Crying all night

Alex and I were returning from one of our superexciting adventures in the city when we got in the elevator in our building with a nice British guy.

"Oh, a baby!" the man exclaimed. "Do you live on the fifth floor?" When I said yes, he said, "You must live right below me."

I grinned sheepishly. "I hope we haven't been keeping you up with his crying."

The man shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, it's not him," he said, "it's Wall Street."

He shrugged. "It's actually kind of comforting -- knowing I am not the only one up all night crying."

Well, there's a benefit of having a baby during an economic downturn!

A walk to remember...

Alex is chilling in his swing (we just put it together, and he seems to like it). So I actually have some time today to get stuff done. What should I do? The apartment is such a mess, but I don't know where to start. Dishes? Boxing up maternity clothes? Laundry? I never was good at making decisions, so I'll just update the blog!

We took Alex on his first walk a couple of weeks ago. It was when Mel was still here, and we did a very exciting route, stopping at the bank, CVS and Pita Grill for lunch. Here's a picture of Kevin and me with the stroller:



And here's a close-up of Alex:



There was just one minor slip-up during the walk. Kevin accidentally hit some guy's bike wheel with the stroller. But this wasn't just any guy. This was a guy that lives a couple of buildings down from us. We call him "the exhibitionist." Anyone that has been to our apartment probably knows the guy we're talking about -- because that's just the way he wants it! He lives on the first floor and always has his curtains open. His television is always blasting, and, oh yeah, he is almost always NAKED!

So anyway, Kevin lightly dinged his bike with the stroller, and he calls us all "f***ing idiots"! So not only was it Alex's first walk, it was also the first time someone had directed profanity at him!

Kevin and I are doing our best to teach Alex what to do the next time a situation like that arises. This is what we have come up with so far:

Sleep deprived

So everyone knows that new parents don't get much sleep. But the reason why they are sleep deprived is a misconception. Yes, the baby has to get up several times a night to eat, and that does cut into sleep.

But the biggest reason we don't get any sleep is we spend too much time admiring the baby! Touching him, kissing him, hugging him, trying to believe that we created this precious thing...

I mean, come on, how much sleep would you get if this little guy lived with you?

Alex's first Christmas

As everyone knows, Alex was born December 22. What a great Christmas present for us! We were released from the hospital on Christmas Eve. It was a very strange Christmas Eve -- not strange bad, just strange different.

Here is a picture of Alex all dressed, ready to leave the hospital:



My parents, sister Mel, brother Mike and Mel's boyfriend Joe were all in town. When we got home from the hospital, the eight of us hung out for a while in our apartment -- yes, our 400 square foot apartment! We each got 50 square feet. Eventually everyone but me, Kevin and Alex went to see a movie, and then everyone but me, my mom and Alex went to eat a Christmas Eve meal at a local bar and grill. Just the typical Spain family Christmas Eve!

On Christmas morning, we all headed out to Long Island to visit Kevin's family. We went to his dad's house first, where we exchanged gifts. (Alex got a lot!) Then we went to Kristin's house. Kristin cooked us a great meal, and Ryan and Emily and several other relatives met us there. Alex was passed from one person to another. He was so chill, he didn't really care who was holding him!

Here is our first family portrait (well, the first family portrait in which I am not wearing a hospital gown)!



All in all, it was a great Christmas!

Reaping the financial benefits of Alex

Okay, so maybe Kevin was right. Maybe having Alex was the best financial decision we ever made!

I picked up my dry cleaning the other day. I had dropped it off one day when I was really pregnant, but just got around to picking it up this week. I brought Alex in his little sling carrier thing. After scolding me for bringing a two week old baby out in the cold (don't worry -- I swear he was warm enough), the owner of the dry cleaners commented on how cute he was. I handed her my ticket, she handed me my clothes, I tried to hand her my credit card, but she waved it away.

"No charge," she said, "because of your new baby."

I thanked her, while kicking myself for bringing in just one suit and a blouse out of the big pile of clothes waiting to be dry cleaned in my apartment.

Alex just saved us $18! He is proving to be a goldmine!

Baby pool results

The results of the baby pool are in! Lowest score wins.

In third place, with 117 points is Serena, who has pledged to teach little Alex all about the greatest state in the Union, New Jersey!

In second place, with 71 points is Great Aunt Robin!

And running away with the title, with a whopping 20 points,



is my cousin Griffin (he's the one on the right)! Speaking of right, Griffin got the sex right, the birthday right, the weight exactly right, the length within a half inch, and the time with an hour and a half! Someone needs to get this kid to a racetrack!

And, just for fun, last place with a cringe-worthy 1610 points, is my college roommate Lindsay!

A physics question

How is it that something so small can eat and poop so much?

It is one of the mysteries of physics!

Origins of Alex Brett

For those of you wondering about his name, yes, both of Alex's names are in honor of people. And those of you that know Kevin will not be surprised to find out that those people are athletes!

Alex is for Alexei "Alex" Vyacheslavovich Kovalev, one of Kevin's favorite all-time Ranger players. He wanted to name him Alexei, but we compromised on Alex. I am just glad Kevin didn't want his middle name to be after Kovalev also!



As many of you can guess, Brett is for Brett Favre. Up until about a week before Alex was born, we were set on Brett Alex as his name!



You can see Brett Favre's number in this picture -- #4. You can't see Kovalev's, but his is #27. Hmmm...4 and 27 -- isn't it just perfect that Alex was born at 4:27 in the afternoon?

Alex is here!

Kevin and I want to introduce you to Alex Brett Cohen, the newest addition to the Cohen family! He arrived on Monday, December 22nd at 4:27 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz. After a rocky entry into the world (earning a brief stay in the NICU), he is doing great!

Kevin and I are overjoyed and feel so blessed. Alex is just perfect -- spoken like true parents, we know! He is truly a wonderful baby (based on the less than two weeks we have known him). I thought he was going to be restless (the way he was in the womb), but he is actually very mellow!

Here are a couple of pictures that Uncle Joe took:



(These are not my hands -- they are my mother's. One of my friends was very impressed that I had had time for a manicure!)