Valentines Day

We love to love in our family.  And this is what we did.

Bobby sent me flowers!

We went to eat at the Melting Pot. Delish!

Cooper got a new Big Red Firetruck!

Under Water

My eyes are glazed yet focused.  I grip him close, closer than ever before.  I don't want to let him go.  The definition of motherhood is all of the sudden pure and clear in front of me.  I am made to protect.  I am his safe harbor. Emotions flow through my body that I could never comprehend. I understand the Father.  I see His Son out of His grip.  I feel His pain as He watches from afar.  So this is love. The surgeon sweeps in and scoops my baby out of my grip.  I trust the Lord.  He is all I have and all I need.  I wait. We wait.  The longest ten minutes of my life.  I am shaken.  I am human.  I need the Lord.

Returned to me.  My sweet bundle of joy.  Hazy, confused.  He can hear.  No longer under water.  The world is fresh, alive, new.  He is safe and whole.  He looks at us confused.  How could we let this happen to him, so young and naive. He does not understand yet he trusts.

I was stretched today.  I am tired and grateful and moved beyond words expressed.  I discovered love today in a complete new capacity. Thankful for peace and protection in my home.  Forever changed.

Life is Hectic and Lovely

I love to blog, I love to write. I love my family time more.  This has been a constant battle ever since the arrival of Awesome.  He really is pretty awesome and has changed our lives in the most unbelievable way.  And if you told me a year ago that everything would be this way, I would have never believed you.  I can make a mean vroom vroom sound when we play cars.  I dance and sing to the most ridiculous songs.  I read the same 4 page book over and over and OVER again.  I get drool on my jeans almost every day. The same jeans that I can't even button without lying on the bed and holding my breath.  I am both pained and proud of this mysterious shrinking jean occurrence.   I am home every night and snug in the house before the sun even thinks about setting.  I never in a million years would have imagined being the mom that serves up hot dogs and mac n cheese on my son's plate.  But I am.  My life works. OUR life works. and I am so in awe.  God knows.  He plans.  He steps before me.  I am so thankful.

On a lighter note, I mooned all of Pets Mart last week.  Yes, mooned.  As in, pants down, cheeks showing.  If you knew me in college, this may not be a surprise but this was adult me.  Married me.  Has a baby ME!!  Of course I didn't do it on purpose!  I decided it was a good idea to take both dogs and the baby, in the rain, to an appointment.  I am sure you aren't surprised that my sweet puppies hate getting wet.  So I insisted on carrying them.  Lexi insisted on getting her paws caught in my pants and pulling them down(unfortunately, I chose to wear sweats rather than my paint on tight jeans mentioned earlier in the post).  Lovely, I tell you.  I did what any woman would do.  I untangled Lexi, set the pups down and kept walking as if nothing happen.  I am hoping the incident is not saved on the security tapes for all eternity.

Cooper is ONE

Wow, has it really been a month since my last post!  My days of carefree blogging are long gone I am afraid.  Cooper keeps me moving all day long now that he is so active and when we aren't busy playing with blocks and cars, I am working on Potty Jotty business.  Its a good life though.  Maybe I will make a resolution to blog more in January. Just maybe.  You know how I feel about resolutions.

Quick Cooper update:

• Cooper has ditched the bottle and prefers to double fist it whenever possible with his sippy cups.  He likes a water in his right hand and a milk in his left.  That's just how we Herbolds roll.
• He has finally decided that non-pureed food is acceptable but ONLY if it is Cheerios, Puffs, Mum mums, hot dogs, chicken or waffles.  I haven't served him chicken & waffles together just yet but maybe next week we can change it up a bit.
• He crawls as fast as a turbo jet and has no interest in walking.  I think he is just like his dad and the efficiency factor just doesn't pan out when it comes to moving from Point A to Point B.
• Cooper LOVES music and dancing.  
• His favorite toys before the influx of birthday presents invaded the playroom were books,books,books....now its cars,cars,big wooden block,book,book....DANCE!  He makes the rounds in there.
• He has 2 teeth on the bottom and two fighting their way on the top, as we speak.  Teeth put him in a bad mood so he refused to guest blog tonight.  Hopefully we can get him back to writing next week!

Cooper Moments

Cooper can now successfully Moo like a cow.  ON Command. Do I sound like I'm bragging?  He mastered this skill after hearing real cows at the gas station.  He loved them and learned to mimic them.  That is essentially his only "trick" so far. Besides the art of the high five that he somewhat gets.

He also speaks dog.  Barking is his favorite language.  Only his bark is more like a high pitch squeal.  He chases after the puppies all day, barking away.   Cooper plays in his crib some nights when he is fighting sleep.  Well tonight I guess he didn't want to be in there alone so he started barking. Bobby and I were all in the kitchen with the dogs when the barking started.  Little Millie's ears perked up and she went tearing into his room.  Her boy was calling her.  How cute and also very counter-productive to the bedtime routine!

Stay tuned for habits he picked up in Sunday School.  And here's a hint:  Its not how to pray before snack time.

10 Months

Unfortunately, Cooper is a little under the weather so he can't be here today to tell you about the last month of his life.  I will just have to fill in the best that I can!  Cooper is busy busy crawling at turbo speeds with a toy in each hands at all times.  He loves to stand up only to sit back down again a few seconds later.  He has just started to walk around the coffee table and his crib.  Although he prefers crawling as a mode of transportation.  I think because he deems this to be the most efficient way to get from point A to point B.

So tired from playing all day

Cooper loves to eat but only if its puree.  Anything of any real texture makes him gag in the most dramatic way.  He is quite the performer.

Not the best photography on my part but he is so cute standing up and feeling his gums with his tongue.  Still no teeth!!

Cooper took his first international trip this month!  He is becoming quite the traveler and has already earned more miles than the average adult.  I figure he will have Platinum status by the time he is 2!

Happy Baby

Prioritize

When you are a mom you learn to prioritize.  It is a skill that you thought you mastered already B.K. (Before Kids) but you are slapped in the face with the reality that you used to waste so much time before watching the Bachelor and plucking your eyebrows. Once little baby comes drooling along your experienced, structured, efficient self needs a boot camp.  I have a fairly scheduled day set up for Lil C and myself to ensure things get done and we both have time to eat.  But lately, Cooper has been thwarting the system.  His hour long morning naps are turning into 20 minutes.  I used to have an hour to shower and get ready for the day, now its 20 minutes.  That is when I realized I must learn to prioritize better.  Even better than before.  I must choose. Hair or legs.  Yeah, I said it out loud.  Thats what this place is for.  So in the mornings I have about an hour of play time before nap to ponder which item is most important and why.  Secrets out.  If my hair is shiny and clean then you know why I'm wearing pants!  The price of motherhood.