He Laughed!!

Cooper laughed for the first time tonight!! An actual real baby laugh! It was the cutest thing. I had him in the bathtub and was being goofy, and he laughed! That has got to be one of the sweetest sounds- to hear a baby laugh. :)

My Hubby Has a Blog!

Check it out!! The link is to the left. :)

Getting to Know Your Friends: Christmas Edition!

Alright, so read mine then lets see your answers! I tag Kelly, Leah, Anita and Melissa to do it on their blog!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper, but sometimes gift bags. I think it is more fun to unwrap wrapping paper!
2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. Although eventually I would like to get a real one when we move to a bigger house.
3. When do you put up your tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s week
5. Do you like eggnog? Ewwww....no
6. Favorite gift rec'd as a child? One gift that I distinctly remember getting was a little casio keyboard. I loved that!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes-if the Fisher Price one counts ;)
8. Hardest person to buy for? Guys in general. They like expensive stuff!
9. Easiest to buy for? My kiddos
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't really think of anything right now
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail for sure!
12. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas and Elf
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year I didn't start until the end of October. Usually I like to start earlier.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes-I think a candle or two to take to a gift exchange type thing.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas morning breakfast. Egg/Cheese Casserole, Bacon and my Mom's homemade Christmas bread...YUMMY!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear
17. Favorite Christmas song? Definitely NOT Veggie Tales Christmas Album, I can tell you that ;)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home, then travel after Christmas.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have a star on the top of ours.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning for sure! Santa doesn't come until then...DUH! ;)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Soooo many people at all the retail stores and all the traffic!
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? It's a kid theme. White and colored lights. Colorful glass balls, and all of the kids ornaments.
24. What did you leave for Santa? We leave cookies and milk, and carrots for the reindeer.This year we are also leaving reindeer food that Ella made at school. It consists of oatmeal and red and green glitter. :)

Mommy Brag Moment

Cooper has been sleeping for 9-9 1/2 hours without waking up to eat just about every night this week! This could be due to the fact that during the day he eats like it is going out of style. haha! And last night, I didn't even have to get up to put the paci in! Can I get a what, what?! Go Cooper!! :)

Ella's Christmas Program

Ella had her Christmas program at school this past Tuesday-it was very cute! They all wore shirts that they made in class. It had a little reindeer on the front made out of their hands and foot. So cute! Here are a couple of pictures.

Girls Night!

This past Sunday, Ella and I had a chance to have a girls night! We went and saw the Sawnee Ballet Theater's Production of "The Nutcracker". It was Ella's first time to see a ballet, and she loved it! She did great until about the middle of the second half, so we decided to head out. We had lots of fun!

It's Business Time

This is so funny!! You have to watch ...

It's Saturday! So put on your fancy shoes....and take a nap!

I had to wake Ella up from her nap today so that she would be able to go to sleep tonight. I walked in and this is what I found. :) So cute....

Wedding Bells Are Ringing!

So, my sister Leah got engaged last night!! Woohoo! Check out the story here.

Healthy Baby! 2 Month Check-Up

Cooper had his 2 month check-up today! Can you believe that he is 2 months already? He weighed in at 13 lbs. 4 oz. and 23 1/2 inches long! Both in the 75th percentile. He is meeting all of his milestones and the doctor said that he looked great! He even flashed her a smile. :) He got a couple of shots today, but not all of them. We are following Dr. Bob Sears's alternative vaccination schedule outlined in his book "The Vaccine Book" for Cooper-which reduces the amount of shots that they get at an appointment, but results in a fully vaccinated child when it is all said and done. So basically, he gets one live virus vaccine, and one aluminum containing vaccine at each appointment. It means more trips to the doctor, but it also means his system won't be overloaded with metals and viruses at one time. So, we go back next month for a "shots only" appointment to make up the difference.

So all is well with Mr. Cooper! He is growing great, and is a happy, healthy, BIG boy!! :)

Ella's Second Dentist Trip

Ella had her second trip to the dentist today! Daddy took her this morning before work. and he said she did so well! All is good-no cavities! She has been playing with her new tooth brush and tooth paste all day. I think she has brushed her teeth like 5 times already today. :)

Can you please pass the butter?

To go with all these ROLLS!! :) You gotta love this chunky monkey! :) Check out the "calf roll" on his left leg...hehehehe

Couple's First Dance

I saw this on Good Morning America today. You have to watch!

Paci: 1 Mommy: 0

Well, that was short lived....

Paci Boot Camp is over. The crying and guilt put me over the edge.

Onward with the paci we go.....

8 Weeks Old!

Cooper is 8 weeks old today! I can't believe he is just about at that 2 month mark. He is getting so big and is our little chunky monkey! Currently he is sleeping 7-8 hours in a row at night, eating, then going back down for 3-4 more hours which is great. He is cooing and "talking" a lot which is so cute. The beginnings of a laugh are even starting to emerge. He loves to play on the playmat and talk to all the toys hanging from it. :) He also likes to bat at them, which I find amazing that he can do! He loves being outside-especially if he is in the Baby Bjorn baby carrier-it knocks him right out! He is a snuggler and loves to be held and snuggle up. He loves bathtime, which he enjoys every night with big sister. He is a happy little guy and smiles all the time. He is a joy to have in our lives!

Silent Night, HO HO Holy Night

Yesterday after her nap, Ella and i were in her room playing with the Fisher Price nativity set that is on her night stand. I was asking her different questions:

Me: "Who was Jesus' Mommy?"

Ella: Mary

Me: Who was Jesus' Daddy?

Ella: Joseph

Me: Who told the shepherds that Jesus was born?

Ella: (She points to the angel)

Me: Who came from far away and brought Jesus presents?

Ella; Santa!

Paci Boot Camp

Yep, that's right-Cooper's paci is getting the boot as of today. I am taking it away cold turkey. Why take a paci away from a 2 month old you ask? Because I was having to get up 5 million times during the night to pop that gall darned thing back in-not to mention last night it took me 2 hours-yep, 2 HOURS of going in and putting the paci back in before he finally went to sleep for the night. So, for my sanity and for both him and me getting a good nights sleep the paci is going bye, bye. So, we had a bit of a rough day today. He did great with going down for his naps-only a few minutes of crying (don't worry, I didn't leave him in his bed without a paci crying away-I held him :) ) Now bedtime on the other hand-that was ROUGH. I fed him at about 7:00 for his last feeding and then was going to put him to bed. After an hour of on and off crying, I fed him again. Then another hour of on an off crying. Finally alseep. WOW-let's hope this gets easier. I can only assume that it will. He is trying so hard to put his fingers in his mouth and suck on them. He is almost there. I try to help him with it, but he just balls up his fist and gets mad.

Special thanks to my awesome Mom for coming tonight and helping out with Ella while Reid was working and I was dealing with the the no-paci saga!! You are the best, Mom!! :)

Send some "sleeping without a paci" prayers our way! :)

I posted more pictures in the November section of our website!

For all you Moms out there-this is great!

Terrible Threes

This poem pretty much sums it all up for us lately...grrrr.....

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead;

And when she was good

She was very, very good,

But when she was bad she was horrid


— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Those of you with three year olds, does it not feel like you are living with Jeckle and Hyde sometimes?? Because quite frankly, I feel like I am, and she is dragging me over to the dark side right alongside her! eek

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

Look at this sweet baby :)

I'm gonna be SOOOO sore!

I got to go back to the gym today! woohoo! I know I am going to be so sore tomorrow, but it's gonna feel good. ;) I don't start back to teaching my classes until after Christmas, so I have to get back in to shape! (insert crack of whip sound effect here)

Thanksgiving or Easter?

So, I just have to rave about the weather today! It is like in the low 70's, sunny and breezy outside-BEAUTIFUL!! We took advantage of the awesome weather and went to the playground again-this time with my friend Anita and her two girls. We plan on taking full advantage of the day by playing outside after naptime too! Gotta get it in, because tomorrow it is suppose to be cold and rainy...ewww

Exchange Policy?

Conversation with Ella tonight as I was running a bath for her and Cooper:

Ella: Why do we have a boy baby?

Me: Because that is what God gave us! Isn't that great?

Ella: I want a girl baby!

Ooooookkkkaaayyyyy.......

Oh yeah....

It is 8:00. Both children are in bed. The house is picked up. The kichen is cleaned up. I have my jammies on, and I am sitting in my bed with my laptop and watching "Biggest Loser"...LOVE IT!! (Reid had rehearsal tonight ;) )

He laughed!

Cooper laughed in his sleep as I was rocking him in the middle of the night! It was SOOO adorable! I hope this is a sign that he will start laughing when he is awake soon!

Operation Playground: Success!!

So today was my second attempt at taking both kids to the playground by myself and it was a success-thanks to sweet little Ella for being so patient and to the Baby Bjorn! Seriously, I am SO glad I bought that thing!!

The weather was beautiful-like in the 60's and sunny. Cooper slept in the bjorn the entire time, so I was able to just play with Ella. After an hour and a half on the playground, we went for a walk around the park.Well, I walked at a brisk pace while Ella ran the entire way. :) We had a great time!!

Then to top it all off, Cooper woke up as I was putting him back in his car seat, but was perfectly content all the way home, and he was in such a hapy mood when I took him out at home! Nothing like a little fresh air to put everyone in a good mood!

Here's to more fun times at the playground!!

Edited to add: For those of you that don't know, my first attempt at taking both of them to the playground by myself was horrible! Ella was perfectly fine, but poor Cooper cried bloody murder the entire time-I think because he didn't like being in the stroller...who knows...

5 Reasons why this day is already a good day....

1. I got to sleep until 7:00!
2. Ella got 12 hours of sleep last night.
3. I have already unloaded the dishwasher, swept and wet swiffered the kitchen floor and it isn't even 8:00 a.m.
4. I got to eat breakfast sitting down.
5. The baby is still sleeping, and Ella is quietly eating her breakfast and watching a movie that her Daddy rented for her yesterday.

One Month Check-Up!

Cooper had his one month check-up today and he is doing great! He weighed 10 lbs. 15 oz. and was 22 inches long. He is in the 75th percentile for both! Big boy! :) If I am remembering correctly, those were Ella's exact measurements at her one month appointment-weird, huh? The doctor said that he looked great, and he is meeting his milestones of smiling and cooing at this point. We have still yet to totally kick the thrush, so the doctor gave us a stronger medication that should get rid of it totally. He only has to take this medication once a day, instead of with every daytime feeding-now that was really getting tiresome!

Indian Princess

Today Ella had her preschool Thanksgiving program and feast! It was so cute and so much fun!! She was so cute and sang so well! :) They spent so much time preparing for today. From the hand beaded costumes, to the handmade placemats, cards, napkin rings and art work. It was so well done! More pictures on the website, and I will have some video of it up in a few days!

Smiles!

Four Weeks Old!

Cooper is 4 weeks old today! He is doing great with the sleeping,eating, pooping and laying there all day. haha :) He has started smiling a lot recently and it is so cute! He has also started "Cooing" too, which I just love! He is a very content and happy baby and we love having him around! :) Here are a couple pictures. More on the website!

Ahhhhhhhhh.....Feelin' Good!

Cooper did great last night! I fed him at 9:00 p.m., he woke up to eat at 1:30 then 6:15. I've already got my shower for today. I'm feeling good! :)

Three Weeks Old and Halloween Fun!

Wow! It's November and Cooper is already three weeks old! Yesterday was Cooper's first ever trick-or-treat experience. He did sleep through most of it, so I think he enjoyed it! :) Cooper is doing great and is really filling out those little chicken legs! I think I see the beginnings of some chunky monkey thighs just like Ella had. He is doing great sleeping in his bed, and is really doing well with going right back to sleep in the middle of the night after eating and getting his diaper changed. Hopefully this trend will continue! I've got it to where I can feed him, change him and have him back to bed in a half hour-yay! He is such a sweet boy and we aare really enjoying him!

Ella has had a lot of fun this week! This past Tuesday she had a Halloween parade and a party at school and she got to wear her costume! Cooper and I came to watch the parade and we also went to the party. She was very excited to have us there with her, and it was fun to see her with her friends. She of course loved trick-or-treating!!! She was running from house to house-it was so funny! After every house she would say "Mommy! I got candy!!" haha! Aunt Kelly came over to go with us while Daddy dressed up like a rock star and passed out candy. We all had a fun time!

Happy Halloween!!

Lots of new pictures on the website from the past week!

Look at my beautiful babies!

Two Weeks Old!

Look at him! Is he a little dude or what?! :)

Cooper is two weeks old today! Everything is going great! He is just about over the thrush-woohoo! We will continue with the meds for at least another week to make sure it is totally gone. Cooper is doing well with sleeping in his bed. He takes a morning and afternoon nap in his bed, as well as sleeping in his bed at night time. He wakes up around 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. after his last night time feeding, so he is doing pretty well! Sometimes he likes to stay up for a while around that 3 a.m. feeding, which is a little tiring, but that is not every night. He is still eating really well, and starting to fill out a little in his face. He has also been smiling every once in a while-and not just when he is sleeping! :) He definitely will react and smile when we are playing and talking to him. It is very cute. I have yet to capture it in a picture though!

So far I am surviving being at home with both of them! Actually, it has been a really great week! Everyday this week they have been napping at the same time in the afternoon, so that has really helped with getting stuff done! I also have managed to get showered, hair and make-up done everyday! woohoo! It's nice to feel like a "normal person."

Ella has been such a huge help and is a great big sister! She loves to help me get his diapers, and give him baths. Her new favorite thing is to play with him on his playmat. It is so cute to listen to her tell him what everything is. :) You can tell he really enjoys her. His little face just lights up when she plays with him!

Just Playin'

We got out the play yard gym for Cooper today, and Ella and Cooper had some quality bonding playtime. :)

Update

So things are looking up from earlier today. :) I am feeling better from my cold, and I think the meds are working for the thrush. I think Cooper's tummy troubles may have been from getting use to taking the meds, or from something I ate because he has been fine the rest of today. We shall see how tonight goes.

On a happier note, more pictures are up on the website in the October section! (Kelly, I promise I will try and use the programs you set up soon-I haven't had time to look at them!)

Sailing in a boat with a hole in it....

DANG! That is what it feels like lately! I came down with Ella's head cold, and believe me-a cold and sleep deprivation is not a good combo. Then on top of that, Cooper and I have thrush. :( Poor baby went from being content and happy all the time, to being just plain miserable! His mouth hurts, so he is reluctant to eat, and I think the medication makes his poor little tummy hurt. We were up most of the night last night. So, send any extra prayers you have our way. It would be much appreciated!

Anyone have any tips for knocking out thrush in one round??

One Week Old!

It's already been a week! Cooper is doing so great and he is such a sweet little baby. He is on a good night schedule now. For the past two nights I have fed him at 10:30 p.m., and then he wakes up at 3:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. to eat. Not bad for a one week old! He spends his days sleeping, eating,making dirty diapers, being loved on and being his cute little self...what a life!:)

We are all adjusting well to having a new little one in the house! Now everyone needs to start sending me prayers and positive thoughts for next week when I am *gulp* ON MY OWN! eek! ;)

Healthy Boy! Cooper's First Doctor Appointment

Cooper had his first check-up with the pediatrician today to make sure he is growing. He is doing great! He weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. He left the hospital weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz- the doctor thinks there is a difference in the scale at the hospital and the one in the office, because it seemed like a big jump. But needless to say, he is eating well! He also measured 20 inches long-up 1/2 inch from birth! Everything looked great, and we go back in a month for his one month check-up.

We're Home!

Well, we are home and happily trying to adjust to life with another person in our life!

Cooper is doing great and is such a sweet little guy! He has his days and nights a little mixed up, but we have been working on it a bit and he is switching them. Last night he slept for 4 hours in a row, so we are getting there! The sleepless nights are worth it though-there is nothing like having a newborn baby around. :) Tonight he had is first bath at home. He was deinitely not a happy camper about it and tinkled all over. haha!

Ella has been such a great big sister and is a super helper! She definitely loves her baby brother and wants to hold him ALL the time! She is such the little Mother. :)

Reid is staying home this week which is SO nice! He got up with Ella the past couple of days and let me sleep in-it was SO great! He has been entertaining Ella and taking her where she needs to go which has been a great help. Today they were gone all day at various places, which gave me the day to spend some quality time with Cooper and some time to get things done around the house.

Here are a couple of pictures since we have been home! More pictures on the website as usual.

He's HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Cooper Thomas Greven arrived this afternoon at 4:13 p.m.!! He weighed in at 7 pounds 1 oz, and he is 19.5 inches. He was born after 5 hours of labor-and less than 15 minutes of pushing! go me! ;) Dr. Lewis (My primary doctor) delivered him and he said he was fighting and pushing his way out. Must have been all those kickboxing classes! haha! ;) He is doing GREAT and is such a sweet little baby. He is nursing like a pro and is just as cute as can be. He has light red hair just like his big sister and dark eyes. There are lots of pictures on the October section of our website, but here are a couple of pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

The Big Day!

Today is the day! We will keep everyone posted! Pics to follow tonight hopefully!!

Success!!

I just have to brag on Ella for a minute. For the past three weeks she has woken up in the morning with a DRY pull-up! She has been day trained since she was about 27 months, but the night time has been a slower process. We just decided to let her body be ready when it was ready at night time-and now she is!! Yay!! Last night she wore panties to bed (which she was SO excited about!) and she woke up dry again!

Horray for Ella!! :)

A Wet but FUN night at the fair!

Tonight we made our annual trip to the Cumming Country Fair! We were starting to wonder about our fair plans for the night when it started thunderstorming at about 3:30 this afternoon and continued to rain throughout dinner until about 5:30. We were SO glad it stopped because we would have had one seriously dissappointed little girl on our hands if we couldn't have gone! She had been looking forward to the fair for a while now! So, we finished up dinner and headed to the fair. We get there, pay to get in, and purchase our ride tickets....then about 10 minutes later it starts raining again. We decided to stick it out and we had a BLAST! Yes, we got pretty wet, but we had tons of fun none the less! It ended up being a great time to go because the rain was keeping people away! We didn't have to wait in any lines. Once the ride tickets were gone, the ice cream cone was eaten and a few tears of sadness over leaving were shed-we headed home, took all the wet clothes and tossed them in the washer, gave Ella a nice warm bath and put her to bed. She is already saying that we need to go again "next time." :) More pictures on our website in the October section! The link is to the left.

39 weeks!

Today I had my 39 week appointment. No change from last week, and my induction is scheduled for next Thursday morning! woohoo!

Ella, my Mom and I had a nice girls day today! (Daddy had to work today) We went to get pedicures then for lunch. It was lots of fun! I think after naptime we are going to head to the mall for a bit since it is a rainy day here. Ella wants to take a ride on the "Miggly Round" as she calls it. :)

Marissa Kate and Scout! :)

Here are a few pictures from our visit with JJ and baby Marissa last week and today! The dog in the pictures is Scout-Ella's BFF at Miss JJ's house ;)

38 Weeks!

Today I had my 38 week appointment-same as usual, except they did an internal too. Warning-TMI coming:

I was 1 cm. dilated and 70% effaced, which basically means nothing! It could mean I could go into labor tonight, or in 2 weeks! ;) So, we have an induction scheduled for October 11th if nothing happens before then.

My next appointment and LAST appointment is next Friday!

Girl's Night!

Ella and I had a great day today! After gymnastics we headed to the playground for a good (HOT!) play and some lunch! My friend Anita and her girls-Savannah Grace and Riley came too, and they had lots of fun playing! After nap and some playtime at home, Ella and I headed out for a girls night, since Daddy works on Wednesday nights! We went to Target and to McDonald's :) Of course, we got milkshakes too!! Ella LOVES when we get to have a girls night-and I have to say, I do too! :) Here are a couple of pictures.

p.s. For those who are interested-I finally put up the September section on our website! Check it out! The link is to the left.

Tough Love vs. Spanking

Tough Love vs. Spanking ~
(a psychological conundrum )

Most of America 's populace thinks it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child
for a car ride and talk.

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving
after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions
with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
A Friend