Ready for school

You can never start too early. Ready, set, read.

Max the Monkey

I wanted Cooper to get attached to something like a blanket or luvie to help him transition from the happy swing to the big bad crib. So, I found this little monkey that was soft and just the right size. It is so funny b/c I put it under his arm when I am rocking him to sleep and he rubs on it until he goes to sleep. We have named him Max. Hopefully, they will best buds for years to come.

So thankful for two stuffed turkeys.....

Well, this was Cooper's first Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for. A healthy baby that wakes up every morning with a smile on his face. A baby that seems to have inner joy and peace. A roof over our head and health insurance. Thank you Lord for your many blessings.

To Swaddle or not to Swaddle..That is the question.

Well, here's the deal. My son is addicted to his swaddle. For those of you that don't know what a swaddle is it is a straight jacket for babies. The first time I saw it done I thought "Is that legal?" It felt so inhumane. But, let me tell you, it works. Cooper loves it. You can't make it tight enough. As soon as he wiggles his way out of it, he wakes up crying. He wants it tight. I mean TIGHT. This is the only way I can get him to sleep. I know sounds a little rigid. Anyway, imagine my horror when I realized he was outgrowing the swaddle. What?? This can't be happening. I set out on a mission to find an extra large swaddle. To my surprise, not only do they make one, it goes up to 18 pounds. So, we should be good for awhile. I want it on record that Cooper was happiest when swaddled so when he gets older he can't use it against us. ..:)

The Curse of the Swing

From the moment we got the baby swing..by the way, thank you very, very much to Jennifer for letting us borrow it, Cooper has loved it. I mean he practically wants to live in it. We started putting him in there more and more and putting him in his basinette and crib less and less. Who am I kidding, he hardly ever was put in the crib. Actually, that is where I would put him for a few minutes so I could fold clothes or unload the dishwasher. As my husband says "Nice, he has a very expensive play pen." Anyway, I was reading in the sleep book about how bad swings are and how they artificially put babies to sleep and they never learn to sooth themselves. I would have read this book sooner, but no kidding, every time I would read the Sleep book it would put me to sleep. Well great. That is the only way to get Cooper to go to sleep is to swing away on the fastest mode. He will sleep in it for hours. But, 2 nights ago we decided it was time to make this baby sleep in his crib at night. This endeavor is not for the weak. I tell you my calm, mellow, easy going baby screams bloody murder as soon as he is laid down. I mean the type of screaming that is like "Call 911, I am being abused" type screaming. You are probably thinking "Well, how long could that last?" 2 hours I tell you. 2 full hours. I wanted to cry uncle several times and give up. But we are pressing forward with night 3 of this torture. I am sure he is wondering why we can't go back to good ole carefree days of swinging. My answer is because he will eventually grow out of the swing, and then we are in a whole heap of trouble if he won't sleep in his bed. Please pray for us as we continue down this road. We will not be defeated by this 13 pound baby. I hope.

3 months old

Here we are with a 3 month old. Hard to believe. Time has just flown by. Cooper is getting so big and changing every day. He is really interacting with us alot and cooing when we talk to him. He is the happiest when he first wakes up. He stretches out on his diaper changing table and gives us the biggest smiles. He seems to have such a joyful spirit. I pray that stays with him. Inner peace has eluded me my entire life, and I pray that my son feels joy, happiness and peace. I want him to laugh at the small things and not worry so much about tomorrow. I want him to know that God will take care of his needs but not always his wants. I want him to be a giving and compassioante soul that doesn't feel entitled to the world. I pray over him at every feeding. I pray for him to be healthy first and foremost. I pray for him to be safe and happy. I want him to know how much he was wanted and adored every day of his life from the moment he was conceived.

Holding head up...so BIG!!

Is that a puppy looking back at me?

So inquisitive

Man, this is hard work. Can't I just play and goof off?

SO much tummy time that he passed out
just sitting up.


Nothing to do with tummy time....just so cute...
his new footed pajamas Mommy loves anything with puppies on it.


Cooper has been doing his daily tummy time in order to strengthen his neck muscles and learn to hold his head up without assistance. Just in the last week, he is really holding his head up and looking around. I told him we are on a major deadline because I want him to be able to hold his head up in time for the First Christmas Card picture...:) Surely, he will oblige his sweet momma. He will be 12 weeks or 3 months on Sunday. Boy, time flies when your sleep deprived...I mean having fun.

Check out the eye lashes..

We have been surprised about how quickly Cooper's eyelashes seem to be growing. Josh thinks he is starting to look like a girl with such long and curly lashes. I tried to tell him that girls will swoon and mommy is head over heels for those lashes. I hope they stay that long forever.

Mommy..I don't like my Pooh coat.

We bought Cooper this really cute Winnie the Pooh coat that is like a full body suit. Kinda like what you wear when you go skiing. Well, since it dipped below 60 degrees this weekend, I thought it was time to bust it out. It was hysterical. We put Cooper in it and laid him on the Diaper changing table. He wouldn't move. He was stiff as a board. He was wide awake and his eyes were wide open but he wasn't even blinking. I think he thought he really couldn't move. Bless his heart. When we went to put him in his car seat to go out to the weekend trek to Papa and Susu's for the Alabama game, he wouldn't bend for me to put him in it. That is when my husband mentioned that I might be going a little overboard with his "protective outerwear." Who me? Overboard?

We love our Bumbo...not!!!

The first time we put Cooper in his Bumbo, he really seemed to love it. The Bumbo, for those of you that don't know, is an awesome invention. It is a chair that is made out of a rubber material that a baby can sit in really before they can sit up by themselves. Well, evidently, that was a fluke because now this is Cooper's reaction to the Bumbo. What gives? What is not to like about it? Maybe he will grow to love it. We are hoping the same thing about his crib.

The second picture is what happens when we put him in his Papasan chair. What is his deal? It is so nice and cozy. I would love one if they came in an adult size. Unless he is being held or in his swing, he is not a happy camper. So you know, first child syndrome, we end up holding him all day and night. I know. We are setting ourselves up for a major battle. Just like a diet, we will start that "putting him down"project tomorrow.

Warning...this appears worse than it is..Don't report us.

Well, Josh and I are pretty much obsessed with getting the perfect picture of Cooper. He always does the cutest things..we run and get the camera..and then he stops. I guess that is Murphy's Law. Well, this day we had him propped up in his chair because he can't sit up yet by himself. Josh and I were busy taking pictures when we turned to talk to each other. When we looked back, this is what we found. Uh Oh. Then this conversation followed. " I thought you were watching the baby. No, I thought you were watching the baby." Our sweet Cooper didn't even cry, but boy did we feel bad. Sorry buddy.

It's Photo Shoot Sunday!!!

Check out those eyes.......Beautiful!!

What is that out the window?

Is this almost over? I am getting tired.