Cooper's birth announcement/our holiday card

So, I realized I never shared Cooper's birth announcement/our holiday card. Then again, I didn't get them sent out until mid-January, so I'm cutting myself a little slack :)

Front inspired by one my cousin, Ashton, found on Pinterest. Ashton works at a printing company and actually designed the card for us, I just provided the photos and text. I wish I could afford to mail one to all of you!

last name blurred to protect our privacy ...

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weekend wrap-up/menu monday

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was OK.

Friday night we were pretty lazy and just watched TV.

Oh, and I'm happy to report that Mr. Cooper {apparently} just needed his swaddle to sleep through the night. He did about nine hours every night since I gave it back.

On {Saturday} we had a big day planned. After breakfast and morning nap, we headed up to the big city of Cape Girardeau for some shopping. We hit up a home improvement-type store to get some ideas for our bathrooms, kitchen, tile, etc. The only project in our near future is the basement, but we've never been in this store, so we thought it would be fun to check it out. We also hit up Hob Lob for a few things for a project in Cooper's room.

After that, we went to visit our friends Josh & Liz and have lunch with them. Little man was an angel and I'd say a great baby salesman. Seriously - if any of you ladies need help convincing your man the time is right, have us for a visit! He cooed, smiled, entertained himself while we were eating and was just perfect!

Sweet little angel - 2.25.12

love him SO much!

We also hit up the mall so I could use some of my store birthday coupons. At VS, I bought a racerback yoga tank as well as some yoga crop pants. Maybe having cute clothes will encourage me to begin working out again? And at Penney's, I bought a khaki trench coat that I think will be perfect for spring!

We also hit up Tar-jay and Kohls. Kohls is having AMAZING clearance right now, by the way. I actually stayed out of my department and just picked up a few things I'm hoping will fit Coop next winter.

Once we got home, we had to run over and feed J's brother's horses as they were out of town. Hubby isn't too familiar with these horses, so Coo pand I went with just in case. We also picked up some supper at a little diner on the way home. I ordered a yummy chef salad, and it looked delish - until I took a bite and realized they put onions in although I requested they didn't. BOOOOOOO! I still ate most of it, picking around the yuckiness, although I probably shouldn't have

Because ... I didn't sleep well at all that night and on {Sunday} woke up with a horrible stomachache, headache, etc.. I mean, I got up to feed Coop then went back to bed until 11 a.m., when I got up, forced myself to eat some cereal, then fed Coop again and went back to bed. Around 3 p.m. I finally felt good enough to do some housework. I'm pretty convinced it's that the onions did a number on my system, which reminds me why I don't like to eat them.

I slept much better last night {like a three-month baby} and am glad that today is so beautiful!

On to the menu plan. Ugh. I feel like I am in a MAJOR cooking rut right now. If you have any favorite, easy recipes you think I should try, please leave them in the comments!

Sunday: Leftover pork chops, cheesy potatoes, mac & cheese. Brownie sundae for dessert!
Monday: Lasagna, salad
Tuesday: BBQ sandwiches, fries, mac & cheese
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: OMG chicken {recipe from Pinterest}, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday: Tunafish sandwiches, tomato soup
Saturday: Leftovers.


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Hodge podge

• It was absolutely beautiful yesterday and the temperatures hit the 70s! I even took a photo for documentation purposes, especially since the high today is 46. WTF? 

Don't judge that we still haven't pulled the protective film off :)

• Since it was so nice, we grilled last night. It was so good. One of my favorite things about warm weather :)
• I also decided to bring the big camera outside for a little photoshoot. I tried to upload some of my favorites but the computer is being dumb. So next week ...
• I'm super happy today because I finally got a full night's sleep :) You don't realize how great that is until your kid wakes up at 3 a.m. THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW. Our boy apparently really likes his swaddle so we're buying a new swaddle sack this weekend.
• We've decided to refinance our home loan. When we bought the house about 2.5 years ago, we locked in 5.375, which was excellent. Well, now we could get 3.875 - which would mean saving about $75 a month. It's costing us around $2,000 in closing costs, but we'll have recouped that in two years. Plus, we already round up our payment to about $25 extra a month, so if we kept paying that, it would mean paying the house off in probably 20 or so years ...
• Next month hubby pays off his truck :) Very excited about that.
• What the heck is going on with gas prices? I can't even tell you how much they have spiked recently. I feel like I should fill up every day because it's so crazy.
• We are loving the CMT shows "Bayou Billionaires" and "My Big Redneck Vacation." Totally wish we could get some of that 'mailbox money.'
• Speaking of TV, I forgot that I have to reset Survivor every season. So we missed the season premiere last week, but I don't think we missed too much.  
• I really hate how confusing Walmart is. I was looking for baby Vicks. In the baby section with diapers, etc. they had regular ... which is bad for babies. So I look in baby needs in hygiene ... not there either. Finally I found it in the pharmacy section. GRRRR!
• My drivers license expired a few weeks ago. On my birthday, of course. I was actually still using the one since I turned 21, with my maiden name, because I loved the picture and wasn't ready to give it up. Sad, I know. Well, I actually ended up with another decent picture and hubby said he thinks it's better than the last one. He says taking ID photos must be my thing, haha. 
• We're going shopping this weekend, mostly to use up the free coupons I got for my birthday. Yay! We're also going to some friends' house for lunch and I volunteered to bring dessert. I don't remember the last time I baked something yummy.
• I am STARVING right now. No one would frown on me for having lunch around 11 a.m., right?

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Cooper: 3 months!

Hard as it is to believe, our little man is already a quarter of a year old today. He's in disbelief as I'm sitting in the corner with a box of Kleenex.

This has been such a fun month - probably my favorite so far! He is just becoming a real person and I love seeing that character shine through.

Cooper loves to "talk" to us. His favorite is "a goo goo goo" which I think means "I love you" because his face lights up every time I say this to him. He has a beautiful smile and truly smiles with his whole face - I can just be looking at his eyes and know that he's smiling.

Little Mister now loves his play mat. The other night, he lay there for about an hour, batting at Mr. Frog and the giraffe. He likes batting at the snimals in the gym over his Pack & Play as well, but prefers the mat because he can look around while playing there. Sometimes, he wears himself out and just takes a nap on the mat!

He still loves his swing, but we aren't using it every day like we used to.

And man, the boy is growing! I did the ever-so-official weighing me and him then just myself, and it looks like he is 15.2 lbs. That's about 3 pounds in one month! It's crazy that it took him two months to gain 2.5 lbs., but only one to gain 3! Not really sure on his length, we may try to figure that this weekend :)

A few weeks ago, his sitter noticed the bottles weren't really satisfying him, so we upped him from 5 to 6 ounces per bottle. For the most part, he has been eating around 6-6:30 a.m. (sometimes I have to wake him!), 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. He nurses  except for the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. sessions, when he has pumped milk, and we give him an additional 2-3 ounces of pumped "daddy" milk in a bottle at bedtime to really fill him up.

Last weekend, I took away the swaddle but I think it's going back for another month. He did so well Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, but the past three he's been waking up around 3 a.m. just whimpering, so he gets a paci, and I've been having to get up to feed him anywhere from 3:30-5 a.m. the past few days. This mama isn't used to that! A lot of what we've read indicates 4 months is about the right time to take away the swaddle, so we're going to buy a bigger swaddle sack for him this weekend and hope that helps. This mama needs her sleep again!

Poor little thing is losing his hair and it's growing back a bit lighter. I glanced at a photo in my digital frame at work the other day and realized just how different it is and just about cried. He had such beautiful hair as a newborn ....

He's definitely discovering new things about himself and that he can control body parts like his tongue and arms. Or this morning, trying to eat his feet.

One of his favorite things to do is "stand" (with our help, of course) and show how strong he is. Still no rolling over, but he does roll to his side quite a bit. And it doesn't help that we don't put him down for tummy time too much at home - it's easier for babes to roll from tummy to back than back to tummy.

He loves the TV also - I think it's something with the contrasting colors? He loves nothing more than to be in his daddy's nook watching our shows with us every night.

This month, he's experienced his first earthquake, Super Bowl, Mizzou/kU game and Valentines Day.

He is such a ham and still seems to really enjoy daycare - and it doesn't hurt that all the kids love him too. His sitter said he'll often just sit to the side and laugh at the other kids - and boy, his laugh is adorable, too! One of the little girls just loves him and asked to be picked up so she can see him every morning - precious!

Life is so much sweeter with this little guy. He is such a happy, precious little baby. I hate leaving him every day and still rush home to see him. He definitely keeps us on our toes and makes our house so much more filled with love.

Happy three months, love bug! We love you more than you'll ever know!

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What I'm Loving

Link up with Jamie :)

{1} I'm LOVING my little guy's new BFF. By the way, Truman is the mascot at Mizzou, my alma matter, and one of my former professors sent this stuffed animals (already wearing a mortarboard and carrying a diploma) saying Cooper must follow in mama's footsteps :)

{2} I'm LOVING that it's a sunny, beautiful day. It's February and temps are in the 60s? Yes, please.

{3} I'm LOVING that we're going shopping and spending time with some good friends this weekend.

{4} I'm LOVING that the week is {almost} halfway over. I'm tired!

{5} I'm LOVING these recent pins

Source: Uploaded by user via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: howjoyful.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: thishumblehome.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: studioonashoestring.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: bugger-dixonline.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

Source: emmalinaviolet.wordpress.com via Michelle on Pinterest

{6} I'm LOVING Tuesday lunches with one of my best friends. It's nice having one day set aside every week to visit.

{7} I'm LOVING my amazing husband :)

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shake, rattle and roll

So, we had a little excitement in southeast Missouri this morning - a 4.0 earthquake.

The epicenter was within 10 miles of my house! It rattled so much, I actually thought for a minute the house was ripping in two.




Image from the USGS website

 You know how people always say babies can sense things like earthquakes? I TOTALLY believe it now. Mr. Cooper has been doing a great job of sleeping through the night and I don't even remember the last time he woke up before 5 a.m. But around 3:15, I heard him sorta whimpering, so after a few minutes, I got his pacifier, figuring that would help soothe him back to sleep. About 10 minutes later, he was whining again, so I fed him. No more than 10 minutes after I got back to bed {at 3:58 a.m. to be exact} the earthquake hit. Coincidence?

Oddly enough, he didn't make a peep and when I checked on him, he was sound asleep.

Of course, when I logged onto Facebook this morning I saw there was a huge party on there at 4 a.m. Ha! Don't you love how the first thing we do is update our Facebook after something like that?

And this is the image circulating this morning, which simply cracks me up.

All in all, I'm glad that we're safe and there is no damage. And I'm considering shelling out the big bucks to add earthquake insurance to my home.

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miscellany monday

Hi again :)

Let's not talk about how long its taken me to get this up. Blogger is ca-razy today!

• Our weekend was ah-mazing. I pretty much chnaged from one pair of pajamas/lounge pants to another the entire time. To me, that is heaven.
• We did rent a couple of movies on Friday night. I got Bridesmaids and Killer Elite. I had heard great things about Bridesmaids but was disappointed - it was so uninteresting to me, I fell asleep. Hubby did enjoy his movie - obvs, since it has Jason Statham.
• I'm so jealous I'm not off work today. We get a lot of holidays, but NOTHING is planned off in February or August, so it stinks.
• This morning, my babysitter told me she thinks she has bronchitis. My kneejerk reaction was to just grab my baby and walk out the door, but that wasn't exactly feasible. I do plan to leave the office shortly after noon and work from home, then have my mom watch him tomorrow because I don't want him to be exposed. Is that crazy?
• I just realized I've hit 50 followers! I may have to do a giveaway soon :)
• I'm trying really hard to eat more fruits and veggies, but it's tough. I mean, cookies and chips sound so much better.
• I totally fell off the Fab Ab Feburary train. Blaming it on my birthday. I got behind, did some doubles to try and catch up, been busy, blah blah blah. Now I'm a full week behind. Maybe I'll start it back up tonight? Or March 1?
• I did a bit of extra work with my freelance job this month and was excited to have the "extra" money. Then I got my vehicle insurance bill and it hit me that the billing is different now since my parents transferred the title for my old car. So much for money in savings.
• Hubby and I spent a good two hours yesterday organizing the hospital bills, EOBs, etc. from my maternity care/Cooper's birth. I think it's all in line now. I did somehow pay $76 (over the phone) but can't find the bill for it. I'm calling today.
• Speaking of bills, I got an almost $2K EOB from the doctors office and best not ever get the bill. Long story short: I intended to get Mirena but the nurse pracitioner who saw me for my postpartum appt. couldn't get it placed. She figured it was a polyp or something, so had me come back the next day to see the actual doctor. They thought they had it placed, but failed TWICE. I have a retroverted uterus. Anyhow, they told me I wouldn't be charged, but it appears they turned it into my insurance ... and then my insurance denied coverage b/c she is apparently not in my network. If I get a bill, I will raise all kinds of hell.
• We did a lot of talking about money, the budget, etc. over the weekend. Basically, we decided to be very aggressive this year to get a lot paid off so we can begin working toward other projects {ie a horse barn.} I'm excited, as it means we shouldn't have any debt other than our house and my care by Jan. 1, but nervous about not having a lot of flexible money, funds for vacation, etc.
• I hate grocery shopping at Walmart. I try to only go once a month.
• I feel like I am in a cooking rut. Here's the tentative menu:
• Sunday: Hamburgers and fries
• Monday: BBQ meatballs, cheesy potatoes, green beans
• Tuesday: Pork chops in gravy, mashed potatoes, slaw
• Wednesday: Salmon patties, fried potatoes, noodles in tomato juice
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
• Saturday: Out. I'm hoping for either Olive Garden or a hibachi grill
• Happy Monday! What random things are going on in your life?

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