A Smith Update

To Catch You Up On Things.....

Cooper has been inconsistantly using the potty for about a month now! We're so excited. Granted it is not as consistant as we'd like, but I think it's a step in the right direction. He gets SO excited when he does go, because he gets to help flush the toilet. He jumps up right after going pee and claps his hands. Oh the little joys in his eyes!

We have been battling teething molars and bronchitis with Cooper for the last 3 weeks. I didn't know teeth could prove to be such a battle! He is finally getting over the bronchitis and now his bottle molars are moving up....ugh!

We are still seeing the specialist every week or so for check ups. Nothing has really changed in one direction or the other which is both good and bad. The doctor does not see the need at this time to do more extensive testing though since Cooper is still healthy. I did just find out though that because of Cooper's condition, we qualify for free umbilical cord banking for future Smith children.

Randell will be working on a cool project beginning within the next few weeks all by himself. He is very excited as it will help expand his knowledge of public works!

I am still working at MDO on Tuesdays/Thursdays. It is a lot of fun and very challenging. I have also started a new Stay At Home Moms Playgroup on the Northwest side of SA. There is already a great group of moms involved which helps to keep Cooper and me busy on M/W/F!

Even though it's November....the weather is not as cold as we would like it, but it's perfect weather to have the windows open and take an afternoon walk.

Don't forget to check out new pictures.

To Sell or Not To Sell

We were faced with the possibility of selling the truck yesterday. We could have gotten just a few hundred $'s less than what we were asking and we would have been able to by a more full-efficient, family friendly vehicle. The problem is though that we're just too dang attached to that truck. Why? I don't know....maybe it could be

1) the fact that we can only move the pedals up and down to fit to our needs rather than moving the seat up since the motor went out oh about 4 years ago.

2) that we just really love getting drops of water on our head/arm/leg while driving in the rain or after a heavy rain due to a leak that could have possibly come from the XM system that Randell put in 5 years ago that we do not use at all.

3) how when we accelerate up a hill, the AC goes from blowing normally to blowing through the defroster. Once we release the accelerater, the Ac goes back to normal.

4) the wonderful shaking feature that allows us to know that we still have a muffler attached to the truck when going over bumps in the road.

OR
5) the repetition of Maroon 5 in our CD player because the face to the stereo will no longer open up, thus allowing us to change the CD.

Whatever the reason is, we still have the truck. I think we'll always have the truck.

The next time we think of selling the truck, all we have to do is get in and go for a ride. We'll go right back to loving the POJ. (piece of junk)

Our Weekly Trip

3 Saturdays ago Randell and I finally decided to do the San Antonio type of thing and make a purchase. We had heard that it was a great investment, one that we can use for a while and even Cooper will enjoy. What is the investment? Well....

We finally bought Sea World season passes! We were able to get a great deal on 2 passes for not only the rest of this year, but all of next year as well AND a free parking pass.

So we have decided to use them for what they are worth and then some! We've now gone to Sea World for the past 3 Saturdays. It's now "free" in some terms of the word, fun, and right down the street, literally! Yesterday we were in the park 10 minutes after leaving the house.

Cooper enjoys it a lot! He's met the effects of Shamu (we sat WAY TOO close in the splash zone, and who knew they used 2 whales to splash you at the same time!), he loved the sea lions (when they would go back stage, he would through his arms up as to ask "Where did they go?"), and just yesterday was able to watch the Buluga Whales (he said "Woah" every time they jumped up out of the water while stuffing his mouth full of popcorn).

Our routine has become to watch 1 show each time we go, then let Cooper play in the bounce house, watch a feeding or walk through an exhibit, and then relax in the Hospitality House.

That's right, 1 thing that makes Sea World better than Fiesta Texas is the 2 free beers that you can get at each visit. They have different beers that we would NEVER buy but hey, since they're free, we might as well try them.

All the way around, it's a great family outing. Pictures are posted of some of the fun we've already had there.

It Happened!

Well yesterday it finally happened, I bought my first pair of Mom Shorts!

I've tried to avoid it at all costs, but yesterday as I was browsing through the clearance rack at Target I found a pair of jean shorts for $3.48. You see that's just too great of a deal to pass up. So I tried them on hoping that maybe they would fit differently than they looked. They would hopefully fit more like non-mom shorts fit, or they would be too small/big mom shorts. But alas, they fit PERFECTLY and I mean there was no denying that I would have to buy these shorts.

I leveled with myself though. They will only and I mean ONLY be worn with shirts that come way past my waist line so that no one knows just how much of mom shorts these really are! I was hoping that maybe they would be super comfortable, but they're not. But hey they were only $3.48!

On another note, while I was walking into Target yesterday, pushing Cooper's stroller, I saw another mom infront of me struggling to carry her son. It made me think about the little things that happen through pregnancy and into Mom-hood. One of these little things is that your hips no longer stay little. Instead they expand. I thought at first that they might go back down, but no, that would not serve their purpose. The purpose of hips that I figured out yesterday is so that moms can carry their children easily on them. It's like a built in seat for Cooper!

Just to make sure of this little wonder, I asked Randell if it was hard for him to carry Cooper on his hip. His response: "I dread having to carry him like that because he always falls down".

So see, God gave Moms hips to carry their kids. It all makes sense now!

Writer's Block

Writer's Block! Too much stuff going on to think about. One main issue is how frustrating American Politics have become. I wish we could get rid of Dem vs Rep and just be smart and do what's right!

Anyhow...maybe I'll have funny stories from MDO tomorrow!

Where is the Monster?

So I sit here at this moment feeling sad inside. Although I can't decide if I should feel sad, happy, or indifferent to this matter. I thought when confronted with this matter I would be so happy to be free, not so badly needed anymore, and able to move on to the next stage in our life. I knew this day would come and I knew that it was for the better of everyone and everything for this day to come. But I didn't think I would deal with it like this.

What is the matter? I'll tell you.....

I have raised a full out "booby monster" to say the least. There were days that I thought Cooper could have nursed all day long if I would have let him. It was my secret weapon to getting him to sleep for naps and bedtime. If he hurt himself and wouldn't settle down....the secret weapon would calm his pains. We didn't sleep through the night the first year of Cooper's life b/c he was so bent on having his midnight snack (and 4am snack as well!).

There were days when I hated the fact that he was nursing...."why does he have to be with ME all the time?" I used to think. Or better yet, I used to wish so much that he would have taken a bottle so that Randell could have fed him or so that Cooper could have stayed with Nana & Papi over night. When mastitis appeared TWICE....I wanted to quit so bad. I was in pain, had no strength to go on, and yet STILL felt like a cow!

We kept going though. I used to say "I'll only nurse for a year and then he's going to be weaned!" Randell and I would be amazed (and bewildered) at the fact of someone nursing a 13,14,15,16 month old. My my how we have changed!

So, why am I so upset right now? What happened to get me to thinking about this? Well you see, our bedtime routine with Cooper is this:

Dinner
Quiet Playtime
Bath
Lotion massage
PJ's
NURSE & prayers
Reading time w/ Daddy
Crib

Tonight after we had him in his PJ's, I sat down in the "nursing chair" and asked Cooper if he was ready to nurse.....I know, I know, at this age if he can answer me then we shouldn't be nursing right? I AGREE....but it's much harder than just agreeing.

So he looked at me and ran to get a book and then went to his "big boy bed" (he's still sleeping in the crib, but we're getting him used to it). So I asked again, and again, AND again. Finally he came to me but maybe nursed for 3 minutes total. I wanted to start crying then. It's not that I want to nurse a 3 year old or anything, but I LOVE this cuddle time. He's such an active child that I rarely get to just hold him and cuddle. And I know that one day there will be another baby to nurse, and I'm sure I'll have the same feelings (good and bad) for it then too.

Maybe it's just the knowledge that Cooper's growing up and before we know it he'll be graduating high school and going off to A&M. Whatever it is, I'm sad. I know I should be happy that I didn't have to "wean" him so much that I would anger him like some parents end up having to resort to.

We'll see how tomorrow goes, but I'm realizing that the days of nursing are dwendling down very quickly and I'm just not ready yet!

The Deal of the Day!

Wow a whole week has past by and I haven't blogged....sorry!

To sum up our week....GREAT weather + a rested child = a happy MOM!

Today was full of great deals and fun times. We began the day by driving around a community wide garage sale. It was amazing! We were having a rough time finding the deals that we wanted (why do people ask for 3 times what a piece of junk is really worth?). So after becoming slightly disappointed, we stumbled upon a garage sale that was run by an older dad who was talking with his 2 teenage boys about swords and dragon computer games. I was hesitant at first to even look around, but then I saw a PERFECT buy. I'm not too great at the negotiating part of garage sale shopping. I normally ask how much something is and then say "Oh that's a awesome", pay what they ask and then get to the truck where Randell asks if I talked them down on the price.

So I had my game face on. I was prepared to put up a hard bargain with these sword fighting salesmen. I asked how much the toddler portable booster seat was, prepared to only offer $5 for it. The father walks towards it and says "Oh...(I just knew that he was going to say $8)....50 cents. 50 cents!!! Are you kidding me....I didn't even know what to say, except YES!!! So then after being so thrilled I decided to continue looking around in the millions of boxes of PURE JUNK that was for sale and found a brand new nalgene sports water bottle. Again, I was prepared to negotiate. His answer with the price....50 cents!

So I thanked him SO MUCH for being such a great garage sale man, all the while knowing that he was going to make NOTHING off of his boxes of junk if he sold things for only 50 cents.

We also ended up finding a neat chalk board table and toddler bed for Cooper's big boy room.

A summation of the rest of the day....the Aggies lost, we had a bbq with great friends over, and played hard. What a great (well besides the Aggies loosing) day it's been.

Where is the Rain?

Isn't it amazing how it seems as if things that you want to happen go the other way some times? Take Hurricane Ike for example. I know that there are a lot of people who are happy Ike turned more north and east, but there are also people like us that REALLY wanted to rainy weekend from it. It looks as if we are going to be left dry from any of it.

When we lived in College Station we were comfronted with the same thing. Hurricane Rita was headed right towards Houston and we were going to get a direct hit from it with winds and rain. We woke up that morning ready to hunker down with our 6 cases (4 gallons in each) of bottled water, a fridge packed with beer, and the makings for margaritas (Hence the theme "Margaritas for Rita"). What we found was no rain, no storm, but "maybe" some winds. So we then turned our focus to buying kites to fly in the "TS force winds". After finding no kites in the town of College Station we went back home to once again find the weather man saying that we were getting none of it!

I would never argue with the thought that you shouldn't wish to go through a hurricane. I completely agree with that statement, but the rain is always welcome at our house! We LOVE the rain.

So for everyone in the destructive path of Ike, I'm sorry! I tried to pray Ike this direction. Do you think you could send some rain our way though....that would be GREAT!

It feels like Friday!

I've decided to try and keep this thing updated on a more regular basis. I may (please re-read the word MAY!) try to even post on here daily, but there are NO PROMISES!!!!

So today feels completely like a Friday to me. In the 16 months of being a SAHM I have barely remembered what the date is not to mention what day it is to begin with. I was good at knowing it was Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday because Friday would be when Randell would be coming home early; Sat and Sun Randell would be here with us; and Monday is when Randell returns to work and it's back to Cooper and myself!

Now that I'm working at Mother's Day Out though, I've had to become aware of the days of the week! It's amazing that when I lead the 4 year olds in singing the "Days of the Week" song, I almost got it wrong the first couple of times! I guess that's when you know you've been out of the loop for too long.

Today was a long day it seems. I'm so happy that Cooper is transitioning so well into his class at Mother's Day Out. The teachers LOVE him and he doesn't even cry anymore when I drop him off! I love it. I'm happy he gets the interaction with the other children and is learning so much. Me on the other hand.....WOAH! I didn't realize that 4 year olds can be such a handful for an entire day. Well, okay it's only 5 hours...but that seems like an entire day!

I have a handful of kids that returned to MDO for the 2nd or 3rd year. So they are pretty well accustomed to what goes on. We don't have any cry'ers in our class (YIPPEE!!!), but we have a few that are either:
a) tattle-tellers
b) VERY ROUGH even when trying to be gentle
c) VERY ACTIVE (and I mean can't sit still for more than 30 seconds!)

I've learned a lot already and it's only day 4 (week 2). I've learned to devert the tattle-tellers, use time out for the very rough and active (it works SO WELL!), and to breathe every once in a while.

I am ready for the weekend.

Now if only we could get some rain (and I'm talking 3-4 inches would be nice) from Hurricane Ike. It doesn't look too promising, but my fingers are crossed.

Our First ER Visit

Today was our first visit to the ER for Cooper. It is definately something that we will try to keep from becoming a habit!

Cooper did not hurt himself, fall down wrong, or swallow something he shouldn't have. Instead, he had been throwing up for a day already and had a really high fever. He couldn't keep anything down and was pretty cranky (and no one blamed him!). After seeing the doctor on Friday, she advised me to take Cooper to the Children's Hospital for some lab word and also to re-hydrate him. At the hospital they have a seperate service called "Kid's Express", it's different from the ER in that there are no traumas, just kids that need labs, shots, or casts put on.

Cooper did remarkably well. He cried (a lot) but then again so did Mommy and Daddy! He already seems to be doing better from the antibiotics and the fluids that they gave him through the IV.

On a lighter note though, Randell and I found humor and smiles through the pain. Cooper even laughed and played in the bed.

Here are some of the things we laughed at.....

When talking about the possibilities of Cooper having a UTI, Randell said
"We don't like the University of Texas Infection, it can lead to some nasty things!"

Towards the end of our stay there, I looked and Cooper and told him he looked pale. Randell's response
"Cooper, just tell her well you look like a bucket!"

It's always good to be able to laugh in trying times.

Cooper Turns 1!

1 Year Ago

One year ago at 1:39 pm you came barreling into this world screaming as if someone had just taken away your favorite toy. I guess in all truthfulness someone had taken away your comfortable, warm, and safe home where you had lived, kicked, and elbowed me for 9 months. Granted, you did not kick and elbow me the ENTIRE 9 months, but trust me, I knew you were in there!

You had 10 toes and 10 fingers, a bruised face, and a working set of lungs (oh yes, we heard you!). Most new mothers cry, I know, but truthfully it was just the coolest feeling in the world to know that I had given birth to you. It was such a weird concept to think about until it was done. So yes, for the stories that will come, I will set them straight. I was so excited that I took the camera from Daddy, who was still in shock I’m sure, and started taking pictures of you. So instead of crying, I laughed and joked around just as I did during the preceding 12 hours of labor!

How would I have known that we were about to embark on probably the BEST learning experience so far in life? The lessons started out small at first; let the nurses take you at night if they offer so that I can get some sleep! GIVE A CHILD A PACIFIER, even if you ARE breastfeeding! It’s really okay if you set the baby down for a minute so that you can go to the bathroom. Swaddling only creates problems for the future! Wow, that first week was full of more tests than our freshman year of college. We soon found out though that there would be so many more tests, but also so many neat milestones to come.

I believe that the first 3 months were and are still a blur to me. I don’t remember if I ever made it to getting more than 4 hours of sleep at night! But then I learned about nursing in bed! Who would have known that that would end up saving my life for the next 2 months? So, without any hesitation, naps and bedtime were shared. If you napped, then I napped right next to you so that you could nurse. At night you would sleep in between Daddy and me, because quiet frankly I had NO energy or desire to hear you cry! On the nights that I couldn’t sleep with you in bed, you went to your swing where you slept SO well.

There were also GREAT things that you accomplished. You started sitting up on your own pretty early and you would smile SO much while Daddy and I did the CRAZIEST dances. You were GREAT at leaving some awesome presents for Daddy to receive once he got home from work. You enjoyed bath time so much and found your penis very quickly (Daddy was proud!). You also kept showing the doctors how much of an over-achiever you were by being in the 100th percentile (top of the class) on your weight. There was no denying that you knew how to eat. At 5 months old you weighed so much that the swing gave out. That meant that the sleep that we did get at night came to an end. You were just too heavy for the swing to continue swinging for 10 hours at night! Who knew? That is when Daddy and I became SMART parents and read a book! You started sleeping longer through the night, taking great naps during the day, and developing so quickly. You began rolling over, pulling up in your crib, and beginning to laugh at us.

Life just became easier at that point. Sure you were mobile, which meant that baby gates went up and you pointed out everything that we had forgotten to baby proof. And yes, your head found the fireplace a time or two, but you’ve learned (Way to go!). Sleep was no longer at a shortage in this house.

You showed us when you were 6 months old that you have a heart for animals. Tootsie (our front yard cat) puts up with so much fur pulling, tail yanking, and eye gauging. But she loves you still the same. You also saved the dogs from a life in the garage and backyard by laughing and playing with them. It is because of you that Bleu and Beagle both get to sleep and play in the kitchen/dining room, and they will forever be grateful.

You were never a great baby food eater. I just assumed that you wanted nothing else than me, which I loved and hated at the same time! But all it really took was feeding you our food. You really have made my life easier by this! I don’t have to worry about what could be in the baby food nor if I even have enough! I’m sure Gerber and Huggies both despise people like us! We just don’t give our money to them.

Today you are crawling at lights speed, climbing the stairs as if it is just another one of your toys, and watching me drive (I’m sure you’re already taking notes too) as you sit facing forward in your car seat now! You eat table food and drink whole milk (yippee for ME….you’ll be weaned soon!). You laugh and dance at silly songs. You think saying “Dada” in a raspy voice is cute, and it is! You eat cheerios like they are going out of style and prunes seem to be your favorite fruit (and so I feed them to you every weekend so that Daddy can change your diaper!). You give great hugs and open mouth, slobbery “kisses”. You wake up laughing in the morning as if God just told you the funniest joke around. You reach for us when we pick you up from the church nursery or the gym daycare. You stand up on your own like such a big boy and then plop back down on your bottom where you get up and try again. You follow us around from room to room wanting to know where we are at all times. Diaper changes will never be the same with you rolling and crawling everywhere. I’m convinced that one of these days Daddy will come home to a naked baby running around and I won’t have a care in the world!

You, our handsome, fun, and loving Son, have changed our lives forever. We wake up in the morning wondering what cool things you are going to do today. We laugh at the smallest things that you do that make you smile. We knew that on May 12, 2007 at 1:39pm our lives would never be the same; instead they are filled with joy, excitement, and love that we will never lose.

Here’s to you Cooper James Smith; Happy First Birthday!

Cooper's Accomplishments!

Where to begin....in the last month Cooper has....cut 3 teeth (2 on bottom and 1 on top) with 1 more already on its way. He has learned how to pull up on EVERYTHING, even the stairs! He finally began to crawl and now he goes at full speed. I believe that he has known how to crawl for a while, but wanted to wait until he could REALLY give me a run for my money. His favorite thing to do in the morning is race me to the front door when I am feeding the outside cat. Then he just sits at the door frame watching her eat! He enjoys eating real food these days.

He really is a lot of fun at this stage. We enjoy watching him discover new things everyday. We also laugh a lot with him, as you will see in the videos. Only 3 more months and our "newborn" will be 1 year old! It really is true how time goes by so fast.

The videos that are newly uploaded are titled: Blue Hippo, Toilet, Da Da, & My Box. For some reason they are not one of the first folders to click on. So search a little ways and you will find them! Also the newly uploaded album is titled: 9 Months