If Cort lived with the dinosaurs... and other Cortisms

...they probably wouldn't be extinct.
(Just in case you didn't see it - I updated the waiting post with Cohen's blood test results.... good news...scroll on down to it and then come back !)
Cort loves playing with his dinosaurs and his favorite is to feed them goldfish and give them water. It's super cute but a little messy.

I've mentioned before that Cort loves to pretend play. I love it that he always wants to include Cohen. On occasion, this can cause a few problems but in general it's super sweet. The other day we had a "picnic" - Cort had to make sure that Cohen got to participate!!! Gotta love a delicious meal of rocks served on trivets!!


A few Cort comments that I have to document for my own sake...

1. Over the past couple of weeks at church Cort has been learning about creation so we have been talking about it a good bit. Cort loves to name all the things that God created - especially all the animals. One day at lunch we spent a good 10 minutes talking about all of God's creations. After lunch, I asked him if he wanted some amish bread that we had made together early in the day. Wanting to remind him that he had helped me make it I asked him, "Who made this Amish bread?" He promptly replied, "God!"

2. On the same line of above on the way to church one Sunday we were continuing our conversation about God's creation and Cort was naming all the animals and then he said, " Where is God? He come to Cort's house? I told him that God's home was in heaven but that yes, God is in Cort's house too. That God was everywhere...and then because it couldn't have stayed that easy, " What's He doin'? What's God do?" ( he says this with a tone of if he's already created everything what i the world does he do now?) I hate to say I sort of fumbled through this answer and said something about God loving and protecting us....what would you have said?

3. I had been telling him that he was going to be in a new classroom at church called the sea turtles - we talked about this a lot just to ensure that the transition went smoothly. When we walked into our children's building - Cort stopped and looked all around - spinning even - and said, "Mommy, where are the sea turtles?" He totally thought there would be sea turtles at church!!!

4.When putting Cort to bed one night I told him we were going to sing one more song and as he often does he says, " no, two more" and held up two fingers. He then pointed to one finger and said, " and this one is twinkle and twinkle, " and to the other finger, "and this was is ABC's."

5.Upon finding a toy behind by back yesterday Cort says, "Mommy, I found it backhind you!"

6. We have been playing a little activity where I draw three animals( ie. elephant, bird, and spider) down one side of the paper and then draw their "habitats" ( jungle, tree(or nest), web) down the other in different places and Cort draw a line to take the animal to their home. He LOVES doing this. The other day he kept drawing the path for the bird to the very top of the paper( not to any of the habitats). And I say, "where does the bird live Cort?" - he draws another line to the top of the paper. I say, "The bird lives in the tree, can you draw a line to the tree?" He says, "No, Mommy, the bird lives in the sky"

7. Two little phrases I keep meaning to document, Instead of "What are those?" Cort says "What there are those?" and recently he keeps saying with much excitement, "I have and Idea!!!" I love it wen they imitate things they've heard.

Last one, I think....
8. Back to the Creation thing, My friend, Molly, was keeping him a few weeks ago and so Cort joined in on her home school time with her 5 year old daughter. They were doing creation and talking about day four. This included coloring the number 4 with the things God had created that day. So when I picked him up, I asked him what he learned about. He told me, "God." and so I dug a little farther and said, "What did God create?" and he said, "Numbers."


And just cuz their cute....

Chewing on those fingers....

Happy boy....



Look, long pants that fit( almost)!!! We don't have many of these so i thought I should document it....

waiting... Updated

*** Update**** The results came back and everything looks normal!! Yea - praise God. I guess maybe he just bruises easily or something. We'll see the doctor again on Friday so we'll talk a little more then. We'll just file this one along with all the other unknowns for Cohen!! I hate that he had to endure all those tests but so glad we know there is nothing to be concerned about. His leg bruising and petechiae are starting to heal a bit today so that's good. He's a bit grumpy but I'm pretty sure its from the tooth that's cutting through( still can't feel it yet so we'll see) Thanks so much for praying!!!

It's been a crazy 24 hours. Cohen developed petechiae on his leg this weekend and I took him to the doctor monday because he woke a lot the night before and was acting irritable on Monday. I felt pretty certain that the petechiae was due to a bad placement in my baby sling but knowing that it can be indicative of more serious issues I wanted to check. I also thought he might be irritable because his ear infection wasn't cleared up.
His ears were fine( yea) and he's cutting a tooth so that explained most of his behaviors.
However, the doctor didn't like the look of the petechiae and felt like the severity of it warranted further looking in to it. We had to go to the hospital last night to have a blood count done. It was terrible - they couldn't find a vein and he was stuck in three different places ( heel, arm, and finger) and we finally filled one tube ( after filling one that wasn't enough) It was horrible - 1.5 hours of them poking and trying to get enough blood - and of Cohen screaming.
The results came back and everything looked normal - this was great news because they were most concerned about platelet counts and white blood cell counts.
However, there was still concern over why his leg looked so bad when there was very little trauma to it. Plus, when they tightened his arm to look for a vein the first time he immediately developed petechiae all over his arms too. Then, his finger took a really long time to stop bleeding. All of this could be completely normal and he may just be one to easiliy bruise and be sensitive. But because it can be indicitiave of other things we were sent back for more blood tests. ( mainly coagulation tests) This time the technician was great and got it in on the first try!!!
We are still waiting for those results - we'll keep you posted. I feel really good about it and really have a peace that everything is okay. Please pray that this is the case and that Cohen will not have to endure any more testing.

6 months old

6 months

26.3 weeks

184 days

4, 416 hours

264,960 minutes

1 great big brother

1 super cute baby

2 very thankful parents

45 therapy appointments

33 Doctors Appointments

an immeasurable amount of love

an incredible amount of friends, support, and diapers!!

1 amazing God

Cohen is 6 months old. Praise God.

It's been a good month for Cohen. He has done well with his breathing and has picked up at least a little on his eating. He rotates now between a 3-4 hour eating schedule and takes 3-4 naps a day just depending on our day. He still wakes at night to eat but has slept through the night a few times. We still swaddle him but he usually has his arms out.

This months he started solids and seems to be starting to enjoy them a little more at this point. We even started putting 4 oz in his bottles for some of his feeds. His weight gain is still a bit slow but it's coming along. I'll have a measurement for you in about 2 weeks.

He got a little cold this month and ended up with an ear infection. He handled it pretty well and is own the mend.

We had a lot of big doctor appointments this month. We saw the geneticist again and saw shriners( the orthopedic doctors). Neither appointment gave us much info but at least he's being followed by those doctor's now. We were able to get a full set of xrays at shriners that our geneticist sent to the guys in Germany and they continue to feel like it looks like he does have odontochondrodysplasia.

As far as physical development goes nothing too new to report. He does continue to get a little stronger and have a little more trunk control . We are working on trying to get him to use his arms and hands a little more. He still doesn't roll very often though I am pretty sure that if he wanted to he get to his tummy. ( he hates tummy time) He turns all the way to his side from the other side - almost to his belly.

He is starting to take a little more interest in some toys. He LOVES his bath. He kicks and splashes fanatically and gets us pretty wet in doing so. I got him a new tub this month that allows for a little more wiggle room and he seems to like it. We have hooked his old tub to the big tub a few times to let him take a bath with Cort and he seems to like that too but isn't quite as comfortable.



To celebrate his 6 month birthday Cort picked out a balloon for him at the grocery store( of course, Cohen would want the Thomas balloon) and we took them on a train ride at the pavilion. I guess it's just part of being the little brother that your big brother dictates the things you'll love and would want to do. :) Cohen seems to enjoy the ride. Cohen really does like his balloon he follows it( with is eyes) all over the place!!





Cort found this old hat in our coat closet and called it his party hat all day....
Cohen's newest silly face consist of him tucking in his lips around his gums and smacking his lips- he frequently looks like this these days.....

Or he has his hands or fingers in his mouth - sometimes the whole hand.



And just because I can resist... here's a little Halloween preview....
I actually took this one back for the next size up because this one was a little tight in the stride!!! Yea for something being too small for Cohen!!!(never mind that it was NB size and he's swimming in the 0-3)

Longing for Fall...

A week or so ago, we had some great cooler weather. We took advantage of it and headed to a great park around the corner for our house and had a picnic and some play time. It was so nice to be outside without sweating. I can't wait for more days like this one.








(

Might be time for a haircut....

when your son feels the need to do this......





Truthfully we love Cort's hair long and would probably let it grow pretty long if it weren't so straight and thick - it just doesn't do well and drives him crazy. I'll get to it soon.

Cohen and his toys

Cohen doesn't play with a lot of toys. His grasp is still a bit weak and he doesn't reach out with his arms very well. We still try to introduce a lot of toys and things to him.

The other day I decide to try him in his exersaucer. I had to put to folded towels underneath him for his legs to touch and wrap a blanket around him to keep him steady as he still doesn't put weight on his legs. Based on this picture you would think he liked it...


but this picture was a bit more indicative of how he felt about it...

We'll try it again in a few weeks!!!

He has liked his kick toy for a long time now. He kicks away on this thing for long periods of time. There are parts that hang down that are intended for him to use his arms to bat at them to make the toy move and play music. As I mentioned before he doesn't swing his arms out much and if he did he still wouldn't be able to reach it but that hasn't stopped him - instead he kicks his legs way up - lifting his little bottom off the ground and kicks them instead. Too cute. This picture doesn't show it very well but it was the best I was able to catch.

Cort loves to share his toys with Cohen. Last week we had a tornado warning so I gathered the boys into the hall way and hall bathroom for a little bit and Cort pulled out all of his bath toys and politely shared them with Cohen... Cort was thankful for the entertainment.

Food, Glorious, Food

We started solids with Cohen just a few days after his 5 month birthday. We decided to give it a try because he really wasn't eating well and with Cort, starting solids helped him with feedings.

Cohen really seemed to like his first dinner of rice cereal. We tried him in the high chair first but he kept sliding down so we moved him to the bouncy. He couldn't quite figure out what to do with the spoon but he eventually started sucking the cereal off of it and would get excited after each bite. He would instantly grab the spoon with both hands thus making quite a mess!!! He handled swallowing it all fine - i was a little nervous that he might easily choke on it but that hasn't been the case at all.



Over the next few weeks, he was really on and off with eating his solids. I had hoped that he would really take to them like Cort did but that hasn't been the case. He does the same thing with his solids as he does with his liquid feeds. Sometimes eats... many times doesn't. He will also do the same pattern of eating a little bit and then wanting to take a break before eventually eating a little bit more. This makes for super long feedings but we'll get there. A week ago or so he even started whining while we were having dinner because he wanted some.

I introduced some fruits and veggies and that has seemed to help at least a little bit. He has had so far.. sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, bananas, apples, and pears. So far I think he likes the squash, avocado and apples the best. I made baby food for Cort and have done the same for Cohen. Making food for him was one of those things that just made me so happy! It was one of those things that made me sad to think of not getting to do around this time. I was so excited to fill a cart full of organic fruits and veggies and spend a whole day cooking and blending. I love the bags full of little ice cube food in my freezer. Whenever I go to thaw some out, I can't help from almost wanting to pinch myself to see if I'm really getting to do it!!! It's been a little disappointing to me that he hasn't been super receptive of them but I love it just the same.

The past few days, in particular, he has seemed to be liking it a little more and last week started opening his mouth more than just sucking it off the spoon.

Cort's Big Boy Room

Cort is in his big boy bed in a new big boy room. It was a little sad to take down all the surfer stuff - it was such a fun little nursery but it was time and Cort was so excited about all his new stuff.

Here's Cort one last time in his crib and his blue room.

Chris painted the room green( yea - mommy's favorite color). We were able to reuse pretty much everything in the room. We used the same dresser and bookshelf( the one Chris made form his nursery) and painted a twin bed that we already had. We painted his red wall shelf to match the bed and reused the same curtains from his nursery . We bought a new bed spread and a new lamp and made some art work for the room. Cort loves it and so do I.

Here's pictures of the home made art work Cort and I did( along with the digger in the above photo) Cort is so proud of his artwork being in his room!!! I had Cort finger paint on paper and then I cut the car, truck, and digger images out of mat board and put his paintings behind them.

Cort is doing great in his bed. We have had no issues at all. He took a nap in the bed first and did great. I was sure that night time would be harder but it wasn't. Cort hasn't gotten out of his bed at all at night and in the morning he just calls for us. A few nights in he had one night where he asked for his crib but it didn't take much convincing for him to stick with his bed. The saddest part for me was taking out the rocking chair. It just didn't fit well in it. We put it in our room though so we'll have it if we need it. I do love snuggling in th bed with him though. He'll cuddle up and put his arm around me. Too cute.

Cort's first time in his bed( august 10th)....
On Cohen's video monitor:

The best part so far as been when after I rub his back and sing him some songs he sometimes says, "Cort rub Mommy's back" and then he makes me roll over and he rubs my back and sings me either Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, or Jesus Loves Me. Absolutely melt my heart. He also melts my heart when he asks for one more hug and kiss. Have I mentioned how much I love this little boy?

So, so far all the big transitions have gone well... getting rid of the paci, big boy bed.....I guess potty training is next. Cort isn't real interested and to tell the truth neither am I!!!! I do think he's ready as soon as I get ready to push it. We'll see.....


Some cute pics of Cort and Cohen hanging out on Cort's new bedspread after we had just finished painting his room. Gotta love 2 super cute brothers holding hands!!! Cort was insistent that Cohen come lay with him on his car blanket!!

Where does my Help Come From?

** this is a post I actually wrote in June and am just now getting around to posting it. I'm working on another post about some thoughts right now but wanted to post this one first.

So, I know I haven't written much on the blog and when I have it has just been for information updates. I mentioned in my last post that is was because I was just trying to prioritize some things and spend less time on the computer and that is a huge part of it. But it's also because I just can't seem to get a good grasp on all of my thoughts.
Our computer sits in our kitchen on a little desk in the corner. Our house is very open - I see the computer all the time. It is often work for me not to constantly get on it. I am not a internet surfer or a game player. I am a blog reader - I used to just check in on a few girls I know from college who I wouldn't get to catch up with if it wasn't for blogging. But now - it's different. There is a whole community of women that I connected with during my pregnancy and I just can't leave them. I am anxious to hear about how their days are - how they are coping either as they await the birth of their child and hope to get to hold them for at least a few short minutes, as they await to hear from adoption companies, as they brave another day taking care of their child with special needs, or as they visit the grave site of their lost little ones. These women are spread out all over the country and I may never meet one of them face to face. But I love them all. Most, I hardly even communicate with other then us each checking each other's blogs but they are are always in my heart. Always in my prayers. I believe God put me here for a reason - I don't know them all but I know that He did. I find myself in a state of hesitation often because I walked the same pregnancy journey many of these women did but I am not walking the same journey afterwards. But I do walk beside them in theirs, quietly from afar, perched at a keyboard. I cry for little ones and for them. My heart pleads to God for healing.

Almost 7 months ago now, I was blissfully unaware. This is not something I am proud of but truth be told it is something I sometimes long for. Now, I am not ignorant. I know and have always known that this world is a tough place. In my working years, I worked with sweet children( and their families) who had severe disabilities. I loved my job and the children I spent my days with. I was not blind to the tragedies that fall upon families. I am beyond fortunate that the following statement did not hold true for us, but something changes in you, I think forever, when you hear the words "incompatible with life" as you sit in an ultrasound room. It brings with it knowledge and pain that I wish no mother would bear. But now, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the knowledge I know hold. I am submerged into this world now where bringing home your baby has a whole new meaning. And it doesn't stop there - Marriages falling apart, businesses in trouble, health issues, the list goes on. We live in a fallen world. My eyes are more open to that now more than ever. I long for a day when I can check all these blogs and words of joy replace the words of pain. I sometimes wish that I could just turn off the computer and never look back. But I cannot. God has put these people, this knowledge in my life. He has put on my heart the call to pray for families- mothers, fathers, little unborn babies that covet our prayers. I am not entitled to be blissfully unaware. Reality is where we live.

In my reality right now, I want to choose to be blissfully aware. Blissfully aware that my help comes from the Lord. I am doing a study right now on the psalms by Beth Moore. ( thanks Emily - it's been great)
Even when I feel alone, despaired, and just sick of the reality I see all around me - My Lord is by my side. He is my protector - my keeper - he never sleeps. A friend of mine and I have recently been talking about needing truth. Just the need to cling to truths we know about God. This isn't always easy. When we see the effects of our fallen world play out over and over again - it's easy sometimes to wonder where God is. A truth that I clung to in my pregnancy and now is that He is God. He is Good and He loves me. I know you've seen me type that million times now. Another truth that I am now trying to cling to - even when i don't always feel it - is that God is right here. He is right here by my side. He is by the side of every mother I have met who has handed their child over to God. He is by the side of every wife hurting. He is by the side of families who are struggling financially, He is HERE. He is not just sitting on His throne watching the earth as if it's projected on His big screen. He is HERE - right here on earth. He NEVER abandons us. I have experienced this in a way that I still sometimes can't believe. I have experience a miracle. But this is not always how he protects us - miracles, healing are not always how he is HERE. I don't pretend to understand. But our God is big - his vision far exceeds ours. I want to choose daily to trust Him as my provider, my keeper, my protector.

A full night's sleep

Yep - Cohen slept through the night last night!! ( still getting a dream feed around 10:30). He actually did it a few nights ago as well. (aug 21st) but that time he got up at about 6:45 and this morning he slept until 7:10. I like the other side of 7 o'clock better!!

it's amazing what a full nights sleep will do.... this morning before naps I ..

*washed two loads of laundry
*folded one load
*cooked, pureed, and froze some fruit for Cohen
* posted on the blog(twice - see below)
* took a walk with the boys and played at the park
* danced all around the house with Cort to Kate's fabulous 5 year birthday CD

All of this in addition to the normal feeding, playing, etc. Move over superwoman!! :)

P.S. Someone might should come check on my kids this evening because I might be passed out before I get them in bed!!!