Cooper: One month!

Last Friday, our sweet little angel turned one month old! Since things have been crazy frantic  a tad bit busy around here, I'm just now getting to update!


Cooper last went to the doctor when he was 2 weeks old and doesn't go back until his 2 month checkup. However, Daddy and I can tell he is definitely getting bigger. From our measurements, it seems that he is about 23 inches long and probably weighs around 11 lbs. He has completely outgrown his newborn clothes and it appears that he is starting to get too tall for some of his 0-3 month sleepers. A lot of his pants that size are still too long though - it appears that he is like his mommy and gets a lot of his height from his torso. 


Sleep has been pretty good this month, with Cooper sleeping four-six hour stretches most nights. He gets a bit frustrated lots of nights because he is really hungry beginning around 6 p.m. and I think a lot of my milk has been depleted by then. The past few days we have been working on creating a night time routine and I think we'll start doing a bottle of breastmilk at night to make sure he is getting a full tummy and see how that helps. Other than the evening, he tends to eat every 3-4 hours a day and is still being exclusively breastfed. 


We've enrolled him in the PAT program in our school district and he is progressing as he should. He was four weeks at his first home visit and then, he did everything that a child should do by six weeks. Cooper also differentiates his cries and we can often tell if he is hungry, wet, gassy or just whining.


He HATES tummy time and cries through it. But Cooper does very well at holding his head up, and we typically let him do tummy time on our laps. 


Cooper loves anything that makes noise and moves. His swing, the Pack & Play, the bouncer ... He also likes the contrast of colors such as the TV, the white blinds with sunlight peeking through, and a photo of chocolate labs hanging on the wall. 


He still has a head full of hair!


Beautiful, wide eyes that everyone loves! They've turned a dark green by now .. 


Like most babies, Cooper loves to be held! He often sleeps the entire time visitors are here to see him. 


He has never been anywhere without his mom or dad. In fact, I've never been more than about 10 minutes away from Cooper, when I was at a craft fair and his dad took him for a drive. 


Happy one month, little love bug! Your daddy and I love you so much! It's impossible to imagine life without you.

My Christmas list

I realized I never posted my Christmas list to share!

Beautiful wedding to my handsome husband ...

Healthy baby! I could just put a bow on this cuteness for every Christmas!

And ...

This beauty we brought home a week before Cooper was born! 2012 GMC Terrain. Definitely needed something bigger and we fell in love with this :)

Five on Friday

{1} This week went by way too quickly for my liking. Sad, because I only had to work Monday-Tuesday as our Christmas break began on Wednesday. Next week is my last week home with Mr. Cooper and I can't believe it. 
This morning I actually realized that while I go back on Jan. 2, that is hubby's day off for New Year's, so we are now deciding whether Coop will go to daycare then as planned or if he will have a day home with daddy. 


{2} Christmas began for us yesterday! We went to celebrate with my immediate family, as my brother's family were in that day and won't be back until next Friday and the weekend is fairly booked already. Cooper totally cleaned up and I think his cousin had a lot of fun "helping" him open all the presents while he slept in PaPa's lap :) His closet is definitely more full now and he has new toys and more. 


{3} I am far too obsessed with soap operas for my own good. 


{4} I am seriously toning my arms. I guess lugging around a 10-11 pound child - often in a carseat - will help things out. 


{5} Merry Christmas everyone! I'm not sure how much I'll get on here in the coming days, but I wish you all a blessed holiday :)

Wouldn't it be nice ...

... if I've been hoping to get Cooper to sleep longer stretches at night - then when he finally does (six hours straight!) I wake up after about 4.5 and keep checking on him until he decides to wake up.


... if I decided to take a shower while the baby was sleeping only to get out and realize I forgot to wash myself. So I get back in and think maybe I washed myself after all? But then decided what the heck, I'd rather wash twice than be the stinky girl.


... if I finally got the motivation to decorate for Christmas only to realize that the tote with most of our Christmas stuff was growing mold. There were cracks on the bottom. And it resides on the floor. In the basement. That flooded this spring.


... if I still haven't changed my driver's license to my married name because I LOVE my picture on my current license. And it doesn't expire until February :)


... if I plug in the Christmas tree first thing in the morning so I can look at it while I work.


... if I am torturing my child by having him watch The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Kourtney and Kim Take New York. Hey, he gets sucked into it just like his mommy!


... if I daydream about the pre-mixed margaritas in my fridge. I'm trying to hold out until NYE to drink.


... if I can't make up my mind on what to do for Christmas cards/birth announcements. And it's only 5 days until Christmas.


... if I have a load of laundry washing for the THIRD time because I keep forgetting to put it in the dryer.


... if I had three loads of laundry clean, just waiting to be folded. Poor hubby sifts through the baskets to get ready for work in the mornings. 


... if I complain some of my work pants are still a bit snug but am constantly munching on treats.


... if my Christmas baking for the year will likely consist of cookies (the kind in the big tubs from Sam's) and brownies. Because I've eaten all the oreo balls and toffee my mom helped me make last week. 


What do you have to add to this list? 

Christmas Survey

It's been a busy week! Coop had a needy day on Monday so I snuggled with him lots, my parents came down on Tuesday and my mom and I did some baking (not so good for my waistline) and I've been busy with work stuff the past couple days. 

But today I decided to take a break during naptime and do this fun survey. 

Oh, and thanks for all the nursery love :) 

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Even though I am one of the worst when it comes to wrapping, it just looks prettier under the tree AND is more fun to open. 

2. Real tree or Artificial? I've never had a real one, but would like to some day ... 

  

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as possible! Ha, hubby makes me wait until after Thanksgiving. This year, I didn't get it up until late - last weekend. 

4. When do you take the tree down? Depends. Hubby's birthday is Jan. 9 and he likes it down before that, but it depends. 

 

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes. Yummy :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Nothing in particular sticks out. My parents were "those parents" who not only didn't shower us with all the newest toys we would quit playing with in a few months, but requested we didn't receive toys either. Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way, because that enabled my parents to have savings to pay for our vehicles, as well as keep us from having student loan debt. 

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. But it got molded and I had to through it out :( Looking for a new one during the half price sales after Christmas. 

8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents. They are just really simple, basic people, who would prefer we didn't even get them gifts. 

9. Easiest person to buy for? Hubby (we walk through Sears and I take pictures of what he picks) and my girl friends - we do an ornament exchange each year :)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, although they will probably be late this year. 

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing horrible, but just impersonal things like candles or hot cocoa mixes. Some people love this but I just search so hard for the perfect gift for everyone so it's a little hurtful when I see they put so little effort into gifts they give me. 

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation and Dear Virginia. 

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year. I'm a sale shopper and always on the lookout for things. 

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sweets: Oreo truffles and my aunt's sugar cookies. As far as real food, our breakfast pizza casserole and mashed potatoes with beef and gravy. 

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love them all! I just remembered we have Christmas music stations on our TV package, I think I should turn the TV there this afternoon :)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Since we've been together, I don't think J and I have ever had anywhere we HAD to go on Christmas Day - luckily things are spread out a lot more for Christmas. So far this year we have things planned next Friday, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, although my parents haven't decided when to do our immediate family Christmas yet, and his family hasn't set a day either. We like having Christmas day as a quiet time for just our little family - and I know it will be even more fun now that we have a little one!  

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. And Rudolph. 

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel. But since she was molded this year, it's just a bow. 

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Except our new pajamas on Christmas Eve. 

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? How my husband is sometimes a grinch. Ha! I love it all, even though it can be a bit stressful. 

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I like them all! I like a sort of eclectic look on the tree. My grandma gave us ornaments each Christmas, so I have a bunch of different ones and they all look beautiful together to me :)

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Post to come on that :) Honestly, there is nothing I want for Christmas - I've already had the best year and gotten the biggest blessings and most amazing things. I've actually asked for things for Cooper as he grows ...

Nursery reveal

So, finally, here is the nursery reveal! 


As my readers recall, we needed a gender-neutral nursery since we chose to be surprised with the baby's sex. Plus, hubby and I always intended to have one nursery for both kids (we've planned on having two) so we wanted something classic. 


I'd originally intended to do the nursery yellow and green. But at some point during the pregnancy, I felt that may be a bit too girly. And someone referred to it as a "John Deere" nursery - we live in the boondocks - and that just wasn't the feel I was going for. So I started thinking of other ideas, came up with gray and yellow and it continued to grow on me, especially after seeing several ideas on Pinterest. Hubby liked it as well. 


From the beginning, I liked the idea of black furniture and hubby surprisingly liked it as well. The crib is a 4-in-1 so it can stay in the room forever - like all of the furniture, except I'm sure the glider will eventually find a home elsewhere. So, we spent a bit more on furniture knowing that it's an investment for a long while, not something we'll be replacing in a few years. 


We both put a lot of effort into the room - mine mostly being creative, while hubby did an amazing job of making my visions a reality - especially that yellow stripe, which he said was quite difficult!

Welcome to the nursery! My mom made the coffee filter wreath on the door per my request. I know she looked at several tutorials and I think she ended up using this one.

The teddy bear was mine as a child. I just replaced the ribbon around his neck. 

Another angle from the doorway. 

The sunflower print is actually the first piece of art I picked for the nursery and something I already had! As I've mentioned on here, I previously worked for the local newspaper and this was a photo our former photographer took and I fell in love with, so he had a print made for me. About three years ago, when he was only 38, he passed away due to a heart attack. Anyhow, one day I was in the spare bedroom and saw it on the wall and immediately began crying, knowing it was perfect for our nursery. Babies never can have too many guardian angels ... and Tim would have LOVED this little one so much. 

The lanterns and "Welcome Baby" banner were used as decoration at my shower as well. Once I make it to Hobby Lobby, I'll be buying the letters to put Cooper's name above the crib. 

The stuffed animal (no longer in the crib since Cooper is now sleeping there) was actually a gift from my cousin's little girl, Morgan, at my baby shower. So sweet! 

These prints as well as the "ABC" one above the dresser were made by my graphic design cousin as a gift! She wanted to do some art for the room and I'd seen some I liked online but didn't like the exact colors, so she worked with me to customize them a bit. What's above the dresser will probably be changed to a newborn/family photo, with a couple 5 by 7s on either side - I intended to put up maternity photos on either side, but didn't get to it. 

The angel on the left is one I acquired from my grandma's collection, while the other I bought at a yard sale early in my pregnancy and what sort of inspired the yellow "you are my sunshine" theme. My mom is working on getting me an angel or something that was my other grandmother's to put in the room as well. 

Hubby's letter to the baby from the shower. Yes, I pretty much bawl every time I read it, but it was too sweet for me to not display. 

Along with the diaper cake and humidifier on top of the bookshelf.

A very full closet! Tons of clothes and diapers :)

We have added/plan to add several items that are specific to our baby boy, like his name, to really make it his own. If/when there is a Baby No. 2, we'll change up a few things. So far, everything seems to work very well and we like the setup, but I'm considering adding thick curtains, as the room gets a lot of sunlight during the day. 

And here are the details:

Glider: Storkcraft hoop glider/ottoman, available online at several sites. We ended up ordering through wayfair.com, as it was least expensive there at the time. 

Nightstand: Walmart.com

Lamp: My mom had bought the bottom on sale at Dollar Store and we repainted it. The shade came from Target.

Bookshelf: Walmart.com

Dresser: Ashley Furniture. The most expensive thing in the room, believe it or not!

White wicker basket (where we store diapers, wipes, etc.): Hobby Lobby

Changing pad/cover: Target

Crib: Storkcraft Allison Four-in-One. I tried to link it but it appears that it's no longer being made? 

Bedding: JC Penney in sage.

Paint: Glidden from Walmart. The yellow stripe is "Canary Song" while the walls are "Pebble Gray." We also redid all the trim (formerly a tan/beige shade) with a flat white. Oh, and the fan blades were previously a pine shade (I think) but hubby spray painted them black. 

Friday randoms

• Work from home is going OK. I don't have a lot to do yet, so it hasn't been too horrible. Of course, my little assistant is a great helper too :)
• For the past hour, he's been sitting in his car seat, watching The Bold and the Beautiful and Kourtney and Kim Take New York. Haha. 
• Cooper had a good dr. appointment yesterday. He's at 9 lbs. 11 ounces (still 2 ounces shy of birth weight) and the same height. Around 75th percentile for each. Typically doctors like to see babies back at birth weight two weeks later, but the ped didn't seem concerned. He said Coop looked and seemed healthy and to be growing. Plus, he noted that all scales are different so Coop very well could be back at birth weight according to the hospital scale so we shouldn't worry. 
• I'm not happy with the Social Security Administration/US Postal Service. Earlier this week, Cooper's social security card came in the mail. And we notice on the front of the envelope, there is a post-it note that said "delivered to wrong address. opened accidentally." Um, what? So I proceed to call SSA and ask they issue my son a new number, since some other idiots have opened his mail. I mean, who does that? We've received others' mail before but I never open it - especially something that is clearly a legal document. But SSA refused to issue a new number. I think it was an honest mistake, but I'm terrified someone is going to steal my son's identity. GRRRR. Get it together, people!
• Hank Dog is getting fat because we don't like letting him run after dark. And it's dark by the time hubby gets home - and I'm too lazy to walk outside to let him out during the day. Bad mom. 
• I need to have someone come decorate my house for Christmas. Between staring at/caring for my lovebug and now doing work from home, there simply aren't enough hours in the day. 
• I also need to do holiday baking. 
• I've decided to combine Coop's birth announcement with a holiday card. Which probably won't go out in the mail until after Christmas. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right? 
• Cooper has asked to go see Santa but I'm too much of a germophobe to allow him to go to a public place. Luckily I know a guy who dresses up every year so I think I'm going to have him come to the house next week and get some photos. 
• I'm kinda waiting for the shoe to drop in terms of Christmas gatherings this year. The past two years, since we moved into our house, J and I have hosted for his family. But every time we have his family over, it turns into a huge undertaking, and I end up cleaning up after some of the kids - I guarantee you, whenever Coop is older, I will be checking up on him before we leave somewhere to be sure he's cleaned up the mess. And now with a baby, I don't have the time to clean my house to get ready for everyone, prepare a meal, then clean up after 20 people. The thing is, though, that the rest of his family either smokes or allows smoking in their house, which I don't feel comfortable with. So there's a chance that Coop and I will be staying home and letting others come over a family at a time over the holidays. I feel kinda crazy saying that, but the risk of SIDS increased with secondhand smoke exposure, amongst other risks, and I just don't want to mess with all that. 
• I cannot survive without my daily nap. 
• I also cannot survive without some sort of chocolate every day. 
• This post is an annoying block of text because I am too lazy to download photos or email them from my phone. 
• Happy weekend!

Back to Work ... sort of

Back in July, I started a new job. This opportunity was a real blessing, as it provided additional income and benefits for our growing family, and was also a big step up for me, career-wise. 


Something we didn't realize until I was already employed was how short-term disability benefits (which typically cover maternity leave) works. Basically, it will not cover a pregnancy unless you have been on the plan for 10 months. In fact, I couldn't even sign up for the insurance while pregnant. Not only that, I couldn't continue my STD from my former job (although I'd carried it for 4-plus years) AND I didn't yet qualify for FMLA, since I hadn't been at my new job for a full year. So I was looking at no pay after I exhausted all my accrued time off, in addition to having to go on COBRA and pay out-of-pocket for my insurance during that time. Ouch. 


LUCKILY, our college president was very understanding to all of this and open to making arrangements to help me out. As of today, I am out of time off. So I am working from home, part-time/as needed, for the next two weeks, until our Christmas break begins. I'll head back to the office on Jan. 2 - just a couple days shy of six weeks postpartum. 


While this wasn't my ideal situation, I am so thankful to still be drawing a paycheck during this time. I'm definitely not happy that I have to divert my attention away from Mr. Cooper for a big part of the day - however, I am grateful that I can still be here to take care of him in terms of feedings, dirty diapers, and just giving him love and attention when he needs it. 


I am totally not ready to leave my baby boy yet (and I know I still won't be as of Jan. 2) so this is what is best for us, right now. 


Today will, hopefully, be an easy day. Coop has a dr. appt. this afternoon, so I'll only be working until about 1 p.m. Honestly, it's probably good practice too, as my new bosses say that if he is sick and/or the roads are bad, I am able to stay home to work. 


Now excuse me while I cry get some work done so I can continue to buy diapers for this kid!

Cooper: 2 weeks

Real quick, thanks for all your sweet comments on my last post! While I definitely think there are moms who immediately have that close bond, that wasn't the case for me and I wanted to share!


Our little bugaboo is two weeks old today! We go to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully he'll be back at birth weight. The little guy LOVES to eat (sometimes he goes four hours, others he wants to eat hourly for two to three hours) so I'm pretty sure he'll be back up there and hopefully have added some height as well. 


Last week, he was down to 9 lbs, 3 oz. At his home appt. last Monday (five days old) he was at 9 lbs. 6.5 oz. 

12.06.11

Over the past week, Mr. Cooper has definitely had more "awake" time during the day and we LOVE seeing his big, pretty green eyes open and watching our every mood. We've done tummy time once or twice a day and he's pretty good at lifting his little head, but gets easily frustrated. 


On Saturday (Dec. 3 - 10 days old) he slept in his crib for the first full night! Let me tell you, I think that makes sleep better on his as well as Mommy & Daddy. I actually feel better him being in the crib as we have an Angel Care monitor, and this way I'm not being stirred by his every move. And since I've apparently been quite the snorer, according to my husband, I'm sure Coop appreciates not hearing that! 


Since we moved him to the crib, Coop generally sleeps 4-5 hour stretches. For instance, last night I put him down around 9:30 and he woke a little before 2 a.m. to eat, then again around 6 a.m. I was thinking that would be a pretty good schedule for him when I return to work! 


He continues to have lots of visitors! Between newborn/family photos on Sunday and visits from both sets of grandparents, we were occupied all day! Cooper said he's very excited to meet more of his family over the holidays as well! 

12.05.11

Monday night (Dec. 5 - 12 days old) his umbilical cord fell out. 


On Tuesday, we went to visit my former coworkers at the newspaper. They gave him some books and Mizzou slippers :) And fought over who got to hold him. He was a perfect little angel who slept the entire time. So, we did a little Christmas shopping downtown before coming home. 


In terms of my recovery, I have no complaints! I've been back down at my pre-pregnancy weight for about a week. By the time we came home, I was only down about 10 lbs., but I was quite swollen and once that went down, it didn't take much time. I totally attribute the quick weight loss to breastfeeding - I had about 23 lbs. total gain and figure I lost about 13-15 between a 10 lb. baby and what my doctor called a very healthy placenta and umbilical cord. 


There is still quite a bit of loose skin on my belly and I do have a bit of a pooch, but I also remind myself that I didn't exactly have a flat stomach when I got pregnant either! I haven't attempted wearing any "regular" pants with a waistband, but I think I could probably get into most of them. I'm sticking with loose shirts, not only due to the pooch but also my larger-than-usual chest. 


As of today, I can do one situp and one leg lift, adding an additional one of each daily. Typically the postpartum doctors appointment is at six weeks, but I requested to go at five weeks because I plan to have an IUD and wanted to get it before the end of the year, as I've already met my out-of-pocket max. Then, I'm hoping the doctor will allow me to begin regular exercise again. 


In terms of pain, that's been pretty much non-existent since 1 week postpartum. I think I mentioned, I had a second-degree tear and the lovely hemorrhoids (anyone who pushes out a baby without getting these is seriously my hero!) My doctor said the stitches should dissolve within 7-10 days postpartum, so I'm thinking everything "down there" is healed up.


Emotionally, I probably cried once a day from the time we got home until I was about 1 week pp. I wouldn't say I was ever depressed, just overwhelmed. By now, I've gotten the hang of the mommy thing, breastfeeding is much easier, and I've learned to let things go. All I need are my boys to be happy and healthy and life is good :)

Newborn/family photos 12.04.11

Me As A Mom: Bonding

During my pregnancy, I wondered how the bonding process with my baby would be. While he was inside me, I felt like Cooper and I had a great relationship. Some days, when I hadn't felt him move in awhile, I would say something like "please move for mommy" then he would kick within a minute! In fact, I think the only request he ever flat-out denied was to get out of my ribs - but seeing how big he is, I can kind of understand that now. 


Anyhow, I wondered how I would feel when the baby arrived. Sure, we got on great while he was inside me, but that was easy. All I had to do was eat semi-healthy, sleep and refrain from a few semi-dangerous activities to keep him healthy. 


I don't know if I ever mentioned it here, but I was actually kind of scared of babies. I mean, they are so small and tiny and can't express their wants to you. Honestly, I've never really been around a baby before, either. I was 5 when my younger sister was born and pretty young when my cousins were born as well. My 2.5 year old niece lives six hours away. One of my good friends has a 3 year old, but I didn't do a lot with him until he was about 5 months, since she lived with her parents for awhile after he was born. 


After our childbirth/infant care class, I *really* freaked out. They went through nothing in terms of taking care of a newborn - and I didn't even know how to swaddle! I've changed diapers, but never on someone so tiny. Heck, I was even afraid to burp such a tiny baby. 


So basically, I was scared of this sweet little angel. Despite what my husband, family and friends said, I just didn't know if I could take care of my baby. 


Couple that with the exhaustion/pain of labor, I was pretty out of it by the time Cooper was here and OK to be held. I remember after he was suctioned, checked, etc. the nurses let me hold him for a bit - and I made them place him in my arms. At this point, I was just in a daze and think I was more concerned with ordering lunch than holding my beautiful son. 


Soon after, Coop went to the nursery to be cleaned up and I finally got lunch. That turkey sandwich was amazing, let me tell you. Anyhow, my parents actually arrived before Coop got back from the nursery. Once he was wheeled in, they were pretty shocked when I insisted they go ahead and hold him, I'd already done so. They seemed concerned they were overstepping their bounds, but I assured them it was OK. 


The rest of the day, I think the only time I held my son was during feedings. Then, I made hubby place him in my arms and move him as needed. Any diaper changes or anything like that were also done by hubby, who was just in awe of Mr. Cooper. At night, he even had to help me get Coop situated during feedings. 


Thursday (one day pp) started out the same. At some point that afternoon, I was lying in bed and hubby handed Coop to me, and I nestled him in my arms and we took a short nap. I think that was when I actually "bonded" with my little angel. For once, I felt comfortable with him, although I still wasn't at the experienced mom stage. I started asking hubby to share with me and doing more with Coop. 

One day old - 11.24.11

Looking back now, it kind of breaks my heart that I did so little with Cooper during his first day. Heck, now I'm walking around the house at night in pitch dark holding him with just one arm. I'm lifting him above my head and all sorts of things I never thought I'd feel comfortable doing - and he's not even two weeks old yet. 


I've learned there is no "normal" when it comes to being a mom, so I'm OK with how things were handled - like I said, it does make me sad that I was sort of indifferent, but that's just my experience. By the time Coop and I had our first day alone together last Monday, I felt confident it was something I could do. 

12.3.11

Looking back, I'd say that while my fears were a big factor in our delayed bonding, that's not the only contributor. For one, due to his somewhat traumatic birth, Coop wasn't placed on my breast immediately after birth - he had to be moved to the corner of the room for his suctioning, assessment, etc. After reading all the benefits of skin-to-skin immediately after birth, I think that may have had something to do with it. 


Like most new moms, I was exhausted after giving birth. So I really just wanted to relax and let all of Cooper's visitors enjoy him while they were there. Plus, I have a super-awesome husband who has always been so in love with the idea of being a daddy, I don't think I felt that Coop was being neglected at any point. 


Finally, while being surprised by the gender was amazing and something we'll likely do again if/when there is a Baby No. 2, I think it took a bit to get used to the idea of having a son. Hubby and I had a deal that if it were a boy, he got to make final choice on a name and I did for a girl, and he waffled until Thursday night - so it took awhile for Cooper to have a true identity to me as well. 


That first day, I'm not sure I felt like "a baby" was worth all the exhaustion and pain I was in. By the time we left the hospital, I totally changed my mind. I would go through it all - kidney stones - and MORE again to have my sweet little Cooper. It just took a little time. 

12.2.11

I've already brainstormed a few other things I want to record my feelings on "as a mom" so this will become a bit of a series, I think. I not only want to remember this, since the blog is my journal, but I also have some pregnant readers who I think would benefit from my ramblings as well :)

Tidbits (with lots of photos!)

Guys, how is it Friday already? My first full week home with my little Love Bug is wrapping up. I mean, how am I going to leave this on Jan. 2? 

Anyhow ... 

• Coop went to the doctor yesterday. His weight was down to 9 lbs. 3 oz. It had been 9 lbs. 6.5 oz. during his home visit on Monday. However, yesterday was a really tough day and when he was weighed at 3 p.m., he hadn't eaten since 10 a.m., so I'm hoping it just had to do with him not eating in awhile. 
• We aren't thrilled with this doctor. Something didn't feel right. We go back in a week, if that doesn't go well either, I will start looking for someone new. 
• Cooper had a touch of jaundice, but nothing horrible. So he celebrated his one week birthday with some sun tanning :) 

• I just can't get enough of his expressions!
• He is also very hot natured. I swear, I could let him lie around naked just wearing socks and gloves and he would be just fine!
• I had a lot of fears about being a mom and specifically bonding with Coop. It did take about a day for me to *really* love him (more on that in a post to come) and a few days to feel comfortable caring for this teeny tiny angel. But like everyone said, my mom instinct totally kicked in. 
• Coop has his days and nights confused, so I'm trying to make the most of his awake time during the day. Last night, he was fed, burped and had a clean diaper, but cried (like a brat!) when I put him in the bassinet. He proceeded to go on and on, but hubby held me down so I wouldn't go spoil him. 
• I mean, how could you make someone as cute as this cry his head off, even if it's just because he loves his mommy and daddy so much he just wants to be held? 

• I obviously got behind on my Thankful Thursdays. But we'll just say Coop and his amazing little self is what I'm thankful for EVERY day. 
• In being behind in blogging, I never finished the THANKful Challenge, including posting what my swap partner, Carly sent. She is so sweet, she even remembered Tuff and Hank dog :)

I couldn't get the photo to turn ... but she sent treats for Hank, BBW lotion and body wash (which smells heavenly!) a Christmas onesie and socks for Cooper, an apple cider candle that I absolutely love, and pecan pie truffles! I was definitely spoiled! And the package was on the doorstep when we got home after being discharged but before I went into labor, so it definitely brought a smile to my face when I came home after being in the hospital over 12 hours but with no baby. 

• What did we do before iPhones? I love being able to capture great pictures of Cooper without having to pull out my big camera, as well as upload them to Facebook and send along to my Mom and other friends and family. Here, we grabbed Coop looking like a penguin. Ha!

• I'm getting very stir-crazy. It's hard being home and answering to the call of a tiny little being. I think tomorrow I'm going to a craft fair in my hometown (20 minutes away) and I'll either leave Coop with my dad for a bit or hubby and baby will drive around just in case. I'm just scared to get Cooper out in public too much with it being cold and all the respiratory diseases. 
• I can't wait for New Year's Eve! It will be one of our family Christmases, and I'm pumping to prepare for it as well as my return to work. 
• I keep thinking about putting up Christmas decor. Then realize if I don't have time to do dishes and laundry, I probably shouldn't worry about the tree. 
• I'm actually doing a better job of cooking now than I did while pregnant!
• That's all for today. Happy Friday!