Jovie Marie

Jovie Marie was born on Sunday, June 13, 2010. She weighed 7lbs, 13oz and was 19.5in long. She has lots of straight, dark brown hair. She is now one month old and is a chubby little monkey! She is a super happy baby and sleeps well (minus a few growth spurts here and there that keep her up and hungry at bedtime).

Cohen is doing really well at his new role as a big brother. The first week and half after we brought Jovie home was really hard for him. And me. He brought out every toddler behavior in the play book. Hitting, biting, spitting, and crawling out of his crib were all brand new for us. The worst though, was the screaming fits that would last an hour, where he wouldn't let us comfort him. He was also sick when Jovie came home and we were trying to keep him away from Jovie, which didn't help with his need for attention. Thankfully, these things passed, for the most part. Now we just say that Jovie brought out the toddler in Cohen.

8/1/10

Joel is in full swing in his residency program. He is learning a lot and seems to be very happy with the challenges of it all. And he works A LOT of hours, so I'm sure happy he enjoys it. Erin has been staying with us, which has been great fun. She stays for a few weeks and then flies back to San Francisco and elsewhere to work and travel. When she's here we usually do a lot of outings that would be a lot more difficult without her help. Erin and I have also been cooking up a bunch of tasty and healthy meals. I really enjoy it! I am also looking forward to Nancy and Neal visiting us in a few weeks and Cohen's birthday after that. Joel will have a week of vacation in September so we are hoping to go to San Diego for a couple of days. I would love to get to the beach while the water is still warm.

Chasing airplanes

We made it to Phoenix! We've been here for over 2 weeks already and are getting quite settled. There are only a few more boxes left. We are loving the house we are renting. It is nice and open and has lots of cupboard and counter space, which we love!

Cohen has adjusted quite well! We have been keeping busy playing in the pool and going to splash parks. The temps have now reached over 100 on a daily basis. Joel and I joke about how bored the weather man must be, with sunny and hot being the daily forecast. Cohen's favorite and most used word is now "please." He pronounces it "peas." And he says it about 800 times a day! Such a polite little guy, I know right. Mostly, please means give me. We are working on our words everyday! He says about 40-50 words now! His newest words are "airplane" and "bird," which he's learned from seeing the two everyday in the backyard. Every night, there are a string of planes that fly high over the valley. Sometimes, Cohen will run across the grass in the backyard, chasing the airplane as it passes by. It's very cute. He also, now knows the word "baby," and I have fun explaining to him that there will be a baby coming soon that will be his sister.

I am now 37 weeks pregnant! Yay, we are now officially full term! And after the concern that she would come early, I'm now fully ready for her to come. ANY DAY. I had an ultrasound at 36 weeks and her estimated weight was 7lbs, 11oz! She is a growing champ! Joel will start orientation in two weeks and then start as an official resident on July 1st. Right now, we are enjoying the down time before baby girl arrives and Joel starts working crazy hours. It's quite nice!

My brother, Mike, and his girlfriend, Jonne, live about a mile down the road, so we get to see them often! My sister, Erin, is coming to stay with us in a few weeks. It will be great to have her around to help with the transition of bringing a new baby into the family! And at the end of June, my mom will visit as well.

My favorite thing about the new house is the backyard. We have a huge grassed area, which was really important to me when we were looking for a place. Here are a few pictures of the backyard. We we spend a lot of time outside, especially in the morning and evening when the temps aren't as extreme as the middle of the day. Check out hummingbird that visited our cactus flower! Also, we were especially excited to find out we had a lemon tree in the yard!

Cohen's favorite things

This season's highly anticipated list is below. Eat your heart out Oprah.

10. Handfeeding Amami (the golden retreiver) from his highchair.
9. When poppie (Joel) comes home from work.
8. Giving his stuffed animals a hug.
7. Pushing the button that shuts the garage door.
6. Pulling his shirt up to show you his belly.
5. Pulling your shirt up to show you your belly.
4. Dancing to his toys and to the Sirius Alternative Nation station.
3. Bathtime
2. Laying on his stomach during bathtime and cautiously dipping his face in the water.
1. Patting Amami vigorously (anywhere, anytime). He loves that dog! And she takes it=)

It's a girl!!!

I've been referring to the baby as a girl for awhile, and now it's true!..."She has been kicking pretty consistently," "I'll graduate in May and she is due in June," "she wanted a glider."

And now "she" is a girl!

Wii Mote

Cohen is now up to approx 23lbs. After not thinking about his weight for several months, I became a bit concerned again when he hadn't gained any weight from his 12-15 month appointment. Over the past several months, he'd been eating okay with a few bouts of minimal eating. At his 15 month well check appointment the doctor informed us that he hadn't gained any weight. He recommended putting ranch and mayo on everything. And so we did, all except for mayo in his yogurt, which is just plain gross Kelsey!

These last few months have also brought several ear infections for Cohen. We went to see an ENT and Cohen got tubes in his ears to drain the excess fluid. The surgery was maybe 10 minutes and will help Cohen to feel better and hear better! Tubes have also been known to help with hearing, speech, and mobility. Also, he won't be on antibiotics so frequently which is great! All these things should also help with his eating! Speaking of mobility, Cohen is walking! He's been taking steps for about a month now. First, we would send him back and forth from person to person and give him lots of encouragement. We would clap after he had made it a few steps. He'd then look around the room, wait for the applause and then start clapping. This was fun for everyone. For the past few weeks he's decided he likes trying to go places on his own. He's also experimented with going really fast on two feet. The other day he came stomping down the hallway. When he goes fast he falls quicker, but we know that soon he'll be as fast as us...if not faster.

Cohen has tons of recognizable words and items around the house. His favorites are tree, ball, head, nose, fish, and puppy. Cohen loves dogs. He chases Amami around constantly and loves to pet her. Our German Shepherd, Porter, recently went to live with Nancy and Neal in Kansas. Joel and I knew a country lifestyle with more room for running would be ideal for Porter while our family continues to grow. Sadly, he went missing during a cold snap, was hit by a car, found, and then died after he had surgery to help his broken leg and pelvis. He was a very special dog and will be greatly missed.

Things are going well this pregnancy! I am now 17 weeks along. My cervix continues to stay nice and long and I've just started the 17p hormone shots. Also, I've recently been feeling tiny baby kicks! :^)

Joel and I are busy once again with classes. I have two classes and comprehensive exams this semester and will graduate in May! Joel is done interviewing and has started his rotations again. We will find out which residency program he'll train at on Match Day in mid March!

This video shows Cohen getting his walk on! We lured him over to us using the Wii remote controller...

15 months

So I haven't blogged in a long time but here I am again. Anyhow Cohen is 15 months old! And...super duper fun!

In the past few weeks he has been so silly and playful it's just too much fun! He has been initiating peek-a-boo which I think is a riot! He loves to chase the dogs around while laughing hysterically. And the last few days he has started to give kisses! Cohen is really starting to hunger for attention and to me this means that we've entered yet another stage in his development. This stage has also included some pretty impressive little fits, where he can throw his head down in despair while sitting with his legs straddled. We call it the pancake. That boy is so flexible! Also, he enjoys throwing his head down on the ground and crawling at the same time.

Speaking of crawling, Cohen is a great crawler! I think he gets faster everyday. He has been pulling up on things for a few months now and is starting to get more brave with his standing up on things, letting go for longer and longer.

Joel and I have been busy too. This semester was a busy one and I'm so excited for it to be over! Joel spent a month in Kansas City doing an OB rotation. And has been out of town a lot interviewing for residencies.

In other news, we are excited to be expecting another little one in June! I am excited to provide Cohen with the bonding opportunity that only a sibling can offer. I can imagine them talking about how silly and old Joel and I are. I will see the doctor more often than last time because of the risk of having another preemie. They will be watching me closely and giving me weekly shots of 17P starting at week 16 in hopes of avoiding preterm labor. I am a little scared and very hopeful!

11 months

Dear Cohen,

Today you turned 11 months old! My, my how the time passes. Today at daycare they informed me that you will move into the "big infant" room at daycare. The "big infant" room is where the babies go once they learn to sit up and crawl. So yay! You are graduating! You are sitting up very well these days and tonight you scooted around the living room floor very quickly and with great intention, grabbing for toys and going after the dogs.

Another funny thing you do as you have become more mobile is to grab at the bumper when you're in your crib. You pull the bumper down and peek out of the crib. Usually, you're crying when you do it but the first time you did it was a few days ago in the morning. I got out of bed after hearing you stirring for awhile and you were staring into our bedroom and when I saw you you got a really big smile on your face.

Your smiles and laughing lately has been so much fun. You get so excited now about things when you're in a happy mood. It is very fun to play with you and make you laugh. A week ago you laughed at the something the dogs were doing, which was neat because usually your dad and I have to make silly noises and faces to get you to laugh.

We are still trying solid foods every now and again. I've realized that you may never like the taste of these apple melt away puffs things I've been repeatedly trying to give you. But you don't seem to mind gram crackers and you seemed to like cheese the other day too. Right now I have to mix your green vegetables with fruit in order for you to eat it. If I try to give you staight peas or green beans you make a sour face and you stop opening your mouth to eat.

Last weekend the Barkley family had a reunion and many family members were able to meet you for the first time. Then, you went out of town with Nancy and Neal for the day to Woodbine, IA for the second part of the reunion festivities. And even though you were an hour late getting home, it sounds like you had a great time and even fell asleep in you Aunt Gail's arms during picture time.

Well ,one more month and you'll be one year old! And though you won't be aware of this milestone, we'll still have a little birthday party to celebrate:^) I can't wait!

Love you,

Mama