I am one who loves the change from summer to fall and then from fall to winter...however this year I wish winter would GO AWAY! I come home from work around 5:00 and bundle up in sweat pants, socks, a sweat shirt and a blanket too! I hate how I am ready for bed at 8 o'clock! As soon as I put Cooper down, I begin nodding off and I can't bring myself to do one more thing around the house. I am tired of being useless during the week! I want to be able to go outside, take Cooper and Ellie for walks and get back into a walking/running workout routine! We used to have a sign hanging on the front door that said "Welcome Winter", I sure did take the sign down in hopes that winter will get the hint! ;)
Sunday Sweetheart!
My mom (nana) took Cooper to his first class at church this morning. I would have taken him, but this mama took advantage of some MUCH needed sleep! He looked adorable in his khakis, baby Gap shirt and jean jacket! He was really good and he told me he can't wait to go back next Sunday! Oh and by the way he is saying mamamama now! 
Cooper used to sleep at night...now not so much!
Cooper has been a quirky child right from the get go! He has NEVER slept like a newborn. That is both a good and bad thing. The first night in the hospital I should have known that I was in for a ride with CJ! We sent him to the nursery night one so that we could try to sleep and also because I was in and out from the mag drip...YUCK!! I faintly remember the nursery bringing him to me saying"I think he is hungry". They would leave him with me to feed and we would send him back. Josh would bearly get settled on his chair bed...lol and the nursery was BACK AGAIN! Oh brother! They discharged us just a few days later on July 1 and from that day until around Thanksgiving Cooper has been sleeping pretty good at night. Pretty good means 5-7 hours in between feedings. Cooper has also never been a napper...pretty bizarre for an infant. He takes maybe 2 cat naps a day, and occasionally he will take a 1-2 hour nap. I stopped breast feeding when he was 5 months and right around the time I stopped he has NOT been sleeping at night. I guess the magic was in mama's milk and I would give anything to have some more right now!
Right about the end of November Cooper has been...well a pain in my @$# at night! I love him like crazy but the fits that he throws are absolutely the worst thing to wake up to at 12 am, 3 am and 6 am! The squeal/scream is SOOOOOOOO loud, and to make it even worse he throws his head back and scoots his body up to the top of the bed! It is BAD people!! We feed him a bottle and he falls back asleep before he can even finish it. Then 3 hours later....repeat above! I thought he was doing so good, and now Josh and I are walking zombies at night. You would think the older he got, the better he would sleep.
We make sure to get his tummy full with a bit of oatmeal mixed with formula before bed and he is eating solid food 2-3 times a day. My hungry man is well fed and he is an excellent eater!!
At first I thought it was a growth spurt...let's face it we have a lot of those, he is a growing boy! If he is teething...he has no signs of teeth coming in just yet. So we asked his pediatrician what to do and she said...put water in his bottle. If we substitute water for formula in the middle of the night he will realize water is not worth waking up for. It will start to break the habit of waking up to eat all the time.
I would like some suggestions/advice from all you mama's. I know this to shall pass however I wish it would be sooner than later!
Happy half birthday!
Days turn into weeks then months and now 6 months have passed since the birth of our first born. Cooper Jackson Gray is celebrating his half birthday today. Not that we did anything special, but I sure was glad that I am off on Christmas break so that I could share quality time with him! Josh has been off of work the past two days with an ear ache :(, but we have gotten some very valuable family time.
CJG, at your half a year milestone you are: Sitting up all by yourself! You get a little wobbly, but I would say you are able to do it with little to no help. You are SO close to crawling! You are up on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth. You know the motions you just haven't quite got the hang of it just yet. It won't be long before we will be chasing you all over the house.
You are still a great eater which means you are one healthy little boy.
You are eating 5-6 oz. of Good Start formula every 4-5 hrs. (+ or -). You are a pro at holding your bottle on your own. You are now eating several 1st foods (1-2 times a day)-green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, pears. You like them all however it takes you a few bites to get acquainted with the flavor. You even mock your mama and say mmmmmm! So sweet. I try to get you to say mama since you already have the mmm sound down...lol.
We put you down to bed around 9pm, you wake up to take a bottle around 3am, then you will awake around 7:30 or 8. You have always been a pretty good sleeper at night! For this I am thankful!
You are a jumper in your bouncy chair, sometimes I swear the chair is going to detach itself from the base and you will fly to the ceiling. This is no joke, anyone who has seen you bounce is amazed at your jumping ability!!
You are wearing size 3 diapers and are beginning to sleep in your own bed. Some people may disagree with this but I wanted to make the transition when I was ready. Trust me I do not want to sleep with a kid in my bed forever! The first several months you liked being next to someone and laying you down by yourself was simply not an option, especially if your dad and I wanted any sleep. You are getting used to your crib and you are sleeping quite well in it.
You are such a smiler! You just grin from ear to ear and it melts my heart! You have been rolling all over the place for a month or two but your new thing now is trying to sit up from lying down. You could be getting your diaper changed or just laying on the floor, but you lift up your head and tighten your ab muscles and try as hard as you can to pull yourself up. You are almost there, you are one strong dude.
Each day is more fun than the day before. I love watching you make new discoveries. I am going to try and slow down life for the next six months. Yeah, good luck I know! I will have a 1 year old!
New Year/New Start
I feel like I have been behind on EVERYTHING since I returned from maternity leave in late August. Having a child is the absolute best thing in this world, however my world has been rocked upside down since having him!! I began this school year, wanting to be a mommy and not a teacher, so I delayed getting things ready at school. I did just enough to get by and I think that was a BIG mistake. I did not want to spend one second away from my new little man and it was a great choice because I will never get those precious moments back. I would never trade time with my son for work, but ever since then I have not been able to get back on my feet. I am currently living one day at a time and that is not going to cut it. I am struggling to get my lesson plans and weekly newsletter done in time. My principal has been so understanding and luckily she isn't checking to see if I have those things completed until Monday night or sometimes later in the week. I would like to get to the point where I am thinking weeks ahead.
Not only is my work life affected but my home life is as well. I have such an amazing husband who is being patient with his wife who before being a mommy had a touch of OCD and was on top of most everything. He packs Cooper's bags, cleans the house, washes bottles, and on and on. Yes I know these are things good dads do but he does it without one single complaint. I am so grateful to him for not giving me a hard time about getting my sh*# together.
It didn't help that I was sick with a stomach bug the weekend of Thanksgiving and the whole first week of December. What a crappy way to begin the holiday season. We were able to get the Christmas tree up, but it took a while to get it decorated (yes it was Josh that decorated the tree). It also didn't help that we have not had a free weekend to shop and do all the things that I enjoy during the holidays (sleep in, bake, watch movies, etc). And my final waa waa moment is...here it is 3 days until Christmas and I JUST got out of school for the break, and to top it off I am not done shopping. No real complaining here, I am thankful for the time off, just a little angry that we are the last district in Texas to begin our Winter break.
So here is my solution...We are just days away from ringing in the new year and I plan to have a (cliche I know) new year's resolution. Everyone needs a list of things that they can do to improve themselves and it could not come at a better time for me. I need a change of pace, a new start and I promise that I will work hard to get my act together. I plan to get an organized start at school, give a balance of energy to work and my boys at home. I want to not feel so utterly exhausted when I get home. I want to really LOVE on Josh and Cooper. And I want to feel like a successful teacher, mother and wife! With all that being said 2010 has been good to my family and I and I hope 2011 brings lots of joy as well! I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy New Year! Blessings to you all!
First family trip to the zoo
Dad showing me the flamingos!
Lookin just like daddy! 
Monkey mama and her baby...so sweet! 
What a fun day! Now I am tired!
5 Months old!
Another month has come and gone and my baby boy is 5 months old. I could blog about other things than just my son, but when would I have time? Ha! I am already a few days late on posting his monthly updates, sometimes it can take up to a week or more. So for now baby news is all you get, but that is what you want I'm sure. This family of three is doing great!
Cooper has been such a blessing to Josh and I and we are SO thankful that he is in our lives!
Cooper Jackson Gray at 5 months you are: Probably between 17-18 pounds and you are so tall, maybe 27 in. or more! Seriously you look like you are 8 or 9 months old. You do not have fat rolls, you are just one stout baby. You are getting a little bit of hair, but for the most part you are still a baldy. Your eyes are still the prettiest blue I have ever seen, just breathtaking! You are wearing size 3 diapers, and are wearing 3-6 months and 6-9 month clothes. You just recently stopped breastfeeding and you are still on Good Start formula. You are also eating rice cereal/oatmeal but only when it is mixed with green beans, carrots, or squash. Those are your first foods and you like them all, so far you are not picky! You have always been a good eater. You are finally beginning to understand how to eat from a spoon. You open your mouth when we say "bite". You LOVE LOVE LOVE to bounce in your bouncer! You are definitely getting your exercise and tend to wear yourself out. You have really good eye hand coordination and most things that you can get your hands on go into your mouth. You are beginning to notice when we leave the room, and you whine for us to come back. You get up on your hands and knees, but you are not crawling yet. You have found your voice and you love to squeal very loudly! You still have a serious temper and you throw your head and arch your back, you let us know that you mean business. You usually do this when you are starving, because we all know your mother and father keep food from you...not! You have begun to try and sit up on your own. You still need just a little support, it won't be long and you will be sitting up all by yourself! You are still a great sleeper! You go down around 9:00 or 9:30 and sleep until 3 or 4 am, take a bottle and go right back to sleep until 8:00 or so.
I take every moment I can to hold you, squeeze you, and kiss you because I know it won't last forever. You melt my heart when you hold me back. We love you son!
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