Holiday Rap Up!

I cannot believe the holidays have come and gone! What a whirlwind that was! My cootie bug took over a week to heal... which meant my entire Christmas shopping spree took place in 2 whole days, 2 days before Christmas! I will never ever do that again. Besides the extreme exhaustion it threw my little guys schedule off completely! All in all though our Christmas was spectacular! A little crazy playing the family juggle between both fam's but as always we succeeded! Quinten was obviously so excited about Christmas and all that came with it that he didn't take a single nap all day!! And boy did he let us know when he was ready to go home! Easiest way to sum up our holiday is with a picture montage! Here we go...

Quintens First Christmas Eve...

Grandma came with us on Q's first Christmas light drive. We do this every year on Christmas eve. Its sad to see the toll the economy has taken. The amount of lights were down a lot from last year. But our favorite neighborhood was still all lit up. Now I know what you're thinking ' how can that kid see anything from his car seat' right? Well its never too early to start a tradition!

The night ended with one sleepy baby (waiting for Santa perhaps)? And mama's glass 'o champagne! Fab-u-lous!!

Christmas day began by being awakened by my husband whispering "lets go do our Christmas before he wakes up!" Yes folks thats right these new parents got up before their newborn and opened our gifts without disruption! Quinten woke up happy as could be around 7am, we then dressed him up and brought him out so he could start enjoying his first Christmas! (after being fed of course).

He was ohhhh so excited about all his gifts!

We then arrived at Uncle Chris and Aunty Alex's house for stop #1...

Chillin with Aunty A

The madness begins...

The super fun musical octopus from Grandma. Dad has been practicing Twinkle Twinkle and Mary Had A Little Lam daily :)

Cousin Sean ripping open his gifts!

I am quickly learning what my parents always told me growing up! Giving gifts is far more fun than getting gifts. I found myself sitting in a pile of unopened gifts watching everyone else tear into theirs with more joy than if I had all the gifts in the world! And now with all the kids in the family its becoming even more fun. To watch their little eyes light up with the true pure joy of Christmas is amazing. With the innocence of not knowing how hard everyone worked to make the day happen, and the mind numbing excitement in trying to figure out which gift to open next... bliss!

Putting the little guy into a milk coma... :)

We then ventured over to my parents house for Christmas festivities #2! It is always pretty hectic doing the family juggle on the holidays but really we are just so blessed to have the family to spend the holidays with. Knowing that some people don't even get to see family on Christmas makes the craziness all worth while!

My little niece Lauren is 5! She makes sure everyone knows it too! :) Unfortunately my sis-in-law and my other little niece Robyn had to stay home with a little bit of a stomach bug :(

Enjoying the day with my boys and my little girl :)

We surprised my folks with a night at Sycammore (a hotel near by). I always love the look of surprise on their faces! They were a little mad at first, stating we shouldn't have spent the money, but that quickly faded to excitement of the upcoming stay!

Does my brother know how to put a smile on my face or what?! Happy mama :)

Great-Grandma got Quinten his first sock monkey! I was so excited, I love these things! We have named him Fred as of now... if he wants to change it someday he can but as for now we call him Fred! He loves him!

I'm not quite sure what it is about the holidays, perhaps its the onset of a new year, but its made me really want to tidy things up. I am slowly going room by room, cleaning, organizing and throwing out anything we don't need! The hard part has been juggling cleaning, the kid and my sick hubby. Oh ya did I mention he ended up catching my bug :( I have gotten plenty of kuddos though... many " I don't know how you did it" (taking care of Quinten alone with the cold). At least I know I am appreciated. There are a lot of husbands who don't realize and especially don't express their gratitude. I'm a lucky girl :) As excited as I was for the holidays to come, I am a little relieved to see them go for another year. It was exhausting this year! Another learning experience of how different life is now with a child. Our new years will be something if not completely different! Who knows if we'll even make it until midnight, and this year I really don't think I care! Sleep is soooo special to me now that watching the clock strike 12 just doesn't sound all that exciting, especially knowing that Quinten doesn't sleep past 7... I am though excited for the new year. I love the thought of a fresh start. I'm not much for resolutions (they never work!) but I love setting goals... This year I hope that we can pay off Shannon's truck and start saving to move, and pay off my car. I want to tone up, and get as healthy as possible. I hope we can find some fun activities to start as family to get us out of the house, pretty much just enjoy life and cherish every moment that we have with each other. Looking back on this year I can't believe all that has happened. I swear we fit 3 years worth of events into one! Its hard to remember it all, having our son has really made the rest of the year fuzzy! Well I wish everyone a very safe and fun New Years and pray for a fabulous and wonderful 2010!! Onto all new and crazy adventures, I think for us next is teething... woohoo! xoxoxo

One Busy Weekend!

The Cowan weekend started out with a great big huge giggle fest! Quinten has really began to show some personality and we are loving it! He is showing true signs that he is his fathers son by being an adorably cute morning person! He usually awakes around 7am with some moans, groans, grunts, coo's, caa's and the occasional diaper explosion. :) He now recognizes us without hearing us! I pop my head over in his crib and he gets all excited. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not the biggest morning person... but he sure can plant a smile on my face in the early AM. Daddy captured some of the giggles on film... and here is one of my fav's!...

We then began to get ready for Quinten's cousin Sean's 1st birthday party. While waiting to leave we took our family Christmas photo...
And of course had to get some adorable shots of the little guy in his 2 Christmas outfits... Santa's helper..
And mini-Santa!
We then celebrated Sean's birthday in a house full of people! We had a fabulous rain storm last week that continued onto the weekend which meant the BBQ celebration was changed to an indoor pizza party. Just as fun, just a little more crowded! He seemed to enjoy himself as much as any 1 year old can... but the best (as always) was the cake! He was covered from head to toe in frosting and cake goodness! Always good to see the fam and friends. Saturday was followed by another fun filled day on Sunday as we celebrated cousin Lauren's 5th birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese. That place was a serious mad house full of families, fun, and well I believe some icky germs... it was so fun to watch the kids burn off their sugar rushes on the endless supply of games and fun. Chuck-E came out for Laurens birthday song and no one ran... a record! They really doted on her, which she deserves... it was adorable! The best part of the day was her opening our gift. I got her an adorable outfit and a tinkerbell doll as she was pulling the clothes out she announced "Aunty Sheryl always gets me clothes..." She's observant! The weekend ended with a win for Daddies team...

YAY for the win!
My niner boys!
Looking good!
And mommy getting sick (hence the germ comment earlier) Monday afternoon I started to feel a little under the weather. And by Tuesday night I had a fever over 101 :( Taking care of a 3 month old is hard enough when you're well. But being sick and trying to tend to his every need is so hard! The hardest part though is that I feel guilty that I can't pour all my energy into him... since I have none left. Today is Thursday and I'm feeling a little better. Still wiped of energy and my throat is killing me but thanks to some IB profin and lots of water its getting better. To end here is a picture of our purdy sunset!

December Daze!

Is it really December 10th already? Is Quinten really 3 months old today? Are we nearly to Christmas day? This is insane. My Grandma once told me that life is like a roll of toilet paper... the closer you get to the end the faster it goes! Now I hope to God that I'm no where near the end of my roll, but as I get older I noticed the years zip by even faster! We have begun our Christmas traditions including decorating the house...

Getting and decorating the Christmas tree...

And of course decorating the dogs...

Christmas is only 15 days away and I have yet to begin my shopping. Its raining outside, which has made it tricky to get out with my little guy. And before even thinking of Christmas gifts I've had to get our nephew and nieces birthday gifts! Sean is already 1 whole year old and my little lauren is going to be 5! We have a weekend filled with kid parties and celebrations! Christmas is always my favorite time of the year, but as always is crazy! And this year its even crazier, we have one more person to buy for! I know he probably wont remember it, but I will and we'll have the photos to prove it. I'd hate for him to look back on his first Christmas and think "jeeze guys way to go all out.." :) Well I guess I better tend to the laundry, I keep waiting for it to fold itself, and never does! Until next time... a couple pix of the baby.

He finally fits in one of his niners outfits, daddy couldn't have been happier!

All smiles awakening from our nap :) Love those moments

Thanksgiving.. Giving Thanks

I guess the holidays have been here for a few weeks, but with the onset of this cold storm its really beginning to feel like the holidays. This year has brought many joys and blessings but has also brought on one big devastation. It was on Shannon and mines 1 year wedding anniversary. My grandpa has been battling life for quite a while now. He had major heart problems, and Parkinson's. Over the past few years he has been hospitalized for complications including strokes, multiple heart attacks and illness. He always pulls through, so why would I think any different. I am so thankful he got to see his first great-grandson, my mom and I had discussed that we felt my surprise pregnancy was God's way of giving gramps one more thing to hang on for. His health really began to decline in the last few months, he ended up in the hospital on October 22nd, and peacefully passed on the 25th. It took a huge toll on the whole family. But my grandma (as always) was hard as a rock! She's amazing. Knowing he is in a better place and that God is taking good care of him, annnd that he's not suffering any longer has given us the peace we needed to get through. So with that the onset of the holidays have brought upon us thankfulness and sadness.

Marion "morg" Morganson RIP

On a lighter note... we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family! It is always hectic trying to juggle the families dinners, and this year was no different. Lunch in Santa at 1:00 and lunch in Nipomo at 2:00?? Oh my. In addition to timing, I am also on a no dairy diet for Quinten. Once he's turns 3 months I will try dairy again and see if it still makes him sick. But for now.... nada. My dad can't eat dairy either so I was able to mow down at my grandma's house and eat nothing at Shannon's uncles. They cook with a little bit of butter ;) Quinten did really well, which was relieving! He sported his "I'm Stuffed" shirt courtesy of Grandma Carrie and made a great impression.

We ended the Thanksgiving weekend celebrating my good friend Caitlins golden birthday... 27 on the 27th! This was our first time to a restaurant as a fam. We had a great time seeing everyone, and introducing them to our little guy. It really makes you realize how much you miss your friends when they're all gathered around one table. But lives change, and as we grow everyone seems to be moving farther and farther apart! At least we always have Thanksgiving vacation!

Me and my boy all gussied up!

I love this one, Quintens in the lower corner looking at me like "what are you doing mom?"

This year folks I have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my family, my friends, my husband, my son, our home, our cars, our food, our clothes, our bed, and our health. I think people too often get so caught up in their day to day lives and focus on what the want and not what they have. Life itself is a blessing to often overlooked, we take for granted things like food and shelter and assume that its a right or a given, when really its a privilege, one I'm glad to have. So with all of that I wish you all a very happy, safe and wonderful holiday season!

The First Few Months...

Being a new parent has brought on so many new adventures. Coming home from the hospital was a real eye opener. Its all on me! There is no red button to summons the nurse in my living room! The midnight feedings were something no one wants to get used to! And when he cries... and cries... and you do all you know how and he cries some more... you learn a whole new meaning to unconditional love! Having Quinten has brought Shannon and I even closer than we already were. We are loving being parents and watching him grow. Shannon is a fabulous, hands on dad. We have both been peed on, puked on, and pooped on :) the joys of parenthood! These past three months (wow 3 months already)! have brought on nothing but many firsts... here are just a few!...

Q's first bath:

Our first diaper blow out!

Getting ready for our first outing (to the doctor... yuck!)

Our first cool photo op!

Our first funny face!

Our first Mohawk :)

First good sleepy photo :)

Our first grin

Our first pumpkin...

Our first Halloween and pumpkin carving!

Sometimes Shannon and will look at each other and just think "wow how things have changed." Its amazing how quickly you change from only thinking of yourself to putting yourself dead last. There are days where showers come late in the day, meals get cold before getting to eat them, and sleep is a distant memory to "those days." But honestly I wouldn't change it for the world. I love our little man more than words can describe. His cries are heartbreaking only because I'm mom and I can't fix it! Sometimes I search for the fix it book, something or someone to tell me exactly what to do, and how to do it, but with each passing day I learn that each child is different, as is each parent and their techniques. We are learning with each cry what it means, and with each smile how much he loves us, and that we're doing a good job. It's exciting that pretty much everything that happens is a 'first' and I am looking forward to sharing them as they come :)

Then There Was 3!

We take you now to Wednesday 9.9.09... Shannon hadn't been working A. We were due "any day" and B. Construction is pretty slow right now. The ONE day he went to help my dad at his park I go into labor! Fortunately I was at my folks' house (which is half way between our house and the hospital, and remember my hubs works with my dad). I had been having contractions off and on for a while so it was really hard to tell if this was it. But they became rhythmic and stronger. I called our Doula, and had to page Shannon (he was out of service... figures huh). Since I was still in "early labor" there was no real rush. Quinten was not in the correct position which ended up giving me horrible back labor. I intended on going natural, and made it almost all the way. We waited until after 7pm that night to go to the hospital. I thought maybe my water had broken in the shower (it had) and that I was much further along than I was. After laboring at the house for over 8 hours... I was (drumroll please) 1 cm dilated... dum dum dum!! WHAT!?! I cried. Alllll that work for 1cm! Plus since my water broke they didn't want me to leave. I labored all night getting stuck at 4cm and then at 6 1/2cm. Come next morning around 12pm I was about spent. Exhausted and in so much pain the midwife said we were at a crossroad. My water was broke over 24 hours and I was not progressing. Time for pitocin and (finally at my demand) an epidural. Once I gave in, got the drugs, and rested I dilated to 10 in the matter of a few hours and pushed for 1 and pop out he came!! Aint he a handsom little guy!!

Quinten Thomas was born 9.10.09 3:14pm 7.1 Lbs and 20 inches long!
Finally home 9.12.09 Happy Mom
And proud, happy papa.
** Sigh** What a week!!