Before I was a Mom...

I got this from my mom and I thought I'd share! It is sooo true!!!

Before I was a Mom: I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought
about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom: I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed
on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom: I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got
gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom: I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want
to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I
couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my
life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I
would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom: I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my
body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I
didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that
something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom: I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every
10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy,
the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Happy Friday! I thought I'd share this...

A newborn's conversation with God

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'

God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?'

God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

Adventures in Parenting… take one

Tomorrow Cooper will be ten weeks old… ten weeks! Where does the time go? He is changing before our eyes. I want to hold onto every minute and forever hold them in my heart.

Since my last post we have had a few new experiences. Last Wednesday Cooper had his two month well baby visit. He weighed 9lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long. He is still just a little guy. He got four shots and one oral vaccine. He and Mommy survived, but not without tears for both of us. That was hard and I didn’t watch, but his cries tugged at my heart. Daddy was right there with him, too. While he was in a pretty good mood following them, he did get a fever into Thursday. Poor baby. Overall he looked really good at his appointment. He will go back in two months.

In an attempt to help him feel better after the shots (and because it was Wednesday-bath day) we gave him a warm, soothing bath. Coops proceeded to poop in the tub. Ickapoo. In the past he has been a little fountain and added to the water, but never pooped. Thankfully, Daddy came to the rescue and cleaned the tub while I held onto Cooper. Coops has decided baths aren’t too bad and lays back and enjoys the water (trust me, I know it doesn't look like it from the picture). His tub has a sling to support him and he’ll drop one leg into the water and kick some. I have quickly learned to cover him with a washcloth to prevent the fountain from spraying everywhere… it’s not quite as important now that we are putting the infant tub in the big tub- after the pooping experience, we found it was easier to clean the tub in the bathroom). Before, I would put the tub over the kitchen sink and the dish drainer was in the line of fire. Mommy takes her chances probably too often. Usually I’m pretty lucky. Baby boys!

Yesterday, Cooper had his first real blowout. We’ve had minor leaks, but just onto his clothes. Cooper managed to go through his diaper, the onesie, the SwaddleMe blanket, and the crib sheet. Steve had just changed the crib sheet over the weekend as we are preparing to move him in there at night.

Cooper is starting to sleep longer at night. The last few nights he's gotten up once nurse during the night. I'm enjoying the longer stretches. He has still been in the bassinet next to our bed. I like having him close by, but I think I'm about ready to transition him to the crib. We can at least try it for part of the night and see how he does... or how Mommy does. He is starting to move around more and I've found him at the foot of the bassinet several times. We bought a baby monitor so we’ll be able to hear him. His room is just down the hall from us, but it is going to feel further away. When he first came home, I frequently put him in bed with us and putting him in the bassinet felt like I had sent him to a foreign country. I suppose we should get him in the crib before he is a teenager… for more reasons than one.

Cooper is just an amazing gift. Everyday is a new experience.

Eight weeks old!!!

Wow! Where have the last eight weeks gone??? We have spent most of it trying to figure things out. For Cooper, “where am I?”, “how do I go back?”, and “where’s the milk?” I’m sure are the questions to be answered. For me it’s, “sleep, will I ever sleep again?”, “oh my, does Cooper really want to be fed again?”, and how does one heart have so much love?”. I’m sure Steve is just trying to adjust to Cooper and me. It has been wonderful for the three of us to be home together. No one could have prepared me for parenthood. Have I ever said that I am blessed??? I am! This is all so incredible.



I went back to work on Wednesday for four hours a day through next week. I just wasn’t ready to go back full-time… I could have easily taken a few more weeks (months or years) off. I miss Steve and Cooper while I am at work. When I get home I just want to cuddle with Coops and make up for the hours I missed. Can you imagine how I will be after the 14th? Thankfully, Cooper doesn’t mind the cuddle time. I am very thankful Steve is home with him as I know I wouldn’t be ready to hand him over to a daycare center yet. I’m sure they are getting started on their “boy things” while I am gone… the importance of not letting the squirrel population get out of hand, “big boy” noises, which days to look for the Menards, Home Depot, and Lowe’s ads in the paper… and that the Herbergers ad is yucky. They read books every morning. Steve has said “Colors and animals today… algebra tomorrow.” I promise you we will let him be a kid. We just use the Noah wallpaper boarder during diaper changes, the animal mobile, and the books to point out the names of the animals and colors. He seems to be entertained by it. We get a lot of “oww’s” (Steve thinks it’s owl) and “aguooo’s” from him.



I try to read to Cooper, too, but I read the “mushy” books. I have a new favorite “Cooper” book. It used to be (and is now tied) Love You Forever. If you haven’t read it… a young woman holds her newborn son and sings to him: "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." In the end, when he is a grown man and she is an old woman, he sings to her as he cradles her in his arms: "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my mommy you'll be." I still struggle to make it through without a tear. Over Easter I found the book You Are My Wish Come True. A momma bear shares with her baby bear how much she wished, prayed for, and waited for him. One day God chose a special child for her and her wish came true. Both are very special books. I just can’t tell Cooper enough how much I love him.



Cooper is and will continue to grow up fast. If the next 18 years go as fast as the last eight weeks, he will be heading to college very soon. On Monday we had him in the crib to do some tummy time and Coops decided he prefers to lie on his back and rolled over. At first I thought it was a fluke, but he did it several times. I laid a blanket out on the floor in his room to play with him there and do some tummy time and sure enough, more rolls. He also has an amazing ability to hold his head up when he is on his tummy, so I’m not too concerned about a flat head. I’ve also watched him roll from his back to his side… that is how he likes to sleep… so much for putting him on his back to sleep, but I don’t think he can roll completely over to his tummy… yet. It just means we need to watch where we put him and I need to take all the stuffed animals out of his crib.

Keep checking back as I will try to update this more often.

Jen