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! :)