37 Weeks Old

Cooper is just a mess right now.  He went from crawling slowly to being on the other side of the room before we could turn around.  Last week, Jason was watching him and turned to look at something else...before we knew it all we could see was his butt in the air halfway across the living room.  He had spotted Mortimer and was on his way to grab him.

The next day, the three of us were on the floor playing.  Jason and I were taking turns giving Coop raspberries on his nekkid stomach.  Cooper was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.  He would giggle uncontrollably, then gasp over and over trying to catch his breath and giggle some more.  The whole process made us laugh until our sides hurt.  So there we were, laying on the floor catching our breath and Cooper crawled over to Jason and buried his head in Jason's stomach.  It took a second, but we realized he was trying to give Jason raspberries!  Hilarious.

He can also pull up and walk around his music table.  I'm still not fully prepared for him to be a crawling kid.  There is no way he's allowed to do anything that resembles walking this soon.  I know it could be a while before he does, but the idea of him walking around his table just scares me.  I already tell him no 147 times each day. 

What the...?

Last night we dropped the mattress in Cooper's crib to the lowest setting.  While Jason did that, Cooper and I were playing around with some of his toys and I made his rocking horse talk.  He looked over...crawled to the horse...stared at it...and then reached up and petted his nose.  Cutest.thing.ever.

Until we put him on the horse.  This look says it all.

It also describes just a little bit of how my Monday is going.  How many more days until the weekend?

36 Weeks Old!

What a week this has been.  Cooper has definitely had some ups and downs this week.  First, the freaking ear infection still isn't better.  At least, that's what I think it is.  He's sleeping like crap - up 1-2 times over night and just won't sleep past 5:30am.  Two weeks ago this kid would sleep from 9pm to 6:30am.  The worst part isn't the waking up - it's the not knowing why he's waking up.  Do his ears hurt?  Are we getting more teeth?  Is he hungry and going through a growth spurt?  Or is he just waking up because he can?  Can someone mail me their baby manual because mine is lost.

Now for the ups from this week.  Cooper loves his teachers.  A few months ago I started getting his excited face when I got to daycare in the evening.  He grins, makes this "I'm so excited I can't stand it" laugh, and kicks his legs like crazy.  The past week or so, he's started doing that in the mornings when I drop him off.  I can't tell you how good this makes me feel knowing that he loves them and he's happy there.

Yesterday Jason picked Cooper up and the afternoon teacher, Ms. A, told him that apparently Cooper and another little boy were having a crawling race and Cooper was just cracking up.  His giggle is crazy.  I love it and I'm going to try to get it on video to share.  This morning when I dropped him off, the morning teacher, Ms. M, told me the same story and said that they all love his laugh.  I love my daycare.  Jason also caught him standing next to one of the exersaucers.  When he asked Ms. A if she put him there or if he did it on his own, we found out that he's now pulling all the way up.  Uh-oh.  I may need to look into lowering the crib mattress again!  This also just confirms what I always suspected...he probably does all sorts of things first at daycare and they just don't tell us until we bring it up.  Or catch him in the act.

Sure enough last night he pulled all the way up to his feet!!

Yesterday also happened to be my mom's birthday!  Coop was much more interested in eating the sign than holding it in a very cute fashion.

And as suspected, taking these weekly photos is getting harder and harder.  As soon as we put him on his back, he's flipping over and taking off.  Mostly to try to get to the humidifier cord.

I was wrong.

I always assumed Cooper would be a meat and potatoes kind of kid.  I mean, look at him.  Don't you think he's going to love a rib eye steak when it comes down to it?

I was wrong.  Jason has been asking me when we could give him meats for a while.  I kept putting it off.  First, I'd been warned that the meat baby food smells like cat food.  I don't have cats.  In fact, I don't really like cats.  Ok, they don't like me.  They are fine as long as we stay rooms apart.  That said, I'm not 100% sure what cat food smells like, but I can't smell good when you consider the tone of voice used when people told me that.  Second, I wasn't too keen on the idea of poaching chicken and running it through the food processor.  The idea grossed me out.  I was content on just waiting until he was old enough to eat whatever meat we were eating with his hands.

I caved.  We bought 2 jars of meat baby food this weekend and gave it a whirl.  Epic fail.

We tried 3 bites.  After that he refused to open his mouth for anything.  I had to try the carrots a few times before he would trust me and take a spoonful.  No more jarred meat for this kid.

The next night I just jumped right in and gave him a small piece of the pork we'd grilled (shredded very small).  He's still testing the water - he would eat some of it and then just get to the point where he was putting pieces in his mouth, but not swallowing them.  So for now Cooper is just a meat and potatoes guy.

Put out to pasture

After 8 months, I'm being put out to pasture. 

I will moo no more.  I guess I'm lucky...things have sort of naturally slowed down...and are now coming to a screeching halt.  I went from pumping 3 times a day at work plus 2 times at home last week to not using the pump at all since Monday.  I thought it would take me a few weeks to quit, but I guess my body is just tired.  I'm still trying to nurse at night before bed, but I suspect Cooper isn't quite getting enough to eat because he just gets pissy while trying, and he's waking up quite a bit earlier in the morning to eat.  We're still successful at nursing in the morning and I'll probably keep it up for a few more week.  Or not.  Whatever happens, happens.

I'm quite a bit more sad about quitting than I thought I would be.  I always thought I'd nurse for six months and then wean.  Six months came and went and I decided "why not?"  Big mistake.  At that point things just started slowing down.  The past few weeks I've been bringing home 6-8oz compared to 12-15oz and really, it's just not worth the time.  The time away from my desk pumping.  The time in the morning and at night at home pumping when I could be playing with chasing Cooper.  The time washing all.of.the.freaking.bottles.  OMG I'm so glad to not have to wash the bottles.  And if you think I'm glad, you have no idea how glad Jason is to not have to wash the bottles and pump parts anymore.  Because most of the time it was his "job" while I fed Coop.

It also feels a little liberating.  Not to have to worry about how long I'll be gone during the day - do I need to pack the pump?  The car adaptor?  Where are we going and can I find a place to nurse if needed? 

Can Jason I trade off some days on the weekend where one of us gets up to feed Coop and the other sleeps in?  ((hopefully!!))  I'm hoping to use the "found" time to start working out again.  I would nurse for almost an hour at night and THEN pump for 20 minutes after.  Plus the 20 minutes in the morning before work pumping.  The past few days I've been able to stay in bed a little bit long and I still have time to play with Cooper before work. 

To add one final thing, I am going to miss reading.  I worry that I'll never find time to read again!  Pumping away from my desk three times daily gave me time to unwind, make personal calls if needed, and read.  I love to read...and I already miss it!  Hopefully Cooper will be kind and give me a little time in the evenings to read after he goes to bed.  The catch is that he needs to stay in bed.  Right now...that's a fight we're not winning.

35 Weeks Old

This outfit just made us laugh.  Poor Cooper...we didn't mean to make him a Cleveland Browns fan.  It just happened.

But Dad, I don't wanna be a Browns fan!

And we're off...

Swing time

Back in May we went to visit Jess, Jason & Joe in Ft. Worth.  Cooper had his first taste of the wind blowing in his hair and loved it.  We came back, went to Wal-Mart and bought his own little swing...only to have it sit in the garage until this weekend.  First we were not sure where we wanted to hang it, then we needed something to hang it with, then it got H-O-T hot.

It's still hot as all get out, but Jason set up the swing this weekend and I took Cooper for a test ride.  He's still a fan.

Back to the doctor

Thursday we went back to the pedi for a follow up from the ear infection.  As we suspected, Cooper wasn't quite over it and I left with another prescription for something a little stronger.  Apparently it's still a little "cloudy" behind his ears.

The positive side is that he loves going to this place.  I mean, where else can you go where mom lets you play with tons of paper (that is usually off limits) and you get to play with that other fat kid in the mirror???  That place is awesome. 

Until it comes times for shots - but shhh - that doesn't happen again until he's a year old.

Look who had their mattress lowered

Just to clear it up a bit - Cooper was on his knees.  The mattress was on the highest setting and I swear if he's made it to his feet he could have launched himself over the side.

Awesome.

8 months old!

Man, what a month it has been.  I feel like every day has been a new day.  I went to bunco with the girls a few weeks ago and talked to one of them who is due with her baby in October.  She mentioned having to be away from the baby for 4-6 weeks for work at about 7 months old.  I told her that obviously it would be a decision for them to make, but I couldn't do it.  This past month has been so much fun!  I would just cringe to have missed all of this by choice.

He's started clapping (which I have yet to get on video) and crawled.  He laughs like there is no tomorrow.  He's also developed a bit of separation anxiety when it comes to me...and it mostly manifests itself in the morning while I'm trying to get dressed for work.  When I pick him up from school I get the look of realization and he knows who I am and he's excited to see me.  I love that look.  He will squeal, wave his arms and kick like crazy until I grab him.  Then he buries his head in my shoulder and I feel like he's soaking it all in.

We've had our rough spots this month as well.  A black eye and an ear infection to top the list.  The eye healed up just fine and we're on the upswing of the ear infection, although we started round two of an antibiotic.  We've had a few rough nights when it comes to sleeping, but nothing major.  Hopefully in the next few days we'll be over it completely.

Based on the fact that Cooper followed me into the kitchen yesterday, I have a feeling the next month will be just as much fun.  I can't wait!

I mean, really, those thighs? So cute.

One happy kid.

I'll never be alone again.

Yesterday I started to cook dinner for the first time in almost a week, so I put Cooper in his usual spot.  Away from the tv stand, away from the potted plant, away from anything that he can will get his hot little hands on.  I brought 3 or 4 toys for him to play with in hopes that he would ignore everything else and went to the kitchen.

To find a little shadow following me.  He got to the edge of the tile floor and slowly crawled forward, unsure of how it would feel.  I grabbed a toy and a few plastic bowls to keep him from going after whatever might be in the cabinets.  And for the next 20 minutes he happily chased a plastic bowl around the kitchen while I started dinner.

For the record, he was not doing the army-crawl-scoot.  This was full on crawling.  It still looks a little awkward and funny, but he's getting there.  And I realized I'm going to have this little shadow for a long time to come.

We crawled

Ok, so it was only a few steps.  And he only did it once.  And I might have bribed him with my glasses.  BUT he crawled.

And this weekend we're going to be putting most things in the house on lock down.  For real.  Not like I've said the last few weekends yet haven't really done.

My ears are burning

See this face?

This is the face of a kiddo who doesn't feel well.  Let's see, last week Coop just wasn't sleeping well.  He was up an hour or so after we put him down.  Then Friday the snotty nose and cough we had a few months ago came back.  And then toward the end of the week we noticed that Cooper was a little...stopped up.  We cut out the bananas and switched to apples to help things move along, but by Saturday the kid was just not happy.  I mean, really, I get it.  He squirmed, and wiggled, and fussed, and cried.  Finally I ran to Kroger, grabbed some prunes, and gave it a whirl.  Sunday morning things were moving in the right direction.

Until we hit another road block.  For some reason he's decided to boycott naps on the weekend.  The little fart naps religiously from 12-2ish every.stinking.day at daycare.  Get him home on the weekends...and after 1/2 an hour he's up like a little turtle in the crib.  Some days I fight it and some days I figure he'll sleep when he's tired.  Saturday was more of the same, so Sunday Jason decided to hold him while he napped.  I had to get some work done so I didn't care what he did.  However, he noticed that after he coughed in his sleep there was a 3-4 second delay before his normal breathing pattern started up again.

We talked and thought about it and finally I called the after-hours clinic.  A whopping 5 minutes before closing time.  I won't go into it, but there were words thrown around like "ER" and well...that makes for a fun Sunday afternoon.  However, I just didn't really feel like that was the right decision.  I just got a strange vibe and felt like we'd be wasting hours of our time to find out Cooper had a cold.  But really, do you want to take that chance with your kid?  No, not really.  So we got dressed, packed his diaper bag, grabbed a few books and more than a few toys and went to the local ER.

Where we sat in the parking lot.  After much deliberation we called the pedi again to speak to an on-call nurse.  We'd decided that we really felt rushed on the first phone call and they were asking me questions that I didn't quite understand and we just wanted a little more information.  Come to find out this nurse wasn't quite as worried about the delay in breathing as she was the rattle in his chest.  She suggested a few home remedies (have him drink water, steam up the bathroom, etc) and told us to take him in the next day.  I felt much better - especially since Cooper was in the best mood he'd been in all weekend.

We did make the mistake of letting him sleep in our bed that night...just to be sure.  The only result of that is that none of us slept too well.  Monday he was back in his crib.

I left work early to run him to the doctor Monday afternoon really thinking that we'd be sent home with instructions to run the humidifier and use the saline drops.  Instead we came home with a prescription for antibiotics and our first ear infection.  Son of a biscuit.  I'm a believer that once you get one ear infection, you're doomed for more.  Please, someone, tell me that's not true.  Please.

Coop has been a little fussy in the evening and I can tell he just feels funky.  He's pulled on his ears, although it's nothing new.  I think he sometimes does it as a way to show he's pissed.  He's not had any fever - thankfully.  And he still sleeps ok ((holding my breath)).  Hopefully this antibiotic will kick his ears butt and we'll be over this before we can blink.  I'm just glad he did what he did on Sunday because if not, I probably would have just assumed his teeth hurt and he had a cold and we'd still be sitting here on Wednesday without a visit to the doctor.

That about sums up the last week.  Oh, and if you're around my house and hear someone screaming like their limb is being cut off...don't worry.  That's just me attacking Cooper with a box of tissues and the snot-sucker.  Who would have thought that blue bulb could so closely resemble a Medieval torture device?

33 & 34 weeks old

No, Cooper didn't get to skip a week.  I just didn't post his weekly pic last week.  We took them...but I've been busy.  Jason spent Saturday morning at the office and I tried to work Sunday until we had a slight interruption (more on that later).  Since then I've brought work home every night and really should be doing some now, but darn it I'm over work!  I'll be spending 12ish hours a day working Sun-Wed next week.  I'm taking a break.

So, here's Cooper at 33 weeks old:

That's it guys...I'm outta here.

And here he is at 34 weeks: