Merry Christmas from the Winkeys!

We finally got pictures with Santa this week.  We keep missing Santa pictures on the weekend so we went to our local Bounce it Up and Santa was there.  It was great because it was so much more personal.  We walked in and Santa was able to greet Eli by name and talk to him about things that he is interested in.  I think it meant so much more to Eli!

Talking to Santa

The boys

Santa and Cooper

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas from Jess, Eli, Santa, Cooper, and Christel 

A Big Day!

Today Cooper got to meet his Uncle Daryl!  Living in Texas, Christmas time brings a trip "home" for Daryl every year, today we celebrated Eli's birthday and introduced him to Coop.  He stared at his uncle for quite some time.

Me, Cooper, and my big brother, Daryl.

Mighty One Month

Not only does today mark Eli's fifth birthday, our littlest man is one month old!  He has grown so much in his first month and we have been so grateful to have him in our midst.  He is a darling little boy and we are all absolutely enamored with him.

During the last month, he has:

~ started smiling at things and people (mom, dad, and Eli)

~ occasionally coos at people to carry on a conversation

~ loves to snuggle and cuddle

~ lifts/holds head for short periods

~ stares at faces

~ stares at bright/contrasting objects

Fabulous Five!

Today Eli celebrated his fifth birthday.  FIVE!

Yesterday we celebrated by having some of his friends over for his birthday party.  We had a great time visiting with the parents and the kids had a blast of a time running around playing together.  When I say they had a blast, I mean a BLAST.  As in a bomb.  When most families had left I wandered upstairs to get something and happened to glance into his room.  Oh. My. Gosh.  It looked like a nuclear bomb had exploded in there.  Toys, stuffed animals, blankets from his bed, everything had been tossed.  I still can't believe it.  LOL

See the aftermath for yourself:

Of course the highlight for Eli, besides having his friends over to play, was opening presents and eating cake, ok, I really should clarify.  He enjoyed the frosting of the cake.  HA!

 All the kiddos.

Not So Deep Thoughts

I am trying really hard to update at least a couple times a week now that I'm home with the boys during the day.  Grandparents and Great Grandparents have been watching both here and on facebook for those regular photo updates of baby Cooper and big brother Eli so here I am.  It's also a great way to keep track of those milestones for both kids as well as for us as their parents while we adjust to having two kids.

Yesterday was not a great day.  Well, it was absolutely beautiful outside.  It was cold, a mere 27 degrees as I was driving Eli to school in the morning, but the sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was a gorgeous Pacific Northwest winter day (yes, technically it is still fall for 8 more days).  With that said, Cooper had a tough day.  I'm not sure if he had a tummy ache, maybe a headache, maybe his cord stump - yes it is still attached, how crazy is that - was bothering him, at any rate, he did a LOT of crying yesterday.  Crying and screaming.  Lots of screaming.  Lots of crying.  We were all up late trying to console the little guy but the only thing that would calm him down was eating.  He ate a lot.  A LOT.  I know he is at that typical three week growth spurt, but holy smokes. Saying he ate a lot is still an understatement.  He was also awake a lot yesterday, so I think part of it was that he was overly tired and couldn't bring himself down to sleep.  

Thankfully, today, was so much better!  He still had a couple bouts of crying, but what kid doesn't?  He ate more like normal, was awake and played with me and Eli during the day, and got in his typical mid-day naps.  

A few things about the boys from Momma's perspective:

Eli - I still can't believe my baby is going to be five years old in five days.  It seriously seems like yesterday we brought you home from the hospital.  Of course, I think having a newborn increases those feelings, but five years?  That does not seem possible.  I love the way you love your little brother.  If Cooper "has eyes," in other words he is awake, you want to be holding him or playing with him.  If he's asleep, you are making silly faces and getting in Coop's face.  Seriously.  We keep having to ask you to stop and think about how you would feel if you opened your eyes and saw someone two inches away from your own face.  I love the way you calls me into your room at night to tell me odd little things: gifts you'd like for your birthday, something about Santa, to tell me what the sign is for I Love You.  :)  I love the facts that you know and enjoy sharing - like that the sun is really a small star, but it looks big to us.  I love how excited you are for your birthday and for Christmas. I love the way you are finally starting to come out of your shell.  Today you actually talked to the bakery lady at QFC and told her your birthday is this weekend and that you are turning five.  It wasn't your typical timid talk either, you were excited and jumped up and pumped your fist in the air.    I love you and everything about you.

Cooper - Wow, we have known you as YOU for the last 25 days.  Twenty-five days.  I still don't know how that is possible.  You are so much like your big brother as an infant, so laid back and generally calm and easy going.  I could sit and watch you sleep for hours on end and not get bored.  You have so many facial expressions coming and going we could read you like a book.  I cannot wait for you to really start smiling and know you're smiling.  Occasionally we get one while we're talking to you, but they're still few and far between.  I love your giggle while you sleep.  When you giggle, I giggle.  I can't help it.  You have the most adorable chuckle I have ever heard.  I love the way you sneak a peek out of your eyes while you are eating, just to make sure I'm still there (or maybe to see if I'm watching you) or while you're sleeping to see who's holding you.  I love the way you clasp your hands together when your eating/sleeping or how you grab on to my fingers while I'm holding you.  I love the way you nestle in and snuggle so close and tight.  Even though I'm still tired and those crazy dreams are back that I had when Eli was an infant, I love you and everything about you.  I am such a proud Mommy for my two handsome, amazing little boys.

 Some pictures of my cuties:

Nana and Eli

Papa and Cooper - C wasn't awake much longer - Papa has that special touch.

Shhhhhhh.  I'm sleeping.

Adorable.

Still adorable.  

Eli looks like he's up to something though...

Our cute little Monkey.

Helllllllooooooo.....

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!