Green Gunk

(I'm gonna ease us back into this here blogging thing with a short and simple non-chronological post.) Coen is obsessed with avocado and spinach these days. He likes that green gunk.

Rough Morning

Although he is definitely more of a morning-person than either of his parents (by a long shot), sometimes the little man can't shake a rough morning. Here he is one morning pre-Starbucks. (Don't worry, when he gets older we won't let him sport the two buttons open look).

My Favorite Pictures of My Little Man...

I just had to post these pictures of Coen. They are easily some of my favorite pictures of him...

First pair of shoes (and tight Froghouse shirt)... A stand-up kind of guy...

Poser. Anybody need a model for a diapers ad?

Baby Longhorn. The always happy bubby...

"Come and play Mama" Mama's little angel.

Chunka chunka chunky thighs.

Perfect.

Coen, The Halloween Turtle

Courtesy of a friend who was kind enough to take these shots, we bring you some recent pictures of our little Halloween Turtle from a church party this past Saturday night. Coen was a real sport with this fairly bulky costume. Enjoy -- Coen, the Halloween Turtle.

A belated final addition here, courtesy of another friend. The good-looking lineup is: DP (killer bee), Amelia (Elmo), Coen (Turtle).

The Destruction Has Begun...

Crawling has begun and so has the destruction of our home! I have very quickly learned that all the nice decorative things that I love just aren't so practical with a baby. We have had to rearrange things and open up some space for Coen to really move. He is cruising and climbing on everything - I think he will be walking in no time as he is starting to stand pretty well. He is like a whole new baby and I love that he can crawl over to me and tug on my leg for me to pick him up. What a way to soften a Mama's heart! He is so content just crawling and exploring the whole house and can climb the first 2 stairs without a problem (that is a little scary for me!). Let's just say, life as we know it has changed. He is such a big boy now and I simply can't believe that he will be having his 1st birthday in no time!!

Well, we had a very wonderful summer and early fall. All the way from Shanghai, Coen had 2 very special visitors! Grandma and Papa Schmirler (my parents) came to visit and we couldn't have been happier!! Coen especially warmed up to my Mom right away and was giving her hugs and cuddles in no time. He must have remembered her from when he was being born as she was his 'Cheerleader" during his very difficult delivery. She was there giving him and me words of encouragement. She was also the one who monitored closely his vitals and told me when I needed more oxygen. She was so concerned for him during that time and I could tell how much she already loved him. Also, I talk to her on Skype all the time so Coen hears her voice through the computer and knows it well. Whatever it is, you can see a love between them when they hang out together. It was obvious that there is a sweet bond between them. (Notice that he is basically half the size of her!!)


And everyone came with many, many, many GIFTS!!!
Coen loved the tissue paper the most!!
A lazy Sunday together...

My Dad is not much of a baby person but he took to Coen and was holding him and making him laugh in no time. It was special for me to see them together. I see a lot of my Dad in Coen and hope that he gets not just his great looks but also some of my Father's amazing attributes as well.

Coen was showing off for his Papa, doing his "I don't know" trick for him...

My Mom and Dad were not Coen's only visitor, my Grama (that is how we have always spelled her name) came from Canada to spend some time with her great-grandson. I loved having my Grama here and seeing how much she loves being with Coen. She is such a sweet woman and when she visits you can't help but feel loved and cared for. She always is concerned with our health and making sure we are taking care of ourselves. My back has been hurting lately and she rubbed it and put some essential oils on it every night! Something only a Grama would do!!

Coen LOVES to swim and he took swimming lessons in the summer when he was just 6 months old. I would take him to the pool all the time in the summer since it was so hot and it cooled both him and I down. He loves to splash water in his face and isn't the least bit afraid. He also loves to float around in his crab all by himself!

Kayla has really gotten into the school spirit this year. Apparently for homecoming everyone in the school makes or buys these HUGE ribbon flowers call "mums" and wears them for the day. When Kayla told me about it, I did not imagine that they would be soooooo BIG!! Kayla made hers in her floral design class. Other students bought theirs for $35 each!! We all went to the football game later that night for the Homecoming game (Grama Moyor, Grandma Schmirler, Papa, Drew, Jayd, Coen, Kayla and I) and kids were still wearing them there. And it wasn't the nerdy kids just wearing them either - EVERYONE was wearing them! I actually thought is was pretty cool to see so much school spirit. And her team, Cedar Park Timberwolves, won the game so that was cool! Jayd and I love seeing Kayla get so involved!!

Here are some pictures of us trying to come up with a design for her senior class shirt (their class color is orange).

We were all out for dinner one night and Coen was in a very chatty mood. You can even hear him "talking" over the sound of the water fountain in the background. Everyone around was laughing and him and smiling. He was putting on quite a show...

When Drew came down to work on my parents' house, it was just before his birthday so we decided to have a celebration for him a little early. It was really fun to have him visit! Coen was a little scared of him at first (I think it might have been the long hair) but warmed up to him quickly. Drew is so good with kids and I really loved seeing how sweet he was to Coen!

I LOVE this picture of my brother and mom - so sweet!!
So, there is a little summary of the last few months since we've been negligent bloggers... It was so much fun being with family and our house always seems so quiet afterwards! I have uploaded a ton of videos of Coen onto our You Tube account so be sure to check them out - some are so cute! http://www.youtube.com/user/jaydmcferson

What a BIG boy!!

Wow - this baby has really changed over the last month. He is just amazing these days! He is getting sooooooooo BIG. Sitting up and rolling and scooting backwards on the floor. No major crawling but definitely wants too. He knows what he likes and is so cute when he does his little whimpers. He loves to "fake" cough, shake his head NO (does this with a HUGE smile on his face every time) and crinkle his little nose and blow air out of it like a bull. So cute!! He has started on solids (if you can call mush a solid) but just a tiny bit once a day. I have never seen a baby who loves to eat like this little guy. He gets that from both his parents. When he eats it is like he is a total natural. Opening his mouth like a little birdy! He loves to cover his face and grab the spoon to feed himself!!

Coen is a Mama's boy still as ever; he is reaching out when he wants me to take him and if I give him to someone to hold he will follow me with his eyes everywhere I go. It is really cute. Don't get me wrong though, he definitely loves his Daddy and his Kayla! I think the 'making strange' stage is just around the corner as he only wants Mama more and more.

Big news: I have actually been hearing from people that they think Coen is starting to look more like me!! Not that I mind him looking like Jayd but when he was first born I NEVER heard anyone say he looked like me. A few months ago I started thinking his face was changing a little. I would take a quick glance at him and see a little of myself in him or even moments when I thought he looked a little like my dad. He even has my eye color. The other day at the store this little girl said, "he has really cute hazel eyes". I couldn't believe she noticed. His eyes are definitely hazel and they are pretty cute!! Now, looking at baby picture of me around his age I definitely can finally see that he is indeed my son.

Me:

Baby Coen:

Me with my cute Mama:

Baby Coen:

As I am sure every mother out there will agree, teething time is simply NOT fun! Well, Coen is definitely teething and has been suffering some pain from that in his ears the most. Poor baby...

Kayla has had a very action packed summer. She went to EFY in San Antonio and LOVE LOVE LOVED it!! She is still wearing her EFY band a month later. After traveling with us to New Orleans, she went to girls camp for a week. She was a camp leader and really enjoyed working with the 2nd year girls and getting to know them. Since then, she has been working (and playing) plenty and really just enjoying her summer. She has had quite a few dates and seems to be pretty popular with the guys. We think she is totally amazing and it seems like the guys are all seeing that too!!!

Kayla with her bestfriend Kayla:

Jayd has been working like a maniac the last few weeks and we have almost forgotten who he is. One night he worked all day, all night and all the next day - without ANY sleep at all!!! Crazy!! As for me, just taking care of our little Baby Coen, our beautiful Kayla and our overworked Jayd. Busy, busy...

Tauni

Coen's First Feedings

It was bound to happen and now it has. Coen has discovered "real" food and he loves it. Here are some shots from his first feeding (07/23/2007):

And from this second feeding (07/24/2007):

Like your typical kid, he likes to make a mess. Enjoy it while you can little man.

And, finally, "Coen Doggy Dog"...

Notice those hazel eyes. Looks like Hyde finally has some company as a non-blue-eyed McFerson grandchild.

Goodbye to Philippa. Back to Japan she goes.

After our monster road trip, Philippa stayed with us for a few days, saw a ton of rain and even a little of Austin. Here she is with her favorite new buddy in quaint Fredericksburg, Texas:

In behalf of the family (including Tauni, who may eventually return for a 2nd post some day), thanks for coming to see us way out here in Central Texas. We all had a great time. You are welcome at our home any time.