Mommy Monday

Baby Dedication

This was a very special weekend for our family.  Sunday morning at Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake, we were part of the Baby Dedication ceremony.  Much of our family was able to attend and support us in this act of obedience to God's Word.  For those of you wondering, a dedication is not a baptism service...this will come later if/when Cooper makes the decision to surrender his life to the Lord.  The dedication service is about the commitment Richard and I are making by God's grace -

-to recognize that Cooper is God’s gift to us for a season;

-to raise Cooper in a Christian home;

-to train him the discipline and instruction of the Lord;

-to through our words and actions encourage him to one day trust Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord

 

As believers we are called to recognize that Cooper belongs first and foremost to God. God in His goodness gave Cooper as a gift to us. We not only have the awesome responsibility of caring for this gift, but also the wonderful privilege of enjoying His gift. Because Cooper belongs to God and was given by grace as a gift to us, it is only proper and appropriate that he be dedicated back to God. So Sunday morning,  Richard and I and our families presented Coop before God and our church, asking for grace and wisdom to carrying out our responsibilities. And to pray he might one day trust Jesus Christ as Savior for the forgiveness of sin.

 

Raising our child in the Lord was something that Richard and I committed to before we even started the adoption process.  So making this pledge in front of our church family was really just a way for us to proclaim publicly our already intentions.  For me the most meaningful part of the service was when our church family was asked to stand and commit to encourage Richard and I to be faithful to God, to assist us as we teach and train Cooper according to God’s Word, and most of all that they would pray for Coop, that God would show him favor and draw him to Himself, that he would one day repent of sin and place his hope and trust in Jesus Christ, through whom we have forgiveness of sins.  How awesome to know that we have the support of our Body helping and guiding and praying with us for our little guy!!

 

The Lord is faithful and during my time with Hime this week I was reminded of when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her "For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:37-38).  May I remember to be a servant to the Lord in the years to come...

 

In keeping with his regular style...here are a few of the pictures I took Sunday morning...

 

Hey...

Arrhh Matey...

Open mouth...

Hey what's that over there...


After 15 tries I finally got this one of him and Daddy...


 

What did I do to deserve the 2 cutest guys in the whole world?!?

 

Mommy Monday

One GREAT Morning...

This morning I knew that I wasn't taking Cooper anywhere too early.  So we got to do one of my favorite things...sleep in together.  Cooper slept straight through past 6 am and then started to fuss.  Richard was in the shower so I crawled out of bed and brought Coop in to cuddle with me.  By the time Richard finished Coop was getting hungry, so Daddy came and got him for his breakfast bottle.  After his bottle Richard brought him back in to me for some more cuddle time.  I wasn't sure if he would fall back to sleep, but after not too long his thumb went in and he went sound asleep.  So I took the liberty to fall asleep right along with him :).  We both slept til after 9 am.  What a nice way to start a long crazy holiday week!!  Probably later in the week we will take an afternoon nap together - hopefully he enjoys it as much as I do...

PS...for all the worried moms and grandmas out there, I have a cervical pillow with one core on each side.  That is where Coop sleeps in the big bed so that he can't role out and I can't role onto him.

Tardy Tuesday

The Outtakes

Not sure about your kids, but Cooper is not fond of us taking pictures of him!  In order for us to get one good picture, we usually have to take 5 or 10 or 15 shots.  Because we have so many of them, I decided I would share some...



Eyes closed and lots o drool



Droopy eyes

Hey...what's that over there



Mitten in mouth even though Mom just pulled it out







What? I was supposed to look at the camera?

Half a cry

Oooooo what's down there?!?

Hi Grandpa...

Ooooo look there's my foot

Wonder what's over there



My cousins looked but I saw something more interesting!





Hey Dad what's that on the TV

 

Not sure I like pumpkins :-b





You wanted the top of my head, right?



Could I look any more HUGE!

 



 

I moved everything...



Please don't take anymore pictures!!!!!





finger in nose



hand in front of face



stay still...impossible!



Yo, can you put that in my mouth



 



Haha...moved my hand



There were many more along the way...usually we delete most of them.  I think I will keep more in the future and give you another set of outtakes sometime soon :)

Mommy Monday

SQUASH...

After a long day at work I was excited to pick up Cooper and get home tonight.  Right before we left Grandpa and Grandma's house I could tell he was getting hungry.  We left quick because tonight was his first night for squash :).  Mind you, we have been feeding him baby food for the past couple weeks and haven't come across any flavors that he doesn't like yet!  We have done peas and green beans and pears all to his liking!!  Ps - I do not like green beans at all and it really pained me to feed them to him, but he liked them.  So on to squash - another of the very few veggies that I'm not crazy about.  Well Grandpa and Grandma Ruiter, Grandma Hulst, Aunt Christy, and Cousin Andrew will all be proud to know that Cooper is a fan!!  Check it out...

Some on is face and bib, but most goes into the tummy

Just one bite left and in went the thumb



Finished that last bite :)



Not sure I'm supposed to be playing with this spoon Mommy...



 

but I really like it!!







 As tired as I was, just a few minutes with my little guy and I was giggling and my heart was little again <3





Dad's Day

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow already. I'm in awe of how fast time is going and that our little Cooper is 19 weeks old already. This may come as a shock, but I'm THANKFUL for my beautiful wife and our son Cooper. This has been an amazing 19 weeks and I thank God for all he has done for us and provided through and to our family and friends!  From our family to yours have a Very Happy Thanksgvining!

Mommy Monday

Happy Thanksgiving Week

Our family has a very BIG little blessing to be thankful for as we gather around our Thanksgiving dinner tables this year!!  I thought I would share the pictures that we have on our Thanksgiving card...

 

 Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Love the Tease Forever Family

2 Corinthians 9:15

Dad's Day

As I sit here and write my blog post, Cooper is trying ever so hard to reach his foot into his mouth. He doesn't know the law of physics yet...his leg is too short and his thigh is too large to get his foot that close to his mouth. That still hasn't stopped him from trying and getting "mad" in the process. In the last few minutes he has gotten the tip of his sock in his hand, and is pulling it towards his mouth. Come to think of it, I have the same problem...legs too short and thighs too large to get my foot in my mouth. :) Cooper has seen a few ladies his age at church who can pull this off and I think he's trying too keep up. <-- Funny!

I love Wednesday's because Cooper and I get to spend so much time together. During the rest of the week it's come home from work, play with Cooper, eat dinner, play a little more, bathtime, PJ's, bottle, and off to bed. So Wednesdays are the mid-week day to relax with my son...and I love every minute of it. Today was going along smooth and Coop and I were relaxing as Dad was finishing eating his lunch and the Coopster had a meltdown. I was trying to figure why he was unhappy and then Candice called and heard him fussing. Whenever Cooper hears his Mom's voice on the phone, his eyes get really big and he can't figure out where it's coming from. So, after a minute of talking and his unhappiness getting louder, I had to hang up and talk my little guy down. Candice called back a minute later and was giving Dad tips on what might be wrong. It's been a few days since he had pooped a good one (yep I said poop) and she suggested a few things. So we hung up and I got up and noticed his shirt was wet and so was mine? We got to his room and I started to check his diaper and realized that we no longer have to wonder when he will poop because his whole underside and back have exploded gooooooop from his diaper. At this point I have to strip him down and give him a bath and I got the joy of changing my own clothes too! After we got all cleaned up he started to melt down again and I knew he was hungry. I made him a bottle and about half way through he falls asleep and then there was....wait for it...quiet!!

That my friends is the pleasure of being a dad, father, and someone who loves his child more than words can describe. Even when the day doesn't go your way and you get pooped on, it's still a great day to be Cooper's Dad! All it takes is one look into his little brown eyes and you will be hooked forever!

Have a great poop-free week! 

Mommy Monday

Lessons Learned

Being new parents there are a lot of lessons learned along the way...

Like... you can no longer stay out past 7:00 pm because the baby knows when it is time to be home in pjs and getting ready for bed...we learned this one a couple times over!!

Or, don't wait too long between feeding because when the baby is screaming it is much harder to make the bottle and he does have the ability to suck so hard the nipple with turn inside out!!

And, always keep the diaper on when you start wiping down in the morning because that first hit with the wash cloth is enough to make him have to pee :)

These are all good things to know...

So, this week I learned that a #1 guard on the hair clippers is too short for a baby going into winter!  My intention was to just take a little off the top because his hair was starting to get a little crazy up there.  Unfortunately, it essentially turned into a scalping.  Looks like we are going to be needing all of those hats I posted about a couple weeks ago...

Before



After...

ps...Great Grandma hasn't seen his head yet...so let's all hope that I am still here to post again next Monday!!

Mommy Monday

Meet Cooper's new "friend"...Sophie la giraffe...

Once Upon a time, a simple story...
The Little giraffe was born on the 25th of May in the year 1961. St Sophie's day! In those days, the only animal toys available were farm animals or pet figures. That is why one day in France, a certain Monsieur RAMPEAU, who was an expert in transforming sap from the HEVEA tree using the rotational molding of rubber as a toy-making concept, came up with the idea of designing a giraffe.

Such an exotic wildlife figure would be a first on the market, and its size and shape would be ideal for a baby's small hands to grasp. Sophie the Giraffe, who looked exactly the same then as she does today, went into production on a Thursday, May 25th, whence her name. She was an immediate success.

Young mothers straightaway saw that she was a must for their children when the first signs of teething appear, Sophie the Giraffe helps baby stop crying!  By simple word of mouth, the little Giraffe's fame spread.  From then on in Europe, generation upon generation of children were to love hearing Sophie squeak whenever they pressed her tummy and head! Vulli, a company based in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie Region of France has continued to keep the jealously-guarded secret of how this wonder toy is made.SOPHIE is still "traditionally" produced to this day, a process that involves more than 14 manual operations. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree.


Why is Sophie such a huge success? Sophie the Giraffe is BABY;S FIRST TOY, stimulating EACH OF HIS SENSES from the age of 3 months:

*Sight:
At the age of 3 months, a baby's eyesight is still limited and he can only make out high contrasts. The Dark and contrasting attention-catching spots all over Sophie the Giraffe's body provide visual stimulation and she soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object for baby.



*Hearing:Sophie the Giraffe's squeaker keeps baby amused and stimulates his hearing. To begin with, the funny sound Sophie makes when she is squeezed helps to stimulate baby's hearing, and then later, helps him to understand the link between cause and effect.

 

*Taste:
Sophie the Giraffe is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint, and is completely safe to chew, just like a feeding bottle teat. Her soft texture and numerous chewable parts (ears, horns, legs), make her perfect for soothing baby's sore gums during teething.

*Touch:
Touch is the first means a baby has of communicating with the outside world. Sophie the Giraffe's soft feel, like baby's mother's skin, stimulates physiological and emotional response that soothe baby and promote healthy growth and well-being.

*Smell:
The singular scent of natural rubber from the Hevea tree makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for your child to identify amid all his other toys.

*Easy to grip:
Sophie the Giraffe's shape and 18 cm (7 inches) size are perfect for baby's small hands. She is very light, and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip, even from his earliest days.

Still the same, even after more than 50 years.
She hasn't dated in the slightest.

More than 30 million Sophies have been sold...

She is an undisputed star for the very young. The archetypal embodiment of the early learning toy,
Sophie the Giraffe is a must-have who enjoys widespread popularity and is genuinely loved by every parent and child. Sophie the Giraffe has become timeless and cross-generational.

COOPER NEEDED HER!

**this simple little story is on the box of every Sophie la Giraffe