Cooper is crawling!

Cooper started crawling really well this past week.  He's been doing a backwards crawl and scoot for a few weeks now, but has really perfected his front crawl this week.  It's very exciting to see my baby reach a new milestone, but needless to say, a mobile baby is a lot of extra work! :)  We started babyproofing the house and had to lower his crib down as well since he can pull himself to standing now!  He's such a big boy!  Here's a picture of Coop in his new play center / cage...hee hee :)

Hilton Head

Last week we went to Hilton Head on our first full family vacation!  The Middekes invited us and the Mehrhoffs to their timeshire at SeaPines.  It was so nice to see our friends and their little ones.  We had a lot of fun, but now we need another vacation just to catch up on sleep.  Vacationing with children is anything but relaxing, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat!  SeaPines is a great resort and being able to ride our bikes everywhere was wonderful.  Coop loved riding in the bike trailer as well as on the back of daddy's bike (although that made mommy a little nervous)!  Some highlights of our vacation included the beach, the pool, the lighthouse and Harbour Town, lots of eating and drinking, playing and riding bikes.  Thanks Middeke and Mehrhoff families for making our vacation so fun and memorable!  Miss you guys already!

Here our some pics from our trip.  There are way too many to even begin to post them all, so this is just a sample of some of my favs.

Cooper's first time at the beach (he ate lots of sand this past week!)

Family time at the park

Riding bikes

The Lighthouse

Adult's night out at Marley's

Our backyard "pet"

Dinner at Hudson's on the water

Memorial Day Weekend

My mom and her boyfriend, Danny, came to visit us for Memorial Day weekend, which was a nice treat.  It was so nice having my mom around for a few days and seeing Cooper be able to play with and love on her.  It was a whirlwind weekend, with lots going on and fun had by all!  Some highlights of the weekend were a pool party and BBQ at our place, the Blues/BBQ/Jazz festival in Piedmont Park, and Coop's first baseball game (too bad it was the Braves :))!  Here are some of my favorite pics from the weeeknd.

Coop and Alex in the crab pool....sooo cute!

Nana and Coop at lunch after the park

Coop giving his Nana some serious lovin :P

Daddy and Coop at the baseball game

Mommy and her little man at the 755 Club

Mom and Danny at the 755 Club (way to represent Danny!)

Tennessee

This past weekend we met Jeremy's parents at Fall Creek Falls State Park in middle Tennessee.  It was a beautiful park with lots to do.  They had cabins (where we stayed), an inn, restaurant, swimming pools, hiking trails, waterfalls, nature center, and on and on.  We bought a hiking backpack for Cooper so he could join us in our adventures.  I think he loved it as much as we did!  It was a really fun weekend and great to see Cathy and Walt.  Cooper sure does love his me-maw and grandpa!  Here are a few pics from the trip.

Cooper giving me-maw some lovin :)

My baby is 6 months old!

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old already!  Where has the time gone?  He is growing so fast and doing so many amazing things.  Cooper can sit up all by himself and play.  He can roll from tummy to back and baby to tummy.  He will even spin himself in circles when playing on his tummy...very funny to watch!  My favorite is all of the baby talk and giggling!  Nothing sweeter than my little guy giving me a big smile and then telling me story and laughing.  Cooper has recently started to lift his arms up toward me when he wants me to pick him up - I LOVE IT!  He is just so sweet and such a happy little guy.

We went to the doctor for his 6 month check-up on Monday.  Cooper is now 17 lbs, 4 oz. and 27 inches long.  He's 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height.  He's going to be tall like grandpa and Uncle Chad!    Everything went great at his check-up, well except for the shots.  That's never a happy time.  So sad to watch :( 

Here are his 6 month photos:

Mother's Day

I had a WONDERFUL first Mother's Day!  My day started with daddy getting up with Coop and them presenting me with a diamand pendant followed by breakfast!  My necklace is beautiful (matches my earrings from Christmas a couple years ago).  I spent the morning primping (full shower, shave, make-up, hair...all things that never happen at once anymore :)).  We had brunch and mimosas at Park Tavern and then spent a few hours lounging at Piedmont Park with a few more mimosas.  The weather was beautiful, and we all had a great time.  I was sad when the day came to end.

One of my cards from Cooper

Brunch at Park Tavern

Coop enjoying the park after brunch :)

Easter

We had a wonderful trip back to STL for Easter. As always, it was great to see family and friends. I love coming to visit, but it sure is a lot of work trying to squeeze everyone in! We didn't make it through the whole circuit this time, but hopefully we'll be back in a few months. While we were in town, we had some family photos taken, and they turned out great if I do say so myself! :)

 

St. Patty's Day

Thank God it's raining today because Jeremy thought if it were nice out that he would throw Coop in the Baby Bjorn and take him over to Fado (the Irish bar across the street from our building) and get his picture taken with the Jamison girls and a green beer.  You know, "for his scrap book" he says.  Riiiiiiiiight :)  Granted it would be cute, but no way are you taking my baby to the bar...lol

Here's Coop in his St. Patty's Day outfit.  His daddy got him the shirt and the socks are from his memaw.

Cooper - 4 months

Cooper had his 4 month check-up this week.  He is up to 15 lbs., 4 oz. and 25 3/4 inches long.  He is between 50-70th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height.  Besides the cold that won't quit, he's doing great!  He rolled over from his tummy to his back for the first time on Monday.  He's done it a few more times, but still has a little trouble.  He can get from his back to his side, but always gets stuck at that point.  We started him on rice cereal this week as well.  He really doesn't like it at all, but I keep trying.  We might try out some sweet potatoes this weekend.  I will try and get some 4 month pics up soon. 

Bittersweet Day

One year ago today I FINALLY got 2 pink lines on my stick!!!  It's crazy that it's been a year already.  I feel like my pregnancy and first few months of Cooper's life have just flown by.  It's been such an amazing experience and it's really just beginning.

Also on this day, 3 of my friends had their worlds turned upside down by the loss of baby Andrew :(  Anyone would realize the sadness of such an event, but being a mommy now, it really hits home.  I can't even imagine my world without my little guy.  I don't think anyone can really understand what the Pallardy/Stege family is going through right now.  My prayers are with you ladies for some much needed peace and comfort.  Love you!

Cooper's 3 month pics

I finally took Cooper to get his 3 month pics taken today.  He always takes a nap around 9 am, so I scheduled the pics for 11, so he'd be rested and happy.  Well, wouldn't ya know the kid refused to take a nap today.  He was pretty lethargic the whole time and kept trying to go to sleep on me, but I think they still turned out pretty cute!

Surviving work and daycare

I made it through my first week back to work and Cooper's first week of daycare!  I think it's safe to say that bug fared much better than I :)  There was lots of crying at my house this week...lol.  It turns out it's not quite as bad as I thought it would be.  The anticipation of it all really was worse than actually doing it/going through it, but I still miss my little guy like crazy when I'm at work all day.  He seems to be adjusting to daycare and his teachers are great, so I guess that's all that really matters.  I suppose it will get easier and easier each week.  The poor guy is sick (and therefore Jeremy and I are now sick too) from daycare, but that was to be expected....just not quite so soon!  Other than that, I think we're all doing pretty well with the changes and getting used to our new schedules.  On the bright side, I have Mondays off, so every weekend is a 3 day weekend....SWEET!  I see lots of fun weekend trips in our future :D

Cooper - 2 months

Cooper is 2 months old!  Where does the time go?  We went to the doctor for his 2 month check-up this week.  He is up to 12 lbs, 13 oz. and is 22 3/4 inches (75th percentile for both).  He is becoming such a little person.  He loves to smile and coo now! :)  We just started having him sleep in his own room this past week.  I was really nervous about it, but he does just fine.  I'm sure it's way harder on me than it is for him.  I love going to get him in the morning and seeing him coo and smile at his mobile.  He is just soooo sweet!