Bath Time

Cooper getting ready to take a bath.  He loves bath time!

We turned the tub around so he could sit up and boy, did he love it!  He splashed around, making a big big mess, and played with his toys.  We'll have to put the tub in the tub so we don't get water everywhere!

All smiles per usual.

The Day After Christmas

The next day, we went to Olympia to spend Christmas with both the nuclear and extended family.  

First stop at mom and dad's house.  We open presents together.  Cooper got great gifts from Auntie Jennifer and Andy, more toys and a pair of black fleece Zutano booties.

Lola was excited to see Cooper as she hasn't seen him for over a month.  

Next stop is at my Auntie Marlene's house to celebrate with the extended family.  It was great to see my cousin Ruth again.  She lives in California with her kids, so we don't get to see her as often.  We had a great time catching up, eating and playing/watching Kinect!  Tita Nancy rocked it!!!

Cooper received some cool gifts from Tito Ben and Oleg and Tita Sam.  Thanks you guys!!  Cooper loves his Haba toy...great to teethe on!

And we have already read 'Planes' as Cooper's bedtime story!

Christmas

Cooper's First Christmas Tree

Chuck, Cooper and I went to Swanson's Nursery to pick out our first family Christmas tree.  It was an easy decision to make as there were only five trees to choose from.  I really wanted a noble fir, but the top part of it was pretty bare.  We settled for this tree as it was nice too and the tallest live Christmas tree that I have ever had...well, this is only the 3rd live tree that I ever had for Christmas as my family always went artificial.  It was a great deal too!  50% off the original price of $ 75.00!!!

There were live reindeers, a camel and donkey at Swanson's.  It was really cold that night so Cooper stayed in the warm confines of his stroller.  

We trimmed the bottom of our Christmas tree so that the presents would fit underneath, so I made my first wreath out of the trimmings.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...just time-consuming.  I think it turned out pretty nice.

Our decorated Christmas tree!  Cooper has his first two ornaments hanging on the tree.  A handmade one and one from Chuck's brother's in-laws.  

Cooper's early Christmas present from my parents.  He tried it out by eating broccoli and sure made a mess of himself as well of the high chair.  Thank goodness for wipeable surfaces!

Christmas Family Portrait

We spent our first family Christmas at our place.  It was a very different Christmas for us as part of my family were not there for Cooper's first Christmas.  My mom was still in the Philippines because of my grandma's funeral and wasn't arriving until the next day.  My sister was spending Christmas with her boyfriend and his family in Pennsylvania.  She was going to fly back to Seattle on Christmas, but way too late to have dinner with us.  So, it was just my dad and the in-laws on Christmas day.  We had a yummy Christmas dinner.  Chuck made a prime rib which was cooked encased in hot mustard and sea salt.  My mother-in-law made green beans, salad, mashed potatoes and pecan pie.  And I made dungeness crab cakes.  Everything tasted so yummy!

Since Chuck, Cooper and I woke up late and my dad wasn't driving up to Seattle until the afternoon, we didn't open presents until after dinner.  Cooper was spoiled with many toys and clothing.  He is set for awhile for clothing...if I can resist the urge to go shopping!!!

Cooper helped open his presents by tearing the wrapping.  I had to be quick to get it out of his hands so it didn't land in his mouth!

Cooper's loves this toy from my parents.  It's a 3-in-1 wheelie thing which he loves to sit on and maneuver the steering wheel and gear.   

The most adorable bear!  Thanks grandma and grandpa Rust for the outfit.  He is the cutest bear there is!!!

I was very crafty this Christmas.  Not only did I make a wreath, put snowflakes on our front windows, and baked goods; but I made an ornament of Cooper's handprint.  I'm hoping to do this every year....well, until he's a teenager or an adult!

Cooper had a great first Christmas with family.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful and loving family to spend the holidays and make it special for  us.

6 Months Old

Cooper is half a year!  And boy, is he growing too fast.  At his wellness check, he weighed in at 18 lbs. 7 oz.  and is 27 1/2" long.  The pediatrician said he was mighty tall for his age.

Cooper is a very active boy.  He is getting around pretty well on the floor, turning a 360 degree circle and is now scooting backwards from where he started.  He can also sit unsupported for a minute or two with mommy spotting him as he gets tired and falls backwards or sideways.  Cooper loves to blow raspberries and gave his grandparents the laughing fits because he did it so frequently.  And boy, does he like to vocalize and smile a lot.  He is such a good-natured and happy baby.

One Sick Baby.

Cooper was not immune to our bugs and has a cold.  Fortunately, it's not too bad.  He has an icky sounding cough and a wheezy nose, but no fever.  Also, he is fussier and more difficult getting to sleep, but is still smiling and playing.  Saline nasal drops and this nasal aspirator Nosefrida works wonders.  It sucks up snots better than the bulbous aspirators. 

I have a cold, but it doesn't bother me!

Last Saturday, we took Cooper to get his photo taken with Santa.  Sandra Coan, a professional photographer, was offering Santa photos to help raise money for Soulumination.  It is a foundation which provides professional photographs to families facing financial hardship.  Not only were we supporting a great cause, but we got professional Santa photos and didn't have to wait in line!

I only smiled once, but couldn't look at the camera at all!  Too many distractions...but I didn't cry.  I'll save that for next year!

I'm not really a big Giants fan, but my auntie Jennifer got me this when she went to NY last year.   I really like football.  Go Seahawks!

I hate being sick.

I'm still fighting this stupid cold.  Right now, I just feel really congested.  And a little bit of coughing, which has gotten much better than a couple of days ago.  At least I'm coughing up some good stuff, I know I know, tmi.  But, I am feeling good enough to go to work tomorrow.  I ordered Cooper a humidifier because the air in the house is so dry from the heater.  Right now, it's more for me than him since he's fighting off being sick.  I hope it arrives soon because it's really annoying being so congested.  Chuck is also feeling sick, but seems to be on the mend quick.  Baby boy has a strong immune system...still crossing my fingers.

I can't believe the holidays are approaching so quickly!  I have so much to do yet.  Send out holiday cards, shopping, decorating, cleaning the house because my in-laws are coming in less than 2 weeks!!  We have to get Cooper's room done so we'll have a semi-presentable living area as well as a space for them to stay.  It's so difficult getting anything done while taking care of a baby!  We're excited for the grandparents to spend their first Christmas in Seattle and with their grandson.  They haven't since Cooper since July and will be pretty excited to spend some good quality time with him.  I'm hoping that they'll keep him pre-occupied so I can complete some stuff on the "to-do" list...hint hint!!  Hee hee hee....

Anyways, we look forward to their arrival.

Getting ready to brave the cold and snowy weather.  Thanks auntie Janice for the cute winter suit,  it's really warm!

Too much stuff to look at in Barking Dog Alehouse.  

Spending time with the relatives at my first Thanksgiving.  Thanks auntie Nancy for the hospitality and wonderful food.  Cooper ate peas for Thanksgiving!

Starting to sit by himself...for a few seconds at least.

In Loving Memory...

Lola Tinay holding her great-grandson Cooper.  You will be greatly missed.

It is with a very sad heart that I say goodbye to my lola Tinay who passed away this morning.   She lived a long life into her 90s and I always thought she'd lived forever.  I'll remember her fondly for her gentle soul and her sweet smile.

I am happy that she was able to meet her great-grandson Cooper. 

5 Months

Cooper is 5 months old! 

What he has been doing at 5 months old:

He's trying to commando crawl.  He moves his legs forward, butt up, and head into the floor as he can't move his arms forward at the same time.

He is very talkative...well, screeching and making sounds.  He has said "ma", but doesn't say it directly to me.  

He likes to laugh if you make funny sounds or faces at him.  

He can sit unsupported for a few seconds.  He doesn't like sitting too much and prefers tummy time.

He can roll from back to tummy to back.  We have to watch him real closely now on the bed.

He raises up on his arms really well.  

We've been trying different foods.  I have made carrot and butternut squash purees.  He really loved the carrots, but is still unsure about the squash.  Tonight was the first sample of the butternut squash, so we'll see how it goes.  I pureed a whole squash, so he has a lot of squash to eat!  I bought this really cool food storage container to portion out the puree.  I  want to buy another one, but you can pop out the frozen portions and put them in a ziploc bag to use it again. 

Cooper also tried peas which he liked as well, but not as much as the carrots.  Of course, the carrots were his favorites because they are sweeter than the other vegetables.  So far, he hasn't been picky...I hope that is a sign that he won't be a picky eater as he grows older!

We were blessed with a very happy baby!  My relatives commented on Thanksgiving that they didn't realize there was a baby in the room because he wasn't crying!!  And he doesn't cry too much, usually when he's hungry or tired.  

I'm trying to get Cooper used to sitting.  He's not a big fan of being propped up to sit.  If I try to prop him up on the couch to sit, he tends to extend backwards and slides forward.  He doesn't do that too much if I sit him on the floor, but it's not his favorite way to be.

I can't believe in 3 weeks Cooper will be 6 months old!!  Time goes by too fast.  

Immune System

Breast milk must be doing Cooper good because he hasn't caught my illness...cross my fingers!  Chuck just called to say he wasn't feeling good.  Hopefully, baby boy won't be the next victim.

A Newborn No More

This is what happens to Cooper when I leave him with daddy and mommy is at work!

Gone are the days where I can leave baby boy in the middle of the bed with no worries that he will go anywhere.  I got  up this morning to go pee.   Cooper was still sleeping at his usual spot, until his room is finished, in the middle of our bed on his changing pad.  When I returned from the bathroom, I found him inches from the edge of the bed!  Baby boy rolled over his changing pad and onto my side of the bed.  We definitely need to get his room done so he can sleep in his crib...or we just need to stop using his play yard as storage for our clothes and put him in it!

Almost 5 Months!

Cooper trying rice cereal.

In 9 days, Cooper will be 5 months old!  A few days after he turned 4 months, we decided to trial some rice cereal.  He kept thrusting his tongue out, so we decided to wait a little bit before trying it again.  This week, Cooper has been eating a few spoonfuls of rice cereal for 4 days now.  Some days he likes it better than others.  I think, it depends on the consistency.  If I make the cereal too thick, he tends to shy away from eating it and so I have been trying to make thinner.  So far, he has had no allergic reactions.  But boy, is it a mess!  Cooper likes to grab the spoon and thus, cereal flies all over the place...mostly on him and me.  He also likes to suck his thumb or fingers after taking a spoonful which then gets all over his face, up his nose and on his eyelids!!  I can't imagine what mess we'll make when he gets to try other foods.  For right now, we're sticking to rice cereal once a day and then make try some other solids in a few more weeks.  I bought a book on making homemade baby food and am excited to try a few recipes.

We are also trying to develop a sleep schedule.  I'm trying to get him to take a couple naps during the day and sleep longer (and earlier) at night.  So far, he has been sleeping 7-8 hours at night, maybe rousing once to eat; but then immediately goes back to sleep.  I guess that's typical for breastfed babies to wake up during the night to feed.  The hardest thing has been to get him to sleep earlier as well as to fall asleep.  He gets so fussy when he's tired and wants you to help him fall asleep.  But I'm trying not to help him, but have him learn self-soothing.  He was able to get himself to sleep for a nap today with crying (really hard!) for only four minutes!  So hopefully, we'll reach another goal tonight:  getting to bed early, at least by 8 p.m. as he's been getting to bed between 9-10 pm.  Usually, if we try to put him down earlier, he tends to wake up frequently. Hopefully, we'll get him to have healthy sleeping habits soon!!

One thing that makes me nervous about his sleep is he likes to roll over onto his tummy and sleep!!  But there's nothing we can do about that...I just check on him during naps a few times.  

Anyways, things are going great and we can't wait to spend the holidays with family.  Except my parents who will be in the Philippines for Cooper's first Thanksgiving!  Oh well, at least we have Christmas with both sets of grandparents. 

4 Month Follow Up

Cooper had his 4 month wellness appointment today and he is doing great!  He is in the 95th percentile for height at 26 3/4 inches, the 90th percentile for weight at 16 pounds 11 ounces, and the 75th percentile for head circumference at 43 centimeters.

The doctor said that we can start introducing solid foods, beginning with rice cereal; but said it's perfectly okay not to until he reaches 6 months.  We may start experimenting soon to see if he's ready for it.

Cooper did pretty well with his shots.  He got 3 vaccinations, 2 shots and a drink.  He did great with the drink as it probably tastes better than the vitamin D supplement he takes at home.  I actually thought he wasn't going to cry after getting his shots because he didn't cry at all with the first shot, but once he got the 2nd shot, he broke out into a cry!  However, I scooped him up to console him and after a few seconds, he wasn't crying at all.  What a brave baby boy!!  

Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday, we went to Stocker Farms in Snohomish with Sam, Hilleri and Ailie as it was a beautiful sunny day.  They had a lot of activities for kids including tractor rides, banging pots and pans, corn boxes, trout fishing, to name a few.  Cooper was a wee bit too young to enjoy any of the activities, though it was fun to watch Ailie (who just turned one year old) play in the corn box, bang the pots and ride the barrel train.  Cooper spent all of this time napping.  We found a big pumpkin for Chuck and I and a small one for Cooper.    

Mommy banging the pan for Cooper who thought napping was much more fun . 

Hilleri and Ailie on the barrel train.  

Having fun in the corn box.  A very supervised play activity as little ones were apt to put the kernels in their mouths!  See Cooper who is still napping and snuggling close to my warm self.

Ailie having fun on the horsie!

Mommy's Muse

I finally finished one of his sweaters.  I completed this cardigan in San Diego, but just sewed the buttons on last week.  The second button is misaligned, but I don't think Cooper cares too much!  Just in time too because it's going to be colder and he doesn't have many winter-ish clothing since I thought we'd be in San Diego.  I have another cardigan that I need to sew buttons on and I just completed knitting his striped sweater which Cooper will have to model this weekend.

Not Even 4 Months Yet, but Teething!

I was wondering what that mildly sharp feeling was when I was nursing!  Yup, this almost 4 month old baby is teething and his middle bottom tooth is pushing through his gums.  He had his mouth wide open and I noticed a white nub on his bottom gum.  Put my finger in there, felt a hardness and to my amazement, it's a tooth!

And boy, today is he ever fussy!!  And drooling and always with his fingers and hands in his mouth.  It has been a challenge trying to nurse or feed him because he always goes for his fingers in his mouth first before nipple.

He is growing up way too fast and too early!!!

Rolling

Cooper has now mastered rolling from his back onto his stomach.  He's done it ten times today!!  I can't get him to roll from his stomach onto his back.  He has done it before, but it's been awhile.  Cooper is such a strong boy!!

Mommy's Muse

My iPhoto has definitely gotten much action since baby Cooper was born.  He is just too cute and needs to be photographed as much as possible!  

 I knitted him this hat which was the first time I ever made pom-poms.  They are surprisingly easy to make.

 I have decided that for every holiday I will buy him a cute outfit, preferably sleepers from Hanna Andersson.  I got this cute bones and skeletons' sleeper from the Hanna Andersson Outlet in Woodinville.  I recently received their winter catalog and they have adorable holiday outfits that I can't wait to buy!  I'm also going to buy him a book for each holiday as well.  I got him 'Who's There On Halloween' and today bought him Duck & Goose 'It's Time For Christmas'.  

It's been awhile since he's rolled over.  He's getting real close rolling from back to tummy.  This is his preferred position with his thumb in his mouth.  He also has taken to sleeping on his side...takes after his mommy, though he does sleep on his back as well...takes after his daddy.

Big Boy is 3 Months...Almost 4!

I have been such a slacker with posting on this blog as Cooper will be 4 months in 12 days and I just posted his 3 month old picture just now! Isn't he such a cutie pie!!

Cooper is a very very good and happy baby.  He really only fusses if he is hungry or tired, especially when he is tired.  He hasn't really figured out self-soothing yet.  Sometimes thumb sucking soothes him, other times he just fusses while sucking his thumb.  He only stops fussing when you hold and rock him or feed him, if he's hungry.  Cooper loves to be held, especially by his mommy!!

Cooper loves smiling, making noises while blowing bubbles and drooling all over, and has started laughing when you start tickling him.  He also loves standing.  He has very strong legs and holds his weight pretty well.  Since he has good head control, we have started putting him in his jumperoo and he loves it.  His feet almost touch the floor, but does find a way to jump jump jump away.  He squeals quite a bit when he's in his jumperoo.

I can't believe how time has flown by.  I was looking at his pictures the other day and was amazed at how quickly he has grown.  Sometimes I wish time went by just a tad slower....

Catching Up On Knitting Projects

I love Dale of Norway knitting patterns and couldn't resist buying shades of blue yarn for this adorable sweater.  I am able to knit a bit at a time while Cooper is napping or when Chuck is home to spend some quality holding time with Cooper.  I love that this sweater is knitted on circular needles and don't have to seam the sides.  The tricky part is working with four different yarns for the striped pattern, but will be definitely be worth it.

Why I Love Fall...

Football Season.

 We love rooting for the Seahawks even if they aren't at their best.

Oranges, greens and browns.  

We love wearing hats, mittens and scarfs.

And pumpkin pie!