Some "firsts"

I am the typical first time mom that tracks all of Cooper's "firsts" and gets super excited about them!  One big one I already shared was his first smile and he really hasn't stopped smiling since!  I just love that huge open mouth grin....gets me every time.  Then around 11 weeks, Cooper rolled over for the first time!  Justin and I were both there and it came as a shock as we weren't really expecting it. We try to have tummy time everyday, but sometimes he's just not interested and puts his head down like he's saying "pick me up, now!"  But other times he lifts his head up super high and can stay on his tummy for awhile.  I remember saying to Justin that night that I wanted to see if he would roll over.  So I put him on his tummy an within 30 seconds, he rolled over!  It was so cute, I got a picture right afterwards

 Justin and I reacted like crazy first time parents.  We were so excited that he rolled over as it was a little shocking at how fast he did it!  Of course I tried to get it on video again but he wouldn't roll over again that night!  He's rolled over a lot since then, but he won't do it every time.  He gets to his side and likes to lay there for awhile.  He has also rolled from his back to his stomach but he's only done that once.

Cooper also got to meet some more of his relatives last weekend.  We celebrated Justin's cousin as she had a baby shower...Cooper is so excited to meet his second cousin soon!  They will be good buddies!  Cooper did well at the shower and only started to fuss when he was hungry.  He didn't take a nap but was still content. He has lots of smiles to go around

He got to meet some of his great uncles and cousins.  Here he is with his great uncle Robert

And here we are with the expectant couple, Jason, Anais and baby Joshua coming soon!

Family picture!!

Another first was Cooper is the only boy that has been allowed to join our small group!  Sadly it will be our last small group with all 4 of us for awhile since Katherine moved overseas...I'm thankful for these ladies!

His last first was that he went to the church nursery for the first time!  Justin and I are starting to visit churches in our area and so far he has done great in the nursery.  I always think they will have to page me, but they said he did great and that he is just "precious".  It always makes Mommy feel better to hear that.

Like everyone said...he is definitely growing up fast!

Cooper is 3 months old!

Cooper has hit a big milestone in my book...he is 3 months old!

For some reason, I have been waiting for the 3 month old mark with excitement as everyone would tell me "the first 3 months are the hardest."  And it's true...it really does get easier.  Here's what's going on with Cooper at 3 months:

Eating: I am starting to transition him to a 4 hour eating schedule instead of 3 hours and that makes a world of difference for me!  I'm nursing him about 5 times a day instead of 8 so it saves so much time.  He sometimes wants to eat at 3 hours but so far he is doing well with eating every 4 hours.  It still takes him 40 minutes to nurse and I'm still waiting for him to get quicker at that.  I still struggle with low milk supply but I'm not near as stressed about it as I was at the beginning.  It is true that some women just don't have as much milk and without getting into too many details, it's obvious that I don't have as much as most women.  I have tried EVERYTHING to help increase my milk supply..including nursing him around the clock and nothing has helped.  For any other women who struggle with low milk, please don't feel guilty or bad if you have to supplement!  I felt badly for the first month and it made me way more stressed which is not what I needed at the time.  I'm thankful for the moms who reached out to me at the beginning with their struggle with breast feeding/low milk and it was so encouraging!  My doctor told me that two thirds of his moms have to supplement and if I didn't supplement, Cooper would have to go to the hospital to get an IV (since he was losing weight).  All that to say, some women have to supplement and it is OKAY!  :) 

Sleeping:  Cooper is sleeping so good at night!  Last night he slept a record of 10 hours straight...yay!  He usually averages about 8 hours a night but the past week he has been sleeping about 8-10 hours so he is improving.  I'm hoping by the end of the month he'll be sleeping 11-12 hours...maybe wishful thinking :)

Napping: Cooper is a horrible napper!  I guess it's a trade off since he's sleeping so well at night.  His naps usually are not longer than 30 minutes.  It gets very frustrating and discouraging to me since I really can't get anything done since he doesn't nap well anymore.  I have tried putting him down later, putting him down earlier, letting him cry it out, going to comfort him...pretty much anything I can think of, but he just won't go back to sleep after he wakes up.  I always put him down well fed, and changed so that couldn't be it either.  Sometimes, he doesn't even seem that tired.  I'm at a loss...any moms have suggestions to help him nap longer??  

Temperament:  Cooper is the sweetest baby!  He is so smiley and seems to smile every time I talk to him.  He is so happy in the mornings when he wakes up and smiles so much when I start talking to him after he wakes up.  He just melts my heart!  He is not near as fussy as he was before...he mainly fusses when he's hungry (which he is hungry a lot).  And then after he eats he is back to smiling nonstop.  He still has acid reflux and is taking medication for it, which seems to help.  He spits up non stop which is the most frustrating part, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him like before.  I still pray everyday for healing from this reflux.  Sometimes I think that is what wakes him up from naps as he has spit up all over him, but not sure why that wouldn't wake him up during the night?  

Size: Cooper is just starting to grow out of his newborn clothes.  Yes, I know he's 3 months old, he's just not a huge baby...yet :)  He is wearing 0-3 and 3 month clothes now.  He is also wearing size 1 diapers.  I didn't think I would be as sad as I felt when I was packing up his newborn clothes, since I've been waiting for him to grow out of them for awhile...but I was sad :(  I couldn't believe these clothes he would never wear again.  My baby really is growing too fast!  

Likes:  Going on our daily walks (unless it's rainy or too cold), nursing, being read to, being sung to, watching the TV, being talked to, car rides (for the most part), baths, Aggie football!!  

Dislikes: The Swing, napping, being left alone for too long, being hungry (but who does like that?)

Milestones:  Cooper rolled over this month! He was 10 weeks old and it was way cute.  He also went to the church nursery for the first time and did great!  I hope to do another post on some other small "firsts" of Cooper's :)  

We love our sweet boy SO much and are thankful for how much joy he brings to our lives!  

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!

Cooper is 1 month

Where has the time gone?  I can't believe Cooper is 1 month old now!  At times it feels like I just blinked and he's already 1 month, and other times, I feel like he's been here much longer.  We love our sweet boy and just can't picture our lives without him.  He brings such joy to our family!

Though this is such a special time, it has not come without it's difficulties.  The first month has been MUCH harder than I pictured from the beginning.  At first, I thought "oh I know I have to wake up 2-3 hours every night to feed him etc..it will be hard..." but I don't think I realized that not EVERY baby wakes up 2-3 hours and then goes right back to sleep.  Our first 2 nights home from the hospital, Cooper did not sleep one wink the entire 2 nights!  We were going crazy.  Poor guy was so hungry, and I was nursing him around the clock.  We were beyond exhausted.  We have already been to the doctor 4 times now and it turns out he has acid relax so he is on some medication for that.  It has helped and he is not spitting up as much as before.  I also have low milk supply so that is another cause of frustration.  Those 2 things have caused a ton of fussiness and a very tired mommy!  Thankfully things have gotten better but of course there are always good days and hard days.

He has been sleeping a lot better now and went 2 nights sleeping 4 and half hours which was glorious! But then last night he went back to waking up every 2-3 hours, but is going back to sleep right after I nurse him.  I really can't complain at all...after our first 2 weeks where I was up at all hours of the night, having him go right back to sleep after eating is wonderful, I don't even care that I'm waking up 3 times at night.  I am trying to put him on a schedule, but that is much easier said than done.  I do think some babies are more difficult than others and I think Cooper will take more effort on my part to get him on a good sleeping schedule.  I am doing Baby Wise, where during the day he eats, plays, then sleeps and that works some of the time.  He is just very difficult to put down for a nap right now.  He just LOVES to be held, so he usually falls asleep in my arms and then I lay him down.  He's only 1 month old, so I'm not stressing over it.  I just want to enjoy him and this special time and not stress over every little thing.  

Justin and I think he is just the cutest thing in the world!  We find ourselves saying that to each other at least 7 times a day.  I wanted to include some of his newborns pictures that turned out oh so cute!

I really can't believe I've been a mom for a month now.  It really has been the hardest but wonderful month.  Because of all the little issues we've had at the beginning, I really haven't taken him out of the house at all except for the doctor.  The last thing we needed was for him to get sick.  I really haven't left the house much at all besides going on walks, and I will definitely be ready to start taking him places soon.  He's also fussy a lot so I worry I'll be in a situation where he won't stop crying, but I need to just bite the bullet.  I have to time it perfectly where we leave right after he eats, so he has a full tummy!  

I have enjoyed taking him on walks, which is great for me to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather!  The first few walks, he would end up crying and screaming all the way home.  I felt like the people around me were judging me by not doing a thing with my crying child, but what can you do...I gotta walk the rest of the way home!  Then the past 2 walks, he just looked around, didn't cry at all and slept, it was great!  

He is nursing around 8-10 times a day, and it takes him about an hour each time.  If you do the math, that is 8-10 hours of nursing a day!  No wonder I feel like I can't get anything done.  It's exhausting but I know worth it.  Everyone tells me he will get much faster at it and I'm still waiting for my milk supply to increase (yes I have tried tons of stuff to help it).  Having a newborn really can be challenging but I just read a good blog post today about how this time goes by so fast.  Everyone has already told me it goes by fast, but it was a great reminder.  I want to enjoy this season as I won't get it back.  Children are a true blessing and Cooper is a huge answer to prayer and I am so thankful for this season, no matter how hard and exhausting it can be.  

Happy 1 month sweet boy....we are crazy about you!