Tuesday, August 28, 2012

7 Weeks Old Today

Our little guy is 7 weeks old today.  My cousin and his wife had a baby boy on Sunday - Congrats Jon, Danielle, Brody, and DeClan on new baby Sullivan :).  Seeing their pictures reminded us so much of what we got to experience just a few shorts weeks ago.  To top it off, Sullivan was just 2 ozs more than Cooper's weight and looked like him (accept without the thick mop of black hair!!  Sullivan's is more of a reddish brown.)

I thought I would share a little video to show that Cooper is finding his voice.  Make sure you watch until the end because right before the scream he'll give you a bunch of coo's.


PS - the scream didn't last long because as soon as I lifted him into a sitting position he let out a BIG burp and was just fine again :)

Monday, August 27, 2012

Mommy Monday

I'm one tired Momma tonight - so I'm just going to share some pictures and hit the sack :)


BIG BURP!!

Fishy Family outfit - so cute - Thanks Grandma Teresa
Love that SMILE!!


Monkey Monk

Duck butt
Thinker
I don't think so







Playin
Reading with Great Grandma

So, I'm off to bed.  But before I go, I have to tell you one more little story.  After last Friday's day outside playing, Cooper was wiped out.  He ate at 8:40 pm and went down to bed.  This would normally mean that he would wake up around 1:40 am to eat again.  So it was quite a surprise when I woke up at 3:10 am and he hadn't fussed a peep yet!!  So I did what any new mom would do...I crept into his room to make sure he was still breathing :).  Of course he was just fine and my little trip into his room woke him up and he was definitely ready to eat!!

Rest well little one!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Outside Fun

It has been such a nice day out that today I decided to do one of Cooper's favorit things and that is to be outside.  This morning after we got cleaned up and ready for the day we spent some time out on our porch swing and he was able to eat a bottle out there :)



Then after we had lunch with Dada we spent some more time on the swing.  As the afternoon gets later, the sun starts to hit the swing.  So with all the grandmas' voices in my head reminding me to "keep him out of the sun", I decided it might be fun for us to try out the hammock.  He enjoyed being able to see all around...


I also thought it would be fun to see if he liked the grass...see for yourself...


Then I got a picture of just him in the hammock.  I think he is sooooo big until I put him in these situations and then I'm reminded of the reality of just how little he really is!


So we spent a little more time on together cuddling and I could tell he was getting tired out. 



We came inside and I put him next to me in "our" chair and he acted like he was very interested that I was going to update the blog.  He is really starting to coo and coo...I find myself saying aaaagooooooo more than any other word in a day.  That is mommy/baby talk!


But soon enough he was out...





















Just love spending my days helping him to explore this new big world!! 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Tadbit Tardy Tuesday

So if you are keeping track, I missed my first Mommy Monday yesterday.  Cooper and I had a quiet and productive day at home together...a shower, laundry, feedings, diaper changes, dishwasher, play time and a nap.  And then in the evening we had dinner out at the Wisen's.  After we ate, we spent some time on the deck and Cooper ate a great big 7 ounces...then we took him home but before he would go to bed he had to eat again (another 2 ounces)...what a big guy!!  It was a great day, but I got so caught up in being a mom that I forgot to post...

It was convenient though, because today Cooper is 6 weeks old!

Now he is really starting to develop a personality and interacting during play time.  My favorite new thing to do is the gitcha gitcha gitcha game - check it out



OK so maybe Daddy and I like it alittle more than he does, but sometimes it gets him to grin really big.  Love his SMILE!!

We had another big weekend, as this past Saturday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Hulst's for a little party for Cooper.  The theme was "Gone Fishing".  It was really cute!  Cooper got to meet some of his great aunts and uncle, we ate good food, had family fun, and everyone enjoyed seeing and cuddling with Coop.  Because we already have so many clothes and such, Grandma recommended that we have a formula/diaper party - what a great idea because we are stocked up again!!  Our digital camera is on the fritz so I didn't get any pictures, but Aunt Heather got a bunch that I will try to share later.

Then on Sunday we went up to my dad's after church and had a family dinner.  This was the first family dinner that Richard and I have ever attended at my Dad and Sara's.  So it was new for us, but just another day for Cooper.  It was nice for him to spend time with Grandpa Dan and Grandma Sara and good for Richard and I to acclimate to visiting.  I am so excited for all the things that my dad will teach Cooper.  Like how to fix cars and how to soften up a brand new baseball glove, and what a proper camping trip is like!!  This little guy has really affirmed that God has been leading me toward admitting that I played a part in staying away so long due to holding bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart.  God is the one who led me to a place of forgiveness and I had a wonderful afternoon with my dad and Sara and my brothers and of course Ashley and Noah.  Feeling sorry that we have missed out on these times in the past, but happy to make amends.  So we will be visiting again soon.  Ps - thanks Aunt Ashley for letting us borrow our camera until we decide which one we want to purchase in the near future.  Oh and I'm not sure why we didn't get any pictures of Grandma Sara - next time for sure :)



Tonight, Richard and I went out for dinner as part of the Bekin's Birthday Celebrations.  It was nice to have a "date night".  Knowing that Cooper was getting SPOILED by great grandpa and grandma made it even more fun for us to be away for an evening.  But it was also wonderful to come home and have a little play time before bed...



So much for Mommy Monday this week...hope you have enjoyed Tardy Tuesday :)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Da Da Day

If you keep up with our blog, and read Mommy Monday's you know what a great weekend we had. I want to say 'Thank you" to the Moellers for letting us get away and relax. It's been a very busy month and our little guy was 5 weeks old yesterday. I also want to say how very lucky I am to have such a wonderful wife who did so much on Monday while dad was out at work. I feel very blessed to have such a great family!

As you can see - today I changed my title to Da Da Day...Cooper/Candice has been calling me this and I really like it...so the change to Da Da it is!!

Today we got to have breakfast with Cooper's birth mom Sophie and grandma Vicki. Cooper was wide awake during breakfast and as Vicki said "he loves to snuggle". Grandma Vicki got some cuddle time with Cooper and Sophie also got to hold the little "big" guy.

While eating breakfast I told Sophie she must be a very calm lady because Cooper is so mellow everyday. You can see that Cooper gets that calmness from his birth mom. There was another baby near us who wasn't having a good time and was crying off and on. Grandma Vicki was just amazed how Cooper just kept looking around and cooing. When people ask "How is it going? How does he sleep? Is he fussy?", my answer is always the same, "he's doing great!". God has blessed us with a very calm baby that I LOVE with all my heart and I just look forward to spending ever minute of everyday with my little guy.

It was very nice to have Sophie and Vicki see Cooper as pictures can only tell you so much about how he is doing and how much he is growing. Here are some pictures of our breakfast this morning. Enjoy!!


 

 


Monday, August 13, 2012

Mommy Monday

Today was a busy day for this mommy...we were blessed to spend Saturday night at some friends' cottage and with all the rain last weekd, our yard was getting to be like a forest.  So I asked my grandma to watch Cooper and I mowed and trimmed and weeded the flower beds.  Because we were gone, the laundry was also overflowing - so I was busy.  But after a relaxing and rejuvinating weekend I didn't mind at all!  And my grandma was so glad to have some time with Cooper :)

So back to the weekend.  We were able to take advantage of an overnight stay at the Moeller Cottage.  What a peaceful place for Cooper's first official night away from home.  When we arrived we spent some time out on the deck enjoying the quiet.



 We were all so tired from the past few weeks that we were in bed by 7:30 pm and slept until about 8:00 am Sunday morning.  Then we went for breakfast at the Omelette Shoppe.  It was fabulous and Cooper did great (so did Donkey)


My guys Saturday night...
My guys Sunday morning - so sweet!

The Omelette Shoppe















After breakfast it was back to the Cottage for a Small Group Potluck Picnic.  The big kids rode the waverunners, the ladies took a paddle boat ride, the little ones went swimming with Mr. Moeller, the "grandmas" held Cooper, the food was great and the twins got their first squirt of whipping cream out of the can!!  A fun day was had by all and Cooper was so exhausted that he slept from the 8:30 pm feeding all the way through to 2:30 am!!

Cooper had a little nap before everyone arrived











  


So on to today.  After all my busy-ness, I had the joy of cutting my boys' hair tonight.  Daddy got an all over cut and we just cut the back of Cooper's.  His little baby hair was getting soooo long back there so we trimmed it up... 



Even though it looks like we had to hold him down, we weren't...Richard had him layed across his lap and I was just holding his head to the side so that I could get at the back of his neck :)







 
So there it is another Monday as a happy family!!


Friday, August 10, 2012

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Feeding Cooper = Dad has to itch?

So why is it that every time I feed my little man that I have to itch? It never fails that when I have one arm holding Cooper and the other hand is holding the bottle that I have to itch my nose, ear, back, forehead or wherever else it's impossible to reach when both of my hands are full. It's truly the craziest thing that happens to me when I feed him...that is besides trying and trying and trying to get him to burp of course. I have now become accustomed to balancing the bottle on my chin or forehead to itch when the problem arises!!

It's been 29 days since Cooper James was born. I can't begin to tell you how much love I have for my son! He has completely changed my world and everything in it. I have a hard time leaving for work in the morning because I just want to hold him. I know that he has the best mother in  the world taking care of him when I'm working and Candice sends me pictures daily of what they are up to and that they can't wait for dad to get home. From the time I get home until Cooper goes to bed, he's in his dad's arm and I love every minute of it!!!...that is even though my left arm is permanently asleep from holding my best little friend, Cooper.




My favorite part of any day is spending time with Cooper and Mommy and I truly love having our Wednesdays and Sundays to spend as a family together. I also love the fact that I get to tuck my little guy into his crib every night and pray over him and my family for the blessings that God has given us.

I was thinking last night how much God loved the world to have sent His only Son to atone for our sins. I can't begin to imagine the amount of love that God had for his Son, but these past 29 days gives me just a small glimpse of what He has done for us because of the love I have for my son. God I "Thank You" everyday for this little boy who can melt my heart!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Mommy Monday

Becoming a Mom...

Before Cooper arrived I did a lot of thinking...how would I know when he was hungry or wet or tired, how would I know if his diaper needed to be changed or if he "had to go", what if the bath water was too cold/hot, what if the bottle was too cold/hot, would he eat too much or too little, would he sleep good, would I be able to get up with him in the night and still function the next day - so really I guess you could say I was worrying!

But God's Word tells me to "not be anxious about anything"...God provides!!  God provides a mother's instinct.  The instinct does not just result from carrying a child for nine months and birthing him.  That instinct comes out of the love for your baby!  I know just when Cooper is hungry - probably because that is really the only time that he crys.  I know when he is wet (because Huggies has the cool little strip that turns blue after he goes).  I know when he is tired because his eyelids get REALLY heavy.  I know when he "has to go" because he grunts and grunts and grunts.  My hand knows just when the bath water is the right temp and he will eat his bottle right out of the fridge if that's how we give it to him.  He eats lots - eating us out of house and home already.  He sleeps great - up to 4 hours at a time at night already.  And I absolutely love the night feedings.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes I can barely function through them, sometimes I doze off and end up with a bottle leaking all over my pj's, but what a special time to spend with my guy and I'm getting more than enough sleep to get through the days with him.  So really why did I worry - God provides!!

Let me tell you a few more things I have learned-

Everyone will oogle over your little one - want to touch him - or hold him or just comment about how good or cute he is (especially grandmas)...

Moms wash their hands WAY more often than others and hand sanitizer makes them extremely DRY (except for the great stuff from Goldbond recommended by Normalshmormal!)...

The over-the-head onesies are really hard to get on the first few days, but your figure it out and it gets much easier... 

Burping a baby is an art form - one that takes serious patience...

Something that takes even more restraint is not picking at those little whiteheads that appear when your little one has baby acne...

Boys will pee on you (it has already happened more than once)...

Baby poop is very runny so you definitely need extra protection on the changing pad...

We have way more than enough clothes, just enough burp clothes and Swaddle blankets, but never enough diapers or wipes :)...

Washing bottles is a never ending job...

Going from 2 people to 3 people increases you laundry ten-fold...especially when the 3rd is an infant...

Your heart changes when you have a baby...even through adoption.  I told myself to guard my heart, but as soon as I saw him - it melted!!...

When you see your child learning something new it evokes emotions you have never experienced before... 

When you see your spouse with your child it evokes emotions you have never had before...

When you pray for your child it is something all together new...

These are just a few of the things that I have already learned - but most of all my heart is fuller because of my son!!  You can see why :)


 
So for all you soon to be moms out there...NO WORRIES!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Coast Guard Festival 2012



So even though it was a hot one today, we decided to venture down to the Coast Guard Parade as a family.  We parked in the Bekins store lot and walked our way down to the art fair.  Along the way we ran into Aunt Mick and Uncle Jack.  It was a warm one even in Central Park with all the shade.  So we headed over to the Bekin's home off Sheldon.  It was nice and shady there and there was a nice breeze, but it was hot getting there!!  Right before the parade the Scottsville Clown Band played right down the street...

Donkey came too :)

Enjoying the music!

After the "show", we got a bite to eat (Mom and Dad enjoyed the good stuff supplied by Scott and Tracy but Cooper only got formula...maybe next year Buckaroo).  Then the parade started - we enjoyed about the first half and then it started to get pretty hot again. 

Little Firecracker!

Ruthie the Country Fresh Cow

UPS is on fire...


good thing there was a Fire Truck right behind
Cooper and Daddy

Hey Cousin Allen - Go Buc N Gear Robotics Team!!


So we made our way back to the car and ran into some more friends and family (Millers, Tarnows, Liles, the Miracle girls, and the whole Nelson clan).  "Uncle" Donnie was pretty excited to meet Cooper. 

Once we got back to the car, we started it up to cool it off and hung out under the Bekins tree - check it out...


Now we are home and showered and staying cool - thinking all of us will have a nap :)