Tuesday, August 31, 2010

37 Weeks

It's time for my weekly update... I'm considered full term now!!!! Everything went good today. Heartbeat sounded great, group b strep test was negative.... only really matters if I don't have a c-section, Dr Riely reviewed the ultrasound from last week and he is approx at 40% growth rate... looking at Cooper not surprised he is smaller than average, and he is still head down. I'm not dilated... surprise surprise. If I stay like this next week it gives me a huge decision to make. Keep my 39 week c-section or cancel and wait and see. I'm most likely going to keep it, even though a lot can change in two weeks, nothing can also happen in two weeks. So, here come my freak out moment....
HOLY COW I'M HAVING A BABY IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! There is still a lot to get done. First things first, I'm taking Cooper to see his pediatrician today. He has had a runny nose since before the weekend, thought it was allergies and we could clear it up but hasn't yet so we need to get him clear of any possible infection before Cameron makes his debut. We need to re-install our car seats which will take up the remainder of my backseat. Need to get our swing back from Steve's parents house, my bassinet from my sister, and get all of errands ran. I'm going to put an order in to Market Day today and also get over to Sam's sometime this week or next. I have a hair appt next week, since she only works two days a week she is coming over this week to do Cooper's hair. I have to get some pre-op blood work done next week. And I need to kick the summer cold I have. I called my dr's office yesterday and she said it would be okay to take Claritin, however the pharmacist wouldn't sell it to me today because I was pregnant. I am feeling a lot better but Steve has it now. We are one pitiful household.

Monday, August 30, 2010

I've lost something

I have lost something and can't seem to get it back. I lost it about 7 months ago but it was only temporary. It's come and gone this past month or two and now it's gone for good. That my friends is Energy! It's not coming back. I've also come to accept that by the time I start sleeping well again it will be January and we all know that no one has energy in January & February. It's okay though, I am strong and I will fight for it to come back. I will be like a crazy ex-girlfriend and I will find it again!

Pure Cuteness

Last night I walked back to my bedroom to put up some clothes. All of a sudden Cooper starts screaming "mommy, mommy, mommy". I walk back to the living room and he looks at me with a big smile and says "more candy corn, please". Who can resist when they are that cute and polite.

This morning I was having Cooper sign a birthday card, I told him to sign his name. Of course it was scribbles but he did say out loud C-O-O-P-E-R.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Date Night, Trucks, and Parties

You would think having a child free night would leave me refreshed but I'm still wore out. Friday night was awesome. We dropped Cooper off at his Mamaw and Papaws and Steve & I had dinner out, picked up some desserts, and headed home to relax. Once we heard from his parents we settled down for a movie. We rented Date Night with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey, it was a good one, lot of laughs. Cooper slept in this morning so we didn't get any early morning wake-up calls. It's amazing what one can accomplish in the morning without a child; take a shower, dry hair, flat iron hair, put on make-up, make bed, empty dishwasher, eat cereal, clean kitchen, check Facebook, blogs, email, and bank account. It was nice.

After picking up Cooper we headed to Touch a Truck in Clarksville. I was a little disappointed compared to last year. It seemed like there was less to see, no hot air balloon, no bubble truck, no Buddy the Bat. We saw a few trucks but didn't stay long and headed home. After naps, which we had to wake Cooper up from, we had a birthday party to attend. It was for Bryce, who is the son of one of Steve's friends from work. He turned one this week. If you have never attended a Filipino party, you need to do so. They had some awesome food. It was a Toy Story theme and after seeing and tasting the cake I may be switching from Adrienne's to Sweet Stuff in New Albany for Cooper's next party. And Cooper also managed to bounce without being scared.


It was a fun day but now I have a sore throat and it's time to kick my feet up and relax.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Proposal Story

Steve and I have plans tonight to celebrate our annivesary. It's not till September 18th but we are a little unsure of what will be going on. Either we will the proud parents of a 6 day old, I could still be preggers at Paul & Gretchen's going away party, or I may even be in labor.... who knows! So, tonight it is. This is why I thought I would share a wonderful memory of our proposal.

It was Friday, Ocotber 24 and we had plans to go out to dinner. I got off work and Steve was acting very strange. He kept calling and asking if I was on my way, where was I, etc. I had a small inkling something was going on, I knew a proposal was coming and I knew he would not do it around a holiday, it would be totally random. I just tried to put it out of my mind. I went home to my apartment, changes my clothes and headed over to his. He was being a little fidigity, the tv was off, which was strange, but everything seemed normal. Except, for the bridal magazine on the table. I asked him about it and he told me his friend Mike had bought it when they were out that day. I knew Steve had taken a half day off and if you know his friend this isn't totally out of character. I sit down on the couch and start looking through the book, Steve sits down next to me, I get about a quarter through the book and find this (minus the wedding band of course)

Even thought I had some feeling it was still a total shock. I kept looking at the book, at him, at the ring, at him... back and forth. Finally he took the ring, got down on one knee and proposed. Being a woman, I was on cloud nine for days. Months really, I loved planning our wedding. Of course we had to go show his parents, which had no idea it was happening by the way, we had dinner and headed to my mom's to show her. She thought the ring was fake because it was so shiny. I love the way he made it so unique and personal, no big show, no audience, just me and him. I also love that no one but his friend Mike and co-workers knew it was happening. (My father isn't the type you need to ask permission, as a matter of face he asked if I was pregnant when I told him).
Now it's been almost 7 years since that night, 6 since our wedding, and almost two kids later. Couldn't be happier!


Impromptu Bath

I usually don't post bath pictures but thought I would go ahead and post this. I realize that no one probably wants to hear potty training stories but he did manage to do something today and got a prize out of this bag. His prize today was these new bath time letters & numbers. So of course we had to take a bath.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

There are no words

There are no words to describe how adorable these pictures are, but I'm going to do it anyway. In addition to some busy mornings this was really the first night Steve & I have both been home this week and the first time we got to eat dinner as a family. It was only appropriate we enjoy the weather and get outside for some playtime as well. Cooper and Steve decided to play some soccer but first they needed to stretch.



We recently bought Cooper a new potty seat that goes directly on the toilet, the box was supposed to be used as the goal, but Cooper had other plans.







Oh, Happy Day!

We have had some busy mornings this week. Monday was a dentist appt for me, Tues was my weekly check-up, Wed was Cooper's ENT follow up, and Thurs was speech. After speech I decided to take advantage of the awesome weather and go to Bob Hedge. Despite it only be 77 degrees outside I still managed to get hot. Darn 27 extra pounds! But, it was well worth it. I feel like such a bad mom cause I haven't been able, or really haven't wanted, to get out much this summer. Cooper had a ball. He loved playing with the abacus. I wonder if he is going to be an accountant like mommy? He kept calling this the parade ball. When we went to the 4th of July parade he got a small ball that looked like Earth, so to him this was a giant parade ball.
We had fun swinging. The first time swinging today there was a little girl swinging next to him, we swung again before leaving and he got concerned the girl was gone.He also had fun in the tunnel. These are the only pictures I got, he couldn't figure out what he wanted to.


After the park we headed to McDonald's. I needed my Diet Coke fix and at this stage in pregnancy we can pretty much share a Happy Meal. Even though Steve says I look like I swallowed a watermelon, I can barely eat two bites of one before I feel like I'm going to burst open. We also got a good surprise, Steve called I was sitting in the drive through and I picked him up something so he could meet us back at home for lunch. He surprised us yesterday by coming home as well. It's always good to see Daddy in the middle of the day.


Tuesday, August 24, 2010

One more thing

Steve called me today after my appointment to ask how things were. I explained I had an ultrasound because my belly was measuring a little small. His response, "Geez, if that is a small belly I hate to see a big one". LOVE YOU BABE!!!!!!

36 Weeks

I had my 36 week check-up today. I hope you guys don't mind weekly updates now. I thought because I was seeing the nurse practitioner today things might go a little more quickly, but I was wrong. They were running behind and I was in there for almost two hours. My appointment was at 10:00 and I had to call Steve's mom to ask her to go ahead and feed Cooper lunch. I never imagined I wouldn't be back in time to feed him. Appointment went good, heart rate was good and he was being active again, and I didn't gain any weight this past week. She measured my belly at 34 weeks instead of the 36 that I am. This happened with Cooper as well but they did go ahead and work me in for an ultrasound to get better measurements. He is right on target. Right now they are estimating him to be between 5-6 lbs, which at full term will be between 6 1/2- 7 1/2 lbs. Next week I'm going to talk to Dr Riely a little more about having or trying for a vbac. Of course my mom would rather me keep the c-section date. She said if she could have had a c-section she would have had more than one child. She had never had to recover from abdominal surgery so I'm pretty sure she would change her mind on that one. It isn't too bad but it's not fun either. Your ab muscles control everything you do, you can't even so much as laugh or sneeze without using them. As I would know when the day after I had Cooper the Reid's came to visit and they were off in the corner with Steve telling funny stories and laughing to the point of tears not realizing my tears were for a different reason. Time will tell, I'm just leaning toward God making the decision for me and not myself making that decision.

Monday, August 23, 2010

It's a good thing

I have to pee about once every 30 minutes right now. I had just finished taking Cooper to the bathroom yesterday and sent him in to Steve to get his shoes on for church. I was dressed and ready to go but decided on one last bathroom run. Which is when I noticed my pants were on backwards. Don't ask how this happens because I have no idea. I can't even begin to think of the embarrassment if I would have went to church like that. It's the one time I have appreciated my bathroom breaks.

It was time to say goodbye

I had to say goodbye to a dear friend this weekend..... the birthday bag! If you are thinking "has this chick gone crazy" let me explain. Sometime around 9 or 10 years ago I got a birthday present from Karen and it came in this wonderful birthday bag. A few months later when her birthday approached she got it back. Not the gift, just the bag. And so it started. This went on up until about 2 years ago. Heather even got in on the action a few times. Well times have changed and around the age of 30 instead of gifts we have opted for a girls lunch out. Time with your girlfriends beats a present any day. I have been in a very strange cleaning mood lately and have been going through our closets, storage containers, you name it. I came across the bag and parts of it were in bad condition and I just couldn't see giving it to anyone else but the garbage can. It served it's purpose well and will be missed.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Oh, Cooper Andrew

What did we ever do without you? These are just a few of his comments in the past 24 hours.

While watching a home video- "I sleep in Cameron's bed"

When Steve took him to wash his hands after dinner- "Oh... Monkeys" (the bathroom has been that way for about 6 months)

While painting with some water colors tonight- "What color should I used next"

After I washed the shampoo out of his hair tonight- "I pretty now"

Before bed he has to put another book in his "special" place (the corner of the couch) to read the next day because we ran out of time.

And my favorite, we were laying in his bed after nap and I was trying to talk to him about how things are going to be when Cameron gets here. I told him that he will always be my special big guy because he taught me how to be a mommy. He starts saying "yea" and clapping his hands.

Cooper... there are no words to describe how much I love you. I'm so thankful God chose you to teach me how to be a mommy.

What a difference a week makes

Wow, what a difference a week makes. After last week I was pretty much ready to throw in the towel, now I think I can actually make it another month. We have even got some outdoor play. I really wanted to take a walk this morning but Directv was supposed to show up between 8-12, they just got here and it's 2:00. Oh well, maybe next week. We did get to enjoy ourselves, these are just a few of our highlights this morning.

Water table fun

Sidewalk chalk


And some baseball.









Thursday, August 19, 2010

Dr. Jill

Wave 3 has a segment during their evening news called "What's going around". They call area doctors and pediatricians and ask them "what's going around". They show the picture of the doctor and give a list of symptoms and treatments. A few months ago we saw our pediatrician on there a couple of times. Last night we had the news on and Steve and I were cleaning up dinner or something and Cooper started yelling and pointing at the tv "Dr Jill, Dr Jill". Sure enough, Dr. Howell's, or Dr. Jill as we like to call her, picture was on the tv. After it went off he asked for "More Dr. Jill please". We told him he can see her next month but it won't be for him, it will be for baby Cameron.

Mommy, take my picture please

I think Cooper is getting a little too used to me taking pictures for the blog. He built a block tower today and the first thing he said when it was completed was "Mommy, take my picture please."

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The countdown is on

I had my first weekly doctor's appointment today. Things went well, baby sounds good. He must have been an active little guy this morning, his heart rate was 155 and it has been in the 140's. We talked a little more about VBAC's. As of right now I am scheduled for a c-section on September 13th, which will put me at 39 weeks. I thought this was what I always wanted but the closer it gets I have anxiety over it. It was one thing to be in labor all day and have complications and be told you need a c-section. At that point I just wanted it to be over and wanted a healthy baby. It's a whole other feeling knowing I'm having a surgery. If I choose to cancel my c-section date I will keep my weekly appointments up until 41 weeks. If I am having contractions and have started to dialate then she will induce, if not she will do a c-section. So, I either have Cameron by Sept 13 or by Sept 27. Then there is Cooper to think about. Getting out of the hospital at two instead of three days is a huge plus. Steve only plans on staying in the hospital for one night so Cooper can sleep at home so that will be much easier on me if I don't have a c-section. Plus I have heard it takes an extra day for your milk to come in if you have a c-section, it's your body's way of dealing with the shock. I didn't think my recovery was that bad with a c-section, but I also didn't have a newborn and almost three year old to care for. We also have to think about childcare. It's a lot easier on Steve's parents knowing they to keep Sept 13-15 free to take care of Cooper. If we cancel and wait to see if I go on my own, they pretty much have to clear their schedule for two weeks. Decisions, Decisions! I'm not going to lie, I have trouble sleeping at night just thinking about these things. It's not in my nature to rely on other people and feel like I'm putting someone out. I have never been away from Cooper for longer than about 15 hours. Anytime he was stayed the night it was been from around dinner time to breakfast the next morning, never all day, all night, all day again. The next couple of weeks will determine if we keep the c-section as scheduled. Maybe I should look into a home birth.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Baby Rabbits

We have (or did have) some new little critters at home. Steve was mowing the yard today when he stopped in the back corner, turns out some baby rabbits had made their home there. They were so cute, I wanted to take them inside as pets. This poor little guy was stuck between the fences.
We went to his parent's house for dinner tonight and when we came home they were gone. I hope they found somewhere safe.

It's Complete

Our Willow Tree family is complete. I picked up the "brothers" today at Hallmark. Aren't they adorable? I think Cooper is going to make a great big brother.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Rain Rain, please don't go away

We had an awesome rain shower yesterday. It rained on and off for about two hours then it turned into a complete downpour. It was the first time a while it had rained and Cooper has been awake so we decided to take him out to play...well run up and down the driveway if you call that play. He used to hate water in his face but he is getting better at it. He was so excited at first.He wanted Steve to run to the mailbox and back.

Then they had to do it together.


Then it was my turn. I didn't run all the way down and as you can tell, I wasn't really dressed for playing in the rain. We were afraid it wouldn't last so we quickly got our shoes on and ran outside. Then he ventured out on his own a little bit.



While we were out there it was raining pretty hard and the wind was blowing. I was watching the wind blow the rain across the street and right before my eyes the wind shifted and started blowing down the street. I had never seen that happen before. It stopped raining about 5 minutes later. It was a good soaking rain, enough so that our grass or plants did not need watering last night. It probably helped to save the plants after the weather we had this week.







Friends, Panda Bears, Popcorn, and Twizzlers

What do all these things have in common? First trip to the movie theatre. We met the Reid's and Bush's for Cooper's first trip to the movies this morning. It was the last free one of the summer and I wanted to check it out to see how he would do and he did great. He's not a big movie watcher, Mickey Mouse yes, but no so much movies. However some popcorn, Twizzlers, Lemonade, and gum will work for just about anything. They played Kung Fu Panda this morning, I hadn't seen it yet and it was cute. A little over Cooper's head but still fun.

Here he is waiting patiently for the movie to begin. A group shot, minus Tracey & Maggie. They are down there, you just can't really see them.
It took three tries to get our picture right. The first one had too bright of a flash in a dark room.

As you can tell Cooper is smiling at someone else.
Finally! He is smiling and looking at the camera.





Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Cameron's Room

We finally got the nursery ready, again. It pretty much had been a play room disaster since moving Cooper out. Luckily we just needed to clean it up a bit... no painting, no new bedding... it got to stay blue.

Last week Steve raised the crib back up. Once again I can't even remember Cooper sleeping in it that high. I thought about having him keep it in the middle instead of all the way up but Steve was afraid with a c-section I may have trouble lifting Cameron in and out if it's too low. We had Cooper in our room for about 3 nights before we had to move him. He made way too much noise in his sleep. Of course we had the monitor on as loud as it would go so I don't really see the difference. Also I have the diaper bag in the bed all ready and packed. I have list for myself but have yet to pack anything. Most of the stuff I can't do until the morning (or middle of the night if it turns out that way). Another view of the crib. We bought this one for the extra storage and attached changing table. Although you need to be like 6 feet tall to use it as a changing table, it's too tall for me. Notice the diapers.
A sample of Cooper's artwork.

A close-up of the tissue holder, Steve's aunt made that for me when I was pregnant with Cooper. And the sailboat... we bought the exact one for Cooper when I was pregnant with him. It has the verse Jeremiah 29:11 on it. We also used this same verse for Cooper when we had our groundbreaking ceremony at church... it was put on an index card and buried under our new building. I just realized something though- if you blow it up it says it's from Jeremiah 29:1 - which is wrong. It's verse 11, that's hilarious! It reads: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."A place I'm going to be spending quite a bit of time I predict, the rocking chair. Also a picture of his bedding.

The window and window treatments. The shade is new. We had pillows up there before, looked totally tacky. This room faces the front of our house which gets the morning sun. Steve put two shades up there plus window tint, it's works awesome.
Cooper posing in front of his big brother outfit. He is going to wear this to the hospital the day Cameron is born.


Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. This is just some of the newborn-3 month clothes we have.
In the closet we have more diapers. I have been trying to stock up. What you can't see is the giant tub of clothes the diapers are sitting on. It is filled with 6 month-18 month clothes. It is full, nothing else can fit. It's a good thing Cooper is small and will most likely wear his clothes from last winter this winter and clothes from this summer next summer because we have no where to put them.


I just had to throw this last one in here, look at the difference between these two diapers. One is a newborn and the other is Cooper's. I forgot how small they can be. Cooper wore newborn diapers for at least a month, it's hard to remember him that small. Now is he down to only wearing his diaper at nap and bedtime.


There you have it. We have 1 months and 3 days!









That's how we roll

I thought about making a "day in the life of Cooper" post but decided I would just post some random photos of the past two days. We haven't left the house at all so there has been some random moments.

First up, not only does my son want to wear Dora band-aids, he wears pink Dora band-aids. This is the mess every morning. Unless we leave I usually don't even bother to comb it out. It's too cute.
We play Easter egg hunt in August.

I recently washed his bathroom rug and while I was getting the lint off, Cooper decided he needed to hammer it and...


use his screwdriver.