Cooper's 2 month update

Cooper (aka Stud Muffin) turned 8 weeks old yesterday!

Little stud muffin on a stroller ride around the neighborhood on his 8-week-old birthday.

  Here is some of what he had going on over the last 4 weeks: 

 1) Cooper started really focusing and tracking faces during the middle of the month and on objects during the last week of the month. It's so fun to watch his development!

Cooper and his new playmat he got on his 8-week-old birthday

The little rascal giving me the stank eye!

3) Cooper also spent his first afternoon outside this month and loved every second of it. I would anticipate that babies don't like breezes on their face or the sun in their eyes - but our baby can't get enough of anything to do with the outdoors. Mommy and baby even had their first "ride" in the hammock together. Another thing he loves is being under a tree with the moving shadows - so swinging on the hammock, under the tree was bliss!

Mommy and Cooper under the gazebo hanging out.

4) Cooper visited the mall with mommy for the first time late this month. Really, mommy didn't have anything to shop for - just wanted to get out of the house (windy weather) and experience something new. Plus he really likes his stroller.

Enough said.

5) Cooper also met all of mine and Owen's co-workers. He slept the entire time through both visits - which was nice.

Daddy and Cooper on a warm, beautiful day outside.



Eskimo kisses!

6) Cooper also started to make it apparent that he recognizes mommy and daddy's voices. He turns suddenly toward our voice if he's being held by someone else. So sweet!

Our little family.

7) He also got he first little taste of a cutie orange and a banana (just touched it with his tongue - didn't give him really any substance yet). He's smitten.

8) The first time I had to be away from Cooper for more than a quick errand was this month for a dermatology appointment. I teared up the entire time - at first I think the nurses thought I was scared to be at the docs!



You said it brother!

 9) Cooper's really gotten on-board with bath time. He loves the sound and feel of the water and mommy loves this bonding time with baby.


A warm bathroom heater keeps him happy after bath time!



Early (censored) bath time photo - still working on focusing.


10) Cooper got his first cold this month. Boo! I noticed that he coughed a couple of times and they weren't after eating or being outside so I took him in as a precaution. And sure enough the little guy had a cold - the doctor felt like it was RSV and gave us some tips on what to do to make sure it didn't get serious enough for a hospital visit. So, for the next 2 weeks he slept upright in his carseat, slept with a humidifier and generally we kept him upright or on his tummy for the most part. Either it really wasn't bad enough to be RSV or we did a good job of curbing it as it never really progressed past a few coughing spells. Note: this was also mommy's first baby-related breakdown - I thought I was the worst mommy ever for my sweet baby to already be sick. Thanks to Nana and Nani for talking me out of my own meltdown.

Cooper in his swing - ready for lunch!

11) David & Nancy (Nana & Pop) met Cooper and visited for about a week during their Spring Break. It was a bit of a stressful week as we thought Owen was being deployed to help in the Libya efforts so much time was devoted to him getting ready to leave and us preparing for it - but it never panned out. The visit was great and full of lots of picture-taking, visiting and hanging out at home getting lots of baby time in.

12) During the last week of the month we took Cooper on his first roadtrip to Lubbock to visit the family and meet some friends and family he hadn't met yet. The trip to Lubbock went okay but at about an hour out Cooper had a mini-meltdown - poor guy was so over being in his carseat! 

During this trip we got to met Great Grandboddy and Granddad and Great Aunt Kay and Uncle Bobby on Owen's side.


Great Grandboddy and Granddad with Cooper

And on my side Cooper got to meet his Uncle Jim and cousin Haydn, Uncle Cody, Great Grandma Big Spring, Great Aunt Monica and Uncle Tommy and second cousins, Jerad, Morgan and Meagan. We also got to see Nani and Papi and Trenton and Stacia again. If that wasn't enough meeting and greeting we also went to a friend's wedding shower and was able to see many of our Whitharral friends.


Haydn and Cooper



Haydn and Cooper

Great Grandma Big Spring



Trenton and Stacia with Cooper

On the trip back home we decided to make it as far as Cooper told us we could and then stop for a little more time - this worked great as we were able to stop for dinner at a restaurant. That cuddling time during dinner, out of his carseat, is just what Cooper needed to get through the next leg of the trip. He made it all the way until about 5 minutes out before he told us that he was over it. Not bad for the first roadtrip!

13) And, lastly Cooper changed clothes approximately 90 times this month so it was necessary to have lots of cute onesies on-hand! 

Happy 2 months old baby boy!

iPhone Photos and our new Flickr Account

We are now constantly in the mode of taking photos - especially with our iPhones since they are always so handy. We've posted many of these shots on Flickr via "Cooper's Photos" on the right.

In the meantime here are some of our favorites:

Mommy with a sleepy Cooper.

Cooper is a very alert and happy baby!

He always has his mouth open - even when asleep. Hehe!

Daddy's little champ!

Cooper realy loves lying on his changing pad. Here he is playing with me with his hand.

2 Weeks of Life: update

We had a wonderful second week with Cooper just spending time bonding and loving on him at home.

Owen went back to work on Monday 3/7 so this was my first day by myself... and I won't lie - it was super hard! Cooper is normally really happy and calm but he had a tough Monday and I had a mini breakdown when Owen finally came home. The rest of the week was much better although it's interesting how one appointment takes up an entire day with an infant.

MONDAY
On Monday afternoon Owen and I visited a potential daycare and picked up a prescription for Cooper.

TUESDAY
On Tuesday Cooper had his second doctor's appointment and was pronounced perfect! He's also really health as he almost gained a pound in one week going from 8 pds even to 8 pds 10 oz!

WEDNESDAY
On Wednesday we were visited by our friend Jamie and her 1-year-old daughter, Emily. We had a great time visiting and it was nice to have company. 

THURSDAY
On Thursday I had a follow-up OB/GYN doctor's appointment. I knew I would be driving for 30 minutes each way to the appointment so I carefully planned his feeding and sleeping schedule to try to get him to sleep while we were driving and at the appointment. And it worked! I'm getting the hang of this mommy thing! 

FRIDAY
Friday was me and Cooper's day off as we didn't have any appointments set but it still was eventful with wildfires ripping through our town. Owen had to come home early and we actually packed up our important documents and other necessary items just in case we were evacuated. The evacuations actually got as close as a mile away but once the sun went down and the 40mph wind died down so did the danger. Phew!  

SATURDAY
On Saturday we had an appointment to pick out our photos from Uniquely You - we are so excited to get the CD so we can get prints printed! We also took Cooper for his first stroller ride at the park which was really nice - even though little Cooper slept through it all.

1 Week Old Photoshoot

On Cooper's one-week-old birthday we did his newborn photoshoot at a fantastic studio called Uniquely You. The photos are great and we will be getting the full CD to share with friends and family in a few weeks.

In the meantime here is the sneak peak shot!

Another significant happening this week is Cooper's little circumsision ring and his dried umbilical cord fell off.

Week 40 | Friday: Coming Home

Today we brought Cooper home from the hospital!
Here's a quick review of how our day played out.

7:00am: My OB/GYN doc met with me for a final check-in to make sure it was okay with her to be discharged. We also had similar check-ins with the pediatrician, the nurse and the lactation consultants.

Morning: Owen headed out to get Cooper's social security card and birth certificate. It was a long process but he was able to get it all completed.

Early Afternoon: Dad helped Owen load up our car and mom and dad had to say goodbye. This was extremely emotional. Nani was pretty sad to have to go but spent the drive home planning the next trip to Oklahoma.

Mid-Afternoon: We completed all of our final paperwork and called for the head nurse to take Cooper and I down to the main lobby for Owen to pick us up. We got Cooper loaded in his car seat and headed out.

When we got home Cooper was sleeping but I still introduced him to each room of his home. Also, Stacia, Trenton, Jade and Haas were at the house and welcomed us with "It's a Boy" balloons and beer!

The rest of the day we spent together just enjoying Cooper and eachother's company. What a wonderful start to our family time together!

Week 40 | Thursday: Testing, discovery and family

Cooper:
Thursday must have been a hard day for Cooper. It started at 7am when the pediatrician came in to take him for his circumcision and then he was given tests at least every hour throughout the rest of the day including testing for hearing, heart, jaundice, etc. All of which were perfect.

Cooper also discovered his hands today - grasping at our hands and his face. This prompted use of an embry board to trim and smooth down his tiny, but sharp! nails. 

Mommy:
With the help of medications I had a pretty good day. Although I did stay in bed a bit more today as my poor feet were swollen to what felt like twice their size.

Daddy and family:
Owen was able to have breakfast with Uncle Levi and aunt Jess before they headed back home. It was wonderful that they were able to be there for the birth and a couple of days. Thanks!

Papi and Nani helped us today by bringing some much needed supplies from home and were there to accept delivery of the chair we've been waiting on for the nursery. They, then spent the afternoon with us.

And Aunt Stacia and soon-to-be Uncle Trenton arrived Thursday evening. So wonderful to be surrounded by family and extra special for my sister to be able to be there.

Day 3 photos:

Week 40 | Wednesday: Falling in love

The first night with our new baby boy was easier than expected. Cooper slept very well, only getting up for our vital check every couple of hours. At about 2am Shelly, my night nurse came in to help me walk for the first time since the surgery as well as take out my catheter and get cleaned up. She was fantastic.  

I stayed up half of the rest of the night staring at Cooper - some of which was just being scared that he'd stop breathing or something and some of which was me just being in total awe of his beauty.

The day passed pretty quickly with cat naps off and on, feedings and diaper changes, various tests and vital checks for mommy and Cooper. 

This is the day that we fell completely in love.

A few Day 2 photos:

Week 40 | Tuesday: C-Section, delivery and meeting of Cooper

My wake-up time was 5:15am and it was a tough morning. I had a mixed bag of emotions including being tired, anxious, overwhelmed and scared. After getting dressed and loading the car up with all of our needed supplies and hospital bags we headed to the hospital. It was imperative to have Owen and my parents with me for support.

We arrived at OU Medical Center's Children's Hospital at 6am for check-in and completion of paperwork for admittance.

Next we were taken to our first room for monitoring and OR prep - this would be where we'd stay for the next one and a half hours although mom and dad left after about a half-hour to give us a bit of privacy. During this time I changed into a gown, was hooked up to baby monitors, received my IV (ouch!), gave blood for lab work, gave consent for anesthesioly and surgery, and was given my hospital bling (5 bracelets for ID'ng).

At about 7:35 it was time for me to go into the OR and time for Owen to change into his scrubs.

I was scared to death. 

My nurse walked me down to the OR. Once we passed the OR/surgical doors it was absolutely freezing. I figured this wasn't normal as the nurses and doctors were all a buzz about it. I walked into my room and there was about ten people busily preparing for my surgery - the amount of busy people, the intense cold, and the rows of sterile surgical instruments, all served to freak me out even more - especially since Owen wasn't there yet. 

They first sat me on the bed and covered me with heated blankets for the cold - but that didn't help my exposed backside where the spinal tap was about to be placed. I was shivering so intently that my teeth were actually chattering - I kept wondering if that shuddering was going to effect the spinal. My OB/GYN doctor and nurse sat with me holding my hands under the cover as I silently cried my eyes out. Looking back the tears were that of an overwhelming mixture of emotions none of which was more amazing to me that I'd be meeting my first baby soon.

I felt the local anesthetic prick and then they did the actual spinal. I actually felt the spinal a bit and it was painful and I gather that this wasn't normal because as soon as I said something three people repeated it to the anesthesiologist. After a little more local I was good to go. As soon as they finish a spinal they spin you around and lay you down very quickly so that the numbing medicine doesn't pool in your pelvic cavity - they idea is you want that stuff to spread as much as possible to make sure you don't feel a thing - which is much appreciated! 

Very quickly after I lied down things went numb from my lower chest to my toes. I felt some tugging and pulling but didn't realize they had already started the surgery. Soon after Owen was able to join me and I felt much better with him by my side. Owen later told me that he came in after they made the first incision of the skin and he was able to watch the entire rest of the surgery.

At about 8:03 Owen told me they saw a head and then I heard some baby cries and cooes and at 8:04 Cooper Richard Hein was born.

My doctor put Cooper over the curtain and I just stared in awe - it took my doctor asking me if I wanted to touch him for it to become real. So, I got to touch his little hand and then they took him to a station to my left for all of the tests, weighing, etc. They announced his time of birth, his weight of 7 pounds 10 ounces and his length of 21 inches. 

About this time I started feeling really tight in my chest like I couldn't breathe. The anesthesiologist gave me some extra oxygen and they gave Cooper to Owen to hold. They left soon after to go to recovery and told me I would be joining them in about 10 minutes. It was more like 25 minutes but soon enough I was wheeled into recovery and was able to hold my sweet baby boy.

During recovery Cooper breastfed, was given his first bath, had his first picture taken, and got his first visitors of Nani, Papi, Levi and Jess - all one at a time.

After a few hours in recovery we were taken to our room where we'd stay for the next few days. The suite we stayed in had been completely renovated and was really warm and comfortable with wood floors, a great view and plenty of room.

The rest of the day we all took turns loving on Cooper, taking photos and visiting.

2/22/11 was a great day. The best of Owen and I's thirty years.

Here are a few photos from Day 1:

Mommy, Cooper and the stuffed bear Uncle Levi and Aunt Jess brought Cooper.

Mommy and Cooper in recovery.

Nani holding Cooper.

Mommy and Cooper - one of his first 3 pictures.

Papi holding Cooper.

 

Daddy giving Cooper his first pacifier.

One of Cooper's first pictures.

Cooper with his Uncle Levi and Aunt Jess.

Our first family photo.

One of Cooper's first pictures.