I'm finally getting the chance to go through some of the pictures that we've taken since Cooper's birth.  It's fun going through these pictures.  Everything was such a blur those first few days.  I guess we're still in those days as he is still only 4 days old! It's amazing how four days has gone by and it seems as though we have always known and had him as a part of our family, and yet, how can it be 4 days already?  I won't get everything done tonight, but promise more Cooper pictures in the days to come.

Of course, Jess got to come to the Operating Room with me, however they wouldn't let him come in until after they had given me my spinal and started prepping for the c-section.  As he was waiting in the hallway for what, I'm sure, must have seemed like forever, he took this self-portrait.  He makes a good doctor, huh?

When Cooper was just a few minutes old, Jess captured this amazing picture.  I still hadn't seen Cooper yet, but I had heard his adorable little chicken cry.  Yes, I said chicken cry.  All I could hear from the other side of the 'tent' in OR #15 was his little cry and I remember thinking 1) "Wow, he has a great set of lungs already," and 2) "Wow, he sounds like a chicken."  I remember laying there crying, thinking about how much I loved my little "Chicken Coop" and I hadn't even seen a speck of him yet.  Anyway, I love how even though Cooper is only a few minutes old here (if that!) he grabbed right on to his Daddy's finger with such a grasp that only a parent could truly understand.

Here is our little man all cleaned up and ready to go meet Mom. When I say little, I really do mean little.  Eli has always been a brick.  From the day he was born until now, he has just always been a very solid kid.  Never fat, just solid. We welcomed Eli nearly five years ago at 8 pounds 7 ounces, so we all just expected we would be welcoming Cooper in much the same manner.   This is so not the case.  Cooper was born weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces and 20.5 inches long (they never did get a very good reading on Eli when he was born.  The hospital says he was 18 inches long, but 3 days later at his first Well Baby Check he was 20 inches long.  There is no way he grew 2 inches in three days). He is quite the charmer even here ready to go meet Mom!

 After what seemed like an eternity, I finally go to meet my little man face-to-face.  Talk about an exciting moment.  My first thought after seeing him, other than how amazingly handsome he was, was just how much he looked like Eli when he was a baby.

Here's our first almost family picture, it at least has Cooper, Mommy, and Daddy.

 Eli was very excited to finally meet his little brother.  This was the first time he saw him, just after Cooper was wheeled back to our room.  Eli is an amazing big brother.  He loves to hold his little brother and today even got to start showing him all of his toys and things in his room.  I can't wait to see how their relationship grows over the next few weeks, months, and years.  We are so lucky to have two amazing little kiddos.  What a wonderful blessing for our family!

...more to come...