Boo Boos and Black Eyes

I'm a nervous wreck. Since Cooper has started crawling and pulling up and cruising along the furniture, I am constantly worried that he is going to hit his head one too many times and end up with some sort of learning disability. Well, maybe not that, but he will have some bumps and bruises along the way. For instance, tonight, he poked himself in the eye with an object, caused a blood blister and I'm pretty sure he'll have a shiner tomorrow. I mean, how does this happen? We were right there! Perhaps it will make him look tough and the older kids at day care won't take his toys away from him.

This month has had some firsts- he had his first sinus infection and had to take antibiotics, he had his first bout with thrush and had to be on anti-fungal meds, he likely will have his first black eye, he has started moving (while standing) from one object to another without falling (most of the time) and he has gone to his first UGA tailgates. It's been a busy month, only bound to get busier. October will be a little stressful because I will have to find THE PERFECT Halloween outfit. We also have his nine month pictures made with David and I, so there is extra pressure to look beautiful for the camera.

These have been some of the best months and they are only going to get better. I can't wait for all my prego friends to experience this awesome time in their lives!!!!

3-2-1 Lift Off

It has happened. Cooper is officially a big boy. Well, not really, but he has reached a milestone and we are so excited! Cooper is crawling! It is more of a scoot-crawl; he just can't seem to get that right foot out from under his bottom, so he drags it underneath him in case he wants to sit on it. It's quite funny. He has also started a new string of sounds and words: ba ba ba, ma ma ma, and spitting. Yep, he literally spit squash out of his mouth yesterday. He is learning all of the sounds he can make with his lips and he loves to spit things out! I will post a video shortly for all to see!

Reflections

Today was filled with lots of things 'to do': David's first day of school, Cooper's 6 month doctor's visit, our wedding anniversary...a busy day to say the least.

Yes, David and I have been married for four years today. I can't believe how time flies by. Just yesterday he was picking me up for our first date to...Chilis! How sweet! It has been our favorite restaurant ever since. A lot has happened in the time that David and I have been together: we've both graduated from college, graduated from graduate programs, held our first 'real' jobs, owned a home, owned two cars, own all of the furniture in our house that was not a hand-me-down, been to many many weddings of our friends, been to some funerals, participated in four football seasons together and most of all- had a child. When I go to my ten year high school reunion next weekend, I think I'll have a lot to be proud of in my life! Not much changed from high school graduation through undergrad, but then after that it seemed as though time took off like a rocket! Where does it all go? I guess time really does fly when you're having fun! I'm looking forward to the next 70 years with David. I hope it's as fun as these last four have been! (oh, and white roses were delivered to my office this morning- gotta love that!)

Cooper went to the doc today. He is in the 65th percentile for everything- height and weight. He is 26 7/8 inches long and 19.6 pounds! Whoa hoss! And, of course, he is perfect in every way! Below is a pic of our fabulous doctor, Henry Garrard. He is THE BEST in town and we absolutely love him! David even gets excited to go see him! Cooper did very well with his shots today- he only had two and only made one yelp and was fine afterwards. Such a big boy!

Random Videos

Home Alone

If anyone were to try to break into our house, I'm sure they would end up with a broken neck, broken leg, broken arm, etc. Not because David would beat them up, but because our house is secured with very inventive booby traps. It's much like the house in the movie Home Alone...Cooper's walker is in front of the kitchen door, his play mat and light-up thingy is in front of the front door, most of his toys are strewn about the living room and the kitchen and occasionally there is a puddle of spit up just waiting to throw some unsuspecting thief onto their rear end like that of a banana peel (do those really work? really?). Anyway, below is a picture of our newest security item, or Cooper's walker to be more exact. I sure hope Santa does not decide to slide down our chimney this Christmas- Cooper's jumperoo is in front of that as well...

We Won! We Won!

Wonders never cease to amaze me!!! We (really I) had MUCH excitement this weekend as we found out that we WON a free convertible car seat!!! The Britax Diplomat car seat, in Cowmouflauge, will be installed in my car this evening!! Here's the story:

A local baby boutique, Rattles and Rhymes, held their 2nd Annual Baby Shower sale this weekend. Lots of discounted items and giveaways. Part of the sale included a raffle; each customer received 6 tickets. Within the store, boxes were placed next to various items that the store would be giving away. You could put your tickets in any box that you desired; you could put all of your tickets in one box if you really wanted that item or you could spread them around and try your luck at winning several items. Examples of raffle items were: cribs, mattresses, strollers, car seats, diaper bags, etc.

Now, I'm not one to win things very often, so I did not get my hopes up. I decided I would put two tickets in the car seat (something we have been dreading buying for a while now- Cooper has almost outgrown the one he is in now) and then distribute my tickets about the store in hopes that I would win something and could give it to a friend who is expecting (most of the items we already have, so there was really no need for us to have 2 baby cribs).

David and I went out on Saturday night to a friend's birthday party. We left Cooper with a new baby sitter (who is so sweet- she's no Dixie- but she will do in her absence). Since she was new, I took the liberty of typing up an 'info sheet' for her to have: address, our cell numbers, when Cooper should eat, where his clothes and diapers were located, AND instructions to answer the phone if it rang b/c we were waiting to hear if we won anything at the raffle.

Slinking back to the house around 9:00 PM, I walked in to find out that we had WON!! I literally jumped up and down, screaming, "We saved $300!" and probably scared the babysitter half to death! She said that the store called and said, "Please tell her that she won the Britax Diplomat..." to which the babysitter replied, "Okay, could you repeat that? You said Brit..." to which the store manager quickly said, "Tell her she won a car seat!". Enough said!!! Below is a pic of the major award (reference to A Christmas Story)

6 Months!

Dear Sweet Baby Jesus

You will get the title of this post if you have ever seen 'Talladega Nights.' Anyway, Dear Sweet Baby Jesus, please allow Cooper to continue to sleep through the night! He has been doing so well sleeping in his crib until about 4:30 or 5:00 AM and then sleeping with us until 7:00 AM. We are REALLY excited to be catching up on sleep, so surely you will not take that away from us. Also, continue to watch over him at daycare and help him to keep eating all of his oatmeal and taking a morning nap in the crib. Amen.

Below are some pics of our visit with Owen this weekend. Cooper was in a bit of a mood, but we managed to get some good pics. Cooper also loves his vegetables! He has not warmed up to fruits yet- odd for a baby- and he gets this shutter when they are too sweet, but overall he likes all sorts of foods!
!

Daycare

It had to happen eventually. I had to let the reigns go...I just didn't think it would be so soon! Yesterday was Cooper's first day at Trinity Lutheran Learning Center. Why didn't I post yesterday? Well, because I spent the majority of the day in tears. Approximately every hour I would think about Cooper sitting in the nursery, away from me and David, away from Dixie, and I would loose all control.

Here is the thing that SOME do not understand. I realize that daycare is good for Cooper. I am excited for him. It will be beneficial to have him socialized and used to noises (like Aunt Jill) and illnesses and the like. I think this is a great age for him to start as well. HOWEVER, it is a Mom's job to worry and so I am. Cooper has been with no one else but family and Dixie and he has had the pleasure of staying in his own home, safe and sound, waiting on Mommy every day when I come through the doors. Now, I am going to an unfamiliar place, leaving him with unfamiliar people and hoping that some other kid isn't stepping on him (like one of them did yesterday). It is another change in our lives and I am dealing with it the best that I can!

He has had two good days so far. The first day he was little out of it, but the second day he did much better; he ate, talked and even took a little cat nap. Apparently, he also likes bubbles. This morning was his first experience in the ball pit. Yes, they have a miniature ball pit for the babes to tumble in and out of. These pits are also referred to as cesspools (these people have NO idea who they are dealing with; do they know I'm in public health?). But, as I left the room this morning, he was enjoying playing in the pit with Ms. Courtney.

I suppose now we will wait on his first real illness: ear ache, runny nose, fever, etc. I'm sure he will make tons of friends. There are some baby girls in the class who are cute as pie. But, he's too young for that. He won't be allowed to date until he is at least 35 .

Cooper Driving and Hilton Head Pics

We're All In This Together

An interesting thing happened to me on Thursday that I thought I would share with everyone, especially mommies. I attended a meeting for work that was being run by an acquaintance that I work with across campus. She and I both had baby boys around the same time. We didn't know that the other was pregnant until we showed up at the same childbirth education classes at St. Mary's. I have not talked to her since December. Well, after the meeting, she followed me out the door and ran to my side to chat for a minute. Her face was slightly panicked and she looked like she really wanted to say something. It didn't take long before she unloaded. She began to tell me how stressed she was juggling work and the baby, how her thighs rub together because the baby weight isn't off yet, how clothes just don't fit, how there is no time for working out,etc, etc.

I really empathized with her. And I thought, as I walked away, we are all in this together. Every mommy is virtually the same. No matter if she is stick thin or the perfect task master, we all struggle with this thing called 'parenthood' and we all go through a period where our bodies just aren't what they used to be. As I bemoaned my own issues with baby weight, I felt like I wasn't alone and that I could talk to my friends who were going through the same things for support.

I read a blog yesterday about a woman who claimed it took her sixteen months to loose all of her baby weight. You should have seen the ninety thousand responses she had to this post. Women were literally commenting from around the world, praising this woman for coming out and telling her story. Some of the mommies said that it took them two years to get back on track with hormones, weight, hair loss etc (oh yeah, and did I mention my hair is falling out? Like CLUMPS of hair. I don't look bald yet, but it's only a matter of time before I hit Kojak status). So, I'd just like to pass along words of encouragement to the mommies out there that even though we all go through this period of wanting to wear mu mu's and potato sacks, looking at the product that we carried for nine months makes it all worth it. I wouldn't trade it for the world!!! Weight will come and go, but our children are forever!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 Month Check Up

Well, really 'almost 5 m0nth check up' at the doctor's office. Cooper did fine. He didn't cry until the third shot. Then he wailed until Daddy picked him up and he was fine. The worst part is when he realizes that it hurts and he starts to scream, but it's not a scream yet, it's a silent, mouth-open, red faced grimace and then when he finally breathes it is a blood curddling scream. Got a little crabby the day after the shots, but he seems fine now. Here are his stats:
Weight= 15.8 lbs= 65%
Height= 26 in= 80%

The doctor said that he should be able to make it through the night at an 8 hour stretch. He got in Cooper's face (jokingly) and said, "You can do better Cooper. You can make it. You don' t need to wake up Mommy and Daddy all night long..." to which Cooper replied, " blah bah blah bah blah," almost like he was telling Dr. Garrard where to stick it. It was amusing.

So, the doctor told us to feed him and put him to bed at the normal time, 8:30. Then, wake him up at 11:00, feed him 6 oz and put him back to bed and he'll sleep until 7 am. Yeah, right! Worst idea ever. He did not want to wake, did not want to eat, and then, when we finally roused him, he wanted to stay awake for forever!!! He didn't stay asleep longer than 2 hours after that. Now, the day after he had his shots he apparently ate a TON, slept a TON and then only woke up one time this morning at 4:30am and then went back to bed until 7:30am. I think we'll stick with our plan until further notice....

Rice Cereal

WARNING: CONTENTS OF THIS POST ARE FOR ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY (well, those who have a strong stomach and new mommies or mommies-to-be)

So, you may be wondering what in the heck this email is about. Is it about the new Sex and The City movie (fabulous by the way)? Is it about some tawdry rumor that I heard about a high school classmate? Not really. This post is about what it's like to be a new mommy and talk to other new mommies. It's a special relationship, really. Gone are the days that you talk about the latest fashion, what's happening on the 'shows', who's dating who, etc. Nope, now it's about what our babies are doing and what it's like to be a mommy. Recently, Cooper came down with a case of the 'runs'. Not a pretty picture, though he has remained relatively light hearted about it. The following is from a real conversation that I had recently:

AW: So, Cooper has had the runs. What did Owen's diapers look like when he had them?
JF: They were brown and runny.
AW: Well, Cooper's are sort of like that. His are still pretty seedy.
JF: Yep, Owen's are a little bit, but breastfed babies will have more, so that's why Cooper's probably look like that.
AW: Do you think it's from teething?
JF: Probably. They drool a lot and have a lot more saliva and it upsets their tummies.
AW: Well, Cooper has also had a really bad runny nose and his diapers look like what comes out of his nose.
JF: Yep, it probably is. Because all they have to drink is milk, they don't digest things like we do and it all comes out looking the same.
AW: Well, I guess we will try some Pedialite if he starts getting dehydrated.
JF: Yeah, that's a good idea. That's what we did with Owen.
...........

You get the picture. Listen up mommies-to-be, this is what you are in for. You will be CONSUMED with what your baby's diapers look like, how many diapers they have, how much weight they are gaining, if they are hitting milestones, etc. And it's worth every ounce of worry. They are so precious, and they provide us with constant entertainment. It is the most rewarding experience ever.

I have now four friends who are pregnant and all due in the same month- January! I couldn't be more excited that we are all going through this together. It's the circle of life!!!! Oops, I've got to go, Cooper just 'went' on Daddy's hand!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!

My Little Mascot

Sorry for the delay in posting lately. Time gets away from us sometimes! Cooper has been busy being the UGA College of Public Health Mascot. Let's see...he's been to my office for a day while I worked, he's been to a faculty meeting, he's been to student poster day, he attended the College field day, he's a busy guy!! I figure, since I have to go back to work due to the inability to have REAL maternity leave (I think we'll move to Europe for the next one so that I can have one year off), I might as well take him with me every chance I can get! And, it is always nice to hear how everyone thinks Cooper looks like Mommy every once in a while (he's definitely David's child).

Cooper has now developed a high pitched squeal that he likes to use as his inside voice. It's quite cute really; there is no better sound than all of his babbling, and the scrunching noise of a diaper. I love them all. It's what makes being a mommy so great! Speaking of great, we had a nice Mother's Day weekend recently. We did the obligatory tour of Loganville and Cooper got me a really nice gift. He's so sweet.

The four month doctor's visit is coming soon! I actually have been called in for jury duty the week that he goes in for his second set of shots. I tell ya- I have always wanted to be on a jury, ever since I turned 18, and I have never been called until now, which is the worst possible time. They'll really love me at work if I get assigned a case...'maternity leave AND jury duty?" Geez.

We take our first trip to the beach in five weeks. I can't wait. If anyone has a car topper, call me- we'll definitely need it with all of our beach stuff plus Cooper's gear. Just call us the Griswolds. Here are some pics for you to enjoy of the last few weeks! PS, I've added music to the sight. you can scroll to the bottom to see the artists. Yes, I've included NKOTB as they are reuniting this summer!

Milestone, milestone, milestone!!!

We reached a new milestone today!!!! This morning I put Cooper on the floor to play. I placed him on his side (to of course encourage him to roll over, but more importantly to avoid the dreaded 'flat spot' that my mother has me worried about) to play with his plastic keys. I walked to the pantry, turned around, and he had rolled over onto his tummy and had his head lifted way up in the air as if he was saying, "Hey, look at me! I'm just hanging out down here on the floor lookin' around at everything!" I was so proud! I called for David to come see, just knowing that Cooper would get tired in those three seconds and bury his head into the rug, and when he got there Cooper was still holding his head up and looking around. He did it for about five minutes and then he got cranky and needed to be turned over.

So, I'm pretty sure he will start doing all sorts of things now. I hear that around the 4 month mark babies really take off and start discovering new talents. Stay tuned for more updates!!!

Cooper's Home Videos

As promised, here are some videos of Cooper. Ignore my voice- I sound like an idiot! But, it makes him smile, most of the time, so I'll continue to do so for as long as he'll let me! Enjoy,

Delirious or Delusional? Is there a difference...

Sorry for the delay in posting! Life has been busy! The newest ordeal in the Wells household is trying to get into a routine. We have found that Cooper does not like to sleep (you trade one problem for another- we finally got him on a poop schedule). He fights it and just generally does not get enough. In addition, he is up at least twice per night and often three times. We have started to go on a walk every afternoon and then we have our nightly bedtime routine: bath, baby massage, bottle, rocking...sleep. We are just plain worn out by the end of the day!

And of course there is the general 'freaking out' over continuous new information about what can harm your baby. To put it simply- Jill and I are maniacs. We are now worried about the BPA (toxic chemical found in plastics) supposedly used to make baby bottles. I heard about this before Cooper was born, only to re-visit my fears when Jill called this week. So, we are now throwing out, with abandon, any Playtex, Dr. Brown's, Avent, etc. bottles that have the potential to initiate early puberty in children who use them! Yuck! Who needs early puberty?! I remember my pre-pubescent years- NO THANK YOU! (we hear WalMart is now taking these bottles off of the shelves). Maybe it's just a conspiracy theory...

Anywho, Cooper is making big strides. He is now rolling over onto both sides! Yay! He plays and plays and talks and babbles until he wears himself out, but not to the point where he will sleep, oh no, heaven forbid should we take a nap longer than 20 minutes!

I've learned this week that the most precious moments can never be caught on camera or video; that is what makes them so special. Just when I think, "oh darn, we didn't get a picture, now everyone can't see what he did..." I realize that those moments are burned into our brains permanently. They don't have to be captured on camera or video, but they stay tucked away in our brains until we are sitting at work one day and we think about that moment and it makes us smile. I have a lot of those moments and I always think about our 'morning time' together when we snuggle in bed before we have to get up and get ready for the day. Those are the most precious moments.

We will post a few videos of Cooper soon, so check back later on.
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Attach Part A to Part B...

What a week!! Week two back at work seemed harder than the first. I REALLY missed Cooper when I was away. David and I are still a little unsettled with the new schedule; hopefully we can get into a routine soon. The evenings seem like they are spent trying to soak up every ounce of Cooper that we can- completely neglecting the cooking, cleaning, housekeeping items, etc (that is, when we're not caught taking naps due to lack of sleep see picture below). I think I'm going to hire a maid...'Oh Hazel..'

Cooper had LOTS of visitors this week! It started when his Uncle Allen kept him on Wednesday. A whole day with Uncle Allen- what else could a boy ask for?! They had a great time, went for a walk (not without a golf club mind you-apparently we have exotic animals roaming the Clarke County area), played in the floor, and called GiGi to brag about it all! Cooper was very happy when I returned home and was so worn out he slept for several hours in his swing!

On Friday Cooper's Auntie Monica watched him for a few hours and was so good!! Cooper will definitely be good in school since he's already getting good grades on his report cards! Boy does he have everyone snowed! Ha! We are ever so grateful to our on-the-call babysitters!

Finally, Cooper has found his feet and toes. He started grabbing at them today while laying on the floor. It's only a matter of time before they go straight into his mouth! I too remember when I first found my feet- after pregnancy. For about three months I had no idea what they looked like. Then, after Cooper was born, I discovered them again and it was truly exciting! I can totally relate to what he is going through now! He is also lifting his head off of the floor during tummy time which is also very exciting!

On Saturday Allen and Michelle stopped by for a visit (Allen is clinically addicted to Cooper). David made the comment that he found a bouncy seat for Cooper in the closet. BAM! That set into motion a series of events that was quite funny from an onlookers perspective. Allen and David began to put together this contraption- the Rainforest Jumperoo. Throwing all caution to the wind, and the directions, they decided to put it together just by looking at the picture on the box. Typical. After some re-direction from Michelle, it was finally finished. We put Cooper in it and he didn't quite know what to do. Eventually he warmed up to it, but we're still working on the bouncy part- he's quite taken with the lights and sounds part of it.

Well, that's it for now. I've officially detailed every event that happened this week, ad nausea. The 12 week mark is Tuesday- I cannot believe it. It just seems like yesterday.....