Extension of Grace

Chicken

2012-02-20T21:25:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday night we met another family from church for dinner at the Pizza Ranch! It was great to catch up with them and Ainsley ate her first fried chicken! Oh my!

Before dinner, I dressed Ainsley up in her St. Patricks day outfit so I could get some pictures...but she was having none of that! She was ready for pizza and chicken!

It didn't take her long to figure it out!

We were so happy that Ryan's parents came up to visit this weekend. I was not good about taking pictures this weekend--so here is a picture of Grammie and Grandpa Cohenour at Christmas. Ainsley LOVES Larry's hats--she is always trying to wear them! Larry & Linda watched Ainsley Saturday night so we could go out to dinner with two other couples--we were SO thankful that she was having fun and we were able to have fun with friends too! Thanks for coming to visit Grammie & Grandpa Cohenour and for the new kitchen you brought for Ainsley! I'll take some pictures of her "cooking" and post those later this week!

Birds

2012-02-18T12:20:00.005-06:00

We told Ainsley that we were taking her to see some puppies and she got excited!

She wasn't one bit interested in puppies or the one cat the store had....do you know what she did love?

The birds! She couldn't get enough of them and would have jumped right in there with them if we would have let her!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday!

2012-02-15T14:28:00.003-06:00

Little miss getting ready for school today!

Ainsley got lots of goodies from her school friends!

Ainsley took goldfish to her school friends!

Happy Birthday to my dad! His birthday was on Valentine's Day! Ainsley loves to talk to Papa Bob on FaceTime!

Ainsley also loves her Monday night date night with her daddy. I teach Monday nights, so Ainsley and Ryan go to dinner together and have some daddy/daughter time! This week they went out for tacos!

We are getting ready for the next holiday!

I got a new basket for Ainsley's books--she loves us to read to her, so I got this cute pink basket for her board books.

I made a new wreath for St. Patricks day!

I also organized Ainsley's reading nook--time to read!

1st Parent Teacher Conference!

2012-02-13T17:14:00.000-06:00

Oh, no--I have my first parent teacher conference this Wednesday!

No worries, I'm sure I'll get a good report!

Live it up!

2012-02-11T23:03:00.001-06:00

Our little miss has been through a lot these past two weeks--so we thought we should live it up this weekend! What does that look like for the Cohenour family...??...a trip to the mall of course! Ainsley LOVED the horses! The first few circles she was scared, and once she became comfortable she was giggling and laughing!

She also loves the Bob the Builder ride!

We made a trip to Target and Ainsley was ALL over the place having fun!

Ainsley had strawberries for the first time today and she LOVED them!

Tonight Ryan and I asked Ainsley's favorite babysitter, Lauren, to come over so we could go out to dinner to celebrate. Ainsley was practically pushing us out of the door because she loves hanging out with Lauren! We went to a great new restaurant and the mall! I can't remember the last time I shopped and wasn't in a rush--it was so nice to look for bargains! Ryan's parents sent some anniversary money for us to go out--so a big thanks to Larry & Linda for a fun night out!

After we ate dinner, we tried to get a quick picture--but it was so dark outside Ryan could barely see because of the bright flash :)! Have a great weekend!

A sigh of relief!

2012-02-09T23:20:00.000-06:00

This is a long post! The cliff notes version: We received GREAT results today! Ainsley's hearing test today showed that she has a mild hearing loss in both ears--these are almost the identical results we've seen with her past four tests. The profound loss they thought she had last week was most likely due to fluid remaining after her tube surgery. We will continue with a hearing aid for her R ear and may also get one in the future for her L ear depending on her language development. Her CT results will be back mid next week to see if she has any signs of the syndrome, but they think that is unlikely at this point. A VERY good day at the Cohenour house!!

Ainsley woke up at 5:50 am today and had her milk. She couldn't eat any solid food after midnight, but could have milk until 6:30 am. She drank 7 oz!

We did our best to keep A busy this morning so she would keep her mind off of food!

Ryan had to go in for a meeting from 9-10 am, so little miss and I drove around before heading to the hospital. I was so worried about her being uncomfortable, but she took a little cat nap while I drove.

We picked Ryan up and Ainsley had her last bit of liquid before her test--2 oz of apple juice at 10:15 am, we told her to savor every drop!

We took A to the otolaryngology clinic first to make sure her ears looked clear and that her tubes were open. We were able to talk with one of Ainsley's classmate's dad who is a fellow in that clinic. He was so good to hear Ainsley's story and offer advice. He had reviewed Ainsley's chart and was trying to prepare us that the test today would likely be the same as last week since the loss was so profound. He said he would call later today with the results.

Off to radiology to get checked in for her CT. Her little radio flyer car came in SO handy today!

I love this sweet picture of Ainsley and her daddy!

At noon, the sedation nurse put numbing cream on 4 locations so she could get a good IV location for Ainsley. I had two prayers today (1) I asked God for black and white results. I wanted to know specifically what we were dealing with. We've been operating in the grey this past week, not truly understanding why she had such a profound loss and (2) I wanted the nurses and doctors who worked with Ainsley today to see her not as a number and just another patient but as a precious baby girl. I'm thankful both of those prayers were answered today!

The nurse in the back was an answer to prayer--she spent 3 hours with Ainsley today. She put in her iv, took her to her CT scan, watched her vitals closely and...she is our neighbor. She is just a few houses from us, we enjoyed chatting with her--she kept us in such good spirits! She has a true gift for working with little ones and their families!

IV in and Ainsley was tired and hungry at this point. She is such a trooper! She is a strong, strong little girl!

We were so thankful that we were with Ainsley 95% of the time today. The only time we weren't with her was during her 10 minute CT scan. I was able to hold her as they gave her the sedation meds in her IV.

Off to CT!

Ryan and I tried to stay positive while Ainsley was off to her CT test.

Ainsley came back to the recovery room and the audiologists came up and hooked her up for her Auditory Brain Response. She was still sedated at this time they actually had to give her 2 and 1/2 doses of the meds since she was testing for so long. The meds make her pale, but her color returned when she woke up.

The first sound they put in her ear made her JUMP--we knew that was a great sign!! The audiologist talked with us all throughout the test and let us know the responses she was giving today was in line with her testing in July, March and last Feb--mild loss in both ears!! Almost the exact same results--that was just what we had asked for, black and white results!!! We were SO, SO thankful her hearing was back to the previous levels--but wished we didn't have to put Ainsley through this additional testing today and the worry and stress we and our family have been through this week....but all in all we are thankful that her hearing is not profound!

Ainsley had SO much meds that she has been asleep for a long time today. It took her an hour to wake up and drink some juice before we could take her home. The audiologist said that her results last week were most likely a result of fluid remaining in the ear after the surgery. They removed a lot of fluid and put the tubes in, but some fluid was likely still remaining.

Little miss was sleep eating when we brought her home, she was SO tired and SO hungry!

We all took a nap tonight and woke up at 9:45 pm....Ainsley is completely off with her sleep, so it will be a long, long night :)!

She was back to her playful self tonight!

Ryan knowing we were in for a long night went to get me a diet coke and Ainsley some milk, but not before giving Ainsley one last hug. We are one happy family tonight knowing his little girl is going to be okay. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for our sweet girl this week!

"He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in Him I will trust" -Psalm 91:2

Ready!

2012-02-08T21:39:00.001-06:00

Little miss loves her red wagon!

And watching the laundry!

We are all ready for her big test Thursday! Ainsley got the cutest princess card today (thanks Kate & Kelley) it said "its time for a miracle"! We are!! We are hopeful, yet ready for whatever news we hear tomorrow.

I have packed Ainsley's diaper bag with LOTS of snacks for her so she can eat tomorrow afternoon after her test is over..and we are taking her little red wagon to the hospital so she can have some fun while we wait!

Incident report!

2012-02-07T21:37:00.003-06:00

Little miss is as happy as ever! We've noticed her responding more to sounds. I don't know if it is just wishful thinking or if her hearing is truly bouncing back...one article I read about Pendred Syndrome said that after a drastic drop, hearing could return to the "normal" level it was before.

Ainsley is scheduled for her CT test and ABR (hearing test) on Thursday! We report to get her ears checked at 11 am to make sure there is no fluid, 12 noon check in for sedation, 1 pm CT scan, and 1:15 pm hearing test. A nurse from the peds sedation team called me today and walked me through what Ainsley can have the day of the test...nothing to eat after midnight.... I asked twice if this was medically ok and she calmed my fears and said she'll be ok, just really fussy. Ryan and I will both be with her that morning to keep her pre-occupied before we go into the hospital. She can have milk until 6:30 am and then 2 oz of juice before 10:30 am. We will have to pull out all of the stops to keep her preoccupied before her test!

I want to be honest--this week has been rough as Ryan and I have been processing all of this info. We have thought of every possible scenario, read for hours on end about this syndrome & cochlear implants, talked through our frustration that our baby girl has to go through yet another struggle. On most days we are in a good place, feeling thankful for the resources and support that is surrounding Ainsley at this time.

Some of those positive connections...we are having lunch tomorrow with a colleague who has cochlear implants. She is going to share her experiences and Ryan and I are so thankful we get to get a first hand account of what the process is like. Another colleague gave me the contact of her sister who has experience with cochlear implants since her daughter needed them. I am forever grateful for people taking the time to share their experiences, so we can make informed decisions for Ainsley.

I'm also grateful that Ainsley's endro doctor (thyroid) referred her to another endro doctor that specializes in Pendred syndrome! He said that it would take until summer to get her in for an appointment, his staff called the other day and said they had a cancelation, so Ainsley will be seen by this doctor in April!

I was explaining Ainsley's test on Thursday to a mom of one of Ainsley's classmates and how I wanted the doctors in the otolaryngology clinic to check Ainsley's ears before the test on Thursday to make sure there is no blockage so we get an accurate reading. They have us scheduled to see the resident on call that day and she said, have them page my husband--he is the fellow on call in that clinic! I almost started crying because my prayer all along has been for God to provide for my baby girl. If she does have this hearing loss and this syndrome that I can't fix for her, I at least want people in her life who can provide the BEST care for her. I'm thankful our mighty God has provided in BIG ways this week!

The incident report....our little miss received her first incident report at school today. She was playing on the new jungle gym in her room and took a tumble and scratched her nose. When I went to pick her up today, I stopped by her room to pick up her paperwork before I went to get her in the activity room and read the incident report. You better believe I ran to the activity room to check on her. She is fine thankfully, just a scratch. Ryan assured me it probably won't be her last!

Sustained

2012-02-04T14:12:00.001-06:00

Friday night Ryan played trivia for a local fundraiser andAinsley and I visited with a good friend, Erin. We didn’t head home until 9:45 pm, which is late for little miss! As soon as we started the car to head home,she was asleep!

Our little miss is such a loving baby, she loves to hug andpat her baby on the back. SO sweet.

This morning one of our sweet, sweet friends from churchJackie brought us a meal and this amazing desert. Isn’t this beautiful? I think this could be in a magazine, so I had to take a picture of it! Confession time—Ryan and I ate a piece ofthis as soon as Jackie left. It was10:15 am—diet will begin soon!

My dad sent little A some valentines day money--THANKS dad! I picked out some goodies for Ainsley.

Little miss had 2 servings of Jackie's lasagna! She loved it!

I took this picture of little Ainsley's feet while she was sleeping this afternoon because I can't believe how fast she is growing! I am SO thankful that she is too young to realize everything that has been happening recently. She just thinks we are meeting many, many more friends these days and they are all at the hospital! We heard on Friday that her CT and repeat Auditory Brain Response test (this will be the 5th one) is scheduled tentatively for Friday, Feb 10th. They are waiting for one more doctor to confirm...I am hoping and praying this will be the day so we can keep moving forward with Ainsley's treatments. Later in the month we have a day long appointment with the cochlear implant team to see if Ainsley will be a good candidate for the surgery. If she is approved, the surgery could happen as early as March on one of her ears.

Ryan, Ainsley and I have felt sustained throughout all of this by our family and friend's encouraging words, hugs, cards, meals, and prayers. You all are helping us stay strong for our little miss. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Pink Poodle

2012-02-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

Good news today--I was able to get Ainsley scheduled with an endrcrinology doctor who specializes in Pendred syndrome! The appointment will be this summer after the genetic testing comes back, but that will be an additional help to Ainsley! Also, we found out today if Ainsley needs the cochlear implants and they are medically necessary our out of pocket will be covered by what we have saved in our medical flex spending. That was a HUGE relief to know! I've made 4 calls to find out when her CT will be scheduled over the past few days and I've heard nothing, they said they will call tomorrow morning with an up-date, so I'll keep my fingers crossed :). I don't think I can be considered a helicopter parent until she is able to advocate for herself, right? :)

Someone was petting her pink poodle this morning as she ate breakfast! I think she may want a puppy at some point or a cute kitty!

Keep moving

2012-02-01T20:41:00.001-06:00

Today AinseyBelle (one of her many nicknames) went back to school today. She was glad to be back to school! Ryan and I headed back to work and the wordof the day was...numb. Neither of us has slept much recently, so we are exhausted. We are still processing all of this--we are trying to be positive, yet real.

Tonight after work I asked Ryan what would make him feel better and he said a steak...ok, that I can do! So we headed to TX Road House. Don't those rolls and cinnamon butter make the world right? Ainsley discovered butter rolls and ranch dressing tonight--we let her live it up!

I haveemailed every doctor/support specialist that has worked with Ainsley to gettheir advice yesterday--I finally went to sleep last night at 12:15 am after I couldn't think of anyone else to email to get their medical advice :). I also todayto check on her CT scan, so hopefullyI’ll hear back from them tomorrow. Wejust want to know a ball park of when they will get her in…a day, week, month—knowingwill make us feel better.

We noticedtonight that there are definitely times when Ainsley doesn’t respond to us andother times she does—we don’t know what to make of that. We did start a new baby signing video tonightso Ryan and I learned: thank you, I loveyou, thirsty, come here, stop, yes, no…know we just need to incorporate themwith Ainsley. She signed mom tonight—mademy day!

We did makesome good progress today—we’ve set up a lunch meeting with a campus colleaguewho has cochlear implants. She is goingto tell us about her experience and give us some advice! Ainsley’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing teachersaid she could also connect us to families in the community who have beenthrough the cochlear process so we can hear their stories. Our doctor who we value her opinion so muchemailed us back to let us know she wants to refer Ainsley to the CDD (Center for Disease and Disability) to get a languagespecialist working with her.

Good progress for day two—we’ll just keepplugging away at this!

I can't breathe

2012-01-31T21:22:00.001-06:00

We took our baby girl in for a routine ear tube surgery andwhile she was under they were going to do a fourth ABR (Auditory BrainResponse) hearing test since she has always had slight hearing loss sincebirth.

On our way to the hospital--a happy girl.

Fish tank in the waiting room!

One of my co-workers, Angie, and her sweet daughter stopped by to see Ainsley since they were at the hospital for a check-up. The brought Ainsley a bear and balloon--both were a hit for Ainsley!

Our day.....8-10 am Arrive at hospital, do all of the pre-surgerypaperwork, consultations, etc. 10 am-12noon Ainsley was a part from us insurgery, hearing test and then in recovery.

At 11 am the doctor met with Ryan and I and asked how wethought Ainsley hears….we give several examples of how when Ainsley responds tosound.

He stopped us after about a minute and said, thetests today show a profound hearing loss, that she can’t hear most things.

Dr. Smith keeps talking about a genetic condition, cochlear implantevaluations, CT scan, etc---I try not to keep it together, quickly grab a pieceof paper and begin writing what he is saying.

He said that he wanted to do some blood work to see if Ainsley does have the genetic condition that he suspects, Pendred Syndrome. He steps away to the phone to call the nurse to get the blood work from Ainsley and Ryan says to me, "are you ok", and I said, "I can't breathe". I literally couldn't process what he was telling me.

The doctor said that he wanted to get blood from Ryan and I today as well to do the genetic testing, so we sign paperwork and around 12 noon are in a room getting blood drawn when they bring Ainsley to us. We loved on her and tried to soak in the news.

We asked to talk with the audiologist who did the test in the operating room, so they paged her and we met with her--Sue. She was wonderful in explaining how she tested the machines 4 times to make sure the results were accurate. She said they were shocked too at the results and she talked with our audiologist and they said that despite the news we were receiving today, they said that Ainsley couldn't have better parents to see her through this. That is when I first teared up for the day. I don't think I've ever received a better compliment.

I had to include this picture, because Ryan and I blissfully unaware at 10:10 am when to grab a diet coke in the cafe at the hospital since we thought all was well. They gave us a pager if they needed us. Little did we know!

This was us after we gave blood and when Ainsley could begin eating. One of Ryan's friends who he plays ball with over lunch works in the surgery unit, so he dropped by and offered to take our picture. He didn't know the full extent of the news we received, so we said sure and smiled!

I have this chalkboard in my kitchen that my sister gave me. When we have visitors, I normally write their name on it, but on Monday of this week I changed it to this verse--very fitting for today.

Little miss is doing well tonight--she ate well, had a nice warm bath and is sleeping now.

Next steps--get the CT done and a repeat hearing test asap--I hope they call this week to get her in! Here is more info on the syndrome. We are taking great strength from the sentence that says kids can rebound from this hearing loss, even though the doctor said it was not likely--our God can do great things, so that will be our prayer!

Pendred syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes early hearing loss in children. It also can affect the thyroid gland and sometimes may affect a person’s balance. The syndrome is named after Vaughan Pendred, the physician who first described individuals with the disorder.

Children who are born with Pendred syndrome may begin to lose their hearing at birth or by the time they are three years old. The hearing loss is progressive, which means that a child will have less hearing over time. Some individuals may become totally deaf.

The loss of hearing often happens suddenly and in stages. Sometimes, after a sudden decrease in hearing, a person’s hearing will nearly return to its previous level. Almost all people with Pendred syndrome have bilateral hearing loss, or hearing loss in both ears. The hearing loss often is greater in one ear than in the other.

Source: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/pendred.aspx

New plan

2012-01-30T21:37:00.001-06:00

Today we were scheduled for Ainsley sedated hearing test! We were SO prepared! Her bag was packed, comfy clothes on Ainsley and Ryan and I had taken the day off to care for her.

We arrived early and were ready to go!

Little miss was a little hungry since she had to fast!

Fun games in the waiting area made the hunger go away!

After they checked Ainsley's vitals--they took us back to the consult room where they were going to give her the sedation before we went to the testing room.

When Dr. Smith checked her ears he found lots of fluid and no tubes....so he said, we have room to do her surgery (tubes) tomorrow. And that was that. No need to do the sedated ABR since it would not give us accurate results.

Ryan and I were a little shocked by this new plan--so we adjusted, went back to work today to get things in order, and are all packed and ready to go tomorrow. Ainsley will have her tube surgery at in the morning and then they will keep her sedated to do the ABR hearing test if all goes well with the tube surgery. We are hoping to have clear results by tomorrow afternoon. We fed little miss a BIG snack tonight of peanut butter and bananas, cereal, and milk so hopefully she won't be too hungry tomorrow morning!

All ready

2012-01-29T23:34:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow we take Ainsley in for her 4th sedated hearing test. We are all hoping for good results!

The sedated test days are normally exhausting for all of us. Ainsley can't eat until around 11-12 noon after her test, so I stocked her baby bag well! It is amazing all of this fit in her bag. You never know what you'll need at the hospital. We want her to be as comfortable as possible tomorrow.

Uncle Tim & Aunt Jenny

2012-01-28T22:26:00.005-06:00

Friday night we went out to dinner before Uncle Tim & Aunt Jenny arrived from IL!

Little miss is always SO tired after a week at school! She ate dinner and was ready for bed!

We were so happy that Ryan's brother and wife Jenny came to see us this weekend! They jumped right in and helped with Ainsley!

After shopping and lunch, little miss was ready for a nap!

Tonight we went to a wedding while Ainsley hung out with her uncle and aunt. I can't say enough good things about this couple! Their wedding was so sweet and special.

Fun night out

2012-01-26T21:29:00.001-06:00

Tonight I went running with a friend and was only gone for 45 minutes..when I got home, Ryan was asking for help! While I was gone, Ainsley had went potty in the bathtub (that is putting it nicely) and threw up on the changing table and all over Ryan. Ryan had to go back to work tonight and only had 10 minutes to get ready/clean himself up! I spent the last hour cleaning everything :)! Ains is feeling much better and resting well now.

On to more fun news...last night we went to the mall and Target to pick up a gift for a wedding this weekend.

Ainsley loves to put my scarves and necklaces around her neck--she feels like such a big girl when she does this! We're always with her to make sure she doesn't choke (just me anticipating an email from my dad about the hazards of letting Ainsley do this :).

Chick filet has new apple sauce packets that are squeezable--it was a HIT with Ainsley!

She doesn't like us to cut up her food anymore...where did my baby go?

Ainsley helped us with the list!

One of Ainsley favorite games while shopping is for us to push the cart away and let her ride down the aisles by herself, and then we run after her. She literally screams in excitement!

We are excited to see Ryan's brother and wife this weekend!

Happy as a lark!

2012-01-25T10:05:00.002-06:00

Today I gave little miss a bowl with her cheerories so she could snack while we got ready. She was happy as can be--she felt like such a big girl!

Happy as can be on her way to school!

Smile

2012-01-24T21:02:00.003-06:00

Ainsley always loves to smile for the camera! These days when I try to take her picture she smiles, scrunches her eyes and tilts her head back. Every. time.

I finally had to put the camera over her head to get a good picture!

She's a keeper!

Tonight we went to dinner with three other families. There were a total of 7 kids--6 boys and Ainsley.

Oh, mom's taking my picture!

Ainsley met with her deaf and hard of hearing teacher today. She did great playing games and practicing sounds for a hour. Her teacher mentioned a summer camp for kids with hearing loss that they have in the area. The "camp" is for 1-5 year olds. How sweet is that! I thought it was camp, camp...I was NOT ready to pack a bag and send Ainsley off to camp. Her teacher quickly let me know it was a three hour day camp twice a week for 6 weeks....that I can handle!

Sleep...how we miss you!

2012-01-22T20:32:00.002-06:00

Our little miss has been waking up again late at night, so our little family was worn out today!

So we took it easy today, we missed church and our faith family---but we needed our rest. We look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Our little miss is still happy, happy, happy--just not at 2 am :)!

We are still working on walking--she is SO close!

We got out of the house this evening and went to get some groceries. Little miss LOVES shopping at Hy-Vee with their fun carts!

I wonder...

2012-01-21T20:59:00.002-06:00

Sometimes we wish A could talk. She has been throwing things over her shoulder and just acting tickled pink when she does that. I wonder why she does this?

This morning we played and read books and stayed in the warm house!

Check out those teeth!

All ready to get out of the house--off to dinner!

My dad sent some anniversary money so we could go out to eat--thanks Dad!

He also sent little miss some money for new warm jammies! I found her some great deals! Thanks Dad!

And...ALL of these great deals! Our local re-sale shop was having its twice a year sale!

Snow Day!

2012-01-20T23:13:00.005-06:00

Ainsley's daycare closed early today due to snow!

Ainsley normally naps from 12 noon-3 pm at daycare, but they let the kids stay up until we picked her up...so she was fast asleep on the way home.

Thankfully we made it home safe!

Ainsley had fun looking out of her window at all of the snow!

Tonight we had a sweet couple and their new beautiful baby over for dinner--Ainsley had to get all dressed up to meet baby Quinn!

Little miss

2012-01-20T08:26:00.002-06:00

Ryan and I were watching tv on Tuesday night and heard a story of a young child that was injured by a tv falling on them. That night we moved our bedroom tv off of the unstable table we had it on to the floor. We need another solution, but for now our little miss will be safe. She had been pulling up on that tv table for a week or so. Ainsley thinks the tv is an Ipad, she tries to move the screen with her finger! She is a little tech baby!

Last night I went to book club and Ryan texted me this picture of Ainsley. She is growing up too fast!

Back to school

2012-01-17T21:14:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day of the spring semester and Ainsley's hair at the end of the day says it all...it was a long, busy day!

So we went out to celebrate the beginning of the semester!

Ryan let Ainsley try a straw for the first time and she drank from a big girl cup on the first try!! We were shocked!

Little miss was pretty proud of herself!

Half of her meal was milk because she was SO excited with this new skill!

A quick hello to the lobsters before we headed home!

Restful weekend!

2012-01-15T20:49:00.001-06:00

Ryan and I went to a nice restaurant on Friday night to celebrate our anniversary!

The place was so fancy, I didn't think it was appropriate to take a ton of photos...so I asked our hostess to take a picture of us. After we left I realized it was blurry--oh well, the steak was great!

We've had a fun, relaxing weekend.

Little miss and I have a cold, so we've been watching the West Wing and reading all weekend!

Tonight we had a couple from church over for dinner and their three boys. It was great to visit with them!

11 years

2012-01-13T12:56:00.001-06:00

I am thankful to be celebrating 11 years of marriage with Ryan today!

He is a great husband and father.

He has been a rock through all of the ups and downs of the past couple of years!

Here's to many, many more years!

All smiles

2012-01-12T14:03:00.001-06:00

Our little miss was all smiles with her first Steak n Shake hat!

Tuesday fun

2012-01-10T21:22:00.004-06:00

We had a meeting with Ainsley's speech teacher and hearing teacher this afternoon. We are so thankful they meet us at her daycare! They gave us some good resources and tips for working with Ainsley. I got there a few minutes early, so I got to play with Ainsley and the kids outside before our meeting...it was 50s here today!

Talking with daddy!

Our meeting with her teachers ran late, and tonight is my running group night so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at one of our favorite BBQ places! Ainsley ate so good tonight--baked potato, homemade apple sauce, green beans and chicken!

I love her to pieces!

Greeting

2012-01-09T08:11:00.003-06:00

Our little miss helped us greet children and families yesterday at church, so she had to get dressed up for the occasion. She has two bottom teeth coming in so this is a common face that she makes, I think it makes her gums feel better!

Car cart fun!

2012-01-06T20:44:00.004-06:00

Today I had a root canal and a crown put on one of my teeth....my little miss has painful teeth right now too! She was sticking out her bottom lip before dinner trying to make her new teeth feel better.

She perked right up when she got a warm breadstick for those teeth!

After dinner we went grocrie shopping. If you read our blog regularly, you clearly know we need to cook at home more! We are trying...we'll see how this week goes :)!

Ainsley was in her element in this car cart! She was yelling at the top of her lungs with joy! She had others in the store laughing!

Ainsley's daycare sheet on Thursday said, "today in the jungle gym a two year old and Ainsley were smiling at each other and the two year old turned to me (the teacher) and said 'I like dat baby! She had a pretty dress on!' So cute"! We are pretty fond of "dat" baby too!

Ainsley fell asleep on the way home tonight--she was worn out from all of our shopping! Ryan was too!

Celebration

2012-01-06T10:09:00.003-06:00

We took little miss out last night to celebrate her great doctor report! The flash was a little bright for my loves!

Happy Friday!

Up-date

2012-01-05T10:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we took little miss in for her blood work--today we got the results back from the doctor and had a weight check. GREAT news--Ainsley has gained 1.5 pounds with our focused efforts over this past month!! We are SO happy about that!
Her CBC showed that she has slightly low iron levels, so we'll start some iron supplements for that!
Her thyroid numbers are showing she is over medicated now, so we are adjusting that for the second time this month. The doctor said that probably explains her nightly "slumber parties". We call them slumber parties to make them sound better--basically Ainsley wakes up and is READY to PLAY at 2 am! The doctor equated over treatment of thyroid meds to caffeine--that made total sense to us! Hopefully we will see a change in that behavior soon-as we all could use more sleep :)! Overall, great news!

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-02T15:51:00.001-06:00

Well--the Cohenour's welcomed 2012 with great excitement. Ainsley accidentally poked me in the eye with her baby hand yesterday and put a 7mm scratch across my corena. This happened around 11 am Sunday and when I still couldn't see at 4 pm in the afternoon, I decided we better go to the ER. As you can see, I brought some thank you notes to write--I had my bad eye closed and was writing with my one good eye--hope my Christmas thank you card turned out ok :)! The doctors teased me about this--but I get SO nervous at the ER, I was trying to stay busy while we waited.

We were so thankful that our favorite baby sitter was in town and could come and be with Ainsley while we were at the ER. We were also thankful that they had an eye ER room and an eye doctor was in the hospital at the time we were there. We are SO thankful to have such good medical care. My vision is back to about 70% today and I go back to the eye doctor tomorrow, so hopefully it will be all healed soon!

Today we are all back to normal--Ainsley got a bitty baby stroller and crib from her Grammie Linda--she was pushing her baby around this morning!

Ainsley is in love with her signing video--she watches it while she snacks and has picked up a few words already.

Ainsley loves her daddy and likes to be his helper too--today she was learning to play the guitar!

I'm looking forward to 2012 with these two!

Our little helper

2012-01-01T09:30:00.004-06:00

Ainsley has been helping me with things around the house. I am loving this new stage she's in--she wants to be our little helper! Last night she helped with laundry!

Last night we went to Target and got Ainsley some valentine's day decorations! They have a ton of cute decorations for $1-$2.50! What a bargain!

A Christmas tree transformed into a simple valentine's day tree.

An owl holder for her valentine's day cards!

Week Recap!

2011-12-31T21:44:00.002-06:00

Ryan's mom, Linda, came to stay with us this week to take care of our little miss while her daycare was closed. Thanks Linda for taking such good care of Ainsley! She misses you already!

We went out to dinner Friday night and Ainsley was a ball of energy at dinner! She wanted to walk around, look at the lobsters, look in our purses, anything but eat! We had our hands full :)!

Like I said...hands full! Ainsley is quite the dare devil these days!

Ryan's parents took us to the BEST restaurant! The Machine Shed! Totally an Iowa gem! We loved it!

Ainsley with Grandpa Larry & Grammie Linda

Hmmm, what shall I order?

Homemade mashed potatoes--yum!

They had the best bread--notice we had two bread baskets!

Ainsley watching a video--she loves to see herself on video!

Our Iowa baby!

After lunch we headed to LeClaire, Iowa to see the American Pickers show store!

I love to meet people on tv (note my previous post about the local weather men)! I had my speech all prepared for Mike, Frank and Danielle (American Pickers is on the History channel--a great show) and was looking forward to taking our picture with them. They weren't there...but they have a beautiful store!

Ryan wants to buy a gas pump and change it into a fountain soda dispenser for our basement remodel (scheduled to be compete in 7 years :)!

Happy New Year!

Believe

2011-12-25T13:00:00.004-06:00

Our little miss enjoyed opening presents this morning--she was a bit spoiled by her PaPa Allison!

Thank you for all of my goodies!

Ainsley and her own Tebow moment with her new pink boots!

Ainsley and her daddy!

Ainsley has enjoyed hanging out with her PaPa Allison!

We had a great Christmas meal--for my sister who always wants more details on my blog :) we had..ham, twice baked potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls and cheery pie and french silk pie! My diet will begin on January 1st!

Happy Birthday baby Jesus!
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:21

Thanks dad for coming up to celebrate with us!

And a Happy Birthday to my mom! She shared a birthday with Jesus and we would always have a birthday dinner in the evening for her on Christmas. This is our second year without mom, but we will still celebrate her birthday tonight with dinner and remember her.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:46:00.004-06:00

This little miss is SO excited for Christmas! She had fun helping us greet at church today!Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Santa came a day early to our house and brought out little miss her own car! She was beyond thrilled!

We are thankful my dad was feeling better and was able to visit us for Christmas. Ainsley got some other new wheels from PaPa Bob! Thanks Dad--Ainsley is set for years to come!

Loving her new toys!

We have so many things to be thankful for this Christmas season--family, our faith, health, friends....we thank the good Lord for the many, many blessings he has given us--including Jesus!

Mamma's helper

2011-12-23T16:25:00.002-06:00

Ryan and Ainsley were spending the day together while I worked. Ainsley got to hang out with me at work over lunch while Ryan played basketball.

We thought she might take a nap--but she wanted to check everything out and meet some new friends!

Last day of school & Happy 100th!

2011-12-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

Today was Ainsley's last day of daycare. We decided to dress her up for the occasion! She is such a ham--even at 7 am! Today is also my Grandpa Allison's 100th birthday--my dad said in an email today he said "great big girl" to Angie and she would raise her hands up. If he were here today--Ainsley would love to meet him!

We took A to get her Christmas present last night--I think she is going to love it!

We tested out a big girl bike while we were there--she love that too!

Ainsley's thoughts

2011-12-21T08:33:00.001-06:00

I always wonder what Ainsley is thinking--her face normally says it all...."really mom and dad, you take me to Olive Garden and give me gold fish"??!!

"That's better, my first breadstick"!

"Forget the breadstick, this cheesy dipping sauce is amazing"!!

Little Miss Christmas!

2011-12-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

We took some photos of our little miss in her new Christmas outfit this weekend!

Always on the go!

Christmas Fun

2011-12-17T21:14:00.002-06:00

Our little miss all dressed up for the Christmas party!

She is pure joy!

Tonight we had the family Christmas party that our friends pulled together in 10 days!! They did an amazing job of organizing the fun event! We had a great time meeting our family tonight and talking with them during dinner. They had 6 kids and one on the way in May! They LOVED their presents--it was fun to see them open and play with their presents.

Here was the extra table where families could pick up some extra goodies!

Ainsley enjoyed the mashed potatoes!!

Here is one of the daughters of the family we sponsored--she was SO thrilled that Santa came--she was the first one to greet him and the last one to say goodbye to him!

Ainsley on the other hand was not excited to see santa!

Outfit change and ready to head home--Ainsley was asleep within 2 minutes of the car ride home!

Hello Santa!

2011-12-16T22:12:00.001-06:00

Ainsley was so excited to get her own bag of cereal during the drive to school today--she is such a big girl!

Why are we out to dinner again mom and dad?

Oh, we are celebrating the end of the semester--fun!!

We Cohenour's love a good reason to celebrate!

Ryan's new haircut. A new salon opened in our town and they are offering $3.99 haircuts this month--what a deal!!

Yum!

Off to the mall to see Santa!

Miss Ainsley was a little tired by this time!

The couple in front of us had a 4 day old baby--so Santa did this pose with the baby acting like he feel asleep reading a book with the baby on his chest. It was the sweetest site to see.

Ainsley's turn...

Ryan and I were debating before Ainsley got her picture taken if $25 for pictures was a good buy......within seconds we realized we should pass on the professional photo and get a few quick pictures on our phone.

Poor girl--she was moving so fast to get off of Santa's lap. Santa recommend dad sit with Ainsley.

Ainsley kept one eye on Santa the entire time!

Ok mom and dad--let's get out of here!

Santa said that he would bring Ainsley a dolly if she left some cookies out for him--he was the nicest Santa!

Ainsley gets tickled by the funniest things--she wanted to hold my empty orange julius cup. It made her so happy she was kicking her feet with glee!

She's a keeper!

Bundled up and ready to head home!

Our Iowa

2011-12-15T21:30:00.001-06:00

This week there has been alot of reaction to an essay a UI faculty member (Bloom) wrote about thestate of Iowa in The Atlantic magazine. I read his article and thought he completely missed the mark and spirit of who Iowans are. Our University of Iowa President Sally Masonresponded to his article in an open letter to The Atlantic magazine and I’veincluded some of her quotes below with pictures of my little Iowan!

"...the Iowa I see is one of strong,hard-working and creative people. In this cynical world that can harden eventhe greatest optimist, the citizens of Iowa continue to believe." -President Mason.

“Iowansare pragmatic and balanced, and they live within their means. This lifestyle,while not glitzy, is humble and true and can weather the most difficult oftimes.” -President Mason.

"One’s reputation and word are understood to be his or her most valued attributes. As a result, people cultivate a sense of fairness, cooperation, and humility. These values are exactly what you find in the hundreds of small towns in Iowa, which are the moral fabric of our state. " -President Mason.

I am proud to call my Iowa my home and glad my Iowa baby will be raised in a wonderful, hardworking, caring community.

Our happy girl

2011-12-14T22:16:00.001-06:00

Ready for dinner!

Ainsley when you are looking at your baby book when you are a teenager, know that your parents did make you meals at home...we are just a little busy right now, so we eat out more than we eat in.

Fully belly! She is one happy girl!

Christmas for a family of 7

2011-12-13T09:12:00.003-06:00

Miss Ainsley eating some oranges--her favorite!

Ryan and I are helping our friends from church sponsor a Christmas dinner and family fun night on Saturday for local families that need a little help in providing a great Christmas for their families.

I heard of this family yesterday and we were excited to help them with Christmas. If any of our local friends see this post and want to help us by sponsoring one of these kids--just email me or comment on the blog below. One of my co-workers heard we were doing this and she is going to sponsor the 11 year old girl and is really excited to be apart of this, so I thought others might want to help too.

We get to meet the family and have dinner with them on Saturday--we can't wait!
(SPONSORED) Girl- likes board games, arts and crafts, earrings and headbands

Boy- age 6- sports, games, action figures
Boy-age 5- games, action figures, cars and trucks
Twin girls- age 4- VERY girly. they love dress up clothes, barbie dolls, anything girly! :)

Girl- age 2- she loves baby dolls, barbies, books, pretty much anything

Mom--she didn't list any needs/wants for herself, but I'm sure we can find some goodies that she would like too!