5 Fat Turkeys Are We

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  This was the first year that we spent Thanksgiving here in town and it was really great.  My parents, sister and brother in law all made the trip down here to have dinner with us at my cousins' house.  It was a real fun time - lots of people and TONS of food!  Honestly, it was really nice not having to rush around to 3 Thanksgiving like we've had to do in the past.  With a new baby in tow, that was not going to be an option.  Really, the 3 hour trip up north wasn't an option yet either.  But the day was really fun, despite the rainy weather.  After everyone left, here are a few fun shots that we took with the new babies of the family:

 Here is a picture of Jenna, Jacey and Cohen.  Sadly, Cohen weighs just about as much as the girls and they are 4 months older than him - haha chunky!!

A circle of cousins - I can't wait until we can have fun playdates!

It has been a special year with a lot to be thankful for - my husband's new job, my own job, our friends and family and most importantly our new addition, Cohen Lee. 

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No one ever said it would be easy...

This blog is dedicated to all the single mothers and fathers out there.  The past 2 days I have basically been doing it all on my own since Kurtis has had a wacky work schedule.  First off, when they said you won't get any sleep - they meant you won't get any sleep!  I have been trying to make Cohen go longer and longer in the night with his feedings so that means spending more time putting that paci in the mouth and rubbing his head back to sleep.  So between pumping, feeding and soothing I am running on probably 3 or 4 hours of sleep - which is literally hitting me hard.  Luckily I have an amazing husband who is willing to share these responsibilities with me when he doesn't have to be at work at 4:30 in the morning.  I guess I can handle doing this for 2 days knowing that my husband will be able to help me tonight.  Honestly, I give props to single parents because being a parent is probably the hardest job in the world.  You don't understand the extent of it until you actually are experiencing it on your own.  But the best advice I can give any parent out there is...Sleep when they sleep - because otherwise you won't be getting much of it!

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A Case of the Mondays

So I wake up today like a grumpy bear who just wants to hibernate all winter long.  I kept thinking how this lack of sleep has started to get the best of me.  However, after my morning coffee and Cohen's morning feeding I noticed the little man talking to me like he has started to do.  Luckily, I captured some of these precious moments that really turned my horrible, no good very bad day completely around.

Now really, can you seriously be a sour puss when you have this doll smiling back at you?  I think not. :)  This is what motherhood is all about.

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'Tis the season!

Since Cohen's birth, my husband and I have obviously been taking more pictures than before.  So I was drawn to Shutterfly as a safe place to keep albums and ensure our pictures of the little cutie pie would always be in place where they couldn't get deleted.  Also, with the upcoming Holiday season approaching, I became super excited to send out Christmas cards for the first time.  I started browsing through Shutterfly and came across a variety of photocards that I can easily create with pictures of our new family.  There are so many different cute cards to choose from that it made my choice difficult.  Take a look at the link below and see what I mean!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Finally, I decided on the Peppermint Bliss 5x5 folded card.  I can put 3 different photos of our family on the front and add my own personal message to family and friends inside. 

I can't wait to send out my Christmas cards to show off how much Cohen has grown in just 2 months!  Plus, with my order over $30 I get free shipping.  Shutterfly makes sharing memories with families and friends super easy and convenient for everyone.

 I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample. All opinions are 100% mine.

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6 Weeks and Counting...

It is super hard to believe that at this time 6 weeks ago, Kurtis and I were laying in our hospital room watching IronMan 2 (his choice of course) loving on our new little blessing. I was telling my friend Roleen that as each week passes by I get a sad feeling in my heart thinking about where I was when the contractions started and how I felt during labor and the instant surge of love that was taken over in my heart the moment I saw my little Cohen. But each weeks brings news milestones and adds fun to Cohen's personality. For example, the little stinker is now smiling when he hears our voices. Here is my one of my favorite pictures of Cohen showing off his sweet smile in the morning.

He is now starting to interact more and is moving around a lot. So today we took a journey to our new favorite store, Babies R Us, and purchased a vibrating bouncy seat. He really likes it so far and it is fun to see him recognize himself in the little mirror that hangs down.

I honestly can't imagine going back to work after only 6 weeks. I don't know how people do it!! Each day brings new adventures and I love him more every day that I get to spend with him. I would love for Kurtis to just come home one day and say, "Babe, take the rest of the year off." And I would gladly say, "Okay, if you insist!" But one can only dream... For now, however, I will cherish each day that I get to spend with my baby boy because they grow so big right before your eyes!

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He's here!

So 4 months later I have started my third posting...oops.

Well, Cohen Lee Baumgartner decided to make his entry into the world on October 5, 2010 - 3 days late may I add. But of course he did not make his presence unknown. Labor started at about 7 am that day and by the time I got to the hospital at 10 I was already 6 cm. The stinker then decided to give us a scare and his heart rate dropped right before I started pushing. So as I signed all the paperwork for a possible C-section, his heart rate when back up and he started his arrival. Unfortunately after almost 2 hours of pushing he finally made it at 4:49 pm but had to spend the night in the NICU due to the fact he swallowed some fluid in the womb. However, our stay at St. Vincent's Carmel was great and our nurses, especially Missy, were outstanding. Here are some pictures of the little pumpkin:

So far he's been a great baby and we really have been blessed with a perfect little miracle. :)

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