Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Comments

For those of you who have previously tried to comment and had issues, this should be resolved.  There was a setting that needed to be changed....so comment away!!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Mommy Monday

More adventures today for Cooper and Mommy (and Donkey)...

This morning, Cooper had his second well child visit with Dr. Martin.  Richard and I have been wondering how much weight he had gained...I knew he had grown because all the newborn clothes have been added to a container for his new cousin - (this week baby lemon) that is growing in Aunt Ashley's belly.  And now all of the 0-3 month clothes are starting to fit snug :)  So here is the results - Mr. Cooper is now 23 inches long (100 percentile) and 11 pounds 7.5 ounces (97.69 percentile) - big guy!!



Next we took in the Coast Guard Parade of Ships...that is watching the big ships coming into the channel.  There were only 3, but Cooper thoroughly enjoyed his time outside!



Until next week - Enjoy!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Dad's Day - Postponed

Hi Friends...

For those of you who don't know, Richard is out of town on business this week.  Cooper and I dropped him off at the airport on Monday and he will be back in town tomorrow.  When we dropped him off and got ready to leave, I cried...of course I always miss him when he is gone, but this time was different.  This time I knew that he was going to miss home terribly!

I've been doing my best to send him love over text messages and phone calls, but it is just not the same :(

So the Dad's Day post is postponed until tomorrow...

Until then - here is a little picture of Cooper napping with Great Grandpa...

Monday, July 23, 2012

Mommy Monday

Meet Donkey...

Mommy Monday is back around again...so hard to believe that tomorrow Cooper will be 2 weeks old already!!

Today we want to introduce you to Donkey.  Donkey is a stuffed animal that we purchased for Cooper.  We also purchased a "Donkey" for Cooper's birthmom, Sophia, and her family.  Our plan is to take lots of pictures of Cooper and Donkey together and then share them with Soph and Vikki and their family.  That way they can watch him grow in comparison and keep up on all our adventures. 

Check out a few pictures that we took of him with both Donkeys before we sent #2 to Sophia.


My mom just got into town and tomorrow she is planning to take all the grandkids (Hailey and Noah and Cooper) to the zoo (the mommy's get to go too).  So, I think we will take Donkey with us and take some pictures.  Then we can share :)  So keep your eyes open for Donkey in future posts...

Friday, July 20, 2012

Hiccups, Hair Swirls, and Hand Grenades...

Today I have decided to share three fun facts about Cooper...

First, he seems to get the hiccups very frequently!  The doctor told us that is normal, as his diaphram continues to grow it will spasm - thus hiccups.  I think it is super cute - but Richard and my grandma just feel sorry for him.  They really don't seem to bother him - check out this video...


Second, he has a swirl in his hair right in the front.  It is going to be a really large cowlick.  The fun part about this is that Cooper's cousin, Isley (Sophia's nephew) has the same cowlick just on the other side of his forehead.  Isley is almost 3-years old and is the life of the party.  He came to visit Cooper while we were in the hospital.  Soph's sister, Stephanie, brought him in and said "look it's your cousin Cooper" - to which he responded "Ahhh no...my cousin is Collin" - you see Isley already has cousin named Collin, but he wasn't so sure Cooper was reallllly his cousin.  Steph told him "yes you have a cousin named Collin, but this is also your cousin Cooper, he was in Abi's belly" (don't you love that he calls Aunt Sophia - Abi)...but Isley was still not convinced.  Isley is having a baby sister named Eva Jo - so he told us some about her and he gave Richard a high five and Richard and he talked about little sisters pinching and biting.  Then he was ready to leave - but the best part was when he said to me "I really like your baby" - my heart just melted!!  So you see, I hope Cooper has more in common with his cousin Isley than just his hair swirl...


Finally, on to hand grenades.  The way this boy sleeps sometimes, I am convinced he could sleep through one going off.  Ok, well maybe not a hand grenade, but he sleeps through the vacuum, the Tiger's game on TV, his cousins, Hailey and Noah, rough housing with his Mommy, and on and on and on...

Such a sleepy peanut!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Belly Buttons and Bath Time




Overnight Tuesday night Cooper lost his umbilical cord stump - that means he has a brand new belly button!!  It is still settling down, but I was super excited (I know Mady and Andrew will love to know that I saved the stump...just like my big toenail that came off about 10-year ago!!)

Because the cord was gone, Mommy and Daddy got to give Cooper a full on bath on Wednesday morning.  He really enjoyed himself - LOVES having his hair washed!!  Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed bath time :)


Before
During
After

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Daddy's Day

If you're keeping track or have noticed, I missed a Daddy's Day post last week due to a very very important day in our lives. Last Tuesday night Cooper James came into the world at 11:51pm! Needless to say this has been the most amazing week of my life and also the most tiring. I can't believe how much I love this little guy! He's just been a perfect baby...he doesn't even cry unless he's hungry or is just having a hard time finding his thumb.

Someone told me that the moment I see and hold him that the love is no different than if Candice had carried him for 9-months. This is so true, the love that I have for my son is undescribable and everytime I see him, I just want to hold him and never let go.  A special thanks goes out to his birthmom, Sophia, for caring for him so well over the past 9-months!!

Our week has been very interesting in learning a new routine, having family and friends come over, and going to visit people as well. I must say how blessed we are with the family we have. Grandma Hulst & Grandma Ruiter have been amazing in supporting us and loving on the newest addition to our family. I think this little boy has been kissed at least a million times since he arrived just 8 days ago. I want to say "Thank you" to all who have expressed love and prayers and have supplied meals for my family. Candice and I both have amazing families, amazing friends, and a wonderful church family.

I can hardly believe it's been 8 days since Cooper was born, where has the time gone?  I look forward to every day I have with him and each evening at 6:00 pm I'm so excited to leave work and get home to see Cooper and Candice.

I think I hear crying in my sleep...Is that possible??

Proud new Daddy :)

Monday, July 16, 2012

Mommy Monday

Hi friends - I thought that today I would continue to tell you Cooper's birth story...but then we had such a big day.  So I will tell you about that instead.

Today we took our third big outing.  I know at 6 days old you must be wondering where we are taking him.  Well - on Saturday we made a run to Target to exchange all our Pampers for Huggies (personal choice - I just fell in love with them at the hospital).  Then we made our way to Grandpa and Grandma Hulst's so that I could rest while Cooper and Daddy hung out.  Outing #2 was Sunday - we made it to church.  That was so good for my soul - we worshiped and were there for the sermon and Cooper slept through it all.  After service we got to show him off and hung out a little with the Helms clan before we headed to Great Grandpa and Grandma's for dinner and a nap (for all of us...).

So on to today - Cooper had his first well baby visit at the doctor.  Dr Martin said that Cooper is doing GREAT!!  He weighs 9 pounds 14 ounces - that is 4 ounces over his birth weight :) such a big guy.  That puts him in the 95th percentile.  Dr Martin checked his circumcision which has healed up really well (thankful that we no longer have to cake it with vasaline at every diaper change).  He also checked his heart, lungs, ears, and eyes - everything checked out...

Since we were already out we decided to visit the bank to see some of my co-workers and then we visited Bekins to visit Daddy's co-workers.  Let me tell you Cooper is a chick magnet.  All the girls at Bekins oogled over him.  Daddy was so proud.  After that I took him to Target - we had one last package of Pampers to return and we are already over half way through the first container of formula.  I also got a mirror for the car so that I can get a good look at him while we are touring around.

By the time we got home we were both worn out.  So Cooper had a bottle and then we had a little nap until dad got home.  Ever since we have been talking and playing and just loving on our little guy.  When we got him home from the hospital, we started to read him The Jesus Storybook Bible.  So he just finished 4 ounces and Daddy read him the story of the Fall - so thankful that at the end of each "chapter" there is a reminder of our Saviour!

Here are a couple pictures of reading time...

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Cooper's Birth Story

We have had so many people ask about his birth story that we decided this would be a good place to share...

I, Candice, went to a doctor with Sophia and Vikki and Ethan on Tuesday morning at 9:45 am.  They put Sophia and Cooper on a monitor to read his heart rate and her contractions.  Normally the mom only has to be monitored around 20 minutes.  However, Cooper wasn't being cooperative.  His heart rate was really good and steady but they wanted to see how his heart rate was affected when he moved around...and he wasn't moving too much.  The nurse tried this little shock device that vibrated and made a noice.  She told us it would make him jump and when she let it off it made me jump :)  They also gave her some apple juice to get him moving.  After about an hour they finally got the readings they wanted.  Sophia had several contractions while being monitored.  It was quite interesting to be there.

It was a busy day for the mid wive's office.  There was one working the office and the other was working labor and delivery because they had 3 moms in labor.  So at first they weren't going to check Sophia's progress but she specifically asked.  So Vikki and Ethan and I went to the waiting room.  When she came out she was still only dilated to 2cm.  But the mid wife did a procedure that is known to help labor along if the mom and baby are both ready called stripping the membrane (if you have questions go ahead and google it).

Around noon we left the office and I went back to work.  I was hopeful for Sophia's sake and ours that the little procedure would work.  Well, around 3:30 I received a call from Vikki that she was going home from work because Soph was having some hard contractions about 3 minutes apart.  I went home to get our bags packed and waited.  By 5:30 I received a text from Vikki that they were in the hospital and Soph was already dilated to 5.  With things moving along, Richard and I decided to make our way to the hospital.  We got there around 6:10 and waited for awhile in the waiting room.  We got a quick visit from Vikki and Soph's sister, Stephanie.  Soph was doing pretty good but the contractions were coming hard.  It wasn't too long before she needed an epidural.  Once they administered this, we were able to visit her for a few minutes.

After a quick visit, the hospital showed us down the hall to the last room that was available.  We were told that we could stay there as long as they didn't have another mom come in.  Richard ran out and got us dinner and we were able to relax.  Because we weren't sure if we could stay I waited until 10:00 pm and went down to ask the nurse if it was ok to lay in the bed.  After getting the go ahead I layed down for a short time before we heard a knock on the door.  It was Stephanie letting us know that they were going to let Soph start pushing.  We told her to let us know when and if Soph wanted us to come in.  Just a few minutes later she had us sneak down just inside the door and we had the joy of hearing him come into the world at 11:51 pm.  We prayed and I cried listening to Sophia struggle to gift us with this little life.  What an amazing experience.  We learned later that he was in there slightly twisted and that made it quite a struggle.  We will never be able to thank her enough for our Cooper.

As soon as he was in the world we got to see him - cue more tears - and Nurse Heidi brought him down to our room.  He was only under the warming light for a few minutes while she cleaned him up and checked all his vitals and then she weighed him.  We knew he was a big guy - but 9 pounds 10 ounces was quite a surprise.  Then to find out he was 21.5 inches long we were all in wonder of where he found space in that little belly.  After all the checking and a couple of shots we were able to hold him - cue many smiles.



So that is the beginning of the story - we will post more again soon!
Here is our little guy sound asleep tonight - such a good baby!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Picture Time...


For those of you who haven't heard yet...Cooper is HERE!!  It's been such a joy and such an adjustment.  God is GREAT and greatly to be praised!  More to come, but for know we just wanted to post pictures for all to see.

That's right - 9 pounds 10 ounces
      








Nurse Heidi gave me my first bath

Love to have my hair washed and I have a lot of it
My first bottle by Daddy - love him
After that I found my thumb
Special Mommy time

Special visitors- that is my birthmom Sophia's grandpa and he made some clicking noises with his mouth while he was holding me which I really liked.  The lady in the purple shirt is Sophia's mom - Vikki and that is her friend Darcy who also came to visit.

This is my birth father's mom - Angela - she visited with my Mom and Dad for awhile - thanks for coming.

 
This is my Grandpa and Grandma Hulst - they took lots of pictures to share with all their friends.  I already know they love me sooooo much!!

This is my great grandma Dorothy - my mom calls her the baby whisperer - we got to have some cuddle time today - we are going to get along just fine.  This picture makes it look like she has a halo - my mom says she is definitely a gift from God!
 
This is my great grandpa Ken - at first he said he would wait to hold me until I got bigger but he couldn't resist me!

Aunt Amanda and Cousin Noah

Cousins!!
Mom...what did you do with my thumb??
Yay - going home at 9 pounds 6 ounces

This is Uncle Bob - my dad says he is a baby whisperer - we are going to get along GREAT!

Cousins Mady
and
Andrew


Aunt Ashley - she held me but Uncle Chris says he will wait a bit :)
Great Grandpa and Grandma Veldhuis came to visit today and it was love at first sight!


We had a bunch of other visitors that my mom and dad weren't able to get pictures of but they will share my birth story sometime real soon!!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Mommy Monday's

So I have been telling Richard all weekend that if Cooper did not arrive this was going to be my post for today..."Cooper is not here, that is all - Thank You - Goodbye"

As much as that seems appropriate, I've decided to put in a little more effort...

Here we are 2 days past his due date and he is still content to stay in Sophia's belly.  Notice that I said that he is content, I don't think any of the rest of us are.  The waiting is starting to get excruitating - especially since he has been measuring big all along and the medical professionals were all convinced he would come early.  Everyone is so anxious that it's getting slightly overwhelming.  I'm trying my best to give Sophia her space, but it's hard - especially since there are so many people inquiring of us.  Every time I get a text my heart flutters hoping it is Sophia or Vikki, but up until now it is usually someone asking for an update - or Richard asking my if Cooper has called :)

I was reminded today by a very dear friend of Psalm 46:10
- "Be STILL and know that I am God,
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

I'm doing my best! 

Soph has an appointment tomorrow with her mid wife.  They will check her out and also monitor Cooper since she is now past her due date.  Wednesday there is another ultrasound scheduled and then another appointment with the mid wife on Friday.  We will see what the Lord has in store for the week and do our best to keep the blog updated... 

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Our Adoption Journey – to be continued

After this momentous day we continued to stay in contact with Vikki and Sophia.  They have been so gracious to include us in Sophia’s doctor visits and ultrasound appointment and kept us up on how she has been feeling.  One of my favorite moments was right after one of her doctor appointments when little Cooper had the hiccups.  You could literally see her belly jumping with every single hiccup.  At Vikki’s invitation I cautiously made my way a couple steps across the waiting room to feel him move.  I never want to impose on a pregnant woman’s personal space so I had yet to really feel her belly.  What an awesome experience – he hiccuped/jumped right under my hand.  I could have just cried but got a great big smile instead.  God was blessing me with things that I had grieved just months earlier…I got to feel and see this baby growing in his birth mom’s tummy J.

That pretty much brings us to present day and today is Cooper's due date.  Soon enough you will be reading that he has arrived.  We hope you have enjoyed reading about our journey but this is just the beginning, so stay on board as we follow God’s path. - Matthew 7:13-14

Friday, July 6, 2012

Our Adoption Journey - Part 9

Sharing –

It was time to share with the world that we were in a relationship with a birth mom who had our “maybe baby” growing in her belly.  My first stop was to share with my BFF, “Auntie” Crystal…I knew she wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement because she and “Uncle” Lee had been part of our prayer warrior team since the beginning of this journey.  Next I made several phone calls and texts to share with family and friends.  After Richard got home from work we made a trip to tell his parents in person…next time you see Richard’s mom ask her about her reaction, it was CLASSIC!  Aunt Heather and Uncle David were there and Great Grandma and Grandpa Norm also came to congratulate us.  My phone was exploding with text messages.  All around us we could feel the excitement of caring people who had been praying and hoping with us for over a year. 
The name Cooper actually came from that night at Richard’s parents.  I already liked Javin and Richard sort of liked Joshua, but we had yet to agree.  He started an internet search for boy names and while we were making fun of all the crazy names on the list we came across Cooper.  Everyone seemed to like it and even though my mom pushed Parker for awhile J Cooper stuck!!

 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
(John 14:13 ESV)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Our Adoption Journey - Part 8

Guarding your heart in times of excitement is hard.  We kept things under wraps and only asked a few close friends and family members to pray for us.  Every week we sent Sophia or Ethan a text message to keep up to date.  Not too long after we met them they were able to tell Sophia’s mom, Vikki.  By that time Sophia was pretty set in her decision, but as any good mom would, Vikki, asked her a lot of questions about other options.  Along the way Sophia continued to be assuring that all was well and that she was firm in her commitment to this adoption plan.  But as hard as it was not to share our excitement it was even harder to accept this assurance and accept this truth.  That is until we finally were able to talk to Vikki. 
She called out of the blue on April 27th to invite us to Sophia’s first ultrasound that day.  I talked to her for quite awhile on the phone and we planned to meet at the hospital at 3:00 for the ultrasound appointment.  As it turned out – this was another part in God’s plan – the ultrasound appointment wasn’t until 4:00…He gave us an hour to sit in the lobby and get to know each other.  Not only were we able to meet Vikki, but also Sophia’s sister, Stephanie, and her little boy, Sophia’s 2 year old nephew (the life of the party J).  It was a time for questions and fellowship and helping Richard & I to realize this was a real possibility. 
Then we got to go into the ultrasound appoint with Ethan and Sophia – we saw little Cooper for the first time, his heart beating, his kidney’s, his fingers and toes, his face – eyes, nose, mouth and all, and then the tech showed us the “turtle” sign letting us know he was a BOY. Let me tell you I was excited – I was praying in that moment telling God that I would love this baby either way but I really wanted a boy and I found out later that Richard was also praying that he would love this baby either way but knew that I wanted a boy – what a sweet moment!! After the ultrasound Sophia generously shared all of the photos and the little video clips with us. We could hardly wait to leave the hospital to share him with the world…
 For you formed my inward parts;
  you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
 Wonderful are your works;
  my soul knows it very well.
 My frame was not hidden from you,
 when I was being made in secret,
  intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
 in your book were written, every one of them,
  the days that were formed for me,
  when as yet there was none of them.
(Psalm 139:13-16 ESV)



Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Dad's Day

It's July 4th and Cooper isnt here yet. I have to admit, I was looking forward to the possibility of a July 4th baby. Who wouldn't like to say they get fireworks for their birthday every year? I would also be able to tell him (til he's old enough to relize or somone tells) that these fireworks are just for you! Cooper can come any day says the doctor, I just wish it was today.

As I walk by his empty room it's hard to imagine that soon we will have a little boy who will call this his room for many years to come. That room has been many things over the years, but mostly just storage. If you have read through our journey that Candice has been posting about you know that we have never prevented having children. We always thought someday this little storage room will be a nursery, we just didn't think it would be 11 years later. But I also know that our God works in His time and not on mine.

As I think about how old I will be when Cooper graduates high school or someday gets married I will be the old guy and people might ask "is this your grandfather?". Thank goodness God has blessed me with a baby face and maybe they will say "is this your brother?". I can dream, right?

As I sit here looking outside on what will be a very hot day, I must say how blessed I feel with all the family and friends that have supported us through prayer and thoughts along our journey. Soon this portion will be closed when he comes and a new chapter will open. That's when the work begins for us in making sure we raise Cooper in a Godly home, chasing after Jesus, and that mean I need to lead by example. This is my greatest challange in making sure I'm consistent in my walk with the Lord.

I'm very thankful for our church and all the great examples in the fathers there that I can lean on when I will need advice or just somone to talk too. I  know the men in my small group will be a great source of knowledge and prayer when needed. I thank you in advance as I know that I will ask often and need that shoulder to lean on. Our God is GOOD in how He puts just the right people in your life when you need them. This is my plug for a small group, they are the BEST!

Hopefully next week I will be talking about how tired I am from the late night feedings!!

Jeremiah 29:11

Our Adoption Journey - Part 7

Ethan left a message on my cell phone that night and I returned his call the next morning.  We played phone tag, but ended up texting to set up a time to meet Friday afternoon.  Before the meeting I was able to send him a copy of our big profile (one that I created outside of the agency with all the pictures and words that we really wanted!!)  We decided to meet at Great Harvest Bread Company downtown Grand Haven.  Although this was neutral territory, it is a place that Richard and I frequent and is owned by friends so we knew it would be comfortable and quiet right after school let out. 

Let’s be honest Richard and I were very nervous.  But then Ethan and Sophia walked in and it was obvious that they were even more nervous than we were.  This really eased my nerves as I tried to make them feel comfortable to ask us questions and talk about the baby.  I’m sure I talked the most because I tend to do that, but Richard got a few comments in too (he’s really better at loving on me with a touch of his hand or a smile or a rub on my back while I talk J).  But both Ethan and Sophia got in a number of great questions and Sophia expressed her thanks for being able to review our profile prior to meeting us. 

It was at this meeting that we found out that although he already cared for Sophia deeply, Ethan was not the father of the baby…and that her mom did not yet know about the pregnancy.  As excited as we were leaving this meeting at the possibility of adopting the baby that was growing in her tummy, we were also cautious and guarding our hearts to the possibility that this wasn’t God’s plan but just a jog in the journey.

Proverbs 4:23

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Our Adoption Journey - Part 6

Then in March of 2012 our wait got more interesting.  On March 7th I received a call from a close friend, Mary Wisen.  Mary is the Children’s Ministry Director at our church (for those of you who don’t know…this is the lady that I told “I don’t do kids” and then she roped me into helping her with some administrative things and I have been loving my work with the kids for 2+ years).  Anyway, Mary’s husband Calvin is the Youth Pastor at our church and they are both involved in the Youth Group.  Several weeks before, one of the attendees had approached Mary to help talk to one of her friends whose girlfriend had just found out she was pregnant. 

Mary started conversing with Ethan and in there conversations she mentioned adoption and how there are so many caring couples waiting to adopt and in fact she had friends who were in the process.  The next time they talked Ethan let Mary know that he was fairly certain that Sophia wanted to place this baby but how could they ensure that he or she would be placed with a loving home like she talked about, like her friends.  Mary promptly told him that she could help them ensure that the baby went to her friends – US!  When I received the call from Mary, I have to be honest that I was a little skeptical.  We had never envisioned that we would locate our own birth mom or really that she would find us…we always thought this news would come through the agency.  So Mary asked permission to relay our contact information to Ethan – we agreed and waited on pins and needles for his call…

 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
  neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
  so are my ways higher than your ways
  and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)

Monday, July 2, 2012

Mommy Monday's

Nope - Cooper still isn't here!
But I've been doing some thinking the past couple of days.  Yesterday it really hit me that it is going to be somewhat strange to have him here with us instead of in Sophia's belly.  She has been carrying him for 39+ weeks now.  And as I was thinking of her and praying yesterday I began to wonder how it is going to feel for her to not have him there anymore.  He's become a part of her that will likely be "out" so to speak in just a few short days.  And although she has made this choice and knows that we are the forever family that God has chosen for Cooper and that she will still see him in the future...how will it feel for her to leave the hospital without him??  Unimaginable for me and probably for her too at this point.  This also got me thinking that since March we've been wondering how the two of them are doing and soon she will be wondering how the three of us are doing.  I know that we will continue to think of her daily and pray for her often, but what a switch! 

Please pray that the Lord provides us all the strength and grace that we need to endure this transition!

Oh and here are some of the pictures that Alex Wisen took at the baby shower a few weeks ago. Sophia and Ethan and Vikki were all in attendance and it was a delightful evening that will not soon be forgotten...


A mural for Cooper's room - the leaves have bible verses
So grateful for him
Yay

So grateful for the women of HBCSL


The two Mommas





Meeting my Gram :)
Gifts for Cooper


Thanks Jules!!


and a gift for Sophia
Our Heart on her belly
We really just couldn't figure it out...








She did way better

The Grandmas (just missing my mom)

So glad they could come!!