12 months!

This is late...I wrote it, but never posted it.  Sorry my little Coen.

Dear Coen,
  Tomorrow you will be 1.  12 months old.  I can't believe how fast you are growing up!  As I look back at pictures from the past year, it is hard to believe how much you have changed.  You are turning into a little boy and I absolutely love spending each day by your side as you investigate the world! 

  You started to walk when you were about 11 months old and now you are walking everywhere!  We rarely see you sitting down playing with your toys anymore.  You would rather be walking around the island counter and pulling things out of the cupboards and drawers.  You are so fasinated with the dishwasher and you run to it as soon as it's opened.  It can be rather difficult to get the dirty dishes in there since every time I turn around you've taken something else out and are walking away with it.  You love the lights in the house and your favorite thing is to be held so you can turn the light switches on and off.  You really love playing with Steve and you are learning to pet him gently just like you've been told so many times.   You really enjoy music and you've been going to music class for the past couple of months.  Most of the time you just put the instruments in your mouth, but you like to play the bells and you love hitting the drums.  What a fun little guy you are!

  You've been a bit of a picky eater so meals have continued to be a challenge.  You sure love grilled cheese...or pretty much anything with cheese.  And you'll eat pasta and chicken, bananas and pears.  Vegetables have been a challenge since being done with baby food.  One day you'll do great with broccoli but a week later you won't touch the stuff.  We keep offering it and hopefully one of these days you'll eat better.

  You are absolutely the sweetest little boy and your smile and your laugh make everything else seem insignificant.  There is no greater gift God can give than a child.  This year I have reflected a lot on the sacrifice that God chose when He gave His son for us.  When I look at your face, I cannot imagine being asked to give you up.  The thought of you ever experiencing pain or sadness just breaks my heart.  I want to protect you and take care of you and I hope you continue to grow and experience happiness.  I pray that God continues to bless you with health and joy and I pray that I can be the mom that you deserve. 

 Thank you for this past year and making me happier than I have ever been.  You are loved more than words could ever express. 

  Happy Birthday Coco Bean!  I love you lots.

  Love,
  Mommy

Coen for a Haircut

Dad had cut Coen's hair a couple of times. But Mom said it was time to bring in the professionals. Hard to argue with the results. Especially since Coen got a sweet car, a sucker and Elmo.







October 12, 2011

Coen for a Walk

This happened on Dad's birthday. What a gift!

Once he started taking a few steps, it only took about a week to get to this point.  He is progressing.  And he is officially a handful.



October 11, 2011

One small step for man....

Coen took some major steps on Mom's birthday. Matt was out of town for these big ones. We could watch this video 100 times and not get sick of it. His scream of jubilation and domination at the beginning is priceless.



October 1, 2011

Coen vs Steve

Coen and Steve want Dad to share his lunch. Steve wants Coen to share the lunch that Dad shares with him. Something's gotta give!



September 21, 2011

Good Morning, Coen!

Actually, this was after a nap.  You know he had a good nap when he's smiling!



September 19, 2011

10 months!

Dear Coen,
  You are 10 months old!  That means in 2 short months we will be celebrating your 1st birthday!  I can't believe how quickly these 10 months have gone. 

   Tonight I went back through the blog and looked at your older pictures and videos.  You have always been such a special little boy and you make us so happy everyday.

   You love to stand and walk around the furniture, so sometimes it can be tough to get you to play with your toys on the floor.  You go to the fridge every time it's opened and you really enjoy looking on the shelves and trying to grab things.  You do the same when the pantry door is open.  We have been putting you in the pack-n-play for a little bit during the day and letting you play or watch a Baby Einstein video.  You always laugh and squeal with excitement when the caterpillar goes across the tv screen.  You really like watching those videos...and I like that I can have 30 minutes to shower, do dishes, do laundry...all that fun stuff. 
  You have been a bit of a picky eater lately as we try to get you to eat more table food rather than your baby foods.  You like bananas and blueberries one day, and then the next day you won't touch them.  You do this with most food.  You do LOVE having slices of American Cheese and I think it's the only thing that you want to eat consistently.  We keep experimenting and hopefully you'll start doing better and will want to eat what daddy and I eat.

  A couple of weeks ago we went to Ohio for a wedding so that you could meet most of daddy's family.  We had a rough start to the trip when it stormed and the hail not only ruined our car, but canceled our flights for the day too.  We spent 5 hours at the airport that day only to return home that night.  The next day we went back and we finally made it to Cincinnati.  You were so good on the planes and in the airports when we had long layovers.  We had a rough time once we got to the hotel since you were so tired, but after a couple of days you started to sleep better and you even took good naps.  You really had such a good time meeting everyone and playing with all of the little kids.  You even got to show off your swimming skills in the pool!  You met your great-grandparents and we are so thankful that they were able to spend a couple of days with you.

  You are going to the nursery at church on Sundays and on Thursday mornings so that mommy can do a Bible Study.  You do pretty well and we're glad you are getting the chance to play with some other little kids for a few hours a week.  I am going to start volunteering in your room one Sunday a month and it will be fun to see how you interact with everyone.  You were sick for the first time this past weekend, so you didn't go to church on Sunday.  You had your first cold and we knew you really felt terrible when you were awake every 2 hours one night.  You still have a runny nose but you seem to be feeling better and are back to your old self!

  You are such a joy to me and I always love to see your sweet little face.  No matter how tired I may be, when I walk into your room in the morning and am greeted by your little smile, it makes my day.  I pray that you continue to be healthy and happy and I hope I will always be the mommy that you deserve.  You are the best and I love you more than you could ever imagine.


Love,
Mommy

 

Dumb Dog

July 28, 2011
Mom blows some bubbles.  Coen is mesmerized.  Steve is energized.

Mashed Potatoes = Smashed Spoon

July 26, 2011
We tried feeding Coen some mashed potatoes.  His opinion of the effort is fairly obvious.

Ice, Ice, Baby

July 23rd, 2011
One of our favorite videos.  An ice cube fell from the freezer.  Coen then pounced on it.  Well, he tried to.

Another Lesson Learned

July 21, 2011.
Coen shows his tough side, being dunked during his third swim lesson.  BTW - "swim lessons" are basically "don't be afraid of the water lessons."

Child Proof? HA!

July 19, 2011. -- Honey... Do we have a receipt for these?

Crawling for Food

July 19, 2011 -- Coen enjoys a crawl to the camera, then spots some treats.  Treats that weren't intended for him.

Baby Dedication

Sunday, July 17th, was a special day for us, as Coen took part in Westside Church's "baby dedication." 

About a dozen kids (ranging from two-weeks to five-years-old) were joined by their parents on stage as the pastor said a public prayer over each child.  The church does this a few Sundays every year.  This is simply about committing our child to God in the hopes that he will come to know the Lord.  In other words, it was our public profession to the rest of the church that we will guide Coen in the ways of Christ and teach him His ways in the hopes that Coen will one day make the decision to follow Jesus on his own.  In essence, the "dedication" is more about Mom and Dad than Coen!  He wasn't making a decision on the stage;  we were the ones dedicating him to God.  We pray that Mom and Dad will be good examples for Coen, and that he will see the light of Christ through his parents.

Mom and Dad (we) were baptized in the church last month.  Just as Christ was baptized as an adult, we took the plunge in front of the congregation.  Baptism is viewed differently in various churches.  Our church views it as an outward expression of an inward reality of your identification with Christ.  Being immersed in water and lifted out is symbolic of Christ's death and resurrection, dying to our sin and being raised to new life in Christ.  Buried with Him through baptism, raised with Him to new life.

"Peter replied, 'Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church--about three thousand in all.” Acts 2:38, 41

We hope that one day Coen will make that decision, too.
We've been so blessed with our little boy.  Each day is a tremendous gift.

Matt

P.S.  Below is the video.  Coen stole the show with his green tie!  Afterwards, you can watch him kick his way off-stage.  He just keeps on movin'.

Standing Tall

July 10th.
Nana and Poppy stopped by for a few hours to see Coen.  And Coen showed them his brand-new talent.  He can stand!  It's his balance that still needs work.

Turtle Power

July 7th.
Coen is taking half-hour swim lessons every Thursday.  Dad got in the pool in  week one.  Coen was instructed to knock over a "turtle".  Not bad for the youngest kid in the class.

Handle With Care

July 5th.
This was taken moments after his computer crawl.  He likes knobs and handles now.  If he's anything like his Dad, he'll have a couple of handles of his own when he gets older.

Computer Crawl

July 5th.
Coen has mastered the army crawl.  And he is determined to get to this computer.  He may not know how to use it, but he'll worry about that later.

WOW!

July 3rd.
No Coen in this video.  Thankfully he was able to stay asleep inside.  This is the view off our back-deck.  Our Nebraska neighbors really get into their explosives.   Near the end of the video you can hear Kelly get a firecracker in the eye.  uh-oh!

Morning Wake-Up Call

July 3rd.
Nanny and Pops are nice enough to visit Coen in Nebraska.  So Coen is nice enough to prevent them from  sleeping in.

Happy Hands and Feet

June 30th. 
A nice chewable snack in the new home.  His hand-eye coordination is pretty good, despite losing food on his chin.  His feet and hands move when he's excited.  Especially at meals.

Internet Prodigy

June 20th.
His own private laptop.  Who needs power when you've got all these keys?

Loud Eater!

June 5th, 2011.
Coen shows off his noise-making-abilities during lunch.  Squealing, spitting, yelling... he's got it all!

Pool Party!

June 4th, 2011.  Coen and Dad take a dip in the pool.  Coen's first swim!  Gotta love the hat.

Look Ma, No Hands!

May 20th, 2011.  Coen shows off his ivory skills.  Imagine how good he'll be with his hands!

Videos Galore

It's been a long while since we've posted some videos.  Here are some of our favorites from the past few months.



April 25th.  Mom and Coen having a fun time on the couch.  What a sweet laugh!

8 months...and a couple weeks:)

Coen,
  I can't believe my little baby is already 8 months old!  You seem to get bigger everyday and sometimes I think I'll go into your room in the morning and I'll see that you need to shave:)  The time is going by so fast and although I love to watch you do new things, sometimes I wish I could keep you little. 

  The past few weeks you have really changed a lot.  You started to say "ma-ma" and it is my favorite sound now.  Daddy seems to get a little bit upset when you say it around him, so maybe it's time to learn to say "da-da" too.  That will make him feel better!  You have really mastered the "army crawl" since we moved to the new house and I know you'll be crawling any day now.  In fact, you did it earlier today as you were heading toward something you aren't supposed to have.  You do that a lot now...grab/knock over/pull...all the things you aren't supposed to touch.  You are keeping me very busy!  You started to pull yourself to sit earlier this week, and you even started to stand on your own.  Today you showed us you can pull yourself to stand and then walk around the furniture.  It was very exciting....and exhausting for mommy and daddy.  I have had to start saying "no" to you a lot, although right now you really have no idea what it means.  You will eventually, although you'll probably just pretend you don't hear me:)


You are still a great eater and you really love all of your fruits and vegetables.  You are even getting better at eating green beans and peas now.  We tried giving you chicken and gravy but you really didn't like it.  You did like that Steve was sitting right next to the high chair and licked it off of your hands though!  That really made you smile.  We started giving you some finger foods and you get so excited when you see them! You love the yogurt melts and the soft cheerios and you have gotten so good at feeding yourself.  You make mommy so proud everyday! 

 Next week you will be dedicated at church.  We continue to pray that mommy and daddy will be a great example of loving parents and will teach you to be a respectful and kind little boy.  And we pray that one day you will choose to accept a relationship with Jesus all on your own.  I am so blessed to have you and to spend each day being your mommy. 

  I love you.

  Love,
 Mommy

 

We have a blog?

Wow...we can't believe it has been so long since we have updated the blog.  Time sure goes by quickly these days.   So much has happened since our last post, so we have a lot to write about tonight.  Coen is now 8 months old!  We can't believe he is already so big and is beginning to seem more like a toddler rather than our little baby boy. 

Coen has two bottom teeth and is now getting two on top.  He has been handling these 2 top teeth rather well, which we are thankful for.  He will go to the doctor for his next appointment at 9 months, so we don't know what he weighs right now.  I can say that after forgetting the stroller at home and having to carry him through the store the other day, he must weigh about 40 pounds!  He is definitely a big boy now. 

In the past few weeks Coen began to say "ma-ma," which I LOVE!  It just makes my day when I can tell he's upset and then he begins to call for me.  We can't really tell if he actually knows what it means, but just hearing it is enough right now!  This week Coen also started pulling himself up to sit all on his own.  We even find him sitting-up in his crib when it's time to get-up now.  This morning we actually found Coen standing up in his crib after a nap!  In a related story, we've lowered his mattress. :-)  It's really nice that he can do this all on his own and it has certainly helped with some of his fussiness.   Coen has definitely mastered the "army crawl," and it amazes us how quickly and easily he can now get into trouble.  His favorite thing to do is make us think he's just interested in banging the handles on the drawers by the kitchen, and then he quickly makes a move to play in Steve's water bowl.  He really loves splashing his hands around in the water.  Thankfully he has yet to eat any of his food..although he has tried! 

Two weeks ago we packed up the 2-bedroom town home and moved to a much bigger 4-bedroom house in  Elkhorn.  We have so much more room and it has been wonderful for all of us.  Coen has definitely gotten better at crawling now that he has so much more room.  Coen's Baba, Nana and Poppy were here to help us on moving day and then Nana and Poppy took Coen back to Lincoln for his first night away from mom and dad.  I cried when he left and was worried he would have a terrible night and keep everyone awake all night, but he did fantastic.  In fact, he slept the entire night!  Nana and Poppy brought Coen home the next day, and then thankfully Baba was here for the rest of the weekend to help with Coen so Matt and I could unpack and get settled.  We are really blessed to be living in a brand new home.

Matt's parents came to visit for Fourth of July weekend.  Now with an extra bedroom, Nanny and Pops can stay with us.  This means that we carry Coen into their room each morning they're here.  Call it the "Coen Alarm Clock."  They may not live nearby, but they find a way to get here as often as possible.  We're so thankful that Coen has so many loving grandparents.

The next month will be a busy one for us but we are enjoying the summer.  Coen started swimming lessons this week and will have a 30-minute lesson every Thursday for the next 2 months.  He did fantastic and absolutely loves the water.  Matt will be posting videos shortly :)  We are also heading to Ohio next month for a wedding, where Coen will meet most of Matt's extended family.  The trip will be Coen's second on a plane.  We flew to Denver for his first trip at the end of May, where he met his cousin Lucy for the first time!  He did great on the plane and made many friends.  We are so blessed to have such a sweet and happy little boy.

We hope you are all having a wonderful summer.  Hopefully we'll remember to update this blog before Coen turns 1!  :) 

Thanks for reading.

Matt and Kelly

6 month update

Today we can't believe Coen is already 6 months old!   The time is going by so quickly and sometimes I look at Coen and don't even see a baby anymore. 

Today Coen had his 6-month well-baby visit.  He's up to about 27 inches and is in the 90th percentile for length.  He weighs 18.74 pounds and is now in the 75th percentile and he continues to have a fairly large head which is also in the 90th percentile.

Everyone really fusses all over Coen when he arrives, especially today when he was wearing his cool sunglasses!  The doctor continues to be amazed at how strong his legs are but with all of his bouncing, we aren't surprised.  Coen didn't like laying on the table until the doctor used the light to look into his eyes.  He was pretty fascinated by the light and calmed down immediately.  He received 3 more shots today and it seems each time the cries get a little bit worse.  Fortunately he calms down quickly!

We feel so fortunate to have been given such a sweet, happy and healthy baby boy and we're very excited for all of the new things he'll be doing in the next few months. 

Thanks for reading!

6 months old!!

Dear Coen,

 

  I can't believe you are six months old today.  You are growing so fast and it seems like you change a little bit everyday.  The past six months have been the best in my life.  You certainly haven't always made things easy, but you are totally and completely worth it. 

  You are such a happy little boy and I always look forward to going into your room when you wake-up in the morning.  You smile immediately and can't wait to be picked-up.  And you LOVE when Steve comes in the room and peeks into the crib.  That always makes you laugh.  Last month we started giving you solid food and you are getting better at eating all the time.  You really love sweet potatoes, pears, carrots and bananas.  You will eat oatmeal and rice cereal  but you definitely prefer the fruits and vegetables.  So far the only thing you don't seem to like is peaches.  It is very funny watching you try to eat them since you make a funny face everytime. 

  When you lay on your tummy you hold your head up really well and you like laying on the floor and watching what Steve is doing.  You sit-up when you hold onto me or daddy and we are looking forward to the day you can sit-up all on your own.  You love to stand on our laps and we can tell you really want to be able to walk.  We hope we have a bit of time before you start doing that!  You absolutely love to be in your bouncer and if you can't be in there, you like to bounce on our laps when you're being held.  You smile and laugh so much and recently you've become quite the spitter.  Daddy has a good video of that so we'll be able to show that to you someday.  You are so fascinated by the camera and the video camera that it can be tough to catch you doing all of these cute and funny things!  Someday you'll be borrowing the camera and taping yourself just like your dad used to do. 

  After we changed your routine a little during the day, we started putting you in your crib awake for naps.  Now you nap a couple of times a day and that has been very nice for all of us.  You do a good job of putting yourself to sleep at night and now you sleep for at least 5 hours before waking-up.  Most nights you go even longer.  This has been a great change and we are a little relieved to be past the newborn stage.

  You have been such a blessing to me and I look forward to all of the new things you will be doing in the next few months.  I love that I get to be home with you everyday and I am so thankful God blessed us with such a happy and healthy little boy.

  I love you.

  Love,
  Mommy

Videos Galore

Below are ten new videos from the past couple of weeks with Coen.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  It's amazing to see the changes in our sweet little boy.  He's keeping us very busy!

Man in the Mirror

April 12, 2011

Coen is having some quality tummy time with another baby on the mat.  Who is that other cute baby?

Back to the Bouncer

April 10, 2011

A Saturday morning begins with some quality time in the bouncer.  And he likes to fake-cough.

Squash!

April 8, 2011

Coen eats squash.  Or at least he tries to.  Just as much on the face as there is in the belly.

A New Phase

April 6, 2011

Coen is well-into a new phase.  You'll see which phase at the end of this video.

Drinkin' and Gigglin'

April 4, 2011

It's hard to get this milk down when Mom is making me laugh!

Spittin' Schick

March 31, 2011

Coen learns a new mouth noise, and isn't afraid to show it off.

Please Sir, No Cameras

March 31, 2011

There's one thing you learn quickly with Coen:  don't interrupt his Baby Einstein video viewing or you'll face his wrath.

Rolling Coen Gathers No Moss

March 29, 2011

After some initial camera shyness, Coen comes through in the clutch.  Our dog Steve still hasn't learned how to do this, and is humiliated off-camera.

What's My Name?

March 29, 2011

Coen is learning his name. 

Is Coen a Sweet Potato Kinda Guy?

March 22, 2011

Coen tries sweet potatoes for the first time.  It takes some getting used to.

Gettin' Messy!

Hello! Right now, Coen is napping. Yes...NAPPING!! So it's time for a quick update. Last week we started trying rice cereal. Coen ate it for two days and now he won't touch the stuff. I can't really blame him:) So...we have moved on and have tried flavored rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce and sweet potatoes. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with the rice or the oatmeal but he did give the applesauce a chance. The sweet potatoes were a HUGE success! He even cried when we stopped feeding him! I'll post some pictues of the process. It's a messy one!!

Rice Cereal? Those two words don't go together.

Why isn't my Dad eating this?  I'm connecting the dots here.

Is it over yet?

Any more of that stuff and I'll blow.

Trust me.  I've got some on the inside of my mouth, too.

Just a little bit, though.

Do you like my sweet potato goatee?

Wham, bam, thank you Yam!

Daddy and me.  I like being on his tummy.

The two boys.

Super Co!

Getting Sleepy

Time for Matt/Dad to write a blog entry.

It's been an interesting few days in the Schick household.  I've been sick since Wednesday night, so Kelly has had a couple of babies to take care of. 

Friday night was guys night, as Kelly did some volunteering at a silent auction for an adoption agency.  So for about four hours, it was just Coen and me.  I ruled with strict hand -- Coen was not allowed to invite any friends over, and he couldn't talk back, and he couldn't eat past 9 o'clock.  For the most part, he abided by my rules.  As you can see by the video below, he was jumping for joy at the chance to get some alone time with Dad:



Coen has started to make some new noises.  He has learned how to making spitting noises.  Here's another video:




We had been struggling a lot with getting Coen on a nap schedule.  He was pretty good at falling asleep at night, but never took to napping.  Mom did a lot of reading, and we learned that we just need to set the schedule and give him a chance to fall asleep.  Being the caring parents that we are, we never let him cry too much.  Now, after a few days of letting him cry/fuss himself to sleep for naps, we've gotten him into a sleeping groove. 

This morning he woke up at 7:30.  After feeding him some rice cereal and formula, then playing with him for a little while, we put him down at 9:00.  Mom and Dad took the opportunity to put themselves down at 9:00, too.  He woke up at 10:30 (so did we).  He proceded to take naps at 12:30pm and 5:45pm, with a sleepy car ride to the store in-between.  His 5:45pm nap was supposed to last about an hour, but Coen slept until 8:00pm!  We fed him a bottle, gave him a bath, read him a book and put him down at 8:45pm.  He went right to sleep.  Ideally, he should be getting between 4-5 hours of sleep per day.  He got it today.  The boy who never knew how to nap is now making sleep his way of life (with a little help from his parents).  Ironically, Kelly and I are taking advantage of his sleepy times by... sleeping.

Coen is such a little sweetheart.  I could not have asked for a kinder, gentler boy.  Seeing him smile makes me forget about any stresses that life may bring.  Every day brings new blessings.

My Mom and Dad pay us a visit this weekend.  Coen is looking forward to seeing his Nanny and Pops.

God bless.
Matt

Fill That Belly!

He Can Bounce All Night

Coen Rollin'

He's done it before, but thought you might like to see it.  He's getting big!

Sleep Science

Hello!  This week has been a monumental week at the Schick house.  Coen has now put himself to sleep in his crib TWICE this week!  We are so proud! 

Last week was a tough one;  Coen had not been sleeping much at night.  Combine this with the fact that he does not really nap and you get a very exhausted little baby at the end of the day.  Sunday night, Matt and I got him to bed early and were praying for a good night of sleep.  Matt had worked about 15 hours on Saturday covering high school girls baskeball and then Coen had a tough day on Sunday.  We were thinking that maybe his teeth were bothering him and gave him some Tylenol before bed that night.  He went to bed but woke-up about two hours later.  He is usually able to go right back to sleep, but he was so wide awake right as we were ready to call it a night.  I held him for quite awhile and then we decided we would put him in his crib and let him cry for a short time.  Matt and I do not want Coen to "cry it out."  I know that method has worked for so many babies, but I just don't think it's the best thing to do for an infant.  Perhaps I've just read too much about infant attachment and brain development, but I really believe there are better ways to teach your child to sleep.  I have also heard that there really are babies that have such persistant personalites that they will continue to cry and cry and never calm down enough to actually fall asleep.  We have one of those babies!  So....we agreed to put him in the crib and see what happened. 

Coen cried a little bit, but he never really got too upset.  We turned on his little aquarium and after about 10 minutes, it was very quiet in his room.  He had done it!  He actually put himself to sleep!!   It was such a relief since I had been crying just thinking about how long we might have to listen to our baby cry.  And then he surprised us both and didn't wake up for a few more hours. 

We have continued to work on helping Coen nap, but it has been a slow process.  He falls asleep fairly easily, but after about 40 minutes he is wide-awake and ready to play!  By the end of the day the poor little guy is exhausted.  This afternoon we tried to get him down for quite awhile but he just didn't want to sleep.  He went back into his bouncer and bounced...and bounced...and bounced!  He absolutely LOVES it!  After about 30 minutes or so I noticed it was pretty quiet and discoved Coen sound asleep in his seat.  What a cute little sight it was.  He woke-up shortly afterward and was cranky and ready for bed.

Tonight we did our usual bedtime routine, but he did not fall asleep with a bottle like he usually does.  Eventually I put him in his crib and yes...you guessed it...he put himself to sleep again!  There were no tears, just a very, very tired baby.

We are hoping this sleeping issue continues to get easier for Coen.  He just loves being awake and must be so worried he's going to miss out on something.  I have read everything about sleep and have tried so many different things.  Who knew it was such a science?  Maybe we should have done this all along. 

Oh well...we're just happy he's doing it now.

Goodnight!



Time for a walk!



A bib from one of Matt's listeners





4 months!!!

Wow!  I can't believe today Coen is already 4 months old!  The time is going so fast and he is getting so big.  Today we had his 4-month doctor visit.  Coen weighs 16.5 pounds, and he's 25.5 inches long.  He's still in the 75th% for his weight and height, and in the 90th% for head circumference.  Matt says the head size is no surprise, and has already special-ordered Coen's Little League helmet.  He's a big, big boy!

The doctor was amazed at how strong he is.  He loves to stand on our laps and look around and he holds his head up really well.  We were thinking maybe the doctor would have us start rice cereal since it's fairly obvious Coen is a good eater, but he wants us to wait at least another month.  He did tell us to start giving him more than four ounces at each feeding and see how he does.  Maybe it will help him to sleep a little bit longer and not want to eat quite as often. 

We have really been working on Coen's routine so we can try to get him to sleep a little better.  He is doing better at night, but he still refuses to nap most days.  This morning he was able to put himself to sleep in his crib, but he only stayed asleep for about 30 minutes.  It seems that Coen is afraid of missing something and would rather be up with us all day!

After a few sudden tears of terror following his shots today, Coen was all better and took a nice 90-minute nap.  Maybe the solution to the sleep problem is to just schedule more shots!  :-)  As much as we like watching him sleep, we have so much more fun when he is awake.  He is such an active little cutie.

Until next time...

Picture Time!

Blowing bubbles at Baba

Coen and Baba

Check-out my Cutie Pie bib!

I love standing!

The Built for Speed outfit from Baba and Grampo

Looking intently at JR

Grampo and Coen

I love my Yankee's bear.  Dad does not. 

A Fun February!

Hello!  It has been an exciting month for us! Matt's parents were here early in the month, and then this past weekend Coen finally got to meet his Uncle JR!  JR was in Lincoln for a week and was able to be here for the shower to celebrate Coen's arrival.  Coen seemed to love JR; we can definitely tell JR has been around babies since he moved to Phoenix.  He was a pro with Coen and was a big help with him.  I wish he lived closer so we could hire him:) 

Coen continues to grow and meet his milestones.  He has now started to grasp some toys, and he even tries to put a pacifier in his mouth once in awhile.  He wants to put everything in his mouth and he yells a lot on his playmat since the hanging toys aren't quite long enough for him to get in his mouth.  Last week he rolled over from his tummy to his back, and now he actually seems to enjoy being on his tummy.  He holds his head up so well, and loves looking in the little mirror that hangs on his mat. 

This week Coen will have his 4-month doctor visit.  Matt and I can't wait to find out how much he weighs as he is definitely packing on the pounds!  I only wish he liked to sleep as much as he enjoys to eat:) 

Matt and I have been blessed with some opportunities this past week and we are also incredibly thankful for the good news about my Dad's health.  The cancer is gone and he is doing so well!  We are thrilled that he will be here to enjoy being Poppy to Coen and we thank everyone for their many, many prayers.

We hope you are all well.  Thanks for reading!

Look at me on my tummy!

Look Mom!  No hands!



My parents say I look just like my Dad in this picture when he was my age!





This is the beginning of my first roll!



I did it!



Aren't you impressed?



Part of a Valentine's Day package from Nanny and Pops!  I wish I could eat it.  :-(



My Valentine's gift from Nanny and Pops!

I lost in the staring contest.

My Mom and Dad opening my gifts at my shower in Lincoln.

The cake at the shower

Coen and Nana

Where's my whale tub?!



Are you seriously gonna use dishwashing soap on me?  Did it "dawn" on you that this isn't a good idea?



My first baseball hat!

Uncle JR and Coen.  My Dad Matt says he only likes one of these hats.

I'm my father's son.