Little Baby Cooper...

Little Baby Cooper is happy as a clam! He is a good little guy. We can't complain about sleep, as he does a 6 hour stretch at night! That's pretty amazing at 2 weeks! And, he's been doing it for nearly a week. We're still trying to figure our his feeding routines - the dr would like him to gain weight faster than we're at. But, all things considered, everything is wonderful!

We discovered the magic of the baby sling! He loves it - and it gives me arms! We brought it to Thanksgiving dinner and it helped us all have a much more peaceful evening! In fact, he is in it right now as I type this.

The girls are just loving him. I really think them being nearly 3.5 yrs old is the perfect age difference! They understand when I need to feed him and are very patient. They are also nice and gentle with him when they give hugs and kisses. And, they have not yet asked for him to be sent back! All great news!!

Cooper's 1st Bath at Home!

Well, Coop has had his first bath - and I don't think he even cried! That's a big success!! Our small bathroom was very full with the girls in the big tub and Dave tending to them while I gave little Cooper a nice, warm bath. It feels like things are all falling into place with 3 kids.

Welcome Baby Cooper!

We are thrilled to announce that Little Baby Cooper was born on November 17th at 5:58pm. He was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long! The delivery was relatively uneventful - considering all the crazy things that can happen. Actually, it was very boring for the first 6 hours and then pretty crazy for the last hour or two. Thankfully, I only had to push for about 15 minutes - if only my epidural was still working - that would have been nice! But, he is here and we're thrilled!!

Almost Ready for Baby...

Well, my doctor told me I'd deliver so early - the baby is so big! It's looking like she was wrong! She scheduled me to be induced and then canceled it - the nerve! I guess s/he is just hanging out and not ready to enter the world! My ultrasound said the baby is 8.5 lbs! That's a whopper. Let's hope s/he comes soon!

Santa story...

Ho Ho Ho! I just read there are 44 days till Christmas - that's pretty crazy!!!

On our way to dinner tonight we asked the girls what they'd like Santa to bring them. Erin immediately chirped up saying she hopes Santa brings Evie a belt - because her pants are always falling down and her buns are hanging out.

That really made us laugh. But, we also thought it was sweet that her initial reaction was a gift for her sister. We'll see how long that kindness lasts!!

The Baby is Coming ... soon.........

It is very hard to believe that in just a few days our family will grow and we'll have another child in the house - not just another child, but an infant. The past few weeks have been so nice. We've been so lucky to have some really great time with the girls. Nice leisurely mornings in bed and fun as a family before bedtime. Sometimes we read our bedtime stories in the nursery - and they like to lay down in the crib and pretend to be the baby. They really seem to "get it" - that a baby will be with us. And, they are so excited. The don't know enough yet to be threatened or jealous of the changes that will be coming. They just have so much love for this little one - it makes me love them even more. We're so lucky to have the family we do have and the anticipation of bringing another into the family is really exciting. I'll just be happy when s/he is with us. Let's go!!

Happy Birthday, Rainbow Dash!!

Erin's favorite pony just had a birthday! Yep, that's right... We've had Rainbow Dash for a year. What must you do to celebrate a birthday?? Have a birthday party! We had a celebration dinner and a wonderful pumpkin cake - with blue frosting! All the "guys" or stuffed animals joined us and there were even presents! Erin says Dashie turned 5.

Our Annual Trip to the Apple Orchard...

This was our 3rd annual trip to the apple orchard. We've made it a yearly outing with Dave's family - and it is really one of our favorite family traditions. Dave's mom could not be at the orchard this year due to school, but we were with his dad and little brother. The girls don't get to see Dave's dad too often, so it is really fun to watch his relationship with them. They are very physical with him - they just love to jump on him and give him huge hugs!

We had one new face this year, as we brought our little friend Kate with us. She is just a few weeks older than the girls, so we had triplets for a day! Her parents were at a wedding out of town and we hung with her - and had a sleepover!! Kate only wanted green apples, so she and Grandpa Ed had a lot of fun scouting them out.

We thought it was going to rain - the forecast did not look good. But, we had a great day! We were actually a little warm! Our jackets never made it on our shoulders. The girls wore rain boots in case it was wet and that was really pretty unnecessary.

We found a little furry caterpillar - apparently that's called a woolly bear. Of course, Ev wanted to hold it - she is always the little daredevil. Erin would not touch it - no surprise there.

We had a wonderful time on the train and carousel as well. Topped the day off with dinner at Grandma's where we got to see her Halloween decorations and chickens! The girls just loved it all! They both made sure to eat their meals so they could enjoy a huge cupcake!

Man were we tired by the end of the day. Perhaps it was because I am so darn pregnant, but I was just wiped out!

Oops...

Today was a rainy, icky morning. The girls woke a little later than usual. I thought to myself today would be a great day to play hookie and not go to preschool. But, we busted our tails to dress, have breakfast and be out the door by 8:15. Sitting in the driveway I opened their backpacks to put their snacks inside. Lo and behold, I see a reminder note that there is no school today! Yikes - how could I have forgotten! Here is the conversation that transpired...

Me: Girls - there is no school today!

Erin: Then why are we in the car?

Ev: Why are we wearing our preschool shoes?

Me: (silently) What the heck are we going to do at 8:15am!!!???

I called Dave and asked is we could visit him at work. The girls had never been to his office. Of course he said yes - and the girls loved it there! Since he works in a "fun" field - gambling or gaming - there are many fun things to see and do at his office. They loved the magnets in his cube and his little dart board. They liked seeing their art work on his walls. And, just about everything else.

We then headed to Old Orchard mall to play there. I was very surprised the stores don't open until 10:30 - I thought everything opened at 10??? Whatever. But, they had a blast running on the dragons in the play area and hiding in the tunnels.

We made a great day of what started as a bit of a disaster! Glad we can be so "go with the flow."

Preschool Update

The girls are loving preschool! My favorite part is when I pick them up. Every day Erin runs to me and SCREAMS! She is so happy to see me. She gives me the biggest hug ever. Ev just waltzes over - very much her style! I got this cute note from one of their teachers - it sums up their personality.

I was just thinking about the girls... I wanted you to know what a great job they both did and have been doing in group. Evelyn answered questions about the book on her own in a 10 person group setting which I thought was great for her. Also, they both made associations with the book. Erin asked, "is he a grown up?" and evelyn asked, "why doesn't he take a shower?" In the story Mr. Gilly, the trashman, takes a bath at the end... both girls worked together and made the association of grown ups taking showers and kids taking baths... it was really cute and thoughtful.