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.