1 month old!

Last week aunt Bev came from KC to help out at the Moll house for a couple days. It was great having her here! She helped prepare food that we froze, did laundry, helped care for Cohen and much more. We're still enjoying the lasagna, burritos, cookies, etc. that she made.

Cohen had his first professional photo shoot. I took him to Portrait Innovations in West Des Moines. Unfortunately he wasn't in his most photogenic state (just woke up and just finished crying when it was time to be cute), and his tired, sad eyes are pretty evident on the finished product. There were a few keepers in the bunch.

On Saturday, Deb went to her friend Kathy's shower and bachelorette party and was gone for 6 whole hours (the longest she'd been away from Cohen). No worries, he was in good hands with Daddy, and Deb had a really great time with the girls.

On Sunday, our friends Mike and Kristi came to visit. They brought Cohen an awesome crib toy. It looks like a piano keyboard with only 5 keys. When Cohen gets a little older he can make music by kicking it with his feet as he lays in his crib.

Cohen continues to change physically. His hair continues to thin and he's battling a bit of baby acne on his cheeks and chin. He's getting longer by the day, and filling out a little more. Of course, we still think he's the cutest kid ever. Developmentally, he's right on track for 1-month old babies. It won't be long until he's "officially" smiling. He tries so hard! His mouth distorts into an almost-smile shape, his eyes twinkle and he makes happy little cooing noises. After seeing this a number of times, we're pretty sure it's more than just gas.

Here are a few recent pics. Thanks for visiting and check back again soon!

Check out the little frog body! This picture cracks me up.





















This outfit is from aunt Vicki.












He LOVES this play mat and is just starting to swat at the butterflies dangling overhead.

Almost 3 weeks old

Here's his typical awake and alert pose. His eyes follow us around, and he loves looking at light fixtures. We swear he tries to smile sometime (usually when he's playing with Daddy, go figure).

Also, he's a poop machine! And when it's time, he proclaims it to the whole world. Or at least everyone within earshot. We can't figure out how such a tiny bottom is capable of that kind of noise!

Uncle Joe came to visit this week when he had business in Iowa. It was great seeing him and hearing what's going on with the Springfield Moll clan.

Week 2

Cohen had his 2-week doctor's appointment today. He weighs 8 lbs 3 oz (4 oz. more than he did at birth) and has a clean bill of health. We can tell he's gaining weight. His little face is filling out and looks notably different than he did at birth. He still has chicken legs and a cute little bony bottom, so no worries that someone traded our baby for a plumper version!

His hair is thinning. Or maybe it's just spreading out on a bigger head. The back is still think and dark, but the top is sparse and has a reddish tint to it. Even with less of it, I swear it's the softest hair I've ever felt!

He's also not quite as laid back as he was in week 1. He's not afraid to let out a blood-curdling scream when he's hungry or dissatisfied. Luckily, it's easy to pacify him and he quickly reverts back to the sweetie pie that we know and love.

His sleeping habits are about the same. He typically goes to bed the same time as us (10:30) and wakes up twice during the night. Usually he goes back to sleep within an hour. Since Dominic is working, I usually handle the nighttime duties, and so far I can't really complain about sleep deprivation. Sometimes he refuses to nap during the day. He loves, loves, loves falling asleep cuddled up with (or being held by) Daddy or Mommy, and we're trying to figure out when to draw the line and establish better long-term habits. Aren't the first few weeks of life exempt from spoiling a child?

Developmentally, he's making strides. He seems more alert during wake time and his eye contact is improving. I slowly moved my hand in front of his face and he followed the movement! Dominic has been "exercising" with him and his strength amazes us, especially his head/neck control.

The first week

Cohen is such a good little boy. Hopefully I'm not jinxing anything by saying this, but it really hasn't been difficult at all. He only cries when he's hungry or if he lost his pacifier. He sleeps up to 4 hours a night. He's just a pleasant, lovable, cuddly little guy. I realize that his temperament can change in a flash, but we're definitely enjoying the first week of life with a perfect little baby.

Here are a few milestons of his first week:

Monday: home from the hospital
Tuesday: Neighbors Kelli, Kevin and Mitch come to visit. They bring pot roast, brownies, etc.
Wednesday: Daddy went back to work. Mommy was a little worried, but it went just fine for reasons described above.
Wednesday: first outing (walk to Crestbruck park in sling. Neither Mommy or Cohen liked the sling very much and it may be going back to Target.)
Thursday: second outing (walk to the park in stroller. Mommy and Cohen liked it much better than the sling!)
Friday: 1-week appointment at the doctor. Cohen gained 3 oz since being discharged.
Friday: Mommy felt like crap and was diagnosed with mastitis and given antibiotics.
Friday: Cohen has mysterious rash on his chest, neck and face. Possible culprits: 1) baby acne 2) reaction to Mommy's antibiotics 3) another common baby skin issue that Mommy read about online. Can't think of the name right now.
Friday: Cohen loses his belly button stub.
Friday: Cohen's first bath sitting in water (the others have been sponge baths). He hated it.
Friday: Deb's friends Kelly and Elliott visit, bringing lasagna, cookies, and other goodies.
Friday: Cohen meets grandma Alice
Friday: Cohen, Mommy and Daddy go to Acorn Valley to join the Langel family at their annual camping trip. Cohen was a huge hit among his aunts, uncles and cousins.
Saturday: Cohen's aunts Vicki and Elaine and Vicki's family come to visit.
Saturday: another evening at Acorn Valley with the Langel clan.

Birth story

Cohen's birth was free of serious complications. Here's the long and detailed story...

I woke up on Friday, Aug. 24 (one day after due date) having mild contractions. I had an already-scheduled OB/gyn appt at 9:15 a.m. I called and asked if I should go to the hospital instead, as the contractions were about 6 minutes apart. They said no, come to the appointment. There, Dr. Gisi informed me that I was dilated to 3 and that I could very well have the baby that day. He said I should go to work (yeah, right) or just hang out at home. I chose the latter.

Throughout the day, the contractions got more intense, but their frequency was all over the place (from 3 to 10 minutes apart). Dominic and I toured a day care center that we just learned had an opening, and then Dominic went to work. At about 3:30, I concluded that I didn't feel safe being home alone with such horrible contractions, so I called Dominic and told him he better come home. I think my exact words were "This sucks. Come home or I'm going to the hospital alone."

About these contractions. I didn't know what to expect. People described them as intense menstrual cramps. I was afraid I'd miss them because my cramps have never bothered me much. Well, these geezers were nothing like cramps. It felt like someone was taking a crowbar to my pelvic area and slowly prying my bones apart. I felt it in my hips, back, thighs, the whole region. I seriously thought I would die!

We got to the hospital at about 4:45. In triage, they determined that it was true labor and I was dilated to 5. They admitted me and everything started happening very quickly. Dr. Hoegh was on call that day (YAY!! He is my favorite.) He broke my water and they started giving me drugs. First, a narcotic administered through my IV that made me feel loopy but didn't help the pain. Then, after waiting what seemed like forever for a very elusive anesthesiologist, the wonderful, God-sent epidural. Let me just say that whoever invented this stuff deserves a Nobel prize.

From this point on, I felt like a million bucks, completely relaxed and comfortable. I think I even logged onto MSN games and played a couple games of Zuma. Hey, I never denied that I'm a geek. The nurse encouraged me to sleep but I was too wound up, mentally.

Dr. Hoegh kept coming in to check me. Initially, he was sure I'd have the baby that day, but sometime around 9:00 p.m. he changed his prediction. The epidural made me a little TOO relaxed and my progress slowed down. The contractions spread out from 4 minutes to 6 minutes, and the dilation stopped. They pumped a little pitosin into the IV to get things moving again. It was just a matter of waiting.

At about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, I was fully dilated and it was time to start pushing. Christi, the awesome nurse assigned to us, gave me a little refresher course on what I needed to do. Whenever a contraction came, I'd lift up my legs and give it my all. Since my legs were mostly numb from the epidural, Christi would help me lift my left leg and Dominic my right. It wasn't bad. The contractions were still about 3-4 minutes apart, so I had plenty of time to catch my breath and re-energize myself between pushes. It was a great team - Christi and Dominic said all the right things to encourage me on. "A little harder, you can do it!" It made a huge difference.

Early in the pushing, Christi noticed the baby's heartbeat was dropping at the end of each contraction. They decided to use an internal monitor (those awful things that are attached directly to the baby's head) to keep a closer eye on it. Me being me, my mind raced to the worst possible case scenario, but it ended up being fine. Apparently Bean got used to what was going on, and his heartrate stabilized.

Fast forward 2 hours. I was getting a little discouraged - not to mention exhausted. Whenever I asked how progress was going, they'd use words like "little by little" and "millimeters." I thought this would be an all-night ordeal. Dr. Hoegh even mentioned using the vacuum device, which I was adamantly opposed to. Maybe it was the incentive I needed to work a little harder, because from then on it went quickly (the episiotomy may have helped too). He called in the delivery troops. Finally, little Bean's head emerged. Dr. Hoegh told me to stop pushing so he could remove the cord wrapped - not once, not twice but THREE times - around Bean's neck. Once that was resolved, one final push and Cohen was born at 3:44 a.m.

Dr. Hoegh put him on my stomach and Dominic cut the cord. It was an amazing moment. The physical relief of being done with labor, the emotional euphoria of looking into my baby's eyes, the pride of seeing what a perfect little miracle Dominic and I created, the gratitude that he had 10 fingers, 10 toes and perfect health. I tearfully said something corny like "Hi Bubby, I'm your mommy." What are the appropriate words at such a life changing moment?

Cohen had an excessive amount of fluid in his nose, mouth, lungs and stomach. They removed as much as possible with an aspirator, but his cry was weak and mucous-sounding. They ended up inserting a tube into his stomach and lungs to remove the rest. At last, he was able to cry hard and "pinken" up.

By now it was nearly 5:00 and I'd been awake for nearly 24 hours. They took Cohen away for a bath, and we asked them to keep him in the nursery for a few hours so we could get some sleep.

And that's the story of Cohen Joseph Moll's birth!