Watching the prez ...

Luke and I are sitting here, dog tired, watching the State of the Union. Pretty good. I wish I cared a little more about politics, even enough to say what party I belong to, but I don't. All I can say is, how can you not stand up and clap your little rear end off when Dubya says that human life should never be discarded or sold? Plain idiotic. I believe that more than ever now. I don't agree with half of the stuff he says, but seriously, members of Congress not caring about unborn babies and their rights? Just weird.

Coop's asleep. He spent the whole day at work with his daddy. We're about to be in bed too. He's outside talking to someone, trying to sell the hottub. Ha.

I need to post a picture, but honestly, I haven't taken that many in the past couple of weeks. I'll take some tomorrow and post them. I promise, he's twice as big as he was last month. It's amazing to watch my kid grow.

Uncle George and Aunt Rachel are coming to visit tomorrow and staying until Friday. Can't wait to hang out with them! Rach is here for an interview in Temple, so maybe they'll live close. Yay!

We heart pizza

My mother-in-law had Cooper all day today while I worked (thanks Janie). I was SO glad to see him! Luke and I were both so tired, and Cooper was in his carrier, so we just picked up and went to our favorite pizza place - Lamppost Pizza. Yummy-yum-yum. Not healthy, but so worth it. Then, we went to our new fave, It's Gelato, next to the pizza place. Can we talk about how good gelato is? Cooper really wanted some - he was staring at it the whole time.

Now we're at home, vegging out in front of the TV. My house is a mess, and for the first time, I don't give a hoot. It's not even bothering me right now. We're about to watch Scrubs, which is the highlight of my week of TV, next to The Office and Desperate Housewives.

Not much new to report. I'm already looking forward to the weekend. Coop's asleep in Luke's arms right now because he only slept a total of one hour today. Too exciting at Granna's house.

Let's talk about how sad I am the The West Wing is CANCELLED after this season! I love that show. It is getting annoying with the whole never-ending campaign and all, and John Spencer died, but I still love it. Last year's season finale was amazing. I watched it three times. That was pre-Cooper.

Not sure of a good topic of convo on this thing. I'll post pictures soon.

How about ... what's your favorite ad on TV right now? I love the Citi credit card guy that can't find the credit card bill, can't get a real person on the phone, etc. "My disco pants!" Also, I love the new eBay "it" commercials. Great. Anyone think that the new Mac spot with the Intel chip thing is awesome? Pretty gutsy.

Three month pics

Here's a couple. We ALL love the jogging stroller. It's so awesome to have.

"So I Married a Tomato Grower. Wait, Green Fried Tomato Pants!?

These were my husband's words when he couldn't think of the movie with the Kathy Bates line "I'm older, but I have more insurance." I'm guessing it's from Fried Green Tomatoes, but not confirmed. Needless to say, we're both very tired. I'm watching the Golden Globes - is it the same Larry MacMurtry who writes all of the other Western novels who wrote Brokeback Mountain? Just checking, because if so, that's weird. Also, I'm amazed at John Williams for a. still being alive, and b. for writing such great soundtracks for movies - Superman, Star Wars, Theme from Cowboys, Catch Me If You Can, and Memoirs of a Geisha, for which he won best soundtrack tonight. How the heck do you write a soundtrack? Whoa. Overwhelming.

Thanks to everyone for the great comments on my previous blog entry. They've really helped me these past couple of days. I guess I should post more challenging questions to get more people to come out of the woodwork - hey Lauren! My mom stayed with Cooper today while I worked - it was hard to be away for the first time all day, but I got some stuff done at work.

We had a nice weekend. Two walks with the jogging stroller and the Coopster. He loves it!

My least favorite phrase as of late ...

... full-time mom.

Tell me: What mom is NOT a full-time mom? I know those who say that particular phrase don't mean it as a shot to working mothers, but I think working mothers might take it that way sometimes. I can get behind "stay-at-home mom" as a title, but sometimes I stay at home and work and watch my child during the week. I'm just looking for better ways to say who we all are as mothers. Why do we have to define ourselves so defensively when people ask "What do you do?" Both types of moms are under so much pressure from different people to answer correctly. What is correct?

"Yes, I'm going back to work ..." Whew. I said it. Now, the reaction I get depends on who asks. Someone at church, I get a sigh. Someone not at church, (ANYONE not at church) I get a "cool" or no reaction at all. What does that say? Does the church tend to frown upon working moms with kids who aren't in school yet? Or, am I paranoid? I only ask because I know like one or two other moms like me at church out of many, many moms.

Is it working mom and non-working mom? No. All moms work.

In actuality, I have two full-time jobs. Yikes. And I feel it this week more than ever.

Sorry, I'm whining a little, but I figured it would be a good topic of convo on a blog. No offense to anyone. See, I'm already thinking I'm offending people just by talking about it! It's so sensitive. Maybe it's because working moms sometimes secretly want to be stay-at-home moms, and vice versa. Thoughts?

Smiley

Coop in his church clothes. No words for this one. CUTE!

Finally, a substantial post

It's been a wild holiday season, and now that I'm back to work, there's basically no time for anything. I wanna keep you guys reading though! Here's a collage of some pictures, and click here to see a video of Cooper learning how to grab things. He's getting so big and smart, it's unreal. He stands up on his legs a lot and likes to sit up. Getting stronger and stronger ... A lot has happened in the last few weeks - new nephew, Cooper growing, fun New Year's, you name it.

Does anyone watch Scrubs? I believe it is the funniest show on television right now. NBC aired two new episodes on Tuesday, and Luke and I were rolling. The characters are so funny - I think I would be friends with them if they were real people. My favorite quote from it: "Dr. Cox said that having a baby is just like having a puppy that slowly learns how to talk." It was funnier in context. Each line from that show is awesome. I want to get the seasons on DVD and memorize them so I can be funny too. Not really.

Pictures!

HOOK 'EM HORNS!

That's all I'm gonna say. It was SUCH a good game last night. We had the Hejl family over for dinner last night and had a fun time. I went to bed a little early, thinking UT was going to lose, and what happened?!?! It was awesome. Cooper slept from 9:30 to 5:30, which is great, but I wish I would have done that! I'm so tired this morning.

Woo-hoo! It's so good to live in a place that has a national champion team!

The Day Has Come

I'm going back to work tomorrow. I have no idea how this is going to workout, but I'm guessing we'll make it work, like we always have. I'm nervous, and don't even wanna talk about it. Any advice? I just want to make sure I give him the attention he needs.

Off to give the Coop a bath! More pics to come - he is so big I can't even handle it. I need to post pics of my new nephew Landon, born on Dec. 29. He's so cute!

HO HO HO!

Fun weekend! What the heck? Christmas is almost here.

Hey all! Here are some cute pictures first of our weekend in Abilene with Leslie and Sara (and the kiddos), and some random nine week pics.







Isn't he the cutest? He's getting bigger and smarter every day. He coos and "guhhs" all of the time, and loves to laugh and smile.

We went to Abilene last weekend and had a ball with my friends from college and their kids. I will refer everyone to the link to Leslie's blog on the side for what happened during the fun weekend - Leslie couldn't have summarized it better!

Cooper went to the doctor yesterday for his two month checkup and shots. He's a wonderful, healthy boy, weighing in at 10 pounds and 13 ounces. Right on target. But, he's going to be a tall one! He's 24 inches long already, which is in the 75th percentile. Woo-hoo! Basketball here we come!

All was wonderful, until the FOUR shots. I had to hold him down and watch him cry, but he did better than I thought he would. What a trooper. He had a 100 degree fever last night, and it came down this morning to about 99.3. We're going to keep with the Tylenol and see what happens. However, he seems to have developed a fabulous cough with lots of grossness behind it. No good. I called the nurse and she said if he still has a fever tomorrow that it's not because of the shots, but from something else, and if it gets above 102, to call the doctor. Ugh. I hope he gets better soon, because they're nothing else you can give him except Tyelnol. We'll fire up the humidifier tonight and see if that breaks things up. Poor Coop! He's been so healthy and great thus far. Guess I better wash my hands more!

Thanks

Thanks to all who helped with the diaper issue on my blog. I'm going to see if Wal-Mart will take one of these back maybe. I hear these Huggies Supreme are great diapers from others too, so I guess we'll see.

Here's 8 week-old Cooper:


Here's tired 8 week-old Cooper:


He's starting to look like a boy now!

We went to the dentist this morning and he was so good. Not a peep, and he was awake! Maybe he'll love the dentist someday instead of freaking out. Ha.

Is it bad that everything on the Food Network is a rerun to me because I watch it constantly?

I forgot to shout out ...

When I made one of my lists of favorites on this thing, I didn't mention that two of my fave bands are also Alison Krauss and Union Station, and Coldplay. I could go on more about bands I like lately, but no time. I didn't want to cheat those two.

My mom was here this weekend to babysit Coop while Luke and I went to his company party Friday night (lots of fun) and while we ran the Trail of Lights 5K in Zilker Park on Sat. It was such a fun weekend!

Coop's asleep right now. I'm still trying to get him to sleep at least 6 hours at a time. I think he's waking himself up because he's cold now, not hungry. Also, he tends to leak out of his diaper a lot and we have to change him like twice a night. I went today and bought more fleece stuff and some diaper doublers to see if this all works. Any ideas from moms about how to keep boys from leaking? We wear Huggies Supreme (which we have a lot of from gifts, etc.). I wanna use them up because they're so expensive!

Also, can you put a blanket on a little baby in his crib? He sleeps so well with us in bed because it's so warm. How do I keep him warm without overheating? Such dilemmas ... :)

He's a smiler! Seven weeks ... Has it been that long?

He's getting so big, and cuter than ever.

Is it freezing where everyone else is today? Luke is working from home today, and they say it going to ice over in the hill country. Brrrr! Finally, the cold weather is here.

Click here to see a video - ignore Luke's hairy legs. It's a definite smile!

Lookin' good.


Pucker face - he's got the funniest faces!


Scary catepillar coming towards me.


Big cousin Mason holding Coop.


Haha - tried to take a Christmas picture. No such luck.

Big Boy

He's getting so big! I need to post a picture - I will soon. I guess I need to take more pictures too - we've been slacking in that arena.

The weekend was busy, but nice. Is it weird that I don't really remember what we did? I can't remember anything at all anymore, since Cooper was born. Oh yeah - Friday Luke took off work and we went to the outlet mall in San Marcos to go Christmas shopping. It was really fun! Much harder with a child in tow, but he slept most of the time. Got to catch up with the hubby! We ordered pizza when we got home and ate with Jeffrey and Mason at our house, then watched Christmas with the Kranks. Tim Allen is so funny to me.

Saturday, we put up Christmas lights. I just did the tree trunk and Luke did the rest. Cooper slept outside in his stroller in just a short-sleeved onesie. We were in shorts and t-shirts. It was 84 degrees! Merry hot Christmas. They look pretty though. Again, I'll post pics soon.

Sunday it was about 30 degrees cooler. This Texas weather! We attempted to take family pictures in the garden outside of the church, but Cooper was in a bad mood. We'll try again later! I cleaned all day while Luke watched Cooper. We went on a little walk, talked about the neighbors ... it was a good time. Now it's Monday again! Mom is coming into town this weekend to watch Coop while we go to Luke's company Christmas party, and Sat. night, run the Trail of Lights 5K. Woo-hoo!

One month pics are in.

I went to Sears a couple of weeks ago for his one month pics. They're pretty cute. Can you believe the stocking one? He was really little - he's getting so big now!

We went to lunch today with Claire at Fuddruckers (mmm) and then to see Atosha at Cheer Station, and then to the mall. I like to get out with the little guy - he tends to sleep a little more!

Thanksgiving weekend recap

Again, I've gotta keep up with this thing! I feel like so much has happened since I last posted. I guess it's been a while. Let's summarize:

Last week was fun-filled and tiring as well. Lots of firsts for the Coopster. On Monday afternoon, our friends the Wattersons came for a visit so Chase and Cooper could meet. They're instant best friends! We had lunch on Monday at our house, and then we went to Hula Hut and Mozarts - a very Austin thing to do. Brings back lots of memories! The next day we went on a walk with the kids, to Chipotle to eat lunch, and then to Circuit City so Preston and Sara could look at TVs. They'll cave. :) That night, we went to eat dinner at the very far away house of Ty and Charis and had a blast. They left Wed. morning. It was a much different visit than usual because of the new additions to our families. Lots of time feeding the chil'ins and getting them ready. A baby really does change everything, but in such a cool way. It's neat to see all of these families evolving!

Wed. night we went to our traditional dinner before Thanksgiving at one of my fave restaurants - La Morada - with the whole Hejl family. The flautas are amazing! Then, we spent Thanksgiving lunch and day with the Hejls and Luke's grandparents from Oklahoma. It was great to see Cooper's great grandmother holding him and just thinking. Luke and I both wondered what she was thinking that whole time. I had a kid, who had a kid, who had a kid. Whoa. Unreal.

We packed up everything (a serious feat with the new child) and went to my parents in the metroplex for the weekend. Both sets of great grandparents on my side got to see the Coop. My family Thanksgiving was on Sunday, and most of the cousins and their girlfriends/wives were there. It was also a blast - lots of memories there.

I must say the most fun thing was running the Jingle Bell Run for the Arthritis Foundation 5K in Fort Worth Saturday night. I LOVE running races - especially those for a good cause. Meeting people, motivating yourself to go faster, the food and drinks at the end. It was so fun. My dad watched Coop while we all ran it. Luke finished 127th of about 1700, which I think is pretty good. Twenty-two minutes for 3.1 miles. He's so darned fast. But, I finished in 33 minutes and ran the whole time. Not too bad for birthing a child six weeks ago! George finished in 29, and my mom and sister walked it in 48. This is our second year to do the race and I think we'll keep on keepin' on. It's a fun, healthy tradition! Well, until the Mexican food after the race at Cabo Grande. Nulled everything. Poor Cooper. He's such a gassy baby because of me lately! I have to stop the Mexican food pronto!

That's just the summary. It was such a great week. We took lots of pictures, so see below!

Super duper Cooper

Thanks Kelly, for tagging me - didn't see that!

Click here to see a quick video of Coop moving around. This could be kinda big - let me know if it doesn't work. I've ordered a firewire cable so I can put stuff from the video camera on here finally. I'm trying to get him to smile!

Even though no one asked me to ...

I'm going to do the little list of thingies:

Two names I go by: Pookie and Sara

Two parts of my heritage: Irish and Indian

Two of my everyday essentials: my watch and chapstick

Two things I am wearing right now: Gap jeans and a white t-shirt

Two of my favorite bands or artists: U2, Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder (sorry, three)

Two things I want in a relationship: understanding and loyalty

Two truths I have: Breast feeding hurts but rules at the same time, iPods rule as well

Two things I hate (or dislike with a passion): violence, intolerance and ignorance (three again)

Two physical things that appeal to me: My two favorite material things in this world - my Yukon and my wedding ring

Two favorite hobbies: Working out and eating - haha.

Two things I want really badly: everyone to love everyone (is that retarded?) and new carpet

Two places I want to go on vacation: Italy and Fiji

Two things to do before I die: run a marathon and see my son marry a Christian woman and have a Christian family

Two ways I am stereotypically a chic: I cry a lot, and I always think that I don't have any clothes

Two things I wouldn't normally admit: Desperate Housewives is my favorite show right now, that's about it!

Weekend in my old hood.

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I'm really going to try and get better at keeping up with this!

We went home for the weekend for Cooper's first long drive. He conks out in his car seat, so it wasn't bad at all. It was good to catch up with Luke and have a little talk time in the car. Everything is going well. I can't believe that he's already four weeks old! It's been slow, but fast. Does that make sense? Here are some pics. More to come!

Here's the fam before church:


Rachel and Coop:


Cooper in George's lap:


After a bath:


Grandma and Cooper:



Where's Cooper?


Best friend Tigger: