summer days

I've been trying to relax as much as possible so that means lots of time outside by the little pool. Cooper pretty much entertains himself and I can get a little fresh air {well, hot hot fresh air}. The weather has been in the high 80's - 90's and no clouds. It's been beautifully hot! Here are a few pictures of Coop playing with the hose. It was so hot he didn't even mind the cold water!

Littlest boy update.

I've still been contracting. First, they start off like braxton hicks. Then they progress to big ones like I've never really felt before. So I know when they first start I need to stop and relax. Last night I was having the bigger ones about every 5-10 minutes for about 30 minutes. I started to get nervous and told Brady that if they don't stop we need to go in. Thankfully, after I told him this, they stopped. I didn't even have a "big" one the rest of the night! This morning I had an appointment at 9 that I scheduled last week because of the contractions. Everything looked good and no dilation!!! If I was dilating the doc said he'd put me on bedrest. But since I'm not it's okay to do the typical day to day routine just nothing that puts me into contractions or increases the risk for contractions. I got a doctor's note for work and even set the c-section date for July 22nd!! He's not too sure that I'll make it to that date but that's the latest we will go. He said our first goal is to make it another 2 weeks and then we'll go from there. I told the doc to make sure the baby gets here safely and to make him cry! I want to hear his cry right away! If he didn't cry I'm not sure how I'd handle it.

All in all everything is "okay". Baby is moving around a lot, head down, and putting lots of pressure on me. So here's to "resting" as much as I can for the next several weeks!!

Colors!

Cooper is learning so much right now! He's copying words that we say and interested in what things are. To help him learn his colors I saw an idea on one of the craft blogs I follow. So I went to the store and started searching for the right stuff. I couldn't find the exact same wooden supplies but I made do with what I could find. I added numbers on them to maybe help with those too!

the end product - the balls are just sitting in the little pots. Eventually, I hope that he can match the color ball to the correct pot.

he's not too interested in trying to match the ball to the pot yet but he thinks the balls are pretty awesome!

Father's Day

Saturday we let Brady open presents because Sunday was going to be filled with church and work. Cooper had his first time finger painting and made daddy some cute art work. I ended up cutting it into the shape of a tie and taping it to a pot that was filled with his favorite candy. Kegan got him a Willow Tree figurine and "baby boy" got him a trip to Barnes and Noble. I also treated him to his favorite chips and dip for the evenings that I was to be at work. Brady loved the home made art work and picked out some books to read at Barnes and Noble.

Sunday started off with me being grumpy because I worked the night before and was super sore and contracting. Poor Brady had me complaining and hurting all day. But we were able to take a nap and spend some down time together as a family. We put Cooper down to bed and I made Brady yummy baked chicken with mashed potatoes. I also made him a peanut butter pound cake! It seriously was super delicious!

Father's Day was also Kegan's 4th birthday. To be honest, it was an emotional weekend for me. But we made it through and made a cake for his birthday {the usual confetti cake with rainbow chip frosting}.

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday!

{the frosting looked better but it was melting with the heat}

sweet baby boy that we miss every day

Kiddie Pool

The weather has been extremely warm this past week and I wanted to be able to spend some time outside with little Coop but didn't want to be on my feet chasing him around. So I decided to buy a cheap pool and fill it up! He didn't really like it at first (partly because he woke up grumpy) and he REALLY didn't like it once he slipped and went face first into the cold water. He did enjoy playing with his new golf set and thought it was hilarious to splash mommy! I on the other hand enjoyed the time in the cool water. Maybe I'll be able to tan up a bit.

Playing with his bucket and balls {please don't mind the binky - he was super grumpy}

golf set

baby boy

Well, things aren't going as planned for our new little guy. But honestly, have any of my pregnancies? I feel an unfortunate trend coming on...

So the update:

- I'm done with work. When I'm on my feet for over an hour I start having bad contractions. Contractions that I've never felt before and I've had labor contractions with both Kegan and Cooper. The doctor's do NOT want me contracting so there goes 8+ hours of on my feet out of the way. Oh and the contractions ease up and slow down when I'm resting. If I've been resting for a few hours I only have contractions that I imagine are braxton hicks. I have another appointment on Monday.

- My contractions are starting to radiate to my back. Good thing I'm not having this baby vaginally...back labor is no fun! I had it with Kegan.

- I'm feeling extremely antsy. I have all sort of thoughts and emotions. Most days I go from anxious, scared, worried, happy, relieved, frustrated and then back through them all. It's the weirdest most annoying thing to have so many emotions. My eczema starts flaring up, which doesn't help things.

- baby's head is down. My cervix is still closed and at the length it should be!! Woohoo! Baby is measuring right on the expected due date of August 15th, which is rare apparently. Cooper measured right on his expected due date the whole time so I imagine this baby will be about the same size as Coop.

- baby has lots and lots of hiccups. Several times a day!

- I have no more cravings other than ice. Yay for low iron levels.

- no date yet for delivery. The doctor's keep throwing us around because of how rare my "condition" is. But the latest news is no later than 37 weeks, which is July 25th. We will be getting an OR schedule with open dates to pick from at the next appointment in two weeks.

Here are the most recent ultrasound pictures. We think he looks EXACTLY like Cooper did in his ultrasounds around this time :)

day care

I REALLY can not express how grateful I am for our day care. When things changed and I had to start working I was devastated. I loved being home with Cooper all day long. Sure I had the frustrations of being home all day and wanting a little "me" time but I really enjoyed it. When I was offered the position at Bridgeview I only had a few days (3 to be exact) to find a day care. I searched EVERYWHERE. I called around to so many places. I ended up finding the place we chose through the information center (411). They sent me a packet of every day care around that "fit" what we were looking for. Sure enough it was the most expensive but we are finding it's worth EVERY penny! Cooper is learning so much from there:

- socialization skills. He loves loves loves other kids and is pretty welcoming to strangers/visitors (good and bad thing).

- limits. The whole sharing, no pushing, be nice type stuff. Things that are more difficult being an only child. He's learning how to be "soft". He'll come up and be rough with Brady and I (he'll pat our heads hard or our stomachs hard). All we have to do is say "Cooper be soft" and he immediately starts to rub instead of hit. This is something we've been trying to work on a lot at home too. Especially with the baby coming.

- how to use utensils. at home we put him in his high chair and let him use his fingers...you know-finger foods. Well, he's insisting on using utensils and tries REAL hard to use them correctly. I've seen what day care does and they get a plate with finger foods and utensils...like adults! It's to the point where if he's hungry he'll run straight for the utensil drawer and open it.

- the newest is that he's learning sign language. The last couple days Cooper's been rubbing his belly and I automatically think "are you hungry?" but it didn't always fit the situation. Then today on our information sheet there was a note saying he signs "please and more". Of course I asked the teacher what the signs were and then I realized I've seen him do it! And then of course I had to ask him to show it to me. Sure enough he signed them both when I asked!!! Then tonight we've been practicing and I showed him "thank you"...he picked up on it and has done it several times! so surprising since we had no help at all.

- he loves day care so much that he doesn't mind if I leave. Of course he waves bye and cries every once in a while but for the most part he does just fine.

I really really do love our day care. He has wonderful teachers who love him and teach him things that I am currently unable to do. They stick to a routine and it works great for us. Of course it's different than the routine I would have at home but it works and it keeps Cooper somewhat on the same schedule. This day care center has been a huge blessing for us and I am so grateful for finding them in the last minute.

Oh and...they were the only day care center that I didn't cry at! I cried my eyes out at all the other ones - they were NASTY!

July 15th!

Is the BIG day!! This little man will be here before we know it.

I had an appointment today to set the c-section date. We officially were planning on July 30th (close to 38 weeks). However, after talking with the doctor today they HIGHLY recommend delivering at 36 weeks. What a shocker it was to me!

My first thought: "what about his lungs?" Apparently after 35 weeks they are not worried about lung development. They won't even do an amniocentesis to check his development. Today I realized how much knowledge I have lost since graduation! I couldn't remember how many weeks "full term" was. Haha!

So then Brady said: "why have we been told 38 weeks and now it's 36 weeks?" Apparently with a "T" incision (one vertical and one horizontal) I am at an increased risk for a uterine rupture if I go into labor or contractions. That may or would result in hemorrhage and loss of baby. We definitely want to be going home with a baby! So to be safe he says 36 weeks. We don't know why the other doctor's have been saying other wise. This doctor said they have a meeting every monday to "discuss" their higher risk patients and he is going to bring up our situation in the meeting. I have an appointment monday with him to discuss what was said. He also wants paperwork on each operation to get an idea of what my previous surgeries were like so he can get a better idea of what to expect.

Then my thoughts were: "I've been contracting a LOT lately...is that bad?" He decided to do a quick check and my cervix is closed and thick (which is GREAT considering all the contractions). We also scheduled an ultrasound for Monday to check the growth of our little guy and see how thick my uterus is from the inside. I'm also going to be monitoring/keeping track of all my contractions to give the doctor an idea of what is happening. In the mean time I can still work but keep it easy.

So we are pretty confident that July 15th is the birthdate!! But we will find out more on Monday.

Memorial Day Weekend

We went to Rexburg to visit Brady's family over Memorial Day weekend. We left early on Friday and came back early on Monday (I had to work Monday night). The weather was a little chilly but overall pretty nice. Cooper loved playing with his cousins and tried so hard to keep up!

sad waiting for his turn at the window

looking all "pretty" with a necklace on

Mr. Gabe with his big blue eyes!

playing

Cooper wants to play but Gabe was not interested

a cute one of Gabe

he had his turn at the window

he loves his daddy! They are best buds

phoebe!!

all 3 together in their chairs from Grandma (Phoebe is only 6 months older than Cooper)

5 Year Anniversary

This year was our 5 year anniversary!! We were able to get a babysitter (BIG thank you to my friend Kayla) and go out to dinner. We went to Outback Steakhouse and then went to pick out my present. Brady had me pick out a new bedding set!! I've been wanting one for a LONG time now. And I let Brady pick out a new watch. On our wedding day I gave him a really nice watch so I thought it would be a good idea to get him another one :) I worked that day so I was pretty tired and sore so we came home, had ice cream, and I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I know lame...but I was exhausted!

I absolutely love Brady. He is the kindest, sweetest, loving man I know. He makes me smile and laugh daily. He's a wonderful father and LOVES our children so much. He's my best friend and I am so proud to be his wife for eternity.

30 weeks preggo!

I am still hanging in there and so is our little man...who is still nameless! I am growing and very uncomfortable. Every pregnancy has been different. This one has been it's own kind of difficult. Lots of aches and pains EVERYWHERE. I've gone to the chiropractor to help with the hip/back pain and she even said I was SUPER out of alignment and my muscles are extremely tight. She recommended having a pregnancy massage done in combination with the chiropractor to help be more comfortable. I have noticed a huge difference...I can get out of bed without collapsing! All the uncomfortableness is from carrying him so low. Every time I go in to the doctor I hear "wow you are carrying really low." One doctor even said, "I bet you are in a lot of pain." haha

Anyway, we are starting to get very anxious for him to come!! We can't wait to have another son and another newborn to care for. We are so grateful for not having anything serious happen during this pregnancy!! No appendicitis and no kidney stones!! YES!! And so far no ER visits! We already have the baby room ready since it's Cooper's current room. The only thing we need to do is wash up the clothes and blankets. And well...get Cooper's room ready. I am excited to have him transfer to a "big boy" room! We still don't have a name yet. We have a few ideas but nothing that stands out to us. Monday is my next appointment and we get to set the "official" c-section date! YAY!

here is a picture of me at 29 weeks with Cooper

29 weeks with the newest little man

Do you think there's a difference?

Cooper

I haven't done a post on him for a little while. Here's a list of things he's been up to and learning:

- words he can say or have heard him say at least once:

dog

dad

mama

mum for mom

num num for yum yum

shoe

ba for ball

tee for tree

papa for grandpa

hot dog (this one was super clear and he has only said it once!)

- he can walk backwards and spin in circles

- he likes to put buckles together

- tries to use utensils while eating

- his favorite food is hot dogs

- his favorite drink is apple juice (it's the only juice we've ever given him so no wonder it's his favorite)

- he still takes 1 bottle at night and that's because he's not drinking milk. Milk still upsets his stomach so we're going to start trying other options.

- his favorite snack is anything cheesy - like cheese its

- the only fruit he'll eat are bananas

- it's very obvious that he has a favorite blanket

- he kicks a soccerball around everywhere! makes daddy proud!

- his favorite movie (and only one he'll sit down to watch for more than 30 seconds) is Monster's, Inc. He especially loves the little girl "Boo".

- he likes to help with the laundry...putting wet laundry into the dryer.

- he waves hi and bye to everyone wherever we go. He gives the cutest little smile and we hear people giggling and complimenting us on his cute smile.

We are always saying we have the coolest little boy! He makes life so much fun! I haven't uploaded any pictures for a while so when I take the time to do so I'll make sure to post them.