Friday, August 31, 2012

Cooper's 2 Month Doctor Visit

Yesterday we took Cooper back to the doctor for his 2 month well-baby check-up.  I was NOT looking forward to this visit because it was his first round of shots.  And any parent can tell you that watching your baby get shots is one of the worst parts of being a parent.  While I was anxious about the shots, I was really excited to see how he's grown.  Just this week I washed all of his 3-6 month size clothes and, while they're a little big, they are by no means swallowing him at all.  I KNOW that he's huge and has grown a ton - I was just anxious to see how much!

Here are his stats at 9 weeks old:
Weight: 14 lbs 8 oz (95%)  +4 lbs 8 oz since 2 weeks old
Height: 23.5 inches (75%)  +2 inches since 2 weeks old
Head Circumference: 15 3/4 inches (I think she said around 50%?)

Basically, this means that he is wider than he is long - haha.  She said he is pretty much off the charts with weight.  I asked her about his weight and if she was worried about it.  Don't get me wrong - I really do LOVE having a big baby.  My fear is just that he will STAY this big.  Obesity is such a problem in our country, and I do NOT want my kids to start out life with a weight problem.  She said that it was absolutely nothing to worry about and that breastfed babies can NOT be overfed.  She said that he looks great and that it will all even out here as he grows (and especially once he gets mobile).  

She asked  us some basic developmental questions, and she seemed really shocked when we told her that he can roll over.  Then, when Matt told her that he could roll over both ways (on his tummy to both the left and the right), she looked at us like we were crazy.  I even told her, "I have it on video!" - haha.  And I told her that he does it ALL the time.  Of course when we put him on his belly on the table, he just put his head down and screamed and wouldn't do it.  I have no clue if she really believed us, but we know it's true.  ;)  She did say that it was really early for him to be doing that.  I agree, but I don't think we have a genius baby or anything.  I think his round shape just helps him a lot.  ;)

She looked him over really well and checked his eyes, belly, privates, soft spot, ears, lungs/heart, and even his morrow reflex (the startling reflex).  While everything checked out fine, there is one area that we are very mildly concerned with.  When he was born, he was pretty bruised up from his fast trip out of my pelvis.  He had a bruise on his forehead, cheek, thigh, and arm.  They told us that all of them would go away, but the one on his arm is still hanging out.  She said that in the hospital when she checked him out, she really thought it was a bruise, but now, she had no idea what it was.  It's not a huge concern, but she does want to know what it really is.  I asked her if she thought it might be a birth mark, but she said she really didn't think so because of two reasons.  1 - it's more purple than red.  2 - it looks like it's UNDER the skin.  Not colored skin.  To me, it does look smaller than it did initially, so I think it might be shrinking.  She said that we were going to just watch it until he was about 6 months old.  If it is still there at 6 months, she'll refer us to a pediatric dermatologist in Thomasville and we'll go see what she thinks.  That appointment *might* require a biopsy, so I'm just praying that it goes away on it's own.  I asked her how concerned she was about it, and she said not very, she just wanted to know what it is.  So we're just praying that it actually IS a bruise and just goes away on it's own!

The only other thing that I asked her about was his hair.  LL lost all of her hair when she was about 6ish weeks old, and it very slowly started growing back in.  She said that losing their hair is actually not that common (most babies keep what they're born with) and that he will most likely keep his.  She said he might lose it since LL did, but she didn't think so. 

Other than that, his appointment went great.  He got one oral vaccination and three shots.  He did scream during the shots, but stopped before I could even pick him up.  So far I haven't even had to give him any Tylenol.  He hasn't been fussy, has been sleeping fine, and hasn't had a fever.  The only thing that I've noticed is that he has been pooping a TON.  I don't know if it's a result of the vaccinations or if he would have done this anyway.  

We go back in two months (the middle of November, so he'll actually be almost 5 months old) for his next well-baby visit!

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Cooper - Week 9

My little man is officially two months old!  He is growing so fast and changing even faster.  Sometimes it seems like I can just see the wheels turning in his head as he is learning new things.

Cooper was 8 weeks old from August 20 - 26.  Here's what he was up to this week:

Nursing:  There's not much to report in this area.  He's still doing fine, but I did notice something a little different this week.  Last week, I talked about how he was starting to take a little longer to nurse each time.  He still is (which is totally fine), but he's also started spitting up MORE.  Before, it was little dribbles here and there with the occasional really big one.  Now, it seems like he spits up a HUGE amount almost at every feeding.  It makes me wonder if he's actually getting too much (since he's nursing longer) and that's just his body's way of getting rid of what he doesn't need (the excess)?  It's not projectile and he's a happy spitter, so I know it's nothing to worry about.  It's just weird.

Sleeping: Last week we had a horrible week with sleep and it made me wonder if he was in a wonder week.  Then, on Tuesday of this week I got an email saying that a wonder week is probably going to happen soon.  This week, his sleep has been GREAT compared to last week, so it really backs up my theory that he just had his wonder week early.  One day this week he fell asleep like he always does on the way to pick LL up from school.  When we got home, I took him out of his car seat, swaddled him, and put him in his crib.  This made him MAD and he ended up screaming/crying for almost the entire time until his next nap (about 2 hours).  I held him for almost this entire time and it didn't really help at all.  Luckily, after his next feeding he got right back on track and didn't have any more issues that day.  Then, another day, he fussed at the same time (after putting him in his crib after picking up LL), but all I had to do that time was just take him out of his crib, hold him for a second, and then put him right back in.  He immediately calmed down and went right back to sleep.  Other than these two times, he has done absolutely PERFECT in his sleeping this week.  Last week I had to go and get him during his first nap every single day.  This week - I never had to.  

He is still having his "witching hour" from 6:30 - 8:00 every night, but it is getting to where it isn't quite as intense as it has been.  He is still pretty fussy, but it's just not as bad as it has been in the past. Hopefully it'll stop soon.  :)

He's still waking up twice a night to eat.  The first time is usually between 1-2 and the second time is somewhere between 3-5.  On Saturday night we moved him into his room for the first time.  He has napped in there a ton, but never slept in there at night.  Honestly, I think he wouldn't get up to eat twice if I would just let him be.  Since he's been in our room, I could obviously hear every move he made.  As soon as he started stirring AT ALL, I would get him out and feed him.  He has never cried or fussed in the middle of the night because as soon as I heard him grunting, I would get him out.  He does this during naps a TON but never fully wakes up and goes right back to sleep.  It makes me wonder if I've been getting him out and feeding him without him really asking me to.  Now that he's in his own room, it'll take me a little longer to get in there at night, and I'm going to see if he'll just grunt a little and go back to sleep.  Obviously, if he's hungry in the middle of the night, I'm going to feed him.  I'm just curious to see if he's really hungry, or if I'm just jumping the gun on getting him out of bed.  I'll let you know next week!

He is so dang snuggly!!


Schedule:  He's still on the same 3.5 hour schedule!

Rolling Over: Last week I mentioned that he had rolled over on Saturday.  I thought at first that it might have been an "accidental" rolling over, but I can tell you now for 100% certain that it's not.  This kid literally rolls over almost every time you put him on his belly.  I kid you not when I say that he's rolled over AT LEAST 15 times this week.  Also, when he first started doing it, he only rolled to his right side.  On Thursday, he rolled to his left side for the first time (and has since done it again).  So he can officially roll from his tummy to his back both ways!  I'm so proud of my boy!  Here are some videos of him in action:


You can't tell me that this is accidental!  Dude knows exactly what he's doing!

Development/What's Going On:  Here's what else Cooper has been up to this week!
-He started hitting the toys on his car seat toy.  It's been hanging up there for about two weeks, but he's never done anything but stare at it. I noticed one day on the way to pick up LL that I could hear him hitting it.  I don't know if it's intentional or accidental, but he's hitting it!
-I can't decide if it's allergies or a cold, but Cooper has had a super stuffy/runny nose this week.  In fact, all of us but Matt have.  It could be a cold that LL brought from school, or it could be that something is in bloom that doesn't agree with us.  Either way, I've been having to use saline and his bulb to clean out his nose this week.  He HATES it (I can't really blame him), but it does help him.  It's amazing how much junk can come out of such a little nose.  I also ran the humidifier a few nights because it helped both of us sleep better.  I also elevated one side of his pack-n-play to see if that helped, but I really didn't notice a difference.
-He had started smiling a lot more for sure.  He's still a pretty serious little guy and we have to work super hard for those smiles, but we're starting to see them more and more.


Cracking a smile.  :)

-He has still been sucking on his hands a TON.  He doesn't just do it when he's hungry, he does it ALL the time.  It's really like if anything ends up near his mouth, he's going to suck on it.  He is definitely becoming a pro at getting those hands up there.  What's funny, though, is that he puts no fingers actually IN his mouth.  He just sucks on his fist.
-He took his first out of town trip this week (post to come!).  It was just one night and only to Atlanta, but he did great!
-When we got back from our trip we decided to not set the pack-n-play back up in our room and just moved him into his room at night.  We had planned on doing in on Sunday night anyway, so it was just one night early.  He's doing great and doesn't seem to care!


Down for the night in his own room!

Here are some random pics of Cooper from this week:








He LOVES to look around from propped up on our shoulder!  And, yes, that is where he puked on my leg - haha.  The life of a mom to a baby!


Bright eyed and bushy tailed!



I was trying out a new hold with the moby wrap because, shocker, he was too big for the newborn hold anymore.  He liked this new way much better!  I can also face him out in this same hold once he gets a little better head control.

Daddy tried it and actually liked the moby wrap, too!


My boys!



This is a video of him wiggling like crazy one night!

All dressed up for church!  This was his first time wearing something that was two pieces.  My fav part?  The shoes.  :)






Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Cooper's First Trip!

A while ago we got an invitation to a wedding at the end of August.  It's some of Matt's friends from church and he really wanted to go.  I knew that Cooper was still going to be pretty small, so we said we'd just wait and see as the time got closer. 

About two weeks out from the wedding we had another talk about it, and we both felt like Cooper would be fine.  Every Friday night LL goes to spend the night with a grandparent (well - until I go back to work anyway.  Then it won't happen so often).  It just gives her some one-on-one time, and they usually do fun things with her so she LOVES it.  It worked out perfectly because the wedding was on a Friday night.  We asked Grammy to come with us so that she could stay with Cooper in the hotel while we went to the wedding.  I know it wasn't the most fun idea for her, but it was a free trip and she got to spend some alone time with Coop.  :)

Friday morning during Cooper's first nap, I took LL to school, dropped off her overnight stuff and car tag to pick her up from school with Oma and Opa, picked up Grammy, and then headed back home.  The plan was to feed Cooper at his 10:30 feeding and then hit the road right as his next nap was about to start (so by 11:30 at the latest).  This worked out PERFECTLY and he was asleep before we even finished backing out of the driveway.  :)


Buckled up and ready to go!

Grammy and Cooper ready to go.


We stopped on the road at 2 and I nursed him (in the car, in the parking lot, behind a restaurant, next to a dumpster - haha.  But at least no one saw me!), changed his diaper, and finished the last 45 minutes of our trip.  We got to the hotel right as his next nap was supposed to start (even though he didn't really sleep much of it because of all of the excitement of getting there).  


Hanging out with Grammy in the back seat.  Grammy and the iPhone camera don't exactly get along (hence the blurriness - haha).


This is a HILARIOUS video that Grammy took (not because of Cooper, because of her - haha) on the drive up.  Remember I said that Grammy and the iPhone didn't get along?  Well, she totally had no idea that she had switched it to video, so she was doing all of this to try and get him to smile so that she could take a pic of it. As you can tell at the end, she had absolutely no idea she was filming.  Love it.

We made it!  First time in a hotel room!

We had ALL of this for 24 hours!!  Crazy!  But we used every bit of it!



The wedding was at 6:00 (but about 30 minutes away), so we had a few hours to get settled, get ready, get everything ready to leave Cooper for a few hours, make sure Grammy had everything she needed, and hit the road.

Our room didn't have a refrigerator, so instead of champagne on ice, we had breast milk on ice.  :)

The lighting in the hotel room was HORRIBLE!



The wedding was so so cool and one of the neatest ones that I've ever been to.  I'm telling you - if I was getting married now, my wedding would be MUCH cooler than the one we had -haha.  8 1/2 years ago there was no pinterest or anything like that!  One of my favorite things was that when the groomsmen walked down the aisle, they all were playing an instrument (guitars, shakers, tambourines, etc).  It was a slower song (and they all were playing the same one - duh), but it was really neat how they formed a little band by the time all of them had walked down to the front.  It doesn't sound quite as neat as it actually was in person.  There was a good little crew from Valdosta that drove up and we surprisingly knew quite a few people.  We really did have a great time! 

Duh - we couldn't pass up playing with these!



They had a candy bar at the reception with these cute bags.  LOVED it.

This was everyone who traveled from Valdosta.


We intended on staying a little longer than we actually did, but I had been battling allergies/a cold for several days and was feeling HORRIBLE, so we headed back to the hotel a little early.  The next day we had pretty much the same plan we did on the way up.  We got up, fed Coop, at breakfast, and put him back down for a nap.  While he slept we finished getting ready, packed our stuff, Matt worked out in the hotel "gym" (it was not so nice), and I even took a little nap.  After he ate at 10:30, we checked out and headed home!


Ready to go home!  (Grammy and the iPhone again!)




We stopped for gas on the way home and there was a DQ attached.  Hello dip cone!

There were TONS of utility trucks headed down to FL in anticipation of the hurricane.

We had to stop about 30 minutes from home to feed Cooper again (this time we weren't by a dumpster - just a rest stop - haha).  We made it home by about 3:00ish and had about an hour before Oma and Opa brought LL home.  It was a fun (quick!) trip and I'm so proud of Cooper for doing so well!


Even though he did great, somebody was happy to be home.  :)



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