I took a nap.

It was heavenly. Cooper and I slept for 2.5 hours this afternoon and I feel awesome.

Just few links for tonight. I'll post some pictures after the Fourth.

Heather Armstrong's blog, dooce.com, is something I frequent. She's hilarious. A great writer, a little vulgar at times, but pretty much hilarious. She had a great post a couple of months ago about parenthood. Eloquent, and true to how I feel most of the time, when I start to throw a pity party and realize that I have a great life. Her archives, especially her birth story, are some of the funniest stories I've ever read. Carolyn posted a link to her blog, so I figured it was okay for me to do so as well. :)

Julie Kiser's blog last week really moved me. A great post about helping the poor. Read it. You're awesome Julie.

It's the Fourth. Back to my eating spree!

Pictures, pictures

As promised - more lake pictures to come, when I download them ...

Chase and Coop at the grocery store.







Cooper's actual first time in a grocery store cart.



Go Mavs! More like UGH Mavs ...



My roomies.



My other roomie.



Breakfast at grandma and grandpa's.



Learning how to drink from sippy cup. Ha.



Memaw and Pepaw. :)





Just in a good mood.





Getting pictures taken.



He LOVES the outdoors and the lake. I need to put baby pool video on here from this past weekend.



Him at work with me. Notice people swooshing by the background. Thought that made the picture funny.

Our blood runs lake water - EIGHT MONTHS!

What a fabulous time we had this weekend with some friends! Thursday and Friday were spent at Lake Travis, and the rest of the weekend I was at home with Sara, Ally, Chase and Cooper just hangin' around. Of course, I ate my weight in everything this week, but what else are you supposed to do? It was great to drink coffee, hang out, and enjoy the beautiful house and scenery. Visit Sara's blog to see more pictures and a fun video of our sons together at the grocery store. When I get Cooper to bed tonight, I'll post some pictures to this as well from the past month or so.

I can't believe Coop is eight months old! He's growing up so fast. Here are some of the fun things he can do now:

1. Almost crawl.
2. Stand up on his walker thing or leaning against anything for a very long time, and take steps to ooch his way around things.
3. Sit down from standing on his own.
4. Feed himself those little puffy thingies, and anything else solid. He's a pro!
5. Eat lots more "real" foods, like pasta, beans, tortillas, cheese, yogurt, and whatever else I give him. Mmmmm ...

I'm just waiting on him to crawl so we'll have to baby proof everything. Should be interesting. I think he'll like to be able to move around on his own.

We're going to the lake again this weekend with Luke's family. Can't get enough!

Barfapalooza

I don't think Cooper will ever eat carrots again, nor will I.

This is a record of our experience this past week. I hope no one ever has to go through this.

Wednesday: Started out as a great day. Luke took Coop to work, and then I met them at an ACU focus group downtown at an awesome Italian restaurant. Cooper behaved so well, lunch was great. Yes, he had carrots. Cooper then fell asleep in my arms during the meeting. We got him into my car to go home, still asleep. As I'm driving, I hear a funny coughing/choking noise from the back seat. Not thinking anything of it, I reached back there to pat him on the tummy. When I brought my hand back, it was completely covered in carrots and other bits of his lunch. I figured that he'd just thrown up a little more than usual. He looked kinda funny in the little mirror in the back, but I wasn't worried. He fell back asleep.

When I pulled into the house, I got up to get Cooper out and I almost gagged. He was COMPLETELY doused in vomit. It was all over the car seat, in every nook and cranny, his clothes, bib, pacifier ... orange everywhere. As I got him out, it was then all over me and my outfit as well. At this point, I ran upstairs to take all of his clothes off (which was a mess) and put him in something else. As soon as I did that, he puked again. And again, and again. He went through two outfits, and I went through three. At this point, I was starting to get scared. He was whimpering a little bit and totally lethargic. He couldn't stand or sit on his own. All he wanted to do was lie on my shoulder. This was TOTALLY uncharacteristic of Cooper. More scared.

We made a doctor's appt. at the after hours place because our pediatrician couldn't take us at 3:30 (I'm still mad about that one) so we had to drive all over creation during traffic to get there. As soon as we got there, he threw up for the ninth and tenth time. Luke went to CVS down the street to get him some Pedialyte to see if he would keep that down. Thankfully, he didn't throw up anymore after the waiting room. Doc said he just had a stomach virus, and if he hadn't peed before 9 p.m. that evening, to go to the emergency room. Thank goodness - as soon as we got home he started to perk up and play. My mom was coming into town anyway, so she got to stay and comfort him too. He just drank Pedialyte (love that stuff) that night and went to bed. Whew. Just had to clean the car and car seat top to bottom. Things are still stuck in the and will be forever. Oh well. The worst was behind us.

Thursday: Boy was I wrong. My mom stayed and kept Cooper on Thursday while I went to work (thanks mom). They had a great day. Cooper was eating and doing just fine. He got over it super quickly. He's got the immune system of a horse. I got home from work and we decided to go to Chuy's for dinner and meet my sister there, and she could spend the night and watch the Mavs (GO MAVS) at our house. A great time had by all. We ate, went home and chilled by the TV after Coop went to bed. After the game was over and Dallas kicked some booty, we all went to bed.

Friday, 1:30 a.m.: I woke up, stomach cramping, needed to throw up. I go and camp in the bathroom. I got it. Ugh. When I got back in bed, I heard something. It was my poor mother barfing it up as well! I go downstairs with Luke and see my mom hunched over and miserable on the stiars. She got it too. So, Rachel wakes up and we all sit on the stairs. What to do now? Luke, being the great guy that he is, goes to Walgreens and gets Gatorade and gingerale per the pharmacist. I start to drink a little and only get sick one more time, but I just feel icky. My mom on the other hand, threw up every hour, on the hour, until 9:00 a.m.

Friday, 9:00 a.m.: Off to the emergency room for mom. They do some bloodwork and find nothing wrong and say that it's a stomach virus. This took four hours. She looked much better after the IV fluids and nausea meds. Whew.

Still Friday: My mom and I get home and are exhausted. Luke stayed with Cooper, who had already taken a 2.5 hour nap that morning. Gave Luke a little chance to rest. But, that was just enough time to find out ...

Luke got it too! It's taking over the world!

His started with stomach pain, then vomiting, and more pain. After I got some fluids into look, along with some meds, and Coop back a asleep (poor Coop - nothing like three sick caretakers) we all took a nap. Cooper slept for ANOTHER 2.5 hours, which was helpful. I got up, went to Walgreens to get mom's prescription and some groceries, including Jello and soup. Luke feel asleep for the night at about 9 p.m., and mom and I soon after. What a day. The weirdest thing was sleeping on the other side of the bed for the first time. Luke couldn't move.

Saturday: We all slowly woke up, pretty early, and ate something. Yes, ate something. We were getting well. Mom packed up and went back home. I feep so bad about mom coming in to visit and help, then to just get sick. Ugh! Hope she comes back! Then, we went for a short visit to the lake with the Hejls, which was nice. The shade, water and food were perfect. Then home, and early bed.

Today, we're much better. Moral to the story: It's going around, and takes no prisoners. But, we are now WELL.

Today was a great day - thank God for that. Luke did yard work and I cleaned the fridge (while breaking a whole jar of sweet pickles on the floor - that's a sticky mess) and went to the gym and grocery store. Lots done, and back to catching up on work tomorrow. Above all, I'm glad we have our health now. Being sick is scary!

I know, I know

Every parent in the world truly believes that their own child is the cutest dang thing on the planet, and rightly so. So, here it is: COOPER IS THE CUTEST DANG THING ON THE PLANET!

Luke and I are so blessed to have him. What a great baby he is! No matter what kind of day we have, Cooper can always cheer us up with his sweet smile and constant "talking" in his exersaucer. Here's his latest photoshoot.

Water boy

He loves the water! It was a little confusing at first - "Why am I in the water with clothes on?" - but he's a great splasher. Cooper got to spend the weekend with the Martin grandparents. I don't think he even realized I was gone!

I had a great weekend with my roommates from ACU. What an awesome group of gals! I miss 'em. Seems like we're scattered to four corners of the world, but we can still manage to get together at least once a year. See Sara's blog for pics.

Four day week - yay! No big plans this weekend. Hopefully some yard work and relaxation for us all!

Tubby

Just had to post some fun pics of bathtime and the Wildcat diaper. Some video too. Click here to see it.

Fixed

I believe I got all of my pictures working. Woo-hoo!

RIght now, I'm watcing Rachael Ray cook away on 30-minute meals. Why is she so addicting? What a smart woman.

Nothing much new here. The season finale of Lost is tonight. I've been excited about it all day long. Cooper's asleep right now, and has taken a total of THREE HOURS worth of naps today. He must have been tired! I've gotten some work done, and some grocery shopping too. The new car seat came today, so we won't have to cram Cooper in his baby carrier any longer. He's getting so tall!

Cooper is waving "hi" and "bye" now, sorta. No real attempts to crawl yet, but I'm fine with that! I don't know what we'll do when he starts to scoot around everywhere. Baby proofing needs to happen very soon.

Can't wait for the weekend!

I know

My pictures don't work right now, because we switched servers at my work and I have to change the path on my URLs. Didn't realize this would happen, so it'll be a few before you can see everything again. Hang tight.

My boys

Just had to post this cute picture. Luke with Coop at work. Such a nice porch there at T3.

SEVEN MONTHS!

Where the blazes did the time go? Cooper's already getting old and not needing me anymore. It's a little sad. But, he's getting to be so much fun! He tries to scoot around and pretend crawl, so mobility is about to become an issue around the house. We gotta get some of those stair gates stat. Oh - and, he's clapping so well already! It's amazing what babies pick up from their parents, and a little scary at the same time.

What else? He loves Sesame Street every morning (Elmo especially - I think it's the high voice) and Dora the Explorer. He's also eating some coarser foods like wheat bread, banana fruit puffs (that basically dissolve into a nasty mess all over him), ripe bananas, etc. He's pretty good at it so far. It's still a little scary because I'm a little paranoid about choking. He'll be fine.

Has anyone seen the Target diapers they're selling recently? I promise, they are ACU Wildcat diapers. I'm going to save a couple just for fun. I should tell someone at ACU so they can buy some and, I dunno, give them out I guess. It's pretty funny!

Grey's Anatomy: Okay. I know I'm supposed to like this show and be addicted to it like everyone else, etc. etc. But honestly, watching it annoys me to death, yet, I still watch it. Meredith Grey is the most annoying character ever created. I could say some things about her, but I'm not sure I can say them on a blog. She's a whiny little girl. Then there's Izzy. Whoa, selfish much? That whole show was overdramatic and full of bad acting spurts. There. I've said it. Again, I still watch it.

Season finales: Why oh why do they need to be two and THREE hours long? I have things to do at night, and not much time to watch some good TV. About an hour is long enough. I sound old. I am old.

Sorry about the griping - it had to be done. It's been a good week so far and all is well. We're going to a fun wedding this Saturday (can't wait Chrissy!) and I'll see my roommates next weekend. Yay!

Pictures, as promised.

Nekked baby


Cooper's hair, or mom's?


Already reading. What a genius.


Cutie.


Gimme the camera!


Yes, Cooper's BBQ in Round Rock. It's really good! He got a free hat and everything.


Our fearless dog, during last week's storms.

"I don't drink wheat."

Just a funny sentence heard at a lunch today with my company. I work with some pretty healthy types, which is good. Most jobs have donuts and eat out a lot. Not my company. Thank goodness, or I'd be huge.

I'm slacking lately in the blog arena. I have a few new, cute pictures that I will try and post tomorrow from the weekend with George and Rach. Just wanted to give an update so those in the blog world would know I'm alive. All is well here. Cooper is getting cuter by the minute. I'll post more pics soon - promise.

Congrats to Jay and Ally!

They're going to have a little girl - Camden Jaye Ocheskey. Soon-to-be Camden Hejl. Cooper and Camden Hejl sounds good huh?

We're so excited for you guys!

Relaxing weekend, pretty random post

Hey all! I must admit, I've been a blg slacker lately. Just a lot to keep up with - the whole husband, kid, work, house, etc. You know how it is!

We're watching Everwood right now, both on our laptops. Luke got a new Dell just so he could have a laptop and be cool like me. This will never happen, because I have a Mac. Ha. (You're cool honey, just kidding. Wuv you.)

Friday night: Let's see. We went to El Arroyo for dinner with Cooper - a pretty good Mexican food restaurant. We fed him using the Bumbo on the table because they were out of high chairs with seatbelts. Losers. People were staring, mostly saying "How cute!" so it was entertaining. A big storm was moving in and we were eating outside. It was really nice. Then, we came home, put Cooper to bed and watched our latest Netflix - The Passion of the Christ. Neither one of us had seen it, so it was pretty heavy, but very good. I couldn't handle watching a lot of it, which made me feel bad for some reason, but I did like it. One thing I've realized is that the story of Jesus' death becomes VERY real after you have a child of your own. I can't imagine.

Saturday: I woke up early with Cooper and we hung out. After Luke woke up and put Cooper to bed for a nap, I took a nap. SO nice. Then, we all got ready and decided to go to the Red Poppy Festival in downtown Georgetown. We felt so small town. The weather was perfect, we ate kettle corn and drank root beer. Good times. Cooper sat facing forward in his other stroller, which was fun for him. Sat. night we ate at the Hejls and just hung out.

Sunday: We went to church and to Jason's Deli afterward. Luke was a super duper handyman and put all new door handles and deadbolts on the front and back doors. They look awesome. AND, he painted the front door as well. So pretty!

Here's a little Cooper update, since I haven't really commented on the new stuff he can do:
Sit up on his own, for a long time!
Eat meat. Pureed meat. Mmmmm ...
Bounce up and down in his bouncy thingie.
Scoot around on his tummy with his knees - no crawling yet!
Roll over and over until he gets to what he's reaching for.
Pet the cat and dog.
Type on a computer keyboard, since that's all he sees his parents do.
Knows who's who when we say "Where's mama?" or "Where's dada?"
Says "nyah nyah nyah" and "dadadadada."
Say the alphabet. (jk)

He's such a big boy, and a blessing! Have a great week!

RENT, Hallmark and The West Wing

Random, I know, but these are the TV items that stick out from my weekend. We had a great weekend, just chillin', hanging out with Cooper, lawn work (that was Luke), a bachelorette party, and these items.

RENT: Do NOT waste your money on the movie. It's great music, but one of the WORST movies I've ever seen. They did NOT do it right. It's the first movie I think EVER that Luke and I both agreed we should turn off. Cheese. Sad that we wasted a Netflix on it. Next movie in the queue is Memoirs of a Geisha - hopefully that one will be better.

Hallmark: I have a husband that will watch any horribly acted movie on TV just because he hasn't seen it before. Especially, the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. I don't even know what the movie was called, but it starred Marsha Gaye Hardin ... The kickers, however, were Hallmark commercials. SO heart-wrenching. Hallmark knows exactly how to pull from emotion and experience with their ads. I was in tears for all like 20 of them.

The West Wing: I watched three episodes of The West Wing on Wednesday night until 1 a.m. and one on Saturday just to catch up for this Sunday's episode. I seriously speak the truth when I say that this is my favorite drama of all time. It is so beautiful - everything about it - the camera work, the complex characters, everything. I watched the season finale last year THREE TIMES. It was amazing. I'm not even a politics buff, but I love this show and am so sad that there are only three episodes left EVER. The DVDs will be purchased soon. Josh Lyman is the greatest character to watch, same with Donna Moss. I'm SO glad they're finally together. AND, Rob Lowe is back on it until the end. His character, Sam Seaborne, was awesome too, until he went bye-bye for a show that's already cancelled and some pay issue. Bad move. Sorry if I seem obsessed. I find myself yelling at the TV during every episode.

That's enough. I might watch too much TV thanks to DVR. We're home again this weekend, and I'm glad.

Easter weekend and doctor update

We had such a great weekend in Cleburne for Easter! My sis and I threw a kickin' party for my mom and Lisa - the food and cake were awesome. The best part was taking the RV to Ft. Worth to the restaurant. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But, it was very comfortable for everyone, and Luke and I had never taken a ride in Big Blue. There were plenty of places to park, so no worries.





Doesn't he look cute in his Easter outfit? He's sitting up for about 30 seconds at a time now, which is pretty cool. Doctor says all is well and he looks great. He weighs 16 lbs, 3 ounces which is in the 25th percentile, but still okay. Skinny boy. But, he's in 75th percentile in head circumference and height, at 27.5 inches tall. He's gonna be a tall one! We're going to add in that third meal for lunch and start meats pretty soon. That should be yummy.

Nothing new here. We're hanging out at home this weekend and taking care of stuff around the house. I can't wait!

I'm MySpaced

Yes, I've fallen into the trap that is MySpace. This Blogger blog will be what I update on a regular basis though. If you'd like, you can visit myspace.com/hejlyeah. It's amazing, this MySpace stuff. I'm corresponding with people that I haven't seen since high school. Unreal. What an idea!

Thanks for the sleep comments. We've got the morning 10:30 nap down now, but the afternoon nap is still a battle. We'll see how it goes. Last night and the night before, Cooper has gone to sleep on his back in the center of the bed. However, he wakes up at the foot of the bed, on his tummy, turned sideways. So crazy how much he's wiggling around already.

Happy 50th birthday to my mom! She's still young!

Four day week

Only four days of work this week - yay! I'm pumped to be going up to Cleburne this weekend for Easter, and to celebrate my mom and aunt's 50th birthday. Should be fun!

We didn't do too much this weekend. Luke spent all of Saturday in the yard - it looks SO much better. Whata man. Sunday, we ate lunch with Hayden and Atosha and their twin 1.5 year olds Hadley and Dean (same birthday as Cooper, just a year later). Whew. Props to those with twins - I don't think I could do it!

Anybody have any baby nap advice? Cooper's a super star at night - bath, eat, goes to bed at around 7:30 and sleeps through the night. But, it's a never-ending battle getting him to take naps. And when he does go to sleep, it's not for very long. This is REALLY hard for me since I take him to work sometimes and would love for him to take at least one, one-hour nap sometimes.

Ideas? What works for you guys?

The last time I slept in ...

It just occurred to me that I haven't slept until 8:00 a.m. in over 5.5 months. The morning of Oct. 15, 2005 was one of leisure. I remember it well as one of the more fun days of my pregnancy, not knowing that Cooper was to be born the next day. Luke and I got up around 8 or 8:30 and hung out a little, then decided to go on a Sat. morning walk. I felt really great that day for being 9.5 months pregnant, so we walked fast. We got home, took a shower, went to lunch with Ty and Charis, and then to the UT game. Finally, we ended the day with Hula Hut tubular tacos. What a great way to ring out the freedom and abundance of sleep.

People tell you, but they don't really tell you, about not sleeping ever again. It's not like Cooper doesn't sleep all night - he usually sleeps from about 7:30 or 8 to about 6:00 - but man. I sure wish he'd decide to sleep until 7:30 or 8! I don't know why I'm complaining. So many people have it much, much worse, so I'm thankful. I just think about the day before and the day of Cooper's birth as two of the best days ever.

We had a great weekend. On Sat. we went to Temple to visit Rachel and George, and my mom brought Granddaddy and Virginia up to see Cooper. It was a relaxing day. Then, we came home and got ready for Luke's company party and left Cooper with Matt and Candi (thanks guys!). It was a really fun night for us to get away for a while. T3 sure can put on a good shindig! Sunday was a lazy day for me and Coop, but Luke cut stuff down in the yard. What a muscle man.

Here are a few cute shots. The one with the food is creamed spinach gone haywire. I think he looks more like me now when he smiles, but some would say Luke. I think it's both.