Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Okay, this will be my last Christmas 2010 post!

I think :) I can't help but post pics from Christmas 2009 and compare them to this Christmas! Last year at this time, Cooper hadn't even reached his due date yet!
2009
2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

White Christmas!

I don't believe that I've ever had a white Christmas but was given the opportunity finally over the weekend! Georgia had their first white Christmas since the 1800's but I was in Pittsburgh so I missed the fun at home!

We had like one mini episode of snow last Winter but Cooper was way too small to go out in it...but, that wasn't the case this past weekend! I don't think he was a huge fan and we were only out in it for about 5 minutes. Really, I didn't care if we were out there for a long time as long as I was able to get some quick pics ;)


This pose didn't last too long! Who wants a cold and wet hiney?

"What is this stuff?"
I'm wearing my hubby's gloves because I forgot mine at home!



Monday, December 27, 2010

Christmas 2010

Our little family of 3 actually celebrated Christmas on Wednesday night because we were headed to Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve to celebrate with my in-laws. It was fun because we ordered chinese food and opened our gifts and our stockings. I didn't buy Cooper a whole lot of presents because he's still at the age where he's not sure of what's going on but I'm sure it'll be a whole other story next Christmas!

He thoroughly enjoyed his stocking! He looked at every item and then proceeded to pitch every item individually over the side of his highchair!



I was very nervous about our flight because he's only flown one other time and he was only 5 months old at the time. All I had to do back then was give him a bottle and he was happy as a lark...yeah, that's not the case now that he's almost 14 months old. Luckily, he fell asleep the moment that we got into the air and slept most of the flight!


Now, I love this because any mommy of a toddler will tell you that it's a rare moment when they'll actually sleep on your chest! Ahh, I savored every second! Oh, and please excuse my double chin...the point of the pic is Cooper's peaceful sleeping! ;)



We headed to Pittsburgh on Friday and were excited to arrive to a city full of snow! We don't get snow often in Georgia and it's not very impressive when we do, either! Georgia also has mild winters so Cooper was surprised by the chill in the air!
My men folk


We went to a fun party at my hubby's cousin's house on Christmas Eve and Cooper got to eat some northern type food. This made be a weird comment but the flavors of the food and some of the items, to me, taste different than what we get down here in the south! He ate like a little piggy so I think he approved!

We woke up the next morning bright and early because that's what Cooper does regardless of holiday status so we went to open gifts. My in-laws ADORE Cooper and were thrilled to be up at 6:30 AM to open gifts. No, really they were over the moon with excitement and I was really happy that we could spend Christmas morning with them.

Cooper working very hard to open this present


Cooper reaping the rewards of his present opening skills

A funny story about our flying home on Sunday. They cancelled our flight home. The airline wanted us to fly to Detroit and layover until Monday or just stay in Pittsburgh until Tuesday. Neither one of these options were appealing to me because I was eager to get my child back to his home and his things. So, we drove 2 hours to Cleveland to fly home to Atlanta. That flight was delayed an hour so it took us 8 hours to get home. I now know that we were the lucky ones as I watched the news this morning to see that some people are literally stuck because the entire airport is closed in a few cities!

The cool thing about Cooper is that he was a total rockstar yesterday despite everything that we went through to get home. He played with a pack of (unopened) peanuts and the window shade for the entire flight home! Awesome!

One last pic (I promise!) of me and my little man on Christmas Day. I just love him!


Monday, December 20, 2010

Mommy's music man :)

Cooper received this Fisher Price Learn and Grow piano for his birthday and he loves this thing! It actually connects to the television but he actually prefers it just on it's own. This piano and a set of bongos are his two of his favorite toys...future rockstar, maybe?

The letter P is his muse ;)



Friday, December 10, 2010

Triple post day...Coopie is a sick puppy :(

Cooper is sick with a horrible cold. He didn't really eat yesterday and he hasn't eaten hardly at all today. I took him to his ped and she just said that it's okay if he doesn't eat for a few days (really???) but to just make sure he takes fluids. He's not a big fan of fluids today, either, and I've only managed to get about 3.5 ounces of pedialyte in him today.

I've spent my day sucking out snot, wiping up with boogie wipes, begging him to drink some chocolate pediasure and/or his orange pedialyte, sticking a thermometer up his bootie, dispensing tylenol, smearing on vicks baby rub and giving a whole lotta snuggles...only one of these things is enjoyable...

Can you spend a few minutes today sending up some prayers for my little man that he gets better soon? I mean, it's tough work being Super Cooper!

I have a feeling that this is going to be a long, long weekend...

When elves attack!

We have an invasion of elves! My mil gave these elves to us a few years ago but I'm having a lot more fun with them since Cooper came into the picture :)






No elves or babies were hurt in the photo snapping of the elf invasion :)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Applause please!



Cooper graduated from speech therapy on Monday! Yippeee! He's been cleared to eat whatever he wants (except for raw vegetables) and he is loving all the yummy new foods! He's still not on a sippy cup but he's getting there...
We have many more months of PT and OT ahead of us but both are commenting all the time on how much stronger he is these days. The PT is ordering him some braces for his legs because he still can't bear weight on his legs. He is sitting up for about 10 minutes at a time so his trunk balance is so much better.
One day at a time but I'm excited that he has graduated from one of his therapies :)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

December 8, 2009

We brought Cooper home from the nicu! Exactly one year ago today, our 13.5 week (7.5 weeks for me, 6 weeks for him) hospital vacation came to an end!
Our house has never been the same...and, we've never been so happy and blessed!
The sign that we made him for his homecoming!
Me bringing him into the house for the first time~ I know this is a special moment for every parent but I think it was even more special for us because of everything that we had been through to get to this moment. This day will always stand out in my mind has one of my happiest days ever...

Cooper meeting his crib for the first time. No worries, he never slept in the crib with any of those stuffed animals.

Cooper is not a fan...

of Santa.
We went to visit Jolly ole Nick on Sunday and let me just say that it was terrible! First off, stupid me didn't realize how popular Santa is...heck, I'm friggin 32 and this is my first kid so how was I to know that if you get there 5 minutes after Santa comes on deck that you have to wait an hour for a 3 minute sit on his lap?

Ugh, moving on...Cooper hated him from the word "go." We got one photo during a break during meltdown time when Santa started reading a coloring book to Santa.
Yeah, next year, we're totally rocking a weekday Santa visit! Mommy has learned her lesson!

(oh, and another thing, Santa wouldn't let me take one friggin second to pull Cooper's pant legs down so now he looks like he's wearing capri pants...Thanks a lot, Santa!)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

One day...

We had a wonderful speaker at our MOPS meeting last week talk about fostering relationships with other women. It made me think a lot about what type a friend that I am to my friends. I know that I have a few girlfriends that are awesome and I would be proud if I were half as great as they are to me.

One of the relationships that she discussed was the one with our mother-in-laws. Now, I love my MIL (really!!!) but she's 77 and comes from a different school of mothering and being a wife than I do. She can't change how she was brought up and her views on womanhood and she can't help how they've changed over the decades. The speaker than said "imagine, how she must feel to be her son's favorite woman and then all of a sudden she's not..." Ouch!

As a mother to a little boy, I know that one day (Lord willing) Cooper is going to fall in love and...dare, I say it...leave me! Oh, just the thought makes me want to hurl. One day, I will be someone's mother-in-law! It made me think about how I've dealt with my relationship with mine and how I hope/want to be as one.

She did say that we should start praying TODAY about our children's future spouses. Our prayers for their safety in this world will prepare them to be healthy mates for our children. So, I'm going to start doing just that...

But, that's not going to stop me from reminding Cooper EVERY DAY that mommy was the very first woman that he's ever loved...and, probably the only one that will ever lose an organ for him...okay, just joking about the last part!

I really was!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Cooper getting ready for 2030 (when he'll be 21!)

My hubby is a big wine appreciator and used to have a subscription to Wine Spectator. We've held onto the magazines over the years and they used to be kept on the bottom shelf of the library bookcase...but, that shelf now belongs to Cooper! Cooper has a library of well over 50 books so he needed his own shelf! Sadly, he still has a huge basket of books in his room that I need to find room for...

Cooper rolls over to the bookcase several times a day to pull a book out to "read" but he was sidetracked by this stack of magazines on this trip to the bookcase. I really need to invest in one of those baby corral/ baby fence things to keep him contained in the living room but for now, I'm content with just following him around the house with my flip camera ;)



Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Mr. Independent! Who needs mommy?

Cooper has been in speech therapy twice a week for about 2 months for feeding purposes. Her original treatment goal was to see him twice a week for 6 months but he's doing so good that he's most likely going to graduate next week!

This is yesterday's lunchtime where he feasted on a tuna sandwich and veggie chips...He didn't want my help, at all! This whole "I can feed myself now, thank you very much" thing is hard on my "I want to keep my house clean" thing BUT what can ya, do???

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cooper...the sitter!

Yes, it only took us a whole year (thanks, hypotonia!) but Cooper is finally able to sit up on his own. I should add a disclaimer that he's still not strong enough to put himself into a sitting position and he's only able to sit-up for about 5 minutes at a time BUT this is a huge milestone for us, none-the-less!
I'm happy for him and I know that he's proud of himself, too!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Awesome!

My friend, Aubry, took these pics for us and they're just too great to keep to myself :)














Friday, November 26, 2010

Some funny videos~

I'm terrible about letting videos just sit on my flip camera...anyone else procrastinate in this way? I found a video from Cooper's first birthday on there and thought I would share with all of you :) This was us coming into his room on his birthday morning...he doesn't exactly know what to think! He loves saying "no" these days as evidenced by the second video! (Don't forget to turn off the music player...I would hate for you to miss my wonderful singing!)


Happy birthday to Super Cooper! (Sorry, about it being so dark!)


Cooper's no-no dance!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving with their family and friends today! I've truly enjoyed the day and had to stop to pinch myself when I thought of how blessed we've been this year. I can't help but think back to last Thanksgiving and how different our lives were...Cooper was still in the nicu receiving all of his meals through his feeding tube and we ate a Thanksgiving meal with strangers that the nicu provided for the families. Now, my preemie is a year old and ate a huge meal today of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs and cranberry sauce! He really enjoyed today, too!
Thanksgiving 2009
Thanksgiving 2010...Someone really loves deviled eggs!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Christmas card 2009 vs Christmas card 2010

I thought it would be funny to compare a Christmas card pic from last year versus one of the pics that we took today for this year's card. Wow, what a difference a year makes!
2009, still hanging out in the nicu with a feeding tube down his nose...
2010, chilling like a villian with Lilybear!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

A shout out to my awesome hubby!

I had breast reduction surgery last Monday and the recovery process has been a little more indepth then I had anticipated! Heck, I figure nothing can be worse than a. having 2 c-sections within 15 months and b. the last c-section resulting in a 8 inch incision from my belly button to my pubic bone. I guess I think I'm super woman!

My hubby took last week off to help because I was just completely useless! My hubby has a very demanding job and most nights isn't home until close to 5:30 PM and then Cooper is in bed by 7 PM so they really spend most of their time together on the weekends. But, my hubby was in charge of the little man for 24 hours a day for about a week and did a spenldid job! He did all of his meals, played with him, took him to a neurology appointment, dressed him in matching clothes (amazing, right!), bathed him...He literally did everything! He rocks this daddy business and I am so blessed!

This week he is working from home because I still can't lift anything over 10 pounds so he's here only to move him from one spot to another! Both Cooper and I are going to have a hard time when he goes back to work next Monday because the extra time together as a family has been nice. Last week, our time together was a little percocet fueled but this week has been awesome. Waking up together and having breakfast together is such a rare treat...that's a shame, too. I guess, I just need to win the lottery so we can have him here all the time :)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Front page announcement

I've learned that private blogs don't come up on readers so I'm stealing an idea from one of my great blogging friends that also has a private blog for her family. What I'm going to do is have a front page for Cooper's blog which will be public but will have a link to new posts on Cooper's blog.

So, all you would have to do is become a follower on this which will then have a link to Cooper's new blog posting. Only invited readers will be able to open the link! I know it's an extra step but it will allow all of you to know when there is a new post on his blog.

Thanks to those of you that still keep up with my little man and leave such awesome comments!

Prematurity Awareness Day

Today is the 8th annual Prematurity Awareness Day that is held by the March of Dimes. The MOD released their annual report card on premature births today in honor of Prematurity Awareness day and the US scored a D but I was even more horrified to see that my state of Georgia scored an F. The goal for premature births is 7.6% or less but the US has a percentage of 12.3%. But, there is reason to be optimistic as the rate of premature births have gone down over the last few years. The MOD has a lot of great information pertaining to prematurity if you would like more information and ways that you can help to fight prematurity.
I knew that I had a huge chance of having a preemie when I found out that I was pregnant with Cooper. Most women that go on to have a baby following a uterine rupture do delivery at 37 weeks since the baby is considered full-term and the docs don't want to push the uterus more than they have to. I was totally comfortable with the 37 week delivery then the placenta increta was discovered so my delivery was pushed to 34 weeks which was still good according to my high-risk ob-gyn and my perinatologist. Many of you know that I was admitted into the hospital at 24 weeks due to the placenta increta (which would've killed us both if anything happened outside of the hospital) with every intention of being there for 10 weeks. I woke up on the morning of November 1, 2010 with pain in my back (I had no idea that labor could start there!) and Cooper not moving. I expressed concern to my nurse that Cooper wasn't moving (I didn't care about the back pain that I was experiencing but more for the welfare of my baby but I guess having a stillborn baby will do that to you) and they hooked me up to the NST machine. My nurse came back within 7 minutes and said "we're having a baby today! You're in preterm labor..." Now, some will wonder why they wouldn't just stop the preterm labor especially since I was only 31 weeks BUT you can't with a uterus that has experienced a rupture. You deliver as soon as the uterus begins to show distress. I was rolled into the operating room and met the nicu team who would be taking care of my baby. I was put to sleep but the last words whispered into my ears were "you're going to have a beautiful baby boy when you wake up..."

My hubby was in the hallway waiting for Cooper to be rolled to the nicu with his camera ready to take the first pic of our son. We were so lucky because I had received steroid shots for his lungs just 48 hours before he was born! He had to intubated twice to give his lungs surfactant which helps his lungs to not stick together but other than that he only wore a c-pap and cannula to help him breath. He weighed 4 pounds and was 16.5 inches long. He came into the world with a headful of red hair which made my Irish (-German) heart happy!



He spent almost 38 days in the nicu for normal preemie stuff like learning to breath without any assistance, Apnea, and that whole learning how to suck/swallow/breath thing that all of us take for granted! His lingering preemie problems are the severe reflux and his heart murmur. Surprisingly, his hypotonia has nothing to do with his premature birth.

I realize how blessed we are every day to have him home with us in overall great health. Not all preemie parents do and many preemie babies will never see their first birthday. I don't take that fact lightly. I can count on one hand the times that I've whined about lack of sleep, poopie diapers or any of the usual baby/new parent issues. I've NEVER complained about any of the many appointments to neurologists, cardiologists, urologists, his weekly PT/OT/ST because I would do everything a million times over to have my perfect and dearly loved son.

In a perfect world, every mom gets the chance to go into labor (full-term) and have a delivery with a screaming baby that needs no medical intervention. I've often daydreamed about how that must feel! To meet your baby within seconds or minutes of their entrance into the world and not 12 hours later. How it must feel to hold your baby and kiss them shortly after birth and not 2 days later. How it must feel to be able to breastfeed your infant within minutes after birth and not weeks later. This wasn't in the cards for us but I'm so grateful for the medical advances that gave my baby every chance to succeed!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

One year stats

So, I'm a week late doing this but better late than never, right???

We went to Cooper's 12 month wellness check up on his birthday because nothing says "happy birthday" like 2 vaccinations and a flu shot (well, the first part of it)!

Weight: 22 lbs even (38%)
Height: 33.5 in (93%)
Head circumference: 49 cm (97%) Some of this is due to the extra fluid on his brain...

He is still on Prev.acid for his reflux but the 15 mg is now longer working and the poor thing has gotten eczema flair ups. I didn't know that eczema was the body's natural defense against the acid coming back up! Hmmm, maybe, I'm the only one that didn't know and I felt terrible! So, he's now taking 15 mg twice a day. He's also off his formula and on cow's milk now. I was worried about the transition but it's been seamless! He's doing 3 solid meals, one snack, 16 ounces of milk and normally about 10 ounces of water a day.

We also went to the cardiologist for his annual appointment regarding his pda (which is a heart murmur that normally only affects preemies). He also has a very small hole in his heart called a pfo that was discovered during his echo in February. Long story short, they're both still there but they're not worried about them at this point. Some pda's will make one side of the heart bigger than the other but that's not the case right now so they're going to re-check him at 2 years old.

His speech therapist has upgraded his diet to soft table foods which has been a blast! We try all kinds of foods now! He loves peach fruit cups and any sort of pasta :)

The most exciting news of all is that he's sitting up unsupported for about a minute or so! He's also trying to crawl! He's uncoordinated still though, like he pushes himself up but then his legs give him problems or vice versa. The point is though is that his body is starting to click into movement! Every week, it's like his body is starting to wake up. He's such a fighter and makes me so proud!

Okay, well, this was a long post, wasn't it?

I leave you with a pic from this morning. This poor mat is totally demolished by the end of the day! The best part of this pic is his smile because doesn't he look proud of himself?

Monday, November 1, 2010

My rainbow baby is one today!


Dear Cooper,
You are one year old today! Can you believe it????
You are a miracle today just as you were when I first found out about you on April 23, 2010. You made it through a pregnancy that doctors that was crazy! You came into the world vigorously (the docs words!) at 11:01 AM which is in about 2 minutes! You came into the world breathing on your own and spent only 38 days in the hospital. You've had so much going on in the last year and you've shown such spunk despite everything. You make me proud everyday to be your mommy.
I love you more than I love myself and I would do anything to make your life as wonderful has humanly possible. You gave my heart hope when you were born and gave me the greatest role of my life, your mommy.
My love forever without condition,
Mommy

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Cooper's First Birthday Party!

We had Cooper's first birthday party yesterday and it was a PERFECT day! We had so much fun and I can't believe that he'll be one tomorrow! I just wanted to share some videos real quick because I have to take my in-laws to the airport soon. I'll post MANY pics later!




Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cooper and his spooky baby legs!

I'm getting caught up with sharing some cute photos of Cooper that I've taken in the last couple of weeks!

We LOVE babylegs around our house because they save me from having to take pants on/off during diaper changes, they're easy to put on and they save his cute little legs as he rolls on different surfaces. Homeboy can roll just about as fast as any baby can crawl!

These babylegs were made by Hollie who I met through the babyloss community. She lost her sweet Cameron on July 31, 2008...3 days before I lost my sweet Lily. Hollie and I belonged to the same birthboard on BBC and we've been internet buddies ever since! Although, we'll be meeting in person very soon, I'm sure :)




I so said that I would NEVER buy the blue jean diapers but, alas, I have fallen pray to their marketing ploys and just had to see if things were really better if your baby poo'd in blue :)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Just a vent...

A few weeks ago a PT student worked with Cooper during his session with his regular PT. His PT, L, is super nice and patient and is WONDERFUL with Cooper. He fatigues really easily due to his hypotonia and does become fussy after about 30 minutes into exercising. I don't know many adults that would be *happy* 30 minutes into a work-out! Cooper does a lot at PT, too, like he stands in this wooden stander thing that I couldn't even begin to really describe to all of you but it looks like a torture device (in actuality, it's hard for him to bear weight on his legs so it probably is a little torturous to him!). He does push-up stuff on a big exercise ball and works out on this fake staircase thing. I mean the kid kicks it but again, he's a baby and a baby with special needs to boot! I'm always proud of him even when he starts to get pissed!

Anyways, the student was working with him and Coop started to get a little fussy (this is about 40 minutes into therapy) and she looks at him and calls him a "faker." Maybe, my mommy protectiveness went into overdrive but this pissed me off. I would never dare of calling him anything harder than snickelfritz (which is a German word for curious boy, my FIL is German) than to have someone undermine his feelings really struck a nerve. But, I kept my mouth shut. Then right before the session ended this student looked at Cooper with this irritated look and said "I just don't understand why he's so upset" and really it was the look and tone that got me. Again, I kept my mouth shut thinking that maybe, I need to hold my tongue and re-evualate the situation after I leave to see if it's truly something to be upset by. Do you know that I was pissed at this student for the entire week leading up to his next appointment?

I was hoping that maybe the student wouldn't work with him again and I could talk to his PT on the side about how this student needs to be talked to about Cooper's particular situation and to have some sensitivity for his (and mine!) feelings. But, no, there she was in all her smug glory waiting to treat him again. So, this gave me two options 1. pretend like nothing ever happened and give this student the opportuntity to be an insensitive twit to other babies or 2. Be direct and tell her my observations so that I don't have to go off on her when she does it again and spare other babies (and parents) her cluelessness. I went with number 2. She started to cry and apologized profusely.

Anyways, I accepted her apology on Cooper's behalf. I'm telling all of you now that if he was old enough to understand what the word "faker" was and that she was picking on him that all hell would've broken loose. Any name calling crosses a line with me and maybe it's the mommy and the social worker in me that has no room for it. I allowed her to continue working with him last week and yesterday and she is like a totally different person. She's sweet, funny, and patient. Hmmm, you needed a pissed off parent to teach you how to work with a baby? I'm hoping that she has taken a closer look at her "bedside" or should I say "exercise mat" manner. I know she's just a student but in what world would you think those words and facial expressions were okay?

I don't know. Just a vent. I've never really been irritated with someone at his therapy place and we're there a lot! Maybe, I blew it out of proportion but I knew that I couldn't let her work with my son again without my observations being addressed. She did thank me for my opinion in the end so maybe, she really did learn something and will think of me when she loses her patience with a baby again.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Go figures!

I make my blog private and then I get totally lazy with blogging! Sorry for sucking!

We went to Boo at the Zoo on Sunday and had a lot of fun! Cooper didn't wear his costume because it's made out of fleece and we're still in the high 70's here so he just wore his "My first Halloween" stuff. This is his last first holiday! He missed Halloween by 11 hours last year!






On a funny note (for now at least) Cooper has learned how to shake his head "no"...which is his response now for everything! I'm trying to teach him how to shake his head "yes" but his response is...no!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Pumpkin patch fun!

Cooper will be one year old in just a few short weeks so we had a friend meet us at a nearby pumpkin patch to get some cute family photos. It was a lot of fun and I'd actually never been to a pumpkin patch!

Cooper can't sit up so I went to Ho.bby Lo.bby to get some fall color material to lay over his Bu.mbo and it worked out wonderfully!

The first pic is my favorite because it has all 4 of us :)




Sunday, October 10, 2010

Now back to regular scheduled programming!

Thank you to those that made requests to still follow Cooper's blog! I LOVE sharing him to the world and this gives me the option of still doing that but on a smaller scale :)
We went to a fall festival last weekend at the place that I worked at for 7 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. My friends worked it out where Cooper and his friend could have the moon bounce for 5 minutes by themselves...which was great b/c I didn't have to worry about Cooper's head by smushed in by a older kid! He LOVED it! He just rolled all over the place but with a little bounce to the roll :)

Saturday, October 9, 2010

It's the last call for Coopie!

Today is the last day that I'll be taking requests to follow Cooper's blog once it goes private tomorrow. Please, send requests to lilysmommy8308@yahoo.com if you would like to continue reading about this miracle pregnancy after (uterine) rupture, placenta increta surviving, 31 weeker, too cute for words, whipper snapper :)


That's right, he's more than just eye candy...he's cute and clever!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Announcement

I've been debating this for months (and, having some conversations with the hubby) but have come to decision that I will be making Cooper's blog private. I'm so thankful to all of you for the support that you've given me through my pregnancy with Cooper and for the first 11 months of his life. I've known the risks of having my life and Cooper's life open to the world and want to protect our world in every way that I can. Nothing has happened and I want to keep him safe always so I've decided to take this step now before anything does. (Such as pics being stolen off blogs for personal use of strangers)

If you would like an invitation to follow privately then please e-mail me at lilysmommy8308@yahoo.com (some of you have my personal e-mail and I will receive requests that way, as well). I know very well that I may lose some readers but I hope that is not the case. I have 83 followers but truth be told, only about 10 or so actually comment which is fine, too...but, I hope I don't lose those 10 that are so wonderful with their words of advice and support! (Only people that send a request will be sent invitations) I will be accepting requests until next Sunday, October 10, 2010.

Again, THANK YOU for being there for Cooper and me. I hope you choose to continue reading our journey~

Love,
Jen

(I had debated doing the same for Lily's blog but have decided to leave her blog public. I have removed her pics though...I'm sure most of you understand if you've read any of the drama within the last months. My job is to protect both of my children and removing her pics was my way of protecting her.)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

It's the great pumpkin, Cooper!

We took Cooper to a pumpkin patch this morning for some fall pics and had a great time! The weather was perfect and our model was adorable...what more could you ask for?






These are the pics that I took with my personal camera but I'll have the ones from our photographer in about a week...and, you know that I'll be sharing them on here :)