Baby's First Sleepover

At the end of last week, Adam had to lay low since I was working on a birthday cake. However, he had no complaints! He was as happy as ever - especially when I got out his bubble machine that he got for his birthday!

He also learned the understanding of the term "hug", so whenever you say it, he finds something to hug - and I'm glad I'm normally the recipient.

 Friday night, I finished up the cake and packed for the weekend. Then... Saturday began...

We woke up early and piled into the car. Kirby had to sit in Rusty's lap because there was literally no room for him. We dropped off the cake first. The client LOVED it and her daughter loved it even more. I have done this little girl's birthday cakes since she was born and there's nothing like the feeling of a happy (and repeat) customer!

Next, we drove to my parents' house where we dropped off Adam and Kirby. This was Adam's first time spending the night somewhere and I was very nervous. My parents are more than capable, but I was afraid that Adam just wouldn't understand where he was and why his parents aren't around. Turns out - everything went just fine. He took his nap and slept through the whole night, was perky at church the next morning and ate all of his meals. People were actually more shocked than I thought they would be to learn that Adam had never spent a night without us.

While he was there, Rusty and I were in Birmingham for a wedding. We decided that it didn't make sense to travel with Adam for two hours, then take him to a wedding that didn't even start until his bedtime. He would be miserable. Without him though, Rusty and I were able to stay out later and definitely had a more relaxed time. By time we booked the hotel, there were only smoking rooms and the presidential suite available... so we went with the suite and I took a long, bubble bath in a Jacuzzi tub before our friends arrived. I wore a new dress and had a great time at the wedding, except for having to keep an eye out for a very drunk, college friend of Rusty's.

The next morning, we all had brunch and headed home.

Adam went back into his same routine and hasn't looked back since. Playing, cheesing - he's  even started to pretend to read.

We've started party prep for Aunt Julie's graduation party next week. Adam thought it was awesome to have a cart his size. I'm really excited to have this party, especially because I don't have to do most of the food, just the decorations.

Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning was an adventure... Our friends were in a pickle and needed someone to watch their daughter (their sons were going elsewhere), so we agreed. Having on child is definitely different that just having one. I was able to keep them occupied with a walk, bubbles, and playing. We ate outside for different for less of a mess. On Wednesday, I took them to Toddler Time at the library - which turned out to be a lot different and a lot busier than Baby Time. I met her grandparents to pick her up - but have been super exhausted ever since. She's actually a really good, sweet little girl, I just wasn't used to having two toddlers to deal with.

Next on the agenda is another Minnie cake (third of the year) and another busy weekend. Better go get started...

Oh, and a very happy birthday to Rusty's sister, Aunt Julie!

Toddler Schedule

I've been asked a lot about sharing Adam's schedule. I showed it when Adam was about seven months old - so now I'm showing you an updated version now that he's a toddler. I've changed it up a bit throughout the months as he drank less and ate more and as he napped less, but here is where we're at today.

A couple of notes:
- Adam is not breastfed, so if you're breastfeeding, this is probably not the schedule for you.
- You will probably have to tweak for your own toddler's needs because all babies are different.

 Example Toddler Schedule

 9:00-9:30a

     - Wake-up

     - Put on clothes

 9:30-10:00a

     - Breakfast

         > 4oz Milk

         > Cereal and Fruit

10:00-11:15a

     - Playtime

11:15-12:30a

     - Reading Time (except Wednesday, Baby Time at Kennesaw Library)

12:30-1:00p

     - Lunch

          > 4oz Milk

          > Meat, Veggies, Fruit, Grain

1:00-3:00p

     - Naptime

          > If he wakes before, let play in crib alone unless he is crying

3:00-3:30

     - Snack

          > 4oz Milk

          > Fruit,  Cheese, Veggies

3:30-6:00p

     - Playtime

6:00-6:30p

     - Dinner

          > 4oz Milk

          > Whatever you’re eating in bite size portions; he can self-feed

          > Feed with spoon anything that he can’t pick up

6:30-7:30p

     - Playtime

7:45-8:00 p

     - Bath (every other day)

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 time for you to tell me! What works best for your toddler? Do you have a schedule or are you a "fly by the seat of your pants" type of person? Share in the comments!

Big Shanty and Fondue

We finished out last week pretty low-key. I think we were still in the party aftermath where my cleaning was behind and we were still tired. So we spent the week at home.

I did get Adam some new pjs since he is quickly growing out of his old ones. I went with Rusty's favorite superhero. I don't know which of them had more fun with it.

Saturday morning, we got a call from Grammy and Grandpa about the Big Shanty Festival downtown. It's an annual craft and food festival. I had already mentioned going to it, but Rusty wasn't on board until his dad was going. We all met there and got to see our nieces and nephew too. We walked to all the booths - but didn't really see anything we wanted. We had lunch and I had the BEST Philly Cheesesteak that I've ever had. That says a lot since I've had lots of Phillys in my day. Sad news - I didn't write down where it was from. We also stopped by a fudge booth and picked up a couple of gourmet fudges. Right before we left, we stopped by a chainsaw carver's demonstration. That was really cool, but we didn't stay for the whole thing because the noise scared Adam. It was fun, although I don't feel like it was any different than other festivals. I think it needs something else to make it more unique.

That night Memaw came over to babysit Adam so Rusty and I could go out with the Sullivan's. We planned and looked forward to this for weeks. For Keith, we celebrated his new job. For Meghan, we celebrated the end of tax season (she's an accountant). For us, we just wanted to go to The Melting Pot! If you've never been or haven't heard of it, The Melting Pot is a fondue based restaurant and it is DELICIOUS! We did a four course meal: cheese fondue, salad, meat (you cook it yourself in oil), and chocolate fondue. It's not something just Rusty and I could do because it takes about 2 - 2 1/2 hours and we would probably run out of things to talk about (not that I don't like talking with my husband, but being together as much as we are, it just doesn't make sense). Plus, we hadn't seen the Sullivan's in a while, we the conversation was never lacking. It's a bit pricey, but I definitely want to go again!

Sunday, Adam was a little grumpy by time we picked him up from the nursery after church. I just thought it was because he didn't nap well the day before, but after we got home and had lunch, all he wanted to do was lay with me or Rusty. This is very odd for our wiggly baby and he ended up having a fever of 101.6F. I wasn't going to worry until it got to 102, but it was still very sad.

We have no idea what caused the fever, but by time he went to sleep, it was already down two degrees. He had no other symptoms... my guesses are either it was a reaction to his vaccines from that Monday's appointment or teething. I have no idea though and the next morning, it was gone.

Monday was grocery shopping and cleaning... not much else.

Tuesday, we went to visit Nana. The main point was actually to meet with her pastor. I am consulting with their church about their website and online presence. Both are lacking. I'm very excited to help them with this because it's something I feel like I do well and with it being my home church, I have a desire to help them succeed.

Poor guy skipped another nap in the process so once we got in the car to go home, he was out.

One of Adam's favorite things is to dance - as you've seen, but recently, he's begun to clap whenever a song ends. He just seems so proud of himself.

Happy 1st Birthday Adam!!!

What a week!!

All last week, we prepared for Adam's birthday. Every day was either decoration prep for food prep. I wanted everything that could get done be done before party day. I will post a different blog post on the actual party since I don't have those pictures back yet, so here I'll talk about everything other than the actual three hours of party.

Friday, I took tons of pictures of our little man... why? It was his last day as "under one". After Saturday, he would be a one year old and I feel like time has passed too quickly and I need more evidence of his little baby self. One specific picture was taken right when he woke up. Another was him cheesing at me.

Saturday came... I gave birth to my little 9lb 2oz baby at 12:33am. It took 27 hours of labor before an emergency C-section was called. He's grown so much in just a year and continues to amaze me. The day started simple enough with a couple of first birthday wake-up pictures.

He then played with Rusty until nap time. After that we had lunch and right when we were finishing, Aunt Katie arrived. Katie came to do a photoshoot with Adam. We weren't originally going to do it on his actual birthday, but it worked out that it was the only free day. Those pictures will be here when his party pictures do, but she gave a couple of sneak peeks.

While she was taking pictures, my parents showed up to put together Adam's gift so that I wouldn't have to do it later. It was a slide to go outside and is the perfect size for him.

Turns out, my brother had nothing to do, so he came over too. If Emma had shown up, it would've been the whole Cooper clan. They all stayed for pizza and we had a great birthday dinner for Adam.

Saturday was the busiest of days! I woke up early to start prepping things. I had gotten the clubhouse key on Friday, so I could begin setting up whenever. Katie and James spent the night with us, so they could help too. After breakfast, Katie and I brought all of the decorations and food that was already made to the clubhouse while Rusty and James watched Adam. We did what we could before noon, then went to pick up the balloons and lunch for everyone.

2:30pm and people began to show up for the party (even though it didn't start until 3pm). It went great though! There was plenty of food for everyone, but not an overwhelmingly amount of leftovers. Everyone talked and laughed and seemed to have fun. It all flowed too. We ate, opened presents, and Adam dug into his smash cake (it was technically his second one since he dug into one during his Saturday photoshoot, but he still loved it). Most of our family and closest friends were able to make it and love on Adam. We got tons of toys, clothes, and books. In the days since, Adam has had a blast jumping from toy to toy. Here's one of us in our "Animal" shirts with the birthday boy.

After the party, my family stayed to help clean. We cleaned the clubhouse, then they came back to the house so we could bring everything back in one trip. Emma did the dishes for me and my parents played with Adam. Adam was particularly pooped after the party - it had been a long day after all. I fed him a little dinner and put him to bed. He looked up at me so relaxed and serenely before he closed his eyes to sleep.

We've laid somewhat low since the party to relax. Monday, Adam had his one year check-up. He's 21 lb and 4 oz and 29 in. He passed his first hearing and eye exams. The poor guy also got two shots that he was NOT happy about it. The feeling passed and he waved at all the nurses before we left.

Tuesday, we went grocery shopping and just spent the day playing with Adam's new toys.

Finally, today (as if I haven't written enough for the week), we went to Baby Time at the library. Adam has made a friend with a little girl named Lily. They sit next to each other and "talk". It's precious. It's been raining since Monday, so we haven't gotten to try out any of his new outside or water toys, but that it supposed to let up early next week.

Onward and forward.

Easter Baby

This past weekend we celebrated quite a bit!

Friday was Uncle Jim's birthday and although he lives all the way in Arkansas, we could at least send him a pic through Facebook.

Saturday morning, we three had brunch with a couple of Rusty's college buddies. As we pulled out of the driveway, one of Rusty's tires was flat so we took my car instead. After brunch (at a delicious place called First Watch), the boys came back to help with the tire and, of course, play Smash. Adam loves these boys so much as well as watching them play video games.

That afternoon, Emma threw John's 30th birthday party! It was a blast. The boys went out and shot guns. We ate lots of good food, including a cake and cake pops I made. Because Katie was there too, I made sure to bring Adam's Easter outfit so she could take a couple of professional pictures. I don't have them back yet, but can't wait. She showed me a sneak peek and what I saw was too cute!
Sunday was Easter!!

Last Easter, Adam was only a week old, so we had just gotten out of the hospital and were in no condition to go anywhere - so I treated this one as if it was his first.

He had an adorable new outfit. It was technically a romper, but because it was chilly, I put some jeans over it and it was just as cute. Rusty wore a shirt that matched and they were adorable together. I had an Easter basket ready for him. It had flash cards for letters, numbers, and shapes. I know it's really early for this type of thing, but he's not really old enough for anything else. With his birthday coming up this weekend (whaaaat?), I figured he'll be getting more than enough toys and sweets soon enough. Plus, it really grinds my gears that Easter has become another Christmas. Kids don't need piles of toys and candy. I literally saw someone fill a kiddie pool of gifts and called it a giant basket - it seems excessive to me, but I don't want mommies to judge me, so I'm trying not to judge them.

Oh, and because we stayed out late Saturday and had to get up early on Sunday, Adam was still very much sleeping when I went to wake him up. Apparently, he is not a morning person.

Something exciting happened! Rusty found out that Adam and I can accompany him on a business trip to Amelia Island at the end of next month!!! Now I just have to figure out the best way to travel with a baby since we'll be driving.

April 7th - it's a special day as it was my original due date for Adam. Obviously, he didn't make an appearance for four more days.

This week was Spring Break for my mom (Nana), so my dad (Papa) also took the week off, They decided to come over today for lunch. We all went to Arby's and then they came back to the house just to play.

Adam is so worn out that he fell asleep almost instantly when I put him down for a nap a little while ago. He's so precious.

We have quite a weekend ahead of us with Adam's birthday and his party! I can't wait to share it all with you!

Watch Out - Your Personality Is Showing

Last week, I left you with Adam's fever. Fortunately, he recovered within a day and by the time he went to bed that night, he was perfectly fine.

Friday was Uncle John's (my sister, Emma's husband) birthday! He, like my other sister turned 30. We will be celebrating it this Saturday for shooting and dinner at his parents' house. I'm also hoping that, since it'll be Easter weekend, Katie will be able to take some pictures of Adam in his Easter outfit.

Adam has learned to pout when he doesn't get his way. It is so cute - but not cute enough for me to give in.

Saturday, I spent the day making cupcakes and cake pops for Amber's wedding shower. They turned out great and really matched the decoration of the shower, which was the only thing I was nervous for. That night, Katie came over just for an hour or so to see us (mostly Adam) before she went to dinner with friends. She took this awesome picture of Adam eating spaghetti.

Julie also came over on Saturday, but she decided to spend the night to be able to ride with me on Sunday to Amber's shower.

Julie and I got to the shower location early, per the request of Grammy (Amber's mom), to help set up, which of course we did. It turned out great! Lots of family showed up and Amber got lots of items from her registry. The food was also really good (and I got lots of compliments on my desserts).

Because I posted the cupcakes and cake pops on all types of social media, I've had a lot of inquiries the last couple of days about making more. I decided it might behoove me to update my baking website, since I haven't for over a year. I'll take a day or so to do that I think. Oh, here it is - www.topnotchbutterscotch.com

Monday, we went back to our regular schedule, but most of all, Adam worked on his noises.

We joined Baby Time at the library today! We haven't been in FOREVER between Adam and myself being sick and other activities. When we were waiting for it to start, I ran into one of our neighbors and her four children. She thought it was Tuesday - which would be Preschool Time. However, her youngest is the right age for Baby Time, so they joined anyways and I had a really good time getting to know her and her children better. 

Rusty went to a programming meetup, so Adam and I were on our own for dinner. We decided to eat picnic-style in the front yard since the weather was so beautiful. Some of the older neighborhood kids, including one of the kids I saw at the library, came over to visit with Adam. We got on the subject of video games and their minds were blown over how much I knew and how many games Rusty has. It felt awesome to be cool to these kids. We stayed outside until the sun started to go down - by then, lots of kids and several parents were outside and we were all talking and letting the kids play. Adam is the youngest, but one of the girls and the twin girls are really close to him.

Oh, and Adam has learned what to do when I ask him to "Say Cheese".