Nana & Pappy's House

Last Saturday, Cooper made his very first trip to Mill Creek (where his Nana & Pappy live). It was an extra special trip, because Cooper got to meet his cousins for the very first time! Mason & Corey were so cute. Corey kept commenting on how small Cooper's hands were. After dinner, Corey randomly walked up to me and said, " You have a bery purdy baby, Manan." :)

Cooper & Nana

Corey holding Coop for the very first time.

Mason and Cooper - he discovered his hands this week and loves to stare at them. It's hilarious, sweet, and pretty much the greatest thing ever! (thus far) ;)

The 3 McCarter Boys

I forgot to mention that it was Charlie's brother's birthday. Nana made him a beautiful Chevy Cake. She really did a great job.

Hanging with Uncle Lonnie

The boys playing with their Uncle Charlie.

A rare moment with Pappy. He doesn't care for the "baby" stage. :)

CryFest

Provided for your viewing pleasure!

I know why God blessed me with such a cute little boy. So . . . . I don't throw myself off a bridge when he acts like this. I mean really - if you think about ............ it would be very difficult to remain calm and collected if an ugly little gremlin were to pitch a fit on you 24/7. Hmmm! (finger on chin) Does this mean that all ugly babies are really sweet and never cry? Don't judge me . . ..  Just because you've never verbalized it! You know you've seen an ugly baby before. :)

4 Months

Cooper turned 4 months old on Wednesday. So, we celebrated by going to his 4 month well visit. :) Which I have been a nervous wreck about. At his last well visit, I would not let the doctor give him ANY vaccinations. Yes . . . I am THAT mom. I really thought he would give me a lot of grief at this visit, so I was prepared. I armed myself with research and knowledge and was ready for a take down. It didn't happen - I'm sooo grateful. This would be one of the many reasons that I love Cooper's pediatrician. In fact, I had to ask him about the ONE vaccination I wanted Cooper to receive. All went well!

Before the Prevnar

After the shot

Seeing this, you probably think that I cried my eyes out OR I'm just really cold hearted. Neither is true. Remember - I stood back and watched as nurses crammed tubes down his nose & throat for his first 6 weeks of life. A little shot never hurt anyone. ;)

Hope

I am TIRED! Cooper has been giving me a run for my money, recently. I guess he really isn't acting much differently than his usual "unhappy" self - it's just starting to get really hard. Reality has set in . . . . . I have to go back to work in two weeks and my baby STILL does not sleep more than two to three hours at a time. It's really hard! I'm sad that I am his MOM and I never know how to comfort him. Does this mean that I'm missing that maternal instinct that all moms are suppose to be born with? Saying this - desperate times call for desperate measures. I took him to a chiropractor. She did a scan and discovered that his little back is misaligned. (Whatever that really means). So, she adjusted him. I know you're probably thinking "OMG, what did she do to her baby." No . . . she didn't crack his back or twist his neck. She took a tool and applied pressure to a small part of his neck. She told me that he would have a bowel movement within 24 hours and should be more content. I'm happy to report that this much was true. However, I do not think we have a permanent fix. She told me that he would require several visits before I would see a significant difference. I'm hoping I've found the answer that I've been looking for.

Friday's highlight, I took Cooper on his FIRST outing. After his appointment, we met my mom and aunt for lunch at Little Tokyo. I was so afraid that someone would try to touch or breathe on him that I was shaking. Everything went just fine. We sat in a corner booth away from all people. :)

I guess you could say that I took a very "short break" from my Weight Watchers.

Cooper rested so peacefully after his adjustment.

He woke up for just a few minutes  - then fell right back to sleep.

Tears

I will be the first to tell you - I could stare at this little face ALL day long! Maybe I'm just a little partial, but I think Cooper could most possibly be the cutest kid EVER. When he smiles, I can feel my heart smile. It's a fabulous feeling. Of course, like all things - it's not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. For the most part, Cooper is NOT a happy baby. He does his fair share of crying, and I spend the majority of my day trying to figure out why he's crying.

Normally, I only share pictures of a sweet happy little boy. Being the honest person that I am, I feel the need to show you a true glimpse of my day.

He cries

and He cries

and cries!

And for the VERY First time . . . . . we have TEARS!

Hello Mr. Sunshine!

This weekend, I was so happy to look out the window and see that the sun was shining. I quickly ran to the door to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. I opened the door . . .  WARMTH! My poor baby. Little Cooper spent the first 40 days of life stuck inside the NICU and all his days since have been spent inside a little house in Gateway Village. Saturday, I put him in his Snugli and walked outside. Much to my dismay, he was not in the mood. I had disrupted his quality time with the ceiling fan. He lasted, hmm . . .maybe 5 minutes before I had to take him back so that he could continue staring at the ceiling. :(

Sunday was a more successful day. I tricked Cooper by placing him in my Moby wrap (where 90 percent of the time, he falls fast asleep). Momma needed some sunshine. We walked around the backyard and watched Charlie work. :) He was busy marking and laying out our privacy fence!!! It's been a long time coming. I can't wait to open the door and let Tucker run free and play. Love his heart. I know that he cares for Cooper, but that little hairless chihuahua has really disrupted his life.

Monday was yet another beautiful day!!! What are the chances? Three nice days in a row! Mom came over and we took Cooper for his very first stroll. He slept most of the mile and a half, but I do think he loved having the sun on his face.

3 Months Already

It's crazy to think that it's been three months. My bed rest days, hospital stays, and NICU visits seem to have happened a lifetime ago. However, some days I can still feel the absolute RAW emotion that I felt during that time. I hate it! On those days I have to step back and count all the blessings in my life. No, things didn't turn out the way I had imagined them. None the less, they turned out. I have a small miracle that reminds me daily that God is in control. Each and every event that takes place is part of his grand plan.