Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello all, sorry for the week without a post or any pictures. We've been busy. I'm trying to imagine life with a baby in it, if it's already so "busy" and that just stresses me out! So, this week, we carved a pumpkin. Charlie enjoyed it very much and loved his new word, Jack O' Lantern. I tried to convince him that it's fun to get your hands in there and scoop out the guts and put the guts in the bowl and get your hands all slimy and gross, he opted for a spoon instead. He's my child through and through!The picture below is not of me trying to "off" my child, rather me trying to keep a sharp knife away from tiny little fingers. He was pretty good about standing back while I was using the knife. I just kept having flashes of me making him 9 fingered!
He loved to use the spoon and "coop the guts out" as he put it.


Finished product. Not the most imaginative but hey, it was quick and made my kid smile ear to ear! He really thought I was awesome being able to do that. It'll be a few years before he realizes that every mommy and daddy can do this too!

Singing happy birthday to Mr. Jack O' Lantern. He thought since we put a candle in it, that it was worthy of a birthday song. Sadly, Mr Jack only lasted five days before he succumbed to mold...I really thought it would last alot longer!

We got some of his birthday decorations in the mail so he had to try on the fireman hat and wore it around proudly. He likes this much better than his red plastic stool that he's been using as his fireman hat.

Here he is yesterday. He decided that he was going to pack his backpack with his favorite toys and go to tutu's (my parent's house). I told him we couldn't go until later in the week and he decided he'd get on his truck and go himself. He really wanted to head out and wanted no excuses why he couldn't go see Gampa and Tutu.

We had a busy weekend, with a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday night, followed by a Halloween party/watch the Phillies till 2am party, and then a Christening for Danny and Grace on Sunday. My parents took Charlie to the beach with them for the weekend which was so kind of them. We were able to have our busy weekend and sleep in on Sunday.

Sunday night when he came home he had a high fever and a nasty cough, and had it through the night and into Monday. I took him to the Doctor on Monday and they promptly sent us to the ER because he looked so sick and his fever was still so high. I was a little freaked. He was falling asleep on me and they really didn't like his appearance. He also only had a pulse-ox of 90 on room air. SO several treatments and a chest X-ray and some Motrin and Tylenol later, we were home and he went to bed. They diagnosed him with Croup and after a day at home with me yesterday, he's back at school and feeling almost 100%. Hey, he's been 6 months without any sickness. Not bad!

I am starting to feel the new little man kick me from the inside. I'm feeling pretty good and got the all clear from my high-risk doctor last Thursday. The ultrasound showed no more bleed and my cervix is nice and long. So my restrictions have been lifted and although I have not exercised yet, I have been enjoying holding my big boy in my arms again. I started my progesterone shots this week and my original plan was to have them done at work by a work friend and fellow nurse, but I decided that I should try it myself since I don't always work the same days every week and I don't really feel like dropping my pants for anyone in a pregnant state. I did it, with much icing and numbing of the site, but my goodness does it hurt today! It's a large needle with very thick medication. Only 20 more shots left!

Alex is doing well and is still in search of a job. We are hopeful that something comes up soon before the holidays!

Hope everyone else is well, stay warm if you are on the east coast...it's really chilly out there!

Suicide Fish

So I came home from work this morning and the house was quiet, Charlie had just woken up from a long slumber so everyone was still upstairs. I started the coffee and went to feed the fish. I was greeted by our largest fish who promptly flung himself out of the aquarium once I opened the lid, and landed at my feet. I was so shocked I don't think I moved for almost a minute. I just stared at the poor thing trying to breathe air. I had flashbacks of "Finding Nemo" and decided I needed to save it. So I went to pick it up and it flopped under the stand. This was really too much for my exhausted pregnant self. Long story shorter, I managed to pick him up and drop him back in his home. He swam around and seems okay (above picture is after the attempt). He didn't seem all that grateful though. Oh well, now I'm terrified of opening the lid! Between the occasional dead city bugs we find in our basement, the recent run-in with a rogue mouse in our house, and now the jumping fish, I am becoming a pretty skittish person!

Preview of Halloween cuteness...

I'd like to introduce you to Tuck the Turtle (aka Charlie Cohen). I bought this costume when Charlie was still a fetus growing inside of me. It was November or 2005 and the week after Halloween. I saw this costume at Old Navy for $0.99. It was a 2T and I had to have it. I knew that someday, he would be a toddler and would be able to wear this for Halloween. I LOVE turtles. I think they are the cutest creatures ever and that they have the coolest personalities. (yes they carry diseases like the news recently reported but it's not cool to keep baby turtles anyway, so give them a break!) So last year, when he would have really fit this costume best, I forgot about it and my mom had bought him an adorable Giraffe costume. I found this a few months ago and luckily it fits (just barely!). So last night, he was in a good mood for his almost-three-year-old self and I decided to see how he would like it. HE LOVED IT! He thinks he's Tuck the turtle from Wonder Pets and that he's off to save the dolphins, or the whales, or the kitten, etc. He refused to take it off until he was so hot and sweaty that he looked like he might pass out!
It was fun and I'm glad he's okay with wearing this for his mommy's pleasure! I figure this is the last year I'll be able to tell him what he's going to be for Halloween...he's going to start having a real opinion sooner than later!

Pumpkin picking with the family

Charlie saying hi to his baby brother. He keeps asking me to put food in my belly button to feed the baby. Very cute!
Daddy and Charlie being goofy!

Here's a cute picture of Charlie in his new outfit that my friend Debbie got for him! He looked soooo handsome in it! Thanks Debbie!

Visionwalk 2008

This year was the foundation fighting blindness' 2nd annual Philadelphia Visionwalk. We had a great turnout and raised a ton of money! Our team (The World According to RP) raised over $5,000...and the walk collectively raised over $135,000! That's over $50,000 more than last year!
We had a great day with perfect weather to walk 3miles along forbidden drive in Fairmount Park. Charlie welcomed Swoop (above picture) with a warm hi-five! There was also a moon bounce and face painting...so fun!

The above picture is Quinn Brown. Cutie-pie extraordinaire! We had lots of young kids represented on our team and so I feel that we ultimately had the cutest team...we had wagons and strollers galore!

Here's Charlie and Bode smiling like old pros!

Bode looking too grown up for his own good. He's only 7 months folks!

Our team...it's a bit smaller than last year but we still had a great time. Our good friends Dave and Mike were not in attendance because Mike was running his first marathon (really the only excusable excuse if you ask me!). He did amazingly well and finished in 3hours 20minutes. That's 26 miles, by foot in 3:20. Yeah, he's amazing...almost two hours faster than my time! Go Mike...I am so proud! Incidentally, our team won the "Best T-shirt Contest". Thanks to my dad for coming up with the clever name and to my mom who had them made!

And here's Bode, showing his age, and his ability to sleep through anything! Thanks again to everyone who participated, donated, wished us well. We love you all, and with this type of enthusiasm...a cure really is in sight!

Some cute pics...more to come later this weekend

Here's some pics, finally, of us over this past week. It was a bit busy and I had a flu of sorts so any spare time I had was spent sleeping, or being sick. So the first few pics are from our visit to the new Please Touch Museum. So cool and so big and so much fun! Lot's more stuff for the 4-6 year old crowd...did I mention that it was so much fun! They had a "sneak preview" for members that we attended but the museum doesn't officially open till 10/18. The ONLY thing I didn't like, of course Charlie loved it, was this real car that they had as permanent exhibit that's really a real car. And the trunk is open and the kids are encouraged to just climb and roam around the car. A little dangerous and kind of a weird thing to encourage. The doors are fixed open so they can't slam on anyone, but ever since, Charlie keeps begging me to climb around our car...um, NO! SO that's my only beef with the new place, otherwise, I love it. So the first pic is him "driving" the car. Again, he loved it!Here he is in the baby hospital taking care of a little baby...takes after his mommy!
Shopping for juice...he had fun in the grocery store although it's smaller than the old one.

Riding on a vespa scooter...he called it a motorcycle...who am I to argue!

Here's my favorite pic of the week...Alex doing dishes wearing Charlie's Bob the Builder hat...what a dad!

Charlie wearing his "Fireman hat". It's really a basket that goes to his new kitchen...whatever!

All dressed up the break the fast...

Trying to get Bode to sit still at "Break the Fast". We are watching Bode till tonight...It's been so much fun! For anyone who forgets or doesn't know, he's my sister's little boy...he's seven months and so close to walking it's ridiculous!

Having fun this morning...

Cute Bode Baby

Trying to wink at the camera...

Crazy, busy week

So we've had some excitement around here that has kept us busy. Our little growing peanut "Grover" is causing us some stress. Alex and I celebrated our anniversary (which is actually today, 10/3) on Wednesday. We came home from dinner (thanks Zayda for babysitting!) and I had some bleeding. Never fun to see when you are pregnant. Long story short, we spent all day Thursday in the PETU (pregnancy evaluation and treatment unit) where we learned that Grover is fine but I had a bleed between the uterus and the placenta. It's been stressful, my activities are severely limited at home in an attempt to let me stay in work as long as possible rather than moving right to bed rest. No lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Charlie weighs 35 pounds. So we're working on changing the way we do things around the house. Luckily most of my patients at work weigh far less than five pounds so I'm good with that. I just want it all to be okay and for the bleeding to stop! It's very scary because I can't feel the baby yet to reassure me that all is well! So here's pictures of the little baby. It is growing ahead of schedule now so the placenta is working and nourishing "it".Now onto pictures of Charlie. He's been an active little guy lately, more so than usual. Talking up a storm and singing lots too! We made some macaroni jewelry (he painted the noodles and then strung it onto ribbon when it was dry). The "earrings" were intended to be bracelets but he decided to hang them on his ears. Very cute!


Here he is intently watching the "Ms. Spider show". It's a cute show and he loves it...it is about bugs though so I tend not to pay too much attention!


And here he is playing with his new Tow Mater truck. Christy's sister in law Jamie gave this to him. Her son had outgrown it and she knows how much Charlie loves Tow Mater. He woke up this morning and immediately wanted his "mamer". It talks and says all kinds of funny things. Thanks Jamie!


That's all. We'll try and keep the baby drama to a minimum, and post some more pictures later this week!