My Baby is 2

It was incredibly hard for me to title this post just as it's incredibly hard to write this post. I've been putting it off but I know it won't get any easier the longer I wait! I didn't expect to feel this way but I just can't fathom the idea that I am now the proud mama of a 4 year old AND 2 year old boy! The past two years have absolutely flown but at the same time it feels like Coop's been a part of our lives for as long as I can remember.

His sweet, shy smile and bright, blue eyes could make the grumpiest person on Earth smile and his all around boyish self makes me want to (and need to) watch his every move. He has one speed, which is fast, and chooses to do everything that way. Whether it's eating, running, or even just getting angry, he's 0 to 60mph faster than any car I know! He worships his big brother as long as big brother is playing nicely and not trying to take his things and loves all things mobile, such as cars, trucks, airplanes, bikes, trains, etc. He'd spend all day everyday outside if we let him and the dirtier he is, the happier he is. He is still quite the mama's boy, which I love, but he loves his Daddy plenty, too. He's a bit shy around new people and crowds but seems to be warming up easier and easier as he gets older. He always wants me to put him to bed and I cherish this time with him when I'm not working. As wild as he can be, when it's bedtime he snuggles up to me like a tiny baby and sits so still while I sing his songs and say his prayers. He even hums along to most of the songs, which is just too cute for words.

Cooper goes to the doctor tomorrow for his well checkup and I can't wait to see how much he weighs and how he stacks up with other 2 year olds. He still seems small to me but I guess we'll have to wait and see! He's becoming chattier and chattier but still no where near as verbal as Carter was or most other 2 year olds I know, but I guess when you have Mr. Chatterbox as a big bro you probably think talking is a bit overrated! He has lots of words but not many phrases other than I love you at the moment. He climbs up and down stairs easily by himself and loves to run, jump, and climb anything he can. Eating isn't a real high priority of his at the moment but some of his favorite foods are nutri-grain bars, fruit, fruit snacks, Chick-Fil-A, and Velveeta shells and cheese - quite the healthy list I know! We actually saw a woman at the park yesterday with a plain white t-shirt that had the chick-fil-a symbol on it and Coop kept pointing to her (from about 2 feet away) saying, "Yum, yum!" He still sleeps in his crib and seems perfectly content where he is, as am I! I'm all about containment as long as he's ok with it! He naps from about 2-5 and sleeps at night from 9pm - 8am. He loves his bed and all his lovies, especially his newborn to 3 month soothie pacifiers that he still uses!

My parents were here for the weekend to help us celebrate Coop's big day and we had the best time! We started the celebration early with the Zac Brown concert here in Cary on Thursday night with a few friends - the boys stayed home with a sitter thankfully for us! Friday I struggled a bit from my night of fun to decorate Cooper's Thomas cake but finished it in just under 3 hours. I love to do it for them but it's truly a labor of love, especially when mixed with occasional queasiness and hot flashes! After barely watching a miserable game of college football by Carolina, it was party time for the big 2 year old! Jamey's sister Ashley and her boyfriend Andrew came as well as some of our neighbors so we had a full but fun house. The kids all played well together and Cooper got lots of awesome toys he really loves, but unfortunately not so many things he was very willing to share initially! He clutched James the lego train the entire party and shrieked at the top of his lungs if someone even looked as if they wanted to play with it. When we brought in his new Big Wheel, he dropped James like a bad habit and let Carter play with it all he wanted! He even let Carter have a turn on the Big Wheel so sharing did come, but slowly! He blew out his 2 candles like such a big boy but said, "No!" to his slice of cake in typical Cooper fashion as his little buddies gobbled Thomas up. I don't really understand having a 2 year old that won't eat cake or ice cream but I'm sure he'll realize he's been missing out eventually!

I love you my precious 2 year old and thank you for letting me be your Mommy! We had a great weekend and hope to have many more happy birthdays to celebrate with you!


Cooper's teachers sent this pic home today from last week when his class celebrated his birthday! I just love the facial expression.

A few friends at the Zac Brown concert!

Jamey might be mad at me for this one!
Good morning birthday boy! Heading out for Carter's soccer game.
Carter in action!
He shoots, he scores!


Patiently waiting for his lunch at the Farmer's Market. I think he ate his weight in fried shrimp!
Don't look too close but overall I was happy with it!

Not sure why we have a prom pose but I like it anyway!
Our attempt at a family photo for us and b/c we needed one for Cooper's school.
Take 2!
I just love these boys!

Cooper is definitely saying "cheese" in this one!
Some of the party crowd
Sweet curls and opening up presents! He wasn't really into it so he had a lot of help from Mommy, Carter, and Keelin.

Blowing out his candles!
Driving around his pride and joy for the moment!
Thanks for the cool lego train Aunt Ashley!
This is more like it! Cooper clutched every piece of James up against himself so Carter didn't have a chance of touching him!
Checking out the decorations!
So excited to hop on his big wheel and take it for a spin!

Glow sticks were a big hit - thanks Brian and Sarah!
The birthday boy right before bed, what an angel.

1st Soccer Game and Duck Feeding

I can't believe my last post was so long ago...normally I am much more on the ball but I guess we've just had a lot going on and not a lot of time to write about it! Today is the first day of Fall and the weather here is anything but Fall-like. It's hot, humid and rainy, not quite my idea of wonderful Fall weather but oh well! It gives me a chance to stay cooped up and actually blog so I shouldn't complain.

Have I mentioned how much I love footed pajamas? I think they trick me into believing that Cooper is still a bit of a baby and they are about the cutest things ever on him! I pulled out some from last year on a cooler night and thought we'd give them a try. He was NOT happy with toes he couldn't touch or see until I told him that they'd make him run really fast and off he went down the hall as fast as his little legs could go, giggling the whole way! I've since gotten him a few more because I really do LOVE them and he has warmed up to them quickly, too!
Carter's wonderful photography skills in action right after bathtime.

Our bedtime routine that is supposed to make the boys calm and ready for bed has turned into a dance party on our bed or downstairs on blankets every night! They are so cute and wild after baths but fortunately for us chill out pretty quickly when we tell them it's time for bed. So much for bedtime stories in our house at the moment...Zac Brown music wins that contest every night!
We have a park that's pretty close to the boys' school that they really love to check out every now and then so my girlfriend Star met up with us there the other day and our 3 boys had a blast playing and feeding the ducks! Check out Coop's arm in this picture - I think we've figured out which one is our athlete as of now!
Carter wanted to touch this white duck so bad but she wasn't really feeling the love once the bread ran out. She was eating right out of his hand when he actually had something to give her, though!
I think someone wanted more bread to throw.

Coop still hasn't decided to stick with one hand for throwing yet...I guess to use his left he needs a little extra leg support so it appears!


This was Cooper's outfit for church this Sunday - he did not actually make it to church b/c we decided to stay home and clean up the house but the hat was his own wardrobe addition. I think it was his way of protesting girly outfits but I think he can still wear these to church anyway!

Are you ready for some soccer?! Carter sure was and I was very, very sad to miss his first game because of work but Daddy did a great job getting lots of pictures so I could see all the action! We've had his shin guards, cleats, and soccer socks for a few weeks now and he is the proudest little fella when he gets to sport the whole ensemble! He told me when he came home from his game, "Mommy, apparently, soccer is a pretty hard sport!" He loves to throw in adverbs here and there these days! Jamey said he had fun and ran around like all the other little ones in a big group chasing the ball! At one point the ball went onto another field next to Carter's and Carter decided to stick around and check out that game for a while!




Checking out the competition!

I think you're going the wrong way buddy!
I'm really looking forward to watching his game this Saturday - It's also Cooper's 2nd birthday (I'm in denial) and my parents will be here so Carter will have quite the cheering section!

1st Football Game 2009

We were lucky enough to find tickets to Carolina's first home game this year against the Citadel so here are a few pics and a play by play analysis for you! Sorry for the quantity as always but it was the 1st game!

One of the few sweet smiles from Cooper tailgating. He wasn't much of a fan of an empty parking lot or crowded bleachers but we'll get there:)

Jamey wasn't much of a fan of me breaking out the camera as soon as we were settled in to our spot but we MUST have pictures to show for the fun we had, right honey?!
The only place Cooper was happy was in me or Jamey's arms - I guess I should count my blessings that he wasn't crying and enjoy my lap baby while I have one!
This was pretty much Coop's face the entire game - do you think he's a bit overwhelmed?!
On the other hand, this was Carter's face. He was all smiles the whole time and had so much fun as you can see! The ice cream cone the size of me and fireworks after the Heels scored helped, too!


Group shots were few and far between but our seats were pretty great, huh?
I love this one even though Cooper isn't looking! We stayed for the whole game and the seats behind us fortunately cleared out pretty quickly so we had a lot more room to roam.
Our little Marvin Austin, or "Arvin" as Carter called him! We saw him from behind a few times on the sidelines and Carter wasn't sure what to make of his long hair and doo rag! We sure know how to pick role models but at least he has a big smile!
Another typical gameday Cooper face...
Can we go home now and can you put that d*@# camera away Mommy?
Oh wait, these games are kinda fun after all!
He actually liked the fireworks for once! On the other occasions, he would switch from me to Jamey or vice versa - the funny part was he'd freak out after a touchdown and want the other parent but then come right back because they'd have fireworks again for the extra point!
This was a few nights ago and Carter called me over to PLEASE take their picture - Cooper is mastering his vocabulary all of a sudden and is right in the middle of a big cheese as you can see!
This is Carter's folder for school that he (really me!) decided needed more attention! His 4 year old preschool class was supposed to color their frogs the other day at their "meet the teacher" and Carter scribbled on his a few circles for about 2 seconds and then was off to bigger and better things. His classmates, on the other hand, were coloring in the intricate frog details perfectly, which made me a little worried about my child's artistic skills! The other day I asked if he wanted to decorate the folder a little more so it was more like his friends (I know I'm bad but peer pressure already works at 4!) and he happily obliged! He managed to almost stay in the lines and fully (except for the crayon belly b/c that was from his 1st try) color in his now purple frog! Whew, I sure feel better that he isn't a total coloring disaster:)

Go Tar Heels!

The quality is awful because it's from my old digital camera but I thought we all needed a little Carter inspiration to get us into the spirit for tomorrow! Hope you enjoy and I'll try to get a little more inspired version from him later - he had just woken up from his nap!

Preschool Pictures

I think this is setting a new blogging record for me but I wanted to get these up for my family to see! The boys were perfect angels so their teachers said and Cooper didn't even cry! He was happy and excited when I got there to get him - as soon as they opened the classroom door I could hear him saying, "Mommy, Mommy, Daddy, Daddy" over and over like he knew what happened next! Ever since we went for Coop's orientation at preschool, whenever we get in the car he points and talks about going to "schoo" as he calls it!

Bundle of Emotions

My recent posts have been quite emotional I've noticed but here goes another! This blog serves as a both a baby book for the boys and a journal for me so just bear with me. I'm finishing up my 12 hour shift at work and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my chipper dayshift relief so I can head home and hop into bed! I'm also so torn that my baby boy, who is about to turn 2 (just the thought makes me sad), starts preschool today and I don't get to take him to school for his 1st day! I SHOULD feel thankful for sleep and for a wonderful, helpful husband who is more than willing (and capable I might add!) to take my precious children to school for their first day, but instead I'm being selfish and upset that I don't get to have that experience! It's really pretty silly for me to worry about something so petty, especially when it probably won't be the most pleasant of experiences, and even less so if I did it sleep-deprived! Cooper will more than likely cry, call for us, hover around our legs, all of which do nothing but make us feel sad to leave him and question whether or not we made the right call to send him to school so little! I should just get over it and be excited to pick him up and see his sweet, little smile at 11:30 and I'm sure that will make all my worries and jealousy go away! I should be happy because Jamey has to do the hardest part! I'll try not to worry too much and actually get some sleep but I'm sure it will not be the soundest sleep I've ever gotten - the preschool gives little ones 10 minutes to cry inconsolably before they call their parents to come get them and I sure hope I don't get that call today! I'll keep you posted and hope to add some Daddy-taken pictures from their 1st day later as well!