finally, i did it!

I have been trying to get some time to make a blanket for Jackson since Cooper was born. I had fabric and a plan, but never enough time to sit down and work on it. Yesterday Colin had a "snow day" or should I say a "freeze day" and got to stay home and hang out. So, I started to mop the kitchen, which REALLY needs to be done, but instead I decided that I should work on a project. Yay! It was so fun to make, and didn't require as much time as I needed. I used two twin sheets so it saved me some work by not having to hem any edges. I basically made a giant pillowcase with buttons for a duvet. Buttons! Poor little guy has been sleeping with his tiny duckie blanket which he adores, but is TINY. So I always go in and cover him up after he is asleep for my peace of mind. I know he rolls out from under it within minutes ... but it still gives me peace of mind. Anyway, I figured a big boy duvet would do the trick. This morning when he woke u phe wanted to take it downstairs to the couch with him, his usual spot to get some cereal and milk, and watch a litttle Sesame Street while I feed Cooper. He also insisted we bring the insanely large dog that Grandma Cathy got for him (before he was even born). I wanted to take a picture of y accomplishment, and what a perfect time to so. Usually I try to coax Jackson into smiling or doing something cute when I am taking pictures, but this time he did all the work! He covered the doggie up and then began hugging the dog. And then, he decided to show the dog the buttons that are on the duvet (he was very impressed as he watched me sew these on). Once I started taking pictures of Jackson and the blanket, I decided to try and get some of Cooper. He was in a great mood too (mornings are SO good!) and he gave me some really sweet smiles. I know I say it all the time, but I am so lucky to have these little guys. They are so darn cute! Of course, at 5:30 when I was trying to get the steaks on for dinner, and I had been walking a fussy Cooper around for 45 minutes, and J was begging me to read him a book, I was thinking, "someone save me!" But, those moments always pass. And soon I know I will be missing the "baby days" with Cooper. Well, maybe not too soon. But one day...

Today

Today is the two year anniversary of my dad's death. Yuck. It has been a difficult day, and I have been thinking about him even more than usual. Though I have been sad and missing him terribly, I have two really amazing boys here to keep a smile on my face. First of all, I was actually able to cook dinner tonight. This is a huge accomplishment. We have lots of leftovers in the freezer, and usually my cooking has involved just defrosting chili or spaghetti or whatever the meal of the day is. So, cooking made me feel like I actually got something done.
Cooper has been all smiles today, even while he is spitting up. Today when we all sat down for dinner, I gave Cooper a little book to play with, and he seemed pretty interested. As I was eating and watching Jackson chow down, I noticed Cooper was pretty quiet. This is what I saw:

Too funny! Then, I looked back at Jackson to find him looking like this:


So, it was off to bath time. He was playing with his toys, when all of sudden he let one rip. I mean .. the loudest toot ever. And he giggled and screamed, "BUBBLES!" I couldn't keep it together. Too cute. He is just too funny. It's been alot of fun this week to listen to him start saying some new words. Included in his most recent vocabulary is "night night" and "ga-ga". So, I know "ga-ga" isn't really a word, but we're really working on "grandma." We're getting there. HAHA. And, just so you know Cynthia and Kevin, we've been practicing "mawmaw" and "pawpaw" too. Mawmaw sounds just like "mama" and Pawpaw is "Puh!"
One more reason I smiled today is watching Jackson do a puzzle. Colin asked him, "Jackson, where does the motorcycle go?" and he put his finger to his chin and said, "hmmm...." I can't get enough of this kid! Where did he learn to put his hand on his chin like that?

Three Months Old Today

Today Cooper turned 3 months old. I knew this called for some pictures, so we had a little photo shoot this morning. As most of you know, I am NOT a morning person. But since Jackson and Cooper came around, they are slowly changing my perspective. They are so happy and full of life in the morning. No whining or crying, ... just smiles at the start of the day.

Jackson's favorite toys ... at least this week.
He makes a big circle with the linking beads and sits inside. Pretty Cute.

My boys.

He's busting out of his pajamas.

A big grin

Silly boy

His shirt says, "Give me a bear Hug" and his name is monogrammed on the bear's belly ...
all thanks to his Great Aunt Trudy.

Cooper's Baptism

This past Sunday we had Cooper baptized. I wish I had taken more pictures, but the important thing is that it was a wonderful day. He even made it through the baptism without spitting up on anyone. Yay! All of this grandparents, aunts, and uncles made it. And his great Aunt Trudy, and cousin Paul. I think that Paul is probably his second cousin first removed or something, but I need my Aunt Gloria's thought on that .... she knows how that works and rest of us are just confused. Also, our friends the Buckleys and Fitzpatricks all made it ... and our sweet neighbors Jose and Lily. And of course his godparents, Amanda and Tyler.

Yes, he is screaming ... quite loud actually ...


And now he is fine

He fell asleep in Amanda's arms right after he was baptized. Too cute.

Here's the cake. I actually did it. This is a big step. I haven't actually accomplished much of anything in the past 3 months... aside from laundry, feeding the children, and dishes, and more laundry, and cleaning, and more laundry.

Cooper stayed asleep in his car seat carrier after the baptism (which, I have to report, is an extremely rare occurence). So, what's a mom to do? We put him in his room still buckled in the carrier and just listened for him on the monitor. Turned out that he slept through his entire party! When he finally woke up he got a chance to have his photo taken with some of his admirers. He did well for a minute or two, but quickly realized he was hungry.

Gavin and Cooper

Maia, Cora, and an unsure Cooper

Emily and a hungry Cooper

More of the Same ...

So our week is going fairly well. We're looking forward to the weekend ahead - family and friends coming in to town to celebrate Cooper's Baptism. Cooper has had a tough week - his spitting up has gotten so bad. He spits up at least 5 or 6 times every time he eats now. And it continues for an hour or two after he eats, and I don't even put him on his back. I am either holding him upright, or he is sitting up in his bouncy seat. Anyway, lots of screaming and crying ... yuck! So, back to the doctor (AGAIN!). I've stopped eating any dairy ... that's right. .. no icecream! Ahh! No milk! Aahh! and no cheese. I must really love this little guy, because those are my favorite foods. So, now we have to give it a week or so and see if this helps him feel better. I really hope this is the answer. I can't stand to watch those tears run down his face any longer. It breaks my heart. My Dr. was pretty optimistic that he will outgrow this around 3 months. I really really hope he will. We're going to take him to a GI specialist at the end of next week. He may advise doing a barium swallow to see if there is anything physically wrong. I am hopeful that the problem will subside by then.
I guess it helps me to write all this down, and I know it must be really boring ...
Oh, in other news, the three of us took a tour of a preschool for Jackson. Ahh! My little baby is going to be going to mother's day out starting in the fall. I can't believe it. Registration is in a couple of weeks, so we are going to try and tour a few more to make a decision.
Here are some pictures from this past week:

Jackson couldn't resist getting in the picture.


Kissy Kissy


Big Shoes to fill

After running some errands, both boys fell asleep in the car ...

FOCA

I received an email today regarding FOCA (the Freedom of Choice Act). I really feel I need to pass it on. The truth is that I have been very caught up in my own world lately. I look at each day as another to get through, and rate it according to how much sleep I get, how much Cooper spits up, or how many tantrums Jackson throws. But, I need to spend more of my time thinking and praying about what is going on in the world outside of my house. I have always been digusted with abortion, and having two children it is even more awful to me. Anyway, here is what the email said if you are interested in helping make a difference:

If you are opposed to abortion then there is bad news on the horizon.
For those of you who do not know, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is
set to be signed if congress passes it on January 21-22 of 2009. The
FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If made a law
then all limitations on abortion will be lifted which will result in
the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals will be
required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens Bishops
vow to close down all Catholic hospitals, more then 30% of all
hospitals in the United States.

2) Partial birth abortions would be legal and have no
limitations.

3) All U.S. tax payers would be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification will no longer be required.

5) The number of abortions will increase by a minimum of
100,000 annually.

Perhaps most importantly the government will now have
control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future
amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain
situations (rape, down syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate
how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly
true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the
needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must
stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

The Plan :

To say a novena ( 9 days of prayer ) along with fasting
starting on January 11th. For Catholics, the prayer of choice will be
the rosary with intentions to stop the FOCA. For non Catholics I
encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intentions,
also for nine consecutive days. The hope is that this will branch and
blossom as to become a global effort with maximum impact. We have very
little time so we all must act fast.

Start the novena (we'll be praying a rosary) on January 11th and pray for nine
consecutive days.

(please also fast for at least two days during the novena)

Remember that with God all things are possible and the
power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless
killing of defenseless children then the time is now to do something
about it!

2 Month Check up

We took Cooper for his two month checkup a couple of days ago. He and Jackson both had to get vaccinations. Not much fun. Luckily, Colin was able to go into work late, so I didn't have to do it alone.
Cooper weighed in at 15 lbs 11 oz. That's the 97th percentile. Wowzers. Anyway, everything looks great with him. His reflux has really gotten alot better. He still spits up ALOT and needs to burp all the time, but it doesn't seem to be hurting him anymore.
I actually got out and got some errands done with BOTH boys! And get this: no one had a melt down! Not even me! They both just sat in the stroller and behaved themselves. It was a huge step, and boosted my confidence about getting out with them. I am so thankful that Cooper is actually sitting in his carrier without pitching a fit.
More pictures to come soon.

Stroller Ride

The weather was pretty nice on Friday, so the boys and I tried to take a stroller ride. This is often our only outing of the day ... very exciting, I know. anyway, I decided to try Cooper in the stroller without using his carrier... just strapping him in with the seat leaned back a little.
Here are the two of them ready to go:
It is becoming very difficult to get Jackson to smile in the general direction of the camera. I end up with about 95% of the ones i take showing the back of his head. This is the best I could do:

Cooper, looking precious and very happy to be sitting in the stroller like a big boy. But don't be fooled. He screamed in fear the entire time. We made it down our street, turned the corner, and then had to cut our losses and head home. He was crying and sounded miserable. What made it worse is that the sun was in front of us on the way home, so he was squirming and crying while I tried to desperately block the sunlight with my hand. That didn't work, so ... I took him out and tried carrying him. Well, then I couldn't push the stroller. It is REALLY heavy and hard to steer, at least with one hand. I couldn't leave Jackson ; ) so I put him back in and just tried to "run" home (This was a sight to see). I think we will stick to using the carrier for now, and try again in a month or two ...