Cooper's First Christmas

We had such a fun first Christmas with Cooper!  It is so nice that Justin has a break from school so we were able to spend a lot more time together and do some fun things for Christmas.  It is also our first Christmas in our new house, which makes it special as well.  We have a tradition of going to look at Christmas lights every year and this year we went to Prestonwood which is pretty close to our house.  We bundled Cooper up (except that it was 80 degrees outside that night) and were on our way.  Prestonwood did not disappoint and it was fun to see all the streets and themes.  There was even a boy standing on his driveway playing Christmas music on his trumpet.  It was so cute.  Cooper also didn't disappoint as he slept almost the entire time!  He started to get fussy when we were on our way home, as it was about time to feed him again so he was hungry.  When that boy gets hungry, watch out....there is no calming him down.  Thankfully we made it home quickly and I was able to feed him.  Overall, it was a success and we enjoyed it!

On Sunday, we drove to Austin to spend Christmas with Justin's family.  I was worried about the drive as this was the first time to take Cooper somewhere longer than 30 minutes away.  As I predicted he slept the first hour of the trip, but then became super fussy, so we had to stop to feed him.  Since it takes me 40 minutes still to nurse, that adds extra time to the drive.  After that, I ended up sitting in the back seat so I could give him a paci when he got fussy again, which helped a lot.  He took another short nap and before we knew it, we were there.  We first stopped at my good friend Abbie's house to see her and her daughter.  I'm bummed that I forgot to take some pictures with Abbie!  I haven't seen her since our wedding so it was so nice to visit, even if it was short.  We then went to his mom's new house which was beautiful house over looking the golf course.  That first night, Cooper slept 9 hours straight which was a record for him!  Unfortunately, he hasn't slept that long since.  It must have been the drive that threw him off.  Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas Eve seeing all Justin's aunts and cousins.  Cooper did so good and it was great for everyone to meet him, including his 2nd cousin, Cora.  

She kept reaching out to him and wanting to touch him, and Cooper would just stare at her, it was so cute.  Justin and I were also able to go play tennis together while Justin's mom watched Cooper.  It was so fun to play again as we haven't played together since before I was pregnant.  

Our first family Christmas together

Isn't he so handsome??

Christmas Morning!

He was smiling so big!  

The day after Christmas we left Austin and drove to Kingwood to have a late Christmas with my family.  Cooper got a lot of great things for Christmas, along with Mommy and Daddy.  

All the guys got Texans shirts...too bad they aren't very good right now!  

Our new Aggie hats

It was so fun to see my nephew, Peyton interact with Cooper.  Cooper would smile EVERY time Peyton would talk to him, and Peyton would get SO excited with Cooper would smile at him.  It was adorable.   So Peyton continually tried to make Cooper laugh and smile and succeeded almost every time.  It was so sweet!  I tried to get it on video, but of course every time I was taking a video, Cooper wouldn't smile.  It seems to always work that way.  

We had a wonderful Christmas and are so thankful for our little man!  What a special Christmas it was!

Happy 2 Months Coop!

This week Cooper turned 2 months old!  I really can't believe he's already 2 months, and I'm sure I will say that every month.

We went to the doctor yesterday for his 2 month check up. He now weighs 11 pounds 7 ounces so he is gaining weight well, though he is not a huge chunky baby yet.  He is in the 20th percentile in weight, 50th percentile in height, and 90th percentile for his head.  Thats right folks, our sweet boy has a big head ...but it's oh so cute.  His hats don't fit well and getting his onesies off and on are difficult with his sweet big head.  The doctor said it was totally normal and it just means the brain is growing properly so he is a genius (our doctor likes to crack jokes).  He's still wearing some newborn clothes and 0-3 month clothes.  He's just a little guy right now but I'm sure he will catch up soon!

Everyday gets more and more fun with him. He is such a smiling little guy and can give the biggest smilies that will just melt your heart!  We are obsessed with trying to make him smile.  He loves to be talked to and that will usually make him smile real big, especially after he eats.  My favorite is when I get him up in the mornings and I first talk to him, he smiles so big!  I like to think that he likes to hear the sound of my voice after not hearing it for 8 hours!  ;)   He's also tracking people around the room and will follow you with his head and eyes wherever you go, which is also so cute.  I love when he doesn't take his eyes off of me!  He's starting to enjoy being in his bouncer seat and likes to look at the lights and even bats at the toys hanging down (though probably accidentally).  He still doesn't like the swing and will only stay in it about 10 minutes before he starts to get fussy and wants out.  It's so funny how every baby is different as most moms told me the swing was a lifesaver for them.

He still has acid relux and we just switched his medicine as the other one wasn't working as well.  He spits up constantly which is really frustrating.  Sometimes I feel like he spits up everything he just ate.  He can go through up to 6 outfits a day so the onesies sure come in handy.  I feel so bad for him when he spits up so much as I know that he is hurting.  We are praying that the new medicine will help.

He is sleeping better which has been great for this tired Mama!  He is on a sleep, eat, wake schedule and his naps can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.  I usually don't let him sleep too long during the day so he will sleep well at night.  Last night he slept 8 hours again which was wonderful.  He hardly ever falls asleep on his own,  except in the car or in the stroller.  He has never been the typical newborn that sleeps all the time...but I think it will get better.  Everyday is different with him...some days he is super happy and sleeps great, and other days he is just extra fussy and doesn't sleep well.  I'm actually taking all milk and dairy products out of my diet to see if that helps any.  He has a little rash on his belly so the doctor thinks he could have a milk allergy.  Giving up dairy is going to be sooo hard, but I know it's worth it!

Though Cooper is not the biggest baby, you can tell that he really is growing...here is a side by side from last month and this month.  He still has long arms and legs!

We definitely love our sweet boy and think he is so stinkin' cute!  We praise the Lord for our little blessing!

Cooper's acting debut

This past weekend, Cooper played Baby Jesus in the Houston's First Baptist Christmas Celebration performance.  There are 6 shows total, and Cooper played in 2 shows on Saturday and Sunday.  It was such a fun experience!  When they called me about a month ago and asked if Cooper could play baby Jesus, we were hesitant at first.  That was when he was getting on acid relax medicine and he was super fussy.  I was so afraid that he would be inconsolable on stage and would be a distraction from the show!  I voiced my concern with his fussiness, but they assured me that it would be endearing if he cried and everyone would know he was a real baby.  So we then agreed and he did sooo good!  I was really nervous the day of the performance because I had to time it just right to nurse him right before he goes on stage since he is happy with a full tummy and that is his normal wake time.  It was a little stressful getting there, nursing him, changing him etc, and then having to wait around longer than expected for him to go on stage.  It was finally his time and he was on stage and he was away from me for about 30 minutes and was on stage during 3 full songs.  I was so surprised by how good he did!  He didn't cry at all and even cooed when "Mary" was singing her solo to him.  Everyone told me he was the sweetest baby!  He also put his hand up in the air right at perfect timing during the last song

I was standing right outside the backstage watching it all on the monitor so I got a close view.  I was snapping pictures like crazy of the monitor and everyone around me was asking me, "is that your baby?"  I guess I was a little obvious first time mom taking a million pictures of a monitor!  He was just so precious and I was so proud of him, even though he had no idea what he just did!

Since everything went so smoothly on Saturday, I wasn't near as worried or nervous on Sunday.  He started to get fussy when the lady took him from me to go on stage so I was thinking he would cry more.  But to my surprise again, he was just perfect!  Justin and I sat in the main sanctuary to see it all, but they didn't have the monitor's on during his scenes so I couldn't see any close ups, but the crew said he did great and didn't cry at all.  What a relief!   Now I have a small glimpse of how parents get so nervous for their own children.  If I was nervous for him over something as minimal of him just being a normal baby, I can't imagine how I'll feel during his sporting and school events.  Oh the joys of parenthood :)

 

Life as a new mom

Well, I have now officially been a mom for  7 weeks and by the lack of my blog postings, I must say I stay pretty busy!  And by pretty busy, I mean I have hardly any free time to do anything but take care of Cooper, and take care of the house (which please don't judge if you come over).  I love my new job so much, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but I must say...it is way harder than I ever thought!  When I read other mom's blog postings when they have a newborn, they seem so happy and giddy and all is just wonderful with the world.  I'm tempted to post the same things, but I'm just too tired!  Being a mom really is exhausting.  The past 7 weeks have been the hardest weeks of my life, but also filled with such joy at the same time.  I went from having an extremely easy labor and wonderful 2 nights in the hospital, to the second we bring him home, things just went downhill.  We didn't sleep at all the very first 2 nights, and about a few hours a night the first 2 weeks.   My hormones were also all out of whack.  We were so tired and had to take him to the Doctor a few times to figure out what's wrong, which he has acid reflux. His medicine is helping some, but he still spits up all.the.time!  There are times when my shirt is completely soaked after he eats.  I go through burp cloths like crazy...in fact I need to get more!  He also seems like he is in pain some of the time and I just don't know what else to do for him.  Right when I'm at a breaking point of exhaustion, he does something like this

And my heart just melts and all is right in the world!  He first started to smile a little over 5 weeks and it was sooo adorable!  Now, he smiles a lot and at specific things I do.  He is just the cutest and sweetest baby!  I really think someone should record what Justin and I do to get him to smile, it's pretty ridiculous!

Everyone told me it would get better, and at the time it didn't help much...but they were all right!  This week, Cooper started sleeping about 7-8 hours a night, which has been a huge blessing.  But then last night he went back to sleeping 5 hours, which doesn't surprise me.  One thing I have learned is right when you think you have the mom thing down,   he reverts back to something and it makes you all confused and helpless again.  This definitely keeps me from thinking I have it all together and to depend completely on the Lord!  Like with any job, we must depend solely on the Lord and ask Him daily for wisdom.  I have learned to rejoice on the good days, and when I have a day where he won't stop crying and I have no idea why, I know it will pass and that there will be good days and sweet moments to come.

Cooper also had his 1st Thanksgiving!  We had a great time at my parents house with my brother, nephew, Aunt and Uncle.  Cooper started to track people and look around more, which is so fun.  I am truly so thankful for my boys!  I love my hard working, kind hearted hubby and my smiling sweet boy!

I am also so thankful for my mom.  She has helped me so much with Cooper and watching him when I need a break.  She was diagnosed with cancer back in August and is now in remission after going through chemotherapy (she has one round left).   It is something to celebrate and I am so thankful to the Lord for healing my mom.

Cooper will be 2 months soon and get his 2 month shots!  Time really is going by fast, though somedays seem so slow.  Cooper is also going to be baby Jesus in the Houston First Baptist Celebration Christmas performance.  It's a huge production and he will play baby Jesus on  Sat and Sun matinee performances.  I just hope he's in a  good mood those days :)   December is already going to be busy and I am so looking forward to Cooper's 1st Christmas!