Give Thanks Part 2

Because of everything going on, I'm posting a bit off schedule because I just can't wait any longer to share!

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we had such a great (albeit long) day! At lunchtime, we went to Rusty's Aunt Sandra's house. I made cream cheese cookies (another Cooper family recipe) and they were a hit. Adam got to see his great-grandmother. He was a bit fussy most the day, again I believe just because there were a lot of people passing him around and talking to him. Most precious part of the day, Adam was on his last limb and he was handing to his great-grandmother who started rocking and humming to him. He fell right to sleep and continued to sleep for about 45 minutes (even with everyone taking pictures of this precious moment). She was so pleased too! We also took pictures on the stairs of the whole family - we were missing one cousin (Bob), but everyone else was there.

That night we went to Rusty's dad's house for some low-key family time. I made a cheese plate (you probably don't know how much my husband LOVES cheese plates - but trust me, no one loves them more) and everyone just snacked. It was a great time and Grandpa (Rusty's dad) got out his guitar and played a bit for our music loving baby.

Friday, Rusty, his sister, Aunt Julie, and I went to the movies to see Mockingjay Pt. 1 (I love this book series). We waited until after lunch so we were stuck in Black Friday traffic. It was a great movie, although I didn't like a couple of minor details, but that's just me being nit-picky. My parents watched Adam during this time, which they had no complaints.

That night we get home and wouldn't you believe it, Adam was holding his own bottle during his dinner! We've been practicing for a while, but this is the first time he succeeded! Yay for milestones!

Today (Saturday) has been thankfully low-key. We've been just relaxing and spending time between just our little family.

Give Thanks Part 1

So last Thursday we got Rusty's trumpet back from the cleaners. Rusty hasn't played his trumpet since high school - that's almost ten years ago! We visited Rusty's mom and he saw the trumpet and decided to take it home, after some much needed cleaning. Adam was very nervous the first time Rusty played it, but now he can't stop staring at Rusty whenever he plays.

Friday, Adam and I visited my sister, Aunt Emma, Uncle John and their dog, Dex at her house. Her friend Melanie decided to bring over a little boy she babysits for a play date. They were very skeptical of each other - but it made me realize how small Adam actually is. If you look at the picture below, you'll see, these babies are only a month apart!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, Rusty went to Athens, so Adam and I were on our own. Every year Rusty goes with a group of college buddies to a UGA game and just to get together and catch up. He had a great time. While he was there, my Uncle Jimmy and his girlfriend came up from Florida to visit family and met up with us and the rest of my family (except Katie) at our favorite BBQ place. Adam got to meet a new family member and we all got to enjoy delicious BBQ.

I love, LOVE Thanksgiving! I love food and I love family. It has been even better this year because Adam joined the crew. On my side of the family, we always celebrate Thanksgiving the Sunday before. We went to my Aunt's house and Adam got to meet two of my cousins and two great-uncles that he had never met before. Adam was a little fussy throughout the day because of all the new people, but I believe he got to be held by everyone so their days were made. We ate good food, played board games and just caught up.

Tomorrow we will go and celebrate with Rusty's side of the family. That means more food, more family and more love! I can't wait!

Birmingham, Alabama

Lots of stuff this week! Rusty and I went to Big Peach Running Company for good quality running shoes. This place is amazing. You stand on this step thing and it gives you a heat map of pressure of your foot. It shows what part of your foot you tend to lean on, it shows how high your arch is and it also gives you the exact size you should wear. After that, they put you in a starter shoe and record you running down a runway at the store. They watch this in super slow-mo to see if you are rolling your foot in or out, then you start trying on shoes. Because I have very tiny feet, mine had to be special ordered and they didn't have the color Rusty wanted, so now we wait.

Last week, my sister and her boyfriend went to Disney World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I am so jealous, but she did send us a Howler in the mail. For all of you non-Harry Potter fans, you probably won't get how awesome this is, but I LOVE the series and this was the perfect gift for me!

This weekend though we took a trip to Alabama to see Rusty's family. It was Barbara's (Adam's great-grandmother's) 79th birthday! She wanted a nice, dressed up party to see all of her family. We decided to get a hotel instead of driving back so it wouldn't be as hard on the baby. It was so great to see everyone - especially because we normally only get to see them once per year. Adam also looked completely adorable in his formal wear (although the cost of it will mean he will wear it at every formal event from now until he's popping buttons).

 Pop and Barbara (Great-Grandparents)

The night after the party, we look into Adam's mouth and what do we find - his first tooth!! I wash his gums every night after bath time and didn't even feel one coming through, but by golly, there it is! He's becoming a real person!

Example Seven-Month Baby Schedule

I've been asked a lot about sharing Adam's schedule. I am a VERY schedule oriented person (hello, type A personality) because if I don't have a schedule, my day is completely frazzled. Children also thrive by having schedules because (according to the research I've done) it allows them to feel secure and know what is happening next.

A couple of notes:
- As Adam hit seven months, he is no longer breastfed, so if you're breastfeeding, this is probably not the schedule for you.
- You will probably have to tweak for your own baby's needs because all babies are different.
- Adam has always been a great sleeper - so he hasn't woken up in the middle of the night since 12 weeks. You'll definitely need to change it up if your baby wakes up at night still.

 Example Baby Schedule

 9:00-9:30a
     - Wake-up
     - Put on clothes

 9:30-10:00a

     - Breakfast

         > 6oz Formula

         > 2 Tbsp rice cereal

10:00-11:00a

     - Playtime

11:00-11:15a

     - Books

11:15-1:00a

     - Nap time

1:00-1:30p

     - Lunch

          > 4-5oz Formula

          > Baby food

1:30-3:00p

     - Playtime

3:00-5:00

     - Snack

          > 6oz Formula

3:30-6:00p

     - Nap time

6:00-6:30p

     - Dinner

          > 4-5oz Formula

          > Baby food

6:30-7:30p

     - Playtime (special playtime with Daddy)

7:30-7:45 p

     - Bath (every other day)

7:45-8:00 p

     - Snack
           > 5-6oz Formula

8:00p

     - Prayers and Paci

     - Bedtime

           > Kiss and say goodnight before laying down

           > Put on back, big blanket, little blanket
           > No talking once he’s laying down



Now it's your turn to share with me about your experience with putting your baby on a schedule. Do you have one? What works best for you?

More Milestones

Adam turned seven months old! He is now rolling back to front in addition to front to back! He's started getting a bit of an attitude when it's tummy time, so he would always roll to his back. Imagine his surprise and dismay, when he rolled again and ended right back where he started. He was not a happy camper.

We have had some lovely fall weather this week so Adam, Kirby and I have spent our afternoons on a blanket in the backyard. Adam loves crushing the leaves and watching the wind through the trees.

Adam and I also attended a bridal shower for an old friend. My mom and her mom have been great friends for many, many years. Everyone loved Adam and I had a great time seeing people I haven't seen in forever! Plus, she is going to make a beautiful bride next month. My sister will be their photographer so you know the pictures will turn out great!

Oh, Rusty and I have begun watching The Walking Dead (once Adam is down for the night of course) and it's been really good. I keep having nightmares about zombies, but who doesn't like to be a little frightened now and then. Living in Georgia, it's been really fun to point out the places we've visited.

Halloween

Baby's first Halloween! Well, October is over and it was a good one. Rusty and I went to a Halloween party thrown by my former employer at a speakeasy in Atlanta. Grammy and Grandpa babysat and we had the night out. It was great to see all of my former co-workers. On Halloween night, we got dressed up to hand out candy. Sadly, the rain deterred a lot of children, but we still got a good many and they loved our group costume.

Guess what else I did this week?!? I unpacked the last box!!!! That's right! Right at two months ago we had moving day - and we are now officially moved in. I told myself that I couldn't being decorating until I was unpacked. Well... let the decorating begin.
Oh wait, now I have to make more decisions.

Rusty and I (and Adam in the stroller) also participated in our second 5K this weekend. Again, I urge everyone to try it. It felt so great to cross that finish line. This one was also right down the street, so we didn't have to wake up as early. However, we did decide not to do anymore until the Spring. It was sooo cold - there were flurries at the finish line! We also decided we should invest in some good running shoes to prevent injury.

We attended JoLynn and Jade's birthday party! Jasmin is Rusty's stepsister and these are her two daughters (turning 3 and 1 respectively). They had a Frozen themed party, which is all the rage these days, but it was really cute! This is a picture from a couple weeks back of the girls because I didn't take any at the actual party. Fun fact: Jasmin (who didn't become Rusty's stepsister until three years ago) is married to Daniel. Turns out Rusty and Daniel went to school from Kindergarten to Senior year of high school together! Not many people can say that they have known someone for that long and now we are spending holidays and birthdays with him!