Welcome Home!

We finally made it home! The road trip home was successful, but definitely challenging with an infant. The days on the road were long as we had to stop every 2-3 hours for feedings, burping, changing of diapers and/or to console a fussy baby stuck in an infant car seat for too long. It also felt longer as we got a late start, around 11 a.m., and reached our final destination late at night, around 10 p.m. Flying is definitely easier and faster!

From San Diego, we headed to Monterey to visit the very popular Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is an awesome aquarium with amazing exhibits of sea life. The only downside was overcrowding. We picked the day where daycare decided to bring children and so it took awhile to get up close and personal to the exhibits. Since we were crunched for time, we went through and saw them briefly. Of course, Cooper only woke up for a feeding, burping and diaper change! We'll definitely have to return again as it is a pretty cool town to sight see. We ended our time at Monterey with lunch at Cannery Row Brewing Co. as our road trips aren't complete without a stop at a brewery!

From Monterey, we drove to Redding. Just a stop over, we just spent the night and headed to Portland, Oregon the next day..one step closer to home! We decided to spend 2 nights in Portland as we were exhausted from driving and wanted a day to relax. And that's what we did...walked around downtown Portland a bit, but mostly, we caught up on much needed sleep!

On Sunday, it was back on the road again. It was the short drive, comparatively, as we stopped by the grandparents' house in Olympia so they could goo-goo ga-ga over Cooper...and that's what they did! My parents were very excited to reunite with their grandson. He has grown so much from the last time they saw him which was only 3 weeks ago. It was at my parents' house that Cooper rolled over for the very first time!

After a nice visit with the grandparents, we took to the rode one last time and finally were home! And boy, does it feel great!!!

Cooper and I at Cannery Row on our way to Monterey Bay Aquarium.

One of many incredible exhibits at the aquarium.

Cooper sleeping his way through the aquarium. We'll have to wait until he's a bit older to return to Monterey.

Tummy time, which he doesn't like at all. Below is a video of him rolling over from tummy to back. He is crying because he hates tummy time. Poor guy!! We're torturing him to get a video as well as develop his neck/back muscles!

One Month Check-Up

In four days, Cooper will be one month old! It's amazing how time flies by and see how much he's grown. Today, we went to the pediatrician's office for Cooper's one month check-up. I guess, we're doing a good job as he's a growing boy. Cooper weighs in at 9 lbs. 11 oz, gaining 2 lbs. from his lowest weight. He's also grown 2" in length, being 22" in length.

All other organs are doing well. Cooper is also able to extend his head when placed on his tummy to 45 degrees and maintain it for at least 5 seconds, impressing us all. We'll be doing more tummy time on the floor. So far, we've been doing mostly tummy time on our tummies while we're laying down; but we've done it on the floor only a couple of times. He's been more alert and awake during the day. He can track our faces and loves looking at his black and white book, especially the butterfly...his eyes get really wide!

Poor Cooper is going through a bout of baby acne, though it's getting better. I guess, it's from hormonal changes during the pregnancy. They say it's more common in boys than girls. There's no treatment, just patience as it will eventually clear up. I have been gently washing his face with water using a cotton ball 2-3 times a day and no lotions or oils because that can make the acne worse. The ped recommended that we use Dreft on our clothing as the adult detergent can irritate his skin. It has been clearing up from last week and only looks worse when he gets fussy and irritated.

The ped recommended that we try gas drops if he continues to have issues with gassiness. It may help him pass gas better and be less painful. He's getting better at burping and I think that helps with the fussiness.

So all in all, he's doing well!

There's No Place Like Home

Cooper sleeping at the San Diego Zoo.

It's hard to believe that Cooper is 3 weeks old today. In 9 days, he'll be a month old! Time, as always, has gone by so fast.

Cooper has been spending more time awake during the day, but poor boy has been plagued by digestive issues. Thus, he is mostly fussy while he's awake. It's hard to watch him strain, moan, get red in the face and sometimes cries while trying to pass gas. I don't know if it's something in my diet causing his gassiness or if it's just his immature digestive system. We are still supplementing a little with formula (a bottle a day) and have switched to a tummy sensitive one. I haven't altered my diet yet, but will try cutting out those foods that cause gassiness. I still feel like I'm pregnant because I can't drink alcohol and caffeine as it can affect my breast milk. Now, I'll have to cut the chocolate, tomatoes, spicy foods, dairy, broccoli, etc. because it can cause gas! It seems like my diet will be more limited than when I was pregnant. Before I totally alter my diet, I'll see what the pediatrician says on Friday. But if that what it takes for Cooper to feel less painful and fussy, well then, I'll have to do it. It breaks my heart seeing him so uncomfortable.

Cooper also doesn't like not be held. He gets fussy and cries if he isn't held. It's okay if he's already asleep and you put him in the swing or bassinet, but if he's awake and you try to put him in the swing, bouncer or bassinet; he'll cry. Nothing comforts him more than being held by mom or dad, preferable mom.

If you haven't heard, Chuck got a new job...in Seattle! He's back with Boeing and we'll be moving back to Seattle. The movers come tomorrow to pack us up. Since we won't have any furniture and Boeing will foot the bill (well, for 5 days at least), we'll be living in a hotel until we drive up to Seattle next Tuesday. Then we'll hit the road and drive 4 days, since we have Cooper and will be making more pit stops, up to Seattle. The pediatrician recommended we'd drive versus fly as Cooper hasn't had his vaccinations and don't want to expose him to germs on the airplane. Anyways, we should be in Seattle by the 24-25th of this month. We're so excited!!!!

No more moving for us....we're staying put in Seattle!!! This is the last adventure for this urban nomad and the first of many adventures as a family of 3.

We'll see you soon Seattle!