Swing set update #2

Wow!... Is all I can say! Some pretty amazing guys have put a lot of hard work into making the swing set a swing set. After we started coming home last week after seeing it, I was a wondering if we had bought something we would never get home, but now I know it will be a reality. With Steve Gatzke’s help last night, the swing set is taking shape! They got it off the trailer and down to the backyard… amazing in its self since our backyard has a good slope to it. It was a lot of hard work and they worked until well after dark. I was wondering if they could see, but they had a light down there. I am impressed! Thank you to everyone for helping with this monstrous task! Cooper and Tess will love you for years to come!

Swing set update

The swing set made it home last night. Steve and Kyle miraculously got it all in the trailer and the Jeep in ONE trip and made their way back from Lakeville taking back roads in about seven hours total. Not bad! Way to go guys. You should have seen the look on Cooper’s face when he saw Daddy pull in the driveway. At almost 18 months I think he knew it was for him. Just wait until he can play on it!

While the guys did hard labor, Jackie, Cooper, and I went to Medford to shop the outlets.

"Let's go shopping" Cooper is such a good kid!

My thought was to be fairly close in case the guys needed us to come up and haul something back in the van, but hey, any excuse to go to the Carter’s store, right? I was actually able to use a fair amount of restraint with buying for our daughter and spent most of my money on getting Cooper’s wardrobe stocked for fall and winter. They have way too many cute things and all of it was 50% off. Plus they encouraged me by sending me a 20% off $50 coupon. And so I did. We shopped a few other stores and then had a quick dinner at McD’s… a very rare treat. Cooper and I each had a Happy Meal to get the teenie beanie babies. Silly, but fun.

Now the challenge will be to get the swing set off the trailer and down to the backyard. Oh my.

From here...

To here...

Looking kind of like this...

More updates as the swing set is pieced back together…

36w 6d

Another great OB visit. Little one snoozed through most of the non-stress test. She had enough activity to get a baseline and two good accelerations in her heart rate to be done in about ten minutes, but their protocol is to stay on for twenty minutes. I just sat and chatted with the nurse and listened to my baby’s heart. I LOVE that sound. Every once in a while she would move. Her heart rate was in the 130’s today… compared to the 150’s last week, but my heart rate was down, too. The ultrasound looked really good, too. She is still head down and I got four photos of her. I have one of her lips and nose that is just cute. You can really see the bottom of her face. I’ll see if we can’t get a couple scanned. The OB part of the visit was relatively uneventful. Just two more visits and we are done. Again, we discussed what I would do if I were to go into labor on my own in the next two weeks. Dr. M still thinks it would be best to just see how things are going if it happens. I can request a c-section or try to labor. I just don’t know. Part of me would love to try, but I am so afraid of everything that happened with Cooper. Two weeks ago I would have said VBAC for sure, but today I’m back to thinking a c-section is the way to go… even though I really don’t want to go through it. Can’t she just miraculously be here… no surgery, but no labor, either??? I’m more apprehensive this time than I ever was with Cooper… Why??? Shouldn’t I be calmer? Dr. M also said now is the time to get those last minutes things done… like packing a bag and washing that last load of baby clothes. I’ll try to get them done this weekend. I really can’t believe it is Friday. Baby Girl will be here in two weeks and two days!

Cooper had a fabulous day at daycare yesterday… his best day yet in the Toddler room. He really has had a great week. On Wednesday it warmed up enough that they had their water day and he had fun playing in the water box and was even okay with the sprinkler if a teacher was holding his hand. He is starting to enjoy being outside on the playground. For self-help skills he is working on putting on his shoes, washing his hands, putting toys away, etc. I am so proud of him.
This weekend Daddy plans to go and get the swing set. It should be an interesting adventure!

Here are a few pictures to enjoy. Some of them are courteously of Jackie. Thanks, Jack!

Cooper and Daddy playing in his "fort"

"I've got Mom's ear!"

"And her teeth."

"Ahhh!"

Being silly!

The blanket my dad made our little girl. I just love it, Dad!

Swing Set

Just wanted to do a quick post…

Cooper is doing great in the Toddler room! On Monday when I went to get him he was happy and having fun outside… which is a HUGE relief to see! Steve picked him up yesterday and he again did great. He is having fun learning silly songs, new sign language, and learning self-help skills… putting toys away etc. He has transitioned really well from the Infant room crib to the Toddler room cot and is sleeping from 12-2 or 3 almost every day. He eats really well at the table with his friends. I am soooo proud of him!

Last night after work we traveled, a bit further than out-of –town than we maybe should have, but everything was fine, to look at a swing set for Cooper. And we bought it. It is a used cedar set complete with a fort, monkey bars, rock wall, wave slide, sand box, trapeze bar, two swings, and a baby swing. Cooper LOVED it. He is a bit too little to play on most of it, but watch out- next summer, I have a feeling he’ll spend every free moment at home outside. Now to get it home. Oh my! I asked Jackie to ask Kyle if he could help Steve since I am really not in any condition to be moving a 900lb swing set… no, not all at once, but piece by piece. We may need to really spoil Kyle for saying yes. Actually, from what Steve is thinking, it should break down into fairly manageable pieces. But, will the trailer hold all of it… for just one trip??? We bought it 83 miles away. Oh well, it will be so worth it in the end. I hope our kids get years of play out of it.

I have an appointment on Friday. I’ll try to update after it.

T-21 days… unless she comes early

Can you believe we are down to 21 days before our little girl arrives??? Of course, she could come earlier. Physically (my body) I’m ready. There are still a few things to wash, a car seat to install, socks and a cradle sheet to buy, bags to be packed, etc. We could wing it at this point, but I’m not quite ready.

Last Wednesday I got to see her again on US… yes the only real benefit to non-stress tests and biophysical profiles. She was (and I hope still is) head down. This time she let me see her face and oh, she is cute… from what can be seen with 2D imaging. How do I get them to do a3D? Her heart rate was a little elevated, but it was probably because I wasn’t drinking enough. She did great on the non-stress test and squirmed and kicked, and moved constantly. I’ll see her again on Friday.

After my last post Cooper did just fine last Friday and Monday at daycare in the Toddler room. Last Monday he was in there the entire day. Unfortunately he ended up with a 103.6 fever on Tuesday and was sent home. We stayed home and cuddled on Wednesday. Thursday we tried sending him back (with a dose of Tylenol), but I got a call that he was clammy and not acting normal. They took him down to Infants and he slept until I got him later in the afternoon. Poor kid. We stayed home again on Friday as he was quite sleepy. Once the fever cleared he broke out into a rash, which was likely to be Roseola. Pediatrics didn’t need to see him as once the rash appears they are nearly done and no longer contagious. So hopefully he did great today in the Toddler room and he can be officially considered transitioned.

On Saturday I was blessed to have some wonderful friends and family shower me and Baby Hull. Thank you to everyone that came. You don’t know how much you mean to me!

Yesterday we tried to be productive, but I was really tired and took a good nap after church. We went through one closet, but the basement still needs attention. Ugh. Last night we took Cooper for a walk and that about wrapped up the day.

Last week was such a blur with Cooper being sick that I hope this week is a little slower. I have too much I need (want) to get done. Oh well…

I try to keep you posted as best I can.

Growing up is hard to do

***Please note that my post below is not a negative reflection on our daycare. In fact, they are wonderful, but this is life and life is real. I share this because being a parent is hard sometimes. There are so many things I wish I could do to make life easier, but I can’t… so my heart takes a hit. I wish we could say this is as hard as it gets, but in my lifetime, I know that isn’t true. So here is my spilled heart...

As you know Cooper is transitioning to the young toddler room at daycare. They have been slowly transitioning him over the last two weeks and giving him varied experiences in the new room. This is a big adjustment for Cooper. Some days have gone very well and others haven’t gone quite as well. Yesterday was one of the worst emotional experiences I have had as a mother. This was worse than watching him get his first set of shots. Cooper had spent part of the morning with the toddler room, but had gone back to infants for lunch and a nap. After his nap they took him back to toddlers and he seemed to do okay. They sang songs and had a good snack and then when out to play. Cooper was fine until some of the bigger kids (2 year olds) wanted to play with him. They weren’t being mean, but Cooper isn’t used to the interactions. In the infant room Cooper is the oldest and while he is loving and shares, he is “top dog”. In toddlers he is the youngest. He is still used to playing beside his friends and not really with them. This is a change as the older kids do play with each other. They play a little rougher and harder… even at two.

Last night when I went to get him I recognized my child and his clothing, but the Cooper I was handed was not my son. He was very sad and withdrawn. I’m usually greeted with a smile and a hug. This child came to me, but with no emotion and no sound. His eyes were red. I have never seen him so sad. It absolutely crushed my heart to see him like that. I want to protect him. The daycare is doing everything they can to create a positive experience for him. They are gradually moving him over and yesterday when his teachers saw that he was really struggling, they took him out of the situation. He can’t stay in infants forever. And even if there was the opportunity to just stay home, some day he will probably have similar experiences… starting kindergarten, etc. It’s just hard growing up. Someday we will look back and our son will be the two year old. Obviously my hope is that he will be one to nurture and love younger kids.

So as a parent I take a deep breath and send him back to daycare. Cooper will get through this… I will, too. And he will be a bit more grown up and as a parent I will be, too. Life is a learning experience. As much as I want to protect him and make life easy, I hate to say, that isn’t life. This is probably the one of the first of many, many difficult moments we... he... will endure. I also know that this will probably be one of the easier ones. As we get bigger our challenges get bigger.

So here is to a new day… and hopefully a day of silly songs, new sensory experiences, and lots of fun play!

Our silly kids...

We had a really good OB appointment yesterday. I was scheduled to have a biophysical profile done to make sure our little girl is doing well and she is doing great! She scored 8 out of 8… our high achiever according to the US tech. We were lucky to get the wife of one of my colleagues to do our US yesterday. She spent a little more time letting us watch our daughter and really, really tried to get a good photo for us of her face, but our little girl didn’t cooperate long enough to do it. She had her head buried under my right ribs… silly girl. She was laying sideways with her spine to my lower belly and her feet by my left ribs. Well, one foot was actually by her head. Maybe we have gymnast in there. We did get to watch her yawn, scrunch her eyebrows, and stretch. She also appears to have lots of hair. I was amazed to find out you can see swiggles of hair. She is beautiful and yes, it was confirmed that she is a girl. Steve made sure Kate checked. Whew, I just took off all the tags from the newborn size stuff we have on Saturday. We saw her practice breathing which apparently is the first thing they stop doing if they are in any distress. She weighs a little over four pounds and looks to be right on track. Since she isn’t head down at the moment, she isn’t likely to come too soon.

Coops is doing great! He turned 17 months old on Monday! He has been sleeping in his crib for well over a week and all night without waking up! Thank you, baby! He had spent several weeks in our bed and it was getting rough as he moves… A LOT! We need to get him sleeping in his toddler bed, but getting him out of our bed was the first step.

Cooper is working on transitioning to Toddlers. Yesterday he went down to the there at 10am and was still there when I picked him up at 5pm. He had a really good day. He enjoyed the sensory table and learned the sign for sand. He slept just fine on the cot and had a good lunch with them. He loves to be outside and they have a playground just outside their door. Yesterday they also had Underwater Adventures from the Mall of America at the daycare with fish, turtles, and a shark. The kids could touch the shark, but Cooper wasn’t interested. They had water day on Monday and he got to splash with his new friends. He wasn’t too sure about the sprinkler, but I’m sure a few more times and he will do great. The hope was to have him fully transitioned next Monday, but they may give him an extra day or two just to make sure he is ready.

Here are a few pictures my dad and Jackie took… enjoy!

Fixing Papa's foot with my wrench... "Maybe I'll be an orthopod when I grow up.

Or maybe a chef. I like to cook. My wife will love me!"

Silly boy

"Oh well!"

"Peek-a-boo. There's a cow in the barn."

OB visit...

I had a good OB appointment yesterday. I didn’t get to see my little girl on ultrasound as Dr. M has decided that we will do a biophysical profile (BPP) next week and that will primarily be based off an ultrasound… so we will get to see her in greater detail than a portable ultrasound. Baby Girl looks great, but Dr. M thinks we should keep an eye on her just to make sure everything stays fine, so we will do weekly non-stress tests or BPPs for the next four weeks along with OB visits. I’ve gained about seven pounds total, but she measured right on for 33 weeks. The BPPs and NSTs will watch her movements, heart rate, breathing (yep, they can watch her breathe… , but its fluid and not air), amniotic fluid levels, and watch her growth. I know this sounds like a lot, but know that she is just fine… this is just to make sure she stays fine. Dr. M is also quite sure that some of the contractions I am having are probably real, even though they don’t hurt. As long as I don’t get more than six in an hour for two hours, this is normal.

We also scheduled my c-section with Labor and Delivery for August 10th. We will check-in at 8:30 and the surgery should start about 10am. Oh my! I’m not sure why, but I became a bit nervous as I was walking back to the office yesterday afternoon after my appointment. I think most of it is the reality that this she will be here soon! I am so excited. But as exciting as it is, being a parent is a HUGE responsibility. Believe me- I can’t wait to be the parents of two!

I will also admit that I am quite nervous about another c-section. I don’t know why. I shouldn’t be. I obviously did just fine through the last one. This time we won’t have the drama of what we did with Cooper. Maybe that’s why I’m a bit nervous, too. I didn’t really have much time to mentally think about a c-section with him. But now almost six weeks away, I have time to think about it… the OR experience, the healing after, a bit sad that I won’t get to hold her right away, etc. I will be fine. But I’m nervous.

"Oh where, oh where has the month of June gone..."

I can’t believe I haven’t updated since June 8th! Oh my…

Well we have had a fun month.

On June 13th we travelled up to Cherry, MN (just outside Hibbing) to help my cousin Jaron celebrate his high school graduation. It was a very fast trip as it is about 4 ½ hours up. We left early Saturday morning and arrived shortly before Jaron’s open house started. It was fun spending time with my two aunts, uncle, and cousins. We were with them until about 7:30 and then we headed to our hotel to settle down for the night. Sunday morning we met up with the family again for breakfast and then headed home about 11:30. Even though it was fast, I think we really enjoyed just getting away for the night and doing something different. Besides, Deb and Gary hadn’t seen Cooper since he was just a few days old and Jill, Kim, Josh, and Jaron hadn’t met him yet.

My parents and sister came for a visit Father’s Day weekend. Mom and Dad just moved and Mom had a “free” Sunday. We enjoyed having them stay a few extra days and goof off. Steve enjoyed my dad’s company and having help with getting a few projects completed or worked on. Mom and I, of course, shopped.

Cooper has had a busy month, too. Let’s see if I can remember everything that is happening…

On Friday he had his ear tubes placed… finally! He was such a brave little boy and did fantastically well! We checked into the outpatient procedure area at 7:15. Cooper wasn’t too sure about changing into a gown, but he did. It was an unfamiliar place with lots of unfamiliar people. He also didn’t appreciate the O2 monitor even though he was fascinated that his big toe was glowing red. He also let me put on the “baby do-rag”, something they wear instead of a hairnet. Steve and I joked that now he can pretend to do surgery or welding. About 8:15 the anesthesiologist came to get him. I laid him on the cart and the anesthesiologist wrapped blanket around him and a belt and then sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as they went down the hall. Cooper never cried. They had told us it would be about 15 minutes, but just as we were settling in finding something to watch on TV a nurse said they done and were coming back... about 10 minutes after he left. Wow, that was fast! Cooper was completely out, but about five minutes later woke up very bright-eyed. It was a mad task to get him unwrapped and the electrode patch off his back before he realized what was going on. After a cup of juice (poor kid had been without food or water since 8pm the night before) we got him dressed and we were out the door at 9:15. Two hours from start to finish. I think they found silly knobs in his ears since he has been over-the-top happy since Friday. I’m sure it feels good to get that fluid and pressure off his eardrums. Hopefully we can catch a break from ear infections for a loooooong time.

Cooper is in the process of graduating from the older infant daycare room to the young toddler room. He started yesterday for a few hours and he will gradually move over there with them anticipating he will be fully transitioned by July 13th. Oh, my baby is growing up! It looks like from the schedule that Toddlers is a bit more structured with lots of projects, outside playtime or large muscle room activities, big toys, music, and time to rest and read. Mommy isn’t sure she is ready to leave Cooper’s teachers. You depend on these people to care for your child when you can’t, so they play a big role in his life. I’ve gotten a bit attached to them. But just as Cooper will adjust, I will, too. I’m sure his new teachers will be wonderful. He will be with some of his old friends that have moved before him.

While brushing his teeth this morning I felt his gums… and was bit a few times, too. Cooper is definitely getting tooth #8 (the fourth tooth on the bottom) and three molars… ALL AT THE SAME TIME! That has got to hurt. I’m sure the fourth molar will come soon, too. Wow! He is really good at brushing his teeth. I do his front teeth and gums (and now the beginnings of his molars) and then he tries… usually chewing on the tooth brush, but, hey, he is trying.

Cooper loves to be outside. This morning as soon as he was dressed he went to the front door and fussed. He wanted to go out. The last few nights we have spent quite a bit of time outside again playing with sidewalk chalk, picking up sticks (Daddy is thrilled at having help in a few years… hopefully Cooper will still think it is fun), picking up rocks, and going for walks. He just doesn’t want to come in.

I thought I’d share this one picture my beloved sister took of my belly… thanks, Missy. I’m not sure what happened, but all of a sudden when doing dishes or brushing my teeth, I have found the sink is getting further and further away. Little one is growing. She has now taken over my entire belly. I can feel her under my ribs, along my sides, and, of course, using my bladder as a pillow or soccer ball. I have another OB appointment today and my OB mentioned she will quickly scan her to see if she is head-down. Not that it probably matter since we are planning a scheduled c-section (which should be scheduled with Labor and Delivery today- Wow, again!) and the fact that Cooper was breech at 36 weeks and he still turned before 40 weeks. I’m pretty sure she is head-down because she is frequently getting hiccups and I’ve been told by OB that where you feel the rhythmic pulse is usually where the head is… my bladder. I frequently sit in awe watching my belly do the wave. I’m almost positive I have a baby butt just above my bellybutton. Oh, by the way… Cooper is absolutely fascinated with bellybuttons. And not just mine because it is starting to stick out. I hope he doesn’t start going up to people to lift their shirts to find one.

Miss Cierra is growing, too. I look at her and see the height of an adult dog. She still needs to fill-out a bit, but she isn’t that little one we brought home four months ago. She also loves to be outside and play with the neighbor dog. We’ve been leaving her out of the kennel in hopes of putting the kennel away. For now she spends the day while we are at work in the kitchen. We make sure she has chew toys, but once in a while she gets bored and eats something she isn’t supposed to. Unfortunately the corners of the walls have been the hardest hit… I mean chewed. Ugh, add those to the project list. When will the chewing end??? She really is a good dog, but she is definitely still a puppy.

(Notice the tennis ball and chew bone next to the damage???)

Well, I think that about updates the highlights of the last few weeks. Time is moving very fast. We have less than six weeks before our daughter will be here. I need to start getting ready.

Here are a few more pictures to enjoy…

Cooper got balloons from Grandma and Papa to help him feel better after his ear tubes.

I love balloons!

My sleeping prince

Caged!

Reading a good book... Good Night, Gorilla

Bookshelves: 1 Cooper:0

Our Big Boy!

Cooper turned sixteen months old on Saturday. No pictures??? What was Mommy thinking?

Cooper slept in his big boy bed for naps this weekend and did fabulously well! I got a little nervous with him on Sunday as he got close to the edge so I put extra pillows beside the bed, but he did just fine. We will eventually work on getting him in there overnight, too, but naps are great for now. He really snoozed yesterday for nearly two hours in it. I just want him used to his new room before his sister comes.

Cooper is scheduled to have his ear tubes placed on the 26th. He probably met ENT’s tube criteria months ago. Five ear infections or fluid for three months. Hmmm, I think the poor kid met both. There was no question for them that he will benefit from the procedure. The resident we saw said she has heard story after story from moms that kids hear better right away and their speech improves… not that we would necessarily see a big difference in his speech since he is just 16 months old. I can only imagine that what he is hearing is like if we had our head underwater or how my ears get after flying… my ears never equalize pressure very well. While I am anxious to have it done, as a mommy I am a bit nervous. I know it is quick and he will only be out for five to ten minutes, but I am putting my son in the hands of others… complete trust. He will be fine. Thankfully we get to do it at a new outpatient center and not at Saint Marys so we should be in and out in a couple of hours rather than all morning at SMH. The surgeon doing it only does pediatrics. He should be back to normal later that day. We chose the Friday date so he has the weekend before going back to daycare.

We had a great weekend… busy, but great. Cooper did a fantastic job during church yesterday. He was quiet through most of the service. About half way through I gave him two of his cars to play with thinking he would roll them on the pew cushion, but Mommy quickly learned that they are more fun to bang on the back of the pew in front of us. I quickly grabbed a book to distract him. A short while later he had some stop-sign crackers (oyster crackers) and then a bottle of milk. That almost got us to the end. We have had several people mention that they never hear him during the service. You never quite know what people are going to think about a small child in service. The family in front of us yesterday once mentioned way back when Cooper was about two months old that the church has a great nursery. I know we do, but I’d like him to sit with us as much as possible without disrupting those around us. We also like to sit toward the front on the side. I’m way to distracted if we sit near the back, so we chose to take our chances.

Well, here is to another week... a bit soggy today, but welcomed rain.

Adventures in parenting… take #... hmm, I don’t know

Some days just seem to be more interesting than others and in the grand scheme of life, these probably really aren’t that interesting, but for today, they seem to be. Now keep in mind that at 29 ½ weeks pregnant the interesting-ness (is that a word?) is a bit more exaggerated than usual. Everything takes longer and is a bit more challenging than not being pregnant.

Cooper had a well baby visit yesterday afternoon. So it all started with trying to carry my child up to Community Pediatrics. This usually isn’t a challenge, but for some reason yesterday everyone was in the Baldwin elevators and at least one wheelchair in each… and the elevators aren’t that big. We were on time, but quickly running out of time as I had to let three elevators go without getting on. Now I could have taken the stairs, but carrying my child can be challenging enough without adding stairs to the mix. We made it up to the third floor only to find a long line of people… did everyone make late-day appointments??? Then I of course was handed 10… and I’m not kidding… sheet so paper to fill out. This is the first time I have had to do a current visit survey on Cooper. Does anyone in the house smoke? How much TV does he watch? How many fruits does he eat? What kind of milk does he drink? etc... And then I had to do a developments survey on him. Thankfully (maybe) Cooper was a bit intimidated by his surrounds (not that I want him to be scared of going to the doctor) and he sat very quietly in the chair next to me while I completed his forms. His visit went well. He is 24 pounds and 31 inches long. His pediatrician did suggest trying to get our “self-decided” vegetarian to eat some meat. We try, but he definitely prefers fruit and veggies to meat. He does eat eggs, cheese, and peanut butter. Overall he looked really good. The decision was made to have his hearing tested based on the fact that he has had so many ear infections and lots of fluid behind his ear drum. His left ear did look red… perhaps another ear infection brewing and his lungs sounded like he had the beginnings of an upper respiratory infection… but he doesn’t seem sick… yet. To end our visit he got two shots. Oh, they never get easier. He held my hands so tight and just cried. But he got a sticker and a book out of it, so not too bad and he forgot about his legs by the time I got him dressed. His pediatrician is leaving at the end of the month and we needed to request a new one as we left. Thankfully, I got the one I think I want. We also got a hearing test appointment for this morning.

So this morning our routine was a little off. You would think that I would have this mastered by now… getting out the door on time, but when you think you have everything under control that is when things don’t always go as planned. I was able to shower and get dressed without too much of a problem. Nothing ended up in the toilet. Thankfully today was garbage day and there wasn’t much for Cooper to empty from our bedroom garbage… and there isn’t anything dangerous in there since we know he likes to empty it. For some reason (my heart gets in the way) I brought Cierra out with us. I just feel so guilty when she is left in the kitchen and I know she will be in her kennel all day. They did great together! I was able to get my hair and make-up done while the two of them entertained each other in the bathroom.

Once again, nothing ended up in the toilet. The only problem was Cooper got a Cierra hair on his tongue and started to gag. His gagging got so bad that he tossed his milk from this morning… curdled milk to be exact. Once again, keep in mind that I am very sensitive to smells and vomit. I can gag very easily these days. So as I glanced at the clock I see we need to leave, very soon! I got another outfit for Cooper and wiped him down the best that I could. For the life of me I couldn’t get that smell of curdled milk to go away, but I didn’t have time to bathe him. I even tried to brush his teeth, again. I got Cierra outside one last time and then in her kennel and we were out the door… with stuffed puppy, pacifier (just in case), and snacks (we were missing daycare breakfast). I neglected to remember (since I never park there) that the Mayo ramps early in the morning are HORRIBLE! I was stuck behind probably eight or so cars and had to go all the way to the top (ten floors) and then start back down to park on level six. Then wait again for an elevator with a ton of other people to get to the subway level. We then quickly hurried (waddled) to another elevator… I’m starting to dislike elevators… to get to our floor in another building. We got to the desk about three minutes past our “check-in” time. Oh well.

Thankfully Mommy doesn’t get to claustrophobic anymore as we had to go through two soundproof thick doors… scary. Cooper had a great audiologist that obviously plays a lot with kids. The audiologist was stacking rings and other objects to keep Cooper entertained while a “puppets” on the wall would periodically make noise or the helper behind the glass called his name. The noise would get louder until Cooper responded. This repeated several times… and Coops even started to anticipate the puppets. They then took pictures of his eardrums with an earplug looking thing (a very scientific description). He then was tested with a headset behind his ear that bypassed his middle ear to test the actual nerve. The results… “Abnormal middle ear function”. The fluid is preventing him from hearing at lower decibels. He has a completely normal hearing test if they bypass his middle ear. Soooooo, tomorrow we will see the ENT doc to get an assessment of what next. They initially wanted to wait 6-8 weeks to see if the fluid would clear and repeat the exam, but I shared with his pediatrician that I didn’t want to wait since he has been battling fluid or an ear infection since last July and I didn’t think 6-8 weeks would give us a different result. She agreed. No to mention little one should arrive about that same time and life will be even more interesting. If he needs tubes I would rather do it before she comes so I can focus on him… even though I know it is a simple procedure. We should know tomorrow. If they tell us we need to wait I may become a momma bear protecting her cub… on pregnancy hormones. But I will be positive. I don’t want to put him through a procedure for the sake of doing it. I’d like him to be ear infection free for more than two months and hearing better! No to much to ask, right???

So off to daycare we went. Cooper fell asleep on the way there and was extra cuddly when I took him out of his seat. It was hard to leave him. I don’t like doing drop-offs. He’s my baby.

Until tomorrow….

A busy weekend!

Relaxing on my new bed...

As Cindy mentioned in her post (http://cindylifeis.blogspot.com/) it is easy to get caught-up in the spirit of the Memorial Day and not the meaning. Great post, Cindy! Thank you to those that died for our freedom, thank you to those that served for our freedom, and we remember those that we have loved and lost.

I have to admit I love three day weekends. It is amazing how much more we can get done in three days than in two. We were busy… as usual. Our “to do’ list is still long and growing, but a few things got marked off (trimming Cierra’s nails- one of many things that got done), some things were never completed (clearing the dining room table… I have Cooper's baby book and a scrapbook to work on)… and a few things got added (“Casper” is messing with the lights in our bedroom and Steve will need to determine why the lights work one moment and not the next… hopefully not a serious electrical issue).

On Friday Cooper tried a new barber. About six weeks ago I took him to my stylist, but she only trimmed it and the poor kid needed a serious haircut. We tried The Barbershop and wow- the stylist did a great job. This place caters to men… and little men. She put on Back at the Barnyard for him to watch as each styling station has its own TV- a bit of a difference between men and women getting their hair done… we chat too much to watch TV. Cooper didn’t mind the clippers as she did the back. She scissor cut the top and then finished by wiping his neck with a warm towel… talk about service. My little boy came out looking like a handsome little man. Mommy is a bit picky in how I want his hair done and she did a wonderful job.

With many of the “to do” list items out of my realm of expertise… changing the oil in the van, running cables for the computer in the kitchen, the bedroom lights, etc, I recruited the help of Jackie and we made an attempt at hanging wallpaper border. It must say it wasn’t too bad. Saturday we marked the walls and put up sizing to prep the walls. On Sunday we actually hung the border and as of this morning it is still in place. It is a little busy, but I think with some wall décor, it will look better. It is a very bright, stimulating room… perfect for a little guy. Hopefully it won’t be too stimulating a he’ll be able to one day sleep in there.

Yesterday I stopped at Michaels to see if they by chance had any wooden cutouts of cars, trucks, trains, or planes. My plan had been to have my dad do them, but they are in the process of moving and he probably doesn’t need another project to work on. I found some cutouts, but they are much smaller than what I had hoped for, but I’m going to see if I can make them work. I was quite surprised to find that the cars and planes perfectly match the ones on the wall paper. I got some acrylic paints and started to paint the cars yesterday afternoon. I also got some wooden letters to spell Cooper. We’ll see how it goes. Of course Steve’s thought… and mine, too… is this another project that ever be finished? We’ll see. It’s hard with the help of little hands… and paint and Cooper don’t go well together yet. If it works I’ll post some pictures of them.

Yesterday also included an extensive afternoon of shopping. I had a “to buy or return” list that was about as long as the “to do” list. I had tried to buy some garment extenders for some onesie polo shirts I bought Cooper. Kids clothing makes no sense. I got 24month shirts thinking he will grow into them as he is in mostly 18 month shirts and some 24 month shirts… wrong. I’m thinking it is the onesie part, but they are too short and the poor kid hasn’t even worn them yet. The 3Ts look huge. Well, the garment extenders didn’t work, so I took them back. A couple of weeks ago I bought Cooper a pair of new shoes, but then found another pair I like better that were a bit cheaper, so the others had to go back. Then… our beloved puppy… yes the cute one… managed to eat/destroy FOUR pairs of shoes in two hours Sunday evening- two of them being my sandals. I needed to find replacements… which isn’t an easy task. Then I needed some graduation cards and new pj’s for me… So Cooper and I had a fun afternoon of shopping. He was a perfect little boy and ended up sleeping in his stroller through most of it.

I have been having lots of dreams about our little one arriving. I think part of me is panicking that we don’t have her named and all of a sudden she is here… without a name. A few nights ago I dreamt I was in Mexico having a c-section without anesthesia (but it didn’t hurt) and had a 9kg baby… that’s about a 20 pound baby! All I could say was that the dresses I bought wouldn’t fit her. And then I found a bag I had packed, all I had were blue shorts. Oh my. In my dream the other night she was here, but very early and very small and again, I said the dresses wouldn’t fit. I must also be worried that the going home dresses won’t fit. In another dream, we discovered that there two babies! Last week our next door neighbor asked if I was having two since I am getting big really fast… thank you, Sharon and then I’ve been feeling her move in two spots at the same time… no wonder two popped up (out) in my dream. We know there is only one little one in there. Dreams can be so weird. In reality, with 38 weeks being term, she will be ready to come in less than ten weeks- WOW!

Hmmm… I think that about sums up the weekend. I could use another one.

Beautiful days and random happenings...

We have had an incredible week of warm weather and have had some great opportunities to spend time outside. I bought Cooper some sidewalk chalk and a new ball for outside. The other evening we sat outside waiting for Daddy to come home and drew some pictures. Cooper helped enhance my drawings. I didn’t think sidewalk chalk would be so messy, but who cares… it washes. And we had fun!

Last night we got out for another walk. It was just a beautiful night. Cierra is not fond of wearing a gentle leader collar, but in her adolescent state she is pulling too much to walk without it. What happened to our beautiful off-leash walker during puppy class??? She is testing her boundaries.

Cooper also scored a new lawn chair. The other night while out on the deck to grill brats, he tried to climb onto the patio chairs, but he is too little… so while we were waiting for a prescription at Target (of course that is dangerous for Mommy if Cooper is with since we wander the store and we find too much), I found a little dinosaur chair for him. At first he could crawl in it, but struggled to get out, but with Cooper being Cooper, persistence paid off and it didn’t take him long to figure out how to get out. Now he can sit in his chair like a big boy.

Hanging out in my chair

Little One and I had another appointment on Monday. She is looking really good. Her heart rate was high, but then Dr. M determined the Doppler was picking up my heart rate, too. She could hear it in the background. Little One was really in the 140-150 range. She measured right on for 27 weeks.

I don’t think I shared that with Cooper I had gestational diabetes. So there you have it… a confession. It’s just that as a woman I feel like I have failed my unborn child. I am doing everything I can to have a healthy pregnancy. I did that with Cooper. He was more important than any craving I had and so is she. But along with this confession comes the truth that I have many, many moments where I hit the wall and want to throw a pity party for myself. Today in fact… or if you ask Jackie and Steve I’m sure I sound like a broken record and they would tell you every day for the last six weeks. I have to talk myself out of something I am desperately craving. I am very fortunate. This is something that can be controlled. I also didn’t have to do the one hour or the three hour glucose tests. It is just assumed that you have it the second time around. So I watch what I eat and poke my fingers. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as it sounds. I need calories without carbohydrates. And most of the calories I love are carbohydrates. I’m starting to reach a point of being very tired of peanut butter, nuts, eggs, salads, etc. Now what? Since my first OB appointment I have gained 2 ½ pounds. With about 11 weeks to go my OB is starting to get concerned. So for now we watch it. Enough complaining. ** As I write this my little girl is wiggling just above my belly button. It’s her reminder to me that she is right here with me. **

Can someone tell me how to control the emotional hormones? I struggled with this while I was pregnant for Cooper, too. I am a sobbing mess. There is one OnStar commercial that I keep hearing that sends me into tears every time I hear it. It is the woman who was just hit by a truck and the OnStar operator asks if there is anyone she can call, after calling for an ambulance, and the woman asks for her husband. She is worried about the car and he is worried about her. Sob, sob. Then, I watch the Disney commercial with the little guy getting his hair cut with Celebrate You in the background. I just want to go to the daycare and cuddle with Cooper every time I see that one.

So here’s to hugging your kids and loving your husband! I need a Kleenex, please.

Sitting with Daddy in the back of the van

Walking up the driveway. (Those really aren't Bermuda shorts, but Cooper has short legs.)

"I love how grass feels"

"River Rocks!"

Happy Mother's Day!

Okay, it is a day late, but… everyday should be celebrated as Mother’s Day, right? I LOVE being a mom every day. I LOVE my mom every day. And I celebrate those women that have an impact on my life every day. Now I suppose I can’t request flowers and the wonderful meals I enjoyed yesterday every day, but we can celebrate life… which is what it is all about.

Yesterday, Chef Steven… aka daddy, made a wonderful breakfast of white chocolate chip pancakes and then an absolutely awesome lunch of rib eyes, cantaloupe, salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, and Dove chocolate ice cream bars. I also got a beautiful pot of New Guinea Impatiens … I love them!

We had another fast weekend. There is just so much to do and so little time.

Friday, Cooper made his TV debut. Minnesota passed legislation last week that will ban BPA, which helps make plastic shatter-proof, in 2011. I started to hear about the possible negative health effects of BPA when I was pregnant for Cooper and stopped using my Nalgene water bottle. We also made the decision to not use BPA bottles for Cooper… I didn't have to change the bottle I wanted to use since the Playtex Drop-Ins are BPA-free. Cooper’s daycare provides his bottles and sippy cups and I made the request that he only use BPA-free items. I maybe be a BPA-free nut, but why take chances. I've been glad to see that most of the manufacturers of bottles have already made them BPA-free. That wasn't the case when we were getting bottle for Cooper. In fact, Babies'R'Us had a sign up that they are now BPA-free. So anyway… there was a reporter coming to the daycare as I picked Cooper up and the director asked if I would stay so that he could get footage of Cooper along with a couple of other BPA-free kids. I agreed, but didn’t realize I would be interviewed until it happened. If you would like to see the video or read the story here is the link… But be gentle if you comment. Watching yourself on video is hard enough.
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S922773.shtml?cat=10151

We made great progress on Cooper’s new room this weekend. The wallpaper border came on Friday, but it may take a week or two to get it up. Steve and I bought another crib mattress for the toddler bed last night and Steve put the bed together. I still need to wash the bedding and make it. Cooper loved crawling on it, so I hope that it is a good sign that he won’t mind moving in there. He can’t quite crawl up on it, but I think within a day or so he will master it. He’s about an inch too short to crawl up on it easily. He can get off of it really well by turning around and sliding down on his tummy. We bought foam mats of the alphabet, numbers, and Cooper’s name in place of a rug. They are very comfy to sit and stand on. And hopefully, will provide a bit of cushion if he rolls out of bed. His room is very bright and cheery with the décor. I was going to take a picture of it, but figured I would wait until I get the bedding on and the wallpaper border up. Now will be the challenge in transitioning all of Cooper’s stuff to his new room. We will still need to use the changing table, but I want to move his clothes over. I think I will stack his diapers in one drawer and little one’s in the other drawer. We’ll get this figured out some day.

About a week ago while giving Cooper a bath, he started to lie on his tummy and blow bubbles. I didn’t have the camera, but did get a shot of it yesterday. He loves to be in the bath. I’m not sure how he knows to blow bubbles, but I can’t wait to try swimming lessons when he is a little older. He did get a couple of mouthfuls of water, but not bad considering. He can kick his feet, too. My little fish. We’ll get a pool for him this summer. Mommy may have to share it with him.

I had an OB appointment last week. It was again fairly uneventful. Little one is measuring right on for my due date and her heart rate was in the 140’s. I’m starting to feel pregnant. I keep thinking I need to pace myself as I still have about three months. My back is starting to ache with long walks or walking with Cooper for too long. She is very active most days. I love feeling her move. She really gets active when I am holding Cooper. I don’t know if it is the beginnings of sibling rivalry or if she is feeling the pressure of him next to her. Cooper doesn’t know or feel that she is moving, but I wonder if that will change once she makes the really powerful kicks in the next few months.

Well it’s Monday afternoon and I am ready for a nap… too bad I still have a few hours of work left. Sleep… it will come many, many years from now.

Time flies, but we are having fun!

April 28th… where did the month go? Where did the first four months of the year go? Little one’s ticker says 109 days until she is “officially” due, but she be here sooner. Wow!

Here are a few pictures and updates from the last two weeks…

Oh where, oh where, oh where is Cooper???

"Here I am!"


Peek-a-boo!



My mom and dad came to visit last week. They were just here overnight, but we had fun in the short time they were here…. lots of shopping and chatting. They brought Logan’s toddler bed and the bedding set for Cooper’s new room. Hopefully we can get it started soon. They also brought some of Jacob’s old toys and Missy’s baby doll from when we were younger. Cooper has taken to his “baby sister”. He’ll have his baby to take care of once his real baby sister arrives.

Maybe we should work on how to hold a baby...

And how to hug them...

I love babies!

"Does she have teeth, yet?"

Cooper had fun playing with Papa.

Cierra graduated from puppy class on Saturday! I can’t believe we started the class eight weeks ago! We’ve had her over two months now. She is still young and has some work to do, but she did very well on her graduation test. She had to sit, lie down, stay at an open door without going out until called, leave treats until told she could have them, walk on a loose leash through PetSmart, walk off leash for a lap (keep in mind PetSmart has lots and lots of distractions!), and stay for 30 seconds. The stay took a couple of tries, but not bad for a pup with a lot of energy. I’m still amazed she can do “leave it” with food and stay at an open door until called. We’ll miss the formal class time to work on commands, but we’ll appreciate getting our Saturday mornings back… I’m sure Jackie will, too. Jackie has been wonderful and has kept Cooper so that we could both take Cierra to class. Maybe in a few months… or next year we’ll take the intermediate class. I would love for her to get a Good Canine Citizenship certificate. Someday.

We really got a great dog. She is so good with Cooper! She will do the puppy nips with us when she wants to play, but only licks at Cooper. He will tug on her ears and coat, but she just takes it as attention from Cooper and just sits there. Such a good puppy. We’ve been bring her into the living room more and more and she is doing really well. I think we can say that she is officially potty trained! Now to just get past the chewing… someday. She just has a couple more teeth to lose and then I think she will have all of her adult teeth. She loves Cooper’s toys, so she needs constant watching. I can’t wait for the day that we can have her in the living room all the time. She is definitely growing. I’ll take her back to the vet early Mayo to get a current weight. I’m sure she has made it to 50 pounds. This might be why...

Cooper got outside a few times this last week. He loves to explore. He loves to pick up mulch and the river rocks next to the house and hand them to me… What a find! It’s been a bit cooler and rainy the last few days, but we’ll get out again soon.

Cooper got to spend last Friday evening with his friend Amaya… a very big thank you to Jan and Steve!!! Steve and I got to go out for a quiet dinner… a rare treat these days and I’m sure it will soon be even rarer. He had a blast with Amaya! They look like they could be twins…, but then again they are only about two weeks apart. Very cute kids!

I'm sooo tired...


"These puppies are calmer than the other one."



Little one… oh, she needs a name!... is doing great! I’m really feeling her on the outside now. She got in a few really good kicks last night and then a few more this morning. I had Steve put his hand on my belly last night, but as soon as he did she stopped. Sounds like what Cooper did. Silly kids! Soon her movements will be even easier to feel. I love it! I have an OB appointment next week. Just three months (and a few days) and she’ll be here.

More later...........