A List of Firsts

Kohl has dominated the game of life the last few weeks and experienced a number of its pleasures for the first time.  He has discovered new family members erstwhile unknown, he has made new friends and he has enjoyed a number of new experiences, from his first Mardi Gras to his first shrimp poboy.  (No, he cannot eat solid food yet, but his mommy had a shrimp poboy from Parkway Bakery that Kohl undoubtedly later enjoyed in the form of poboy-flavored breast milk).

Here are several pictures documenting his exciting journey of the last few weeks:

Kohl takes a look at a giant Blue Dog and wonders, like the rest of us, what the big fuss is.
After being moderately entertained for one parade, Kohl was fast asleep in time for Bacchus, caring little about seeing Will Ferrell.  He too is of the view that Will Ferrell has not made a funny movie since his immortal performance in “Anchorman.”
Kohl and his friend Owen are intrigued with one another, and Kohl looks forward to when his friend moves back to New Orleans after a brief hiatus in Washington state.
He has no clue what this delicious shrimp poboy is that sits on top of him, but he will certainly enjoy it later in its more convenient breast milk form.
Like their dads, Kohl and Jack William (aka “J-Dubbs””) bonded instantly over a mutual love for the New Orleans Saints.  Unable yet to yell “Who Dat” while invading J-Dubbs’s personal space, Kohl uses the “Touchdown” signal to indicate his prediction that the 2012-2013 squad will have an even more prolific offense that will average 247 points a game and bring a second Lombardi to New Orleans while at home in the dome.
Unable to visit the tiny man in the NICU, Kohl’s cousins Tripp and Ellie finally meet him for the first time.  The feeling is mutual as Kohl is thrilled to meet the authors of the numerous works of art that decorated his room at the NICU.
Bearing an expression that shows a mixture of joy and almost paralyzing fear, Uncle Alex (the young, hip uncle) gets to hold his nephew for the first time.


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It’s Good To Be King

Merriam Webster defines the term “swagger” as “arrogant or conceitedly self-assured behavior,” an “ostentatious display or bravado,” and/or a “self confident outlook.”  With all due respect to Noah Webster and the Merriam brothers, those explanations fall woefully short of defining swagger.

This, friends, is swagger:

Modeling what may be the greatest baby outfit ever made, young Kohl exudes confidence in his miniature Tiger Tux.

In keeping with his new-found confidence and swagger, Kohl’s reign over Chateau du Chrestman has continued in earnest.  His energy peaks between the hours of 2 – 5 am, and he sleeps peacefully the rest of the time, plotting the most amusing ways to torment his minions – a.k.a. Mom and Dad.  Some of his favorite methods of torture include “the binky dance” in which he sucks on his pacifier until it falls out, then wails until Mom or Dad places it back in his mouth.  He finds that this game is most amusing during the twilight hours.  Other favorites include a competitive diaper-filling contest to see how many diapers Dad can change in a 2-hour period when he arrives home from work and holding it until the very last minute just after he gets swaddled to unleash his bowels.  Simply hilarious!

Realizing that Mom and Dad do need an amusing respite, however, he does indulge them by doing cute things in his sleep.  He does The Thinking Man (or The Tebow), quasi-smiling, taking a nap on Dad’s chest and doing his best Al Bundy impression.

While not acting as the benevolent dictator of Chateau du Chrestman, Kohl spends time going to doctor’s appointments.  It will be another several weeks before he has another EEG, and we plan to have a second MRI done eventually.  For now, the only way to gauge his progress is by observation.  As mentioned above, he has imposed his will on the Chrestman family very quickly, and he is very alert.  He is even starting to hold his head up as he is doing here.

 These are all excellent signs.



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Vacation Begins

Mom is exhausted and Dad is pretty tired.  But Kohl is exceptionally well-rested.  Having grown weary of the highly-regimented schedule at Children’s Hospital, Kohl much prefers the amenities offered by Chateau du Chrestman, the finest B&B in town.  There are complimentary walks in City Park, plenty of different lighting to be fascinated by, vibrating chairs that play cool music and the best part . . .  a 24-hour buffet in which he can take as much (or as little) as he wants, WHENEVER he wants.  This place is paradise.  Maybe one day, he will be appreciative of the hard-working staff at the Chateau.  But probably not any time soon.  Until then, he will enjoy customer service at its finest.

“All reality shows.  TV really has gone down the tubes.  Dad, I can’t reach the remote, so come change the channel.  And be quick about it.”
“This creature smells a bit like my dirty diapers.  But I do fancy her.”
Tummy time.  Not bad


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