The first few days home...

When I had Cooper, I suffered from a HORRIBLE headache. We still aren't sure if it was a spinal headache (would have had to have been a really slow leak) or a tension headache (more likely since my neck was stiff from being curled in a ball for over an hour trying to get a good epidural). Either way, I came home Thursday, felt OK on and off on Friday, on Saturday I felt great all day until that night when the headache always seemed to come back, then Sunday morning I was miserable when I woke up. I texted Dr. B that I was seriously condisering checking myself into the ER because of the pain, and she called back and put me on bedrest for the next 48 hours with round the clock painkillers. This did the trick! And it was probably an answered prayer because Devin had woken up the night before with a high fever and couging. For the next 48 hours, Cooper and I hung out in my room and slept and played ont he bed when he was awake and Devin, Daddy and Sissy hung out in the rest of the house.

This was taken the night we got home. Devin was pretty obsessed with Cooper and has been since the day she met him.

From July 11

We did have a really good Saturday though. My mom and dad came by and mom got to meet and hold Cooper...

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and thankfully so because mom was right at the end of radiation and chemo, and went into the hospital for 3 weeks shortly after this. So he was much older and bigger by the next time she got to see him.

That Saturday while I was feeling pretty good, Devin and Sissy and I went and ran some errands. We went to the library together and D really enjoyed it!

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We had friends come and take turns holding this sweet little man...

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Mommy and Cooper spent a lot of time in bed on bedrest...

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Randomness

Of course when you have a newborn, there is alot of picture taking. Everything they do is the sweetest thing you have ever seen, especially when you are in that full force baby daze still.

Momma's sweet little monkey...

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Handsome!

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Sister is always close by!

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Such a sweet baby boy....

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Soaking up some Texas heat!

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Handsome like his daddy...

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Meeting mommy's co workers....

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I LOVE it when they smile in their sleep!

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Checking himself out...

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Cooper

Here are some more randome pictures from Cooper's birthday and the first few days of his life. What a sweet boy he is!

One VERY proud daddy to finally have a son!

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Daddy holding his son. :) He was bringing him to me to hold for my first time.

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Home at last...

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4 Months Old

My adorable handsome little hunk is already 4 months old!

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It is hard to believe how quickly the time is flying by...even faster than I remember it going with his sister!

What is Cooper up to these days?

*Cooper weighs about 15 pounds. He goes for his 4 month shots next week so I will get all of his measurements then.
*He wears a size 3 diaper.
*He wears 3-6 month clothes.
*Cooper is trying really hard to roll over these days. He is so close, but just can't get that last little umph to make it to his belly!
*Cooper LOVES to talk, and LOUD!

From October 2011

*Cooper ADORES his big sister! If she is in the room, all of his attention is on her.
*He has the cutest coos and I love to hear him laugh!
*Cooper still eats about every 2 hours throughout the day.
*At night time, Cooper is usually having a 9-10 hour stretch of sleep. He usually goes down around 8PM and wakes between 5 and 6 to eat then goes down again until I wake him for school. On the weekends he usually sleeps until 8:45 or 9!
*Cooper is a horrible napper! He usually will take a 45 minute to 1 hour nap for me in the mornings on the weekends. Then I find myself trying and trying to get him down for an afternoon nap. He is just too curious about everything going on around him and fights sleep like crazy! By 5 PM, that boy is exhausted so once I have tried a few times to get him down, I usually take him out in the car seat and can get a little nap in that way. At school, he cat naps in 15 minute increments a lot, and sometimes will take a nap for a longer stretch.

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*Cooper is still exclusively breastfed. We probably won't start any solids until he is closer to 6 months old.
*If the TV is on in a room, he loves to watch it! We try to keep that to a minimum though.
*Often in the evenings while Chris and I eat dinner, he sits in his bouncy seat on the counter with us. He loves to stare us down and has the dreamiest little gaze.
*Cooper has a great grip these days and can hold on to toys. He can pick them up if it is something worthy of putting in his mouth and it is within his reach!
*He loves chew on his burp cloths as well as his doggie and elephant crinkle toys!

Cooper has been such an incredible addition to our family. Chris and I both feel blessed beyond measure!

Devin holds Cooper....

Devin came to the hospital to meet Cooper the first day he was born. She didn't get to hold him though, just look at him through the clear little hospital crib they put them in Two days later though when we got home from the hospital, the first thing she asked to do was to hold Cooper and of course we let her! I almost consider this when she got to really meet him!

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Look at that adorable little mommy face she is making!

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Our friend Cathy came that day too!

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Sissy held him too...

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And daddy...

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And later, he was back in Devin' arms again...

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Little Miss Bossy

I love how Devin is waving her finger around in the picture while she is eating. This was the weekend before Cooper was born and sissy had arrived a week before. If you know a 15 year old, they like to stay up all night and sleep the day away. Devin kept telling us: " Shhh...sissy's shweeping!" (sleeping)

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One thing is for sure...Devin always has Sissy's back! hehehehe

Big shoes....

Those are some big shoes to fill sweet girl! And you sure are cute filling them!

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Bubbles in the bath....

Devin is a HUGE fan of bubbles in the bathtub...

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Cooper-10 weeks old!

Oh what a bad mommy I have been! I am sure I had updated on Devin multiple times by this point in her life and Cooper has only gotten a birth story! So I am going to give some stats so I will have them. As much as I have tried to catch up, I am still a little behind!

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*Cooper weighs about 12 pounds. He is in the 65% on weight and the 97% on height, but I can't remember what that measurement was.
*He is wearing size 3 month clothes but is about to move to 6 and 3-6 month because he is so tall!
*Cooper is in a size 2 diaper.
*Cooper LOVES to smile and coo! He laughs too. He loves to watch his sister and she loves that he loves her.
*He seems to be gaining more and more head control every day. He does pretty well with it now but his head still seems pretty heavy to him.
*Cooper loves to lay on the floor and watch the fan and everyone moving around him. He can be happy doing this anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, especially if he is in the right mood and you stop and talk to him periodically.
*His bedtime still fluctuates anywhere between 8-10 depending on when he took his last nap, and how much he has slept in a day, but on a good night, he sleeps 5 to 6 hours for the first stretch and then another 3-4 hours. Other nights, he still gets up sporadically every 2 to 3 hours. Those are usually when his tummy hurts or he is way overtired.
*He loves to be on his belly, unlike his big sister who would throw a HUGE fit when we did tummy time.
*We moved Cooper into his crib in his own room when he was 6 weeks old and never looked back. It took almost 6 months with Devin and I always wished I had moved her earlier.
*Cooper is pretty good about going to sleep on his own most of the time if I put him in bed full and sleepy. Sometimes I have to go put his paci in a few times. I am determined to teach him to be a better sleeper than his sister was. Only time will tell if it is working though!
*Cooper is not a huge fan of the paci all the time, but does like it when he is really tired.
*Cooper has been the most wonderful addition to our family and makes us feel so complete.
*He still has very blue eyes and we are all hoping they stay that way!
*Cooper started daycare yesterday and did great. He is taking 2-3 oz bottles every two hours or so right now. He was worn out when he got home, but woke up for about an hour, then went to bed for the night!
*Unlike with Devin, Cooper has been on the go since he was just a few days old. We have had multiple lunch dates while I was on maternity leave. I have even made 2 grocery store trips by myself with both kids! I am getting more and more confident with being in public with both kids and managing Devin who is a little on the wilder side.

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