Life Life Life

My oh my how life can get away from you. There has been so much going on lately, but really nothing interesting enough to blog about. My creative juices just haven't been flowing as all my energy has been devoted to getting my anxiety under control and taking care of my wonderful little boy. He is doing amazing. In the past couple of days he has been making all new kinds of sounds and the biggest one is da-da! I know most people would look at him and think "how could you ever have a bad day!" and honestly if it weren't for him I'd be in a lot worse shape :) The overachiever in me has really taken a toll but I finally feel like my feet are planted firmly back on the ground and life is as it should be. I am thankful every day that God has given me a wonderful, loving and understanding husband and the most happy little man ever! How did I get so lucky? We may not have everything that society says makes you a winner i.e a big fancy house and all the material possessions but in my opinion we are far wealthier than Bill Gates for what we have, money cannot buy!

So since the last post we have celebrated a few things... first was Quinten's first St Patty's Day! Mommy and Daddy both have Irish in their blood so of course we decked our little man up in green and we enjoyed some frothy delicious Guiness with dinner!

"Mommy Thinks I'm Charming" (even with all the drool!)

Happy St Patty's Day!!

Then mommy had her first real outing to a good friends Bridal Shower on Saturday. It was so so so fun to get to giggle it out with all my girlfriends who were in town for the festivities. It felt strange to not have to worry about anyone but myself if for even a few hours. Daddy did well with his longest stretch alone. Quinten was semi-fussy for him. I think a combination of teething and mom withdrawals. We are going to try and do that more often so that he doesn't get too attached (is that possible :)). It was surreal to stand back and realize it was just shy of 2 years ago that I was going through what Melissa (the bride) is going through. The planning, prepping and parties! It is also a strange feeling to know that that was the only time in my life that I will go through that, I'm glad that I took it all in and enjoyed it all. It is so fun and exciting to see my friends getting to enjoy the excitement that is wedding prep!

The following week was a busy, crazy, fun week. I started going to a new Chiropractor, she is the same one Shannon uses. I got new X-Rays which explained SO much. My neck no longer has a curve to it, so we have to work on that, and my spine is a little tweaked side-ways, sooo we have to work on that too. I started adjustments Monday twice and then Wednesday twice. And by then I started to feel better!! Wednesday I also got to see my cousin I haven't seen in nearly 7 years! She along with her husband and 3 boys came to my parents house to visit. My brothers family also joined in so we had a houseful, which seems impossible to do at my parents!

Cousins!

The Madness!

We ended the week off with a BBQ to celebrate my dad's birthday. It was probably the most beautiful day the central coast has seen in MONTHS! Several of his friends dropped by to celebrate and of course the family was there! Quinten did SO well, such a happy kid who loves the outdoors (just like his folks!) we laid out a blanket under the tree and spent most of the time enjoying the fresh air and sunshine! My dad BBQ'd up a Thanksgiving style feast Turkey and all! It was oh so delicious! Gotta love family get-togethers!

The Birthday Boy

My niece Lauren absolutely adores Quinten so I took advantage of it and got some amazingly adorable pictures of the 2 of them!...

Then he played with Aunty Becca...
Me and all the kids :)

All in all we have been having a great month. We are busy re-decorating Quinten's room. A separate post will follow with all that. I am not allowed to show any pictures until it is complete! :) We have ended the month with one more tooth to add to the list. His top right has popped through! We went to the doctor Monday for his "6 month visit" he is 27" long and 19.5 lbs and doing wonderfully!! Can you see my teeth??

5:15 Comes So Fast...

When you go to bed at 11:00. It always seems that the nights Shannon and I decide to stay up later than usual that Quinten wakes up earlier than usual! I love our dogs, but lately 2 dogs in this little house with alllll these kids toys is a little overwhelming. Add in the annoying flea problem we're battling and its just a recipe for a headache. There are those times when I hear the whimpers from the other room, look at the clock and see sunrise is still 45 minutes away and think about the days when waking up at 9:00 seemed early. Those days are long gone I know, but ohhh to dream :) At least Quinten is a happy adorable little guy who, with one smile, makes the earliest morning super easy to tolerate. It looks to be another beautiful weekend here on the Coast so hopefully we can get outdoors and have some fun!

What else has the Cowan household been up to?

Last weekend Aunty Liz and Gregg stopped by on their way through town!

You never really realize how much you miss a person until you hang out! I've been realizing the lack of female interaction besides the moms! (mine and Shannon's). Most of my girlfriends have moved out of town over the past few years. I get so busy sometimes I forget how important it is to keep in touch with friends, not only for the sake of friendships, but the sake of sanity. Sometimes you need to talk to someone who is 100% not related to the situation at hand for a complete unbiassed sympathy and opinion :) Being a stay at home mom is an amazing blessing, and what I really have always wanted. But it does come with some social and phycological sacrifices. I need to start being honest with myself that sometimes I just can't do it all! So with that said these past two weeks I've tried to relax about some of the house stuff that CAN get done tomorrow, and do somethings that I enjoy i.e scrapbooking and baking! Suzy homemaker aint got nothing on me!! First I made some Chocolate cupcakes...

...and the hubby thanked me!!

And then I made some chocolate chip cookies...

...and again the hubby thanked me :)

Thankfully with the nursing I'm still able to enjoy these treats, they will probably be changing to 'No Pudge Fudge Brownies' once the nursing is over :)

And then our little guy turned 6 months!! A few days prior he started to sit up on his own for a bit :)

He was like a Weeble Wobble (but he fell down) :) he last a couple of minutes before slowly teetering over!

Then Wednesday he turned 6 months old! We had a semi rough day with teething. We have successfully popped to bottom 2 through, but now we are working on the top teeth. Those ones really seem to be bothering him more than the bottom did. I tried doing a photo shoot at the park with his cousins but that was 100% unsuccessful. So back to my parents house we went. After a meal and a nap we were happy enough to get a few shots for his 1/2 birthday!

We ended the night with a nice chew on our wonderfully cold teething ring!

**WARNING** We're about to get sappy for a minute :) So I've been having a hard time getting my stress/anxiety under control lately. Its something I have a very hard time admitting and accepting. It runs in the family so I know I have people who know what I'm going through. And although Shannon doesn't always understand he is 100% supportive and loving. I know sometimes its as hard on his as it is on me because he feels helpless, unfortunately though, so do I. I had driven up to my mom and dad's place on Wednesday (which I usually do as my weekly get out of the house day). We drove separate that day and I ended up getting home later than Shannon. When I walked in the door sitting in my seat was a new Kitchen Fairy (its the one thing I collect) and an I Love You balloon. Shannon said "because it will last longer than flowers" :) What a wonderful surprise! He sure does know how to put a smile on face, a tear in my eye, and a warm spot in my heart :) I am so lucky to have a man like him. I only hope that we can raise our son with the same warmth and care that he has :)

Oh and Quinten loved the balloon as well :)

So I guess thats all the Cow's have been up to lately. And more good stuff to come.. birthdays, bridal showers, and Easter! Oh mY! They say a picture is worth a thousand words... this one sums up our life in just two... wonderfully exhausting!

Speeding into March!

I never realized how fast time could go by until I became a mother. Things have been hectic and crazy and all things new are what we are experiencing here in the Cowan household. For those of you who know me well, know what a control freak I am. Being a parent is learning to let go of all of that! You cannot I repeat can-not control an almost 6 month old. We have been dealing with teething, growth spurts, separation anxiety, and a new nap routine. Over the past week or so my little guy falls asleep nursing, I hold him for a moment and then when I go to put him down he wakes up in a screaming tissy. Its making it hard for me to get any of my "home duties" done and sometimes I have this crazy notion that I can tell Quinten "its time for a nap" and he'll listen. HAHA. So to sum it up, this week is all about learning and growing as not only a mom, but as me.

Other than that we have been having a great time as a family. We've been having a lot of rain which means a lot of time indoors, but fortunately we are young enough that doesn't affect us much. His little arms are getting strong and he loves to swing them at anything.... including my face. Shannon was trying to get some photos of me and my boy and out of 9 photos most of them had him swinging at my face... the best of the best...

We drove up and hung out with Grandma... now I had to post this picture because I am just loving his hair do! Daddy already wants to cut it, but no way! I think its a perfect representation of his personality. Crazy and fun!

We had a severe blow out in our jumper so we spent the last half an hour before bath time in our robe. A little Hugh Hefner moment...

Then when all is said and done after our night feeding we love to crash out with our daddy!

Last week we got a wonderful new addition to the family... My Grandma got herself a puppy!! She has been so excited and adorable about it. She is a 6 week old Puggle (Beagle and Pug). She has been buying stuff and prepping her house for weeks! It was the best thing for her. Some company and a big time occupant. Here is the little girl!

Like I said we have been having a lot of rain lately. So we finished out the weekend with a walk to the new local park. Grandma and I walked while daddy rode his bike. We almost didn't make it because earlier that morning daddy went on a downhill ride with his brother and decided to take a little spill-on a boulder! The damages right after

It has continued to black and blue as the week has progressed. But he is taking it like a champ :) Actually I think he's been hiding it so that I'll let him go again! I know he loves it, and I love that he has a way to expel his aggression but I wish there was a way he could do that without the possibility of casts, bruises and contusions!

So as I was saying we went to the new park near by and loved it! Whats nice is that its tucked away behind the new neighborhood so its not too busy. Its very clean and new and has wonderful views of the hills! Q is obviously a little young to really enjoy it, but he does love to be out in the fresh air. And he got to "ride" down a little slide with mom :)

This upcoming Wednesday Quinten will be 6 months already. I sure do hope the second 6 months does not go as fast as the first! His scrapbook has been stuck at 2 months forever! I really have some catching up to do! We're learning, living, loving, and really the rest just falls into place!

Daddy at The Doctor

We begin this story on Saturday night. Quinten was tucked in tightly and snoozing away. Mom and Dad were enjoying our "us" time watching some t.v. and relaxing. Its around 9pm and suddenly my husband begins having what I can only describe as a conniption fit! He was shaking his head and smaking at his ear. I sat in confusion while he jumped around like a crazy man, I kept asking what was going on and he finally shouts "something flew in my ear!!!" He bolts to the bathroom to try and get whatever flew in, out. He came out a few minutes later still shaking his head stating "its still in there, I know it is." We tried everything to get it out, Q-tips, hydrogen peroxide, water, bulb syringe... everything... and nothing! So for the next day and a half randomly through the day he would shake his head and say " its so in there, I know its in there!" Of course I'm sympathetic ( yet a little skeptical that after all we did something was still in there) we were thinking of going to the doctor when we remembered that Monday was Quintens appointment to get some shots, (we altered his schedule from the CDC schedule so we go every month). So we thought maybe the doctor can take a peak in there and tell me if there is something in there....

So now I take you to this morning, 11:00am and the nurse comes in to give Q his shots. He takes it pretty well, one of the 2 stings pretty bad but he was a tuff guy (side note he is now 27" long and 18.2 lbs). After the shots were given we talked to the nurse for a minute about work and all that madness, and I go "babe did you want to ask her?" and he says "oh YA! so a bug flew in my ear Saturday night, can you please look in there and tell me if its still in there?" she kind of chuckles and then gets out her ear thingy, places it to his ear, and then screaches "OH MY GOD there is a bug in there!" Shannon immediately panics and goes "you're freaking me out!" the nurse looks at me and asks "do you want to see it?!" of course I do!! So I peak in there anddd OH MY GOD there is a fly in there!! The nurse is so wigged out and goes "can I go get another nurse she has to see this!" we are all around the same age and so by this time its like a science project more than a medical thing. She comes in and it all starts over again with the amazement and giggling. After some talking over they decide they can try and flush it out... figures the ONE day I don't bring my camera, so you'll have to excuse the quality of these photos they were taken with Shannon's phone (little busted up). Shannon being a big boy at the Pediatrician

So as the nurse drowns his ear it begins to emerge.. and guess what it was a mosquito!!

We all laughed and joked, it was a great way to end a shot visit! And they even gave us the little booger to take as a souvenir! It was a hysterical visit to the doctor and thanks ladies you saved us like $200 bucks for a visit to the ear/nose/throat specialist! What a day!

Oh Sunshine!

It was a wonderfully beautiful weekend here on the California coast! Before we ventured into the wonderful weekend (that as usual went far too fast) we got to try out our new toy thanks to Grandma... our Jumparoo! Our little man was enthralled with the new lights, sounds, songs, and toys. I know that our place isn't very big, but with every new toy our space gets more and more cramped. It is beginning to look like Babies R Us threw up in our living room! A few photos of our good time:

Later that evening Q was getting a little tired, but it was too early for bath and bedtime so we put him back in his jumparoo to keep him preoccupied until it was bedtime.

Ya, that didn't work. This was the first time he's fallen asleep in mid-well mid-anything.

Shannon and I could hardly contain ourselves when within moments of fun playtime we looked back and he was passed out - and still holding on! Oh what a guy!

Shannon and I knew we were going to be having some visitors on Sunday so we decided to "celebrate" Valentines day on Saturday with a family trip to the beach. I have a love/dislike relationship with Valentines day. Its a strange day if you really think about it. We have to make a holiday so people remember to show love to their loved ones? Really its a holiday to make single people feel bad, and for couples to have to go spend money. But on the other hand its a day you can be sappy and romantic and get away with it because its V-day! So we took advantage of the abundant sunshine and coast line and drove up to the beach for Quintens first trip to the beach. He loved it! And so did we. We walked along the water with the sand at our feet and each other by our sides. It was wonderful, beautiful, fabulous. If it weren't for our growling tummies we probably would have stayed allllll day!

We then ventured to Grandpa's house for lunch while Grandma drove home from Las Vegas. They had a blast playing for a while.

The day was great. It was such a fun family day. Its amazing to have my own family now. And crazy all at one time. I just stand back and look in awe that all that I am blessed with. I love my boys so very very much.

Sunday was great as well. We agreed no gifts this year to save money. I stuck to it and made Shannon a cute card, he on the other hand did not, he got me a new kitchen fairy to add to my collection :) and a beautiful card. We then had visitors later that day, our friends the Chappells came for a visit. The boys did better this time. We laid them on the ground to play and Quinten almost rolled from back to belly to go get him! A lot has changed since last Valentines day when we had just recently found out we were having Quinten. **sigh** I love my life :)

5 Months Old

5 months ago today Quinten Thomas arrived in our arms. The most wonderful day that Shannon and I have shared (besides our wedding of course). I can't believe how fast these past 5 months have gone. The trials and tribulations have only made Shannon and I stronger as people, and as a couple. I never realized how close having a child would bring us. I love him more everyday and just adore watching him grow closer and closer with his son. As any human would do I look back and think "would I do anything different" from the birth to now, the answer is no. Being a parent is a huge game of trial and error, the biggest lesson is to never stop trying. They say you can't understand a parents love until you are a parent yourself, and whoever 'they' is couldn't have been more right! I now know why when I was late for my curfew and didn't answer my phone right away it sent my father into an instant state of panic. I look forward to they years to come, but they come with some anxiety as well. I only want the best for our son, and hope that he wants only the best for himself. I know that Shannon and I will make a good team and strive to be the best, most supportive and loving parents we possibly can. And with strength, endurance, selflessness and of course prayer and know we can achieve it! I know that 5 months isn't a "milestone" like 6 months or a year. But really everyday is a milestone and I just wanted share a journey thus far of parenting this wonderful little guy!

Birthday September 10th 2009

5 Months Old Today!!

February!?

Is anyone else completely mind boggled that it is already February?? I myself am in total disbelief. It seems that every time I turn around, I'm turing the calender to a new month... what is that?? Come on life slow down, just a little. Quinten will be 5 months on Tuesday, which means in one month from then he will be 6 months old, and 6 months from one year. AAAAHHH!

The Cowans have had a fun filled and busy week. Last weekend went by in a flash. We celebrated my Grandma's 80th birthday on Sunday and on Saturday I made my first cake in quite a while! I had a great time using my creativity in a different way than thinking of new goofy faces to make the baby laugh. It was also entertaining to watch daddy go completely stir crazy and mutter a half a dozen times "I don't know how you do this all day" :) he really really enjoyed spending the day with his son, and soon realized keeping him preoccupied all day isn't an easy task. The 9-4 process of making the cake...

Daddy keeping Quinten busy

Sunday was the party and what a great time it was. Weird of course because someone was obviously missing (Grampy), but I'm glad to see she is enjoying life that she still has. It was a fun bbq filled with sea food, family, cake, and presents. Mom still isn't eating dairy, ever since the last try I'm a little nervous. The only upside to it is that the pregnancy weight really fell right off, other than that it sucks! We may try some more this weekend now that he's mellowed out again and see how it goes.

Quinten has still been on a rolling over strike. Tummy time is more successful, he stays for much longer periods of time and can scoot himself in about a 90 degree circle.

I've tried placing a toy out of his reach so he'll roll to get it, haha right! He's just fine looking at it, talking to it, squawking at it, but going to get it just doesn't seem to be of interest. I'm not worried about it, I figure the longer he is not mobile the easier right? He really looks like he's going from back to belly first, I guess we just like to take a little different route than all the other kids. Just like his folks he doesn't want to be like anyone else! He has taken a liking to checkin himself out in the mirror and laughing and talking up a storm while doing it. He loves to interact with people and just loves to smile and laugh. What a fun little man he's becoming. He for sure shows signs of a little temper, soooo we'll see what is to come of that (hopefully not much!) Next up is getting a jumper, and a high chair. Within the next couple of months we'll be eating some food food which will be entertaining for sure.

Tomorrow is the SuperBowl. I can't believe how quickly the season went. Considering the first football game played while we were in the hospital with Q its easy to see why. Last game of the season tomorrow, I'm sure daddy and son will have a great time!