Some Things I've Learned About Motherhood So Far

1) My house will never be clean again. Clean while she's sleeping? Or while she's with Daddy? Psh, I use that time to shower, catch up on Facebook, or just sit. 

2) The washing machine has become my new best friend. There was really no need to buy a hamper because the majority of her dirty clothes have to be washed ASAP before the stains set in. 

3) Glenn and I eat in shifts. Never fails that as soon as we sit down to eat, Cooper is awake. And screaming because she wants to eat when we do. 

4) Accept help AND don't be afraid to ask for it. Need a nap? Call your mom-in-law. Need to go grocery shopping? Call your mom. Yogurt Mountain date with your hubby? Call your sister-in-law. They all will jump at the chance to babysit. 

5) I've cut my "get ready" time down to about 15 minutes. And even when I know I have more time to get ready, I still feel the need to rush. Maybe saving money by shortening my showers will even out with the increase in laundry?

6) Find what works best for me, Glenn, and Cooper. It may not necessarily be what the books say or what worked for a friend and her baby, but that's okay.

7) Make sure doctor appointments are not during feeding time. Makes for a very unhappy baby AND annoyed waiting room. 

8) Clothes that look too difficult to put on... Don't need to be in Cooper's closet. Whoever thought that elastic band at the bottom of those cute newborn gowns was a good idea never tried getting that thing on a crying/wiggling baby.

9) Record every TV show I want to watch at night... Even if I think it will be safe to watch, more than likely I'm too tired to watch OR I want to take advantage of Cooper being awake and we play. Plus it gives me something to watch the next morning while Cooper is snoring away.

10) There's nothing sweeter than seeing that first smile. It's gas you say?? Nah, not in my mind. 

11) Sometimes you just gotta laugh. Up to your elbows in poop? Spit up on your shirt? On the 4th outfit of the day because she peed as soon as the diaper came off? Just laugh. And remember it all so that you can embarrass her when she gets older. ;) 

Having a baby has been a blessing yet one of the biggest challenges I have started. Not a day goes by that I thank God for Cooper yet ask for His continual guidance so that we can be good parents to her. Each day gets a little easier. Thankfully Cooper seems pretty patient and doesn't mind that her parents are learning as they go. 

1 month

Cooper, you are officially 1 month old today! It's hard to believe a month has already passed us by. You have grown and changed so much since you entered this world! We took you to the doctor this past week and the doctor says you are doing great! You  weight 8lbs 11.5oz (you have turned into a little chunk-a-munk). You are in the 81th percentile for length, but only 36th percentile for weight. You are going to be tall like your daddy! Your head is in the 92nd percentile!! I keep telling daddy it's because you are so smart. Unfortunately, this means mommy has had to put away a lot of the headbands she bought because they are too small for you! You are out of newborn diapers and clothes... Sometimes the 3 month clothes seem a little big, but you are slowly starting to fill them out. Good thing because we sure have a lot of clothes for you to wear.

We haven't been to too many places. The doctor, both grandparents' houses, your aunt and uncle's house. We did make a quick trip to Target. Too many people are sick and mommy is terrified of germs. It's also been very cold so we've been staying close to home. Mommy is going a little stir crazy, but it's definitely better than you getting sick!

Right now we put you to bed around 9:30ish. You usually make it to about 12:30. You were making it a little longer so we're thinking maybe we need to start giving you a little more to eat at your last feeding for the night. You then go back to sleep pretty easily and wake up again between 4:30-5am. Again, you go back to sleep pretty easily. You've been in your crib since New Year's Eve and don't seem to mind. You may be a little fussy at first, but you usually wear yourself out and go to sleep.

We're working on tummy time. It doesn't seem to be your favorite thing to do.. You last maybe 5-10 minutes and then either a) start crying or b) fall asleep. But you're getting better!

We love you so much! You definitely keep mommy and daddy on our toes. I can't imagine our lives without you, but like I said before, being a mommy is tough! Who would think a grown woman who teaches 26 2nd graders would be so scared of a tiny 8lb baby?! Slowly mommy is learning that we have to do what works best for us and not worry what others say we *should* do. No matter what challenges the days may bring, my absolute favorite part of the day is when I am rocking you to sleep and you just curl up on my shoulder and fall asleep. Those are the moments that I absolutely cherish. I have to enjoy them while I can because I know you won't be little forever!

Just a few pictures from our first month with you!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we always go over to Glenn's parents' house. It was extra special this year since we had Miss Cooper with us! I think it's pretty safe to say everyone is just smitten with her. This girl is going to be spoiled rotten.

Sitting with Uncle Brian... she's obviously deep in thought.

 

I love these pictures with her cousins. They are so precious.

Love my sweet girl!

 



 

Uncle Brian and Aunt Kelly

 

 

So incredibly blessed to have our little munchkin with us! AND to have family that has been so willing to help us!

 

PS - We went to my parents' house on Christmas Day.. I don't take pictures when we go there because my Dad takes care of that! :) I need to "steal" some of his pictures to upload.

Almost 2 weeks old!

Welp, we've been at it almost 2 weeks and we're still here. Although I don't really have much experience, I would say Miss Cooper is a pretty easy baby. We are very blessed for that! She's perfectly happy and content as long as she is fed. Girl likes to eat. What's funny is that I was so scared she wasn't getting ENOUGH food in the beginning, but she eats plenty now. I tried the nursing thing.. she wouldn't latch so I'm pumping what I can (which isn't enough for her hungry self) so we are also supplementing with formula. We go back to the doctor for our 2 week check up this Wednesday and I'm anxious to see how much she weighs.

Being a mommy is tough! Partly because I'm so worried about everything! It's also more difficult when you can't get around like you want to. I can't drive or lift anything heavier than 10lbs (which includes the car seat) for 2 weeks (although my follow-up appointment isn't until next Monday so I'm not sure if I should wait till then). BUT, I also managed to fall down coming into the house last weekend. We were coming back from Cooper's doctor's appointment and CRASH. My legs were already so swollen from everything else, and they just turned into jello. Somehow I've managed to do something to my knees or legs which makes it incredibly difficult to go up and down stairs without grasping to the side for support. There is no way I'm trusting myself to carry Cooper up and down so we pretty much stay upstairs. I can go down by myself, which I do quickly while she's sleeping to wash bottles, get a snack, or drink. Thankfully we have a video monitor so I can keep tabs while I'm away! I went last week and they did X-rays.. nothing's broken. But it's not getting better.. so we shall try again tonight! My sister is taking me to an after-hours (which means you don't need an appointment) place that specializes in sports injuries so maybe they will be a little more detailed in what they do. Glenn will be here alone with Miss Cooper and has already put his Mom on watch in case he needs help. This will be my first time away from my baby! I just want to be at 100%. My little girl needs me to be!

Here are just a few pictures of what we've been up to these past few days:

 Photo taken by my Dad
 

 Photo taken by my Dad
 

 

 

 

She's here!

We are so happy so announce our little girl is here! She was born on December 4, 2013 around noon. We came home last Friday and haven't stopped since! Mommy and Daddy are learning new things everyday. :)

It's so hard to believe how much has changed in such a short period of time. This time last week I was at work, moving slower than normal, but super excited about my doctor's appointment later on. I was praying there would be some progress from the previous week. Little did I know I would leave that place in labor! My back started bothering me at the end of the school day. I didn't really think anything of it since this had happened a lot within the past few weeks. By the time I go to the doctor, I told Glenn I just feel icky. I mentioned it to the doctor when I got there, and she did her thing, and left us with, "That means the time is getting closer! Go ahead and make your appointment for next week, but if your water breaks, go straight to the hospital."

By the time I got home, my back was really bothering me. It would come and go. We went to Chick-fil-A to pick up dinner and in the short time in the car (maybe 15 minutes) I had 2 back "spasms." When I finally got home, I told Glenn I thought I was maybe having back contractions. We started timing them and they were about 10 minutes apart. We timed them for a couple hours before I called the nurse at my doctor's office. She said it sounded like I was in labor, but to wait till they were 5 minutes apart. This all happened between 5pm and about 8pm. After I called the nurse, I would get a really strong contraction and then about 5 minutes later a smaller one that wasn't quite as strong. At this point Glenn is ready to go to the hospital. I'm freaking out because there were several things I needed to pack but hadn't gotten around to it yet so I'm grabbing whatever I think I may need in between contractions. Fox was beside himself because he could sense how anxious both Glenn and I are so he followed us around everywhere.

We finally left for the hospital around 9:30. We checked in and waited for the doctor to come in and see. He said not much had changed since my appointment earlier in the day, but they would hook me up to the machine and see what my contractions looked like. He asked who I saw today at my appointment and when I told him, he started laughing. Apparently this particular doctor is known for "working her magic" to speed things along. We waited about 2 hours... in the smallest room ever and poor Glenn had the teeniest chair to sit in. The nurse came in around midnight to check on us and said she saw some progress, but wanted us to wait about another hour to see if more was happening. I called my mom to tell her and 3 minutes later the nurse came back in and said, "Change of plans. The doctor wants to go ahead and admit you. Get you started on meds to induce so your contractions are a little more regular and get your epidural." Heck yeah... by this point, I was ready for those drugs!

They moved us into Labor and Delivery and the next few hours were a whirlwind. They had to pump IVs through me in order to get the epidural. When the guys came to give me the epidural, I was a little worried. I never saw anything, but Glenn assured me afterwards the needle was "huge." We FINALLY were able to try to sleep by about 2am. Of course neither one of us did much sleeping. The nurses came in to check every so often and around 4, they said my water was probably going to break soon. When it did, it should speed things along. Sure enough, 20 minutes later...

At about 7ish that next morning, the doctor came in and check to see how things were going. I had gone from 3-4 cm dilated to 9cm. At 9:30ish, I started pushing. I pushed for about 45 minutes and remember telling them that I felt like my brains were going to explode because I was pushing so hard. Miss Cooper just did not want to come out! They had me stop for about 30 minutes and then came back (with more people too!)

Apparently they were worried about how big Cooper was going to be because she wasn't budging from where she was. The doctor kept going back and forth, trying to decide if they should do a C-section or have me continue to push. Also, every time I pushed, Cooper's heart rate would drop and then come back up. They told me that the cord was probably wrapped around something and every time I had a contraction, it was tightening around her. There was one time I remember her heart rate dropped drastically and it was then that the doctor called in the high risk OB for his opinion.

They decided to go ahead and have me push. It was like all of a sudden, everyone started hurrying around getting things ready for a baby. I pushed for about 10 minutes and finally at 12:04pm, Miss Cooper made her appearance! She was absolutely gorgeous. The cord had been wrapped around her neck. She was having a difficult time coming out because of the position she was in.

I can't even begin to explain the rush of emotions when the one thing you have prayed about over and over again is finally given to you. Glenn and I could not take our eyes off of our precious girl. Of course he started snapping pictures to send to everyone as soon as possible. We stayed in Labor and Delivery for awhile, but we were able to move into a real room around 2 that afternoon.

Things haven't stopped since then. We've totally lost track of time. The only places I have been since we got home are the doctor. Poor Cooper has jaundice and has had to wear a UV light. Luckily her levels are starting to go down... we go back again on Wednesday and we are hoping our days with the light are finished!

We just cannot thank God enough for this wonderful miracle He has given us. We also want to thank all our friends and family that have sent messages, called, come to visit, and have helped us. We are so, so blessed to have such a strong support system that has make this transition as smooth as possible. Of course, our days pretty much revolve around Cooper, but that's okay. Glenn has been an amazing husband and father. I haven't been in much pain, but the swelling has been awful. The swelling makes it difficult to get around so I've been mainly upstairs. He's been cleaning, helping to take care of Cooper, laundry... you name it. Today was his first day back at work and I think all 3 of us cried. Luckily my mom is here to help today.

I just can't get enough of this little girl...

 

Any day now..

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in forever. By the time I get home from work, I don't feel like doing much except propping up my feet and watching a little Real Housewives. Or a Lifetime Christmas movie. I can't believe we are nearing the end of November!

So, after 9 months of carrying this little bundle of joy in my belly, we are officially in the waiting period. We went to the doctor on Tuesday and she seemed a little surprised at how far along I seem to be at 37+4 days. After hearing what she said, Glenn and I disagree on her next words ... Glenn swears she said, "Probably not this week," however, I heard, "Probably not next week." She seems to believe I will make it around 39 weeks, which happens to be next Saturday. Either way, I honestly feel like it could be any day now with some of the other fun symptoms I've been experiencing! Of course, I say that and watch me end up making it PAST my due date (please, no). I'm terrified to go anywhere alone for fear I go into labor and have no one with me to think clearly. I like to think I'm relatively good in an emergency situation, but when you become the emergency... it's a little different. Luckily my sister took me to the mall yesterday (before Black Friday) to finish up the final bit of my Christmas shopping. DONE. Check that off the list.

I've spent this whole pregnancy daydreaming of what life will be like once Cooper gets here, but now that it's almost here, I'm a little nervous! Glenn and I were talking today and he goes, "It's one thing when she's in your belly. If we take care of you, we take care of her, but once she's out, we are responsible for her." I've spent so much time praying that we will make good parents for this little miracle of ours. We cannot thank God enough for her and even though we are both scared/nervous/anxious, we can't wait to meet her. I hope she knows how much we love her already! As I write this, I can see and feel her just a squirming around! I like to think she knows I'm talking, err.. typing about her!

We did finally put the finishing touches on her room yesterday. It is by far my favorite room ever. I like to go in there and just look around and touch all her stuff. I took some pictures with my phone, but they aren't the best. I will post some once I get some better ones. It's just such a sense of calm when I go in there.. I love it.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Glenn and I enjoyed a lazy day of just being together. We figure our days are numbered (for a good reason!), so we took full advantage of that today. Our lives are about to change in a big way and I can't imagine sharing this with anyone except him. We both have so much to be thankful for this year. We are very blessed and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the many, many blessings he has given us.

Now.. I shall go eat another piece of pumpkin pie (hey, Cooper likes it) and catch a little TV. The waiting game continues...

First Baby Shower and Pictures

This past Sunday we had our first baby shower! I was so excited to celebrate little Miss Cooper. Glenn's mom and my sister in law, Kelly, hosted the shower. They definitely went above and beyond!! It was a wonderful shower and a great chance to spend time with friends and family.

The theme was pink and animal print! Definitely my style!!

The food was delicious! We had 2 types of cupcakes and of course, I had to try both of them. One for me and one for Cooper. They were yummy!!

 



More of the decorations...

 



This was Glenn's contribution to the shower. We got there early and they had streamers to put up. Since Glenn is a giant, we put him in charge. Oh Glenn...

 



We are so thankful for all the gifts we got! Lots of pink which sweet baby girl will love. We also got some gift cards which will definitely come in handy. We plan on putting those towards some of the bigger items we still need!

 



I was really bad about taking pictures once everyone got there. It wasn't until the end, after people started leaving, that I started taking pictures. Annie, my friend from college and a sorority sister, came! She is also preggers! She is exactly 4 weeks behind me and she's having a girl too! We've already decided that they are going to be BFFs. Lots of baby play dates in our future! :)

 



 

And my sweet sister! She got Cooper this awesome little step stool with her name on it. I've got one just like it from when I was younger. It hasn't come yet, but I will make sure I post pictures when it does!

 

 

This is when it finally starts getting real that we are having a baby... in 10 short weeks!! I hit the 30 week mark on Saturday and I'm starting to stress out! Just about making sure everything is perfect for our little one. We've waited so long for this sweet miracle and it's hard to believe that soon we will get to meet her. We went to have a 4D ultrasound done a couple weeks ago and the pictures were amazing. Cooper would not move her hands away from her face. We tried everything, but she's pretty stubborn. She must take after her dad.

 

I love how she's giving a thumbs up in this picture.

 



 

Ahh... melts my heart!! God is so so good. I just continue to pray that the rest of this pregnancy goes smoothly and Cooper is as healthy as can be. We are waiting patiently for you baby girl. As much as we can't wait to meet you, we want you to wait till December to get here. :) We've still got a lot to do!!

 

I've got a couple more showers coming up and I can't wait! We are also in the midst of rearranging our living room. I woke up Saturday morning and decided we needed to get rid of furniture. So we did. Both sofas. And got a new one. We have more empty space and I'm on the lookout for a chair, but no rush. I want to make sure we've got plenty of room for baby stuff because it's slowly taking over. I guess the nesting has set in because I'm tired of all the clutter. If we don't need it or haven't used it, I'm tossing it.

 

I'm looking forward to these last 10 weeks and plan on enjoying this last stretch of being pregnant! We love y'all!