To Sutton, Love Mommy

Dear Baby Sutton,
You are such a blessing. I prayed every night that God would bless us with a healthy, second child when He saw we were ready. We are beyond grateful that He sent you to us. When I found out you were a boy, I immediately hoped that you and Cohen would be best buddies for life. When Daddy and I first met you, we were in love instantly. You have the cutest dimples in your cheeks. You smile so much, you coo, and you sneeze...alot! You like to suck your thumb or fingers more than a paci. You are not much of a cuddler, you would rather be facing out to see the world than laying on either of our chests. You think your brother is so funny, and you kick excitedly when he talks to you. In the middle of the night, instead of waking up crying, you wake up grunting. It is so funny. You have to be swaddled to go to sleep, but when you wake up, you must be free of the swaddle so you grunt until I unwrap you and feed you.
You are very strong. You rolled over around 7 weeks. You love taking baths with your brother. You smile and kick as he pours water over your tummy. We pray that you love Jesus and your brother, and are healthy and happy. It is such a joy to be your Mommy.
We love you more than you will ever know!
Mommy and Daddy

To Cohen, Love Mommy

Dear Sweet, Cohen,
 You are such an amazing child! You are so full of life and energy. You have the kindest heart, and always want to please everyone. You love giving hugs and kisses. Since you were a baby we have been constantly told by friends and teachers how loving and sweet you are.
We pray every night that we will raise you to love Jesus, and that you will be full of health and happiness.
You love your Nana, Mimi, and Aunt Lora and ask about each of them often. You love your brother so much. Anytime we get in the car and you don't see Sutton in his seat you say, "Susson?!" You kiss him and give him his paci several times per day. You share everything with him, you even try to get him to drink out of your cup.
You have the cutest walk. You kind of sway when you walk, and you often walk with your hands clasped in front of you. When we ask you to bow your head to say prayers, you instead put your hand on your head. You love your "hootie," your doggy, and your paci at bedtime. You love reading books and having us read books to you. You love "Muddypaws" and the nursery rhyme books the best right now. You still use sign-language when you get really excited. You sign and say, "please, and more" at the same time when you really want something.
You are so sensitive. When you get in trouble, you cover your eyes and pout. When you have to say you're "sorry" you also stroke the arm or cheek of who you offended.
You have the sweetest, most beautiful eyes. But those same eyes give such a mean look when you are mad at someone. It is impossible not to laugh.
We are so blessed to have you as our child. We cannot thank our gracious Father enough for choosing us to be your parents. We love watching you learn and grow everyday. We pray that we raise you to be a strong Christian man who loves the Lord and desires to please Him.
We love you more than you will understand until you have your own children someday.
Mommy and Daddy

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

We have had a busy holiday season at the Cochrane house. Sutton turned 2 months, and Cohen is definitely entering the "terrible twos," even though he isn't two yet.

Wearing his sweet minky gown I made him.

 This past weekend we went to see Santa at the house of some great mentors from church. We LOVE our church family. Our Sunday school class and our Life Group is full of 20+ couples who love the Lord and give us great encouragement. This was the second time for the boys to see Santa this year. The first time was at Lighting of the Green at Lipscomb. Surprisingly, Cohen was not scared of Santa.

Sutton rolled over for the first time 2 weeks ago. He actually rolled over when he was 3 weeks old, but I am not sure if it was intentional or not. We do "tummy time" most days, so he pushes up, then kicks over pretty quickly because he hates being on his tummy. It's unbelievable how fast he is growing. I love watching him meet all his milestones, yet it makes me sad too. He loves being swaddled..tight! If he gets his hand or arm out, he wakes up mad. I think we are going to move him to his room this week. I am really in no hurry though, so we'll see.

Right before he rolled over.

My favorite boys.

Sutton smiles all the time, but my silly camera has a delay, so it's hard for me to snap a pic of his dimpled smile.
Hope you are having a blessed holiday season with your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Decorating....(and a bit of controversy).

There is something that I love about dreary, raining days. I don't feel guilty for going all day without make-up and staying inside. (Well maybe a little guilty). I have been busying myself decorating for Christmas and playing with my boys. Our Christmas tree is from Chad's parents. It is the one that Chad grew up with. It is a small tree, and somewhat Charlie Brown-esque, but I do love it. It has such special meaning.  One day, when we have more space, we will get a taller tree, but we will always keep this one:) Cohen loves to point and say "lights on" if I don't have the lights plugged in.
(I tried to upload a picture of the tree, but I don't know how to rotate it, so I left it off).
I also hung up this framed chicken-wire thing that I saw on Pinterest and bought it at Christmas Village. It would've been easy to make, but for $25 I bought it instead!

It is perfect to hang birth announcements and Christmas cards. Then when the boys get big, I can hang their art work on it.

Sutton will be 2 months old on Wednesday! So crazy how fast it goes. His 2 month appointment is Wednesday. He is supposed to get 5 shots that day!! That's crazy to me. I would never get 5 shots in one day, so I refuse to put my babies through that. It is not that I think he will get autism, ADHD, or something else, it is simply that, to me, it is unnecessary to pound their little, immature immune systems with that many vaccines at one time. Thank goodness our doc is okay with us getting one or two at a time. That means we go back to the doctor more frequently, but I sleep better because of it. I know this is a HUGE controversial issue with many people in this country. My children will definitely get most of the vaccines before they start kindergarten, just not on the CDC recommended schedule.

When Cohen was a newborn, I asked my pediatrician if he would allow me to get the vaccines spaced out. If he had said "no" I would have been forced to choose another doctor, but thankfully he allows it. First he asked though, "why do you think it is necessary?" I told him my reasoning, and he said "I think there is no link between autism, asthma, allergies, etc and vaccines, but if it makes you sleep better then we can space them out." Great! I think docs need to be flexible with moms, because ultimately, the mom is the one raising the child, not the doctor.
Regardless of whether you choose to space out vaccines or not, I encourage everyone to be an advocate for their children, themselves and their family when it comes to medicine. Doctors and nurses are only human, not the ultimate authority. Ask questions about your health care:)

 BTW, this is probably the last blog I will do in my twenties!! Sniff, sniff. I will be 30 this week. Wow!

Almost two months!



Have a wonderful, dreary, lazy day!!





Oh, Happy Life!

Since it is such a beautiful, rainy, cloudy day in Nashville, and the kids are napping, I thought I would update the blog. Sutton is almost seven weeks old, and Cohen is almost 21 months.

The colic is much improved over the past 3 days or so. I cut out dairy and added probiotics to Sutton's milk on the advice of my friend Meghan, and after 3 weeks of this, we are beginning to see a new baby! I have had a bit of cheese here and there and haven't noticed that it bothers Sutton, so it seems to be mostly milk, yogrut, and ice cream. However, I am not going to eat any mac-n-cheese or queso anytime in the next year or so because I don't want him to become super fussy again, just in case:)

I am super proud of myself for making it to the Y yesterday for the first time since Sutton was born. I love the Maryland Farms Y the best because there are several designated spots up front for "Mothers of 2 or more children." Score!! I dropped both boys off at their respective nurserys and ran 2 miles, then did a bit of walking and abs. I found that I stayed there longer than I expected because I enjoyed the "alone" time so much! It was a bit sad that Cohen cried when I left him in the nursery. He has NEVER cried when Chad or I have left him anywhere so I was sad to see him cry. But I walked by and checked on him about 2 minutes later and he was smiling and playing.

Sutton laughs out loud in his sleep. It is so cute! Cohen smiled a lot in his sleep, but never laughed. I can't imagine what is so funny to a 6.4 week old:) He also LOVES watching the mobile on his swing. He will stare at it for about 40 minutes before he gets fussy. When he does get fussy, Cohen now thinks Sutton needs some of his milk. So he will put his cup in Sutton's mouth and say "Shhhh, Susson." Cohen also has started lining up his stuffed Donald Duck, Tigger, dog, and monkey and giving them some milk from his sippy cup. He puts the cup up to each of their mouths like they are drinking it. He asked me for some gold fish the other day, when I gave him a handful he went and tried to feed them to each of his stuffed animals. Silly kid! He is such a delight. He always makes us laugh. As of now, this is my favorite age so far. He is talking and signing enough that I usually know what he wants. Life is great at the Cochrane house. I cannot thank God enough for the many blessings!

He loves playing with stickers

I am envious of his eyelashes

This is him saying "cheese."

Playing the drum for Sutton

Happy baby now. 6 weeks old!

He loves to put on everyone's shoes.

Poor Sutton:)

Hope you have a wonderful day and a fabulous Thanksgiving filled with love from family and friends!

Sutton is One Month!!

My, oh my, where does the time go? I wish I could ask God to make days longer and my babies grow slower. I may have said this before, but I am so grateful that I was given this advice when I was pregnant with Cohen....it was something like, "hold your babies all the time, don't ever wish they would be bigger, mobile, eat solid foods, etc. Enjoy each moment."
I think I do a good job of this. When both Cohen and Sutton wake up in the middle of the night, for feedings or bad dreams, I cherish the time. I know it won't last long and then Sutton won't wake up anymore at night, and I will miss it. Cohen rarely wakes up in the night, but when he does, I get a bit excited to go get him out of his crib and soothe him or cuddle him until he falls asleep.
I love it that Cohen still wants to hold my hand whenever he goes up and down stairs. I get to hold Sutton much less than I got to hold Cohen, but I wear him in a sling a lot. He loves it, and so do I.
Cohen still loves his little brother. If I put Co in the car before Sutton, he says, "baby, baby" as if he is reminding me to get Sutton.
I will admit though, I think the first month is my least favorite stage of having a baby. They don't show any personality. Sutton has started purposefully smiling now, and I LOVE it!

We still aren't sure who he looks like. Not Cohen or Chad.
Maybe me

Cohen wants to hold his brother sometimes. He doesn't support
his head well yet:)

Halloween and Other Fall Fun!

Halloween was a four-day long event for us! On Thursday night we went to Fairview for Trunk or Treating with my parents. Chad wasn't able to go because he was feeling puny.

Sutton, the banana.
(I don't know how to turn it:()

Cohen, the monkey, sitting with the "bumpunks."
He loves pumpkins!

Papa with his boys!

On Saturday we met my parents in Franklin for the Pumpkin Fest. The boys wore their costumes. It was such a beautiful day. Cohen and Papa went into the mini petting zoo there so Cohen could feed and pet the animals.



Then he got to ride the horse. He loved it. When it was time to get off, he said "No!"

The banana slept the whole time.
I love this sleeping age where you can just do whatever and they sleep through it!

On Sunday we went to a birthday party after church at Monkey Joe's. Cohen was one of the smallest kids there. He went up and down this slide for over an hour. There were 4 four year olds going up and down it too, but Cohen just jumped right in and did whatever they did. I had my first "Mom moment" where I wanted to get this kid though.... Cohen was climbing up the entrance to the slide, and the big kids were trying to push past him and one of them said, "Get out of the way, baby!" in a really mean way. I felt like my heart was breaking, but so mad at the same time. Good thing Cohen had no clue what they meant though. He just went on his merry way up the slide.

After the party we went to Trunk or Treat and dinner at our church. We only stayed for a short time and went to Chad's parents' church for their Trunk or Treat. Cohen had a great time, and Sutton slept. Imagine that.

On Monday, we went to our first "kid" party with kids Cohen's age. My friend Jennifer and her boy Brandt invited us to a Halloween party. Cohen played outside with all of his "friends," then we ate lunch, then painted "bumpunks," and decorated picture frames. Cohen had a great time. He ate 2 cookies, then went up to Jennifer's mom and asked for "more cookie" and she gave him 2 more. A few minutes later I heard him in the kitchen again asking for "more." I found him asking a different lady for more cookies! He was trying all he could to get cookies. He got a cup of goldfish instead. He loves to eat!

 

Crazy hair after jumping on the mini trampoline.

 

Painting a "bumpunk" with his friend Mason



Cohen (3rd from left) and all of his new friends at the party.



Sutton's Pics

My sister-in-law, Mollie Cochrane is a great photographer. She took all of Cohen's pictures his first year, and she did Sutton's newborn pictures. We tried to get more of Cohen and Sutton together, but Cohen was way too busy to take pictures that night. Here are a few of my favorites.

And as far as the "colic" goes... it is so much better!!! I cut out dairy for the most part and I have noticed a huge difference in his fussiness. He is such a happier baby now. Chad actually is loving on him a ton more. Chad gets a bit overwhelmed when babies are fussy, and quickly hands them over to me so he wasn't holding Sutton much. Now Daddy and Sutton are good buddies.
Cohen is such a great big brother still. He walked up to where Sutton was lying and kissed his little feet today! These boys are such a joy in our lives. God is so good!

I think we have colic. Help!!

Yes, I am 90% sure of it. Just to demolish a popular misconception, colic is not necessarily related to stomach or digestive problems. Here is a good definition of colic from www.medicinenet.com
Infantile colic has been around for a long time. In 1954, Dr. Morris Wessel, a well-known New Haven pediatrician, defined an infant with colic as "one who, otherwise healthy and well-fed, had paroxysms of irritability, fussing, or crying lasting for a total of three hours a day and occurring on more than three days in any one week for a period of three weeks." It is also important to remember that not all fussy babies suffer from colic. Most infants normally cry two to three hours per day, but this is usually spread out during the 24-hour period
So technically, colic can't be "diagnosed" until the infant is at least three weeks old. There seems to be a few theories as to what causes the excessive crying: digestive problems, an immature nervous system, and overstimultion are a few.
I have no idea what is causing Sutton to be such a screamer, but he most definitely is. He cries 75% of each day. If he isn't nursing, he's crying. I'm talking like red-faced screaming. A pacifier, swing, Moby wrap, Baby Bjorn, nothing soothes him. He is gaining weight appropriately so I'm pretty positive it is not because he is hungry. The only up-side to this....He sleeps really great at night. I think it is half because of the Babywise schedule, and the other half because he is absolutely exhausted from incessant crying all day.
I have tried gas drops, which I think are such a hoax, yet I continue to pump him full of them because I am hoping they will actually do something.
Considering I have a 19 month old in the house who also needs his Mommy, I have no choice but to let Sutton scream in his swing or Moses basket sometimes. I feel so bad for Cohen. I feel like I have given 70% of my time to Sutton because he is screaming all day, and that leaves such little time for Mommy and Cohen.
I am definitely open to any ideas anyone may have for how to soothe such a fussy child. I hope this passes quickly.
Have a wonderful fall day!!

Pumpkin Patch!

We had a day yesterday to remember forever! (We also had one of these days on Saturday too at the
Granny White Fall Fest). But, anyways, I took the boys to Gentry's farm where we met my parents for a fun morning. The weather was perfect as were Cohen and Sutton. Sutton slept the whole time. Cohen was so busy exploring all there was to do at the pumpkin patch.

Sporting the Frankenstein shirt I made for him

Snoozing through the pumpkin patch, wearing the hat I made.

"Why can't I pet the goats, Mommy?"

His face after eating a lemon. He loves to eat lemons and make
funny faces.

He LOVES animals as I have said before, so he was quite confused when he was not allowed to feed or pet the goats because there was a sign on their cage that said to keep away. He stood outside the fence and "talked" to them instead. He loved all the pumpkins, but calls them "bumpunks" instead. So funny!
I so enjoyed watching my sweet boy play and have so much fun, all while sipping a pumpkin spice latte!

Welcome, Sutton Henry!

He is here! Sutton Henry arrived on Friday, September 30 at 3:27am weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces and 20 inches long. We are blessed beyond words and cannot thank God enough for such an amazing gift.
        I went to the ER Thursday night and left Chad and Cohen at home. I did not want to get Cohen out and then be told that I wasn't in labor. So, I went to the ER around 9pm, got checked out and admitted by 10pm. I called Chad and he dropped Cohen off at his parents' house, then came and met me at Centennial. One of my great, wonderful friends Rowena was kind enough to come in on her night/day off and be my nurse. (She was also my nurse when Cohen was born). Her presence eased my anxiety immediately.
       Without any drama, our angel was born at 3:27am. Chad did an amazing job of remaining fully conscious. If I haven't mentioned before, he fainted when Cohen was born and doesn't remember much of the first 20 minutes of his life. Chad watched Sutton come into the world and did wonderful. He said everything happened too fast for him to get light-headed or faint. I wouldn't have had the wonderful birth experience I did without Rowena. She is such an amazing, kind, Christian woman who will do anything for a friend. And it is such a blessing to have a great friend to be your nurse during such a life-changing event.
      Cohen came with Nana and Aunt Lora to meet Sutton. He was instantly excited and wanted to touch, kiss, hug, and hold him. He was so sweet and involved with Sutton for about 10 minutes, then the excitement was over and he was busy destroying the room and asking for food.

       Our friends from church, Jason and Marie Caskey had their baby boy Rhys on Thursday morning at Centennial. They are literally in the room across the hall from us. Rhys was due the day after Sutton, but they both came slightly early. But Rhys weighed in at an impressive 9 pounds, 15 ounces and 22 inches long! He is such a handsome, healthy baby. Jason and Marie came over and we placed the boys in the same bassinet and took pictures of them. There is definitely a noticeable size difference!  We plan on them growing up together and becoming great buddies.
 *I will add these pictures when I download them. They are so cute*
       We cannot stop praising God for our many blessings. We are overwhelmed at how amazing He is, and are SO looking forward to the wild ride ahead of us as parents to these little blessings.