Perspective

I was recently going through pictures of Cooper because it seems like he is getting so big so fast. Here's a little perspective.

Here is Cooper the other night sleeping in his rocker (little fuzzy with the camera phone)....

And here he is at only a few weeks old in his rocker.....

And this one is just for fun because this face made me laugh....

We Survived!

Eighteen days later, Daddy is home and I am pleased to say that we survived! Not that we didn't have our moments but I think Cooper and I made great strides the last couple of weeks. I also now realize how much I can handle, and it's surprisingly more than I even imagined. Thank you Nana,Pappy and Aunt Jo for helping as much as you did, it's really, really, really appreciated. Steve just got back into town about 2 hours ago and he picked Coop up from daycare early so they could start getting reacquainted. Coop has definitely hit another growth spurt and as Steve's first text to me so perfectly stated the first time he saw Coop this afternoon...."OMG...he is a little boy now!"

Stay tuned for more...my cell is blowing up with texts from Steve about every 5 minutes about all the new stuff he missed.....

Crazy Coop

This is what I found when I went to pick Cooper up at daycare yesterday. They said that he wouldn't settle down and fall asleep until they gave him his pacifier......to hold on to. If it wasn't already obvious, my little boy has his own idea of how things work.

Mountain Man

And while it makes me very sad to post this picture, I know it will make Steve smile. I also have come to grips with the fact that one day, I will post this same picture and our little Coop will be standing here with his Dad with his very own elk.

Bedtime Stories

So Cooper and I have made it a little over a week without Daddy. And while it has not been easy it definitely has been doable and I think Coop and I are bonding in ways we otherwise would not have had the chance. We do miss Daddy a ton though. He is still not sleeping through the night but he has adjusted his sleep schedule so that he falls asleep by 7:30 most nights. This makes things a little bit easier on me so I can get stuff done around the house, however, I think I may need to go to bed at 7:30 too so I can manage to get some sleep in. By about 3am Coop usually ends up in my bed. I know, I know, this is not the best idea but every night I tell myself I'm going to make him stay in his crib the whole night but desperation and sleep depravity always seems to trump any willpower I could possibly have. And for now I have to chalk it up to survival. I'm looking forward to being full time again in November and for Steve to stay home with Cooper for two days.

Cooper is growing at a remarkable rate and you can see changes daily. Last week he started telling bedtime stories. This is when he decides it's time to go to bed and decides he wants to curl up in my lap on the couch and instead of taking his bedtime bottle he will tell me stories. At first, his tales start with much gusto, and then as he drifts off into dreamland, his voice gets a little quieter with each word until he finally closes his eyes and is asleep. It's one of the cutest things I've ever seen and I do look forward to his stories whenever he's willing to share. He's also got a full head of hair, although you can't tell by looking at the pictures. In pictures, he seems bald but then when the light hits it in certain ways it's either, very blond, light brown or a slight shade of red....time will tell. He's also trying to sit up on his own so he does a lot of lunging forward which makes even the smallest task of sitting in his rocker a bit hazardous. He's basically strapped down to everything we can secure him to these days. This morning I put him in his car seat to take him to daycare and he objected so strongly that he threw his belly forward and screamed at the top of his lungs. Although he's a very strong little boy, Mommy won that battle. Here are some pictures of the last week and a half.....

Miss you guys!

Well...I'm in Colorado for 2 weeks. Miss you guys alot! Coop, your not allowed to do anything new until I get back!

More Peas Please

Cooper has been doing so well with his oatmeal that we started his vegetables this week. The pediatrician said that we can introduce a new veggie every 3 days. Judging by the smell of the organic peas I wasn't too hopeful about Cooper's reaction but it appears my baby boy is an optimist. Not only does he LOVE the peas but he has completely rejected the oatmeal and will scream at you with the most intense objection that you immediately give him the peas. Stay tuned for the squash, sweet potatoes and carrots! You may be wondering why I didn't put a bib on him for his peas and you should know that he starts with a bib on. However, Cooper likes to eat bibs, so things get a little tricky when you are going in with a spoonful of peas and he has a fist and a bib crammed into his mouth. On a less optimistic note, he is still not sleeping through the night. I believe we are into week 3 of not sleeping but it's hard to tell since I'm not sure what day it is anymore. I'm not sure what to think about it all other than I'm hoping it's just a phase, and a short one at that. Also, he is either beginning cold #3 or he is teething because he has a slight fever. I would like to say it's him teething and that explains him not sleeping through the night anymore along with the fever, but since his nose is stuffy I'm leaning toward cold #3! Daddy leaves for Colorado on Saturday for the next 2 1/2 weeks........pray for my sanity and Coop's sanity too while you are at it :).

Here is Coop playing at daycare....

Rite of Passage

While Cooper is nearly 5 months old, it appears that I may have had my true rite of passage into motherhood the other day. I needed to go to the mall, and when I say "need", I mean it was really necessary in order for me to continue to walk. On my way to the mall, not only did I realize that I had not successfully removed all of the crusted baby oatmeal from my shoulder but I had gobs of sticky oatmeal throughout my hair. How did it get in my hair? That will most likely remain a mystery.

We all know that there will be a day when Cooper will find this picture and cringe. Yes, here it is, the most adorable kind of baby picture, and actually it's not just one, it's 3...the naked baby.....(we're sorry Coopy, you are just too cute)