A Tough Day for a Little Boy

Cooper had a rough day today.  When he was born there wasn't anyone at the hospital during the duration of our stay who could perform his circumcision.  Today he finally had that done.  Neither of us wanted to be in the room while they strapped him down and did the procedure (even though he was numbed and won't remember it anyway) so we waited for him to come back to the room.  While there, we could hear other little ones getting  their check-ups and shots and could tell they were not our little Cooper.  It amazes me how we know his specific cry and just how different it is from other infants.  At any rate, we could hear when he was on his way back to the room.  We were ready and waiting to get him redressed, nursed, and flee the office.  His little cry was so heartbreaking - I hope to never hear those little screams again - I'm sure the carseat buckle didn't feel the greatest on his new little owie, but his safety was not something that would be discarded for a little discomfort.  We were nearly home when he quit crying and has been napping on me for the last hour and a half.

Before his procedure, they did a vitals check.  His new stats are:
Weight: 7lbs 14oz
Length: 20in (really?  I don't think he shrunk....)
Head Circumference: 14 3/4 in.

We asked for a printout for his growth chart percentages, but we all forgot about it when we left.  Oops.

Just Because...

We have the most adorable little boys.  We adore them to the moon and back and then way out into the depths of space.

Today was my real first day as a temporary stay at home mom.  With only one snafu with Eli's shoes, we were ready and in the car on time, got Eli to preschool, ran a quick errand, came home, worked on a little laundry, and even picked Eli up at preschool on time!  Lunch was great and now we're finishing up a movie that we need to get back to the video store this afternoon.  So far, it has been a GREAT day!  I love my boys!

Since Nana was here, we had a mini birthday celebration for Eli since she won't be here for his actual birthday.  He LOVES the wall tracks that she got him for his fifth birthday (how is my baby turning five this year?!?!).  Now he wants to get the expansion sets to make it even bigger.  Boys....

 Cooper fell asleep when we went to pick Eli up from preschool.  I swear he just keeps getting cuter by the minute.  What a sweet little monkey!

Two Weeks and Counting

How can two weeks have already flown by?  It is amazing how quickly time is passing having two boys in our midst.  Don't get me wrong, I am loving every minute of it.  I am so incredibly thankful for my two handsome, wonderful little boys.  Eli continues to amaze us with his helpfulness and love for his little brother.  He wants to hold him.  Play with him.  Zerbert him.  Snuggle him.  When we're at the store, he wants to sit next to him and watch him.  It is so sweet.

Of course, we do have those moments, usually when he is really tired, where he wants nothing to do with Cooper.  Again, totally understandable.  He just went from being an only child to having to share his time, especially his "Mommy Time" with someone else.  Someone who requires a lot of that mommy time.  We get it and we try really hard to make sure he still gets time from each of us and some extra little things every once in a while, too.  We've tried to keep his regular bedtime routine the same as much as possible (changing into jammies, brushing teeth, getting ready for bed with Daddy, books and drinks with Mommy) and have really only had one or two nights that I've had to cut things short or start late because Cooper's schedule was off and was in the middle of Eli's bedtime routine.

For the past five days, Nana (Jess's mom) was here and spent time with us.  It was nice having her here although that first day was pretty rocky.  It was my first morning getting both boys ready so I could get Eli to preschool.  We were ready to go right on time!  I was amazed.  Then we got in the car.  When I turned the key to get rolling, nothing happened.  Nothing.  My battery was dead.  Let's just say that put a major wrench in things.  I was supposed to drop Eli off at school then zip out to the airport to pick up Nana.  That did not happen.  Thankfully, one of our neighbors had a battery charger so we hooked it up, charged it for 30-45 minutes then were off to Renton to get Nana - Jess ended up going and picking her up for me.  After a little shopping and lunch, I needed to send a fax for my short term disability so made a "quick" trip in Staples to send it off.  My quick trip ended up being about 25 minutes....just enough time for the battery to die in my car for the second time (Nana, Eli, and Cooper had stayed in the car).  Thank goodness Nana has AAA so we had it jumped and had a diagnostic run on my battery - of course a cell was just about dead so I needed a new battery!  Off to Les Schwab we went!  It was a long day, but we laughed our way through it.  :)

I finally found the real camera (it was up in our room which I really haven't spent many waking hours...minutes...in since Cooper joined us) and took some pictures of our little doodle bugs.

Not so sure about this whole basket thing.

Our happy little man.

I really am here!  There aren't very many pictures of me and my boys, but here is one!

Smiling.  Doesn't it just melt your heart?

...then there is his Mr. Grouchy face.

Nana and her boys.

Nana and Coopster taking a little snooze.

Musings and an Update

I love the thought process of a four, almost five year old.  Yesterday as we were taking Eli to preschool, we drove past a big open pasture.  When he saw it, Eli said, "Last time we were here, I saw animals."  When I asked him what animals he saw there last time, his response was, "Cows, pigs, and baby dinosaurs."  

Yes, baby dinosaurs.

When we asked where the animals were, he said, "They aren't there anymore.  They died."

Apparently this option made more sense to him than them being inside a barn or another part of the field/pasture.  He always keeps us on our toes with his funny little antics.

As for Cooper, we had to take him back to the doctor today for a weight check and for his PKU test.  The PKU test was yet another poke in his little heel, followed up with squeezing to get enough blood to fill five circles on a special paper.  Last week he had to go in twice, on Tuesday and Wednesday, to have his bilirubin levels checked because he was pretty jaundiced.  We felt bad that he had to get poked and squeezed yet again, but it's important so it must be done.  As for his jaundice this week, he is still a little yellow, but the doctor isn't concerned because he is gaining weight, isn't lethargic, and is looking great.

After his birth, Cooper dropped down to 6lbs 10oz before leaving the hospital.  By last Tuesday he had gained 2 more ounces but Dr. A wanted us to come in and check his weight when we brought him in for his PKU test.   As of yesterday, our little doodle bug was back up to his birth weight!  Way to go Cooper!

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...

Introducing the Youngest Winkey

Yesterday we welcomed our second son to the world!  He is absolutely perfect and we all love every little ounce of him.  Eli loves his little brother and continues to ask if he can hold his "little brudder."  It is very precious.

Our last picture as a family of three. 

Getting ready to head to the hospital to meet Cooper.

One excited big brother!  Eli can't wait to meet his little brudder.

Eli was the first one to get to hold Cooper (other than Mommy and Daddy of course).

The newest Winkey Cougar fan.  

It was a long and tough afternoon.  A little skin-to-skin time 

Welcome to the world, buddy!  We love you!

Happy Birthday Momma

This week was a busy one.  Not only did I get most of my conferences completed, it was my birthday.  I came home late in the evening after a day filled with meeting with my students' parents to find flowers, presents, a cake, and my two handsome boys waiting for me! Boy did they make me feel special!

Eli and I ready to blow out candles.

Blowing out the candles.  It's a good thing I had a great helper!

A natural Eli smile.  No goofiness involved.  He is such a handsome little boy!

Yours truly. 

38 1/2 weeks!  Only 9 days to go at this point in time!