Where Cooper likes to......

Sit, lay, hang out and snooze! Cooper likes to chill in several places around the house. Pictures below show a few of his favorites! Enjoy!
*

on the swing with mommy

chillin' with Lucy
in the baby bjorn headed on a walk

workin' on fillin' his pants

playing with his rattle

swaddled up....baby burrito

hanging out in his bouncy seat

really warm in his car seat

staying cozy in his car seat

sleeping like a big boy in his crib since 4 weeks!

hanging out on his play mat

hangin' with daddy and Lucy

sooooo tired

snoozin' in the pack n play

snoozin' in the swing

snoozin' on daddy's lap

snoozin' with daddy

Our lil' pumpkin at the patch

We were excited that Cooper arrived in time to celebrate Halloween and enjoy a trip to the pumpkin patch. He was a wee 6 days old when we took him to the patch to pick out our pumpkin and take some pictures!!!! As you can tell he did great!
.
As you might have figured out, these photos were kept under wraps until birth announcements were sent out. Special thanks to Due West United Methodist for letting us take over the patch for our photo shoot.

Didn't know they made wagons that small.

Hanging out with my Auntie Carly.

Splish Splash......

Cooper's 1st bath took place about 2 1/2 weeks ago! Slippin' and sliddin' all over the place we managed to give him his first bath quickly and successfully! He seemed to like it and slept for a solid 5 hours that night! Mommy was convinced it was because of the bath and wants to give him one every night if it means him sleeping that well. :)

right before bath time!

a very full tummy - now we bathe him before eating :)

"Please just put clothes on me so I can be warm"

ONE month new!!!

We have a ONE month new lil' baby!!! Cooper is growing quickly and adjusting to life with us (or us with him...hmmm). We found these stickers on etsy.com (if you aren't familiar with the site.......plan on spending hours on there....it's fabulous). Anyways, you'll be seeing these photos each month as Cooper continues to grow and change. ENJOY!

what mom.....more pictures?

he's a big fan of waving and moving his hands around....can you tell?

alright mom, I'm over this, can you stop taking picts please?

Halloween fun!

Cooper's 1st Halloween was full of festivities and cute outfits! We had a couple's Halloween costume baby shower on Friday night and neighborhood trick or treating on Saturday night. We enjoyed time with friends and family and of course showing off our lil' pumpkin! Enjoy pictures below! Check back soon for pictures of his first bath and pumpkin patch!
*
PS - If you didn't read the last post please do and know that I'm so thankful for a supportive, loving and encouraging best friend, husband and now proud daddy! Believe me when I say I would not have made it through the past few weeks without all of Phil's help.

Our lil' cowboy

the costume couples baby shower

us at the neighbor Halloween bonfire

His skeleton costume glows in the dark!

wide eyed Cooper

ALL the neighborhood kiddos in their costumes

all the parents taking pictures

lil' guy was very hungry at this point

the things we do to our children for a picture

"You told me to look scary, right?"

Phil's handy work at carving our pumpkin

*

What a blessing it is to have true friends!!! When you have best friends that live in another state you can't help but get excited when they are in town. It's even better when they SURPRISE you!!!! This could not have come at a better time. It had been an extremely long night and I was exhausted. I was sitting downstairs holding Cooper when I noticed a truck pull up. I see Blaire get out and wasn't sure who was with her. Then I noticed it was lil' Andee and Leslie too! Needless to say I was thrilled and overwhelmed with joy! I'm so thankful for these two girls and was so happy to have them meet lil' Cooper. We were able to spend time together and love on our lil' ones. Here are a few pictures from our time together. Thank you both for making the effort to be here and for always loving me so well!

Andee, me, Blaire, Les and Cooper

My Hero ...

As a new father of just over 3 weeks now, I like to think I've figured a few things out. First of all, a newborn is a beautiful thing that makes you smile and laugh and sometimes cry. Secondly, no matter how much you try and prepare yourself there is nothing that can truly "prepare" you for the unique experience of your unique little person (this was no real surprise). Thirdly, a newborn is a lot of work ... worth every second, but a lot of work.
.
And while you always want them to be happy like this ...

And you revel in the peace that comes with times like this ...

After a while all you want to do is this...

Finally, I've learned that as a father there is only so much you can do for a newborn. For that reason and so many more my wife is my biggest hero.

.

On the days when I was overwhelmed she did all she could to calm me down. For the days when she knew I needed just a little break she would let me wander off for a few minutes to have a breather. And on the days (and especially nights) when our little boy needed the things only she could offer she gave them in good spirit and with the patience of a saint. As busy as things get she nevers fails to take the time to let me know how much she loves us. For these reasons I thought it only fair to make sure everyone knows that my wife is the love of my life, the beautiful mother of my child, and the woman I am blessed to spend the rest of time with. My true and deserving HERO!

.

I love you baby and I think you are doing a great job!

Your humble husband,

Phil

Cole & Ian's Wedding Shower

My dear friend Cole is marrying Ian this coming April! Definitely a reason to celebrate! Cole & I lived together before Phil & I got married, she was in our wedding and I am in her’s! Our mom’s are life long friends as are we! We celebrated this past weekend at a garden/croquet couple's party! If you haven’t ever played croquet – I highly recommend it. It’s quite fun! Cooper joined the fun and did great! He slept pretty much the entire time with the exception of feeding and being put in the baby bjorn (not a fan). We had a great time getting out of the house, feeling normal, socializing with friends and best of all celebrating Cole & Ian!

see...not a fan quite yet -- a lil' too small

me with the bride to be

the happy couple!