A Year Ago

One year ago today I found out I was pregnant, and I learned to believe in miracles.

8 months later our little baby arrived. It is some kind of special to hold a miracle in your arms!

This has been the most amazing and special year of my life. Each day has been a genuine blessing.

Cooper is our miracle baby and our most precious little gift. After all we went through, what better time to have found out about him than Christmastime, the season of God's love and mercy. As the nurse said when she called that day, "Looks like Santa came early for you!" Indeed he did, but little did we know that the best was still to come.

Coop's Scoop

I've decided to periodically just write random little things about Cooper that more than likely only I will appreciate so that I don't forget when he's older. Feel free to skip the Coop's Scoop when you see it unless you're just curious about what my little boy is up to these days. :)

Cooper's Favorite Things

-his play mat

-chewing on his hands (loves to suck and chew on his pointer finger and thumb at the same time)

-chewing on anything he can get into his mouth

-playing in front of the mirror

-splashing in his bath tub

-watching lights and shadows on the ceiling or walls

-being in public-he seems to love the change in scenery and all the people

-loves for people to make noises at him

-getting his diaper changed and being naked-the less clothing this child has on, the happier he is (he is such a boy)

-being held outward so he can see what's going on around him

-when you blow on or kiss his tummy-he's pretty ticklish already!

-when you hold him up above your head and move around the room (we call this "Cooperman", instead of Superman)

Cooperman!

Things That Make Cooper Pitch a FIT

-being in his car seat for an extended period of time (or even a short period of time, depends on the day)

-tummy time

-he prefers I not talk while he's nursing (doesn't pitch a fit, but he does whine about this), and he's starting to whine when other people talk while he's nursing too...perhaps he's going to be a little bossy...

-when his diaper is dirty

-getting dressed-does NOT like for me to put clothes on him after I have stripped him down!

Cooper's Confusion

-he's still not sure if he loves the pacifier or hates it (once again, depends on the day and time)

-going down for naps-sometimes he snuggles right up to me with his paci in mouth and happily goes right to sleep (while smiling...very cute); sometimes he turns his head away from me (as if he can't see me then he won't fall asleep) and cries and screams and squirms and fights falling asleep until he can't stay awake any longer (not very cute)

Cooper's Tricks

-loves to grasp and pull on the toys that hang down on his mobile; also loves to hold on to your fingers and grab/rub your face

-talks and laughs all the time, especially when you smile at him first-my favorite time of day is still in the mornings when I go to get him out of his crib because he is cooing and playing with his hands. As soon as he sees me, he gets a huge grin on his face...steals my heart every time!

-blowing bubbles-this is his newest and what seems to be his favorite trick, as he does it ALL the time! He blows bubbles now while "talking", and it is so funny.

-although he's not turning over from his stomach to his back, he's getting close.

-if he can't reach a toy that hangs down from one of his mobiles, then he'll turn himself on his side so he can reach higher

-drooling-wow, can this kid drool! I think he might have a little hound dog in him!

-he grabs and hugs your arm with both of his arms while you change his diaper-it's so sweet

-squirming-he squirms all over his crib at night (which has made his Angel Care monitor go off a few times since he pushes himself all the way over to the far side of the crib) and all over his play mat (especially when he's trying to reach for a different toy that hangs down)...on a side note, we took the bumper out of his crib because he kept wiggling over to it during the night and burying his face in it

The other morning he wiggled right off of his play mat. He was so proud of himself!

Cooper's Stats

-At almost 3 1/2 months, Cooper weighed 13 lbs, 12 oz and was 24 1/2 inches long.

-He is still in the size 1-2 Pampers.

-He is wearing 3-6 months sizes in his clothes.

-He's still only being breastfed. The pediatrician said we could start rice cereal and baby food at 4 months if we wanted to, but we're thinking about holding off for a little longer

4 Month Photo Shoot

Our first picture actually turned out to be the best one this month.

There is almost always a hand in the mouth these days.

Please note that Cooper has only one sock on at this point!

And we're done!

Peeks into our Weeks

We have been pretty busy the past couple of weeks with so many wonderful things, so to get caught up, I've decided to do one big post of many mini-posts!

Thanksgiving

Our 2010 Thanksgiving family picture (Cooper was fast asleep for it)

This Thanksgiving we had so very much to be thankful for, and it was so nice to have a day to celebrate all our many blessings. At the top of our thankful list: our healthy, typically happy baby...

...who did a lot of this all day on Thanksgiving...

and finally did some of this that evening.

It was definitely a holiday for celebrating our wonderful family. We had dinner with my mom on Wednesday, lunch with my dad on Thursday, and then dinner with Karl's family. Karl's grandfather and cousin came to visit from Oklahoma, which we look forward to each Thanksgiving. We took advantage of their visit this year to get some good family photos!

Decking Our Halls

The day after Thanksgiving, I told Cooper it was time to get ready for Christmas.

And he said, "Say what?!"

To get us in the Christmas spirit, we went to pick out our Christmas tree.

Cooper's response to picking out the tree was the same as when we picked out a pumpkin...

...he slept through the whole thing.

Then it was time to pull out and dust off our Christmas decorations. I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and it is so exciting to have a little one around this year. However, that little one made decorating a bit of a challenge. He gives me limited time to do things other than dote on him; therefore, our halls took three days to deck, but alas, they're done! Here are a few of my favorite things for this year:

1. Cooper's Stocking

I am so happy to have three stockings up there this year!

2. Baby's First Christmas ornament

I got a Radko ornament to go with the one Karl got me for our first Christmas.

3. My dad's old Christmas tree by Cooper's picture with Santa

Each year I look so forward to getting out that Christmas tree. It was my dad's when he was a little boy, and he gave it to me when I was a little girl. As much as I have always loved it, I love it even more beside this little picture!

Now that we're all decked out, I think Little Man is feeling the excitement too.

Jolly Old St. Nick

Cooper made a visit to see Santa Claus and tell him his Christmas list, which I'm pretty sure only consists of milk and clean diapers, so it's a good thing Santa is creative and can pack some exciting things away in his sleigh for Little Man.

A Visit to Mommy's Side of the Family

Last Thursday we took our first road trip over to Georgia to visit with my mom, grandmother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. This was their first time to meet Cooper, and it was a proud visit for me as I got to show off my little baby! I think Cooper had a great time too as he bonded with his cousin Brady and all his other relatives. It was a wonderful trip!

Cooper with his great-grandmother

Mama with her two great-grandsons

Cooper and Brady (Brady, you're going to be such a good big brother!)

Some fun time with Nana

While we were there, my cousin had her baby shower to celebrate Baby Paxton's upcoming arrival. It was a beautiful shower!

Is this not the prettiest little pregnant lady you've ever seen?!

Stephanie with my Aunt Pam (her mom)

Me and Stephanie

Hannah, Stephanie, and Olivia (our other girl cousins)

The yummy food table-we had fondue, and it was so good! This was my first experience with fondue (sad, I know), and it might be my new favorite thing. We had a cheese one and a white chocolate one and a milk chocolate one and a ton of things to dip in them. It was all delicious!

Alright, I think that just about covers everything. If you made it to the end of this incredibly long post, you deserve an award!

Just Because

Just because I haven't posted in awhile and am too tired to write much now, I'll put up a few pictures of my favorite little man...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

When Cooper was born, we were all so surprised to see that he had a head full of hair. I sent him to the nursery for a few hours each night while we were in the hospital, and when they would bring him back to me, he would be clean and his hair would be combed. He looked so beautiful with that combed hair!

However, about a month ago, the dreaded cradle cap snuck up on us. I didn't bother it and thought it would clear up without me messing with it. I continued to wash his hair as normal, but the cradle cap stayed stuck on. Errr... I continued to brush his hair as normal, but the cradle cap didn't budge... Errr... At Coop's 3 month check up, the doc said it's time for that stuff to go. He said to put baby oil on it, let it soak for awhile, and brush/scrub the cradle cap off.

Sounds easy enough,

and it was easy enough,

But...

What he didn't say was that Cooper's beloved baby hair was going to fall out when I did it! That's not the kind of thing you don't tell a first time mom! Since the cradle cap was only on top of his head, he's only balding on top; the sides and back are still nice and thick! My little man now looks like an old man with his receding hairline!

Watched

For Mother's Day this year, my friend Denise gave me a book called Mother to Son. It's a sweet little book with simple advice on raising boys from babies to men. Some tips are funny like this one in the Leaving Home section: "Remind him that beer is not one of the major food groups." I have a feeling deep down inside that this is a lecture I'll have to have with Cooper one day! :) Most of the advice is just good ol' fashion words of wisdom ("Teach him to hang up his clothes..."). And then there are some really sweet tips, one of which I've already learned to be true:

"Don't forget, as a baby, he will always be looking for your face. It will be this way forever."

I know better than to believe that I will always be the face he searches for. One day some pretty little girl will catch his eye, and he'll be looking for her face, not his mama's. But for now, he looks for mine, and I treasure this time.

Today Cooper and I went shopping. As a lady was admiring Little Man, she made a remark that I have heard countless times lately: "Look at him just looking at his mama!" Cooper's eyes were on me, as they seem to be all the time now. I love to see those sweet blue eyes fixated on me, and even more, I love how he smiles when I look back at him. After she said that today and I realized how much Little Man watches me, it made me wonder, what does he see as he watches me?

Does he see gentleness? Does he see kindness? Honesty? Humility? Compassion? Courage? Joy? Integrity? Patience? Respect? All the other virtues I so hope to instill in him?

Or...

Does he see impatience? rudeness? spitefulness? selfishness? greed? All other characteristics I so hope to NOT instill in him?

By no means am I anywhere close to perfect, and I hope Cooper sees that. He can learn much from my imperfections, but I hope he sees me try to right my wrongs. I hope he sees someone he can admire. As he watches me, he will see my sin, just as he will see my goodness, but I hope when he sees me look back at him, he will always see a love for him that is incredible and full and unconditional.

That reminds me of another tip in the book: "At times, you will be blown away by the depth of your love for him." So very true.

Cooper and Dad's Big Day with Tag-Along Mom

If you know my husband, then you know what an avid outdoorsman he is. This is a passion he hopes to instill in our son, and I hope he does too. I like boys who play outside, get dirty, learn the ways of nature, and develop a respect for God's creation. For me, a knowledge and love for the outdoors is an important ingredient in making a boy a man. Fishing, hunting, sports, camping, scuba diving: whatever it may be, I like the idea of Cooper having some connection with nature.

Since Karl was about 6 or 7 his dad has been taking him to Simmons Sporting Goods store. They know several of the employees so well that they are considered friends. This is an important store to Karl. In fact, it was the first place he ever took me. (Oh, the romance of a young relationship! He was 16, I was 14. It was mid-March. I had never ridden in the car with him before, so it didn't matter where we were going; I just loved that we were going together. I forgot to ask my parents beforehand if I could go. I got in a little trouble when I got home...) Now that we have a little boy, we have been looking forward to introducing Cooper to his daddy's favorite store.

Loaded and ready to go!

We did it right by stopping on the way to eat at Karl's favorite barbeque restaurant.

Getting ready to walk in for the first of many times to come.

Boys, all I ask is that you show a little mercy on our finances in your future trips when I'm no longer allowed to go! Cooper, remember, we want you to go to college!

The First Outfit

Remember this sweet little outfit from an earlier post (Updates)? This was the first outfit I bought for Cooper.

I loved how it had elephants on it just like his nursery theme. I was so proud of it and took it out of the bag countless times on the way home to look at it. I kept thinking, "It's so little!" The thought of dressing a sweet little baby in it was so exciting to me.

However, with Little Man arriving a little early...

and the weather taking it's sweet time to cool down...

I was afraid he would outgrow it before he had the chance to wear it.

Don't fret though. With the little bit of cold weather we've had, I got to dress my sweet little baby in it.

And it was just as exciting as I thought it would be (for me).