Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Last Post of the Year

Like everyone else on New Years Eve, I'm reflecting on the past year. From all of the posts on Facebook, it seems everyone can't wait to say good bye to 2013 and start 2014. I feel the complete opposite. 2013 was the best year of my life and I'm sad that time is moving so quickly!

Cooper amazes me every day with all of the new things he learns to do, and I am so proud when he shows development, but I don't want him to grow so quickly. I went through Cooper's clothes today, and packed up some of the smaller newborn clothes and it made me really sad. I know it's ridiculous and I do want my child to grow and thrive, but it still makes me sad that he's not going to be my baby forever.

On a happier note, here are some of the things Cooper has amazed us with lately:

He smiles all the time. All we have to do is talk to him or smile at him and he cracks a smile. Such a sweetie!

We've heard a few giggles. He really cracks up in his sleep, but I've gotten a few awake chuckles as well.

He tells very long stories. He gets on a roll jabbering and really shows off the facial expressions. He will furrow his brow and sound concerned, then raise his eyebrows and sound excited, then smile and squeal. It is so funny to listen to him!

He is going through a phase where he really dislikes tummy time, but he loves sitting or standing supported. He has such great head control. In fact people in public comment on how strong he is. I think it's because he is still so little that by size he looks like he's only about a month old. We have to explain that he's actually about 3 months adjusted age.

He is starting to reach out for items and actually grab them with his hands now. He usually doesn't hang on for very long, but he tries!

Cooper is teething again. I've heard in babies this young, they will have some discomfort but then the teeth recede back into the gum. He had a week that was fine, but the last few days he's been acting a little uncomfortable again. Lots of drooling, he loves when I rub his gums, and he really gnaws on his fists. I feel a spot on his gums that is elevated and hard, and it looks like possibly a tooth trying to break through. I would still be surprised if it does anytime soon. Most likely it will recede again.

Cooper gets his synagis shot on Thursday so I'll have a weight update them. For now here is a fun photo of him. We keep trying to put him on Diesel's back, but he just won't let him ride. We finally got Diesel to stand still with a peanut butter spoon bribe.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Favorite Things Friday - Baby Christmas Presents

Cooper's adjusted age will be 3 months on Christmas, so we didn't feel the need to buy tons of gifts this year. It's also hard to find toys for babies under 6 months. Here are the items we ended up getting. 

1. The Muppet Christmas Carol DVD ($5) We are starting a new tradition of getting a new Christmas movie every year on Christmas Eve. I found this gem on sale at Shopko.

2. Carter's Microfleece Pajamas ($8) Since we got married, Jake and I have been giving each other pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve. Cooper's are red with moose. I bought them a month ago and got the 3 month size, so they are probably going to be pretty big on him! 

3. Infantino Textured Multi Ball Set ($10) Babies love balls and the different textures will be fun for his curious mind. 

4. Mamas and Papas Tummy Time Interactive Toy ($30) We have a tummy time mat that we like but I think this bolster will work great when he is a little older since it has lots of things to grab and play with. When I was a child, my parents always had one gift unwrapped on Christmas morning that was considered the gift from Santa. Since this one was impossible to wrap, it's the Santa gift this year. 

5. Fisher Price Soothe and Glow Seashorse ($13) Is getting tough to get Cooper to nap during the day unless I'm holding him. He can be exhausted but as soon as he feels me put him down he wakes up and fights the sleep. This toy has a soft glow and plays quiet music for 5 minutes then turns off on its own. I found this on sale at Herbergers and ended up giving it to him that same day. So far he seems to like it and it does seem to put him back to sleep when he is put down. 

As for his stocking, I found a few items that we will need in the next few months. A set of plastic links, a brush and comb set, mesh pacifiers for fruit, and more teethers. 

Sunday, December 15, 2013

5 Months Old

Yesterday was Cooper's 5 month birthday! He's getting so big. He hasn't been weighed in a couple of weeks, but I'm guessing he may be 9 lbs by now! Isn't he getting so chunky?

Friday, December 13, 2013

Favorite Things Friday - Skincare

I have always had dry skin, but the pregnancy made it so much worse. I had to find new, ultra moisturizing skin care products and these are the ones that I've stuck with, in the order that I usually use them. 
1. Lancome Creme Mousse Comfort face wash ($25) This is most definitely the one product I couldn't live without. I tried going back to cheaper drug store brands after Cooper was born but ultimately went running back to the department store for this one! 
2. Neutrogena Body Oil ($8) I still have yet to find a body wash that is enough moisturizing, so I end up using this oil after my showers before I dry off. If has a nice subtle scent. 
3. Lancome Tonique Confort toner ($25) Toner is great right after face wash to get a squeaky clean feeding. This one is made especially for dry skin. 
4. Lancome Genefique Eye eye cream ($62) I got this eye cream as a sample when I bought my first tube of Lancome face wash and really love how soft and supple it makes the skin around my eyes. It is definitely a splurge but I bought a jar almost a year ago and still have a lot in it, so it lasts forever! 
5. Lancome Bienfait Aqua Vital face moisturizer ($45) Another product that lasts forever! It doesn't take much to cover your face, but if I skip this step, I regret it later in the day! 
6. Jergens Skin Firming lotion ($8) I can't say I notice it firming, but it is very moisturizing.
7. Covergirl Tinted Moisturizer ($7) One face moisturizer just isn't enough, so I use this tinted moisturizer instead of a foundation. It has very light coverage, moisturizes, and has sunscreen built in. This is hard to find in stores. Walmart never has it, Walgreens rarely has it, the grocery store sometimes has it. The last time I found it I stocked up!   

Monday, December 9, 2013

Early December Update

The last two weeks have been pretty tame. We are settled back in at home and getting on a schedule. Last week was bitter cold in Montana, 5 days in a row that didn't even get into the positives, so Cooper and I have been staying in the warm house. Cooper is almost 5 months old, 10 weeks adjusted. In some ways he is still much like a newborn, in others he is developing very well.

Cooper still eats every two hours during the day. I continue to give him more in his bottle, adding a few mLs every few days, and he always eats it all then two hours later is hungry again. He's a little piggy! We are still nursing a few times a day. I let him eat as long as he wants and it's usually between 1 hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes he wants a bottle 30 minutes later. I'm trying to keep myself positive but it is getting frustrating when it takes so much time. We will continue working on it as I'm hoping that he gets stronger and quicker. My ultimate goal is to just stop pumping! I'm still adding to the stock pile of frozen breast milk so if I get to the point that I give up on breast feeding, I can stop pumping and still feed Cooper bottles from the stock pile for quite a few months.

Cooper still likes tummy time, but I think he likes playing on his back even more. He kicks and swings his arms around and gets so excited to interact with me. He also loves to sit up. I think he really likes to look around and sitting up is the best way to look around. We support his back, but he holds his head up all on his own. He is such a smiley baby! We are to the point that all I have to do is look at him and smile and he breaks out a huge grin. He does a little grunting chuckle sound, lots of squeals...and I swear one time he did a full on giggle! He loves when I sing! He is starting to figure out his hands. He usually just brings them to his mouth, but one time he grabbed my finger and took it to his mouth. I catch him really looking at things, studying them. He loves mobiles. When I put Cooper in his crib, he looks up at his animal mobile and smiles like they are his friends. It is so cute!

He is sleeping in his crib every night. I give him his last bottle sometime around 9 then put him in his crib. Sometimes he is already asleep, sometimes he's wide awake. If he's awake sometimes he is content to watch his mobile and fall asleep on his own, sometimes he needs his pacifier. When I get up in the middle of the night to pump, I wake him up for a bottle. There have been a few nights that I slept right through my alarms and Cooper sleeps on through the night. If I let him, he would sleep more than 8 hours, but the pediatrician recommends waking him at about 5 hours since he is still small for his adjusted age.

Last week, Cooper got another synagis shot. He was weighed and was 8lbs 11oz. He is still in newborn size clothes, but we finally started using size 1 diapers. Let me just say that we absolutely love our pediatrician, her nurse, and the immunization nurse. Any time I have a question, I am able to call the nurse on her personal office phone. If she doesn't answer right away, I always get a call back within an hour. I know they are very busy and have lots of other patients, but they all remember us and remember Cooper's health history.

I have been working on a weekly cleaning schedule and now that Cooper is able to spend more of his awake time entertaining himself, I'm able to get more chores done. Still not as much as I would like to get done, but enough for now. Jake's mom will be here in a couple of weeks and I know she will be glad to entertain Cooper so I'm planning to get some big organizing projects done. I'll end this post with another adorable picture of Cooper.