Friday, January 02, 2009 9:20 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...Michael, Cooper, and I are doing great...except we are freezing our fannies off up here!!! Today it got down to a -43 degrees here at the house. Burrr!!!!! We are keeping the wood burning stove cookin' to keep up with the outside temps. However, this past Wednesday was Cooper's two week appointment but we had to reschedule because both my car and Mike's truck wouldn't start (even though they were plugged in to block heaters). So, Coop is rescheduled for this coming Monday...but it's looking like the temps may not be changing much by then. Michael finally got his truck to start...but when he went to work on my car...the block heater plug broke clean off when he touched it...gurrrr!!!! Michael says it was a heavy duty wire that snapped like a frozen twizzler. Love Alaska...but it's times like these that make it a bit frustrating!!! :) But, he was able to repair the plug and start the car later...phew!!! And...as you can see from the pics of our windows and doors...there is a bunch of frost on the inside of the house....That's the INSIDE, even though the house itself is toasty warm. I'm sure when it does decide to warm up, I am going to have a lot of mopping up to do!!!
Everything else is pretty much same-o, same-o. Cooper is just a cutie patootie and I love snuggling with him. I have found that he is basically a host of bodily functions as well...ha ha ha!!! He just seems to always be eating and eating...which means we are changing lots of diapers. I don't think I've perfected the act of not getting peed on yet by my little man...but I am still in my learning phase, too! He's becoming a bit more interactive. And I just had to take a picture of his little shirt that his "Aunt Wendy" sent him for Christmas....I still say that I am first in command though!!! :)
Well, guess that's about it for now! Talk to you all soon!
Love ya lots!
Michael, Leah, and Baby Cooper :)
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Saturday, January 17, 2009 9:36 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope you all are well...Michael, me and the munchkin are doing great...we are really enjoying being new parents!!!
So here's the latest and greatest on the baby report...! Cooper is just over 4 weeks old now. I can't believe how time flies...it still feels like we've only had him in our lives for just a few days...of course, that could be the lack of sleep talking, too! He had his checkup appointment when he was two and a half weeks old and everything was great. At that time, his weight had gone from 7'14" to 9'1" which put him at 75% for his age. He had grown 3/4 of an inch (19 3/4') and that put him at 25% for his age. Guess that may explain why it took him so long to fit into his newborn clothes. And his head circumference put him at 50% for his age. We also got the referral to the plastic surgeon who is going to do his cleft lip repair...it will be down in Anchorage at the hospital I worked at. I'm glad that I will be surrounded by all my friends at that time and will be on the pediatric ward where I know he will get awesome care. :)
Well, Cooper is doing great. He's much more alert and isn't sleeping all the time now. Michael and I love it when his big blue eyes are opened wide and just scopes out the world around him. And he does little smiles...but mostly when he's sleeping. I'm glad his hair didn't fall out...in fact, I believe it's getting longer and now goes over his ears a bit. I love it when he wakes up with bedhead...it's so funny! It seems like just in the past two days he has gone through a big growth spurt. He used to get his legs stuck in the same hole of his newborn PJs...and now his legs are bunched up in them! So, it looks like we may already be retiring some of his clothes. I'm glad I didn't go out and get a lot of newborn size clothes. But, now at least I won't be doing laundry every other day to make sure he has clothes to wear now that he is fitting in 0-3 month clothes (I have many more clothing options for him to wear now!!!)
I think we may be getting him on some sort of night schedule...I tribute this to Michael keeping him very active in the evening before bedtime. I will feed him around 10-11 o'clock and then we sleep till around 2 in the morning. He's usually up for about an hour or so and then we go back to bed till about 6 in the morning . Then after he feeds again we manage to catch another nap from there for a few hours or so. It's definitely better than feeding him for 3-4 hours at a time throughout the night. So, all you moms out there...is this a "normal" routine or am I still way off base here???? Inquiring minds want to know! I'm trying to read about this in my books but just haven't managed to get all the way through them yet...
I feel like I have never been lazier in my life now that I have the baby. I mean, I feel like I don't get anything done around the house unless Michael is here to hand the baby to. Any yet, I AM busy 24/7 with the baby...everyone says this is normal...guess I need to relax some. I feel like if I can get my shower done by the time Mike gets home from work in the evenings, I'm doing good. I tried to go grocery shopping with Cooper a few days ago but as soon as I walked into the store, he had a meltdown and I basically hid in the bathroom to try and feed him to quiet him down. It worked while I was in the bathroom but wasn't really conducive to grocery shopping and he just cried and cried as soon as I put him back in his carseat. So, I scratched the grocery shopping and just went back home. I have no idea how moms do this kind of thing by themselves and it basically put me in tears trying to figure out what to do. So, seeing as how I was going a little batty, as soon as Michael came home that night from work, I left him with the baby and took off for a few hours to the grocery store. It was the first time I had left the baby since he was born and Michael handled everything like a champ...as I knew he would. :)
I have started back on a modified "Biggest Loser" contest with everyone again. My goal is only to lose one pound per week...seeing as how they say not to diet and yadda, yadda, yadda this soon after a baby and whatnot. The only thing that is causing me to lose weight is the breastfeeding...I haven't been this "light" in probably 10 years or more. I am wanting to eat like how I was when I was a gestational diabetic...but now with the baby here, my eating options have transformed into what I can shove in my mouth in a minute or less....or what I can prepare one-handed. So, basically not the healthiest of habits...and, of course, when I do eat healthy stuff (fruit and veggies), I feel bad because it gives Cooper diarrhea....gurrr...I just feel like I can't win!!! Any advice you mommies have out there...it would be greatly appreciated!!!! :)
Last weekend all three of us went to Sears to have Cooper's newborn pictures taken. They turned out so super cute. Cooper tolerated everything pretty good in the beginning...but that morphed into us popping a bottle in his mouth in-between pictures to keep him from crying. We did a few belated Christmas shots just because I wasn't able to have his picture taken with Santa this year. So, check out our pictures!!! He sure is a cutie-patootie!!! :)
Well, the weather has FINALLY gotten a bit warmer. At home, we were in the -40 range for two weeks or so and it was getting old quick. Here in the "hills" we're stilll typically warmer than town or Clear (who got much colder). For the past two days we have actually been in the positive 40's...can you believe it? Things are melting some...which, of course, makes driving pretty hazardous. I think this weekend it's supposed to get down to around 0 degrees or so...then we just need it to snow again to make it all pretty once more! :) We've been keeping my car plugged in in the garage so we can make sure it starts. However, Michael's Ford F150 truck just has not wanted to start what-so-ever and he thinks it's definitely broke verses just being too cold to start. So...he needed a vehicle that he can trust to get him where he needs to go so this past weekend he went out and bought a Toyota Tundra. He is much happier with it and it sure is perty!!! The extended cab has much more room to sit and fits the carseat better, too! (It's all about the baby!!!)
Last night at my 2 in the morning feeding with Cooper, I had migrated downstairs to watch some TV in the process. Michael came downstairs to keep us company and we were listening to the wind howl like crazy outside. We don't typically get much wind here in our little valley, but sometimes it can really roar. Our trees were really swaying in the wind...and then, wouldn't you know it, all the power went out. We figured some lines had been blown down and our phone lines were dead as well..oh, and we don't have cell coverage here at the house. So, we broke out the candles and then Michael started a fire so we could have some heat and light. We also got out camping lanterns...because changing diapers by candlelight is not fun. Power and phone came back about 11AM...which is around sunrise. All told, no big deal...I'm just glad that Michael was here when it happened though!
Guess that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!!!
Love you lots!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
PS: This is Mike. I've scaled down our pictures more than usual to respect those like me who don't have a lot of bandwidth. As a reminder, all our letters plus HIGH-resolution pictures are at our web site. http://www.michaelandleahscadden.com/
Extra family pix!
Mike and Cooper
Leah and Cooper
hands
feet
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Saturday, January 24, 2009 12:07 AM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are all doing groovy! Actually, we had a really good day today...I was bound and determined that we were going to be productive and try new things (rather than feeling stuck to the couch watching all my favorite episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, House, Burn Notice, Man verses Wild, and Law and Order...which really isn't all that bad by any means, but still). So, rather than snoozing a little more with Cooper this morning, I put him in his car seat and hauled it to the bathroom while he slept so I could take my shower. After finishing up in the bathroom, Cooper was still asleep...bonus!...so I started some laundry and was actually able to make some scrambled eggs for myself...what do ya know...a warm breakfast/lunch (and something besides cereal)! For the past few days or so he has become a bit more content to be by himself and just watch the world around him verses wanting to be held 24/7. So, I loaded him into his swing and he was good to go for about a half hour...he even took a little catnap. Then, I decided I would strap on the baby carrier (the thing that carries babies against your chest) and see if he would tolerate being in it. Michael's had more success than me with it over the past week for small periods of time so I decided I would give it a whirl again....and he did awesome!!! He didn't cry once and we got some chores done around the house...I was so excited...and I think he even enjoyed my singing "You are my sunshine" to him over and over...even if it was a little off-key...but that's okay...no one else was around to hear me!!! :) We folded and put away some laundry, mopped up the windowsills (now that it's a bit warmer, the frost has melted), put dishes away and reloaded the dishwasher, and just did some general cleaning around the house. He ended up falling asleep in the carrier for another catnap, too. But now I know I can get some things done around the house and be able to tote him around with me. And, I know, I started a bad habit by letting him sleep on my chest all the time...he just sleeps so much better and I do, too...but I know it needs to be changed so I've been forcing myself to put him down for his little naps...slowly but surely I'll get there. Who would have ever thought I'd be such a hovering mom...yeah, right, huh? So, by around 3:30 we were both ready for a good long nap...and we slept for about 2 1/2 hours...yes, he was on my chest...but he's just so snuggly...baby steps, right!!!??? The rest of the day went great, too...hopefully we'll have a good day tomorrow when the three of us head into town to run some errands. Yeah! We're getting out of the house!!! I need to work on my fear of leaving the house, too...I think it has to do a lot with not wanting to go out in the extreme cold and lugging everything around and worrying if I'll slip on the ice.
Oh yea! Last night Cooper got his first "official" bath in the bathtub versus a sponge bath on the side of the bathroom sink. It was so much easier for all of us and doesn't require a two person job...I feel comfortable doing it by myself now. Cooper enjoyed it so much...he just lounged back in his little bath chair and loved the warm water being poured over him. He thought it was pretty groovy! Check out the naked baby shots!!! :) The kitty was pretty curious about the whole ordeal, too!
And, even though all the books say it's too soon for him to give us some "real" smiles yet, I know I got one yesterday!!! He's just so cute! He sure seems to be growing and getting longer...I think we may have to retire a few more newborn outfits...it's so sad! Michael says before we know it, he'll be asking for the keys to the car. He's even getting the strongest legs. When he's motivated, he can bear his own weight while we simply balance him! His hair is getting longer as well...I love it when he wakes up and has a serious case of bed head...ha ha ha!
Well, I guess that's about it for now! Talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Michael, Leah, and Baby Cooper :)
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Monday, February 02, 2009 5:59 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we're doing pretty good...except we're back in to the -20's...burrrr!!!! Just wanted to send out a quick letter with some more pictures of our bundle of joy! Cooper's been sleeping in his crib for the past three nights for around 7 hours or so...we just need to work on the bedtime part. One o'clock in the morning is still way past his curfew!!!...and my bedtime! But things have been progressing far better than I thought they would go. Apparently I am the one than needs the training and not so much as Cooper!!
So...pictures...finally sending out pictures of Michael's truck...it's a 2008 Toyota Tundra and it's a very dark metallic green with tan interior...we love it! Also sending a number of pictures out of an assortment of Cooper's outfits before he grows out of them! The crocheted outfit is from a friend, Vicky, down in Anchorage and the blanket is from Pat...such wonderful talent! And I tote Cooper around in this baby carrier when I do chores around the house. Anyhoo...enjoy!
Talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
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Monday, February 16, 2009 8:25 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we are doing pretty good.
Well, let's see...first things first...the baby report...of course! Cooper is doing just wonderful. He seems to be hitting his milestones according to the books and the doctor. He just had his 8 week appointment and the doc said he is doing great. He's grown so much already...he's 12.5 pounds and his height has increased into the 50th percentile (up from 25th). He's a lot more focused in looking at us and the world around him...he's smiling a lot and likes to peer at himself in the mirror in his play gym. He does these side looks at the mirror and it just cracks me up because it looks like he is flirting with the baby in the mirror. He's grasping toys and fingers and hair...ow! :) His personality is definitely making an appearance. I definitely know what his hunger cues are...when Michael holds him, Cooper will start rooting around on him...sucking on Michael's arm...and even his nose (as you can see from the picture). I think sleeping is getting better...okay, so there is definitely no schedule and we still have awesome nights and some not so awesome nights...but we have managed to periodically get him to sleep for 4 hours, be up for an hour or so, and then sleep for another 4 hours. It varies...there are times when it's still only an hour and a half and may even go as long as five and a half hours at a time. I've been told it gets better when we start introducing solids but we still have a few months to go before that happens. Overall, he's doing much better in his crib...yahoooy!!
Last weekend some of the girls that I work with at Fred Meyer's threw an "After-Baby Baby Shower" for me and Cooper. There were about 5 or 6 of us and it was nice to get out of the house and visit and show Cooper off. Cindy made me a German chocolate cake in the shape of a teddy bear...it was just so cute...and yummy, too! Cooper got lots of new toys, an outfit, a high chair, and the cutest little pair of baby cowboy boots (they are called Cowboy Kickers) and a stuffed pony...from Rebecca who has a real horse of her own. I even managed to find a potential baby sitter for Cooper on the weekends. Angie is one of the technicians and just loves babies (she made me a diaper cake, too!). She was so awesome with him and has lots of experience. She seemed so comfortable with Cooper and he really enjoyed her...he just fell asleep in her arms. We're still in the process of finding actual daycare though.
It looks like Cooper's surgery will be when he is three months old instead of six months. The military is flying us down to Anchorage on March 3rd for our meet-and-greet appointment with the plastic surgeon. They are only flying us down for the day (appt is at 1:00)...leaving in the morning and flying back in the evening. So everybody down at Prov...I want to stop in and see everyone!!! I'll keep you posted when we think we will be there as soon as we get our flight schedule so we can all hopefully get together. I'll keep you posted on further developments!! Yippee!!!
Michael and I went out to dinner last night for Valentine's Day. Cooper came along for our date, too! It was the first time we've gone out to eat with him and he did pretty good...Michael and I passed him between us so we could each eat our steak and lobster...we are both managing doing things one-handed...sort of!
Michael's been playing with our new camera we got for Christmas. He's managed to get some pretty neat shots of some birds (notice the bird flying in the background). He built an awesome bird house that resembles our log home and the birds have gone crazy over it...and, of course, the squirrel has moved right in...claiming it as his property as well. We've gone ahead and just started buying the mondo sized bags of bird seed just so it lasts a bit longer...the word is out on where the smorgasbord is!!!
Well, other than that, things are same-o, same-o. Weather has warmed up. Coop gets his two month vaccines on Wednesday. Guess that about covers the latest...talk to you all soon!
Love you lots!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper
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Saturday, February 28, 2009 10:21 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are doing really great...just sending out the latest news and pictures.
So, baby report...Cooper is doing awesome. He handled his two month vaccinations like a champ...I think it hurt me more to have to watch him get poked three times in his little thighs than it seemed to hurt him. Hopefully he won't have his mom's fear of needles. He's becoming more and more interactive as the days go by. He's getting more interested in his toys and grasping them and trying to suck on a few. He really likes to bat around the hanging objects in his play gym as well. But the ultimate soother for him is his swing...love the swing!!! He's sleeping better and better...his record is sleeping eight hours in a row...but that was only one time. Usually he goes for about five hours, up for less than an hour, then out for another two or three hours. Sleep is a beautiful thing. I just love tucking him into his crib and watching him sleep...although he is migrating all over his crib now. He seems to like to snuggle up to one particular side next to the bumper. I still wake up in the middle of the night and worry if he is okay and, of course, is he breathing??? I wish the stores sold home apnea monitors...just so I could always make sure he was fine...which he always is. And since the flooring on the second floor technically used to be the attic floor before the second level was built on the house, the floors are very creaky. I've tried to find the boards in the floor that don't make a lot of sound when you walk on them. My friend Paula said that I should number them so I know where to step as I go down the hallway. :) Hee hee!
We fly out this Tuesday for Anchorage for Cooper's appointment. I can't wait to hook up with all our friends and introduce Cooper to them!!! It sounds like Cooper will be able to have the surgery when he is three months old instead of having to wait until he is six months old. We'll find out more on Tuesday.
Sooooo, last night we got just a bit of snow....well, okay, more than a bit...more like a foot of snow...seriously! It was so beautiful to watch all the big, fat snowflakes come down. We introduced Cooper to snow today as well. We bundled him up...although it was relatively warm for a snowy day. My mom had sent up a winter cold weather sack for him...Michael and I were just laughing because it's still a bit big for him and just seemed to swallow him up. He just looked so cute...it kind of reminded us of that movie "A Christmas Story" with that little kid who was so bundled up in his snow gear that he couldn't put his arms down because of all the stuffing. I changed him into his reindeer outfit because it was just so cute and I had to get a picture of him in it. The snow seemed to fascinate him...until he decided his nap was much more important.
Mike spent the afternoon plowing away the snow so we could drive the vehicles out. Coop and I took naps. :)
Let's see...other tidbits of information. Michael has had a big major inspection going on at work this past week and we are all glad that it is finally over. I was rechecked to see if the diabetes from pregnancy has stuck around and it looks like I'm in the clear. I get new glasses in about two weeks...woo hoo! I can't wait to get them so I'm not looking through scratches anymore. And as soon as Mike is able to take a morning or afternoon off to look after Cooper, I am going to go back to the doctor's office to have him remove a mole on me...he thinks it may be a basil cell carcinoma...argh. Won't know until the biopsy...but he said not to stress about it because if it is, it's really slow growing....well, I suppose that's easy for him to say when he is not the patient....
Well, I suppose that's about it for now...we'll keep you all posted!
Love you bunches!
Michael, Leah, and Baby Cooper :)
PS: Bonus picture of the bird (squirrel) feeder.
Web editor's note: yes, Leah does love the grey "I love Mommy" outfit.
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:36 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? Michael and I are doing great...and, of course, Cooper, too!
Well, here's the update on our big adventure down to Anchorage yesterday. We were up early to get everything ready to go to the airport...actually, when I think about it, we were up when we always get up for a feeding or changing...we just didn't get to go back to bed! :) Cooper had slept for 8 hours so he was good to go. I was "prepared" for Cooper to have a meltdown on the airplane and had lots of milk and toys on hand to help combat that...but he was so good! Michael was cuddling him as he drank a bit of milk and fell asleep before the plane even left the ground. Both Michael and Cooper slept for most of the hour that it takes to get to Anchorage...and I just watched them both sleep. I talked a bit to the flight attendant when we got on board and had mentioned that it was Cooper's first airplane flight. She came back a little while later and asked me my baby's name and then returned a short time later with a card from the captain. It had "To Cooper, Happy First Flight!" on it and was signed by him. Ahhhh...something cute for the baby book!
So, we landed in Anchorage, picked up the rental, and took off to Providence to see all my buddies. Cooper slept through introductions but woke up later on. He did pretty good being snuggled and passed around...he even gave some smiles here and there. We couldn't stick around for long because we needed to snag some lunch and head over to Cooper's appointment.
We met with the plastic surgeon and talked about what's expected from the surgery. We'll be staying down there longer than I expected...but that's okay because it gives me a lot of time to make sure Cooper is doing well before we take him back home and to stop in and see friends again. The surgery is going to take place later than we intended...but that's fine...we tried to balance when the doctor is on vacation as well as our trip to Texas and Colorado. So, we're going to Anchorage May 14th (Thursday), surgery will be Friday morning, recovery through the weekend, follow-up visit on Monday, and then fly home Monday night (May 18th). The doctor said that only one surgery will be needed (hopefully) and he seems to think that this will be an "easy" fix because the palate is not involved and the split is only halfway to his nose. He said that Cooper will be able to eat the evening of the surgery...phew! He'll have some dissolvable stitches on the inside of his lip and some "super-glue" material on the outside of the skin to keep the incision together. Luckily, he wouldn't have to remove any stitches at the follow-up visit on Monday. Obviously, things can change, but that is the plan. The surgery will take about 1-2 hours so we won't be staying at the hospital. I think the hardest thing will be Cooper's recovery because he'll have to wear arm splints preventing him from sticking his hands in his mouth and messing up the doctor's handiwork. He may have to wear the splints up to three weeks...he is so going to hate that!!! Poor little guy!
We got some education about cleft lips in general. So, I'm just going to type up some of the info here...it answered a number of questions for me and will hopefully answer a lot of questions that I've been asked but didn't know the answers to. So...a cleft lip is a birth defect caused by the lack of fusion in the development in the lip and/or palate in utero. It may take one to two operations to totally correct if it is an isolated lip deformity (which is Cooper's). The operation is usually performed at three to four months of age. The cleft deformity is a lack of fusion of the two sides of the lip which caused distortion not only in the skin of the lip but also of the underlying muscles. The nose is also deformed to some extent (one of Cooper's nostrils is larger than the other). All tissues required for repair are present; they are just in an abnormal location. For this reason the operation is a realignment of the tissues following appropriately placed incisions. This operation will attempt to restore the lining of the lip. The muscles will also be reattached, hopefully bring better function and appearance to the lip. The nose may be corrected to some extent at the initial operation however will most likely require additional surgery if there is a significant deformity still present. The lack of fusion of the skin will result in a permanent scar in the lip. The scar will be aligned as so to create a minimum effect in the child's appearance however there will be a permanent and irreversible scar. There may be some widening or thickening of the scar, reddening, or irregularities which may need correction at a later date. In general, this scar is very reactive and may take up to 12-18 months to flatten. It may initially cause some tightening with elevation of the cleft side of the lip. This will usually relax and return to a normal position within two years.
So, hopefully everything will turn out fine. I liked the doctor and have heard good things about him.
Well, after the visit, we went back to Providence to see more friends in the pharmacy and the pediatric unit. Then, a number of us went to one of our favorite restaurants, The Glacier Brewhouse, for an early dinner. Yummm. Cooper did pretty good...considering he was hungry and didn't get any of his long naps during the day. Cooper did really well on the plane ride home...he stayed awake, laying in my lap and didn't fuss or cry. Phew! However, the meltdown I was expecting all day started as we were heading home. Boy, did that ever clue me in to how messing with a kiddo's schedule will make for a cranky baby! I'm glad it happened while we were on our way home so I could put him to bed. He slept non-stop for about 9 and 1/2 hours...his all time record!
So, I guess that's about it....we're attaching pictures of Cooper's first airplane ride and some friends. It was so good to see everyone again and chitchat. Everyone remarked how Cooper is so Michael's baby and how much he looks like him. Michael was definitely the proud papa. Cooper enjoyed meeting all our friends and missed them so much that he "sang" about it for an hour after getting home. Enjoy!
Love you all! Miss you bunches!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
PS: So I've noticed that Cooper is in EVERY single picture. It's safe to say we've clearly (although unintentionally) abandoned our child-free audience altogether...SORRY! We still love you!!!
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Saturday, March 07, 2009 10:29 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? Doing pretty good up here. We got another foot of snow a few days ago...sure is pretty but definitely makes it harder to get around. Never know if the snow plows have come by or not...sometimes they are super fast and other times it takes them a few days. Oh well. That's what we signed on for when we moved up here...and we still just totally love it! Although, we (meaning Michael...hee hee hee)...may need to clear the snow off the roof sometime soon...see pic!
Got my new glasses...but have to send them back because they forgot to put my glare coating on them. It just bugs me to no end to see reflections of lights in my lenses all day long. Anyhoo...Cooper promptly sneezed on them...not sure if that was his blessing that he likes them or his distaste of them! :)
So...I was starting to develop a complex because Cooper was sleeping for over 9 hours in a row at night (for the past 4 nights) and I wasn't sure if this means that something may be wrong or if I was just very, very lucky. So, I called the pediatric nurses line at the hospital and asked them. The gal was very quiet on the other end after I asked her my "new mommy" question and I wasn't sure if she was laughing at me or was in shock. Well, she wasn't laughing...but she did say that she would be concerned because he may not be getting enough to eat since he was sleeping so much at night at just two and a half months old. Ah ha! But then I told her that Cooper is definitely not losing weight and that he is actually in the 90th percentile in his weight category...I have me a chunky monkey!!!! So, then she changed her opinion saying that I was just very, very lucky. I'm sure I shouldn't get used to this...because once I think I have accomplished something or figured something out....my little munchkin changes it on me... :)
Well, Michael got us our tickets to fly down to Texas and Colorado. We fly to Texas taking the red-eye flight on Sunday, April 26th which puts us in El Paso on the 27th. Woo hoo! I am so excited to go down to see everyone. My grandma is even coming into El Paso to see us and meet little Cooper. Woo hoo!! Oh...I already said that, didn't I??!! (My brother just asked me if I drink a bunch of Red Bull before I type my emails...and I said, nope, I just naturally have happy fingers!!! Hee hee!) My dad and I are going to be celebrating our birthday together again...finally! That sure hasn't happened in a long, long time...I think probably since I left the house to go to college. We stay for the week and then fly up to Colorado to see Mike's family on Sunday, May 3rd and stay through Friday, May 8th and make the long haul back up to Fairbanks. It's going to be so much fun! :) We'll be seeing Mike's twin sister's new baby as well. Michele just had their forth girl, Sierra Michele.
Then, the following week after we get back from vacation, Cooper will be having his little touch-up done. Mike and I are kinda sad that his little cleft lip will be gone...I think it just adds to his cuteness. His smiles are just the sweetest thing and makes my heart smile when he gives me one.
So, here are some of my new mommy questions....Cooper is rubbing off his hair on the back of his head. I think this mainly happens from when he is in his car seat. Anybody know of a way to stop this from happening? And my second question is...Is there any easier way of sucking out boogies out of my kiddo's nose besides using saline drops and a bulb syringe? I would have never thought I'd be doing this a year ago.
Well, guess that's about it for now. I am going to go attempt to scrapbook...somehow I don't think I am going to get very far though!!!
Lovies,
Michael, Leah, and Baby Cooper :) (and Pasht)
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Sunday, March 22, 2009 11:38 AM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We're doing good up here...the weather has gotten colder...again...it's been getting down to -20 or so at night. But, at least the days are getting much longer and we are seeing sunshine once again!!! Michael and I are anxiously awaiting the warmer weather. I want to get a jogger stroller for Cooper so we can go on walks up and down our road. It's definitely going to be culture shock when we go down to El Paso and experience all that hot weather...ahhhh...warmth...I can't wait!
Well, our little Cooper turned three months old on the 18th...sniff...it's like he's all grown up!!! :) His newest trick lately is knowing what it takes to get attention (like he's so deprived of it...yeah right!). He won't neccessilarily cry, but will holler for you when he just wants you to sit next to his swing or be next to his play gym or just wants to hang out on your lap. His legs are getting much, much stronger...we can tell a big difference from before when you hold him up by the arms and he stands. He is just all smiles now. One of the favorite parts of my day is when I hear him in his crib in the morning wiggling around and I peer over the edge at him...and he just gives me the biggest, brightest smile. It just makes my heart go pitter-patter. But, then, of course, he will grunt and then fill his diaper...so, who knows if it's me or if his little tum-tum just feels better. He's still sleeping for about 9 hours straight at night...yahoo!
Well, we're sending the usual array of pictures...Michael caught a picture of me reading a book to Cooper...Cooper will spout off a few giggles here and there and babble a bit when I read him stories...it's so cute. There's a few crib shots as well...he's funny when he's just in a diaper...sometimes he just moves around like he's dancing a jig...at other times he just bike-peddles his legs as fast as he can...makes putting a diaper on him a challenge at times! Cooper is looking more and more like Michael every day...Mike and my mom say he has my chin...everything else is all Michael apparently...but I do think he is going to have my big bright smile in the future... :)
Well...I found out about a totally cool cooking tip when I was watching the Food Network Channel. Many of you may already know this, but I tried it this morning and it was awesome. So, I love bacon...but absolutely hate making it...especially the cleanup afterwards of taking my whole stove top apart and degreasing it. Here's what you do...get a cookie sheet and then put a cooling rack on top of it and then place the bacon on it...bake in a 400 degree oven for roughly 20 minutes depending on how crispy you like it. The bacon stays flat and doesn't roll up on you like it does when you fry it in a pan. No spattery mess to clean up. And you can cook a lot at one time if you have a number of people for breakfast. And each piece of bacon was cooked in pure uniform...i.e. not burnt in one place and fatty/raw in another. I just fell in love with bacon all over again...which I'm sure is not the best thing...but it was sure yummy with our French toast this morning. :)
Well, guess that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
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Sunday, April 05, 2009 7:41 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are all doing pretty good. Michael is finally done with his inspection so he's had a four day weekend. Yippee!
I'm sure you all have heard about our volcano, Mt. Redoubt, erupting almost on a daily basis. It's not affecting us really up here in Fairbanks except for the mail delivery. We've been anxiously awaiting for a number of packages to arrive, but since the airport in Anchorage is affected by the falling ash, we haven't been getting stuff!!! But, what can you do?! I hear that it had it's biggest eruption yesterday and the ash is headed straight for Homer.
Cooper is doing just peachy! He's growing by leaps and bounds. His newest trick is trying to mimic Michael when he sticks out his tongue a bit and buzzes his lips. We were just floored yesterday when Cooper was watching Michael intently while doing this and then he would stick out his tongue a little bit and razz his lips...it was just the cutest thing. Coop is also cooing up a storm...he seems to entertain himself with his baby babble. He started sucking his thumb right before he would fall asleep...but he only did it for a few days. I don't see any teeth coming in yet. We got his three month pictures (more like three and a half months) taken at Sears this past week. I figured since Easter was just around the corner, we may as well get a picture of him with the bunny ears on. They turned out super cute and Sears even asked me if they could put his Easter photo up in the studio. I was so excited! Well, Coop has been sleeping for 9-10 hours a night for well over a month except for the past two nights. The first night he woke up and seemed to be starving...and I figured he might wake up just because he was so tired the night before, he didn't really eat all that much...he kind of fell asleep on the job. Then, last night he had a diaper malfunction and his PJs and bedding were all wet. Can't blame the little guy for waking up...I wouldn't want to sleep in that either. I've just gotten so used to going through the whole night without him waking up...I'm hoping this doesn't mean he's going to start waking up again sooner. But, I still feel like I can't complain much...he still slept for about 7 hours before waking up. I talk to so many other people who say their child is three years old and they haven't had a full nights sleep in all that time. Just when you think you've gotten something figured out, he changes it on ya!!! That's okay though...
Not much else is going on...I've actually been scrapbooking lately...it seems like I haven't done it in soooo long (which I guess I haven't). I've only been able to do about two pages a day when Cooper is napping, but it's better than nothing. I think I forgot how much fun it was for me. I sure do miss going to my scrapbooking camps!
Well, we found out not too long ago that Michael's youngest brother, Kevin, is expecting a little girl sometime in the near future. Well, I mean his wife, Crystal, but you know what I mean! Cooper is still going to be the token boy out of all the girl cousins on Michael's side of the family (five in all).
Yesterday we awoke to another grouse versus window encounter. Fortunately, the window survived, but the grouse did not. I suppose this is just part of rural living. Fortunately (?) we've only lost 3 windows to grouse strikes.
Guess that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
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Saturday, April 11, 2009 8:29 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We're all groovy...we hope you all have a very happy and blessed Easter!!!!
Michael just gave Cooper a bath...by himself...without me. I am (almost) ashamed to say, that I am that "hovering" mother that I always told myself that I wouldn't be. But sometimes (okay, most of the time) I just can't help the "new mommy" in me. I knocked on the door once when Michael was in the bathroom with Cooperto see if he needed any help (not to be nosey) and I got a firm "BE GONE!!!" from the other side of the door. It just made me laugh and I went back to the table to go scrapbook...Cooper came out of the bathroom squeaky clean and smelling like J&J baby lotion...one of the best smells in the world as far as I'm concerned! So...it looks like I can relax and Michael survived Cooper...or it could be that Cooper survived Michael...I'm not sure which one!!! Hee hee!
Cooper finally got his jumperoo in the mail...yippee!!! He's been holding his head up really well for quite a while, so we went ahead and ordered it. It just took a while to get up here because of the volcano. However, he's still a bit small for it. We have to pile a blanket underneath his feet so he can touch something. The seat still swallows him up, so we tuck some blankets in with him. He doesn't really jump...but mostly sways from side to side. It's giving him another perspective of things so he's pretty interested in it at the moment. At least he has lots of growing room...
Mike was asking me, when I return back to work if I'm going to remember how to have "adult" conversations with people. We got a good laugh out of that...I could just see myself saying things like, "Ahhhh, does your tummy hurt?", "Sounds like somebody needs a nap!", and "Do you need to be burped?" I draw the line at diaper issues...
Well, we had an earthquake here at the house last night. I was laying in bed so I felt the bed jiggle and the kitty got a freaked out. Mike missed the whole thing because he was up walking around. But, he said it measured a 5.1 when he checked on it. That was about it.... I believe Anchorage got one a few days ago as well.
Well...we are FINALLY going through winter breakup!!!! Yahooooyyyyyyy!!!!!! I am soooo ready for some warmer weather! There was slush on the roads yesterday instead of snow and ice...so things are warming up. It's been in the 40s during the day and the sun is shining for long periods of time...still sunny out till after 9 o'clock PM. Mike and I can't wait to go on vacation to Texas and Colorado. One of the things I can't wait to do is just take Cooper on stroller rides around the block...because there are sidewalks in Texas and Colorado!!!!! Yes, Alaska does have sidewalks...just not here at our house...parts of Alaska are not that rustic...well, for the most part anyway.
Well, I guess that's about it for now! Talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches,
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper
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Sunday, April 26, 2009 6:51 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we are doing good....just wanted to shoot out a short email before we fly out...
Cooper had his 4 month checkup and is doing all the stuff that babies should be doing...and handled his next round of vaccines like a champ.
I just found out this past Friday that the spot on my face was indeed a basal cell carcinoma...bleck!!! Guess that's what I get for wanting a tan in my younger days. I still haven't educated myself all that much about it for the moment...but, I'll deal with it later after our vacation....
We are just about finished packing and we take the red eye flight out of Alaska tonight for our trip to Texas. Wish us luck with Cooper on the airplane...ha ha ha!
Talk to you all in about two weeks!!! Yahoooyyy!!!!
Lovies,
Leah, Mike and Cooper
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009 11:11 AM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? Michael, Cooper and I are back from our Texas/Colorado trip. It was so wonderful to see all the family again and introduce Cooper to everyone. He sure got tons of hugs and kisses from all the relatives and got spoiled like crazy, of course. The house (including the windows) survived intact as well as the kitty...although, she hasn't left me alone for a minute. Poor thing is just craving attention. When we came back to the house, I kept looking around and just felt that something was so different...oh yeah! All the snow is gone!!! We had over a foot in our yard when we left and came back to none...the trees are even starting to bud. It was kinda nice to be gone from all the sloppy mess during breakup.
Well, let's see...in Texas we got to spend time with the family including my grandma. We went out to eat a lot and did some shopping, too. We went on lots of stroller rides and I tried to not soak up a ton of sun. In Colorado, we managed to take a trip to the Denver Zoo and see a Colorado Rockies baseball game...and Mike got in a fishing trip with his dad. Cooper got to meet all his cousins on both sides of the family. I think one of my favorite moments of the trip was when his little three year old cousin, Sydney, got to meet Cooper for the first time. When she looked at him, she said in awe, "He has a kitty face!!!" I don't know why that hadn't occurred to me before but it sure brought a smile to my face...seeing as how I'm a huge cat fanatic...and, apparently, Sydney is too! I just love the way a child's mind works...
Now we are just unpacking and repacking for our trip to Anchorage for Cooper's surgery. We drive down this coming Wednesday and will drive back up the following Tuesday. He sure is going to hate having his arms and hands restrained so he can't put his fingers in his mouth. Cooper had pretty much slept through the night while we were on vacation, but somehow his schedule has gotten screwed up back here at home and is waking up once during the night...sometimes for a half hour...sometimes for two hours. Not sure how to fix it...but with his surgery coming up, I figure his schedule would've gotten out of whack anyways. Wish us luck and keep little Cooper in your prayers!!
For the Anchorage peeps...we'll be staying at the Marriott Residence Inn in Anchorage Midtown...at 1025 35th Avenue (around LaTouche and 35th by the BP Building). We have a pre-surgery appt on Thursday at 1:00 and then his surgery is at 6:00 am on Friday morning. We'll pop in at the hospital to say hi probably on Thursday...talk to you all soon and can't wait to see you all again!
Love you bunches!
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper
PS...not all our pictures are downloaded at the moment so we'll send some out later!!!! :)
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Friday, May 15, 2009 9:47 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we just wanted to send out an update on lil’ Cooper. We needed to be at the surgery center at 6 this morning. The doctor said Cooper couldn’t have anything in his little tummy past 3am so I fed him from 2:30 to 3 o’clock. I just wanted to try to avoid having a screaming baby on our hands in the morning because I couldn’t feed him in the morning. Cooper did really well...actually better than expected while we were filling out all the paperwork and waiting for the nurses to take him back for surgery. Michael even managed to rock him to sleep while waiting so when the nurses did come for him it was a lot easier on me when they took him because he wasn’t crying. And, of course, me being the big softy that I am, I totally cried as they took him away...all I wanted was for them to bring him back to us safe and sound.
Well, they said the procedure would only be about an hour and the doctor came and found us after about 50 minutes. He said Cooper did really well and we could go see him in the recovery room. And, of course, I cried again when I saw him with the bandage on his lip and his arms in splints...poor little guy!! He fed a little bit and started getting cranky so we got him some good pain meds and he was out like a light. We got him strapped into the car seat and then we went back to the hotel after making a pit stop at the grocery store to pick up some wound care stuff. He slept for most of the afternoon. I was getting a little worried because he hadn’t really fed and didn’t have a wet diaper but once he woke up some, we managed to get some milk and more meds into him. It’s kind of hard for him to suck so this afternoon I was able to get some milk in him by squirting some in his mouth little by little with a 5 ml syringe. But, this evening he sucked down some milk from a bottle that Mike fed him in no time flat. The hardest thing for him and us is dealing with the arm restraints...they are called “No-No’s”. They make his arms sweat and I’m sure it’s just hot for him…he’ll be in them for maybe up to three weeks...ick. Michael was saying he’s a pirate with peg arms instead of a peg leg...his new pirate nick name is “Peg Arm Split Lip.” He gets pretty looped on his drugs but they didn’t put him to sleep this evening like I was expecting them to...but he seemed in good spirits and was even laughing and making a little bit of a cockeyed kind of smile. I’m sure it’s not easy on him with the bandages and stitches, but I think he’s handling it like a champ. I was surprised when the doctor told me on a pain scale of 1-10, that the surgery pain for this kind of procedure is only about a 2 or 3. I sure hope so because it just tears me up inside to see him in pain.
Anyhoo...we’ll keep you posted on his progress. We’re sending along some pictures of Cooper....don’t they just melt your heart?
Talk to you all soon…love ya lots!
Leah, Michael and Peg Arm Split Lip ;-)
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Thursday, May 21, 2009 11:13 AM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we just wanted to send out an update on Cooper. Some of you have already gotten the first part of this email...I didn't have my whole list of email addresses when I was down in Anchorage...so some of you got it, and some of you didn't. So, anyhoo...bypass the stuff you've already read if you want to!!! :)
We needed to be at the surgery center at 6 in the morning this past Friday. The doctor said Cooper couldn't have anything in his little tummy past 3am so I fed him from 2:30 to 3 o'clock. I just wanted to try to avoid having a screaming baby on our hands in the morning because I couldn't feed him. Cooper did really well...actually better than expected while we were filling out all the paperwork and waiting for the nurses to take him back for surgery. Michael even managed to rock him to sleep while waiting so when the nurses did come for him it was a lot easier on me when they took him because he wasn't crying. And, of course, me being the big softy that I am, I totally cried as they took him away...all I wanted was for them to bring him back to us safe and sound.
Well, they said the procedure would only be about an hour and the doctor came and found us after about 50 minutes. He said Cooper did really well and we could go see him in the recovery room. And, of course, I cried again when I saw him with the bandage on his lip and his arms in splints...poor little guy!! He fed a little bit and started getting cranky so we got him some good pain meds and he was out like a light. We got him strapped into the car seat and then we went back to the hotel after making a pit stop at the grocery store to pick up some wound care stuff. He slept for most of the afternoon. I was getting a little worried because he hadn't really fed and didn't have a wet diaper but once he woke up some, we managed to get some milk and more meds into him. It's kind of hard for him to suck so that afternoon I was able to get some milk in him by squirting some in his mouth little by little with a 5 ml syringe. But, that evening he sucked down some milk from a bottle that Mike fed him in no time flat. The hardest thing for him and us is dealing with the arm restraints...they are called "No-No's". They make his arms sweat and I'm sure it's just hot for him.he'll be in them for up to three weeks....I'm still not sure who will be crying the most about the arm restraints...me or Cooper. They sure are a humongous pain in the butt to keep on him. Michael was saying he's a pirate with peg arms instead of a peg leg.his new pirate nick name is "Peg Arm Split Lip." He got pretty looped on his drugs the first day but they didn't put him to sleep like I was expecting them to.but he seems in good spirits and even laughs and is making a little bit of a cockeyed kind of smile. I'm sure it's not easy on him with the bandages and stitches, but I think he's handling it like a champ. I was surprised when the doctor told me on a pain scale of 1-10, that the surgery pain for this kind of procedure is only about a 2 or 3. I sure hope so because it just tears me up inside to see him in pain.
Well, that was the gist of the first email we sent out...here's what's happened since then.
We stayed down in Anchorage through Tuesday. The biggest challenge for us has been the arm restraints. They are just little tubes that Velcro on so if Cooper flaps his arms they come flying off. Obviously, we didn't get much sleep at all the first night of the surgery since I was putting them back on Cooper every 20 minutes or so. When the doctor called the morning after the surgery to see how things were going, I basically asked him how the heck do you keep these "blankedy-blank-blank" things on!!!! He said to try fastening them to his jammies with safety pins...I told him that we were thinking of duct tape...he said that would work, too. So, we resorted to using both...yes, people, we have duct taped our child!!! Michael made sure to pick up blue duct tape since he's a boy...as soon as I saw it I immediately thought of the blue tarps that some Alaskans put over junk in their yards. He is definitely our Alaska baby now...ha ha ha!!! Oh well, at least it works, right?!
Well, the day after surgery, Cooper was doing so well and it was so nice outside that we decided we would go on the hunt for a jogger stroller. We went to REI and found the perfect one. Our regular stroller doesn't work on our dirt road up here and I wanted one so I could get out and get some exercise. So, Mike and I put it together in the parking lot of REI and went straight to Campbell Creek Trail and went on about a 3-4 mile walk. Coop loved every minute of it. I loved the foot massage Michael gave me later that night! :) We went on long walks on different trails for the rest of the days we were there. The days were just beautiful while we were down in Anchorage. We stopped by the hospital a few times to see some friends and I even was able to go to a baby shower of a friend while I was there, too. We also did a little bit of shopping...had to hit up Babies-R-Us!
Cooper's bandage on his lip came off by itself on Monday, I think. We were finally able to see all the handy work that the doctor did and his lip looks really good. At the moment, there is still a lot of the Dermabond on his lip....it's like super glue to keep the incision together. There's also a bit a dried blood...and a little bit of bruising and some swelling. I need to keep some Polysporin on it to keep the incision soft so it won't scar as much so in the pictures it looks kind of goopy. Overall, he looks marvelous!!! :)
We had a follow-up visit with the doctor on Tuesday morning before we headed out of town. He said everything looked good. I was a little bit worried because on Sunday, Cooper had a little bit of bleeding under his nose beneath the bandages. The doc said he may have pulled a stitch or something with all the smiling he'd been doing. We drove back up to Fairbanks and Cooper slept most of the way up. Cooper seems to have fallen back into his old schedule of going to bed at 8 and sleeping through the night...phew! The doctor said to keep the arm restraints on him for two weeks...guess it's better than three weeks. Just 8 more days to go! Argh....!!! But to make matters worse, last night when Mike and I were giving him a bath, I noticed that his little arms have a bit of a bumpy heat rash on them. I just feel so bad for him...but, at least it seems like it's affecting me more than it is him. Mike and I get him all taped up at night before he goes to bed...it's definitely a two person job...Mike is back at work so we do that in order to save time in the mornings for Michael. All day long I worry about Cooper pooping out of his Huggies onto his pj's...because then what am I going to do until Michael gets home??? It will hopefully only be this stressful for another day or so while he is on his antibiotic since it makes him poo soooooooo much more!!!
Cooper is doing great at home. Now that Cooper can't stick his fingers in his mouth, he is obsessed with playing with his toes. I have a feeling that I am going to have to call the doctor back and ask him what to do about keeping his toes out of his mouth by the end of next week. Great...he'll be in arm restraints and leg restraints!!! He seems to love his jumperoo even more...I think he's gotten a bit taller because he's moving around in it so much more. He swivels around in the seat and knocks all the toys around with just one sweep of his arm. He still likes being in his play gym, too...I just have to make sure that he can't get the toys in his mouth.
I went to the grocery store yesterday...everybody seems curious about Cooper as I go by....poor little guy just looks all roughed up with a fat lip and most people would think he has casts on his arms. Some people ask what happened and others give me the evil eye...no, I don't abuse my child!!!! One of the checkout stand managers came by to see Cooper because he was crying while I was in line. She just gave me this completely appalled look when she saw Cooper and she loudly asked, "Are those casts on his arms???" I said that they were arm restraints and she just looked at me like that was even worse. I started to tell her that he had surgery on his mouth but she just walked away from me...I was wondering if she was going to go call the police or something....oh well.
Well, guess that's about it for now...hope you enjoy the pictures. Talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches and thanks for all the prayers and warm thoughts!!!! Keep 'em coming!!!
Leah, Michael, and Lil' Baby Cooper (a.k.a. Peg Arm Split Lip) ;)
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Thursday, May 28, 2009 11:01 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we are all doing great! Tomorrow will be two weeks from when Cooper had his surgery and he is just doing soooo good. His mouth has healed nicely and there is just one or two stitches that I can see in his lip. The scar on his upper lip looks really good. We went ahead and took off his arm restraints for his bath tonight and decided that that was it for them...yahoooo!!!! No more "No-No's"....I think I want to burn them. However, now Cooper is just so darn excited to have his hands again and he decided he doesn't want to go to bed. He has so much energy that I plopped him in his jumperoo hoping he'll work it off...hence, that's why I'm writing the email now waiting for him to wind down...for the past couple of nights he's been going to town in his jumperoo. He just exhausts himself and falls asleep in it...just tooo darn cute!!!
Summer is finally here...we've had some really beautiful days in the upper 70's. Things are turning greener and my chokecherry trees are in full bloom. Michael and I went to a really nice greenhouse and bought lots of perennials for our yard. I picked one of each so I can see what comes back next year. My friend Emily is here visiting me from Anchorage and we're having a good time.
OK, a note from Michael. As many of you know, we've kept a web page of all our emails since we moved to Alaska in 2003. Well, our pictures and stories have exceeded the capacity of our previous site and we've moved to our own site. Welcome to www.michaelandleahscadden.com Yep, we're a "dot com" now. Just like any 199x "business" we'll accept any venture capital with no promises of profit... just kidding ...really, keep your money...back to Leah...
Well, Cooper is finally winding down so I am off to send him into la-la land. Enjoy the pictures...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper (no longer pirate "peg arm split lip")
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009 9:34 PM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we are all doing great!
My friend Emily was up for a nice visit. We didn't get to do much outside because it rained pretty much the whole time she was here...bummer! But, she said she had a nice relaxing few days. Mike and I spent pretty much all of Sunday outside working on the yard. I planted lots of new perennials out in my three flower gardens...yarrow, veronica, different kinds of poppies, chives, daylilies, lilies, hosta, columbine, and mallow. I also put in a border on all the flower beds out in the yard. We also planted three different kinds of marigolds in the planter boxes by the house, hung up two large flower hanging baskets by the door, and planted tomatoes in my topsy-turvy tomato tree. I still need to pot a few herbs though. My delphiniums and wild irises are coming in nicely as well as the lilies that I planted last year. All the wild roses around the property are in full bloom as well as the chokecherry trees. Oh, and it looks like my rhubarb made it through the winter and is coming in as well. It's a good thing we aren't allergic to bees because there are a gazillion of them around!
Mike went up on the roof and cleaned out the gutters. He also seeded and fertilized the lawn. Mike ordered a backpack (with bug net) to tote Cooper around while he's outside and he just loves it...then he usually falls asleep in it. We got a bug net for our new jogger stroller as well so after we go on walks and he falls asleep I can just park him outside with me while I toodle around in the gardens. This weekend we'll need to mow the yard again and break out the weed-whacker, too.
Mike is taking a number of guys out in the boat this Saturday. Hopefully the weather will be nice for them. Since all the guys are going out, all the girls are going to grab the kids and do a potluck picnic at a park down in Healy. It's quite a drive for me but it should be a lot of fun.
Cooper is doing super. He still has a few knotted stitches in his lip and in the septum of his nose but everything is looking really good. I think the one in his nose bugs him because he'll scrunch up his nose and breathe really fast...it's pretty comical and I'm hoping to catch it on video. He's back to sticking his hands in his mouth and loving life. Oh, and he's getting real hair!!! You can see little hairs growing where he had rubbed it off on the back of his head. I bought a box of baby cereal but haven't started him on solids yet. If I get brave enough I'll try it out or wait and see what the doctor says at his 6 month appointment on the 19th. I just emailed his plastic surgeon some pictures of him to show him how he's progressing but haven't heard anything yet.
I am scheduled for my surgery to remove the basal cell carcinoma this coming Monday. Ugh! When I was talking to the doctor I found out that the incision is going to be much larger than I thought. He said it will run along my laugh line and another one along the edge of my lip. I am so not looking forward to this!!!! I have another appointment set up to do a "full body" search to see if I have any more. Bleck.
We've had about six earthquakes in a little over two weeks or so. Nothing major, but enough to rumble the house a bit and make the cat go berserk and run screaming under the bed. Cooper has slept through everything. When my friend Emily was here we had three in one night. They've been in the 2s and 3s with the last one being 3.98. When Mike has looked them up, he found that the epicenter is basically right in our neighborhood...ugh! Mike has tried to make me feel better about the whole thing by saying it's better to have a bunch of small earthquakes rather than one big one....hopefully they'll just stay small....
Well, guess that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Monday, June 08, 2009 10:54 PM
Hey Everybody...!
Hope all is well...things are good here...
Michael went on his fishing trip on Saturday with a bunch of his buddies and had a great time. He has a great picture of a big fish he caught but I'll have to send that out next time. The weather was still yucky for us girls so we ended up just having our picnic indoors. All the kids had a blast running around and playing with the gazillion of toys laying around. I had laid Cooper down on a blanket (they had carpet at their house which I don't at mine) and Cooper just loved watching everything around him...he even rolled onto his tummy and then back again for the first time (he had rolled over a few times but never back onto his back). Oh...and today Mike put him on our bed on his tummy and he zeroed in on the cat...he was trying to inch himself forward to get to her...I think Pashy decided she wanted to keep her fur intact and she jumped off the bed.
I had my little surgery this morning...and I'm still not sure what to think about it. Apparently my surgery went well...I was put under and then the next thing I knew I was awake with a very numb face and stitches all in it. My doctor said he went all the way to the muscle to remove all the tissue and all I can hope is that he got all the cancer cells. Results should be back in a week when I see him again so he can take out my stitches. I think I've counted about 11 or 12 or them. The pain is do-able and I am trying to stay away from the Percocet given to me so I can still feed and take care of Cooper. As the day went on my face has swelled up more and my lip is being pulled up more by the stitches...makes eating and drinking a bit of a challenge and I've already dumped water down my shirt a number of times (so I guess you could say all is normal for me in that regard)!! I know it looks worse to me at the moment because the incision is still oozing and whatnot...but I was just hoping it wouldn't be so noticeable! Oh well...what's another scar to add to my repertoire, right? :) Hopefully I will just be able to keep Cooper from putting his hands on my face. Oh, and as you can see from the picture, I have permanent marker on my face...Apparently my doctor felt the need to put his initials on my face to either mark his handiwork...or to mark which side of my face he was supposed to do the surgery on...not sure which...ha ha ha!
Guess that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:31 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? Hope you all are doing well...we're doing groovy!!
Well...let's see...first things first...the results came back from the lab about my carcinoma and the good doctor got it all...woo hoo! I got my stitches taken out last Monday but my scar is pretty puckered still along my laugh line. I see my doctor again in July so he can see how it's healing and he said we'll go from there if I want him to do some "touch up" work to help flatten out the scar. Still don't know what I want to do...but I am kinda sick of having stitches in my face. I had a "full body" check to see if any thing else looked suspicious and it appears I'm in the clear for now...
We have had a beautiful summer so far....except for the mosquitoes!!! We've had some really nice bright, sunny days in the 70's, sometimes 80's...and some rainy days as well...I think we are in for a week of rain at the moment. All my flowers are blooming...although my marigolds are taking the longest. I even have tomatoes growing and today I went out and picked my very own cilantro to make my own salsa. Mike rented a wood chipper to chip all the brush piles we (and the previous owners) have had around the property. I'm really happy with how my flower gardens and the yard are looking.
We haven't had any more earthquakes that I've felt I think since the last email I wrote (...hopefully I just didn't jinx ourselves!!!...) but yesterday Anchorage had one that I think was a 5.7. I talked to one of my friends down there at the hospital and his report was, "It was shakin' bacon up here on the fifth floor of the hospital". Hopefully we are not in store for a mondo one....
We're sending out a few pics of Mike's fishing trip that he took a few weeks ago. They set out in Nenana and went down the Tanana River and then up the Tolovana River. That's were he caught his sheefish...he said it's kind of like a tarpon. All the guys had so much fun that they decided that they were going to do another fishing trip in early August and spend two nights out camping as well.
Cooper is just growing and growing. I love this stage that he is in right now. He has so much personality and is learning to do new things it seems on a daily basis. He just had his six month appointment....SIX MONTHS!!!!....I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. He has super big smiles all the time and is just cooing up a storm...we don't really have a quiet house anymore! We started solid foods about a week ago. He's taken to it pretty good...he's just like a little birdie opening his mouth...although when I feed him it's like his own little personal food fight...I try to stay out of it...but sometimes I get caught in the crossfire. So far he's eaten baby rice cereal, plain yogurt, and bananas. Tomorrow we are going to start carrots...woo hoo...just exciting times here in the Scadden household...ha ha ha!!! I started to see if he is able to use a sippy cup and he seems to have the mechanism down but just doesn't have quite enough suction to get a lot out of the cup. We're getting there. One of his favorite things to do is playing in his jumperoo...he just goes wild in it and makes lots of squeals in delight. He also likes to play in his crib and turns his aquarium on and off with his feet. I bought a five foot square foam exercise mat and placed it on the floor with a blanket on it so he can roll around on it as well. He's turning over onto his tummy and then onto his back much easier now. He's just such a joy to us...! Michael had his first Father's Day...Cooper got him a number of special "Daddy and me" books and a cute picture frame that says "Dad makes fun happen" to put on his desk...with a picture of Cooper riding on his super cool daddy's shoulders....
Well...guess that's about it for us...I'm off to make dinner and then put Cooper to bed...talk to you all soon!
Love you bunches,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Saturday, July 11, 2009 11:11 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are doing pretty good...hope you all had a good Fourth of July. We went to the Ester Fourth of July Parade ourselves. It was just a little hometown parade with some oldie cars and motorcycles...every kid in the neighborhood toodling around on their bicycles...a number of guys with their bagpipes...a lot of political stuff...and the Ester Volunteer Fire Department with their fire trucks squirting the crowd with some water guns. We had a number of radishes and green beans thrown at us...as well as some candy...not sure what that was about, but, oh well...we weren't expecting a whole lot I guess...
We found a daycare for Cooper this past week. It's a little place with 10 babies in the baby room. I like the two girls who take care of the babies. I took Cooper there a few hours during the day and forced myself to leave him so he can try to get used to it...but he...as well as myself...are not adjusting well at all so far. Cooper is refusing to take a bottle from them...period...which means he just gets worked up even more and won't take a nap either. Which is why I've only been able to leave him for a few hours at a time. Obviously that's not going to work well with me trying to go back to my job so Michael and I have both been trying to get him to take a bottle over and over here at home...with no success so far. I think I've bought every bottle on the market I can find to see if he likes one better than the other, but he just presses his lips together and turns his head and won't have anything to do with it. He's taken a bottle in the past here and there but for whatever reason is now just refusing...we're trying sippy cups as well and not having a whole lot of luck there either. On the good side, if he is fed and not tired, he does seem to have a blast at daycare. He seems to really enjoy socializing with the other babies and playing with all the toys. He will roll from one end of the room to the other which he just loves since he doesn't get to do that here at home because of the hardwood floors (although he does try, I just think he'll bonk his head). He's also sitting up with just a little bit of assistance to keep him from flopping onto his sides or back. Anyhoo, I was a little leery of putting Cooper in this daycare at first because there are two very special needs babies in the room. One little boy has what appears to be cerebral palsy, plus failure to thrive with a feeding tube placed, seizures, and is not mobile. The other little girl also has seizures and is almost completely blind. I sure give kudos to these girls for taking on these babies as well as all the others at the same time. They sure have their routines down and I was just watching one day as one of the providers plopped four babies (including Cooper) into the high chairs to feed them some lunch. She just went down the line feeding them each a spoonful of their food. I was about to say to her that there was no way Cooper would take that much of a mouthful, but he just looked up at her and opened his mouth wide like a little birdie and ate it all...she can sure teach me a thing or two!!! So, that's what we've been doing lately...until we can get this down I think Cooper will be frustrated with the whole daycare process and I just don't want him to be totally disruptive to their routine...if anyone has any advice they can share about this...please pass it on to us!
The days have been getting hotter up here...we're usually in the 70's and 80's...but there is a big forest fire down river of Nenana so we get a lot of the smoke so we can't open the windows much to get air in the house.
Anyhoo...that's about it for now...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Monday, July 13, 2009 10:08 AM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are good...I know it's not long since the last email but we went and got family pictures taken yesterday and just had to send them out to ya. Cooper did pretty good considering all the bright lights flashing in his eyes! We got a number of really good ones. My favorite is the picture with Cooper sticking out his tongue...it's just such a classic Cooper expression...and, of course, the naked baby butt shot!!! (Great blackmail material for the future!!!!) Ha ha ha!!! Enjoy!!!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper (who's not so little anymore!!!) :(
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Monday, July 27, 2009 12:22 AM
Hey Everybody!
Hope all is well...we are doing really well. Michael went out on the boat today to try to catch some salmon, but ended up catching a rainbow trout instead...Cooper is off in la-la land sleeping away...and I'm just trying to get some stuff done.
Cooper is getting better with the whole bottle thing...we've advanced from "the bottle is just an oddly delicious chew toy" phase. He grabs for it now and sucks the milk down for the most part (sometimes it just takes him a bit to get started)...phew! I think he's finding that it gives him some sort of independence and he's holding the bottle pretty good by himself. I got a call a few days ago from the daycare that I've really been wanting to put him in, but the waitlist was 9-12 months long back in February when I was put on it. However, they called and said they had an opening so I changed Cooper over. I feel much better about this place...a lot bigger, nicer...each baby has their own crib...and there are three babies to one provider (whereas five babies to one provider at the other place...and as I walked in to collect Cooper's things at the other one, I found that there were SEVEN babies to one provider (including two very special needs babies) for about five hours). So, when I saw that, I definitely didn't hesitate to change Cooper over to the other place. Cooper doesn't start there until the first week of August so while I have him at home I'm just really pushing the whole bottle thing to make sure he does okay at daycare. Cooper is just growing so much and I'm really enjoying the fun age that he's at right now. He's rolling himself over in his crib and he'll sometimes sleep with his little tookus up in the air...it's so darn cute! He's sitting up very well all by himself now...Michael sat with him out on the lawn a few days ago and we just giggled at how focused he was at tearing up the grass with his little hands...and us trying to keep him from eating it. I went out yesterday to snag a few hours of "me" time and get a pedicure and when I came home Michael had Cooper outside in his pack-n-play crib with a blanket over the top of it. Cooper just was so content playing with his toys and rolling around in his crib and babbling to himself while soaking up the nice breeze. One of Cooper's favorite things is just to ride in the backpack on Michael's back while Michael toodles around outside....I just wish it (and Cooper...he's about 18.5 pounds now) wasn't so heavy for me to lug around on my back. Cooper's been having some tummy issues ever since we started solid foods (mucus in his poo) so the doctor has taken him off all solids for a week and a half and we'll start again sometime next week or whatever the doctor decides when we have our follow-up visit on Wednesday.
Last weekend we went to Pioneer Park to check it out...we rode on the train that travels around the park...there's also a great park for kids to play and a carousel, lots of little shops and goodies to eat...I'm sure we'll spend lots more time there as Cooper gets older. Cooper and I went to Pioneer Park again today...Michael said there was some kind of home-made boat race going on by the park and Cooper and I went in to town to check it out. However, there was like a gazillion people there because Sarah Palin was there at the park giving her farewell speech and whatnot. I saw her but was kinda on the butt-end of the crowd and couldn't hear things very well...so we took off and beat all the traffic out of there.
We're still having a beautiful summer...temps in the 70-80's. We even had a day that our home thermometer read 90.3 degrees. We still have some days with lots of smoke from the forest fires, depending on which direction the wind is blowing...one day it was even raining ash outside...bleck! All the rest of my marigolds, delphiniums, and lilies are in bloom. The mosquitoes don't seem quite as bad lately though...yippee! On some of the hotter days, I'll plop Cooper in the kitchen sink to play with the water so he can cool off...he just loves it!!! Water gets sprayed everywhere but it's no big deal...it's a very small price to pay when you see just how much fun he has...!!!
Michael's mom just had surgery for a brain aneurysm this past week...she is now at home and doing pretty good...please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Guess that's it for now...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Monday, August 10, 2009 10:48 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are doing great...!!!
First the baby report...Cooper has been doing something new every other day for the past week or more it seems. He cut his first tooth last week...his bottom front left. I was worried with the whole cleft lip thing (more of an issue if he had a cleft palate) that his teeth might grow in crooked but his tooth is right where it needs to be. Then yesterday he started getting the one right next to it. He's been gnawing on EVERYTHING he can get his mouth and hands on! Then a few days ago he's started pulling himself up to stand...guess this means I really have to baby proof my house sooner rather than later, huh? He'll grab onto the toys hanging from the sides of his playpen and pull himself up...he is so super duper strong. He was at his new daycare center all of last week and he did soooo much better than I thought he would....he was feeding from a bottle and taking naps and just having a ball with all the other babies. The babies range from six weeks up to about 14-15 months in that room. There are 12 babies with 4 providers and I just really, really like the girls taking care of the kiddos. You can tell that they just love those kids. They have some pretty neat things there that provide great entertainment for the kiddos...a big cart/buggie that they can take 4-6 kids for a stroller ride at a time, a bubble machine, lots of fun music and books, lots of large foamy blocks to build things with (of in Cooper's case, to gnaw on), etc, etc, etc. My comfort level is so much better here than at the other place and I know Cooper is in good hands.
Sooooo, seeing as how Cooper is settled, I started back to work today. I'm "re-training" because the pharmacy got a whole new computer system while I've been away. So for the first two weeks, my boss said to just come in whenever and for how long I want to get up to par. Can't argue with that.
Let's see...what else...oh yeah...I butched all my hair off...well, not really, but close to it. I saw a picture of the style on the wall when I went to go get my hair trimmed and decided to cut it a lot shorter in an attempt to keep Cooper from pulling at it so much. Well, I ended up really liking the cut...but wouldn't you know it, Cooper still gets his little paws on it!!!! :)
And...just want to say a big congratulations to Michael's brother Kevin and his wife Crystal. They welcomed their first little baby girl into the world last week. Her name is Naomi Lynn...and she is a little cutie!!!!
The fires around here have been getting pretty bad and the air quality was just horrible. Last Wednesday, according to the news, the air quality was so bad that it was literally immeasurable. It was like a big nasty fog of yuck and with Michael's contacts, it made him want to gouge his own eyeballs out. Thankfully we got a few days of rain and it made it better. But, the rain has really cooled things off...we've been in the 40's in the mornings and now I've seen leaves turning yellow and falling off the trees.
Guess that's about it...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and Baby Cooper :)
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Monday, September 07, 2009 6:24 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? Sorry we haven't written in a super long time...Michael, Cooper and I have all been totally sick for the past three weeks. First Cooper got sick...then gave it to me...then Michael got it...then I got worse...then Michael got worse...Michael's finishing up his course of antibiotics and I've finished my two courses...bleck. Luckily Cooper didn't need any and fared better than the both of us. It was the first time Cooper had gotten sick...I figured it would happen soon since he started daycare. Hopefully we are all on the road to recovery...!
Work is going pretty good...I've been working about 3 (sometimes 4) days a week...trying to get back into the groove of things. Now that I am back, a number of people are going on vacation so I'm covering a few more days here and there for them. Cooper just loves his time at daycare playing with all the other babies, so why not....
Let's see...what's been going on...not a whole lot. I think it rained almost every day in August and now that September is here, we are back to sunshine and 70 degree temperatures. We had gotten down to the 30's in August so now all the trees have changed color and the leaves are falling off. It just seems like it is just way too soon for that to be happening....I had to pick all my tomatoes early so they wouldn't freeze. But before all this happened, we did manage to go raspberry picking. Michael's been chopping firewood like crazy...he said we have enough for almost two winters now... It's been so nice outside now because the mosquitoes are gone...we're back to going on daily stroller rides with Cooper. He now has two teeth (a.k.a. razor blades) on the bottom...I was able to get a picture of them. He's still not crawling (which I'm totally okay with...I'm not ready for him to do that yet) but he still manages to get where he wants to go by grabbing, pushing, pulling, shooting, and rolling wherever he wants to. Although, he does do some sort of backwards crawling thing...he always manages to get partway underneath his crib. I bought him a toy that makes all kinds of car noises. His favorite is the gear shifter...he keeps pulling it back and forth and back and forth so it makes the revving car sounds with tires squealing...guess he has some of the Muller car racing genes in him!!!! And he likes pressing the horn a lot too...it says, "Outta the way!!!"
We are planning another trip down to Texas and Colorado in October. Me and Coop will go to Texas while Michael is hunting with his dad in Colorado and then go up to Colorado when he gets back. Yippee! We'll let you know what the exact dates are when we get the tickets finalized...
Well...the grouse are in full force...we'll see if our windows can withstand the attacks this year. Guess that's about it for now!!!! I'm off to go winterize my gardens...sheesh already!!!! Oh well...I know it will snow when we are down in Texas and Colorado so I may as well do it now...
Talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah, Michael, and 'Lil Cooper :)
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Monday, September 14, 2009 9:14 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We are doing pretty good...a few days ago I went and plopped Cooper in the leaves in the front yard to see what he would do. Of course, he just had to stick them in his mouth to see what they tasted like. Some of the pictures turned out pretty cute. He's started to do what Michael calls an "army crawl"...just a low crawl skooching on his tummy. He's all over the place now...not much else is going on...talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009 8:49 PM
Hey Everybody...
So Michael said the strangest thing to me last night when I was sitting at the desk...just out of the blue, he said we have sheep in our front yard. I wouldn't have thought twice about it if he had said a moose or dogs or a fox....but sheep? So, apparently we have acquired one of our neighbors lost sheep. The four of them are still here this morning. They found the salt lick and I figured they would be thirsty so I put out a large bowl of water for them. As soon as they saw me they came running...now, I've never been around sheep before so I wasn't sure if they just really wanted the water or if they were going to head butt me into next week, but I stood my ground. Luckily, three of them wanted the water...the other one wanted to follow me inside the house...ummmm, no...sorry, no sheep allowed. I just don't think they know how to find their way home...and all I can say is that it's a good thing Mike and I have already winterized the gardens, because they would have done some serious damage by now if we hadn't!!! All they do is eat, eat, eat! We put out a neighborhood email to see if anyone knows anything about them. I've gotten one email back saying they weren't theirs and a phone call from Calypso Farms up the highway saying they weren't theirs either, but the guy told me how to take care of them in the meantime...
So...as soon as Cooper wakes up from his nap I am going to plop him in the stroller and go around to some of the neighbor houses...maybe they'll follow me...I think I have a good idea on who they may belong to. I've heard that there is a lady at the far end of the road who has some horses and some free range animals. We'll start there...I'll keep you posted...
So...back from our walk...met some new neighbors but not the ones who own any sheep. However, when I came back, the sheep were gone...guess they have moved on to greener pastures...ha ha ha!
Talk to you all soon!
Lovies,
Leah
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009 10:00 PM
Hey Everybody!
How are ya? We're doing pretty good up here...except Cooper is fighting a cold...again...the one big thing I hate about daycare....
Soooo...haven't written in a super long time...we've been busy! We just recently got back from a trip down to the lower 48 to see family. While Mike was hunting in Colorado with his dad and brother, Cooper and I went down to Texas to visit my folks. We had an awesome time hanging out with the family. I was also able to see two of my aunts, Cindy and Donna, who I haven't seen in ages. Cooper just played and played and got lots of hugs and kisses from his grandpa and grandma and Dave, Jenn, and the kids....even from Abby, the puppy. I just had to do some shopping for him while I was there...my only options for him are pretty much Walmart and Fred Meyers up here...so you end up seeing all the kids at daycare wearing the same outfits. I even found his Halloween costume...he's going to be a little giraffe...we got his pictures taken, too.
When Mike was done hunting, Cooper and I flew back up to Colorado to spend some time with his family as well. First we were in Fort Collins and stayed at Mike's sister, Michele's, house. Our sister-in-law, Crystal (married to Mike's brother Kevin who is deployed at the moment), also came down for a visit and we were able to see their new baby girl, Naomi. Cooper was the token boy amongst five girl cousins. He just loved playing with them all. Then we went down to Monument to stay at his parents house for a few days.
Michael's hunt went very well. They got two elk this year. We never got around this past summer to go dipnetting for salmon so Mike's going to trade some elk for some sockeye salmon with one of his friends...yumm.
Well, it's been snowing for the past couple of days...we have a fairly good ground cover now. Mike's home for this week and then he flies out again for a week on a TDY (temporary duty ) trip with the National Guard to Colorado Springs...so he'll get to see his folks again.
Guess that's about it for now...I have to go put the munchkin to sleep...
Lovies,
Leah,
Michael, and 'Lil Cooper
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Saturday, December 26, 2009 12:13 PM
Hey Everybody!
Long time no talk!!!! So sorry...but we haven't had internet service at the house in the past two months. Ahhh...one of the joys of living in the boonies of Alaska. Starband decided they needed to change the direction of our satellite for our internet service...and after cutting down numerous trees, they still can't get a signal for us. So, at the moment, we are sending an email from Barnes and Noble....hopefully it will get fixed soon, but I think Starband is intentionally forgetting about us...
Wow...so much has happened in the past couple of months!!! Let's see...we celebrated Cooper's birthday. I can't believe he is one year old. We had Cooper's birthday at a place called Bonkers Indoor Playground...they have lots of the inflatable bouncy equipment and slides and ball pens. Lots of our friends showed up to share in the fun of Cooper's special day. He ate pizza and smooshed cake all over the place. We all had a really good time. A few days before, I had taken cupcakes into his daycare for a little birthday party there as well. It was the first time he had ever had cake or frosting and he ate his cupcake all up...he loved it!!! He didn't even make that much of a mess with it because he just wanted to eat it all!!!
We finally got our new stairway banister up. We found a wonderful guy to come out to the house and design a black iron banister for us. He did a terrific job and the design fits the house wonderfully. He actually came out to the house the evening of Cooper's party to install it and I was sure that Cooper was going to wake up with all the drilling and whatnot...but he slept through it all!!!! He was sure tuckered out from his adventures... The banister is pretty neat...it has some Northern Lights at the top, with some mountains and spruce trees...even one tree with an eagle on top of it, and then a little lot home with smoke coming out of the chimney...
We took a trip up to North Pole, AK to the Santa Claus House to introduce Cooper to Santa and some of his elves. Just had to get Cooper's picture taken with Santa!!! We didn't do it last year...but he was only a few days old at the time.... As soon as I plunked Cooper in Santa's lap, his little hands immediately went for Santa's beard...Santa said he gets that all the time...but we all had a good time...
Let's see...yesterday was Christmas. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Cooper got lots and lots of new toys and I think he's on sensory overload. I think it's time I cleared out some of his old toys and put them away so I can re-introduce them later when they will be "new" to him again. Plus it will give him more room to play in the living room area. He got a really neat toy piano as one of his gifts and he is just all over that thing...literally!!! He likes to play the keys and then put his knee up on the keys at the same time and play...just like a little Buddy Holly or something. Cooper took his first little steps yesterday, too...he's just so grown up now!!! Mike says before we know it, he'll be asking for the keys to the car.
Well, I guess that's about the gist of what's been going on...hopefully our email will be up and running sometime soon. You sure don't know how much you use the internet until you don't have it anymore.... You all can email me or Mike, it just takes us a while to answer and whatnot. Hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!
Love you all,
Michael, Leah, and the not-so-little-Cooper-anymore!!!! :)
Cooper pic 1
Cooper pic 2
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