Photo Recreation Contest

Today in Kyle's closet, I found an outfit that he also had in a smaller size. He hasn't worn the larger version of the outfit yet, and he's already starting to outgrow it. So, I dressed him in it today and thought it would be fun to recreate a previous photo, one from earlier in life when he was wearing the "mini-me" version of the same outfit. So, we're going to have a little contest. Below, are two photos. These are recreations (and I use that word lightly) of previous pictures of the little guy. The first person to comment and point out in which post the original pictures are located will win! Good luck....


I also FINALLY dressed Kyle in the first outfit that Stephen REALLY wanted to buy for him. Actually, Stephen loved it so much, he bought it before we knew if we were having a boy or a girl. He had it wrapped and surprised me by bringing it to one of my baby showers. Stephen has wanted to dress Kyle in this outfit practically from birth. There has been all of this anticipation, so I wanted to take pictures of him actually wearing it. Kyle was NOT being cooperative. I got one descent picture, and then he just got ticked off.




On a side note, and so I will remember in a few years, Kyle has been sleeping through the night for TWO FULL WEEKS!!! On the 19th, he had his 4-month well-check. Dr. MacFerran said that it was time for Kyle to be sleeping through the night; he's old enough and weighs enough and it's about time for him to start. After that, it was like Kyle had just waiting for his doctor to give him the orders. I haven't had to get up to feed him since.


P.S. I almost forgot to wish Charles Edward Heller (Charlie) a warm welcome into the world!!! He was born this morning at, I believe, 10:18....a new record for Katie!!! Kyle and I went up to the hospital to see him (and Katie, Bob, and Rex.) It's amazing how only 4 months ago, Kyle and I were there. In the big scheme of things, 4 months is a blink-of-the-eye. However, when you're living it and see the comparison of that new, calm, perfect little one to one who's been around a little longer, you realize how precious each day can be! There's just nothing like holding a new baby! It's hard to come much closer to heaven.

Happy Birthday to Gu!

Dear Aunt Julia,
I know it's your birthday, so I wanted to do something special. I thought and thought and thought about how I could make your day a great one. I can spend most of my time thinking because I don't spend too much time talking. Finally, I came up with a great idea! It was going to take a little bit of work, so my mom gave me a marker, and I got started.....

I worked and worked and tried my best!




Here is what I came up with: It's a special message of love from me to you!


Now, for a little singing!




"Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, Aunt Gummies.....
Happy Birthday to Gu."


(For the readers of this blog who don't know the significance behind the name of "Gu......" The Coopers are known for nicknames. When Jordan met Julia, she was quickly dubbed "Julia-Gulia," a reference to "The Wedding Singer." Later, we dropped the "Julia" part, and just called her "Gulia." That was soon transformed into "Gummies," which was later shortened to "Gu." )


Happy Birthday!!!!!
Love,
Kyle (and my mom and dad!)

Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

Let's get real. Seriously, aren't we all glad that Thanksgiving is over so we can get on to the REAL holiday....CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm totally getting in the Christmas mood. One of the radio stations has already started non-stop Christmas music. As of today, the decorations aren't up in my home yet, but at least my blog is updated with a seasonal look. That's a start. (Thanks, Morgan, for the website with all the good stuff!)

In addition, I thought y'all might like to get in the Christmas mood with a few pictures of Kyle in some seasonal and traditional "Baby's First Christmas" outfits!

Here's a cute one of our two "kids."



Kyle, NOT rolling over.


Here's what's going to happen if he DOESN'T get what he wants for Christmas. Scary!!! (He must get this attitude from his dad!)

And, for those of you who noticed and are wondering what I'm doing up at 3:00 in the morning, I woke up with a POUNDING headache/upset stomach. I thought, "while I'm up, I might as well put something interesting on the blog." It actually has helped take my mind off the pain and give the Excedrin some time to do its job.

Season's Greetings, everyone!

Promised Postings

In a previous post, I mentioned that Kyle did not appreciate being treated like a performing monkey. He seems to purposely stop doing things when the camera is on. However, I have been stubborn for a lot longer than he. I can outplay his tactics, for now. I was able to catch this footage of Kyle doing crunches:

In a totally unrelated story, my cousin, John, and his wife, Tanna, are expecting a baby. He recently posted some prego pictures of her. From his comments, it seems like she wasn't too excited about that post. So, I wanted to reassure her that she looks GREAT. I have included some pictures of my pregnancy weight gain.





First, we have January....when I first was starting to show...



I have to mention that I had started Weight Watchers on August 29, 2006. I lost almost 30 lbs. before finding out that I was pregnant. I had to put the weight lost goal on hold.....

Watch out....this one's scary. Look at how much I ballooned up!!!! This is from July 8th, 10 days before Kyle was born, stretch marks and all.




Now, we have July 17th. This picture is from a few minutes before we left for the hospital. I was actually feeling labor pains, but was not sure if they were bad enough to go in, since I was scheduled to be induced the next morning. You can see from my face that I'm really not too happy. After this photo, I went to get ready for bed, noticed I had started bleeding, and got in the car. The next morning, Kyle was born!

Finally, this picture is from October, almost a year to the date I found out that was I pregnant. Breastfeeding helped me to lose a good amount of the 39 pounds I gained during pregnancy. Since then, I have started Weight Watchers again. I am currently at almost 13 lbs. of total weight loss since starting back....even after Thanksgiving! I still have a LONG way to go, but Kyle is worth all of it. I'd do it again without hesitation.

Not a Performing Monkey

I've been trying to take more pictures of Kyle rolling over. He gets "tummy time" everyday, but all he does is hold his head up, look around, and move his legs. It doesn't make sense for him to just sit there for an extended period of time with his head up in the air. Don't most kids use that heavy melon, along with gravity, to propel them into a roll? Not Kyle. He's rolled over a handful of times, and that was good enough. No need to continue that trick over and over again. He's ready to move on to the next challenge. He refuses to perform on command, like some animal in the circus. (Must be some of that stubborn gene, inherited from Mom.) I've been trying to capture his new "trick" of doing crunches for several days now. He stops doing it the minute I get out the camera. We'll see if I ever capture that moment on film.

At least he will smile, so you all can see his personality starting to develop, right before your eyes!

The First HUGE Mistake!

Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling in your stomach the moment you realize you've been doing something totally wrong for the last four months and eight days? Maybe someone points out that you've always called them by the wrong name. Perhaps you've made a repeated mistake at work until a coworker or boss alerts you to your error. Maybe you have mispronounced a word your whole life and never knew it. None of these compare to being told that you've been doing something wrong to your child for his ENTIRE earthly existence.

Before you are allowed to exit the hospital with YOUR OWN child, you must be cleared by the nurses (A.K.A: Safety Nazis.) They have to remove the Baby Snatcher Alarm Sensor from the umbilical cord. The final test of safety you must pass before being cleared to remove YOUR OWN baby, which you just pushed from YOUR OWN uterus, from the hospital is the Car Seat Test.

So, my question is....who really knows how to use all those contraptions before they actually have a baby? Not I. The nurses are there to assist you and clear you for take-off. Our nurse showed us how to buckle Kyle into his seat, safe and secure.....or so we thought.

Yesterday, as I was picking Kyle up from the babysitter's house, she says, "so, I have to ask. Why are you putting those straps under his legs?" (She was referring to the way I was putting Kyle into his car seat.) *here comes that sinking feeling....oh, crap....what have I been doing these many months?* I say, "aren't you supposed to do it that way?" She replies, "No! That totally takes away the five-point safety system, for which these car seats were invented!" (I must add that Rebecca has five children, and obviously knows more than the STUPID nurse who "taught" us how to use our car seat.) I trust her knowledge from experience MUCH more than someone who's gone to nursing school. (No offense to Stephen or Jordan....) Anyway, Kyle has a little message for that nurse....


So, I have officially made the first HUGE mistake as a parent. Because of that nurse's false instruction, everyone has been buckling Kyle into his car seat incorrectly. It is one of the first of about a million-or-so ways we will probably screw up his life without him even knowing. Hopefully, we've caught the error early enough that his legs won't be permanently deformed. I'm reminded of a scene from Forrest Gump:

Jenny: What's wrong with your legs?

Forrest (Kyle): Um, nothing at all, thank you. My legs are just fine and dandy.

Jenny: Then why do you have those shoes on?

Forrest (Kyle): My momma said my back's crooked like a question mark....(probably from being buckled into my car seat incorrectly for the first 4 months of my life.) These are going to make me as straight as an arrow. They're my magic shoes.

As for now, I will just have to pray that he is smart....in case our car seat error has prevented him from ever being a great sports hero....

You can see from the pictures that his happy outlook on life has not been thwarted. However, his legs do seem to be a little on the short side. The sleeves of his top barely fit the length of his arms, but his pants are too long for his legs. Is it because he's a Cooper or because his parents have been cramming his legs UNDER the car seat straps? Only time will tell.

Still Snowing...

We woke up to more snow! The weather here has been crazy this year....lots of rain at the beginning of the year, unusually warm throughout "fall," and then BAM!....snow over Thanksgiving break. Didn't expect that. I'm not complaining. I like it, especially since the temperature is not getting too cold. It's actually really pretty.
Stephen had to work last night, so he didn't go to church with us. But, here is Kyle, dressed in the perfect outfit for the cold, snowy weather. Hopefully it doesn't continue to snow too much...I don't want to have a snow day tomorrow. Not that it wouldn't be nice to add another day to vacation, but I don't want to lose the Monday of Spring Break.
Anyway, for those of you so inclined to count down.....it's officially one month until Christmas!!! (and 9 months until my birthday!) The snow has definitely helped to put me in the holiday spirit.

Busy Bee

Those of you who have not been fortunate enough to watch the movie "Best in Show" will probably not take this video in the correct context. Let me preview the reference to the aforementioned film.
This movie follows several dogs and their owners as they prepare for the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. One couple, The Swans, own a depressed Weimaraner, who is in therapy and must be consoled with her favorite toy, "Busy Bee," a stuffed bee. In one memorable scene, The Swans are prepping Beatrice, the dog, for her division. There seems to be a problem, as Beatrice is "nervous" and "freaking out." She must need her "Busy Bee." The couple begin to argue over the whereabouts of this "Busy Bee," as it is not in the crate. "If she doesn't get her "Busy Bee," she's going to FREAK OUT!!!" Hamilton sends Meg out to "GO GET THE BUSY BEE!!!!"
Anyway, we kinda like this movie and quote it often. So, here is Kyle, with his own "Busy Bee." I realize, of course, that this toy is neither busy nor a bee, but it does have some black and yellow on it and is an flying insect of some kind. Just go with it....

Kyle & the Busy Bee

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful......

but, the fire is SO delightful!

After a long, cold day, nothing beats kickin' back and enjoying a nice fire. Here are Atlas and Kyle, relaxing in front of the cozy flame, a nice end to a wet, windy wintry day!

Today was an interesting day. First, there's a "winter storm alert" for our area. I guess this means that it's cold, wet, windy, and pretty frightful. Not my favorite weather, to say the least. Kyle didn't seem to mind it too much. He went to Auntie Deb's house to play while I went out to do a little Christmas shopping. Here he is, bundled up before going out:

Up to this point of the day, we were doing pretty well (except for the weather.) But, when we got home, Kyle was NOT happy. He had eaten well, but hadn't slept much. I tried to put him in his swing, which he usually loves, but he had NONE of that. He threw a MAJOR fit. So, I tried to rock him. Wasn't having that, either. Nothing seemed to work. Then, I noticed him trying to do his business, with no luck. He was really trying to force it, only nothing but air was coming out. Poor little guy was in a lot of pain. He cried and cried. Not good, especially since I was not feeling too well today, either. I finally just let him lay there and work at it. He cried and cried, but eventually worked it out....Boy, did he!!! Stephen should be glad he wasn't home to have to change that load! After that release, the old Kyle was back, happy as ever. And, he could FINALLY get some sleep!

Game Day: A&M vs. t.u.

We listened to the predictions. No one picked the Aggies to win. However, Kyle Field is a great place for a football game, and the 12th Man is always ready. Even our own little Kyle was excited for the big game.


And, what do you know? The Aggies had luck on their side. They came to play today and ended up with a win! WHOOP!
Texas A&M 38, t.u. 30
Story from The Associated Press - Friday, November 23, 2007
COLLEGE STATION, Texas

The Texas A&M football team finished the regular season with a 38-30 victory over No. 11-ranked Texas on Friday at Kyle Field.

The Aggies (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) have consecutive victories over Texas for the first time since 1991-94 under Franchione's predecessor, R.C. Slocum.

After the game, Coach Fran stepped down as head coach for the Aggies. Not a big surprise, and who knows who we'll get now. It should be an interesting 2008 season.

Now to our sideline reporter, Kyle Cooper for a comment. Kyle, what do you think about the game?

Thank you, Kyle. We should all be so loyal.

Gig 'em. Another year of a victory of t.u. We really didn't know what that was like when we were students. It's nice to see that it can happen.

A Chillin' and Grillin' Thanksgivin'

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! It was a great holiday for the Coopers. First, we woke up to snow in Midland, Texas! It snowed and snowed all day. We put a log on the fire to gather around as a little family. Auntie Deb came over for a big lunch of steak, shrimp, baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese, and salad. Since neither Stephen nor I are really adamant about the whole traditional turkey thing, and he had to work, and no one was going to be in town for us to tag along with, we decided to have a non-traditional Grillin' Thanksgivin.' We didn't know the Chillin' part would be thrown in, but it was cool to get some snow.

Aw, mom! Do you HAVE to kiss me in front of company?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

10:00 a.m.
(Not much snow)

3:00 p.m.
(notice the change!)