Still Wearing Yoga Pants

It's been over three months and I am still in Yoga pants, and leggings. And while people may think I am back in my jeans I am really only wearing jeggings!

Clothes-post baby! :)

I feel great about my body, but a body post c-section is no canidate for jeans, or really pants at all. It took me a week to wear any bottoms what so ever! I was in a robe for ever.

Now my favorite outfit is a nursing tank and fitted yoga pants. Some out there may think this is no fashion statement, but throw on a pair of camel colored riding boots and a long jean top or a flowy cardigan and yes you have fashion! Ahhh I am so comfortable.

But, even more than that, yoga pants remind me of this adventure I have found myself on-the joyous adventure of motherhood-and the friends I share it with. 

I have two close friends in the city who also had their babies recently-just days from Azariah, and we are all still in yoga pants.

Often we see each other and ask, "Have you tried on your jeans yet?"  "Oh, yes, but how did they ever fit? The closest the button gets is inches away from the hole. You?" "No not yet, still in yoga pants."

And I realized recently what an absolute blessing these women are in my life-of course I already knew that-but it hit me how amazing it is to have them to share this season of life, as new mamas!

I love that I can call them and talk about night feedings, nap times, and milestones, and we know what each other is talking about. And, even more than that they celebrate with me Azariah's little victories, his coos and smiles, and I in their daughter's. I love that we often spend afternoons chatting and nursing and feel totally free to do so. We have analyzed each other's babys poo to see if our baby's is normal...I mean with your first how do you know? :)  I love that we know what it means to manually express milk into a bottle while in a car with a screaming baby! (yes I have done that) We know what a true success it is to take a shower and cook dinner-both in the same day! And I love that with them there is no pressure to perform-we can just be and enjoy being mother's together.

I also love that my son knows them and their babies. That he is already sharing life with people and that he is already learning about friendship-not only through our example-but that he is and will learn about friendship through being friends with these two babies. I mean they were the first kids his age he met, the first he reached out to touch-he reached out to touch Lydia's hand a few weeks back, ahh melt. They are the first humans his age that he has talked with, real baby conversations. I have him and Nora on video! In part he is learning about himself through them.

This is a gift from the Lord. It is rare-to have a friend who can celebrate your life with you and you in there's. Thank you God for these women and their girls.


I love that I am not the only one still wearing yoga pants.

Christine and Lydia first meet Azariah-Azariah just over one week

Teri and Nora and Azariah and I-the kids' first date-our first time out together post birth

Nora and Azariah vacationing in the Hamptons together April 2

Christine and I with our fine tuned cake pops!

Where have we been?

Here!

I have been in babyland with my sweet boy, AZARIAH REED COHEN, aka, my baby, hersi, bubba, bubbalino, bubbsters, chunksters, mijo, mijito, Azizi

Starting each morning with smiles and kisses and now bear hugs!

My guy is quite a chunker, at two months weighing in at 14lbs, 10oz, and 24.5 inches long!

He can now hold his little head up, he has such a strong neck! And I can't even remember when it all happened I just noticed about two weeks ago that I didn't need to cradle his little face when I burped him-which by the way burping him is my favorite thing. His sweet eyes bug out and his cheeks shake and its just sooo beyond cute!

He now loves to do "crunches," when on his back you can see him stretch his little face-straining to get up-and try and lift up his shoulders, I remind him that I can't even do a crunch! : ) So we give him our index finger and he grips it lifting himself first into a sitting position then a standing position!

Also he talks a lot and totally mimics our intonations, it started at 3 weeks 5 days with "OaaOaa" and now "I love you."

He also loves his pacifier game, where I say "For baby, for mama" and back and forth. And as of Monday the 28th, when I say "Can mama have a turn?," he spits it out and gives me a turn! And I was just talking to him not expecting him to respond!

Ahh he is a cutie, I love sleeping with him and cuddling him, but as of late he has become quite the mover so at times I have to sleep next to him, not with him embraced on my chest as the early days!

 So time is moving fast-as everyone says. At times I can't believe how fast, when he grows out of clothes, or stops crying during diaper changes-now he laughs, but the first five weeks were crying accompanyied by coughing! And when he makes a new sound or reaches a new milestone, I can't believe how fast he's growing! And I love it, while at times I am sad about how fast it's going, but I am embracing the now, and anticipating his next milestones.

Ahh but really I would love to stop time just for a moment...it's so amazing! To think I have been given the gift of this precious little boy. And upon reviewing videos of him-looking at his lil newborn eyes which were barely begining to follow our faces and looking at him now it really hit me how everything he knows he has learned from us. HUMBLING. And amazing. To think his little sounds and laughs and everything he is learning in the warm embrace of our love! Ahhh, I am so glad to offer my boy a sweet, safe, loving, fun, joyful home full of prayer and worship and peace!

So as of late we sleep until he wakes us up, that can be as early as 6am or as late as 8:50-but more like 7. And we play, often on the play mat-now grabbing the rings, and read and Mike takes him for daddy time-sometimes that means to Starbucks in the Ergo. And then he brings him back to bed with me where me and my lil guy take our morning nap together, then up and diaper changes, nursing, more play time, and-of course- sometimes a photo shoot, talking, reading, games, dancing, and singing happens...maybe eating for mama, and a shower with Azariah in his cradle in the bathroom-he loves the sound of water and really enjoys that time-and even chores, sometimes even baking! He loves to watch everything I do, so I found I can make the bed if I sing a song to him about making the bed and I can put away the laundry as long as he can see me in the closet, or I put him in the hallway so he can watch while I cook dinner and we sing away-he loves that, often throwing his hands up and laughing!

Azariah Wens the 30th laughing as I sang to him from the kitchen. I love his leg warmers, his dad-not so much!

I am in love...

A song I made up for my boy, "We are in love, we are in love, me and my boy, my pride and joy, he is my son, number one!"

One of our many photo shoots 3.30.11, 11 weeks old

My view during our nap time!

Then we usually have our friends over, or we go to a friend's house. We often hang out with our neighbor Christine and her daughter Lydia, eight days his senior, and my childhood friend Teri and her daughter Nora, born 21 hours before Azariah and in the same hospital!

Azariah, six weeks old, and Lydia, seven weeks old

Azariah and Nora, both 11 weeks

A recent adventure for us three mamas was making CAKE POPS! Ahh I was so impressed with us, with our three lil babes just under three months! I am beyond blessed by those ladies in my life, and for their babies-Azariah loves to hang out with his friends. At first they wouldn't make eye contact, they just couldn't capture each other's attention. But now that they talk, ahhh its adorable. One day me and Christine sat our kids on the table facing each other and they had a full on conversation, Azariah hunched forward looking intently at Lydia, crinkling his forehead while listening, then after she was done talking his face would light up his eyebrows arch and a huge smile would come out followed by "gees" and "gaas" ahhh, Melt.

We also love to meet up with friends for lunch or a walk, and all the ladies love Azariah-he gets lots of kisses! (I have to upload photos of all the people who love him and visit him). And we have had lots of out-of-town visitors, Oma, and Papau, and Mimi and Grandpa, and Tia Molly, Auntie Em, and Aunt Candice and Uncle-to-be Dominic, and our friend Julie! And other times we just have a little adventure. Our favorite spots are Bloomingdales for frozen yogurt or Alice's Tea Cup for scones. But recently we have expanded our journeys to include the West Village and Soho. And often I love to just stay in with my boy, soaking up the day together!

On the way home from an afternoon on the town! 3.24.11

 Then daddy comes home and we all play and then get ready for bath time-putting on the humidifier, heating up the room, turning off the lights save a little lamp, and turning on the shower to steam up the cold bathroom! We found that if we don't get him in the bath by 8:30 its too late, he's too exhausted and just falls asleep-a few times while in the bath-ahh too cute! He gets so relaxed in the bath. I sit with him in the water and Mike washes him-of course perfectly we all know Mike and cleaning! :) Then Mike wraps him in a towel and does baby massage with him in his arms, then dresses him in his pjs, that is the hard part...the sleeves...ahh darn those things! :)

A smile after bath time, this was from his first bath that actually was full of tears on 1.30.11

 Then we put him in his "pocket" aka, sleep sack, and lay him in his cradle-which we all love-and read him a book. Ok we started this routine when he was just shy of five weeks and since the beginning he loves it! He really looks intently at each page as we read and a few weeks ago started laughing and cooing as we read. He loves books-fewww-because we are book lovers in this family! I am obsessed with childrens books...I love the graphics! Our new favorite is "Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes" which reminds us the children around the world are all the same, they all have ten fingers and ten toes!

Reading before bed on 3.13.11, 9 weeks old

Then we each hold one hand and we pray over him, thanking God for the blessings of the day and praying for others, and the day to come, and of course for Azariah's sleep and his life. And sometimes he closes his eyes during that part. Then we turn on sleepy sheep (to the ocean setting) and say "I love you bubba" and give him a kiss on the lips. And almost immediately he kinks his head to one side and is out! He sleeps a good 3-4 hours and then wakes up around 1 am to nurse, and that's when I put him to bed with us, and then he nurses and falls back to sleep a few times throughout the night until about 6-8am, where he wakes up first by moving side to side over and over then slowly opening his eyes and with a huge smile! He used to wake up talking-I think that's when he first found his voice-but now he is more like his mama waking up a bit sleepy!

And this is our life...

 

 The Best Life!

We love you bubbalino!