Pictures and (lots of) words for June and July

Happy Independence Day! Things are going great at the Moll house. Cohen has reached several milestones lately. The one I'm most excited about is eating. For four months we've been coaching (sometimes force-feeding) him to eat table food. He always gagged on all the typical "beginner" food like Cheerios and Puffs. Even things like mashed bananas were hit or miss. Yesterday I caught him in a good, patient mood at dinner time, and lo and behold, after about 45 minutes of working with him, he began feeding himself small pieces of fruit! Today we gave him a saltine cracker just for kicks and giggles, and he started eating it like he'd been doing it his whole life. Now that he's such a big shot with eating, we'll introduce other types of food (pasta, meat, etc.). I was never worried about his immature eating habits because his pediatrician said not to be, just curious. Like some other milestones (i.e. not sleeping through the night until 7 months), we just had to be patient until he was developmentally ready.

He's also saying words. Dada is very consistent, as is "dah" (dog) and "duh" (duck). We see lots of ducks and dogs when we walk around the lake in the evenings. "Buh" (Buzz, the cat) is becoming more common too. I tell ya, the kid has a lot he wants to get off his chest, babble wise. When he's truly talking, I'm not sure if anyone else will be able to get a word in.

He has also walked a couple times. Usually when Dominic or I place him in front of us and encourage him to walk toward us, he just keeps his feet planted and falls forward with his upper body. But recently he's actually taking a few steps. He has no problem standing without touching anything for 10 seconds or more. People tell us it won't be long till full mobility. Time to dig out the leash!

Cohen's also giving kisses. He sometimes gets confused about commands like "can you touch the bunny in the book?" and kisses it instead. He kisses his monkey Bobby. A lot. One time I caught them making out. Waving bye-bye is also a new skill.

In a few weeks he'll move to the next room at day care. I'm excited because he'll be with kids a little older than him who will keep him stimulated. He doesn't do great adjusting to new routines and new caregivers, so I'm prepared for the first week to be a little rough.

We're having a good summer. The house painting is progressing (we're over 1/2 done) and we're very happy with the color we chose. We try to dedicate as much time to painting on the weekends as we can, but it's tough with other summer activities going on. I should clarify that Dominic has done 95% of the work so far. With Cohen, it's impossible for both of us to work on it at the same time.

We're going to South Bend, Indiana over the 4th for a baseball tourney that Kraeton's team is playing in. He'll come home with us and stay for about two weeks. Then it's back to Chicago to finish his baseball season and start football. Unbelievable.

I'm starting some new duties at work and it's keeping me very, very busy. I'm transitioning from eBusiness to Marketing and will be doing print design rather than web design. Print design was my first passion (my "calling," as I like to say) and it feels great to be back.

I'm sure I've bored you by now. I've decided to use this blog for more documention of Cohen's growth. As I read my old posts, I realize there's so much I've forgotten about the early months. In time, I'm sure I'll appreciate reading these details and think "so that's what he was like at 10 months old..." So, I'm sorry to say all this rambling is for me instead of you!

Anyway, enjoy the photos and have a great summer!



Cohen and his beloved monkey Bobby. His cousin Will gave it to him.

This is Cohen's innovative method of crawling: The Glide. He finds something slick to make contact with the floor so he doesn't have to pick up his hand(s).