He is growing right before our very eyes........

Josh and I were looking back at the pictures of Cooper from his first week of life. He has already changed so much and is growing right before our eyes. I want time to stand still. We have had so many sweet moments this week with him. He got to watch his first Cardinals game with his daddy, meet his great grandparents, sleep in his crib ( which I thought he wouldn't be doing for a long time..:), and went to see his pediatrician twice. We wake up every day with a wonder and excitement like we have never known before. We just sit and stare at every fold in his eyelids and his little finger and toes. We want him to just be happy and know the Lord at an early age.We feel like we have been given a huge responsibility, but we are up for the challenge.

Cooper met his 89 year old great grandpa today.

What a special day today. My 89 year old Papaw came over to meet Cooper today. He has cancer, and we were uncertain as to whether he would still be here when Cooper was born. Papaw kept saying, "What a sweet baby. What a good baby. I love his little hands." It was one of those priceless moments that you wouldn't take a million dollars for. It was a day we will never forget.

You Are My Sunshine..My Only Sunshine..Our first week with Cooper

We have just celebrated one week of life with our son Cooper. It seems like he has been here forever, and we can't imagine life without him now. He is settling in so nicely and is doing very well. We have had lots of visitors and family coming by every day to just peek at him and give him kisses. He is the sweetest little boy and such a snuggler. His daddy and I just stand over his crib and thank God for our blessing. We love you son.

7 ounces in 2 days.......

There is nothing like being told your baby isn't getting enough nourishment. We started out the first day of his life by overfeeding him at which point he was vomiting every time we fed him. As a result, we decided to cut back on the amount and frequency of his feedings. Well, at his first doctor's appointment, we were told he had lost 9 ounces. Now, I know all babies loose weight at first, but he is a formula fed baby who began eating from the very start. So, his weight loss was a little concerning. Imagine our delight when we were told this morning that he had already gained 7 of those 9 ounces back in just 2 days. Way to go Cooper. I was a proud mommy and felt like I was doing a better job of providing for him and his needs. He is also still a little jaundice but we plan on getting him some sunlight today. We go back on Thursday, September 11th for his 2 week checkup.

I don't want to miss a thing...........

All new moms have to get some sleep. But I have been feeling so guilty about sleeping because I feel like I am going to miss something cute or memorable and not be able to get that moment back. I just want to savor every moment and remember every little detail about Cooper's first days. I had this overwhelming feeling when I was holding him tonight that I don't want him to grow up and get any bigger. I want to be able to hold him in my arms and snuggle him close for the next 18 years. Is that so unreasonable?? I want him to always be my little boy and I to always be his first love. The phrase" bundle of joy" is so trite and overused but it describes him perfectly. He is our precious gift from God. Thank you Lord for this extraordinary blessing. I promise to do the best I can to raise him up right while glorifying Your name in the process.

What a blessing ! God has been so good to us!!!

We have our little boy home with us. Things are going great and he seems so sweet and alert. He is such a snuggler which is what I prayed for while he was in the womb.We took him to the pediatrician on Thursday and his weight had dropped from 7 pounds 12 ounces to 7 pounds 3 ounces. She encouraged us to try and feed him more volume and more often. The problem is sometimes he just doesn't seem to be that interested in feeding. We are going back in the morning for another weight check. We are loving every moment home with our precious gift.

Well...it wasn't Braxton Hicks!!!

Saturday, August 30th, I woke up having pains in my back. I was cohosting a shower for my best friend who is getting married September 13th. So, I went to the shower and felt a little "off" while I was there. By the time I got home, my back pain was intense. I knew it couldn't be labor because our scheduled C-Section was still 5 days away....:) By 1:00am I knew something was amiss. I tried to lay down and had intense pain in my back and side. I called the doctor and was told to come on in if they persisted. I got to the hospital at 5am and was already 3cm dilated. Within 30 minutes, I was 5 cm dilated. What???? I hadn't gone to the birthing class and this wasn't the plan. Then, it got scary. My heart rate dropped to 80/40 and I was feeling very faint. Then, nurses came from everywhere and started turning me, putting oxygen on me, checking for a prolapsed cord, and ordering a C-Section stat. It was by far the scariest moment of my entire life. I was thinking " Are we going to get this close only to have it snatched away?" We were taken to the operating room where Cooper was born at 7:12am weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces. What a coincidence!! He was crying and was in distress when he came out. His APGAR was 3. After some aggressive suctioning and oxygen, we heard the best sound ever. A loud cry that makes every parent feel so relieved and thankful. So, here we are at home on our first night with our little man. He seems so sweet and alert. We are overwhelmed with thankfulness, awe and of course, madly in love with this precious baby. Let the adventures begin.