Christmas Day Snow

Penn's 1st Christmas was even more special when it began to snow. Atlanta has not gotten snow on Christmas Day in over 100 years so this one will be easy to remember. We spent Christmas Day night at Popie and Bah's (david's grandparents) house so we all went outside to watch the snowfall.



Penn's 1st Christmas

Our tradition has always been spending Christmas Eve at Gigi's house, but it's starting to get a little tricky. I'm not sure if next year Santa will be able to travel. David and I were so excited to get Penn up on Christmas morning. We took him into the living room to see what Santa had dropped off and he spotted 2 chuck trucks right away.  We decided to do 3 gifts, just as the 3 wise men did for baby Jesus. 

unwrapping gifts

playing with my activity table

 telling daddy about his new toys

After Santa we went to Jenn and Dallas' house where Reese and Papa were waiting on us. It was time for chaos. Reese loved Penn's toys and helped him open all his gifts. 

Penn loved the bows

 Thanks Papa for my new trucks!

Let's just say Santa's sleigh was full going home...

Christmas Eve

 Christmas Eve lunch is spent with David's dad's side of the family. Penn is so blessed to still have great grandparents in his life who absolutely adore him. David's dad's mom is called "Hot", yep you heard me. David's sister started calling her that when she was a baby so it just stuck. Every year we grill steaks with cheese grits and a salad. It is sooo good!

Penn with Aunt Anna

 Penn with Aunt Betsy

After lunch we drove to McDonough to spend Christmas Eve with my family and spend the night at mom's house. Mom cooked a huge meal and we watched Reese entertain all of us.

Celebrate Christmas!

Oh how I love Christmas. It really truly is the most special time of the year. How great it is that we are free to celebrate the birth of Christ!! I think about those around the world who are persecuted for the mention of his name and here we are able to yell it from the rooftops, though sometimes we choose not too. I am also reminded of the blessings God has given me. I have a loving husband, healthy baby boy, supportive and gracious family, wonderful friends, a warm home and bed and food on the table. What more could I ask for??  I think of those who are in need right now, not because they chose the situation they are in, but because sometimes things just happen. Everyone deserves a second chance.

We have always given gifts to David's entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.), but this year the family decided to do something different. Each family was to give to the charity of their choice any amount they felt led to give. David and I love to give to Christmas shoeboxes, toys for tots and food drives, but this time we decided to give closer to home. I am fortunate enough to know a beautiful family that was really in need this year, so we helped them with Christmas for their children. This Christmas was so special to me having Penn in our lives, but I have to tell you it was the best feeling ever knowing that those children had gifts on Christmas morning. I don't tell any of this to boast, but to pass along the idea to other families. Just think, if all of us spent $10 on someone who didn't have it, no child would go without. We have been blessed so many times even when things were rough and I vow to always pay it forward.

Visit with Santa

Okay, David and I made a rookie parenting mistake. We waited till the Sunday before Christmas to take Penn to the Augusta Mall for pics with Santa. OMG! is all I can say. We waited 2 1/2 hrs, had no food for Penn, he had missed a nap and then didn't care at all about Santa. Oh well, it's the memory we made and now he can't say we didn't take him. 

Quick nap while we waited in line

 and, who are you?

 Okay, maybe I'll try to smile, but I'm totally weirded out.

8 months old!

Penn turned 8 mths on Dec. 14th and celebrated it at Disney World. Not only was he at Disney World, but he got his 3rd tooth on his 8 mth birthday too. Soon to follow was the 4th tooth. He has really been trying to get around everywhere. The week before Disney he began to get on all 4's and rock back and forth. He has since learned to army crawl, but he's still not too quick. He really would rather stand and try to walk but he will crawl if there is something he really wants. Everyday he continues to amaze me. What a personality he has?? He is very expressive with his happiness and sadness. He will cackle out loud so hard when something is funny, but he will also let you know when he is not happy. He LOVES bathtime! I've got to get some pics because he loves splashing around. He also loves to blow or spit as I call it. Thanks to daddy he has it down pat and does it ALL the time. He started this a couple of months ago and it just continues to get worse. He has really perfected it and loves to show everyone he meets.

Here are some pics from 8 mths old.  

8 months old today!!

Looking more and more like Daddy

 My favorite thing to do is dump out my toy box

 

   

Army crawling

Christmas time at the Coopers

I love to decorate for Christmas and this year I started early. I knew we were going to be gone a lot, so why not?

Santa Baby

 Ooh, ooh, ooh

 shiny presents..

another stocking hung by the chimney with care...

Fall 2010

Georgia games, cornmaizes and Penn's 1st halloween. We have had such a busy Fall. We have taken Penn to all of the cornmaizes to see the animals. David and I have enjoyed the Georgia games with dad while Penn has gotten to stay with his Gigi for the weekends. He does so great staying away and loves being around other people.

Halloween was so much fun!! We spent the weekend in McDonough and went to Trunk or Treat with the family. Penn was the cutest Nemo you've ever seen and Reese was a beautiful Cinderella bride. After trunk or treat we came back home and took Penn around the neighborhood to see all of our friends. Next year will be a blast to watch him run around.

Penn as Nemo

 Cinderella Bride and Nemo

 Skeleton PJ's

7 months

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. I honestly just forget about it. We are having so much fun these days.  I also can't believe I have a 7 month old. What a blessing he is everyday! I will definitely say that these times are by far my favorite!
Penn is enjoying rolling everywhere, trying to scoot but not going to far. He is talking and babbling all the time and has the cutest laugh ever!! He is the smiliest little boy you've ever met. People comment everywhere we go on how much he smiles. It's been a long time coming after the first few months, but they were definitely worth it.
He radiates when he sees his daddy in the evenings. It is so sweet how much he loves David. Bathtime is also another favorite these days. He splashes and plays with his toys and would stay in there forever.
At 6 months Penn was 20 lbs and 27 3/4 in. Such a healthy, growing boy. He is eating most of his veggies really good and eats 3 times a day now. 
We also started Kindermusik about a month ago and he LOVES it! He laughs when we dance and loves to shake the rattles and bang on the drum, I guess he gets that from his daddy.

5 1/2 months

I can't believe I am so late posting his 5 month update, okay maybe I can. Life is good!! or I should say great! We are having so much fun now. Penn started rolling over finally, but just from his tummy to his back. Rolling really isn't his favorite thing to do, but he is starting to enjoy tummy time more often now. He is a champ at eating solids, except rice cereal. He has loved squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, pears and bananas. We are looking forward to adding some new variety at 6 months.

The sweetest thing in the world is Penn's smile! He has a huge smile and is so happy with other people. It melts my heart to see how excited he gets when his daddy comes home from work. David spends so much time with him at night and on the weekends and it is so special. Since Penn was about 6 weeks old David has had him 3 nights a week for bath and bedtime so that I can continue teaching Boot Camp. I'm so glad they have had this time together and so thankful that David has given me the time away at night.

We have had some fun family time lately and also some fun time with friends. Pics to come soon!

Stroller Time

I have finally started jogging in my BOB stroller with Penn. I have to say, I LOVE my BOB. I have been using it walking in the neighborhood, but Penn is finally big enough to ride along while I jog. He seems to love it. He has been taking some great naps in it and totally relaxes.

Here's a random pic of him one night rockin' the mohawk

weekend with Reese and Gigi

Reese loves Baby Penn! She is just soooo sweet with him and truly loves him! She loves giving him toys and dancing for him, but she also likes to help burp him and give him lots of kisses!! He got so much lovin' this weekend and was totally entertained. We had so much fun this weekend with Gigi and Reese visiting (missed Aunt Jenn). We played, shopped and went swimming!

Just Chillin' with Gigi

Someone was not happy that the lifeguard took a break

4 mth stats!

Last friday was Penn's official 4 month dr's visit. Whoa! he is growing. He gained a 1/2 lb in a wk. I guess adding the rice cereal was putting on the lbs. He is 16 lb 1 oz (75th%) and 25 3/4in (75th%) and his head circumference is 16 5/8in (65th %). I think he is just perfect in size and his dr. was very happy right where he is!
We have since started him on oatmeal this week and he is just not liking it. I'm beginning to think he just doesn't like eating with a spoon just yet, because he didn't like the rice or oatmeal. He makes the cutest face and pokes out his bottom lip, like "mama just give me the bottle". I usually give in and don't make him eat too much. Next week we will start with veggies so we'll see how that goes.
Penn has been grabbing at his toys hanging over him on his play mat for awhile, but now he is starting to notice what is lying around him and is really grabbing at them. It's so cute! Still no interest in rolling, but we are continuing to work on it!
Gigi and Reese came to stay with us this weekend so they went to his dr's appt with me. Reese was so good and gave Penn kisses after his shots.

Penn's first tooth

I'm not sure exactly when it broke through but today I was playing with him and felt his gums and there it was. The cutest little thing. Now that I've thought about it, he was fussy for about 2 days yesterday and fighting the bottle and now I think it was teething. I can't believe at 4 months he has gotten his first tooth.

4 months old!!

Once again, I am such a slacker...I am staying busy with my little man and teaching boot camp at night so most evenings I crash. Speaking of my little guy, the past 4 months have gone by so fast. He is so much fun right now. I did have to take him back to the dr last week and he weighed in at 15 lb 8 oz. BIG BOY!! He is still suffering from eczema, but it seems to be getting better. He's also still on prevacid and we just starting adding rice cereal to his bottle instead of increasing his medicine. Today was also the first day we started solids with a spoon. He had rice cereal this morning and actually did really good with it. He was already familiar with the taste so it's just going to take getting used to the spoon. Here's some pics of him eating:

Ready to eat!

(sorry for the photo quality, i was feeding and taking pic at same time)

His newest trick is holding his feet. He loves to see his feet and holds his toes all the time.

Also, in the past few days he has really found his voice and talks up a storm. David and I laugh so much at how much he is talking and being vocal now. It is so cute!!
We are loving every moment with him, he smiles soooo much and it melts my heart. He is really gotten on a good schedule now and is going to sleep great. His naps vary in length, but his nightime is great!! He goes to bed now between 7:30 and 8pm and sleeps until 7pm. It is so nice to have the evenings and be able to sleep all night!!

14 weeks

Okay, my poor baby has one more thing going on with him, eczema! Yep. He broke out in a horrible rash all over his body and I had to take him to the dr. So, that being said, he was weighed in at 14 lb 11 oz. Such a big boy!! Really hoping the eczema clears up and this isn't something he has to deal with forever. It looks so miserable!
On the other hand, while that looks miserable it must not be bothering him because he has slept through the night for 3 nights now! 8:30-7:30, so wonderful!

it's been sooooo long.

I can't believe I've been so slack about posting. Penn is now 14 weeks and changing everyday. He is growing so fast and he is sooooo much fun. We are loving interacting with him. He makes me smile everyday when he smiles at me! He has the cutest cackle and grins everytime he sees me. He follows David and I with his eyes whenever we move around the house. He does not miss a beat and wants to be a part of everything.

So I can say with great joy that the 3 month mark has passed and I have a happy baby! Everyone says the first 3 months are the hardest and boy are they right. We have gotten on a great routine and Penn is just a happy baby now.  I will say that last week we started on sleep training. It has not been easy, but it needed to be done. Penn was used to be held to fall asleep and was completely unable to put himself back to sleep. I did lots of reading and talking to friends and decided we were ready! I started with naptime because that was where we were having the hardest time. Penn's naps lasted no longer than 30 min unless he was sleeping on someone or in the stroller. I mean you could set a clock to the minute. Needless to say he was waking up still tired and fussy. My goal was and still is to leave him in the crib for at least 1hr and 15 min for each nap period. I can say that as of today his naps are at least 1 hr and some have been 2 hrs!! YAY!!! He is also falling asleep within minutes if not seconds of being put in the crib awake. I am so proud of him! After I felt good about naps and falling asleep I decided to start with nighttime. Penn had a habit (probably my fault) of waking up between 2:30 and 3:30. I used to give him the pacy and then I was feeding him. I had trained him to wake up. Last night was the first night he slept through on his own. I did not go in his room at all. He can totally put himself back to sleep with a little help from his thumb. I know I may regret it later, but at least he can get back to sleep without my assistance. Things aren't perfected, but can you really ever say that they are. I know just as soon as it gets good, he'll start teething!

2 months old!!

I have been such a slacker!! The last month has been so fun with Penn, but also really difficult! Penn was finally started on Prevacid for his reflux and we switched him to Alimentum (hypoallergenic) formula and he is doing much better now! I am so thankful that he no longer is in pain. Now we are just working on breaking some habits that were formed. Since Penn screamed so much in pain we held him all day long and bounced, walked, rocked and anything else you can think of to calm him down so now that is all he wants to do. He has a hard time putting himself to sleep during the day and only likes to cat nap which makes for a fussy baby! I'm determined to get his naps better this week, so keep me in your prayers.

Penn is a whopping 12 lbs. 12 oz.! That's right, he is a big boy. We are really having fun watching him grow and discover new things. He loves to play on his playmat or swing in the swing. He talks and laughs and coos at the lights and toys on his mat and when he gets excited he kicks his legs and rolls side to side. So much fun!! My favorite time is early in the morning when he wakes up! He is so happy in the mornings and gives me the biggest smiles.

On the other hand, he has got the bottom lip figured out. He can stick that lip out so far and it is the cutest thing in the world. I have got to get a picture of it.

We also have fun with our neighbors Lauren and Lilly who come to play quite often. Lilly is 6 weeks older than Penn and she is just adorable!

6 weeks old

Time is flying!! The last week has been full of first for Penn. As of last friday night he started sleeping in his crib and has been doing great! We have also been working on getting his reflux under control. Penn has been on Zantac for 1 week today and seems to be doing much better. His days are getting on a better sleep/wake schedule and we are getting a bedtime routine started. I'm so glad my little man is feeling better. There's no worse feeling in the world than seeing him upset and not being able to help him.

Hanging with Dad before bed

sleeping in his crib for the first time

I was finally able to get Penn out this week all by myself. This is a big deal. I have had major anxiety about him screaming the whole time, which before the reflux meds it was the reality. He did such a good job letting me run errands.

Some of my favorite time with him is out on our stroller rides in the mornings. He is such a happy baby in the morning and I love just talking and singing to him on our walks. Everyday is getting better and better and he is such a joy in our lives.