Long time no see

Sorry to have dropped off the face of the Earth there. Summer got very busy for us! We are now the proud parents of a walking, running, screaming, screeching TODDLER!!! Which essentially means I don't get to sit down much!

We've had a pretty busy summer so far. We've been playing with a lot of friends and having tons of fun. We've gone to the zoo, Detroit Science Center, library, playdates, etc. Lots and lots of stuff to do this summer... but summer is almost over.

In fact it hasn't even been that warm of a summer! We've only gone to the pool a couple times becuase it was isn't warm enough. We had big plans to visit the Metro Beach Splash Zone once a week at the start of summer but we haven't been ONCE!!! Totally stinks to have such a cool summer. But Cooper doesn't mind that it's not boiling hot, he just likes to be outside.

Cooper loves pushing his lawn mower up and down the driveway and sidewalk. It took him a couple weeks to figure out how to turn it around when he got stuck but he's a pro now. He also loves chasing his big blue ball (best buck I ever spent!).

He's still terrorizing the pets... poor things. The cat has started fighting back a little... Cooper's sustained a few minor bite scratches from the kitty. You'd think he'd learn not to mess with him after the first 5 bites! But nope he just keeps going after him... and we keep pulling him back. Pebbles just growls and runs from him, she's never bitten him.

Coops still not sleeping through the night yet... He still gets up twice a night to have some milkies. I'm exhausted LOL We are so ready for him to sleep through the night. He's on 100% solids during the day now, he hasn't had any day time milkies in over a week and seems to be doing just fine... except he's pooping A LOT more now!!

We are stilll using cloth diapers, haven't had to buy diapers since July 2008!!! It's so nice to not have that weekly expense of diapers. Saves us so much money and I really don't mind washing them, in fact it's the only laundry I don't mind doing! lol

Well I can't really think of anything else. I'll do a separate post with pics.

Sorry!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last entry. I have some funny stories to tell....

Coop's first taste of beer -

A few weeks ago I was in the laundry room folding laundry a

nd

Coop was in the living room by himself (We have the living room gated off and he can't get out). I heard a weird noise so I peeked into the living room and saw that Coop was playing with a beer can. I didn't think much of it and yet back to folding laundry. Then it got suddenly quiet. So I peeked back out again. Apparently there had been beer in the can and Coop has poured it all over the couch. Not only did he make a big mess, he was sucking it out of the couch cushions... Literally sucking it up! It was hilarious! (The beer that Cooper sucked up was Bud Light)

Like I said, we now have Cooper gated in the living room. He can not get out, but that definitely does not sto

p him from trying. He is forever trying to figure out if he can fit under the gate. Don't worry, he

can't! But Pebbles can!!!

Cooper LOVES playing outside. We have a tiny tennis ball outside that he just loves tossing around and watching it roll down the drive way towards the garage. When we take him in he gets very upset with us for a few minutes. This is going to be an issue this summer, I can tell!

Our poor cat doesn't get much rest unless he is out of Cooper's sight.

I made some "playdough"

for Cooper one day. It came out extremely sticky and not much like playdough but Cooper had SO much fun with it!

Baby Proofing

We have been doing some baby proofing lately. It was time. Lol.

We moved the DVD tower out of his reach because I was getting tired of putting the DVD's away everday. We moved the bookcase out of his area as well. We re-arranged the living room so he his now trapped in the living room... literally!!! It's great!

I just put up a baby gate in the kitchen. So now when I take him into the kitchen he can only go into the kitchen and dining room. I don't have to worry about him going into the foyer to play with the water bowl, pebbles' crate, or going up/down the stairs! I literally JUST put this gate up. He is napping and I know he will be PISSED when he realizes the gate is there! I can see him screaming at it already.

We still need to get about5 more gates... those damn things are expensive though! We just make sure we keep an eye on him at all times when he's near stairs or something else he isn't supposed to be by. I do want to get gates for all the stairs (up and down) at some point though. But right now he's sequestered in one area and can't even get to the stairs LOL. That'll only last so long though. *sigh*

Speaking of stairs. He climbed up the stairs yesterday. Of course I was standing right behind him but it was so cute watching him climb them. Took him about 10 minutes to climb 7 stairs, he kept wanting to go back down but I wouldn't let him! LOL.

The preparations for his first birthday party are coming along smashingly! I ordered all the favors and decorations (oriental trading company rocks!). I have the invites all filled in and just need to mail them out. We cleaned/organized the basement on Saturday so that's all set.

Coop's up. Gotta run!!

We have a toddler

It's official... our baby is walking! Very well I might add. He took his first step on Christmas Eve and less then a month later was walking all over the place. He says "Mama", gives kisses, high fives, claps, points, and signs "milkies".

I've started planning his first birthday party. March 14th btw. It's going to be an Under the Sea theme. I ordered his birthday gifts on Saturday.

He's still not sleeping through the night. Beginning to wonder if he ever will!

He's into EVERYTHING. Loves to pull things out of the kitchen cabinets. We re-arranged the living room so he's trapped in the living room... literally he can not get out! It's great! Lol. It's like HUGE play pen full of toys. Of course when we go anywhere else in the house he goes with us so he does get to explore other areas.

Yesterday we actually left him with a friend so we could go out for Valentine's Day. I of course had a harder time then Cooper did. We got to Janice's around 12:30 and hung out for a while to make sure he was comfy and everything. Of course he was great... tons of new tosy to play with, new things to explore, etc. I tried giving him a kiss good bye and he pushed away from me!!! ;-(( I felt like crying.

Paul and I got some clothe shopping done while he was at Janice's. We also went to dinner at Bahama Breeze... Yum!! And then I got my hair cut before we went to pick him up. Cooper was excited to see us when get went to pick him up but he still wanted to play with all the new toys.

Janice said he did great. Only cried a couple of times and took a good nap for her. I was very happy to hear that!!

Well nap time is over so I gotta go!!! I'll try to write more often!

~Amanda

News Flash - Baby Poop Stinks and Other Shenanigans

Coop is now 8 months old. *sigh* where has the time gone?! Only 4 months until he's one! It's just not fair!

Next month I'll no longer be able to say that he was in my belly longer then he's been out.

Coop is starting to get the hang of solid foods. So far he's had sweet potatoes and green beans. OMG does his poop stink! I knew it would stink, but it doesn't even stink like adult poop stinks. This stuff has a whole stench of its own.

I miss breastmilk poop!

He has discovered his penis. Diaper changes and bath time just got a whole lot more fun for him. Paul and I have a hard time believing that he's not hurting himself the ways he's grabbing, squeezing and pulling on his penis but it doesn't seem to phase him at all. It hurts like hell when he does that to my arm! I'm having to break Paul from telling him "NO" when he does it. Paul's starting to get it. The only time I pull his hand away is when I need to get in there to clean so I'm trying to get Paul to do the same.

He's starting to try to pull himself up on EVERYTHING now. I'm trying not to hover too much. I don't want to break his fall every time. I'm afraid if I do that he'll think it's fun to fall down (or safe) and I won't always be there to catch him. It's hard not to hover though! It's hard to stand back and let him take a spill, let him learn for himself.

We don't think he's ever going to crawl. Not a "real" crawl anyways. He has his method and it is very effective for him. He gets where wants to go very quickly. We call it the "slithering army crawl" It's so cute!

When he hears the door open in the evenings he looks now, he knows Daddy is home. And then when Daddy talks before we can see him he gets this huge grin on his face. It's great that he's learning those sounds and knows it means Daddy is near. <--- happy tears When Daddy calls from work I put him on speakerphone and let Coop "talk" to him. For a while Cooper got this worried look on his face, as if to say "Why is my daddy so small?" Now he just grabs for the phone to chew on it.

My boy is growing up. I look forward to the days that I can really do things with him, like crafts and such. I look forward to being able to put him in some kind of "class" like tumbling class or another Kindermusik so he can play with all the other kiddos. So many fun milestones have been hit in 8 months and I know there's so many more to come. Every milestone brings joy and sadness. When he learns to do something on his own he no longer needs me to do it for him.

Everyone warns you that being a parent is hard but no one tells you about the emotional aspect of having to "let go". I knew parenting involved letting him do things on his own, letting him learn for himself, etc. but I never thought it would be so hard to actually sit back and let him do it himself! *sigh*

And one more thing... Is he EVER going to sleep through the night?!

6 month check up

Yesterday was Coopers 6 month check up. He weighs 15 lbs and is 26 inches long. My boy is growing!

Anyone who knows me knows that we don't go to well baby visits. We're not vaxing so it's not necessary IMO, *I* don't need a doctor to tell me that my baby is growing just fine, getting big, doing what he's supposed to etc. when I can see this for myself. But I decided to do the 6 month check up just to see how much he weighs... literally that's all I wanted to know lol...

So as I was saying - 15 lbs and 26 inches long!!! WOW!!! He tripled his birth weight in 6 months! His weight puts him on the low end of percentage (10%) and his length is perfect (50%). I really don't give a crap about the percentages though. I can see that my baby is growing, thriving and developing just fine. And last I heard these percentages were based on white formula fed babies in the 1950's... yea that sums up every baby in the country... what a joke lol. (I don't know if this is 100% true or not, it's just what I've heard. So don't bombard me with emails calling me a liar please! If you've heard differently I am interested in hearing what you've heard)

Anyways, Cooper is doing great. Dr. Margolis wasn't concerned at all about his weight... he's a little chubbos with rolls anyways lol. He said we should try to get him to eat more solids (we're working on that) but isn't too concerned. He said we're doing everything right and to just keep feeding on demand and following his lead... which is what we've been doing all along!

We've been trying to get Cooper to eat some solids for the past week or so now; he could be more intersted in watching paint dry! LOL. He'll take a few bites (usually 5 or so), spit most of it back out, make the cutest funniest face, and then he's done lol. Which is fine with me. I know his body won't digest or absorb anything from the solids anyways so we're just going through the motions, trying to get him used to swallowing something other the milkies and getting him used to the spoon... so far it's not working lol.... but we'll keep trying!

Cooper has had baby rice (whole wheat organic of course lol) with milkies and avocado mashed up... He did okay with the rice the first night but after that wasn't interested, and he's not too fond of the avocado. We'll do the avocado tonight and then tomorrow we'll switch to carrots or sweet potatoes, haven't decided which one yet.

We are making all our own baby food... all organic of course! lol... So when I get ready to do the carrots I'll steam them, mash them up with a little coconut oil or milkies and give it to him that way... Must remember to ask Dr. Sandie about this today... When I do the sweet potatoes I'll bake them and then use coconut oil or milkies to smooth it out... we'll see which I do next... it'll most likely be carrots.

Anyways... moving on....

I called my Mother In Law (MIL) on the way home from the dr. to give her an update on C's weight and stuff and was met with a wonderful surprise! After telling her that he was only in the 10th% for weight and that I wasn't concerned and neither was the dr. she told me she wasn't concerned either. She said that Coop is obvioulsy a growing, strong, happy baby and there's nothing to worry about. Then she went on to tell me that she thinks I'm a wonderful mother and am doing a fabulous job with Cooper!!! It was great to hear that. I told her how much I appreciate her saying that to me. Thank you Fay!

I know I'm the *crazy* parent to a lot of people and I know that not everyone agrees with the way we parent, I am okay with that. I've come to admire the quirky looks I get from people in the stores when I'm wearing Coop or they realize he's in a cloth diaper. I know we're different then most parents, we are in the minority and I like it that way!!!

Okay, I'm outta here, I've written enough!

xoxoxo 

Amanda

We're still here

I know, I know I need to be better about posting. Sorry about that, but we are still here and everyone is doing great....

Cooper continues to get bigger day by day. I'm amazed at his growth and development. He's a baby now, no longer an infant, that's for sure.

He sat up once with very little support, it won't be long now until he is mobile. He rolls and scooches all over the living room, soon we will have to baby proof. There's a few things we'll most likely need to remove from the living room, and we definitely have to put up a few gates; the joys of owning a 3 story house with a basement. *snicker*

I have run out of storage space on the website so I can no longer add photos. I will figure out what to do about this and let everyone know what we decide... Our choices are stopping the site all together, starting a new site, deleting all the old photos to add new ones... we'll figure it out... 

Rolling with the changes

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated the blog in a while - Thanks Nicole! So here I am, attempting to update. Who knows how long this will take. As you can imagine I have TONS of free time now that Cooper is mobile.... (insert sarcastic voice here)

Yep, that's right, the Coop Man is on the move! On July 8th he rolled over for the first time on the floor; just one day shy of his 4 month birthday! He has been rolling over in his crib for about a month, but last Tuesday was the first time he rolled over on the floor and it scared the beejeezes outta him. I did not witness this miracle happening, nor did Paul, but I put him on his play mat on his tummy and went into the kitchen to wash bottles (fun times) when about 60 seconds later Cooper screamed like crazy. I of course ran like a mad women into the living room to see what was wrong and there he was on his play mat on his back crying and crying. I suspect that when he rolled from his tummy to his back he might have bumped his head on the floor, not sure though. I picked him up and comforted him and when I put him back down he promptly rolled over again. Now everytime we put him down he rolls over... I must remember to get this on video (I have it on my phone but it's not very good quality). 

This is a bittersweet milestone for me. It's exciting to see him progress so wonderfully but it's sad to see that he is well on his way to independence. I imagine that a lot of first time mother's struggle with the bittersweetness of milestones, but I'm not ready for him to do things on his own yet! I liked having to get up 50 billion times to roll him on his tummy/back when he wanted. I liked having to hand things to him. I liked having to hold things in his mouth so he could chew on them.I liked being the only thing he could see... I'm not joking either! I really did like doing those things. Now he can grab things himself and bring them to his mouth to chew on. The links are his favorite, he can knaw on those all day long. Everthing he gets a hold of goes straight to his mouth (I suspect he's teething - another milestone I am NOT ready for!). He has his full range of vision now and he notices everything! When I hold him now he doesn't just look at me, he's looking all over the place at the colors, objects, sounds, etc. 

I am not ready for my helpless infant to become a somewhat independent baby!! Complete with teeth and the ability to crawl... I'm just not ready for! It's not fair! lol At the same time it's exciting to see him thrive in the enviroment we have provided for him. I love that he can see the different colors in our house (and we always tell him what they are ). I love that he can roll over on his own, and everytime I see him do I get this huge feeling of pride (with a little sadness thrown in). I love seeing him bring things to his mouth, his hand eye coordination is improving. 

I am not ready for teeth though! Any way we can stop this from happening? I'm open for suggestions lol.

We finally ordered for our cloth diapers! We decided to get 12 BumGenius One Size diapers (giving us a total of 16 diapers). I wash diapers every other night so that's not bad. I would like to get more at some point though, but that will take time. I also mailed 10 receiving blankets to my mom so she could make them into cloth wipes for us. She cut them into 7x8 peices and sewed the edges so they don't fray on me. They should be here sometime this week!!! 

Coop has been in cloth diapers for almost a week now and he seems to like them. I know I'm liking them, and so it Paul. I have to believe they are more comfy then disposables for him. 

I am still pumping away here. Breast milk is doing good for him so we're not going to change that (plus formula kinda creeps me out, no offense to anyone who uses it). I weighed him on our bathroom scale the other day and he is currently at 13 lbs! Big boy! I gotta get the tape measure out and see how long he is. 

I also ordered an Ergo Baby Carrier... I LOOOOOVE it! Coop likes it a lot too, he usually falls asleep in it. hehe. It's so much more comfy then the Baby Bjorn and better for Coops spinal developement too. 

Let's see.... what else has been going on? Hmmmmm..... 

Right now Cooper is napping in his crib and Pebbles is laying behind the glider in his room and I of course am pumping. I can't really think of anything else right now so I'm gonna sign off! I hope everyone is doing good!

Love to all! xoxoxo

We're still here

Sorry for the absence, but we're still here!! 

Cooper is getting so big! I weighed him on our bathroom scale the other day and he's over 13 lbs! Not sure how long he is though, but he's definitely getting bigger!! He's our growing boy!

Lately he's been trying to roll over onto his tummy soooo bad! We've been waiting a while for him to accomplish this and last night he did! I did not get to witness this miracle as he apparently did it in his sleep. Lol... I put him to bed on his back and woke up to him on his tummy. I asked Paul if he rolled him over on his tummy and he didn't, so Cooper did it in the middle of the night some time. He's quite mobile with all the scooching he does and I never know where's he's going to be in his crib in the morning. Sometimes he's turned sideways, scrunched up in the corner, turned completely around, and this morning on his tummy hehe. 

He loves to sleep on his tummy, and we let him. He doesn't go to bed on his tummy but if he gets fussy at 2 a.m. you can bet your ass I roll him over on his tummy to get a few more hours of sleep lol. Paul slept on his tummy, I slept on my tummy, and if you're over 15 chances are you did too!!! Cooper has amazing head and neck control (always has) so we're not worried abou this suffocating or anything. He's never once been face down on his tummy... its just not a worry in this household. 

Right now Coop is sleeping peacefully in my arms. Thank god for laptops, it makes is so easy to surf the net/type while he's sleeping in my arms or I'm pumping. Seriously I would lose my mind without my laptop while pumping. hehe

We bought a Wii a couple weeks ago and man is it fun!!! I spent a couple weeks actually trying to find a store that had them in stock and finally Toys R Us got a shipment in so there I was standing in line when they opened (10 a.m.)... there was already 5 ppl in front of me and while I was waiting for my turn another 25 or so lined up behind me!!! But I got my wii!!! The bowling is so much fun. Paul and I have nightly 2 outta 3 tournaments with the bowling (I have yet to win ) but it sure is fun... gives a way to relax and have fun together. 

We're supposed to be getting our stimulus check sometime within the next couple of weeks... Thank god! We've been waiting on this damn thing for months! lol. Can't wait to get it. 

The weather got cool here agin... we're talking for 87* highs to 65* highs..., CAAARAAAZY!!! 

Well that's our little family update! I added some new pictures to the site under the June 2008 album so check them out!!! 

Loves to all the fam and friends!!! 

xoxoxo 

Amanda, Paul, Coop, Pebbs, and Mister!!!

48 hours (long update)

(This is a mixed post - Scroll down towards the bottom for a Cooper update if that's all you want lol)

48 hours.... That's how long it took for them to turn our power back on....

We had a bad storm come through on Sunday. It was so weird. I was setting up our Wii(woo hoo I finally got one!) when the power went out and then all of a sudden the wind was bending the trees in half, it was raining sideways, lightening, and thundering like crazy. We grabbed Cooper, Pebbles, Mister, some clothes, candles, and flashlights and ran for the basement. Paul called his mom to see if she had heard anything and she said that it was really - sirens were going off, tornadoes had been spotted, and 500,000 ppl were without power. We were only in the basement about 15 minutes... the storm was so fast. It came on fast and left fast.

So we come back upstairs, fully expecting the power to come back on any minute... I was so upset because I was setting up my Wii and was all ready to play bowling when the power went out. Then I had to sit there for 48 hours and stare at the box before I could play it!!! Torture! lol

Paul didn't go to work on Mon and Tues. Mon was a horribly hot day to not have a/c. At one point it was 89* in our house, ugh!

I was so worried about the 400+oz. of breastmilk I had in the freezer... all my hard work at the pump gone.... NOPE!! My mother in law had power so we loaded it all up and took it to her house!!! I lost maybe 40oz (4 frozen bags and a few bottles in the fridge). We of course lost everything else in the fridge... but fortunately because it wasn't quite the middle of the month (just before pay day) we didn't have much.... mostly condiments lol.

I was still able to pump! My pump came with a battery pack and I used that... damn thing takes 8 AA batts though!! Fortunately all Coops baby toys take batteries so we had enough on hand... Did have to steal a few outta his jumperoo though. But I had to pump...

Tuesday wasn't so hot and when I came back from the Ortho at 545 we had power. It was such a great feeling to walk into the house and turn on the landing light!!!

Of course Cooper didn't even notice we didn't have power... he still got his meals when he was hungry, had his swing, play mat, clean diapers, etc... nothing changed for him!!!

Anyways! Now for updates!!!

Wii - As I mentioned, we got a Wii!!! On the way to the potluck on Sunday we stopped at Toys R Us (I called and they got a shipment in that morning) and I bought a Wii. I've been wanting one for a while and I finally talked Paul into it... If it wasn't for the stimulus check we wouldn't be able to get it... That's supposed to come next week btw.

Wii bowling is so much fun!! Paul and I have competitions every night (so far he's won all of them lol) but I'm getting better... I'm not very good at real bowling either, but I do much better at Wii bowling lol... I want to get Mario Galaxy this weekend.

Cooper is doing great!!! I can't believe how big he is getting, it's crazy! I don't know how much he weighs though (we don't go to the pediatrician), but I will weigh him on our scale this weekend to get a rough idea.

Sleeping - He is a fabulous sleeper!!! He usually falls asleep around 10. At midnight (after my last pump and before I go to bed) I change his diaper and feed him - he sleeps through this. He will then sleep until 630ish. At that time I bring him to bed with me and he goes right back to sleep... sometimes he's a little fussy when I bring him to bed with me so I get up and feed him and pump (we're up for about an hour)... If he doesn't eat at 630 he's up around 830 for food... If he did eat at 630 we can sometimes sleep till 11!!! It's great!!! Today he woke up at 6, I flipped him over on his tummy instead of bringing him to bed with me and he slept until 830. By 930 he was sleeping peacefully in his swing and I napped on the couch until 11. He loves sleeping in his swing during the day now.

Tummy Sleeping - Cooper loves to sleep on his tummy. At first I was worried about it, but not anymore. He has such GREAT head control and I've never seen him face down before, he always has his face to the side. I'm still hesitant to let him sleep all night like this, but am okay with it in the mornings for a few hours while I'm sleeping. And of course during the day for naps is fine.

Babyhawk - I am finally breaking down and getting one of these... Baby Bjorn just doesn't cut it... it's cheap, and hurts my shoulders like crazy! Plus Baby Bjorns aren't good for babies spine, legs, hips, etc.... For those of you who don't know a BabyHawk is a front carrier. When I decided to get a better carrier it was a toss between the Ergo and theBabyHawk. I decided on the BabyHawk because of it's portability... the BH can fold up and fit into your purse... and Ergo doesn't. There is a slight learning curve with a BabyHawkthough as it's a tie carrier, but it looks quite easy. I will be ordering for this over the weekend and it should be here in about a month (it takes so long because they are custom made). BabyHawk and Ergo both hold a baby/toddler up to 40 lbs!!! I can't wait for this!!!

On being a Mommy - Everyone always tells you how exhausting being a mom is, and that's true... but it's also wonderfully fun! When people ask me how I'm liking it get a huge smile and exclaim "I'm having sooo much fun". Most of the time they smile, sometimes I get a crazy look, and sometimes they look at me like they think I'm lieing... I'm not! Being a mom is the most exhausting, exciting, fabulous job I have ever had and I wouldn't give any of it back!

I love holding my little man. I love looking into his eyes. I love seeing his smile first thing in the morning and all throughout the day. I love watching in laugh and smile at his play mat toys. I love watching him sleep in his swing...

My favorite part of the day with him is when I put him to bed. I carry him upstairs (He's sound asleep), change his diaper, and sit in the glider and feed him. While he's eating he makes these little sucking noises and sometimes grunts (like he does when he's tired). Now he's getting big enough that his legs hang over my legs when sitting in the glider. I can remember when I would hold him and his head would be at my elbow with his feet in my hands!!! Not anymore :( He's growing up so fast, this is bittersweet... I love seeing him grow and change, but I am torn between wanting him to stay this size forever and wanting to see him grow up to see what kind of man he will be.

I sit there feeding him thinking about all the wonderful adventures yet to come... teething, rolling over, crawling, walking, giggling, all the hugs and kisses he will give me, starting solids, school, friends, girlfriends (or boyfriend, no pressure either way! lol), graduation, college, marriage, grand kids... it's so amazing and so sad!!! I also think about the first time he pushes me away from a hug, the first time he doesn't want me to tuck him in at night, the first time he wants me to drop him off around the corner so his friends don't see me, the first time he lies to me... Saddening, but so exciting...

Well I'm almost milked out here (I'm pumping) and it's almost time to go to bed so off I go... to put my little man to bed!!

G'night world!!!

The Happiest Baby on the Block

I definitely recommend this book to anyone that's just had a baby or is going to have a baby. We actually got the book and DVD from the library and watched the DVD today. It was about 30 minutes long and easy to watch. We started putting the techniques (5 S's)  to use right away and seriuosly, it's like magic!!

The 5 S's are :
Swaddle
Side (hold baby on it's side)
Shushing
Swinging (jiggling, bouncing) 
Sucking 
 

The book/DVD is The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, M.D. 

Seriously, it's like magic, I'm not even joking!!! 

Cooper had been getting really fussy in the evening (around 8ish) but not tonight!!! When he started getting fussy Paul swaddled him up and put him in his swing. Make sure the swing is on high or it's pretty much useless!!! I was ready to have Paul put the swing away because Cooper didn't seem to like it until we watched the DVD today and it said to use it on high, when we did that he calmed right now. 

We also have a sound machine with white noise on it and turn that up all the way next to the swing to help calm him... 

Pretty much all your doing is imitating the conditions of the womb. 

It truly is magic! Watch the DVD, read the book... Live it, learn it, love it!! We are!

Got Milk?

I just froze over 35 ounces of milk!! We are seriously going to have to get a deep freezer to hold all the milk I've been freezing... Plus milk lasts longer in a deep freezer then a reg. freezer. In a reg freezer you can only keep it for 3 months in a deep freezer you can keep it for 6-12 months.

I have finally found the silver lining to Cooper not latching on. If Cooper was latching and nursing regularly I wouldn't have a freezer full of milk, I wouldn't be able to donate milk to a baby who's mommy passed away (which I am doing weekly btw). I am happy that I am able to have such an abundant milk supply, more then enough for Cooper.

Last week was a rough pumping week though. Last Monday I noticed I was getting blisters on my nipples. Once the blisters popped they turned into sores and man did it hurt to pump!! But I pumped through it. I just turned the speed and suction down and seem to be doing much better. I'll keep my pump on a lower setting for a while and see if I can do better with that. Man it hurt like hell to pump though!!!

Right now I am pumping away and Cooper is laying in my lap... he certainly is a cutie.

We are doing good here. Cooper has decided that he is more comfy sleeping on his side, so he does. It sure it cute. He'll be rolling over by Monday. I just know one day I'm going to lay him on his play mat and go pee and when I come back he'll have rolled over.

He sucks on his hands like crazy. It makes the cutest noise when he does though... He doesn't suck his thumb or fingers but rather his fist, his knuckles mostly.

He definitely is getting big. He's pretty much outgrown all of his newborn clothes and few 0-3 months but 3-6 is still big on him.

hehe Coopers farting!!! hehehe

Just an update...

Just posting an update on how things are going... 

I was wondering how long it would be before Cooper pooped again. Well, he pooped last Thursday after 5 days of nothing, then again on Sunday, and today. In 11 days Cooper has pooped 3 times!!! LOL I get the feeling he's going to be a once-a-week-pooper LOL. 

I went online to Luving Mamma's Diaper Store and bought some Charlies Soap. And the company is local so I was able to go pick it up today!! So I was able to wash the diapers today in detergent instead of just hot water... Fortunately they were all just pee diapers before so that was good, and he still hasn't pooped in a cloth yet. I'm not lookign foward to when he does either... I hope he doesn't poop in them until after we get the diaper sprayer in June LOL. (When our stimulus check comes). 

So far I'm thinking we will either get the BabyKanga or Wahmie diaper. Haven't decided which on yet. 

Pros for the BabyKanga:
- It has a zippered pouch in the front to put the insert in. This way the insert doesn't slide out the back and because it's in the front you don't have to worry about getting pee or poop on your hands. 
- It's not as bulky as the BG One Size. 
- Has snaps instead of velcro so the velcro doesn't catch on the inserts in the wash (This is what the Happy Heiny does)
Cons for BabyKanga:
- A one year old may be able to figure the zippered pouch out and pull the insert out... hmmm don't want that. 
- A one year old may be able to figure out the snaps and take the whole diaper off... again don't want that! LOL 

Pros for the Wahmie: 
- The hooks. They take a little getting used to but there is no way a one year old is getting that thing off!!! LOl 
- Definitely is not as bulky as the BG One Size. 
Cons for Wahmie: 
- The pocket is inside in the back. This may not be a con though because you could just shake the insert out and still not have to get poop on your hands... 
- The hooks take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it... woo hoo!!! 
There may not be any cons for this diaper!!! 
    
The thing that I don't like about the Happy Heiny is the velcro. The velcro is really strong and sticks to everything in the washer. When I took it out of the washer all the inserts were stuck to it and I had to pull them apart. But it isn't as bulky as the BG One Size...

I have joined a message board for local moms. It truly is wonderful. The ladies there seem to have a sisterhood and I am so honored that they have allowed me to join in. Paul and I are going to a potluck on Sunday at one of the ladies house... Maybe we can make some friends outta this. I'm really looking foward to it; Paul not so much LOL. He's not a very social person and doesn't care to meet knew people. He said he would go for me, so that's nice of him.... We are supposed to bring a dessert, I haven't decided what to bring yet.... Hmmmm... 

I ordered some MAM UltiVent bottles online last week and they came on Monday. I love them!!! The nipples are a little fast for him, but he's actually doing okay with them. I am planning on ordering more of them tomorrow and was going to get a slower nipple, but it may not be necessary... Not sure about the nipples yet. 

Anyways, I'm outta here to watch ANTM.