Brady ~ Kelsey ~ Cooper ~ Crew

Crew's 6 month check up...

2012-01-23T14:14:00.002-07:00

It didn't go very well.

First of all he's still wheezy. We tried an albuterol treatment and the wheezing didn't improve. It's been a little over 2 weeks...once he hits 3 weeks and is still wheezing he will need another appointment to come up with a different plan. He should be done wheezing by then and has improved a TON from the last two weeks. And since he's sick we didn't do his shots. I'll have to go back this next week to have them done.

The next thing is...he's physically delayed. He will not put weight on his legs. You pick him up and try to stand him and his legs to jello like and wants to sit. He does do it every once in a while but it's never for longer than a second or two. And he doesn't push himself up when he's on his stomach. He will occasionally but is not consistent at it. So the next step is physical therapy. Boo. The doc said it's fairly common and he's not too concerned about it - as long as we can get him caught up with PT. I knew he was delayed but I was waiting for his wellness check before I questioned it.

But his stats are:

Height: 25.75 cm (50%)
Weight: 13 pounds 11 oz (10%)
Head Circ: 41.9 cm (5%)

His points on the scale are extremely linear, which means he's growing at the same rate! That's good news for our little guy! He's little just like his brother...only Crew is a little smaller (but taller) than Cooper.

Overall, Crew is happy and healthy. He's had a rough start to life and continues to have a few rough patches developing. He will eventually catch up and will be jumping off furniture like his big brother!

Winter?

2012-01-22T22:39:00.001-07:00

We have had a very mild winter so far. It's flurried a hand full of times and one day of accumulation (that was rained off over night). On January 4th the weather was in the 50's. I bundled Cooper up and let him play outside!! We eventually were too warm for our coats but we were still bundled up enough with a few layers and a hat.

He's really into planes and he spotted one while we were out there!

playing on his slide that a very generous friend gave to him.

brave enough to go down it on his own!!

Playing peek a boo and trying to get mom to play in there.

I absolutely love this picture. His eyes are so pretty.

I just LOVE this little boy!

NICU

2012-01-22T22:14:00.001-07:00

January 1st was my first day in the NICU. It was very interesting to say the least! Much different than any other unit that I have been on. My preceptor is the change nurse on the unit and gets pulled off for various reasons so I am able to do a lot of things on my own, which is nice. I like the constant routine: assessment, change diaper, feed - every three hours. The slightest changes in the assessment may mean something very important so I have to be very aware of what's happening with my baby and the "norm" for that infant. I'm learning a ton and have great support from other staff members!

So everything is going good so far. Overwhelming but enjoyable!

6 Months!!

2012-01-22T22:09:00.004-07:00

It's hard to believe little Crew has been in our family for 6 months now! I still feel like we just brought him home! Here's a little update on our littlest man:

- he is a very serious little boy. It's hard to make him laugh. But when we do it's super cute!

- he can roll over from his tummy to his back. he HATES being on his tummy.

- his hair is dark and curly when wet.

- he's still a mommy's boy!! and he LOVES Cooper!

- he loved his cereal the first few times. Now he makes faces like he's eating a lemon and blows raspberries with each bite. Now he screams whenever we try to feed him any type of foods. It's crazy and frustrating!

- he loves bath time!

- he sure is a talker. He babbles non stop all day long!

- continues to sleep through the night. We have never let him cry for more than a minute and doesn't need to be held to go to sleep. I can rock him over and over and it hasn't changed the way he goes down at night. It's AWESOME!!

- he's growing out of his 0-3 months clothes.

- likes TV... not the greatest thing ever.

- he loves to play with my face and grab at my glasses.

- he's starting to try and hold his own bottle.

- refuses to stand on his legs. he'll kick against things and put weight on his legs occasionally but really could care less. The docs aren't worried.

I could go on forever and ever about our little boy! He's growing at the same pace, which is much slower than Cooper. Most days it's hard for me to understand that he's his own person and that nothing is wrong with him. He most definitely is his own little person and NOTHING like his older brother!! We sure do love having his sweet spirit in our home. Happy 6 months bud!!

27!

2012-01-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Brady celebrated his 27th birthday this year!! It's been our 9th birthday together and by far the most boring night ever. As tradition I made him his favorite - chicken cordon bleu with mashed potatoes and his favorite confetti cake. We put Cooper and Crew down to bed and enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner just the two of us. As for presents...he ordered another suite from his brother in law. Hopefully it'll be coming in the next week or two!

the famous meal

I did make him a birthday banner and a card from the boys. He really appreciated the homemade cards :)

New Year's Eve 2010

2012-01-22T15:44:00.001-07:00

We went to Logan, Utah to visit Brady's best friend/cousin and his cute little family! We were only there for a few hours but we had fun visiting and meeting Beckett for the first time.

When we left for Utah that morning we noticed Crew was starting to sound sick. Poor little guy had a runny nose and goopy eyes! I was afraid it was pink eye but it ended up just being a bad head cold. It cleared up in a day or two. That night we were all exhausted and were in bed by 9! I had to work on the first (my first day in NICU) so I needed to get enough sleep. It was a great way to bring in the New Year!

Christmas 2010

2012-01-22T15:37:00.001-07:00

This year we headed to Rexburg for Christmas! We headed over there on Saturday morning and planned to leave on the Monday after Christmas. The boys did great during the ride and it was nice to spend the holiday with family. On the ride we noticed Cooper was starting to get a runny nose and cough really bad. Christmas Eve night was HORRIBLE and the only person who got sleep that night was Crew. We ended up leaving for home on Christmas day so Cooper would rest. Overall we were spoiled and had a great Christmas!!

Santa came and brought us LOTS of gifts!

Cooper opening presents

Crews turn!

the boys at Grandma and Grandpa Ellis'

looking at his new car!

We're still here!

2012-01-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy. Since the last post we've celebrated Christmas, New Years and Brady's 27th birthday! I started orienting to the NICU, which requires a TON of studying and tests - not including the full time work hours. The boys are loving life and happy most of the time. Crew will be 6 months old this month and Cooper turns 2 next! So until I have more "free" time to blog every special event here are a few pictures of the boys playing:

Cooper likes to build towers as high as he can. He must use every block before he claps with excitement!

Crew is more serious than Cooper ever was. It's hard to get a good laugh out of this guy. But when we do his eyes squint and he has the deepest little chuckle!

Here is a tender moment. Crew is very much a mama's boy and often cries if I'm around for me to show him attention. But this night he was perfectly content playing with daddy.

I really do love my boys! They are all very different and keep me on my toes!! There's never a dull moment in our home.

New things

2011-12-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

Exciting things!!

Crew is ROLLING OVER!!! yay!! poor kid hates tummy time so he doesn't get it much...especially with Cooper around. The second he starts crying Cooper goes a little crazy too. SO when he kept rolling over from his tummy to back we were a little shocked! The kid does the same moves and tries hard to get his arms in the perfect spot. But he's a pro! I have a video of course but it takes forever to up load (I need to figure out how to do it differently).

Cooper seems to be advancing with everything. More specifically he recognizes the shape of a star, knows the letter M and S. And when I ask where the letter U is he points to himself :) Super cute! It only took 2 full days to teach him to stay out of the tree! He's LOVING baths more (how is that possible??!) when he's in it he says it's "ni aka nice over and over. He would sit and splash forever if we let him.

I am loving my job and start NICU in January. I am super nervous but will learn a LOT about babies. It's a different world with babies and I am excited to start that journey. But I do love working on the pediatric unit for now. It's AMAZING!! I miss my boys when I am at work but in all honesty...I need a little adult time and they need that play time/structured learning time. Crew isn't afraid of anybody and Cooper absolutely loves to play with other children. He's a much happier child since we started back at day care. He gets so bored playing with mom! They only go 2 days a week and I'm happy with that.

Brady is doing awesome at work as always. They are in the process of hiring a new receptionist, which is good experience for him. He had his ankle looked at and we are considering doing corrective surgery on it at some point but the recovery time is ridiculous so we're going to wait a year or two (his ligaments are completely detached from his ankle so there is not much support except a little muscle).

So that's us recently. A lot of changes going on. We are always crazy busy but we are trying to enjoy our little boys as much as we can!!

Blessings

2011-12-07T13:35:00.001-07:00

cuddling with daddy

movie night with mom and dad!! he watched the ENTIRE movie Polar Express.

he cracks up at my "funny" faces

our newest blessing! he melts everyone's heart with his huge smile.

I am the luckiest mama to have 4 wonderful boys in my life!

We will always be short one little boy in our family pictures but he's always in our hearts.

Memories

2011-12-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

I need to be better about writing down cute things our boys do. I have a journal next to my bed that is neglected and I know I need to take more time to write things down.

This morning Cooper did something super cute that I absolutely loved!

He's been VERY good at saying please and thank you for everything. As I was grabbing things to make breakfast Cooper ran into the pantry. Then I hear a little "dank you". I glanced in and he had the biggest smile and a graham cracker!

I though it was super cute that he said thank you to himself :)

Another thing he's been doing is saying sorry to Crew a LOT. He'll touch him even the slightest bit roughly and says "sawee" (sorry) and then immediately says "sof" (soft) and touches him softly.

It's so sweet that he loves his brother so much!

4 months

2011-12-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

Crew turned 4 months in November. We had his check up and he weighed in at 11 pounds and 23 inches long. He's still a little guy and I LOVE it!! He had his shots of course and did pretty well. Thankfully it was time to eat so as soon as he was eating he was fine. He's a champ!

The doctor said he's doing really well...just needs more tummy time. :) It's hard to get him on his tummy with super Cooper running around non stop!! I fear for his life even if I'm on the ground protecting him. Cooper is super strong and you never know when he's just going to trip and fall!!

-Crew has rolled over once and has yet to do it since. But he tries and it's super cute.
-He's chewing on his hands ALL the time and is drooling a TON. I think he's starting to teeth because his gums are really red.
-His eyes are slowly turning a dark grey. I miss those blue eyes!
-He loves to cuddle! It's pretty much the best.
-Still sleeps through the night. He doesn't even cry himself to sleep. We swaddle him and he passes out! or he lays awake and then falls asleep. No crying at all :)
-Likes to play with toys. He's mastered the reaching thing and enjoys anything that makes a sound.
-loves the tv. We have to have the tv off constantly when he's awake because he will fight to see the tv.

So that's a little bit of information about our 4 month old! He's super sweet and so so cute!

Real Quick.

2011-12-01T18:52:00.001-07:00

We have been super busy with me working and cuddling our two wild boys! Everyone is happy and working towards being healthy (silly head colds). But here are a few pictures to look at...

Crew and I cuddling before bed. He loves his little giraffe that rattles.

Crew and Mommy again.

surprise!

He finally dared to get in :(

Thanksgiving dinner! We are pretty sure he is a lefty. he eats, writes, kicks, and throws with his left side.

roller-coaster

2011-11-18T15:41:00.001-07:00

Each year as the holiday's approach I seem to jump on the "emotional roller-coaster". It wasn't until the other night that I understood why.

I miss our little boy.

He'd actually be a big boy now. He'd be 4 1/2 years old.

What he'd look like?
How smart he would be?
Would he like football, soccer, baseball, tennis??
What would be on his Christmas list?
What would be his favorite meal?
Would he love mashed potatoes as much as I do?
Would his dark hair be curly or straight?
I would really love to see his face light up Christmas morning.
I'd love to see him sing in the Primary Program at church.
I'd love to see him kiss and hug on his little brothers.
I'd love to hear him giggle with his Daddy.
I would absolutely love to snuggle with him and kiss his chubby cheeks (I imagine they'd be chubby).

It's not easy. It breaks my heart every year. As time goes on it's getting easier. But it's also harder in many ways.

I really miss him. Even though I carried him for 26 weeks and only held him once - I miss him very much.

Busy as usual

2011-11-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

Lately:I started my new job and love it so farKids started day care, which started the lovely sickness in our homeCooper and I are sickCrew is happy as ever, growing fast, and sleeping 10+ hours at night straightBrady has a head cold but manages to work, take care of us, and the house!That's all for now. Maybe once things slow down I will take some pictures!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-03T11:27:00.003-06:00

Birthday

2011-11-01T15:36:00.000-06:00

Another year has gone by and once again I've worked on my birthday :( Grr! but as always my boys spoiled me!

Friday night Brady arranged for a friend to watch the boys so we could go out for dinner. We went to Outback Steakhouse and had a nice quiet meal just the two of us. Then we went to Target and bought the new Fast Five to watch when we got home.

Then on Saturday my friend who worked Sunday morning asked if I'd be willing to trade her shifts. Of course I said yes because then I would be home Sunday night (my actual birthday). So on Sunday I went to my LAST day of work and came home to presents and dinner made by my hubby! I showered and jumped into my pj's for the evening! It the perfect ending to my crazy birthday.

my presents!! two Cricut card things and Photoshop!!

enjoying some time with crazy coop!

making faces at Daddy! Cooper is being silly as always

I had a great birthday! Staff at work sang to me over the intercom, a few phone calls, and a couple cards came my way!! I am blessed with so many people that love and care about me.

Job and Parenthood.

2011-10-27T14:23:00.001-06:00

It's difficult to balance between being a parent and a job. I go back and forth. a LOT. I want to be a stay at home mom but yet I want to work as well. When I'm at work I want to be home, when I'm home with crazy kids I want to work (just a little). It's confusing to me and very frustrating. Why can't I decide.

So for now I still need to work for our growing family. It solves part of the problem. But I miss my kids when I'm gone. I miss being there for every single minute of their short time as babies. Grr...

BUT good news came our/my way. I GOT A NEW JOB!!! It's perfect. Perfect for me. Perfect for the kids. Perfect for Brady.

It's at St. Luke's hospital here in town and I will be working NOC shift in the NICU!!! It's part time - meaning 2 nights a week. The kids are enrolled in day care and will be going 2 days a week just so I can get some sleep. I think it's great because Cooper could REALLY use some activities with other children (he's being a stinker lately with other kids). And as Crew gets older it will be good for him to have the same experience. And then the other days I can be home with them!

Overall, I am nervous and excited! It should be a good change and great experience for me as a RN. I will miss my children very much but I hope that I can help other children grow strong so they can go home with their loving parents!

Our growing boys!

2011-10-27T13:22:00.002-06:00

Here's another picture overload!

Crew has the most kissable cheeks right now! I do it all.the.time.

I really do love my little boys!

Crew absolutely adores Cooper! It makes me a little nervous to see what Crew learns from his big brother.

Crew is a very very happy baby! He cries for good reasons and is a good natured little boy. So much more relaxed than Cooper was as a baby. I kind of like it!

Cooper got a new coat and snow pants for this winter! He loved wearing his new stuff.

Here's the typical me...hair up, no make up, and looking tired. It's a good thing Brady loves me for me because I can be pretty scary! And this is a good picture to show you how small Crew still is!

this is a silly picture but it shows his hair growing back in and that he LOVES his hands. his hands always smell like spit because he constantly has them in his mouth. It's pretty gross.

we made halloween cookies with Alisha, Makenna and Peyton. Cooper enjoyed the frosting. a LOT.

he ended up dumping it on the table and adding water to it - making a huge sticky mess. But he had fun!

haha. sucking off the sticky mess.

here's a preview of coop's costume :) Isn't he the most innocent pirate you've ever seen?!

we went and visited Grandma and Grandpa Ellis in Rexburg. I didn't get very many pictures but he sure does love them!

the joy of an empty storage tub! he liked to have the lid on (with him in the tub) while Brady pulled him around the room.

we went outside and played in the crisp fall air.

crew is getting a little stronger each day. as you can see I had to prop him up with blankets so that he wouldn't slouch to either side! he is 3 months old in this picture.

mommy moment kind of day...

2011-10-19T14:32:00.003-06:00

when I think of a "mommy moment" it's not just something cute. I also think of something that I'd want to remember. so here's my day up to this point:

I wake up at 8:15 hearing Crew crying hysterically. I feel AWFUL because I have no idea how long he's been crying. I was exhausted.

Cooper wakes up all happy. GREAT way to start the day! Then he turns into this tasmanian devil that's running, jumping, throwing, climbing, twirling EVERYWHERE! Where the extra energy came from I do not know.

After getting ready we headed to a doctor's appointment for Cooper. While I was getting myself ready Crew was in the bouncer smiling the whole time and Cooper was running wild getting into things he knows he's not supposed to and laughing while doing it. Then he throws a fit because we are not leaving fast enough. He even tried to pick up the car seat with crew in it! He continues to throw a fit as I'm shoving him in the car. Yes, SHOVED him in the car (we were already late). He calmed down with his football and book.

As we rush inside to the doctor's office and sit down some random kid (looked like he was 8 or 9) started to play with Cooper. Sorry to all the mom's out there who let their kids do this but I do NOT let Cooper play in a doctor's office. All the germs and sick children around...I think not! Cooper thought it was cool to throw his football for the other kid to play with and I had to ask the kid several times to get it back. Then Coop was mad and threw a HUGE fit. Thrashing, screaming, crying. Oh the looks that came my way were ridiculous...let me tell you. Once in the room Cooper continues to be that tasmanian devil tearing up the paper, running around, yelling, and giving me a work out. The doc comes in and takes a look at everything and comments how strong Cooper is and just smiles. haha the doc just smiled at the ENERGY Cooper has and that he can climb onto anything he thinks he can. He was very impressed with his ball throwing skills and literally jumping and climbing on every single thing possible. Then to run off some of his energy we ran to the van...literally. We ran all the way across a parking lot with him holding my hand and me with a stroller. And to add to it all he thought it would be funny to knock on someone's car door...with someone in it. He was a nice man and just laughed and said "it's fine!" :)

The ride home was nice and quiet. Then we get inside and he's running around taking his shoes and coat off. I sit him down for lunch and he shovels it in his mouth and says "all done." And the running around continues. Like crazy running around. Brady gets home and asks "what's up with Cooper? He's wild!" Running into walls on purpose because he thinks it's funny.

Then I find Crew pooping his diaper (thank goodness he sleeps like a rock). I pick him up and start to change him. It was one of those explosive diapers when poo is down the legs. It wouldn't be a big deal if he wasn't so stinkin' excited and kicking his feet as if he's running a marathon! So as I'm slowly undressing him trying to clean off the poo on his legs I hear a BIG BANG!! And I mean BIG!! I turn around and Cooper has tipped over in the laundry basket and smacked his head on the vent cover. I run over and swoop him up to see the damage. It's a massive line across his forehead and it looks like it's going to bleed. i run and get a cold wash cloth to press on his forehead, gave him some tylenol and snuggled him for a minute. He wanted up to look in the mirror so we looked at his "owe" and move on. Seriously, tough kid. Then he continues to climb on things in the living room. This time I see him trying to climb over the back side of the couch!!! So I stopped changing Crew (who is without a diaper at this moment) to teach Cooper we do not climb on the couch like that. ugh. so I go back to Crew and get him cleaned up and put in pajamas because it's just easier.

By now it's nap time. Thank goodness both boys were as exhausted as I am because they went down without a single peep! This is the kind of day that both boys were extremely happy and Cooper went WILD! It's the kind of day I want to look back on and laugh because I am sure there won't be another day quite like this one :)

P.S. as I'm finishing this up both boys are starting to cry. It's only been 32 min. to be exact.

so that's my mommy moment kind of day!

Sleeping Babies

2011-10-17T13:38:00.003-06:00

In just about every conversation I have with an adult about Crew they seem to always ask about the long sleepless nights. Every single one has been completely shocked that I reply with "he sleeps through the night." But no one says "well, how did you do that?" it's always..."wow you're lucky!" or "not every baby will do that!" But I'm here to tell you that I'm not just lucky. We worked hard for BOTH children to sleep through the night. Cooper did at 7 weeks and Crew did around 8 weeks. Coincidence?

We HIGHLY recommend this book.

When I was talking with several friends and family about their baby's sleep schedule each one of the parents (who's baby was sleeping through the night) recommended this book. Brady and I both have read it and think it's AWESOME! There are things that we don't "go by the book" but we adjust to our family needs and they still sleep through the night. I mean Crew is sleeping 10-12 hours straight and he's not even 3 months old.

So here it is. Our favorite "magic" book! And I thank EVERY single mother who recommended this book (especially Chelsea for helping us at first with Cooper). It got me through nursing school :)

just for giggles

2011-10-17T13:21:00.001-06:00

We took these pictures when Crew was less than a week old. I wasn't going to show them to you because...well, it's Cooper in a bra! haha but my friend recently posted a picture of her 2 year old daughter wearing her bra and I mentioned that we have pictures like that of Cooper. So these are specifically for my friend and for you to giggle at...and maybe even embarrass Cooper some day!

it's beginning to look like fall!

2011-10-10T15:40:00.002-06:00

I am pretty sure fall is my favorite season. I love the change in colors, cooler temperatures and thinner air (not that Idaho has heavier air than good ole Michigan). Even the food tastes better - soups, casseroles, and cookies! Everything is FALL to me. Here are a few things we have done so far...

Made cookies! Brady hurt his big toe REALLY bad and had a friend from the ward take a look at it. He's a PA and we wanted to make sure it wasn't broken. So the cookies were a thank you for taking a look at his foot on his own personal time.

Long sleeve shirts and football! Here's a cute picture of cooper sharing pretzel sticks with daddy.

these two are the best! cooper is asking to watch football now so they have fun sitting and staring. this last saturday we were invited to watch our friends sons play in their first flag football game. cooper LOVED LOVED LOVED to watch them play and kept yelling at them from the sideline. I joke with Brady that Cooper just might end up being a hard core football player instead of soccer. :)

here he is at the pumpkin patch! we met up with Travis, Alisha and their kids to pick some out. The kids just ran around picking out their favorite pumpkin to take home. This year we picked out 3 for the boys and 1 for us.

Brady in his Michigan game gear.

Cooper really enjoyed picking up all the "ball" and throwing them.

kenna and peyton. peyton is about 2 months younger the crew and is MUCH bigger! he is so sweet!!

our family. it's hard to imagine Kegan in the picture. he'd be 4 1/2!

crew was super happy about being back in the car!

Here's Cooper when he's tired. the blanket is up by his nose!

peyton is passed out on the floor :) i think he should give crew some of that hair!

kenna and cooper played really well together. they are starting to be great friends. lots of hugs, kisses, and high fives for these two little (big) ones.

cooper is starting to be REALLY interested in what I'm doing in the kitchen. he knows that things are "hot" and believes every thing near the stove is hot. i'm okay with that! but lately i've let him stand on a chair and "help" me with things. this picture is of him "cleaning dishes". i poured some soap into a clean bowl and gave him some clean silverware to "wash". he thought it was pretty great!

A few other things we have done: made home made beef stew, turned the heat on in our home, pulled out winter jackets, bought Crew's halloween costume and threw away the summer pool.

More things to come: halloween, my birthday!, a new nephew, and hopefully family pictures.

1 year ago.

2011-10-10T14:48:00.001-06:00

here's our little cooperman one year ago! crazy hair, messy face, and cutest little smile!

today he has been a perfect little boy. we watched cartoons when i was feeding crew, then went outside to play with sidewalk chalk, and then came in for a nice warm grilled cheese. he actually ATE!! i was so excited and kept giving him food since it's the most he's ate in weeks. maybe his appetite is coming back. then we played and waited for daddy to come home for lunch. as we were eating he had a few pretzel sticks and calls them crackers. after daddy left we watched a bit of tangled while i fed crew again. then it was nap time! he went down without a single head bang!!! YAY!! i really do love that little boy.

Little cute things...

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000-06:00

Cooper's doing some cute things and I wanted to share a few:

- when we say "just a minute" we always put a finger up - not sure why. Well, lately he's been more patient when we say "just a minute" and he will say it in his own jibberish and hold up his finger meaning "just a minute."
- he's saying prayer now and it sounds like "payer". and he says amen in his own little jibberish but it's always the same so I know that's what he's saying.
- crew is officially "baby". we never call crew baby but that's what cooper calls him! so cute.
- my sister in law (tara) showed cooper that if you push your belly button you go "beep beep" well now he goes beep beep to everyone's belly button. haha it's adorable.
- he says "up" all the time now and wants to be picked up. yay!! :/
- he has another favorite that has to go to bed and everywhere with him...a soft, squishy baseball.
- he LOVES LOVES LOVES to play catch. we will sit across the room from each other and throw it back and forth. he has perfect aim (not even kidding a bit. it's perfect) but has no desire to actually catch the ball. I have horrible aim so I usually just kind of toss it to him...even then I usually miss! he thinks it's funny :) He's starting to distinguish between different balls. there's a baseball "beball" and football "fooball". He has even started to ask to watch football, which is odd because Brady doesn't watch it that often (he wishes he could watch it more).
- he LOVES all things with a motor: car, truck, train, airplane, etc. He hears an airplane and flips out! He runs to the window and searches the sky! I wish we had an air museum near by.
- his new favorite movie is "how to train your dragon." he giggles and smiles at the main black dragon. it's a way cute movie. if you haven't seen it...watch it!
- he knows what pants are, shirt, hair, sock, shoe (of course-he's obsessed), feet, hand, ear, eye, nose, buttocks (we call it bum), and privates (yes he's very aware that he's a boy).
- i mentioned shoes above...every day he gets into our front closet and drags out shoes. he's very picky on what shoes he wants to wear. if we try to put on different shoes than what he wants he cries, kicks, and flips around. he doesn't get away with that. he has to wear tennis shoes when it's cold out!
- he can do a sommersault. way cute!
- he gives the best hugs EVER!! We will be doing whatever and then all of a sudden he comes running at me and tackles me with the best hug and a little "mmm" to show his love. And sometimes I even get a kiss at the same time.

Anyway, that's all for now. I seriously love our biggest little man and am so incredibly grateful to be his mother. He brings so much happiness to our home. He's a wonderful big brother and loves Crew more than I ever imagined at his young age. Even on the hardest days I am so proud to be a mother and I love every day I get to stay home with them.

playing vs clean home

2011-10-06T14:31:00.000-06:00

Being a parent is tough. I always knew it would be but I never realized I would be a "neat freak" when it comes to our home. I honestly stress a LOT about dishes in the sink, clothes in the laundry room, bed not made, and toys everywhere. I feel the NEED to have things clean and organized at all times and I feel like it's my responsibility to have it done. So when a toddler and a baby come into the picture I struggle finding a good balance between playing and cleaning. I am recently finding that Cooper's tantrums and whining moments ease with a little bit more one on one time with him. This made me think about how much time I was actually putting into playing vs. cleaning. So this week I have put cleaning off for nap time and after bedtime and Cooper's been so much happier! I may feel a bit more overwhelmed and stressed but I am working on the whole "don't worry about it" part of cleaning.

I came across this quote on someone else's blog. I thought it was perfect for my week...

“Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach. T. Berry Brazelton. Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, all grown obsolete. Along with ‘Goodnight Moon’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.” Then she goes on and talks about some of the mistakes she made while raising her babies. “…the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make…I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”

--Anna Quindlen

cheese!!!

2011-10-05T17:00:00.001-06:00

I think I have the cutest boys! Enjoy these pictures!

{WARNING: the picture below is not flattering. Not even in the slightest bit. I worked a weird schedule - Saturday 2pm-1130pm and Sunday 6am-4pm. So I am EXHAUSTED here.}

He's so big and no longer needs me to cut his sandwich into bite size pieces!

emotions?

2011-10-03T09:58:00.003-06:00

Woman are very emotional.

It's just natural.

So when I go from being content to crying my eyes out ... it's pretty normal.

However, when both my boys go from smiling to screaming in half a second...that's not very normal to me!

Crew will be quiet as can be then out of no where he's screaming! not crying, not whining, just screaming. he's always better after a full bottle and some cuddling. {cooper as a baby always whined and made noises before he started to full out cry or scream - this is very new to us}

Cooper will do the same thing...only with a teeny tiny bit of warning. but he's also starting that whole "terrible two's" stage so it's a bit more expected :)

So what's the deal with emotions? Or should I say hormones?

All I know is ... I don't like them.

Fun things!

2011-09-30T15:05:00.004-06:00

Cooper giving Crew kisses without me asking!

Crew 2 months - loving his bath

Not even close to potty training but he's getting used to sitting on the potty

snuggle time with daddy!

Crew's adorable smile

he started giggling and I LOVE how he scrunches up his nose!

coloring

our new diaper bag! We had to upgrade to a larger one

New Words

2011-09-27T09:27:00.004-06:00

I still can't get over how fast Cooper is growing!! He continues to talk non stop but we are finally able to understand more of what he's saying. Here's a little list of his new words:

- bubble

- star

- thank you

- baby

- sweetie (so cute! I went to crew and said "hi sweetie" and he went up and goes "hi seetie!"

- Brad (pronounced Braid for Brady)

- Suzie (sounds like Suz - my friend from work)

- football

- color

His physical ability is pretty much amazing. His most favorite thing is to spin in circles of to stand on one foot and kick the other. We went to a large area with several soccer fields for him to run around on and he ran for an hour STRAIGHT! He did not stop and did not walk. Not.even.once. When it was time for bed we knew he'd be upset to get in the car so he and I walked home (it's really like 2 minutes away from home). He was a little upset to go inside of course but at least we didn't have to strap him in his car seat! He's also amazing at kicking the soccer ball!

Cooper is so much fun! He is a wild child. He was having a difficult time in nursery on Sunday so I stayed with him. I went home in tears because of how different Cooper is compared to the other children his age. He was far more (and I mean WAY WAY WAY more) wild than the others. He's always been this way but it's still difficult for me to handle. I think he just gets bored with things. And come snack time he shoved the food in and was done before the other's even ate a few bites! He did pretty good with music time but I think he got bored towards the end because he was running around like a mad man. It is very overwhelming for me to try to get him to sit down and listen for something. We even have to tell Cooper to look at us just to get his attention so he'll listen for a second. I've talked with several mother's and 2 pediatricians. They have all said he'll eventually grow out of it. Oh I sure hope he does some day! But until then we will be struggling with quiet time activities.

Milk

2011-09-27T09:11:00.000-06:00

Ever since I was pregnant for Cooper I wanted to breast feed our children. There are so many benefits from breast feeding and it's so good for the children. Well, when Cooper absolutely would NOT latch on (even with a shield) we ended up having to give him a bottle. I pumped for little over a month but of course eventually went down to nothing. I was an emotional wreck over it...

Crew is a different story. We tried for a full week to have him latch on, which he did successfully a few times but was extremely frustrated all the others. Then he went to the NICU and just refused so we tried a shield. The shield did the trick and we've been successful ever since. Now that I've started up work again I go two days in a row without breast feeding Crew. I'll go without pumping for a full 8 hours at times because I usually can't take the time to pump at work (horrible huh?). Crew went through a growth spurt over the WEEKEND and was eating every 2 hours...well I wasn't there to nurse him so my milk production is about 2 oz too low. We've been trying to get it up for over a week now and I am still not making enough. I've tried different milk producing supplements and drinking LOTS of water. It's still not getting any better. And trying to nurse Crew every 1 to 2 hours is not so fun with Cooper running around!!

So with that said... we are going to formula :( I am pretty bummed about it but our baby needs to eat! Now the trick is to find a formula that works for him. We supplement with Nutramigen and that stuff is ridiculously expensive. I guess we will see how it goes.

to my crafty mother!!

2011-09-23T10:28:00.003-06:00

Mom - go to this link and take a look!

Way Cute!

"side"

2011-09-20T15:13:00.002-06:00

Since the weather has been pretty comfortable (in the 80's) I've been able to have the windows open! YAY! With that Cooper wants to be outside more. So I hang out in our bedroom with Crew and let Cooper play out in the sun and water on his own - I go out and play when Crew's napping. We have been going "side" after breakfast and after nap time. Well, last night around 11 Cooper woke up screaming. It's very unusual for him to do this so we ran in and got him up. The first words he said was "side?" He so desperately wanted outside from 11 pm - 1:30 am. He cried and cried for hours! We ended up opening our living room windows so he could look at the stars and he was content with that. But by then he was hungry so we ended up feeding him some yogurt then he FINALLY went back to bed.

Some cool things happened during those few hours. It was one of the first times he's actually spent time with us in bed! He has never slept in bed with us since he was 1 week old and we have been anxiously waiting for a time when he would calm down enough to cuddle. Unfortunately he didn't cuddle but he did pretend to sleep :) It was also nice to have Brady up with us. We really do miss him. Also, Crew slept through the night for the first time!! YAY!! He didn't even mind Cooper's screaming!

Back to Cooper - his sleeping habits have been horrible. extremely horrible (compared to how he was). Last night he went down around 8:30 because cream of wheat takes forever to cool down, he cried until 9:00ish. woke up at 11 and was up until 1:30ish. He woke up again around 6 hungry so he got a bottle (grr), and was up again at 8:30. He's been up and playing and has refused to take a nap. I tried to put him down at 1 but he cried/screamed for an hour and so we got up, had a snack, and played for a bit then tried again at 3. He cried for about 15 minutes. Oh and he's still banging his head - ugh. Seriously?? I really hope this stage passes quickly!

We are all very tired.

boys

2011-09-16T14:20:00.000-06:00

Cooper - 19 months.
- learning so fast! He picks up on words and has the cutest little voice. The words he says the most right now: juice - sounds like "uice"; dog; car; beep beep; wee - sounds like "me"; ball; airplane; thank you - sounds like "ah you"; hot dog; shoes; hi; bye. He continues to sign more, please, and thank you. He hardly ever signs that he's hungry anymore. Oh and something cute - I call Brady "braid" most of the time. Brady was outside mowing the lawn and I yelled "Braid" to get his attention so Cooper repeated it over and over yelling "braid!" out the window.
- he loves to jump, run, stomp, and spin circles. his most recent favorite is to jump on the bed and couch. he doesn't know how to walk anymore - he still just runs everywhere
- he figured out that he can yell. really. loud. EXTREMELY loud.

- i hear him laughing at himself often.
- he still loves hot dogs and yogurt. i've been able to get him to eat grapes, strawberries, and blueberries. but only for one day. i offer fruits and veggies but he never eats them. he loves anything bread like. crescent rolls, toast, garlic bread, bread sticks, etc.
- he loves water and has a blast in the tub
- he's still a binky and blanket lover. his blanket goes everywhere with us. the other day he was outside and snuck his blanket by me and soaked it with the hose. I immediately put it in the washer and he cried for over an hour by the washer and dryer. I tried explaining it to him that it was dirty and needed to be washed but of course he didn't understand.
- we say prayers before meals with cooper. today for lunch he and i said a prayer as usual. he folds his arms and bows his head for about 2 seconds. then as i was walking away he refolded his arms, bowed his head, and mumbled jibberish. it was his very first prayer!! my heart just melted!
- he continues to bang his head. the padding on the crib is working beautifully but we have found him banging his head on the sides of his crib instead of the railing. at least the bruises are covered with his hair now and not down the middle.
- he's obsessed with balls. brady had a soccer website up with lots of balls for sale and cooper was so excited. super excited!! when we drive past any car dealership with balloons cooper freaks out yelling "ball!!" he loves any and all balls! he's a pro at kicking balls too - something his dad taught him.
- he has the most outrageous tantrums. he kicks, screams, thrashes around, hits, bangs his head and will continue to do this f.o.r.e.v.e.r. He is not easily distracted and very determined to get what he wants.

Crew - 7 weeks
- he's starting to smile, giggle, and coo.
- loves to smile at his big brother
- is definitely a mommy's boy!
- eats about every 3 hours during the day and goes a good 5-6 hour stretch at night.
- starting to love bath time
- naps really well and tolerates all the noise cooper makes
- has dark curly hair and blue eyes! (for now anyway)
- fits into NB clothes well and may advance into 0-3 months! his NB diapers are also a little snug.
- he like to have his face covered with blankets. we wrap it around so that his cheeks are touching a blanket and his little face is open to the air.
- he has his hands in his mouth all the time. he sucks constantly
- his neck is getting stronger and his head bobbles less every day.
- he kicks and moves his arms around all the time - just like cooper
- i'd say he grew out of his colicky stage already. he still whines but it's not constantly all day long like it was.

Overall, our boys are awesome and growing way too quickly! I love being their mommy!

Family

2011-09-15T15:45:00.004-06:00

"In all of human experience, there are no joys more tender, no love more sweet, no fulfillment higher than that found in the family. " - Elder Bruce D. Porter

Compare

2011-09-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

cooper less than a month old

crew 7 weeks

Talent

2011-09-14T16:17:00.002-06:00

cooper had horrible reflux. he could project vomit across any size couch.

crew has a totally different talent. take a look:

i happened to be at my first day back to work and never witnessed this event. brady sure had fun cleaning it up though. he says he was changing his diaper and when he was wiping crew tooted a little. no big deal until the next toot came with a stream of poo. and then it happened again. he says it was all over his hands and can't believe how powerful it was! haha poor daddy on his first night with the boys!

Our little Family

2011-09-09T15:57:00.001-06:00

Here is a picture of the 4 of us on Crew's blessing day. It is the first day a picture of the 4 of us was taken.

a good day.

2011-09-02T16:48:00.001-06:00

today's been a good day. cooper and i played a LOT! he even climbed into his empty toy tub.

he's wanting me to play constantly lately! it's so fun to get down and hear him giggle with me. he has the sweetest laugh and it's so contagious!

crew and i played a lot too when cooper was napping. he's starting to interact more and reach for different things...like his favorite giraffe hanging there from great grandma!

he's growing but is still really really tiny!

his cheeks are filling out and he actually feels "heavy" to me! he's smiling more and is starting to coo!! i definitely didn't forget how fun this stage is but it's so so exciting to see him do more than eat, sleep...

...and poop. Poop? he hardly EVER poops anymore. usually only if we feed him formula. i have questioned the pediatrician on this and he says he's absorbing all of the breast milk since it can be broken down so much. he only poops the formula because it can't be absorbed like breast milk. it's a good thing he fills his diaper so much or i would be worried he wasn't getting food!

New Bed

2011-09-01T21:24:00.004-06:00

don't be fooled. we rarely see this happy little stud...

...this is the stud we've seen a lot of...

...and it caused these awesome looking battle wounds...

...which caused us to make his new bed!

the padding is working well and his bruises are more green now. the bruises in the picture are a couple days old and look nothing like he did. his tantrums are starting to occur less often (at the moment) so hopefully they don't get as bad as they did. Oh, and we asked several doctor's about his "head banging" and apparently it's fairly common in children. especially when a change at home occurs - like adding a new baby. we've been spending LOTS of quality time with him...hopefully it'll help.

C.R.A.Z.Y day

2011-08-25T20:15:00.003-06:00

It all started yesterday.

Crew was acting weird all day and whined/cried a lot (I forgot to mention that the doctor says he's colicy - oh joy!). Crew usually whines constantly but this was much worse. Last night he was whining all night long. I nursed him FOREVER and held him, rocked him, bounced him...tried everything I could think of. Nothing relaxed the little man. Oh what a night that was. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep...maybe. And it was more of 30 minutes here and there. It continued throughout the day. ALL day. He cried the loudest I've heard him yet and nothing has completely relaxed him. I decided the boys needed to get out of the house so we ran to Walmart for a few things. He passed out and slept for a while (a huge blessing in my day). Then he whined for a few more hours and now he's passed out. FINALLY!!! I hope and pray tonight our little boy will be comfortable enough to sleep so I can rest.

Cooper has had a fever on and off the last couple days. I thought it was just him teething but I'm starting to think otherwise. He has a rash that looks like heat rash but it started out small last week and is now covering his entire body from chest to knee and it's only on one side. It's feverish and raised. Also, I can feel a gland on the black of his head that is HUGE and swollen. It doesn't seem to bother him but I called today and got him in to see a doctor tomorrow. He went to bed perfectly last night. No problem there. He even slept for 13 hours straight. Not a peep from him all night. This morning he woke up crying, which is unusual for him. I offered him breakfast and he ate maybe half a waffle. He was pretty content all morning. Then he was super excited and was playing on the couch. All of a sudden I see him trip and fly towards the window and he fell head first to the ground. I was nursing Crew so I quickly laid him down and ran to Cooper. I did a very quick assessment of his head, neck, back, arms, legs, face. Nothing was broken!! He whined for less than a minute, grabbed his blanket and binky then sat in my lap for a few minutes. Oh it was scary. He has no bumps, bruises, or red marks. Not sure how that happened! Then it was bath time. He has this issue with not sitting down in the tub. He's very confident standing and walking. As he was standing for me to take him out he slipped and smacked his face on the edge of the tub. He screamed, I pulled him out and did another glance around his face. Once again, no bleeding, all teeth were intact, and no redness/swelling! Seriously, so blessed! He searched for his binky, grabbed his blanket, and sat in my lap for a few minutes.

Now, it may not seem very bad. However, I am exhausted and my hubby is at his company annual meeting in Boise. Tomorrow evening can not come fast enough!!

This section of the post is after I had posted this. The night got more interesting...

I had put Cooper down in bed at 8 as usual. He played and then started crying - not usual. He started to say "owe" over and over. I let him go thinking he'd fall asleep. During that time I saw a status on my nurse managers facebook saying something about a poisonous caterpillar that causes a bad rash and fever. Well, Cooper has a bad rash and fever. So I started freaking out and researching as much as I could. I called the ER and had to leave a message...that's right. I LEFT A MESSAGE. How dumb is that? After about an hour of finding nothing out and talking with Brady we decided I should just take him in to be safe. I got the boys loaded up and headed to the ER. We were checked in - Cooper did not have a fever at that point and the nurse said it looks like a strep throat rash. She asked me a couple questions like "is he sticking things down his throat?" Well, it's hard to tell when he's chewing on his fingers and binky constantly. Anyway, we were sent out into the waiting room. We waited for about 30 minutes when I heard the receptionist tell someone that they had no rooms available, two ambulances just came in, and a helicopter just landed - it could be at least 2 hours and she had 3 people in front of her. At this time Cooper was acting fine and starting to be really crazy. I ended up leaving and praying that we would be fine throughout the night until his appointment today. Well, the night was RIDICULOUS. Here's how it went:

11:30 - cooper went down. I ate (for the first time that day) and cleaned up and went to sleep at 1:30.

3:00 - Cooper woke up screaming. I gave him some milk and he went back down around 3:30.

4:30 - Crew woke up. Fed/changed him. Went down around 5:00

6:00 - Cooper woke up screaming. A TERRIBLE scream. I got him some milk and he refused that. We ended up getting up and watching Monsters, Inc. He calmed down and went back to bed at 6:30. He finally took the full dose of Tylenol for me.

8:15 - Crew up and awake until 9:30.

10:30 - Cooper is up and eating toast! He ate just about all of it!!

All in all, I am tired. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband who is amazingly helpful!! And I am so grateful these nights don't occur more often!!

Check up

2011-08-24T21:18:00.003-06:00

After our ER/NICU experience when Crew was 6 days old (there will be a separate post on that), we were going in for check ups every couple days. After he started to gain weight they wanted us back in again after two weeks for another check up...just to be sure he was gaining weight. Today was that two week check up. Here are the results:

Weight 2 weeks ago: 5 pounds 13 ounces

Length 2 weeks ago: 19 inches

Weight today: 6 pounds 11 1/2 ounces

Length today: 20 inches

YAY!!! The doctor is VERY VERY pleased and so are we! I've been strictly nursing him and I was worried he wasn't getting the full amount every 3 hours. He always seems hungry after so I never can tell how much he's getting. Every once in a while we will offer him a bottle to see if he'll drink it and he usually just sucks on it without swallowing. It's so difficult for me to be sure. But today confirmed it to me that breast feeding is going well for us!! This makes me feel more confident with everything! YAY!!

1 month

2011-08-22T14:58:00.005-06:00

Crew is 1 month old!! I can not believe how fast this month has gone. I sit here and ask myself..."what have you done this past month?" All I can say is..."I loved my babies!"

This past month has been a HUGE life changing experience. Adjusting to two children is much more difficult than adjusting to one (at least for us). For a little info on our every day life take a look at this schedule (it's approx. and isn't exact of course...but we try):

7:00 - feed/change Crew

8:00 - feed/change Cooper

9:00 - Cooper plays, Crew naps

10:00 - feed/change Crew while Cooper snacks. Change Cooper.

11:00 - Cooper plays, Crew naps

12:00 - lunch for Cooper

12:45 - 1:00 - Cooper goes down for nap

1:00 - feed/change Crew

2:00 - 3:00 - Crew naps, plays, cuddles with Mom (this is the time I take to clean the house or nap)

3:00 - 4:00 - Cooper wakes up between then. feed/change Cooper

4:00 - feed/change Crew

5:00 - play time for Cooper, Crew naps

6:00 - dinner for everybody

7:00 - feed/change Crew. Cooper gets ready for bed.

8:00 - Cooper goes down to bed. Crew naps.

9:00 - clean house

10:00 - feed/change Crew and put to bed.

It's seriously all "feed/change" the boys! They both eat ALL the time! And they both pee a lot! I know the schedule looks pretty crazy...but believe me - it doesn't always work out this way. It's a good day when it happens like this :) I try hard to have us all on a schedule. Our days go by much smoother.

Crew has changed a lot in the past month. He's awake more, smiles more, and hardly ever goes cross-eyed! He eats good, sleeps great, and hardly ever cries. If he's crying it's because Cooper hurt him or he's very hungry. He was pretty whiney for a little while but that's improved. He's now sleeping in his own room and I don't really like it...but we are getting more sleep at night.

Overall, Crew is an amazing boy and we love him so much!!

Cooper update...

2011-08-19T13:25:00.002-06:00

He's finally behaving better! Woohoo!! All week he has been going through good and bad times on and off. I think a part of this improvement may be the fact that he's understanding more, able to communicate better, and slightly more patient. Here are a few words that he's started saying recently:

no "nah", more, please "peas", all done "ah don", hot dog, juice "uice" - he says plenty more but these are just recent words.

He's also been showing us things:

-grabbing our hands and taking us to what he wants and pointing to what he wants

-continues to sign: more, please, food, thank you

-shakes his head yes or no at the appropriate times. If we ask him "are you all done?" he will shake his head yes or no. And he holds out his arms to the sad with palms up when he's all done.

-grabs himself or says "diaper" when he wants to be changed (I've put him on the potty a few times when he does this and he screams!)

He can be very picky with certain things:

- his sippy has to be in a certain spot on his high chair, stroller, and car seat

- he has to be buckled into the high chair (I have a video of him doing it himself)

- he has to say good night, wave bye, and kiss everyone in the house before going to bed

- if there's something on the floor that he knows shouldn't be there (crumb, string...) he will pick it up and hand it to me.

* there's more that I can't think of but my mom calls it "OCD" haha :) Things just have to be done a certain way or he gets very upset.

He's really starting to communicate better with us and it really has helped with the outrageous tantrums he's been throwing. He gets so frustrated and upset - he will go to any hard surface and bang his head against it. It's pretty ridiculous. During these tantrums I found if I get down at his level, be patient and ask him to show me what he wants he will get up and show me. It just takes him a minute (or two+) to figure it out. It's super difficult to be patient when he's screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing himself around the floor...but it's a work in progress!

Brothers

2011-08-17T18:34:00.004-06:00

They are best buds already

Faith

2011-08-17T13:01:00.001-06:00

I was looking at a friend's blog today and she had this quote posted. I think it fits perfectly with my day!

Faith is risking what is

for what is yet to be.

It is taking small steps

knowing they lead to bigger ones.

Faith is holding on when you want to let go.

It is letting go when you want to hold on.

Faith is hearing God’s yes

when everything else says no.

It is believing all things are possible

in the midst of impossibilities.

Faith is looking beyond what is

for what is yet to be.

It is seeing the light in darkness,

the presence of God in all.

~ Ellen M. Cuomo

Play Group

2011-08-16T14:29:00.002-06:00

Our ward has a play group every Tuesday at a nearby park. I was personally asked/invited to go so I thought "why not". I thought Cooper would love to play with other kids and I could socialize a bit.

I arrived at the park and Cooper was behaving GREAT! He held my hand and asked permission to go play. Then...it went downhill. My little boy was behaving like a MONSTER! He'd pick up dirt and let it drizzle between his fingers. Not a few minutes later it turned into throwing it. Then he saw a boy running so he ran after him, went up to say hi, and threw dirt at him. After a serious session of "NOs" he was back to playing again. No more than a minute later he picked up dirt and threw it at another kid - laughing thinking it was funny. This continued for the entire 10 minutes we were there!! Eventually he saw me coming and would run away from me...laughing. I was so so embarrassed. I know he doesn't know better but SERIOUSLY?? I was so upset I loaded him up in the car (screaming of course because who wouldn't have fun in the dirt) and headed home. We all were bathed, had lunch, and then NAP time.

My thoughts:

- we will not be going to play group until he's more behaved.

- research and pray for guidance in disciplining our toddler.

- go to parks without dirt for a while. It is really difficult to clean up when it's in every crease and fold you never knew existed.

Crew at 3 weeks...

2011-08-15T13:57:00.003-06:00

- sleeps a lot. He is starting to wake up a little more between feedings.

- nurses for the most part. Takes a bottle without difficulty when used.

- loves to be warm. VERY WARM. he sleeps in pajamas and is swaddled with a fleece wrap. he wiggles and seems restless until we put another blanket on him. It's crazy!

- he hates baths still. and really hates having his diaper changed.

- takes getting beat up by Coop pretty well!

- the hair on his head is thinning out. :( We hope he doesn't go completely bald like Cooper did.

- he smiles a lot!

- he's a mommy's boy :) All I have to do is hold him close for him to stop crying. It's not so easy for daddy.

- he is so hard to burp

- he cries when we put him in the car seat

- has rolled over 2 times from belly to back

- likes to have his feet rubbed. it calms him down most of the time

Crew is such a different baby than Cooper. He is more "needy" than Cooper ever was and we are getting used to it. He is a big snuggler and we love having him in our home! I can't believe it's been close to a month already. It seems as though he's been here forever!

We love you littlest man!

Cooper at 18 months

2011-08-15T13:41:00.003-06:00

- loves to play! Lately, he's really enjoyed his soccer balls. He will kick that ball nonstop for what seems like an hour.

- he's learning so much! Just when I think what I'm teaching him is not sinking in he surprises me. Yesterday I was showing him the letters A, B and C. I asked him what letter is B. Sure enough he picked it up and handed it to me.

- he knows sign language. Please, thank you, more, and food. He even puts "more please" together.

- he says many words. I am not going to list them all but his most recent one has been "please" and it sounds like "peas". When he says it he's very dramatic and repeats it over and over really fast! I think he has a little lisp type thing going on. He has a hard time saying any words with a B. He sticks his tongue to his teeth and all words that have a B sound like a D. Example: his "ball" sounds like "dall". "binky" is "didi".

- he can stand on one foot...without holding on to anything!

- he's a big climber and is NOT scared of anything.

- he can throw a ball across the room.

- he claps with joy

- phones are the best to play with. he often has a conversation (with himself) and we'll hear him jibber jabber then giggle and jibber jabber some more, and giggle more! Super cute!

- when he gets laughing pretty hard...he throws his head back

- he is super heavy and super solid. Everyone that picks him up comments on how heavy he is.

- he runs. a LOT. Like he never ever stops.

- all but 2 teeth are in!

- he can blow his nose.

- he's a pretty good eater. his favorite foods are hot dogs, pizza, and yogurt. he eats a meal 3 times a day and has snack time 2 times a day.

- he drinks a ton. 4-5 sippy cups of water or juice a day!

- he tells us when he has to go potty or when he wants a diaper change. He HATES to sit on the potty.

- TV has become something that is on often...maybe a little too often. his favorite movie is The Sandlot. He also likes Monsters Inc. Those two are pretty much the only movies he will watch.

- he has a favorite blanket, dog, and of course his binky. All 3 go to bed with him and the blanket goes everywhere (in the house and sometimes to the car).

- he likes to help take care of Crew all the time. He gives wonderful kisses and hugs to his little brother.

Wow, I seriously could go on forever about my wonderful 18 month old. I can't believe it's been that long already! But the more I think about it I can't believe it's only been that long since he's been in our family. He is so kind hearted and loves people. He forgives easy as we try to be decent parents. He is stubborn like his mommy and unconditionally loves like his daddy.

Happy 18 month birthday Coop!!

18 months!

2011-08-13T20:29:00.003-06:00

Newborn Pictures

2011-08-13T20:24:00.003-06:00

Here's my attempt at our own newborn pictures. I'm not a huge fan but they will do!

Birth Story + hospital stay

2011-08-04T12:50:00.008-06:00

Surgery was scheduled for Friday morning at 7:30. I had pre-registered so all we had to do was show up at 5:30 and start the preop process. I changed into my gown and they started an IV. I finished up some paperwork and was hooked up to machines. I was having contractions of course so it was interesting to watch on the monitor. At about 7:15 we were told that our surgery was to be pushed back because of an emergency c-section. Around 8 we were told that the surgery was over and we were next. Not long after I was rolled into the surgical room and the spinal was done. That was when I started to get really nervous. I had several doctor's in the room (1 doctor, 1 physician assistant, and 1 resident). I also had NICU in the room and several nurses. It was overwhelming! Brady came in a long while after everything was situated. And the silly nurse told him he couldn't bring the camera in...DUMB.

Surgery started and it felt weird as usual. I had sharp pains in my chest again. It hurt so so bad!! The anesthesiologist didn't want to give me pain medication for it so the surgery is pretty much a blurr for me. I was trying really hard not to hyperventilate because of the pain. I was also really nauseous from it and I didn't want to throw up...he did give me antinausea medication. However, I do remember when Crew was born! He came out much easier than Cooper did and I heard the PA say "oh he has a pretty necklace on". The cord was wrapped around his neck twice. Brady didn't say anything and everything was quiet. Then I heard his screeching cry!! It was an amazing sound...and it was the weirdest little cry I had ever heard! It sounded like a screeching car. They rushed him over to NICU and wrapped him up. Brady was able to hold him for a few minutes and let me see him. He was super adorable and so little! He was then taken to NICU to be monitored. I was then informed that I would not see him for the next 6 hours!!!! I was so upset. I couldn't believe that my healthy baby (apgar scores 8 and 9) was going to be taken away from me for that long. Apparently, all babies born before 37 weeks have to be monitored for at least 6 hours. GRR.

The next 6 hours went by really slow. I was in recovery for a while and then transferred to my room. I was very nauseous so I ate saltines and ice chips. My family visited Crew for a while (Cooper was at day care) and took Brady out for lunch. Thankfully, the antinausea meds made me drowsy...I was able to rest a little. 3:00 came and they hadn't brought Crew in. I woke Brady up from a nap and wanted him to go get him. He politely told me he couldn't do that and to wait patiently. Instead, I paged the nurse and asked to hold my baby. Finally at 3:30 he rolled in! I was so happy I was in tears! I held him close and snuggled for a while before more family and friends came in.

Crew was able to get a bath that evening and I was actually able to watch it! They brought a warmer into our room and gave him a bath right there! Cooper had a bath done immediately after he was born while I was in recovery. He wasn't a fan of being bathed but he smelled so good after!

The rest of the time was mainly feeding and sleeping. Since he was considered a "late preemie" he had to eat every 3 hours. Either breastfed or bottle fed. If he didn't nurse well we HAD to give him a bottle to ensure he was getting the nutrients he needed. At night I was being checked every hour and he was coming in every 3 hours to nurse (we sent him to the nursery so we could sleep between feedings at night). We were very anxious to get home and not be bothered so often! Cooper came in one day for a few minutes! haha He went absolutely crazy and wanted to play with everything. At one point he tried climbing behind the hospital bed and playing with the cords. It was a very stressful moment for everybody!

We were able to go home on Sunday. Cooper did very well welcoming him home and was occupied with both Grandma's being here.

Overall, everything went okay and we made it home safely. Look for another post of hospital pictures...it was becoming difficult to move all the pictures around and organize it well.

Our newest little man!

2011-07-27T22:28:00.004-06:00

Things are going great! As you can imagine I am cuddling this little guy as much as I can before he grows up and wants to run all day long. But I am recovering well from the c-section and doing things I was instructed NOT to do. Seriously, how can you not pick up your other children??

Crew is an amazing little man. He is sleeping like a champ. He sleeps 24/7. We wake him up to feed every 3 hours. If we didn't do it he would sleep for hours straight. He keeps losing weight but still within the "okay" range. He's not nursing at all. He was latching on in the hospital but now he absolutely refuses to. Just screams and screams until he passes out then he won't eat. So the doc wants us to supplement with formula to make up for the loss feeding. We are to do this because he's considered a "late preemie" and MUST eat every 3 hours. "Late preemies" become dehydrated faster and blood sugars drop faster. He fits into preemie clothes however he is REALLY long. He has the highest screech cry and often sounds like a screeching car! He poops seriously after EVERY SINGLE FEEDING! Cooper never ever pooped that much so it has surprised us.

Cooper is adjusting as expected. He's good most of the time with occasional bad times. He will tell Crew "hi" and give him kisses. He is interested in his toes, fingers, eyes, and nose. He has helped me bottle feed him (held the bottle) and has watched us change his diaper (he's even saying "diaper" now). He likes to touch his head and be close to him in general. He's doing pretty great but we have to watch him VERY closely. He's tried to share his blanket (by shoving it on him), give him toys (by throwing it at him), and wipe off his spit up (by aggressively wiping his face). He has a kind heart but hasn't quite figured out how to be "gentle"/"soft" all the time.

Well, that's all for now. Time to go to bed before both boys wake up! I'll post more pictures later :)

2011-07-22T16:05:00.005-06:00

Kelsey is still confined to her hospital bed so the responsibility of posting pictures has now fallen on me (Brady). Here are pictures of Bentley "Crew" Ellis.

He was born at 8:29 am on July 22, 2011. He weighed in at 5 lbs. 12 oz. He still has taken a bath yet in all of these pictures...sorry.

This is Kelsey before changing into her hospital gown...

Sorry it's not much, but we wanted to get something out for all of you to see. Kelsey will update everyone on the details and post more pictures later.

Compare!

2011-07-18T17:24:00.004-06:00

Here I am at 36 weeks currently...

Here I am at 37 weeks with Cooper...

I'm not sure what happened in the last 2 years but seriously...I looked so much cuter back then! My hair was lighter, teeth whiter, and just looked happier? I don't know but I seriously haven't done anything with my hair and it's really REALLY weird to see it so DARK! Who knows...maybe it's the angle?

36 weeks

2011-07-18T17:16:00.003-06:00

I made it to our "goal" week!! Yay!! I really didn't think this would happen but I am SO grateful it did. I have been having more contractions but still irregular. They are getting stronger and I am extremely sore in my abdomen, lower back, and groin areas. I had an appointment on Friday - the doc said I was about 2 cm dilated and about 20% effaced. He said this is good because baby is more ready (I worry about him going to NICU). It was pretty funny to me...when the doc was measuring me he kept going feeling lower, and lower, and lower until he got to my pubic bone to start the measurement of my uterus - he couldn't go any lower :) . Now this doctor has never seen me before so the look on his face was pretty silly. But really, the little guy's head has been so so low for so long...I think I am even waddling this time around!

My mom and grandma left Michigan yesterday and told me last night that they are expecting to be here by TONIGHT!! They were going to take their time and see some things on the way out and be here Wednesday or Thursday...but I guess they're just too excited to see us :)

All things baby

2011-07-14T13:57:00.005-06:00

Well, baby will be here a week from TOMORROW! I can't believe how long this pregnancy has lasted but yet it feels too soon for baby to come. I have washed most the clothes, blankets, and car seat. Sheets are clean and ready to be put in the bassinet. I went to a local store that sells baby items that are unique to Walmart and Target. They have so many neat things to look at that are way above our price range and more for style. But I did find two things that I really liked:

1. Moby Wrap.

This wrap seems to be the perfect thing to hold the baby and have my hands free at the same time. Cooper is needing so much of my attention and use of my hands that I can't imagine having to hold baby at the same time. This way both their needs will be met. The downside: I won't be able to use it until he's at least 8 pounds. There is a risk of having the baby's airway blocked off by having their chin tucked to their chest. So until then it will be sitting in with the blankets.

2. Muslin Swaddle Blanket

This blanket will be perfect to wrap his little body in for this summer. It's light weight, slightly stretchy and really big! And I just really liked the blanket :) Ours has blue/tea/brown polka dots.

We are ready for baby to come. I got a call from the hospital to finish pre-registering for surgery. I have my very last doctor's appointment tomorrow. Things are set for Cooper to go to daycare on the 22nd for the very last time :(

Life as a family of 4 will be very exciting!!

Torn.

2011-07-11T08:38:00.002-06:00

I've been sort of "nesting" lately and kind of freaking out about how Cooper's going to react to a new baby around. Then, as I was thinking about switching Cooper over to his big boy room I realized "poor kid! His life is going to change so much!" He's going to have a baby brother, his parents won't be able to spend 100% of the time with him, he's going to be "kicked" out of his room and out of his bed!! So after talking with Brady, he suggested we wait until my family leaves and then we'll go from there. We may just have to adjust with Cooper and we may just have to put the baby in the front room and keep Cooper where he's at. But then again, maybe he will absolutely love his big boy room and be just fine.

OH and we only have 11 days until baby boy is born!! YIKES!!

Lately...

2011-07-09T18:04:00.003-06:00

The past week or so has been very difficult for me and Cooper. I know Cooper is teething, which makes him grumpy. Who can blame him?! Several teeth have came through in the past week and several more are working their way up. OUCH! Poor little guy. So my days consist of lots of crying at my feet (as seen below) and only wanting Mommy. Brady tries his hardest to hold him and comfort him but most of the time Cooper's arms are reaching out towards me. It makes my heart melt but I feel bad for Brady... and I can only carry him for so long before the contractions start up again.

My photoshoot at 34 weeks...with a crying baby wanting to be held.

Besides the crying and whining Cooper has grown up so much the past two weeks. I've been able to be with him every day and witness the things he's learning.

- His sign language is amazing! I've taught him "thank you" and "food". He uses them occasionally and signs them when asked. He started signing "more please" together and uses it often! His memory with sign language impresses me. I only have to show him one or two times for him to remember.

- a few verbal words he's mastered this last week are "dog" and "ball". He has learned "qak qak" for quack quack, "ooh ooh" for ruff ruff, "rawr" for a lion, and "mmmm" for a car/truck. I've heard him say a few words once and the newest is "juice". He also calls his binky and blanket "dididi" - not sure where that came from! And whenever something is lost/dropped/or not within reach he says "uh oh" and lately he goes "uh ohh dada".

- his favorite food: hot dogs. He knows that they go in the microwave so when he wants one he walks up and points to the microwave. He seriously will eat 2 or more in one sitting if we would let him! He also loves loves loves yogurt! He's a picky eater like his mama.

- his favorite animal - most definitely dogs. A dog comes on the TV and he immediately starts saying "ooh ooh". Actually, if there's any type of animal on TV or in his sight he says "ooh ooh".

- he has a favorite blanket. He carries it around the house everywhere. I put it in his crib and he always seems to get it out. If I hide it he walks around with his arms backwards saying "uh oh". He doesn't like it when Brady and I use it. He gets upset if I'm sitting on it or using it as a pillow.

- he has lead feet!!! I can hear him walking/running anywhere in the house.

Our little man is growing up so fast. He is looking/acting more like a toddler every day. I am enjoying my last few days with him before we have another little man to snuggle!!

Nap Time

2011-07-06T17:14:00.003-06:00

Coop has successfully transitioned to 1 nap a day - one 3-4 hour nap! Here are some super cute pictures of him after a nap.

{he has his "ooh ooh" , his blanket, and his "dididi"}

Translation:

"ooh ooh" = ruff ruff for dogs

"dididi" = binky

34 weeks

2011-07-06T17:01:00.003-06:00

I've made it to 34 weeks!!! 2 1/2 weeks until this little guy is delivered!! Here are frequent questions:

- Are we ready?

How ready can you be for another baby...but mentally yes. Material wise...not so much. I haven't even started going through baby clothes. I did buy diapers though!!

- Name?

Mostly yes. We have one but if we randomly think of something "better" that's okay too. So for now we are not telling/announcing a name just in case we change our minds.

- How are you feeling?

pretty miserable. My contractions are becoming more intense but still not consistent. I am starting to have back labor, which is miserable but I had it with Kegan so I guess it doesn't surprise me. And the fact that I'm super low doesn't help with that. I've been having a lot of leg cramps and have a constant ache in my calves. I have no appetite and struggle sleeping. Typical pregnancy stuff!! I never felt this way with Cooper so it's a little discouraging and surprising. I'm starting to swell but it fluctuates a lot thank goodness!! I can still fit my wedding rings on but by the end of the day I'm too swollen. My hernia hurts and I can't wait for the little man to no longer be kicking in that area. I crave ice!! I bought a bag of sonic ice and it's almost gone. I'll go to Sonic during their happy hour to get half of drinks and ask for extra ice. seriously the best deal EVER! I go to the chiropractor each week and that helps so much with the back pain! I would be even more miserable without it! I am starting to feel anxious and antsy to have this baby here. I'm getting bored sitting/relaxing at home doing the same thing over and over. I kind of miss work but I LOVE being home with Cooper every day. He's my little shadow lately :) It's exactly what I needed before this little man gets here - more time with the other little man! Brady has been absolutely amazing and so supportive. He's not used to me being so uncomfortable but he's handling it well.

{34 weeks pregnant - notice the little hand touching my belly}

4th of July 2011

2011-07-06T16:40:00.005-06:00

We didn't do much...again. Every holiday I've had to work and even though I didn't work this holiday we kept it simple due to all my crazy contractions. I searched online for things to do around town on the 4th and found nothing. Not even a parade!! I'm not sure if I just didn't see one online or not but seriously...no parade?? Anyway here's our day:

- We were lazy and hung out at the house until about 11. I packed a picnic and loaded up bags to head to Shoshone Falls / Dierkes Lake.

- We went to the lake and found a place in the shade of a tree! It was beautiful and not too busy. We took Coop to the "lake" and he HATED it. He loves water but hated the sand. He kept coming up to Brady and I with his feet up wanting to be picked up. He would just stand there and cry! I did not expect that kind of reaction. He wouldn't even let me sit him down in the sand next to me. haha We then thought maybe lunch would be a good idea. Well, Cooper didn't want to just sit and eat. He wanted to run up to other groups of people and be all crazy. So we hurried up with the food and decided to leave. We were only there for an hour. AND of course I forgot the memory card to the camera! haha

- Cooper passed out on the way home and slept for a few hours. We did some cleaning and Brady took a nap too.

{Cooper watching The Sandlot}

{Coop and Mommy at 34 weeks}

- When Coop woke up we went to Sonic for some burgers and Walmart for some much needed milk and bread.

- Came home and got Cooper ready for bed. He was really tired and worn out. He slept for about an hour and then we got him up to head to fireworks. We grabbed some ice cream from McDonald's and went to find a spot to sit. Cooper enjoyed the fireworks and was pointing, saying "wow", and clapped after the big ones. He even saw the stars and was pointing at them.

- We came home and our neighbors were having a huge party. Let me tell you...some adults need to be more considerate of others and they also need to take control of their kids. But we all slept great after a LONG day.

{the Fam on the 4th!}

Next year will be better...but for now we enjoyed the weekend with just the 3 of us.

summer days

2011-06-29T17:02:00.003-06:00

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.

2011-06-27T14:14:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-06-26T22:20:00.004-06:00

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

2011-06-23T20:57:00.004-06:00

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

2011-06-23T20:51:00.002-06:00

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

2011-06-23T09:59:00.004-06:00

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

2011-06-14T19:05:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-06-13T16:16:00.002-06:00

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

2011-06-10T16:52:00.007-06:00

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

2011-06-10T16:36:00.004-06:00

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!

2011-06-10T16:01:00.002-06:00

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

2011-06-01T16:45:00.002-06:00

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.

29 weeks 1 day

2011-05-31T13:29:00.002-06:00

I had another check up today. Things are going well and really no changes.

-We have an "unofficial" delivery date! He will be born the very last week of July or very first week of August. Brady and I are thinking Friday July 30th so we'll see how that goes. We get to "officially" schedule a date at our next appointment.

- heart rate is great! Measuring right on.

- my blood sugar AFTER the glucose test was 97. That's pretty low after a big test. No wonder I haven't been feeling so great....my sugar drops pretty low. The doctor didn't seem worried just a little surprised.

- my hernia is still there and is a real pain. he said that most hernias that occur during pregnancy pretty much go away, but it will never heal completely. He said we'll monitor it after he's delivered and go from there. Surgery is rarely needed for hernias like mine :) GOOD NEWS!

- I forgot what my weight was but I've hardly gained any. My blood pressure seems to fluctuate each appointment but it's usually around the average or a little on the lower side.

- I'm not craving bacon cheeseburgers as much as I was. Now it's just ice and I chew ice all the time. That reminds me...my iron level was a little on the lower side but not low enough to take supplements in addition to the prenatal vitamin.

I don't have a recent picture but I will post one soon!!

so that's the overview of this last appointment.

Our Home

2011-05-20T13:24:00.006-06:00

My mom is coming out to stay with us when the baby is born and I thought she might like to see our "new" place. We moved in a little over a month ago and we are more settled in than we ever were in Filer. Here are pictures...in no paticular order.

Cooper's play room that will be his "big boy" room after the baby is born

play room again

living room / dining room. The stuff in the corner is no longer there!

laundry room that leads to the garage

kitchen. the door on the left is the laundry room / garage and the little door is our pantry that I LOVE!

kitchen again. the counter top comes out further and curves around a little.

cooper's bathroom.

cooper's current room / baby room

master bedroom

we have a master bath that is difficult to get a picture of and a walk in closet that is HUGE!

We do love our new place. The neighbors are loud at times but for the most part pretty quiet. I mean seriously...who vacuums at midnight several times in a month??

Not so fun...

2011-05-16T16:43:00.002-06:00

Cooper is sick...again. It seems like we can't get away from him being sick but I guess it's been a while since the last time.

It all started Thursday. He threw up several times but it was watery so I thought maybe he drank too much that day. But he also had diarrhea so that was weird. When I put him to bed I thought he felt warm but didn't check his temperature because I'm usually always wrong (silly me). I had to work Friday but Brady checked his temperature and it was 99*. So he still took him to day care with tylenol just in case. Well, it jumped up to 100 or so and Brady went and picked him up. Meanwhile, Brady calls me at work and lets me know what's going on. He has had a fever on and off since then and has had diarrhea every day!!! And the diarrhea is turning white. Thankfully, it's only once or twice a day so his chances of dehydration are slim with how much he's drinking(2-3 sippy cups of water a day + 4-5 oz of formula at night). He hasn't been eating much or sleeping well. He cries and whines ALL day long. Last night I was up with him 3 times, which is more than we have had to in months! He wanted to be held all night long ONLY if I was standing up!! That was a struggle with a large belly and a hernia that was hurting - but he would scream if I sat down in our rocking chair. He cried and whined for most of the morning so I decided to take him to the doctor.

Turns out...just a stomach virus. His ears are perfectly clear and everything else looked great. And of course he had loads of energy in the doctor's office. He was running around and getting into everything. So he can go back to day care after 24 hours without a fever and without the use of medication to lower his temp. As for the white diarrhea...keep an eye on it I guess. He said it could be a change in diet (the only change is not eating)...I worry about gallbladder issues but that's just my "worst scenario" coming out. I suppose we'll watch it and go back in if we have to. Poor little guy is so gassy too. But that might be genetic :)

For now, I look forward to nap time so we can get some rest and we can't wait for Dad to get home!!

Cooper's First Hair Cut!!

2011-05-14T11:38:00.008-06:00

Brady gave Cooper his first hair cut today!! His hair was starting to look like a mullet and was a little out of control. The back was always matted and pouffy. It was growing over his ears and just not cute! So the clippers came out and the hair was buzzed for the first time!!

{before}

He did EXTREMELY well!! He just sat in his chair (with the binky of course) and looked puzzled. He pointed at the hair that was falling off and even started to play with the cord! We used the biggest guard we have and the hair was still over his ears a little so we attempted to use scissors. That didn't go well and he screamed at that point. He got a bath and became this new little boy!!

{during}

{after}

It makes me so sad to think that he's no longer my "baby". He's wanting to be so independent and gets so frustrated when I help him. He's picking up on new words. Today he said "nana" for a banana that Brady was eating! His newest trick is walking backwards and spinning in a circle. He uses a pillow in bed now and LOVES to just lay there. We put him in bed and he giggles/sighs with excitement to relax. We absolutely love this little boy! I mean seriously...how could you not LOVE his cute personality??

25 weeks 6 days

2011-05-09T17:42:00.003-06:00

You can't tell very well in this picture but I am pretty big now! This picture was taken on Mother's Day before work. Here's a little update:

-baby boy is moving around ALL the time now...almost constantly...like Cooper. It's very comforting and reassuring!!

-we still don't have a name. We have a few ideas but nothing that we REALLY like.

-I am exhausted more than I ever was with either of the other two boys

-I crave bacon cheeseburgers to the point that I go every few days to get my fix. I went TWICE last week!

-I am swelling up...probably from all the salt!

-I've gained 13 pounds.

-the back pain/hip pain is horrible. I didn't feel this way until the last week or two with Cooper.

-I have heartburn 24/7.

But basically...I love being pregnant! I think just the feeling of having my baby safe inside me is amazing. It makes everything else not so horrible :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T17:16:00.004-06:00

I was super spoiled this year!! I had yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast and lots of gifts from my boys! My favorite has to be the flowers they all got me. Cooper "planted" one flower for me at the store, I have a hanging basket out front and another pot of flowers on our back porch...one from each child. They are all so beautiful! I also got a basket full of goodies! It had my favorite chips (ruffle potato chips and sweet spicy chili Doritos), favorite candy (100 grand, twix, hot tamales), cute pajamas (much needed with a growing belly), two movies (the switch and date night), a picture frame with a cute picture of Cooper, and my all time favorite...PEPSI! Brady really out did himself and made me feel so special.

I am super grateful for my mother and the guidance she gave me. She helped me become the person I am. I am also so so grateful to be a mother myself. I have three wonderful boys!

Kegan has taught me to be grateful. I know that I appreciate motherhood and it's struggles more than I would have without the loss of our sweet Kegan.

Cooper has taught me patience. His crazy energy and curiosity can really be frustrating and I mean extremely frustrating.

Baby boy has taught me how to relax. When I am stressed I break out in eczema. When I am working too hard I start contracting. When I am exhausted I have restless leg syndrome. If I balance every day and take care of us everything is more "normal".

I feel very blessed to be a mother. It's the most amazing adventure!

tender feelings

2011-05-05T11:24:00.004-06:00

The other day I had a HUGE desire to officially be done unpacking. I went and combined every tub that was left in our home and put it in the garage. As I was looking through one of them I found the hospital pictures of Kegan. I was totally shocked and upset that they were in a random spot!! I told Brady and we thought it would be nice to have them available to look at but not be displayed to see every day. I thought buying a photo album would be nice but there's less than 10 pictures total so it would be a waste of an entire album. So I put it in the back of my mind and went on.

Today I was looking for my sandals (it's 75 degrees out!!). I came across the memory box we have with everything of Kegan's. It has all the cards we received and items from the hospital...like the clothes he wore, bracelets, hats, things like that. AND then there was a little scrapbook Brady's Aunt Lynell made for him!!! I was so excited and brought everything in to put it together. There's not enough pictures to fill it up but we do have pictures of his head stone and little things that I can put in there and maybe even some cards. Oh it's so exciting to finally be able to have something of Kegan to look at that will be easily available to look at.

It's amazing to me how much I miss him when I only got to hold him once. I never had the chance to get to know him very well...so how can I miss him so much?

The other day I felt down and couldn't figure out why I felt so sad. I felt like something was missing. Going to bed that night I realized that I had the strongest desire to hold my sweet boy and give him little kisses. I was missing him more that day. Of course the pain is less often and not nearly as painful but it is becoming a different kind of hard. Brady and I were talking about how now that we have Cooper we are realizing what we would be (will eventually be) experiencing with Kegan.

Now I'm pregnant with another sweet boy and we try and vision how it would be with 3 toddler boys running around the house! I just can't imagine 3 BOYS AND BRADY!! haha It'd be crazy and wild (not that it already isn't)!!

...poop...

2011-05-02T19:26:00.002-06:00

WARNING: Don't read on if you don't want to hear my adventure with poop!!

I have a very very active boy who will not sit still for a diaper change (unless someone else is around to occupy him). He had a very large/loose poo this evening, which I was expecting since he didn't this morning like usual. So I put him on the floor with everything I could think of to distract him. I was even ready to hold him down with my leg...but the little stinker got away and took off running with poop going EVERYWHERE! I was so so frustrated that I didn't say a word and just started the bath tub. I found several spots of poo where he had decided to take a seat. I've been spot cleaning for a while now and plan to scrub the tub once he goes to bed. And since then he has not once stopped walking/running. It's been 2 hours and he just won't stop.

Good thing he's happy!!

Wet Floor

2011-05-01T21:04:00.004-06:00

Last night Cooper had a VERY fun time in the tub. He splashed more than I've ever seen him, which means the entire bathroom was soaked. When he started to climb out I wrapped him up in a towel and took him into his room. As usual, he runs out of his room. I jump up remembering the wet bathroom assuming he'd run back in there. As I turn the corner I see Cooper on the floor laying on his back trying so hard to get back up! Poor little guy ran in and slipped on the wet floor. I was so scared that he got hurt but he wasn't crying, just grunting to get back up. He thought it was pretty funny because he was laughing once he was up...but I was pretty worried! All night long I wondered if he hit his head and if he was achey.

Back to the VERY fun time in the tub...I got the splashing all on camera! I'm working on editing out privates before I upload it! So watch out for that fun video!

Happenings...

2011-05-01T17:53:00.002-06:00

of our 1 year old!

- he's walking/running now like a pro. He stumbles a little when there's lumps/bumps in the grass but overall - PRO! He's starting to recognize steps instead of just running into them or off of them.

- bath time is still his favorite time. He started this super cute thing...when we say arms up he'll raise his arms so we can pull his shirts off. He really likes bubbles too! He'll poke them with his little finger and watch them pop.

- he's starting to talk more. He can say "tee" (tree), "tickle tickle" (loud and clear), "dad", "mama", "ni ni" (night night), "num num" (yummy), "hi", "ba ba" (bye bye)

- he eats a ton. ALL the time. He FINALLY ate fresh fruit for the first time, a banana! I have to feed him baby food to get his fruits and veggies! When I put it on his plate he picks through it all and won't eat it! haha It's cute and annoying. He does put it in his mouth and try it so there's hope!

- He has been blowing raspberries on Brady's belly for months now but he just started doing it to my belly! He will do it on the leather furniture and on his own hands. He's even figured out how to do it with just his lips.

- he is a binky and blanket kind of guy. He carries them both around everywhere. It is super cute with his blanket! When he's ready for a nap he will go walk into his room with his binky in his mouth and blanket up by his ear. If we don't follow he will go back and forth until we do. He is still a wonderful sleeper. He goes down at 8 and is up between 8 and 8:30 every morning. He's down to 1 nap a day but lately it's been 2 LONG naps. I'm pretty sure he's going through a growth spurt.

- Balls are his absolute FAVORITE!! I can't go through Wal-mart without him squealing in delight at the tall rack thing FULL of colorful balls. And you know the big red circle "balls" in front of Target?? Ya...lots of squealing and tantrums when we go there! Balloons are also a hit with Cooper.

- Brady is by far his favorite person ever. I hear "dad" all day long!

- he will give hugs and kisses now when we ask for them...only when he is in the mood though!

- I started using cloth diapers and he seemed to chill a bit more during diaper changes. I'm still chasing him around and struggling to keep him still BUT it is getting better.

- he's opening all our doors. Every single one. And can now lift the toilet seats. No need to explain more than that..

- He drinks a lot. 3-4 sippy cups a day! We allow 1 sippy of juice and the others are water.

Well, I could go on and on about our little boy. He is a lot of fun and brings so much joy to our lives! I hope our family knows a little more about Cooper now :)

Several Updates

2011-04-29T16:00:00.003-06:00

Lots of things have happened lately and I haven't taken the chance to post pictures. so scroll down and enjoy pictures of Cooper...since that's all our life is right now!

cool baby!

2011-04-29T15:52:00.005-06:00

Cooper loves loves loves my head bands. He puts them on and struts around feeling really cool! So to help him be a little more "boyish" I bought him toddler sunglasses! He must feel pretty cool in them because he always has a huge grin when he wears them!

super hero!

2011-04-29T14:27:00.005-06:00

I recently bought cloth diapers and to go with them I purchased a bag to hold the dirty one's in to make washing convenient. I had just opened the package to show Brady and Cooper thought it was pretty cool as a cape! Here is our super hero:

SUPER COOPER!

our little helper

2011-04-29T14:11:00.003-06:00

Our little man LOVES to help with everything right now. His favorite: loading the dryer. I will put the wet clothes on the door so he can shove them in. I often find him putting the dirty laundry in with the clean/wet ones! This day I took the load from the dryer into the other room so I could fold them. I came back to find this:

seasoning in the dryer! (with a dirty shirt of course!)

Here's a good shot of our new cloth diapers! I love them!!

He also likes to help load the dishwasher, scrub the floors, and scrub his feet. The rest he likes to undo what I just did... putting toys in the tub, taking clothes out of the drawer, taking toys out of the box, putting food on the floor and whatever else you can imagine a 1 year old LOVING! He is super fun and loves to make messes! It's funny to see how Brady reacts to the messes. Here I thought I was the "grumpy" one trying to keep things organized :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T13:38:00.005-06:00

The Easter bunny came!! He brought little Cooper a new blanket, video, CD with music to dance to, a new shirt for church, and the most favorite gift of all...a HUGE soccer ball!! (the ball was a gift for his birthday that we didn't get out until now).

everything is set

excited to see his new toys!

looking through his goodies

the Easter bunny new exactly what he liked!!

our little family on Easter morning

So a funny story. We have only been in our new ward for 3 weeks. Our first week there was wonderful. Our second week we were in Michigan for a funeral so our third week was Easter Sunday. We get to our church building to find it completely empty. We had NO IDEA what was going on. We assumed Stake Conference but didn't have anyone to call. Come to find out it WAS Stake Conference with President Uchtdorf speaking!! AHHH!! And we missed it! What a bummer! The center was probably packed and crazy but we sure would have liked to have gone. And I worked that evening so our Easter was pretty lame.

To the park we go!

2011-04-29T12:36:00.004-06:00

He loves his wagon!

He would rather push it than sit in it!

Going down the slide...

He liked it...but prefers to go UP!

"dog!"

2011-04-29T12:30:00.002-06:00

Cooper can officially said "dog!"

We were both playing in the living room when I saw a squirrel running in the yard. I pointed it out to Cooper and he yells, at the top of his lungs, "DOG!! DOG!! DOG!!" and pointing at the squirrel! hahaha I about died! He was so so so excited and started crying when the squirrel was out of sight.

Then, when I took him to daycare yesterday there was a dog barking in the next car. Again, at the top of his lungs, he's yelling "DOG! DOG! DOG!" with his little finger pointing in the direction of the bark.

He really likes dogs and it's too bad we no longer have Missy here for him to play with. I bet they would be best buds...or maybe Missy would be annoyed...who knows!

Real Quick

2011-04-25T11:18:00.002-06:00

I don't have much time for an update but here are two pictures from yesterday.

Cooper and Mommy on Easter!

Mommy and Baby Boy 3 on Easter!

I definitely have a pictures of Daddy that I will post later!

new shoes

2011-04-23T23:00:00.003-06:00

Cooper wouldn't let me put pants on him but wanted his new shoes!

Spring Time

2011-04-23T22:43:00.005-06:00

The weather is finally nice and we were able to go outside and play for a little bit! We have a very little back yard now but it works for little Cooper. He loves to just walk around and be outside.

We walked to a park that's just down the street and he was SO excited to be out and about. (pictures are soon to come)

bath time fun

2011-04-23T22:34:00.004-06:00

The other night I decided it would be fun to make some bubbles in the tub! It was pretty cute and he wasn't too sure about it at first. But eventually he thought it was great!

Around the same time we were curious how he would do the in the shower. Brady was taking a shower one evening so I threw Cooper in with him. He did not like it and had to have his binky with him the whole time!

Food!!

2011-04-23T19:54:00.002-06:00

Cooper LOVES to eat. And he eats a LOT! Here are his favorites:

For breakfast he likes to have 2 pieces of toast and a container of yogurt.

For lunch he likes 1 hot dog, 1 PB&J, and a jar of fruit.

For dinner he likes grilled cheese, water, and usually a vegetable.

He can eat everything and at least half a sippy of water at ever sitting...then be whining for food two hours later! And to add to that...if you look at Cooper he looks like the average boy. HOWEVER, he is solid. Everyone that picks him up seems surprised at how much he weighs! Oh how I love my little eater (that hates fresh fruits and veggies).

Baby bump!

2011-04-12T18:47:00.005-06:00

Things are still going great with our little little boy! My stomach is getting larger, which means he is too! My stomach is pretty firm and stretching already. He wiggles a lot but not kicking or punching very often (something Cooper did nonstop). I have cravings for bacon cheeseburgers with lots of ketchup. I hate burgers but for some reason I'm LOVING them! I'm more exhausted than I was with Cooper. I have a bad case of RestlessLeg Syndrome and I get super grumpy when it starts up. Usually, it's late at night when I'm trying to relax. The eczema is still driving me crazy but it's getting better. It flares up with stress and lack of sleep! This pregnancy is so different from the others. Some people still think I am having a girl...mainly because I am very moody and hormonal. One minute I'm angry and the next I'm crying. AND my pregnancy brain is something to be concerned about. It's difficult for me to make it through a sentence without pausing and trying to remember what I was talking about or going to say...mid sentence! Oh the joys of pregnancy but in the end we will have another child that brings more joy to our life than we can imagine!!

21 weeks with Cooper

Really Mom?

2011-04-08T22:00:00.003-06:00

You're letting me do this??

Naughty naughty!

2011-04-08T21:07:00.004-06:00

100% BOY!

It's happened again...

2011-04-07T10:13:00.003-06:00

...grocery shopping has become difficult!

Last night I made it through until the last 2 aisles before the gagging hit! Brady was with me and started laughing and said "oh no!" We needed hamburger meet and he was so sweet and said "I'll go get that" with a smile on his face! :) He thinks it's the silliest thing but is such a trooper.

Last night Brady put up childproof locks on our cupboards! Oh what a relief. Several times Cooper tried opening them and even threw a few tantrums when he wasn't successful. I find him pulling/leaning with all his weight to get them to open...and he's screaming the whole time! I can't help but giggle. There's one cupboard that is actually a lazy susan (sp?) that he found he can open. Thankfully, there is nothing that can break/hurt him. We have an ugly string tied on our entertainment center to keep him out of the electronics. I have a feeling someday he will break the doors/glass because he pulls on it with all his weight and starts to shake them vigorously. Hopefully that doesn't happen!

I love love love our little man!! Don't get me wrong. He's the greatest little boy in the whole world! He has loads of energy, happy (unless he's told no), eats great, and sleeps awesome! He brings so much joy to our family...it's just one of those things I guess he'll go through. He's stubborn like me and wants things in a particular way. He wants things his way! But who doesn't? A funny example of this is with his "personal space". If someone is in the back seat with him...DO NOT put your arms or hands in his "space". He will kick, whine, and gets super frustrated. Even if it's just your arm on his car seat! haha