My Little Yogi

Alex and I are in a Mommy and Me yoga class. What happens at a Mommy and Me yoga class, you ask? A lot of stretching for the babies, a lot of normal yoga poses with the babies incorporated for the mommies. We also sing songs and when we do cat and cow poses we meow and moo!

We do a lot of exercises in which we lift the babies. Although Alex is one of the youngest babies, he is the biggest! So I like to think I am getting a better workout than the rest of the moms!

Here's Alex doing a spinal twist:


And here is my bridge pose with Alex on top:

Good thing we didn't have a girl!

Today Alex and I went to a luncheon at which a professional photographer was present to take pictures of each baby and mommy pair. I put Alex in a really cute outfit given to him by Lindsay which is a blue and gray striped sweater with a little penguin on it and gray corduroys. I wanted to coordinate with him, so I put on a sweater that is the same color blue as the blue in his sweater. Then I realized, "Hey, I have gray corduroys too!" So I put on my gray corduroys! I have to admit, we looked pretty cute dressed as twins!

But it made me realize what a financial nightmare it may have been if we had had a girl. I would be like this every day! "I have a pink sweater too!" "If the baby is wearing a flowy top, Mommy's going to wear a flowy top!" "One purple dress for you, one purple dress for me!"

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture with my camera of Alex and me, because one of us (I'm not telling you which one) pooped and had to put on a new outfit before we made it home. But this won't be the last time we dress as twins, so I'll take a picture next time. And I haven't seen the professional pictures yet -- hopefully there will be some good ones I can post!

Sweet home, Chicago

Well, yes, of course, Chicago is not home for Alex. (We'll see if Daddy ever reads Mommy's blog.) But we did take Alex for a visit with his family out in the Windy City.

Here are some pictures of the weekend that were taken with my camera. It was over a month ago, so Alex has grown a lot since then!

With Auntie Mel



With cousin Casey

With Great Grandma Judy

With Jill

With Great-Great Aunt Mary

With Great Aunt Pattie (love my mom in the background of this one!)

With Lindsay (she's giving Alex a little playmate at the end of June!)

With Pop-Pop
With Grammy

We were there for Valentine's/Presidents' Day weekend. For Valentine's Day, Kevin and I went out to a nice dinner while Grammy and Pop-pop babysat. It was one of the first times we went out without him. But we were pretty good -- the conversation did not include solely Alex stories! Although we did watch the video on Kevin's phone three times -- but I only teared up twice while watching it!

I am pretty sure the Chicago relatives liked Alex just a little bit. So I think we would be welcome back for another visit!

Two month check-up

We took Alex for his two-month check-up last week. Here are his stats:

ABC Stats (2/24/09):
Weight: 15 pounds, 14 ounces
Height: 23 3/4 inches
Head circumfrence: 41 cm

And since I didn't do a post after his one-month check-up (I don't remember exactly, I will double-check the next time we go to the doctor):

ABC Stats (1/22/09):
Weight: 12 pounds, 6 ounces (95%)
Height: 23 inches? (50%)
Head circumfrence: ??? (25%)

He is a big boy! When most people see him, they assume he is six months old! I can't believe how much he's grown. I look back at pictures from when he was first born, and he is so little! I feel like I don't even remember him when he was that small :(

Here are a couple of recent pictures in which Alex shows off his heft:





He also needed to get a few shots when we went to the doctor, poor guy. He took them like a champ, though. He cried when they stuck him (more like a wail, actually -- it broke my heart to watch it), but within 15 seconds, he was back to his normal self.

Snow day!

Yesterday we woke up to find the following views outside our windows:





It was a snow day! Kevin didn't have to go to work, so we got a three-day weekend! We had a fun day -- we played with Alex when he was awake, we cleaned the apartment, we read, we listened to music, and of course, we ate. It needs to snow in the city more often!

Alex vs. Britney

Alex has been a little fussy today. I am not complaining, since his fussy days are very few and far between. But I was in our bed, folding laundry while also trying to soothe Alex, with my back up against the wall we share with our next-door neighbor Rico.

Rico was blasting Britney Spears...and singing along. I am also not complaining about that, since I like Britney. But I don't know Alex's musical tastes yet.

So it made me wonder...Is Rico blasting Britney to cover up the sound of Alex crying? Or is Alex crying because Rico is blasting Britney?

Getting from Point A to Point B

Alex is a real New Yorker. (Which Kevin will never let any of us forget!) Because he is a New Yorker, he is used to many different modes of transportation. Here is his first bus ride (he was two weeks old):



Here is his first taxi ride:



Most exciting, here are some pictures from his first plane ride:





He has also ridden on the subway, but we don't have any pictures! I think all that is left is the Staten Island ferry!

Party time!

Alex and I went to a Valentine's Day party the Thursday before Valentine's Day. It was sponsored by one of New York City's many mom groups. Unfortunately, Alex is still a bit young for some of these parties. So while this was going on:



And this:



This is what Alex was doing:



So I took that time to make a chocolate heart for Daddy:



(It says "Alex" in gummy worms. Okay, so art is not my forte.)

Until the party was over and we were on our way out. All of a sudden someone was wide awake:

Ready to set sail

As many of you know, Kevin, Alex and I are going to Barcelona this April to visit my cousin Jess, who is studying abroad there. (To see what Jess is up to, click on the "mi buena vida" link to the left. That's her blog, although she is even worse than me at updating!)

What a lot of you might not know is babies need passports just like adults. Their pictures need to be on white backgrounds, looking at the camera, eyes open, mouths closed, nothing between the head and the background. We knew it would be quite a process getting this picture done at CVS. So we took Alex to Uncle Ryan's office. Ryan took a picture of Kevin holding Alex and removed Kevin from the picture. He took tons of pictures and this was the final product:



Yeah, I know. Not the most flattering picture, but what are you going to do? Luckily this passport will expire in five years -- before he becomes self-conscious!

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!)

All we need is the baby...

Here are some pictures of the baby's stuff...now all we need is the baby!

Here is the baby's corner, oops, I mean nursery:



Here is the makeshift changing station:



And here is the baby clothes drawer (yes, that is my belly in the bottom of the picture):

Cohen Kiddo's playmates

I have lots of ideas for posts, but I am pretty bad about actually updating my blog! I realized this morning that I might not have a lot of time to "eventually get to" these ideas! So hopefully over the next couple of days I will update a lot!

A lot of my friends have had babies over the last couple of months, so I wanted to introduce everyone to our baby's future playmates! In age order:

First came Elizabeth, our friends Nikki and BJ's daughter, who was born on October 22. Kevin used to work with Nikki in Denver, but now she lives in the DC area. Here is one of her first pictures:



Next came little Philip, my co-worker Susannah's boy. He was born on Monday, October 27. I went up to Rye and visited the two of them last week (one of my first "vacation tasks"). He is totally angelic. He was about six weeks old, so he was figuring out what was around him and smiling a lot. Here's a picture of him when he was born:



Next up is Sydney from Colorado, who was born the next day on October 28. I used to work with her mom (in New York, not Colorado). We obviously can't see Sydney all the time, but we travel to Colorado a lot and Sydney's family travels to the East Coast often too. Hopefully we will make it out there over the summer. Here is Sydney (trying to figure out to post the picture itself instead of the link):

Snapfish:Photo:Shared

Finally is my co-worker Sarah's little girl Mika, who was born on November 18. I was lucky enough to catch up with them last week too. Mika is precious. She was only three weeks old, so she was still super tiny! Here is her picture:



We can't wait to introduce the next baby, which will most likely be ours!