen Week 4 Update

Two more weeks down. These past 4 weeks have flown by. Almost too quickly. I guess I wouldn't have said that during Cohen's growth spurt but all in all things have been going great. Cohen did have a growth spurt pretty much right at 3 weeks old. He had been doing okay sleep wise before that having a typical night of 3-4 hours of sleep, then 2.5 hours and finally 2 hours at night. Otherwise I had been keeping him mostly on a two hour schedule during the day hoping this would help at night. The 3 week mark hit and he demanded food at 2 hours or less during the day and continued this at night. This thankfully only lasted 3 nights. We also discovered the heaven sent nuk! I knew Cohen was a baby who loved to suck but we hadn't found anything that would help besides me. And I was okay with this for the time being since I know it can only help with milk supply. But the day of Sevea's party was another story. He seemed to only be content when he was feeding....or I guess not even feeding but attached to me. I got out the two nuks we had tried previously as well as the one many hospitals provide that we had from when Sevea was a baby. We tried the hospital one first and it worked! He loved it and it has proven to be an absolute blessing for us.

Since the growth spurt we have seen almost every night consist of a stretch of 5 hours, then possibly 2.5-3 after that, followed by 2 or 3 more hours. The 5 hour stretch has been so great but I am not trying to get accustomed to it knowing that it isn't a guaranteed. Feedings have been going great. I am still attempting to take this time around with breastfeeding much more relaxed. So far it seems to be better for me and for my milk supply. We've fallen into a great 3 hour routine for feedings during the day which really helps compared to the 2 hour for making me feel like I have more time. Cohen seems content and satisfied with this routine as well. We can tell he is growing so that is the important thing.

Cohen continues to roll over. We are still thinking his strength compared to his head size allows him to roll over. But we still have found ways to force him into tummy time :) He has content times on the floor when his belly is full. It seems like his eyesight is getting a little better. We look forward to when he can really notice us. Little tidbit about Cohen: His habit of having the hiccups inside the womb has continued. He got them pretty much daily when I was pregnant and he seems to get them at least once daily now. Being only 4 weeks Cohen's day isn't too exciting only consisting of feedings, diaper changes, sleep, and some awake time. But we are loving it anyway!

Sevea turns 3!

I can't believe it has been 3 years since Sevea joined our family. It seriously seems like yesterday most of the time. However we also can't imagine life without her anymore. Sevea is surely growing up and we are still in love with everyday we get to watch her learn and grow. She has recently become much more opinionated on what she wants. She will tell you in what order she wants to do things and has become more vocal on her wants. It is still surprising to us this comes at age 3 versus more like age 2. Just reminds us of her unique personality. She has gotten into copying what we say more as well. So we finally have to watch what we say more. Luckily Troy has good control of his potty mouth, haha! But we do need to sensor certain topics or certain shows since we know she is picking up on all of it more. Before she just let us believe she didn't get it all :) She has proven to be a great big sister. She is very good at being patient when needed. She is very loving to her brother and has shown zero amount of jealousy towards having him join the family. She loves to give him kisses and hugs but isn't overly concerned with him that it is overwhelming in how much she wants to do with him. We couldn't have asked for a better girl during this big transition. We don't wish her to grow up but we certainly will enjoy getting the opportunity to watch and be apart of her life. We love you to pieces Sevea Paige!

Sevea had been talking about her birthday for sometime since we kept referring to her birthday along with when the baby would arrive. Thankfully even though Cohen was born 3 weeks before her birthday she was patient and didn't drive us nuts about when it was her birthday. But boy it must have added excitement for her because she was READY for it when Saturday September 10th finally came. The whole day was spent pretty much preparing for or talking about her birthday. We right away had to get out the stuff for the party. She decided it would be a good idea to set the table for the party (she did a good job although we ended up outside).

She had gone back and forth between having a Dora theme or a princess theme, but finally decided on Dora after seeing a cake decorated of Dora. She enjoyed going to the party store the week before and picking out all the tableware and such. Party City has little stations of candy and Sevea decided she wanted to get some for her friends. She picked out 4 different candies and the morning of the party filled the bags on her own for her friends.

She then proceeded to have her own little dance party. She has been talking a lot about going to see the dance show and getting pink shoes. If you don't watch Dora, this is an episode from the series.

She then took some time out from her day to play on the floor with her brother. 

Cohen was tired of playing but Sevea was promised a ride in the box by dad. So Troy decided the best thing to entertain both kids at the same time was this:

It worked and Sevea thanked her brother for being a good sport. He seemed to not have a care in the world.

 After nap Dora welcomed the start of the party with open arms.

After some playing outside and enjoying some food (she was a huge fan of the food...I haven't seen her eat that much since probably before her 2nd birthday....job well done on my part if I do say so myself), it was now present time!

The party was small which was perfect for not overwhelming her with too many gifts. She was blessed with great stuff and has enjoyed the things she got already.

I did say it was a small party but I think Troy and I forgot that when we ordered the cake. Or maybe that was my secret plan all along to have leftover cake. Needless to say we had the whole cake and then some remaining after the party. My craving for cake from pregnancy was officially satisfied!

She really enjoyed the cupcake and her face proves it :)

She had a great day and we are thankful for the love she receives each day and especially on her special day. You are one special little lady Sevea!

Gift opening at parties can be a little overwhelming and so we didn't get the best snapshots of her opening her gifts. The Zimmers were unable to make the party and Sevea opened their present the next day. I love getting her true reaction on camera

Big Mouth

Can you guess how many large grapes this little girl fit into her mouth? That would be 4 :)

Rolling Over

I never thought I would title a post rolling over this early into Cohen's life and actually be talking about our little guy rolling over. Cohen has surprised us as well as the doctors with his neck strength. During our hospital stay the doctors performed their routine baby checks and for part of the check had Cohen on his belly. The little guy almost rolled over on the doctor in the bassinet and she politely reminded us to never leave him on his belly alone in the bassinet. When holding Cohen over your shoulder it is more likely to find his head off your shoulder looking around than snuggling in. Tummy time hasn't been too difficult for Cohen as he doesn't hate it and maybe that is because he has already learned how to get out of doing it. Just roll over people, simple :)

Of course we don't think this will last. I am sure his head is just heavy enough right now to give him the momentum. Let's hope because I am certainly not ready for this development!

Cohen Week 2 Update

Crazy to no longer title a post thinking about how far into my pregnancy I am. It is still settling in that the pregnancy is over and we are blessed with this time to be parents to Cohen. And this time has been truly AMAZING!! It has been better than I could ever have expected. I keep thinking that I am just on cloud 9 or something and soon enough it will wear off. I will enjoy this while it lasts though! I've talked to several friends/family that have more than one child and they seem to agree that you enjoy the experience so much more with a second child. The consensus has been that with the first everything is so new and different that you are aware of so much and expect and wait for things more. With the second you just sit back more and enjoy. I remember thinking with Sevea that I couldn't wait to watch her roll over or sit up or all of those milestones. Now with Cohen I just want time to stand still and never let him grow up. Case in point: We were enjoying dinner at the Zimmer household the other night. Grayson was enjoying his time in the jumperoo while we ate. He has really become a fan of this recently and it is just a joy to watch him love his time in there. I sat there thinking about how short of an amount of time 5 months is to when Cohen will be doing his thing in the jumperoo. We talked about how a standard first time parent response is, I can't wait until ___ will be doing that. Instead I was thinking how I didn't want Cohen to grow up that fast.

Relaxed is the term you could definitely use to describe this time as parents. And I wouldn't want it any other way. It has allowed for me to bond with Cohen in a way I never thought possible. It has allowed me to really soak up all the blessings that have been given to me with the birth of Cohen. I had mentioned before how everyone tells you that your heart will just grow with the birth of another child. It will happen. I was skeptical and thought I needed to make a conscious effort to love no matter the differences between Sevea and Cohen. I couldn't have been more wrong. Sevea has taught me how to love in a way I never knew possible before her. There was no stopping my heart from feeling anything less for Cohen. These two weeks have been beyond amazing even if it mainly consisted of feedings, pee/poop, and interrupted sleep.

A little about Cohen...we had a great appointment for his one week checkup. He went home at 6 lbs 14oz and after one week was back up to 7 lbs 2oz. I am very thankful that feedings have been going well. I know breastfeeding isn't always easy or successful for every mother so I am trying to relax and appreciate the whole process this time. Less stress this time and hopefully that will make this more of a success than the last time. We have been keeping him on pretty much a 2 hour feeding schedule during the day. His nights were no longer than 3 hours between feedings the first week but this week was pushed to 4 hours. Our doctor recommended controlling his feedings for the first two weeks or so. Being at the two week mark we'll start to give him more control at night but still try to keep feedings to no more than 3 hours apart during the day. The more we get in him during the day the less he needs at night which means more sleep for this momma :)

Height...he was born at 20 inches and at one week had grown 1/4 of an inch. We can say for the first time for one of our children we saw over 50% on the growth chart. He came in at 53%!!! We can't say he'll stay up there but it was fun to see :)

Big sister: Sevea has been great so far. I think it has been an easier transition for her since Auntie Angie and Brezlyn have been here to keep her having fun. Yet she has been patient when needed and loving as well. She has adjusted to the fact that her new sibling is a brother and most of the time gets his name right versus calling him Grayson. It seems as though she has transitioned to this new family just as nicely as Troy and I. For this we are very thankful!

Home from the hospital!

Grandma comes to visit and provided lots of love and laughs!

Love when they end up in this position

He loved his first stroller ride and Sevea was excited too!

She really enjoyed getting to hold her brother with the pillow

Laid him on the floor to wake up, wasn't successful

Eyes wide open and content on the floor