Cowan's Funniest Videos

We have had some pretty funny videos lately that we wanted to share.

The Basting Brush Treatment (Soon to be in ALL the Spa's)
We knew that Reece liked chewing on my new rubber basting brush that David gave me for X-mas, but we had no idea how much he would LOVE a neck rub by it. Take a look at this...it's hysterical. Notice his right foot at the very beginning....it's curling :o)

Olivia's Dance Studio

Lately, Olivia has been asking Reece and I to come watch her perform in her room. This particular video is of her dancing to the Hamster Dance song on her CD. Notice what Reece is wearing....Olivia said he needed a hat so he would be "dressed up" enough. He thinks it's the best show ever...free entertainment and all the Playschool Little People he can chew on during the performance. (Disclamer, I do usually keep her room cleaner than this)

Goodbye Reagan

Well, my sweet Reagan left us yesterday. After his surgery last month, he really never fully recovered. He developed paralyses in his back end which finally prevented him from standing at all. Because of his lack of control over bodily functions, we were forced to leave him outside, which he's never had to do. He was just so unhappy. It took me awhile to realize it was the right thing to do, but he is now in a better place. He has been such a huge part of my life for the last 11 years and he will be missed so much. There will never be a another dog like him, but I'm so glad for the time we had together. I finally dug out some really old pictures of him to share. I believe that even animals go to Heaven so I'm comforted by knowing that others are enjoying him until our times comes to be reunited again.

Girls Only Weekend

Well, Mom and I took Olivia up to Mt. Pleasant this weekend to visit my Aunt Annaleisa, Uncle Don, and Pops (my grandfather). It was so much fun. Olivia's last official trip was May of last year so she was REALLY excited to go. We drove the 5 hrs (one way) in mom's car with the DVD player, which is a must when travelling with little ones. She did such a great job too. The hotel was a huge hit. They had two queen beds and a sofa that pulled out into a bed, so Olivia claimed the sofa bed (thank goodness). She thought it was a big sleep over I think :o)

My aunt and uncle have 4 Black and Tan coon dogs which Olivia thought were sooo fun. I think her favorite was Priscilla, because she likes to give LOTS of kisses. Loretta was mom's fave, though, because she is the most laid back. They were all adorable though!

We also got to go to my aunt's flower shop, there in town, where she has two cats, Sigfried and Roy, that live in the shop. Olivia LOVES cats and they didn't mind her smothering them for awhile. What a great trip! It was so wonderful to visit with all of them that we don't get to see nearly enough. Too bad Sarah, Brian and Joe couldn't have been there. Those are my cousins, which I also never get to see. We miss you all very much! Hopefully we will take another girls only trip back this summer when they have some puppies, though, I may never get Olivia to leave.

Mom of the Year??

Okay, so not that I'm usually a candidate for Mom of the Year, but I think I may have really blown my chance this time! On Thursday Olivia and I took Reece outside so he could watch us play soccer. We took his Bumbo so he could sit up and watch us kick the ball around. Well, the excursion was short lived because Reece kept pulling up the grass and trying to eat it. So we came inside and that was the end of it. Well, last night Reece had the hardest time sleeping. He was up every hour crying but just took the passy and went back to sleep. Finally from 4-5am he just cried nonstop and the passy wasn't doing it for him, so I just gave in and got up. After his bottle we played on the floor for awhile. However, every time he could open his mouth I could see this dark object in the roof of his mouth. At first I thought it was a hole and I was beginning to panic. However, when I put my finger in there I found this.....

A LEAF!!!!!

He must have picked it up on THURSDAY while we were outside and I never knew it. Tell me that doesn't disqualify me for Mom of the Year??? I feel just horrible. I'm assuming it was hurting and that is why he didn't sleep. Poor guy. Luckily, even though the leaf had some sharp edges he doesn't seem to have any cuts where it was lodged. Anywho, I just thought I would share my story in hopes that I'm not the only mom who has done something like this :o)

Update

Sorry it's been so long since I posted! Just didn't seem like there was any free time with Miss Olivia out of school and trying to get Reece on some kind of schedule. Trying to keep her busy these days is quite the chore. While she was out of school she went to see three movies (Enchanted, Alvin and Chipmunks, & The Water Horse). She also played with the neighbors a bunch....they are such a huge help with her!! Needless to say though, I was really glad that she started back this week! Now I can actually have time to pick up the toys and clean up a bit before she comes home to destroy it :o)

On a different note, I'm happy to report that Reece is sleeping through the night (for the most part). The only problem now is that he considers the night 6pm - 4:45am! He actually starts waking up around 3 and fusses until I finally get him out at 4:45 or 5am! I'm still going to bed really early to compensate, but at least he isn't eating all night long. He is taking his bottles MUCH better and is eating solids pretty well. His favorite things to eat is sweet potatoes....even over any fruit I've offered him. So NOT like his Daddy in that sense.

We also went to Reece's Hematologist yesterday for his scheduled check up. We were thinking he may have to have some blood taken, but she said they didn't need it just yet. She was preparing us for what to look for once he becomes mobile. We're going to start looking at getting some knee and elbow pads since he'll be crawling soon. She also gave us a prescription for a medicine to give him if he gets a mouth injury. Apparently those can be pretty pesky for kids with hemophilia. She also talked about how we would just wait for him to have a joint bleed before we start talking about treatments. He may go a couple of years without a major bleed, but he could also have one in the next 6 months. We'll just have to hope it's not sooner than later.

Here is a quick video of Reece eating peas the other day. It's so funny....he keeps eating them, but makes the funniest faces between bites. It's a texture thing....that is like his daddy!! I promise I do usually use a bib, this time though, he was going right to bath after he ate, so we just went commando :o)

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year! I'm torn between being sad that Christmas is over, and excited for what the new year brings. I've decided to list all my new year's resolutions on the blog that way I feel a little more motivation to fulfill them, so here we go.

1. Take better care of my body. Since I've been so wrapped up in the kids, I've really neglected myself, so I'm going to work towards improving that.
2. Be more patient with the kids. I'm hoping that with more sleep (Reece?) I'm going to have a better chance with this one.
3. Find a church home.
4. Stay in contact with my friends better. I've been so focused on family since Reece was born, I feel like I've sort of grown apart from some of my friends.
5. I'm going to try to go into this next year with an open mind and focus on the positive side of things. Reece's hemophilia is going to start becoming more of an issue in the so I'm trying to prepare myself the best I can.

I hope that 2008 brings you all good health, happiness, and strength to preserver! Please go into this new year with kindness toward others, and compassion to all in need.