There is a time for sorrow and a time for joy

Our last three weeks can be summed up by these words: There is time for sorrow and time for joy. We are very sad to report that Tim's father, Greg, passed away on June 23rd. He was an amazing father/father-in-law/grandfather and he will be missed greatly. We feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a lot of time with Greg in the past several months and were all extremely thankful that Greg was able to meet his grandson, Aaron. Greg will forever live in our hearts and minds.

Thanks to those of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. Much love- Tim, Ann, & Aaron

5 weeks old!

Hello everyone!  Just wanted to send the update from our latest doctors appointment last week on Wednesday.  At 5 weeks old, Aaron weighed in at 10 pounds, 8 1/2 ounces (50-75th percentile) and was 22 1/4 inches long (75th percentile).  He's getting bigger and stronger by the day.  

He started rolling from his tummy to his back at 3 1/2 weeks old.  I couldn't believe it the first time that he did it, so I kept putting him back on his tummy to see if he would do it again- he did it four times in a row for me that day and many times since!  His head control is getting better and better, especially since he wants to be sitting up ALL the time now.  He's definitely made that transition from being an infant to being a baby, who has lots of likes and dislikes.  He likes: sitting up on your leg, sleeping in your arms, being talked to, drooling, and being outside.  He doesn't like: being held on his back,  burping in the middle of a bottle, hiccups, and when we tighten the straps on his car seat!!  Aaron is starting to smile and "talk" more every day , which is SO fun!  

We are so proud that we have such an amazing little boy!  Thanks for checking in on us- we'll continue to keep you updated.

More pictures!

Wanted to share a few more photos of our visit with Nan, Amy, Brett, and Claire.

Aaron is one month old!

Today is a BIG day- Aaron is celebrating one month since the day that he was born!  He's been celebrating in style with all of his favorite things- a trip to Target, a walk, some naps, a couple of poos, and quite a few bottles!  We might even get wild and end it with a bath before bed!  Who said that life wasn't exciting with an infant??

Since my last update we have been very busy spending the entire last week with some of our favorite visitors!  My mom (Nanny), my sister (Auntie Amy), and Aaron's 2 cousins (Brett, 4, and Claire, 1) came to visit.  We had a very exciting and fun-filled week, with lots of walks and trips to the park, our first visits to the zoo and Chuck E. Cheese, and some awesome home-cooking from my mom!  Brett and Claire loved meeting Aaron.  Brett gave him lots of kisses and Claire wanted to be near him (and his pacifier) at all times!  She loved saying "hi" to him every time she saw him and pulling the 'paci' out of his mouth and putting it back in again!  

My mom and Amy took turns doing the night feedings with Aaron, so Tim and I got some great nights of sleep!  Mom made a bunch of awesome meals and lots of extras to put in the freezer for later!  And to top the week off, Mom cleaned the house while Amy and I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.  Wow was it hard to let them leave!!!!  Thanks for everything guys- we had a great time!

We are looking forward to our one month appointment with the pediatrician on Wednesday to see how big Aaron is getting.  He's almost out of the newborn clothes and his face is filling out more every day!  We might be biased, but we think he's VERY handsome!  Enjoy the new photos.  :)

3 weeks old!

It's hard to believe, but Aaron is 3 weeks old today!! Time sure flies when you're having fun! He continues to be a very good baby- we feel very blessed to have him as part of our family.

Aaron is now staying up much of the day when it's a typical day at home, generally sleeping off and on for a few hours and then going to sleep for the night at about 7 or 8. He usually sleeps for about 4 hours stretches before needing to eat and get his diaper changed, but has blessed us with a few 5 hours stretches and even one 6 1/2 hour stretch! He is often not sure if he wants to go back to sleep after his feeding at about 5 am and sometimes needs some time with mom or dad in the recliner to coax him back to sleep! (Strangely enough, in utero, that was about the time that he started being active for the day too!)

Aaron is now eating 4 ounce bottles and getting bigger and bigger everyday. The newborn clothes are already starting to get small! Thanks to hand-me-down clothes (mostly from cousin Brett, but also some from Deven and Cooper- thanks guys!), there are plenty of things waiting to be worn in the next bigger size!

Aaron & I have been enjoying our time at home together and anxiously await Tim's arrival in the evenings. We spend our days snuggling together, reading, listening to music, doing tummy time, and taking plenty of photos! Aaron is patient enough (most days) to spend some time in his swing while I put the photos on the computer and write updates. We really hope that the weather gets warm for good soon so that we can spend more time outside!

Meeting family and friends....

Just wanted to share some photos of Aaron meeting more of our family members and friends!

More family!

Just wanted to share photos of Aaron meeting some of the family.

Memorial Day 2008

This holiday weekend was a very exciting one for the boys of the Coenen family. We traveled to Milwaukee to visit Tim's dad, Grandpa Greg, and Aaron got to meet his Great Grandparents, Clyde and LaVerne. We had 4 generations of Coenen boys all in the same room! Aaron also got to see Marie, his Uncle, Tom, his Great Aunts, Beth and Amy, his Great Uncles, Steve, Arthur, and Chip, and his first cousins once removed, Maria, John, and Will. We had a great time and feel very blessed to have such amazing families!

Trying something new to keep everyone updated on Aaron!

Hi Everyone!

This is so unlike me, but a friend suggested that I set up a blog to share photos and information regarding Aaron, rather than sending out a bunch of e-mail updates all the time. So I'm going to give it a try. Seems easy enough so far!

Aaron is now 2 weeks old. He now weighs 8 lbs. and 5 oz. (50th percentile) and is 21 1/2 inches long (75th percentile). We worked through some early breast feeding issues which caused a little more weight loss than we'd hoped, started supplementing with formula, and after much hard work by all of us, are now feeding Aaron with only formula. Turns out that doesn't all work out every time, no matter how hard you try! We are just thrilled that Aaron is gaining weight and getting bigger and stronger! He is spending a little more time awake everyday and he loves to be held, seems to like his swing, and tolerates some tummy time every day! We think more about poo than we ever thought possible and after a change of formula, it seems like Aaron's little digestive system is getting it all figured out!

We thank you all for the e-mails, phone calls, cards, visits, and gifts. Everyone has been SO generous and we can't thank you enough!

I'm going to try to update this blog at least weekly, so check back to see how Aaron is growing and changing!

Much love-
Ann, Tim, & Aaron :)