Holy 6 Months Batman!!!

I often wonder if there is a phobia of your kids growing up! Really, I think I have one...Each milestone baby Coops hits, I am filled with pride, and anxiety! I love babies, and their unconditional love, no back talking and dependence. This is especially the case with baby Cooper. He is such a happy and easy going baby, and I seriously cherish him at this stage/phase so much!I just want him to stay like this forever!!!

Machy is changing a lot right now, developing leaps and bounds each day.The hugest change is his love for mobility. Coops spends most of his time army crawling around and getting stuck under our black chair in the living room. Another thing noteworthy right now is his awareness of Hudson! Cooper loves getting Hudson`s attention. Every morning the 4 of us lay in our bed, and the boys interact and play. That is my favorite time of day. Hudson will yell out Good morning Coops, and then pet him and roll on him, and Cooper will reach out and touch Hudson, and scratch him and laugh. They are so cute and I am excited to see their friendship develop!

Little Mach(Nuku Mach -shortened to Mach or Machy is his nickname-a Tongan word from my mission) has really taken to a nice schedule and must be growing a lot, as he is ravenous for his cereal. He loves to eat. Cooper does not play strange with people, but he does like his Mama, and I don`t mind that at all. Last week Cooper had his 4 month shots(haha-better late then never...) and he is weighing around 17 lbs. He is a little under 50th percentile for weight, a little above for height and apparently has a pretty small head(I think that is why his eyes look so big-ha). He is healthy and I am so thankful for that. With our church congregation having soooooo many babies born all of the time, I have been exposed to some Mama`s who have preemie or ill babies, and honestly, that would just be a heart wrenching experience!

Last week Hudson had his dental surgery and can I just say it was awful. Seeing my boy so scared as they administered the gas to him was terrible. I felt like such a traitor. He was screaming for help and Shane and I just had to hold him a down. He was so terrified.Again, I truly with all of my heart am thankful that my babies have such good health! Hudson got his fillings, and is even sporting a new silver cap. I am hoping that will be my first and last experience with that type of dental procedure.
I am so thankful that Hudson found his love for the taste of bubble gum flavored toothpaste and that he currently loves brushing his teeth. (Now I just wish he`d stop sneaking off to the bathroom to brush his teeth by himself, and the mess that results from it!)

 The boys still love to take baths together, and we have been loving the awesome spring weather and getting out for walks and park visits.I feel so rejuvenated during the spring! I love being able to go outside, see neighbors and friends and go out and run errands without dread!

Hudson is settling down a teeny bit. He is still a runner and pretty wild, but he has such a dichotomous personality. He gives amazing snuggles, and loves to sit close to me when he is watching a show and we have incredible talks while cuddling at night time and nap time. Hudson is VERY aware of my feelings and moods. He asks me multiple time a day if I am okay or if I am happy. Lately we have been talking a lot about stranger danger and at least once a day he tells me that he will protect me from the people and won`t let anyone take me away from him.

                                 A flower Hudson picked for me while we were out on a walk:)

 Hudson playing with his new best bud Eljude...I think that is his name-our little neighbor boy.

 It has been neat to see Hudson care about his social life. Usually every day Hudson will ask to go see his friends, or to have a party with his friends or ask if we can go to the park ect ect. Although Hudson still has some sharing issues, he loves playing with other kids, and I feel so thankful there are so many laid back Mom`s close to me who allow Hudson to learn social skills with their children! More than anything else Hudson LOOOOVES  to play with his Daddy. He knows exactly when Shane comes home from work and he cannot wait for their various boy games. Wrestling (or wissling) is a definite favorite right now. I am so glad that my boys have such a fun Dad who loves to play with them!

 

Now I can finally rest easy knowing that I am updated on my boys!

Mommy Perks

Prior to having kids, I  would tend to go back and forth on what the big deal of having them really was.You hear the terrible graphic birthing stories, I have yet to see a pregnant woman who looks comfortable, and then there are the colic babies. On the other hand, you see tender moments with parents and kids, and who doesn't love snuggling a peaceful sleeping baby.

I now know that yes there are the really tough times, and kids do make you infinitely more vulnerable to the world and it's heartaches, but daily, even hourly you get Mommy perks.

Here are a few of the perks I have currently enjoyed.

Last night when I got home from Young Womens,  Hudson(who had snuck out from his bedroom) lept down the stairs announcing his love for me. It was true and uninhibited. I felt his love so much! Then he told me "I am so glad your home" and begged me to snuggle him to sleep. I got to cuddle with a charming little 3 year old and literally feel the grace of God right in my arms. I am so thankful I have been privileged to have this experience.

Here is another perk. The other night(in the middle of the night) Cooper woke up and was screaming. I am doing a new diet and I am incredibly tired from it. I let poor Coops cry for a bit then mustered up the strength to go and get my boy. He was crying pretty hard, but the minute I entered his room and said his name he stopped crying. He did not cry again. He knew his Mama was there to take care of him. I was a bit stunned that just the sound of my voice would comfort, my then hysterical, baby. That experience made me feel so important and loved. Many people do not have experiences that allow them to feel so important, so I am so thankful for that sweet reminder!

Here is one more. Today after talking with a friend who related their experience having their premature daughter, I was a bit overwhelmed with some sadness that  my little daughter didn't get to live. I started to cry and somehow Hudson knew immediately why. He said" you sad because you miss Piper?"I told him I was, to which he responded with a hug(complete with pats on the back). Then this wise little boy told me it was okay, as Piper was with Jesus. (cute sidenote-he told me," I know, the temple is far away-that is where Jesus lives with Piper right?") He was confident and caring. I know in so many ways he is the teacher and I am supposed to be the student.

I guess these types of experiences are what makes having kids such a big deal! I am so thankful for all of my Mommy perks!

5 Months already!

Sweet baby Cooper is already 5 months old. I have a post for him at 4 months still as a draft, but I never got around to adding photos so it remains a draft for now.

Cooper is gorgeous and wonderful and I honestly cant gush enough about him. I am a true Mama!He has saved me so many times with his incredible temperament. I seriously just love this kid so much!!

Right now CooperBear is changing so much. He is moving a lot and in the last couple days he has recently started playing with toys. He loves his jumperoo and will sit and jump for hours. He will even just jump himself to sleep! If we put Cooper on his back, he flips immediately and is on his belly really quickly. In fact he has started rolling so much he will do multiple rolls right off the area rug or sometimes he will get himself stuck under the ottoman or under other chairs. Just the past week, Cooper has even started inch worming and sticking his butt in the air to get momentum. I am thinking it wont be too much longer before out little squirt is crawling.

Cooper continues to be a huge smiler. I love it. He is so happy all of the time and has the cutest open mouth smile. We have even managed to get some giggles out of him. He loves peekaboo and pat a cake. He is really just so easy to please. Hudson is pretty awesome with his little brother. Hudson is caring for his brother and Copper rewards Hudson with many huge smiles!

Our poor boy has been struggling with his two bottom teeth.  Cooper is constantly chewing on things, drooling and putting his hands in his mouth. Part of me just wants those teeth to come in already, but I do love his gummy little smile so I will definitely miss it when his teeth come in!

One thing that has been a little trying is Coopers nights. Our little angel has consistently been getting up every hour and a half for the past two or three weeks. I have pretty much been a zombie. I am hoping it has to do with his teeth.

I truly cant get enough of this special little boy. I love him so much and I am so thankful he is in my life. I wish that I could just snuggle him and stare at him all day long.

Love you Buddy!

Updates and Goals

At times in my life I have been avid at keeping a journal. I feel like I am an all or nothing type person in many ways, and record keeping is no different. There are so many things that I want to blog about -mostly so I don't forget-, and that really is the true purpose of me spending my precious free time keeping a blog. I imagine that at times I will not post very much at all, but right now while I still have a lot on my mind I will probably continue to post a lot.
Last night I had the opportunity of going to the Edmonton Alberta Temple(where Shane and I were married) with our youth group to do baptisms for the dead.While I was there I had a lot of time to sit and reflect about the happenings of my life. Can I just say, I feel so privileged to be a Mom to my boys. I love them so much and I am so thankful for their patience with me as I learn and fake my way through being a Mom. I know that some aspects of Motherhood are natural but really, you only get one chance, and I have never been a Mom before, so I am just doing my best and hoping that it all works out!

Cooper is already 2.5 months old. The time seems to be going even faster this time around. Cooper is such a good boy. He is really peaceful and calm. I wish I had all day to just sit around and stare at him and make him smile. I  am so thankful for this little man's demeanor. He lets his brother poke and prod him relentlessly. I can't believe this little dude is growing so fast. He has started to get on a schedule and really is only up once a night. All of his little clothes are fitting him now and he has already grown out of some of his outfits. This guy isn't quite as smiley as his brother was, he makes us work for his smiles, but he is sure giving them more and more lately.  Coopy loves baths and lays on his play mat and loves to kick his hanging toys. It really is my greatest wish that somehow Cooper will know how much I love him and how thankful I am to have him in my life!

 A dose of some daily steam rolling

 It literally took over 100 pictures to get this one-Hudson has turned into such a turkey with photo shoots.

  Not a huge fan of Cooper crying-as evidenced by this photo! heehee

Right now with Hudson we are somewhat attempting potty training. I am hating it.He is solely motivated by candy and really just picks and chooses when he is into toilet training. This big boy is so smart and loves letters, numbers, spelling words and talking! We talk about many things. He loves to sing and his current favorite songs are Book of Mormon stories and Wise men from nursery. Hudson LOVES his nursery leader "Zemp". I tell ya, Sister Zemp really is a saint. Hudson is always concerned with if we are happy or sad, and wants us to be happy. He is also quick to apologize when he does something wrong and hates being sent to his room.(that is really the only way we can effectively discipline him. Hudson loves Cooper and always tells me that Cooper is his pal. On a daily basis Cooper gets steam rolled by Hudson or I will be doing something and I will hear Hudson carrying Cooper over to me. Hudson is wild, but SO MUCH FUN. He loves wrestling with Dad and laughing! He loves his buddy Ethy and they are too cute when they play together! I love this tender hearted Tasmanian devil.

 Poor Hudson was sick- so I took advantage of his medicated state and tried to get a couple pictures

Now on to some goals for the year. I really want to get my life organized. I have been working my butt off in my spare time trying to establish order once again in my life. Since I went back to work after having Hudson so many things had to be pushed aside so I could do the essentials. I am loving organizing my life and I am hoping that as I organize things around here I will be able to focus more on my family. I think that one of the aspects of my life that needs some attention is establishing my priorities. I need to determine what is good, better and best. I want to use my time doing the best things, and then I think that I will feel more inner peace. On more goal that is a bit easier to measure is going to the temple. I want to make a real effort to go to the temple once a month. I really have no excuse. We live 15 minutes away and  I know the blessings I receive from attendance there are so worth the sacrifice. I am going to try to make monthly goals so that I can constantly be working on bettering my life. I am so thankful for this time that I have to be at home with my little guys and work on some of the areas of my life that need attention. So far 2012 has been good to me and  my family and I am hopeful that it will continue to be good!

Cooper's Baby Blessing

Just trying to get caught up here!
While my parents were down visiting and Shane's parents were up visiting, we figured it would be easiest to have Cooper's baby blessing.
We organized it quickly and our kind and gracious Bishop allowed us to bless Cooper in our home(although generally it is done in sacrament meeting). Unfortunately my sisters were not able to make the trip on such short notice, but they were nice enough to not be mad at me for planning it without them:).
We were able to have all of Shane's family come and it was a really fun evening.
Cooper was blessed on Boxing Day and he was given a beautiful blessing by his Daddy. His Uncles, Grandpa's and Bishop Sheriff Moawad were in the circle too. I am thankful for the priesthood and the power it is in my life. I am so thankful for this sweet calm baby in my life and already for the special relationship I get to have with him as his mother!This was definitly a highlight of this holiday season.

Cooper McKay-Our Perfect Addition

Cooper McKay, came to us a couple weeks early(good boy) on October 23, 2011. He was 7lbs 5 oz. and 20 inches long. His labour was VERY short, so he came to us looking like a dream, perfect skin and no blemishes. He is already almost 2 months old, and the thought of that just about breaks my heart! I so wish that he would stay little forever. Just yesterday he started giving us eyes open smiles. I thought my heart was going to explode when I saw it-it was about the cutest thing I have ever seen! This little guy feeds well, and is super easy going. He is a great little sidekick!His big brother Hudson is enthralled with him. Hudson always wants to have him near and says the cutest things like "Mom, Cooper is sooooo cute". I am so excited for Hudson and Cooper to be great pals one day.
Oh little baby Cooper, we love you so much. You are perfect. What a great little blessing you are to our family!Literally since the moment you were born you have been easy.You are calm and content and that is exactly what this mama needed. You love to snuggle and you smile a lot in your sleep. You tolerate your "loving" big brother poking your eyes, steam rolling you, carrying you around non stop, yelling in your face and just "loving" you in general.
After a very long and hard pregnancy you have made every discomfort worthwhile!Thank you for coming to us Cooper, for helping to heal our hearts and for being you! We will try our hardest to be a good family for you! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!