Stevie Wonder and the Wind-up Boob Slap

We went to a BBQ today to welcome Andy home from deployment.  He has been gone for several months and we know it has been tough on his wife Michele.  We are very happy to see them together again!  But, it was a rough day for Cooper.  We didn't get to stay all that long or visit with Michele and Andy very much.  We'll have to do something again soon.

We fed Cooper about an hour before we left and then again for a few minutes right before we left.  It was a 2 hour drive to San Diego because of traffic.  Cooper slept the entire way in the car.  When we arrived he woke up and started acting hungry.  I attempted to feed him, but he barely ate anything, only 5 minutes on one side.  This is unusual since he usually eats every 2 hours during the day for 10 min per side.  Now he has only eaten a total of 8 min in 3 hours.  So we let him relax and wake up a little more, figuring that's what the problem is.  

I tried again in 30 minutes, when he was really showing hunger signs and he just got fussier.  He wouldn't latch and began pulling at the nursing cover.  I went into the other room and removed the nursing cover and his overalls, which seem to be bothering him.  I attempted to nurse, and again he was fussy and wouldn't latch.  We laid him down and let him relax and tried again--but he wouldn't eat.  So we figured it was too cold in the room and went back to the living area.  We let him relax and tried again in 30 min.  It had now been nearly 4 hours and he had only eaten for 8 min.    He was very hungry, but very fussy and would not latch. 

Now this is where it gets frustrating.  (I sort of feel bad complaining about this woman...but she just rubbed me the wrong way.)  I attempted to feed Cooper again and tried to get away from some of the people.  I quietly sang to him, hoping he would calm down enough to eat.  This older woman with several children and grandchildren, said "You're feeding that kid again?!?"  Argh!!  Umm, no I'm attempting to feed him because he hasn't eaten in 4 hours!  You're not helping and don't question me knowing when my child is hungry!!  I don't know you and just because you have kids and grand kids doesn't make you an authority on MY child.  Butt the hell out.  Of course I didn't say all of that, but I sure wanted to! 

Everything seemed to scare him...it was too loud, there were too many people, the super cute dachshunds were just curious but really in his face.  He started to cry and become frantic, which he never does.  Finally Michele offered us some food, but I thought we should just go.   But that older woman offered to hold him while I ate.  I was starving and she meant well, so I said okay.  I knew Cooper didn't have long before he had a melt down. 

While she was holding him he was so fussy and started to cry.  I could barely stand it.  The woman asked if it bothered me...OF COURSE IT BOTHERS ME!!!  My baby is upset and I know you can comfort him okay, but he's just ready to go.  I can't stand to hear him cry.  (Have I said that enough??  I have this wrenching gut reaction to his cry that makes me feel incredibly anxious and sick to my stomach.)  I explained that it is awful for me to hear him cry.  She says, "Yeah, as a mother you feel like you are the only one that can calm him."  Umm...no, I know I'm not the only one who can calm him.  I just know that I am calming TO him...my voice, my smell, my milk, me...it calms him down faster than anything can.

She asked if he had a pacifier, we explained he won't take one and she looked at us like we had two heads.  Then she flips him over in football hold and tells us this is the gas hold.  Um, yeah, I know...I'm not an idiot.  But he doesn't have gas right now.    All the people getting in his face and saying, 'Oh poor baby..it's okay." is what's wrong. 

Why is this woman acting like I don't know how to take care of my baby??  I might be new at it and I don't know everything, but I know that I'm an adult and pretty damn good and figuring out things I don't know.  I do know that my baby hasn't eaten a real meal in about 5 hours and that's strange for him and that he is only 2.5 months old and is over stimulated!

With Cooper now really crying, we woofed down our food and decided it was time to leave.  When we got to the car and he calmed down enough to eat.  Probably because it was quiet.  He ate for about 10 min and then got super sleepy so we put him in the carseat.  He zonked out during the 2 hours home.

He was ravenous all night...more so than usual.  In fact, my milk wasn't fast enough and I had to give him a bottle of breastmilk just to take the edge off his hunger.  (It probably didn't help that I didn't drink as much water as I usually do today.)  He finally was calm enough after his bath to eat and relax to go to bed.  Oh, what a day!

Other Cooper updates:

Cooper has a bald spot across the back of his head.  It's more like a bald line that goes from above one ear, across the back of his head to above the other ear.  We're pretty sure it's because of his Stevie Wonder impression he does when he is sleepy and we lay him down for a nap.  It's really quite funny to watch him shake his head like that.

Babies beat up their mommies.  First they kick from the inside, then when they get out the head butting starts until they can gain control of their heads.  When they learn to control their hands they have been known to pinch mommies while they eat.  When they get teeth, sometimes they bite mommy while eating.  At the toddler stage the tantrums can be very dangerous to mommies. 

Cooper has his own version of beating me up...the wind-up boob slap.  When he is eating, he will wind his arm around and slap (or really punch since he doesn't open his fists yet) my boob.  I'm not sure why he does this...maybe this is his way of getting the milk out??  At any rate, when I get done feeding him, I have little red fist marks all over my breasts and chest from him.

Cooper really loves Scout.  He will look at her the entire time she sits by him.  He even smiles at her.  He will follow her around with his eyes if she is close enough to him.  Now when she lays next to him he has learned that her dog tags my a 'clinking' sound and he will sort of punch them over and over.  He also loves to touch her soft ears.  If she lays at his feet, he loves to kick her over and over and she doesn't seem to mind this.  His favorite is when she gives him kisses...the slimy tongue on his feet and hands really makes him smile big.  It's super cute to watch.

Cooper started blowing raspberries today.  I love the sound he makes when he does it.  I'm not sure he knows how to do it on purpose yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.

Gut-Check Parent

I went shopping last week by myself!  Chris took Cooper for the afternoon and I had some 'me' time.  It was wonderful.  I bought some new shorts and tops because I realized I don't have anything to fit me properly and most of my clothes are work clothes, not casual clothes.  I also bought some new bras and underwear because Victoria's Secret was having their semi-annual sale!  I've felt like a million bucks since going shopping!!

My workouts are going really well.  I miss my daily morning walks with Scout and Cooper, but I feel great after spending almost an hour at the gym really focusing on working out.  Four days a week I do cardio and I will start adding in weight training next week.  Two days a week I do pilates and those are the days I also do a morning walk with Cooper and Scout.  I LOVE pilates!!  It was a perfect workout for pregnancy and the breathing and focus really helped during labor.  But, wow, I love how I feel after doing it now!  The stretching and core work makes me feel great and more in tune with my new body.  I haven't stepped on the scale yet because I don't care that much, but I am noticing my pre-pregnancy clothes starting to fit better.  That makes me so excited! 

I take one day off from working out, usually to have some me time or take Cooper out somewhere fun.  This week we went to the Bower's museum to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.  It was a fascinating exhibit, but it was a packed and hard to navigate with a stroller!  Who new so many people go to a museum in the middle of the week at 10 am?!?  And people LOVE, LOVE babies!!  I think Cooper got more attention than the warriors did.  All the old ladies loved my nursing cover and thought Cooper was just adorable.  It's amazing how proud I feel when I get compliments on my son! 

He was a good baby and only got a little cranky once.  I fed him and then he fell asleep and I got to enjoy the Gem Exhibit.  Wow, there were some beautiful pieces of jewelry in there!  I've never wanted to own a parrot head brooch before...but now I do, just to own it!  This thing was amazing!!

Then, right before we left I decided I better change his diaper before we head home.  It had only been  a few hours since his last change, but I thought I should do it just to be safe.  Can we say BLOWOUT?!?  Super cute outfit, stylish jeans, striped polo onesie and sneakers--all not so cute with poop on them. 

Here's a recap:  Bathroom stall bangs, toilet flushes, Cooper squirms, gets scared and starts crying.  Tall baby + itty bitty changing table + scared, crying baby + poop everywhere = one frantic mama!!  Pull the pants off, get more poop everywhere!!  Stupid wipes, why don't they come out one at a time...I don't need 6!!!  Not enough room on this stupid table, ugh, dirty diaper falls on the floor...poop everywhere!!    Talking, singing, hoping Cooper will calm down and not pee on me.  New diaper on, poopy onesie off, and clean, clean, clean up the poop that got everywhere!  Dig in the diaper bag and pull out another super cute outfit...dig deeper and find a plastic bag to put the poopy clothes in (seriously the highlight for me...I did not want more of that poop everywhere in my diaper bag).  Put Cooper in the carseat, finish cleaning up and exit the stall as though that was the easiest thing I've ever done in my life.

When will I not be so grossed out by the pooping, peeing and spitting up?!?  Babies are gross.

As a new parent, or maybe just a parent in general there is tons of information out there.  With the internet, parenting books, advice from friends and families, plus our own personal experiences with our own parents, it can be a little bit of information overload.  I've come across a few tidbits of parenting that I've found interesting.  Some I agree with and some--let's just say the jury is still out for me.

The first one is cry it out (CIO).  This is a hot topic right now and I agree with not letting a young baby CIO.  There is just something in my gut that says it's wrong, so I just don't do it, at least not at 2 months old!  The next is a baby drinking water.  My friend's mom used to push my friend to give her baby water and we both found it strange.  The baby doesn't need water at this age and it can be very dangerous for them!  Have you heard about elimination communication (EC)?  This one, I'm still unsure of.  It sounds more like training the parents than training the baby.  Interesting idea, but I don't know if it's for me. 

After reading the CIO article and the EC article, I noticed that attachment parenting came up a couple of times.  I realized that I might fall under that description and did some reading.  I agree with many of the things in attachment parenting (co-sleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing, anti-circumcision, some anti-vaccination, natural health), but not all of it.  I think I'm more of a gut-check parent...does it feel right?  If so, then go for it...if not, then try something that does.  I think it's the only way to go for me with all the information out there!

Cooper is getting cuter by the day.  He looks at me now like he really knows I'm his mommy, which I just love.  He's very vocal, especially in the morning (I'll try to get some video of it).  He smiles and talks, talks, talks to me.  So cute!  He is getting stronger and holding his head up almost completely.  I think the tummy time is amazing because he holds his head up and looks around pretty well...even though he gets frustrated after about 5 minutes. 

We have successfully un-swaddled and the only difference we've noticed is that he doesn't nap long--no more 2-3 hour naps in the afternoon!  He only naps about 45 min to an hour several times a day.  Of course this could be because he is changing up his routine on us.  He likes more awake time (like 2 hours instead of 30 min) and fights sleep like he will miss something.  Sometimes we spend 40 minutes trying to get him to fall asleep for 40 minutes!  At least he still sleeps well at night.

The other change we've noticed since un-swaddling sucking on his hands more.  He found his thumb, but he is really uncoordinated with it.  It takes him several tries to get it in his mouth, and then he proceeds to pick his nose or poke himself in the eye with his fingers. 

Sometimes he'll try to suck on this fingers instead, but he gags himself over and over, so that doesn't work so well for him either.  I think he could just be learning to put things in his mouth because he doesn't care which hand/thumb it is and he also tries to grab our fingers and put them in his mouth.  Guess I need to buy him some plastic rings to keep practicing his coordination!

2 month Check up

Cooper had his 2 month doctor's appointment today.  He has hit all his major milestones and his doing very well.  He is a BIG baby!  He weighs 13 lbs, 10 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long!!  This puts him at the 90th percentile for weight and off the charts (>95%) for height.  What a milk monster!

He also got shots today.  Cooper cried.  I cried.  I swear I have a physical reaction to my baby crying.  I get really sick feeling and will do anything to soothe him and make him feel better.  I know the shots are for a good reason, but it was heart wrenching to hear him scream like that while I held him down.  It took several minutes to calm him down and Chris had to comfort me while I tried to calm Cooper.

He's so pale and just doesn't feel good tonight.  We gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed an hour early.  I hope he sleeps okay tonight and feels better tomorrow.

I plan to run errands tomorrow so Chris and Cooper can have some much needed bonding time and I can have some much needed alone time.  I'm going to buy some new clothes...I just feel awful right now in clothes that don't fit.  I'm excited about the progress I've already made, but to stay motivated, I need to feel good about myself.   Ill-fitting clothes don't do that for me.  I must stay motivated to continue working out!

I'm taking Cooper to dinner (if he's up to it) to meet the gals from work.  They are coming down this way and we are going to Roman Cucina's...where there are all hot male waiters who look like models and wear tight black t-shirts.  Oh, and the food is awesome!  I'm looking forward to it and I hope Cooper feels much better tomorrow.

Apartment Living at its Finest

I wish work would have called a month ago.  If they had, we would have chosen a different place to live.  But everything happens for a reason.  So here we are in apartment and getting used to the idea that we will indeed stay for another year.  I guess it helps that the stress of moving is so fresh in our minds that the idea of packing and moving again makes living in this apartment very tolerable.

Here are some great things and not so great things about living in the apartment.

Today I got up and walked less than 1 minute to get to the gym.  I did a 45 minute workout and came home in 1 minute.  That means I was gone for 47 minutes, but worked out for 45 of those minutes.  I used to have to drive 10 minutes each way, so a 45 min workout turned into more than an hour of my time.  The best part is that I could feed Cooper, put him down for his morning nap, workout, shower and get dressed all before I had to feed him again. There is a pilates class on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings that I hope to be able to go to.   This could really work for me!

On Sunday I had to run errands and as I mentioned it was exhausting.  I put Cooper in his seat, put the carrier in the stroller (I have to take the stroller with me anyhow and I have to take the elevator to get to the car in the parking garage) and prepared to leave the house.  I put on my Moby wrap before I left because it's so much work to put on when I'm out and about.  I glanced in the mirror...yep I looked like a Taliban freedom fighter all right, guess I had it on right.  Grabbed the diaper bag and opened the door.  I am telling Scout to Stay and Get Back as I wheel the stroller out in the hallway. 

Just as I get the stroller in the hallway, Scout darts out the door and runs away.  I scream her name and think "I must chase the dog.  How in the world to chase a dog with a baby in a stroller?  I must get the dog."  I yell, SCOUT, COME BACK HERE.  TREATS SCOUT, TREATS!  I think, "What do I do with Cooper?!?  Where is that crazy neighbor begging to watch Cooper when I need her!"

So I push Cooper back into the house, grab the leash and close and lock the door and run after the dog, all the while looking like a panicked freedom fighter.  I get to the doors that go outside our building and there is Scout, sitting nicely waiting for me to take her on a walk.  Thank goodness for the closed doors!  I give her a stern look and get her on the leash.  I suppose this is a better situation than day 1 where I had to leave Cooper in the apartment and chase Scout down in the parking lot.

When I return, I lock Scout in our bedroom, put the stroller in the hallway.  Then I let Scout out of the bedroom and somehow manage to squeeze out the front door while telling Scout to stay.  Such an exhausting start to my first errand day alone with Cooper!

Today Chris bought a doggy litter box and litter pellets.  This is for emergency use only for Scout since we actually don't mind taking her out for a quick walk to relieve herself.  The grounds are beautiful and the weather is great.  But it's hard if she really needs to go and Cooper is being a handful.  So Chris fills the litter box with the pellets.  And what does Scout do?!?  She EATS the litter!!!  Instead of peeing in it, she keeps bringing those stupid pellets inside and eating them.  This is how she has almost died twice now--eating stuff that's not meant to be eaten!  So much for a doggy litter box.  Hmphf.

The neighbors are mostly quiet, except they play the same song over and over.  So irritating.  I hate cooking on an electric stove top, but I love the granite counter tops.  I have missed having a walk in closet, so that is super nice!!  Even Cooper has a walk-in closet!  We have called maintenance twice and given them a list of about 20 items (I'm sure that's a bit exaggerated) and it all gets fixed within a day.  Everything is so small and almost petty, but I don't care.  Paint needs a touch up..done, closet doors fell off and I'm too lazy to put them back on...done, the towel rack is hung to high...done.  It's great.

Cooper gets his shots tomorrow and we find out how big he is.  I'm really curious since he is now in 9 month clothing.  People bought us some 9 month stuff, but it's all winter clothes and here we are the middle of summer!  He's such a milk monster.

We changed from Pampers to Luvs.  They are so much cheaper and we heard good things about them.  The Huggies don't work for Cooper...they leak really bad.  So far, so good!  The Luvs have fewer blowouts than Pampers.  The only thing I don't like is they aren't as soft as Pampers.

Cooper is so excited to explore his new world now that he can see and hear better.  He follows sounds and tracks both Chris and I around the house.  The only bad part is that he is starting to fight sleep because he doesn't want to miss anything.  It takes longer to get him to sleep and it's difficult to get him to stay asleep for naps.  Such a pain!  Cooper is so smiley now, I love it!  Here are some cute pictures from yesterday and today.  I've uploaded all the pictures I have to his shutterfly site.  Enjoy!

Attempting to eat his entire fist.

Smile.

Smiles again.

And again.

Tummy time.

 

I really need to get Cooper's 2 month pictures taken, get family pictures printed and finish his announcements!!  I also have to do Ursula's wedding stuff and start on Kate's invitations.  At least I have all day, huh?

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Maile!!! She turns 1 today! We wish we could go to her Ladybug Picnic Party tonight, but we hope she has fun and daddy lets her get messy with a cupcake!

And Happy Belated Birthday to Emily!! She also turned 1 a few days ago and had her party on Saturday. I hope she had fun...can't wait to see some pictures, Danine!

We are done moving!! Chris finished up the rest of the cleaning/repairs yesterday. I felt bad for him since it was Father's Day, but we didn't really have a choice. We only have about 4 boxes to unpack and then we'll be done moving in. I can't wait to start decorating and actually have everything put away.

I pretended I was a stay at home mom yesterday and ran errands, grocery shopped, and did laundry. It was exhausting!! I feel for Chris when he has to do it all without me home all day. His job will be way harder than mine! Doing one load of laundry, especially since we don't have hookups in the apartment, was really hard with Cooper and Scout. Scout runs out of the apartment every time the door opens and I usually have my hands full with Cooper. So I end up yelling or screaming for Scout as I frantically try to put Cooper back in the house (if he's asleep) and chase down our darn dog. So much for Scout's training and 'Stay'...it doesn't work anymore!! We also need to find a solution for her to use the bathroom on the patio...maybe a doggy litter box?? I can't leave Cooper home alone and also get Scout out to go to the bathroom. So much work!!

For father's day Cooper got his daddy a baseball with his handprint and autograph--Baby's First Pitch. He also wore a super cute Tarheels onesie. Chris loved it. We grilled his favorite steak for dinner and then watch a movie together. It was relaxing for the most part. And since I just found the camera today, I didn't get any pictures! I'll have to dress Cooper back up and take some.

Sorry I haven't posted any pictures in awhile. I downloaded them to my desktop computer and Chris hasn't had a chance to put it back together yet, since he has to fix the desk first. As soon as he does I'll put some more pictures up.

We decided that it is the right thing to do to accept the offer for supervisor! I am excited about this new challenge and it is a fantastic opportunity for me. It was a tough decision because we really want to go home to CO, but we realized this only delays it by 6-8 months. I can't see us delaying it any longer, so we should be back by July 4th!

We imagine with us not moving many people will want to come see us...especially our parents! Both my dad and Chris' mom have already said so! We are very excited to have visitors...it will make us feel better about not coming home in November. Just let us know when and we will be happy to help you plan your trip! Unfortunately we are cramped into the apartment now, so we don't have room to host guests. This makes me sad because I love to have people stay with us.

Moving Update

Gosh what a week!! We got everything packed and by Monday we were more or less relaxing. We had no internet and only one movie to watch. We were actually bored! I went to bed early and Jason came up so Chris and Jason could plan the move for Tuesday.

Tuesday was moving day and quite possibly the hardest day of our lives since the first night home with Cooper. Chris and Jason got up at 6 am and I went back to bed for an hour or so. Then I was up for the day to get everything ready to get the new apartment by noon so the cable and internet guy could hook everything up. When I got to the new place I had nothing to do, nobody to talk to and nothing from home to help feel comfortable. It was awful. Then I had our new neighbor practically beg to watch Cooper while we moved in--hello?!? I don't know you and I won't be handing my 2 month old off to you!! Crazy.

Chris and Jason worked their butts off and ended up putting in a 17 hour day of moving everything. There wasn't anyone else to help because it was a weekday. We should have hired some of the Mexicans who stand on Slater waiting for work. It would have been worth it.

Wednesday was more moving and I started organizing the stuff at the new apartment. Yesterday was for running errands. Today we cleaned the old house. It was a huge chore to clean the kitchen and bathrooms, but the other rooms went quick. We have a few things to fix and we think the landlord is going to be a real stickler for everything since he is having money problems and can't afford to give us our entire deposit back. It's so irritating because the house has already sold. We found out today that the new owner put an offer in on the second day it was on the market. She's a real estate agent and wanted to buy in that neighborhood. We met her today and she said she is ripping out the carpet...our landlord told us he wants us to shampoo the carpet. Such a waste of our time!!!!

Chris has taken on most of the move stuff since I'm physically limited, plus I'm taking care of Cooper. We are tired and stressed and desperately want to get back to our normal life. I never made it to the Pompeii exhibit in San Diego...oh well, nothing I can do. I do plan to start going to a museum once a week until I go back to work. I also want to start a workout routine and I'm hoping Caren and I can go together and keep each other motivated. It helps that we live in the same apartment complex! We do really love being neighbors with good friends.

We ate pizza three days in a row and a bunch of other crap food. After always making our own food for the last 6 months and eating healthy, we felt awful after just a few days of fast food and junk food. I finally cooked spaghetti tonight and it was so tasty!

Scout has done reasonably well with all of the changes. She hates boxes--she's so afraid of them. This move was like torture for our little dog. But she's hanging in there...she loves the new apartment complex because of all the people and the new smells.

Cooper has also done really well with the move. His naps have been changed around a bit, but he is somewhat flexible. This is the first time I've really seen him cry because he is so tired. I hate pushing him to that point, it just breaks my heart to hear him cry like that! The good news is that he is sleeping 7-8 hours a night. He goes to bed at 8 pm on the dot and gets up at 3 or 4 am. Then gets up for about 20 min to eat and goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours. It's great! I think the bedtime routine has really helped. I just wish I could go to bed at 8 pm, but it's too light, I'm not tired and I want some time by myself or with Chris.

Cooper loves when I sing to him. I have a terrible voice, but he loves it anyhow! His favorites are Patty Cake, Patty Cake and Hickory, Dickory, Dock. He smiles so big over and over and squeals, almost like a laugh, especially with Patty Cake. I love it!

I have some good news...work called this week and offered me a promotion to a supervisor when I return from maternity leave. I would be in charge of 2 geologists and 4 engineers. It includes a 20% pay raise, plus a guaranteed 15% yearly bonus with the possibility of double that depending on my performance. Besides the pay raise, this is a big deal for my career. Usually companies don't promote people to this position until they have 10-12 years of experience. I only have 6 years and I've had the General Manager of my business unit and the VP of the company call me to discuss this opportunity. This gives me the opportunity to use my MBA that I just got. The bad news is that if I decide to take it, we won't move back to Denver until next June. We don't know what we want to do. I have until Monday to make the decision.

Could my life be any busier?

Brain growth must hurt

Today is the last day in our house.  I'm sad about it.  I guess because it has been my home for 5 years and this is where we have made a lot of memories.  I'm sad to be moving out of my familiar neighborhood, even if I'm only moving about 5 miles away.  I still think it is a great transition to move back to CO  though...after doing apartment living we will be running back to CO to buy a house as soon as we can!

Jason is coming up tonight to help us move tomorrow.  We can't be more thankful!!  The packing went quick and easy, so I hope the move and unpack are the same.

Chris and I are getting sick of seeing each other.  We spend too much time together.  I love being home with Cooper, but I am also looking forward to going back to work on July 30th.  Chris and I don't have much to talk about since we see each other all day.  After we move I'm going to start going out with my girlfriends on a weekly basis, taking Cooper to zoos, museums and shopping centers.  I just need new scenery!!  (If only gas wasn't getting so close to $5 a gallon!!)

Chris has started giving Cooper a bottle every day for the  feeding right before nap time.  This gives me more time to shower and eat after my walk/workout in the morning.  At first it made me a little sad, but now I look forward to some alone time and freedom without having to rush around.  Plus Chris is learning how to juggle Cooper and make a bottle.  He is also learning about Cooper's sleepy cues and the best methods to soothe him and prepare him for nap time.

I really couldn't believe I felt sad about it after how hard breastfeeding was in the beginning.  Now it's super easy, I don't flinch when he latches, and I look forward to feeding him!  I love how he smiles and smiles at me just before I feed him and how he smiles when he is done.  I think part of the reason I was sad about it, is that I really despise pumping.  I hate how unnatural it is and I really hate cleaning up afterwards.  At least I can get 5-7 oz in about 5 min, so I don't have to pump too long.  Guess I should get used to it since I'll have to do it at work.

Cooper seems to be coming out of his fussy baby period.  At about 6 weeks on the dot he was a lot more fussy than we were used to.  We did some reading on it and remember the lactation consultant mentioning the 6 week mark...his brain is developing more now.  Brain growth must hurt or at least be irritating.  He must be used to it now because he's full of calm and lots of smiles again.

Cooper is quite the character.  His personality is starting to show a bit.  When we put him down in his bassinet, he lays and talks to the polka dots before falling asleep.  He has also found his hair poof with his hands and seems to like to pull his own hair.  Then he gets mad or upset because it hurts.  He sticks his tongue out and will sit and do it in the mirror for an hour.  He will also mimic Chris and then smile big and almost giggle about it (not quite giggling...more like cooing/squealing). 

He is sleeping at least 6 hours every night, but since he goes to bed at 8 pm (on the dot!), I rarely can fall asleep at that time.  So I'm still only getting 5 hours of sleep in one stretch.  I've noticed I wake up before him because I'm hungry (wow, breastfeeding makes me so hungry and thirsty all the time!!) and I'm engorged.  These middle of the night feedings will be a tough cycle for me to break...more me than him.  I like getting up with him...it's all quiet and feels like just the two of us while the rest of the world is sleeping.  It's so peaceful even if it means I'm exhausted the next day.

The Weiner Dog Magnet

We got a lot done with packing today.  Chris and I have different styles of packing.  He likes to just pack everything, while I like to go through it and toss what we won't use or need.  I also like to clean as a I go.  I take twice as long to pack one box as he does.

I am a stuffer and just get as much to fit as possible.  Chris is very organized.  Everything has to fit just perfect like some sort of a jigsaw puzzle.  When he tapes my boxes, he laughs, removes 3 items from the top, squishes the box and tapes.  My boxes are busting at the seams and not quite a rectangle box shape anymore.  His are perfectly shaped and probably fit more stuff in them.

We did about 20 minutes of floor time with Cooper.  He's not often awake enough to handle 20 minutes, but he was today.  We alternated tummy time and back time flat on the floor, then we also used the Boppy.  He did pretty good:

And just what is he looking at??

Yep, a Chinese takeout menu.  He was intrigued by the colors and we only noticed because we were trying to decide what to have for dinner.  Guess he thought it looks yummy too!

We packed Cooper's room today.  We also packed all of his books.  This presented a problem since reading a book is part of the bedtime routine.  I remember Caren and Richard reading Cecily stories from the Disney page online.  So we grab the laptop, curl up on the couch, and quickly get frustrated with the Disney homepage.  So we turn to our old friend, Google, and look up online children's stories.  Chris clicked on the second item to come up.

We get to a plain website and click on Children's stories.  The first story is called "The Weiner Dog Magnet."  We thought it was an intriguing name for a story, so we click on it.  It's 21 pages long.  I don't even know what to say about it.  We laughed through almost the entire thing.  I don't know what lesson it was teaching, other than to teach kids to eat their broccoli, but it was a funny story.  Guess we'll have to try some others on the website since we have a few more nights before we move.

Burp Button

Chris seems to know where Cooper's burp button is.  This darn kid won't burp for me no matter what I do!  I hand him over to Chris and voila, the kid is burping up a storm.  I try sitting him on my knee and holding his head with one hand and patting/rubbing his back with the other hand.  I try laying him across my legs and rubbing/patting his back (Chris' mom said this worked every time for Chris when he was a baby).  I try the magic arm waves when he is laying on his back (Chris swears by this...sort of like doing bicycle legs, only with his arms) and then pick him up and put him on my shoulder and pat/rub his back.  I've tried all of the above one after another.  Seriously this kid doesn't burp for me.

Guess what happens when a baby doesn't burp??  You guessed it, spit up!  Chris has been spit up on twice.  I, on the other hand, have been spit up on too many times to count.  It's in my hair, on my face, between my fingers, all down the inside of my shirt and bra, on my pants, down the front of my shirt, down the back of my shirt.  That's so not fun at 2 am.  Any other ideas out there to help me, help him burp??

Cooper is slowly finding his hands...he likes to suck on them now.  He has also learned to bat the nose sucker away.  It's fun to watch all the things he learns.

This is how we lay Cooper down to sleep in his swaddle:

This is how we find Cooper when he wakes up:

Maybe it is time to stop swaddling him?

We are busier than ever with all the packing and moving stuff.  We feel pretty good, though, since we've finished both bathrooms, the living room, garage, and guest room.  Now we need to do Cooper's room, the office, and the kitchen.  At least I've finished Ursula's stuff for the time being (I still have programs and thank you cards to finish, but she won't need those until the 30th), so I'm not stressed about that anymore.  Packing and moving is so much more difficult with a little baby.  I can't wait to be done with it all!

Mary had a little sheep

Jason and his new girlfriend came to visit from San Diego yesterday.  It was really great to see him and to meet his girlfriend.  The last time we saw Jason was the Sunday before I had Cooper.  It was fun to introduce him to Cooper.  He gave me a fantastic compliment and said I look great and don't even look like I had a baby!  Such  a better comment than that rude guy at Babies R Us.  His girlfriend is awesome...I'm glad he found me a new friend.  We had tons in common and it was easy to chat with her.

We went to dinner at Fred's Mexican restaurant down near the pier.  Cooper was such a good baby all day and at the restaurant.  We had to squeeze into a booth, but I guess as a parent you have to get creative when it comes to eating with a kid.  Both Jason and his girlfriend were impressed with Cooper and the fact that he didn't cry all day they were here.  I guess we really are lucky...he is such a laid back baby and doesn't cry for things.  I hope it stays this way and I hope future children are the same!

Last night Chris and I picked out a book to read Cooper.  I am so glad Jessica had people bring a book in lieu of a card to my baby shower....we have tons of books to read Cooper!  We chose the book of nursery rhymes.  We each took turns reading the nursery rhymes.  My turn included Mary had a little lamb...

Me:  Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.  Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow.  And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went.  And everywhere that Mary went, that sheep was sure to go.

Chris:  Um, hon, it's a lamb.

Me (to Cooper):  Ok, Cooper, Mommy needs some practice.

We both got a good laugh.