JAB blab

My friends have twins and so we are all obsessed with comparing them to one another, which makes me slightly obsessed about comparing Abby with Jack back way back when…

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

But what really makes this sweet, is that Jack took this picture of his sister all by himself today.

They’ve also started interacting on a much higher level, which is pretty freaking cute and provides a little glimpse into the future.

And because not everyone is on facebook…and the old wordpress gallery is just not working for me, you can see the latest and greatest on my picasa account. It’s super easy for me to upload which means I might actually stay on top of things.

On July 29th we welcomed Bennett Hughes Gwaltney to the clan. I got a rare solo visit to Alabama to meet him and hang with the rest of the family.

He’s a precious “little punchy guy” as his older brother likes to call him, though truth be told he was not very punchy while I was around. My sister has been blessed with another baby who actually sleeps. Go figure.

From Trip to Alabama

I also enjoyed unprecedented one-on-one time with the Grahamster. Even made him a little video montage on the plane ride home. Great way to kill time on a long plane ride…and pretty fun when your audience is three years old. You can slap on all the cheesy affects and know they will love it even more!

For Graham, From Aunt Tiffy from Tiffany Cothran on Vimeo.

This summer was a whirlwind with trips galore and just a lot of good quality family time…mostly out-of-doors. Having kids makes summer feel like, well summer, again.

I can’t possibly detail it all, but the pictures mostly do it justice. Unfortunately a good deal of photos from our vacation with family were lost when our camera was stolen, but I’ve managed to collect many highlights from the grandparents.

Enjoy!

June:

July:

August:

Still trying out this picasa web file sharing. If the above is not working, here is a link…mostly Easter fun.

Not as terrible a mom as I thought I was, I found the birthday photos. So here is March. Trying out new way to share photos…

March photos for web

Abby came into this world with very little fuss. Her temperament was calm and she proved resourceful from the get go–no problems nursing, no problems sleeping; she was content to join our family, accepting her place as daughter and little sister. Though prepared for newborn “battle,”  we found the first few weeks with this little girl practically a vacation.

I can’t believe it has been a year. Much like my pregnancy, Abby’s first year has been a whirlwind. Throughout my pregnancy with Jack and for practically his entire first year, I wasn’t working and, of course as the first child, he did not have a pesky sibling with whom he had to vie for attention. For better or for worse, he got my undivided attention for a solid two and a half years. And for better or for worse, Abby is left with my attempts at undivided attention, attempts that are so often interrupted with the rest of life.

And yet, in many ways I am much more aware of every stage of her development because I know just how fleeting the moments are….In spite of my will to slow it all down, she weaned herself, she rolled over, she crawled across the floor, pulled herself up, took her first steps, and hasn’t stopped walking since. Throughout it all, she has cooed, smiled, laughed, and now babbles with a twinkle in her eye.

She adores her brother and seems fairly keen on her parents. I know this won’t last forever, so I’ll drink in the adoration now. She is a social butterfly with a smile and “hi” for anyone and everyone she passes. With all that said, she is no push over. She has joined the chaos of our lives and is a full fledged contributing member.

Her first birthday came and went. We celebrated, but it was a low key affair with what appears to be relatively little documentation. This blog, of course, continues to fall by the wayside. It would seem technology doesn’t make up for the second child getting the shaft in the baby book department, even if it is virtual. Today is Easter…much later this year, as I distinctly remember celebrating with Jack the day after we returned home from the hospital with Abby. I was once again struck by how fleeting time is and how much happens in this first year. And so…

Abby’s First Year from Tiffany Cothran on Vimeo.

Baby 1 and Baby 2

Moeshé (pronounced Mo – shay) is three years old.  He has all the same friends as Jack. He likes to do pretty much the same things as Jack. Every night we are asked to tell Moeshé stories such as “the one about Moeshé getting very, very, very, very angry with his friends.” Or “the one about Moeshé being very tired and getting very, very, very, very frustrated with his mommy.” Or “the one about Moeshé getting very, very, very, very, very excited about going to the zoo with his friend.”

He looks a lot like Jack, but has purple hair…

Go figure.

I won’t even begin to try and do a catch up post on the happenings since it has literally been months.  The state of affairs in the Cothenberg household is pretty good. Abby is cruising around the furniture these days, occasionally braving the “no hands” stand so I’d say we are pretty close to walking. Still a happy, smiley baby overall, she is beginning to exhibit our family’s trademark stubborn streak. Jack thinks she is sturdier than I would have given her credit for initially, which has propelled her into a rough and tumble bullying phase. Apparently she set out to maul all of the other kids (and a few moms as well) at story time this week at the library. What can I say? I intend to raise a tough girl! Meanwhile Jack is going all wussy, “Abby pulled my hair! Abby poked my eye! Abby pinched my arm!” he whines. Sheesh.

I know REALLY what people want are photos, so before I leave to pick Jack up from school (which he continues to LOVE), here’s a few shots of the kids at Train Town last month.  We just uploaded new blog software so I am trying to figure out the picture posting again.  You can click on these to enlarge.