03.31.12

We had a little family outing today to Tyler’s Taproom for lunch (pictured here), then to Lowe’s, and then to Sam’s club.  It started off rainy but ended up being a beautiful day.

03.30.12

Cooper and I spent the day traveling to Charlotte, NC to visit some of my genetic counseling classmates.  There was a national genetics meeting (ACMG) going on there – two of my classmates (Kristen and Kelly) both attended the meeting.  Kristen lives in Atlanta and Kelly lives in Alabama so I don’t get to see either one of them very often.  My classmate, Whitney, who lives in SC decided to make the trip too.  Whitney and I met up a bit earlier in the day to shop at Ikea and then met the other two out for dinner.  It was great to visit with all of them.  Whitney’s getting married in October…so we all might not see each other until then…

From L to R:

Whitney, Kelly, Cooper, Kristen

03.29.12

We have a roller!  I put Cooper in his crib while I got his bath ready and he decided to roll from his back to his belly.  We’re still working on rolling from his belly to his back…

03.28.12

My silly child will use his pacifier whatever way he wants.

03.27.12

This is what Cooper’s pjs looked like when I got up this morning.  I would have taken a picture of him in them, but I thought that would be a bit cruel to make him wait while I get the camera…although he didn’t seem irritated at all that his entire back was wet.  Needless to say, he needed an impromptu bath this morning…

My poor child...

03.26.12

Cooper has been wrestling out of his swaddle at night and it ends up "tangled" around his upper body, so we've decided to stop wrapping him up at night.  We tried covering him with his blanket and tucking the ends (like they advise at the hospital where we delivered him) but apparently that doesn't really work either (see below).  We also don't typically give him a pacifier...mainly because he doesn't usually take it.  But we usually have it laying in the corner of the crib (farther away than shown in the picture).  Tonight he twisted himself (almost rolling over) just to reach it...he then chewed on the wrong side for a bit...but at least he finally fell asleep.  Here he is sleeping peacefully...for maybe a few hours... ;)

03.25.12

Sometimes Chris isn’t the best at picking out matching clothes for Cooper…I find it kind of funny and it’s not really a battle I’m ready to take on.  As long as Cooper is dressed appropriately for the weather and won’t be made fun of by his peers, we’re good.  Apparently Cooper was not a fan of the clothing choice either (FYI there is also a bear on the butt of these pants…).  Later in the day, we put on the matching John Deere shorts, bib, turned the hat inside out and took a ride around the yard.  Sadly, he doesn't look so thrilled even when his clothes do match...

03.24.12

We went out to the new Wild Wing Café that opened in Cary to watch the Ohio State basketball game with Katie and Sal.  Katie is an Ohio State alum…since they’re the only Big Ten team left in the tournament, we had to help cheer them on with her.  There was so much going on that Cooper refused to fall asleep and then got really fussy…so we had to leave shortly after halftime.  We can’t wait to find a babysitter! ;)

03.23.12

Cooper and Daddy hanging out before bedtime.  Looks like Cooper is trying to decide if Daddy looks better without his glasses...

03.22.12

Cooper turned 5 months today!  He was not interested in posing for a picture with his frog…

03.21.12

Cooper received Sophie la Girafe – a popular French toy - from my friend, Robin, who has been traveling through France (and all over the world).  Robin and I traveled together in France and Italy back in 2002.  The bonus picture is Cooper with all of his toys…he tends to push them off the mat and out of reach when he’s trying to grab them.  As expected, this leads to tears because he can’t reach any of them.

03.20.12

First day of Spring!  I would kind of like to say I spent the day Spring cleaning the entire house…but I didn’t.  I selfishly spent my morning at the gym swimming laps…and then napped for a couple of hours.  I eventually got the vacuum out…I would have posted a before photo of the couch, but I’d be embarrassed!

03.19.12

Just another day…nothing exciting...nothing glamorous.  Christian and I relaxing and watching TV for a bit before going to bed.

03.18.12

Today I ran my first post-Cooper half marathon...it was not pretty!  Although that may have been more because I didn't train for the race whatsoever than the fact that I had a baby 5 months ago.  I also had to stop to use the bathroom during the race - first time that has ever happened - again, I'd like to blame it on my post-baby bladder...but probably more to do with the fact that I didn't want to wait in the huge line for a port-a-potty before the race.  Oh well.  I wasn't really expecting a great race.  And because I didn't really care about the results of the race, I talked Christian into not staying to watch and cheer me on (although I have to admit, it didn't really take much convincing at all...hmmm...).  All-in-all, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be...I finished before the fastest full marathoners, so I call that a success!

Here I am pre-race when Christian was dropping me off.

03.17.12

We went over to one of Christian’s friend’s house for a St. Patty’s Day party.  Here’s a picture of Cooper and I hanging out in our green attire before leaving the party :)  There were several other kids at the party as well...and we were able to confirm just how big Cooper is...He was the same size as one of the boys who is going to be turning 12 months next week!

(And a bonus picture of Cooper sporting his Packer hat while jumping away…)

03.16.12

Tonight, last minute, we decided to go to the Aviator Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina to meet some of Christian's friends for dinner.  Cooper was doing really well…but he was so exhausted and so he started to get a bit cranky by the end of the night (as seen here…).

03.15.12

Must have been a tiring day for Cooper…looking sleepy while resting with Daddy.

03.14.12

Chris took on the duty of picking up Cooper from daycare so I could go out to dinner.  My genetic counseling classmates, Holly & Brooke, met me out at Trali Irish Pub in Brier Creek.  It was great to catch up!

03.13.12

Cooper stayed home from daycare today because he had a temperature of 102.  He’s been a bit congested and has had a runny nose, but he seemed to be happy and smiley as usual.  He took a couple of long naps.  I figure he needed to rest up.  Then it was so nice out (I was hot in my shorts and long sleeves...), so we hung out on the porch for a bit. :)

03.12.12

Daddy and Cooper hanging out before bedtime.

03.11.12

Cooper spent some time in his jumper today…jumping non-stop!  Made me tired just watching him.

“Mom, jumping is very serious business.  I don’t have time to smile for a picture.” 

03.10.12

Cooper and I decided to enjoy the nice weather with a walk around the neighborhood.  We only made it about a mile before he started screaming...oh well, it was good to get some fresh air anyway.

03.09.12

Cooper is growing so fast and I was afraid that he’d grow out of this outfit before he really had “somewhere” to wear it.  So, he wore it today even though he didn’t go anywhere special.  Everyone at school said he looked so handsome!

03.08.12

Chris didn’t have to work nights tonight…so he and Cooper enjoyed some tummy time together. :)

03.07.12

I am a master swaddler.  Better than the so-called experts.  Better than Chris, who is quite good at swaddling I must say.  When I swaddle Cooper he’s so snug and never gets his arms out of it…no matter how long he sleeps at night he stays nice and snug.  Just see below…this is how I found him one morning after my master swaddling techniques were used….

...I'm such a good mom.

03.06.12

Last night was one of those nights where Cooper was up the entire night...every single minute (or at least it seemed like it…I’m thinking he may have an ear infection, we’ll see how tonight goes)…anyway, that type of night only leads to one of those mornings where I’m running around barely awake trying to get Cooper changed, dressed and fed, trying to enjoy a cup of coffee to wake up, get myself dressed, and keep the very slight motivation that I still have to get to the gym (with hopes of not drowning once I get into the pool).  So in this daze of a morning, I lost my coffee (sadly after only taking one or two sips of it).  This evening as I was getting Cooper ready for a bath and picking out some pajamas, I found my morning coffee…right where you’d expect it to be…in Cooper’s closet.

03.05.12

So many bottles to wash...

03.04.12

Chris had to go into work at 7 pm (12 hour shift)…so I decided to enjoy a glass of wine while I keep an eye on Cooper through the monitor.  My friend, Kristen, joined me (through text and IM) with a glass of wine and good conversation!

03.03.12

Today Cooper was sporting his Michigan Tech sweatshirt that he got from one of my sorority sisters, Emily.  For the life of me, I couldn't get him to smile...I'm thinking it was because he was hoping we don't send him there with all the snow they get!

03.02.12

Cooper skipped school today so we could hang out together.  It just so happened that one of Cooper’s favorite artists (and one of mine as well) was on the Ellen Degeneres show.  This is Cooper watching Jason Mraz perform his new song, “I won’t give up.”  He can’t wait to play guitar and sing just like him!  (As Whitney's fiance, Brett, commented...he's "Mrazmerized."  haha).

03.01.12

Cooper brought home his artwork from school today. :)