Monday, Monday

I successfully kept the house organized and the dishes clean by myself while Craig was at work today. How did I do it? Easy, we went to my grandparents for breakfast and lunch, home for a nap, then to my parents house for play time and dinner, home for bed. Turns out being a house wife is not to hard when you don't spend much time at home ;o)

We had a first last night...Kylie slept in her own bed, without waking up, all night! Around 6:30 this morning she crawled (half asleep) from her bed to ours, she didn't say anything, just climbed in bed and started nursing then fell back to sleep. Cooper fell asleep early in the evening, I put him in his little rock n play while I got ready for bed, he seemed comfy so I moved the rock n play next to our bed and Craig and I actually had the bed to ourselves for a good handful of hours. It was my chance to get really good sleep, but of course I was up checking on both kids about every hour. Then it was my boobs that woke me up, ready to feed a little one but no one awake or hungry.

Breakfast at my grandparents was wonderful, Kylie enjoyed seeing Herald (their turtle) and Cooper enjoyed making cute faces at his great-grandparents. We stayed for some lunch and a little World Cup, my grandparents are big soccer fans, it was fun to watch some of the game with them.

This afternoon we had a scary moment with Kylie (that Kylie has asked us to talk about over and over, I'm sure this will become a "one day" story we relive many times). Kylie was eager to go outside and play in the kiddy pool in my parents backyard. She was standing at their backdoor, patiently waiting for my mom and I to get ready. We were talking to her and asking her to wait for us, my mom walked into the kitchen to get us some glasses of water and as she turned to look, Kylie had pushed open the screen door (while holding a big bowl with her toys in it) and all my mom saw was her feet flying over her head and she fell down the cement stairs. I came running, handed Cooper to my mom and carefully pick up a crying Kylie. We looked her over multiple times and all we could find was a little scratch on her leg. She nursed for a couple minutes and was back on track and wanting to play in the pool. My mom and I were still shaken up for some time, but she seems ok, thank goodness kids are so durable.

We pick up Jill and Mike tomorrow, we are so excited to see them and have them meet Cooper.

More to come soon,
Natalie


Visiting my grandparents, first time in overalls, so cute!

 I was able to sneak out of bed with enough time to take this sweet photo and get dressed.
Then I walked in to our room and found Kylie and Cooper awake, Kylie was talking to him so sweetly.

 

 Little Coop

 Little Kylie, besides the hair, I think they look a lot alike.

Cooper drained from his 3 week birthday day 22

There wasn't a party, but sshh! Don't tell Cooper.  He doesn't know that there was no 3 week extravaganza in his honor.  Kyle and Jess were here, and does there really need to be any more party than that?  Plus, he did give his first real smile, so that must mean he was pretty excited about how the day unraveled. How else do I know he exhausted himself with yesterday's non-festivities?  He slept, and slept, and slept, today.  If you've ever read "Great Day for Up" you understand how The little man felt today.  The church band this morning? Couldn't wake him (but it sure woke Kylie up as she ran around the entire church clapping, singing and dancing).  Kylie singing at the top of her lungs? Couldn't wake him.  Moving him in and out of the car seat during lunch? No match.   Guess what the mini man is doing as I type this? Oh yeah.  Sleeping (Don't worry any medical minded people. He has a pulse and is breathing.....(sigh of relief)).

He can't have slept ALL day though right?  That's right.  We found the sleeping kryptonite when we joined Kerry and Kyle for a Sunday afternoon swim.  Cooper laid awake on a towel watching Chloe and Lola (the Australian Shepards) whiz by him at "a bazillion miles an hour" (his words, not mine).  He also had great fun watching Kylie do her best fish impersonation.  I was really impressed with how much she loved the water today.  She put King Triton and all his merpeople to shame.  Coop didn't spend any water time today, but I can already see it looming on the nearish horizon.  Side note: wedding plans may have to be temporarily suspended, as it seems Cooper and Olivia are not on speaking terms at the moment.  I'm sure they'll work it out over the next 25 years.

Lots of nahning (nursing) time for the two kiddos, some walks around the neighborhood, and much enjoyed family time rounded out our day. 

Kylie and Cooper moment of the day:  As we were driving home from church Cooper was a little fussy so Kylie reached over and grabbed his hand, he settled down, and Kylie said, "I like holding my brother's hand".  Those are the shots of parenting adrenaline that keep the giant "be patient with your children" cog moving.

more to come soon,

Craig

Ready for Sunday morning church.

 Fun at the grocery store.

 Coconut popcicle at Kerry and Kyle's pool.

 Pool side with the new babies.

 Kylie and Olivia

We said Good Bye to Ammy today.

This morning Kylie woke up at 7:30am in her own bed, after climbing in bed with Cooper and I for some na nas, I asked her, "do you remember who is at our house this morning?" As soon as she remembered it was Kyle and Jess she got straight out of bed and went looking for them. We think she walked to the living room, where Kyle was sleeping on the couch but she either didn't see him or decided she wanted to find Jess first. She then headed upstairs, by herself which she usually won't do, and immediately woke Jess up.

We had a great morning all together, eating a good breakfast and visiting. Kylie got to take one more ride in the Big White Truck with Ammy and Jess before Ammy had to get on the road. When they came back from the ride around the neighborhood, Kylie wanted Kyle and I to join them in the car and listen to the Littler Peter Rabbit song on Ammy's kids song CD. So we sat and listened and sang, it is amazing what a group of adults will do when a cute 2-year-old asks. We then said Good Bye to Ammy. We were all sad to have her leave, it has been a wonderful 10 days, Kylie got tearful and said "I don't want Ammy to leave." Ammy gave Kylie some new socks before she left, this helped to soften the blow a little bit and we immediately went inside and put on a pair. I was then nursing both kids when Kylie popped her head up and said "I forgot to say Thank You to Ammy for the socks." I was so surprised she had realized she forgot to say thank you, she said she wanted to call and tell her on the phone, so we did.

We walked around downtown with Kyle and Jess then enjoyed a yummy lunch at Eureka Burger. Kylie took a long 3+ hour nap while I got to visit with Jess and Kyle. After Kylie woke up, Jess and Kyle decided to get on the road back to San Diego.

Feeling a little sad about our empty house, Kylie  wanted to go visit Ama and Papa. We ended up having a wonderful dinner while we were there. Kylie and Cooper got to take a bath together and we got ready for bed. We eventually ended up walking home and I had my first night of trying to get them to sleep by myself. It was hard because Cooper couldn't seem to be able to get comfortable and Kylie was not sleepy. It took a while and finally Cooper fell asleep, I was able to put him in his rocker next to Kylie's bed, then focused on her until she fell asleep. It went pretty well, but I am not eager to do it again any time soon.

Please make sure you have seen the invitation to Coopers Welcome Baby Party. I am not sending an official invitation, so consider yourself invited :o)

More to come soon.
Natalie

Real smile for Uncle Kyle this morning.

 Bath time at my parents, Kylie was helping by pouring water on his tummy.

 Giants Fan already, he asked to wear it today, he really did ;o)

 Jess and Kylie just hangin out

 Kyle asked them to make "Blue Steel" faces

Kyle and Jess come to visit

The first part of our day was pretty mellow, Kylie and Cooper got to hang out with Marta and Ama. Ama and Papa just got back last night from a 10 day trip, Cooper has already grown so much since they left, they were eager to reconnect with the little guy.

This afternoon is when things got a little busy... Kylie headed to Ama and Papa's house to see the the neighborhood cats, play with the fairies and eventually go to opening night at the Redlands Bowl. At about 4:15 a group of people showed up at our house. We knew they were coming, but we didn't know there would be so many of them. It was a family reunion and some of the family members had grown up in our house years ago. It was fun to have everyone take a little tour, they told us about the house the way they remembered it, and even found some hand prints in the cement outside that belonged to them. It was fun to have so many people sharing stories about our house and taking pictures in front of it. They also told us that the house once belonged to a doctor, he actually saw patients here, and the coolest part is that he was a pediatrician.

When they all left, I rushed to get ready then Cooper and I headed out to an event celebrating Karen's 1,000 births (Cooper was number 1,003). It was a beautiful event and I wish we could have stayed longer. But I had to head out to Loma Linda to go to my graduation dinner for my lactation class. It was so fun to see everyone from class again, and I was happy to introduce them to Cooper. He was not thrilled about the car rides, but he did really well at both events. The excitment didn't end there, when we got home we had guests. Uncle Kyle and Jess, back from Mongolia and eager to meet little Cooper. Kylie came home from the bowl and we had some good play time all together in the playroom.

Diana leaves tomorrow :o( She has been such a blessing and more help then she knows. Not only did she help out with Cooper and Kylie, she fixed meals, did laundry, went grocery shopping, and kept the house clean. The biggest gift of all was that she gave me time to devote to my new baby boy and wonderful daughter. Over the past 10 days I have been able to simply enjoy my children, spend time nursing them, reading stories, and really connecting with both of them. I know it will be harder to get quality time in when I am trying to keep up with everything else, so I am extremely grateful for the time I have had. Diana, thank you also for spending so much time playing with Kylie and helping her feel special. I know this transition will not be easy, but she has been doing very well and I know you were a big part of that. We truly enjoyed having you stay with us, thank you again for everything, I feel so lucky to have such an amazing mother-in-law, we love you.

-Natalie

She just loves holding her baby brother.

 Ready to go for a walk today, Cinderella shoes, lion socks, red tutu over pink shorts, giants sweatshirt, purple knit hat and princess crown, lookin good.

 My "Super Cooper."

 She also loves rolling around with him.

 Second walk of the day, this time with her yellow flip flops and doggy purse.

 Kyle and Jess meeting Cooper for the first time.

 Kisses from Uncle Kyle, Kylie was so happy to see him.

Kylie and Cooper with their gifts from Mongolia, thanks Kyle and Jess for the furry camels.

Welcome Baby Party!

Friends and family, although many of you have had a chance to come meet our little Cooper, we wanted to give everyone another opportunity. 

What: Welcome Baby Party 

Why: To celebrate Cooper coming in to the world and Kylie becoming a big sister

Where: At our home

When: July 4th 10:00am - noon

Light drinks and snacks provided.

Also, an opportunity to add to our rock garden by painting a rock for Cooper.

Please let Craig or I know if you are planning to come, or  if you have any questions.

Hope to see you all there!

Cooper Marshall Le Johnson Le Day 20

Trivia time.  What do the Garden of Eden and our house have in common?  Yes. The garden of Eden gets a bad wrap, and rightfully so. I mean there was the whole serpent and forbidden fruit thing that led to the downturn of the entire universe, but that's not it. So, for a second, lets scrape that little tidbit off your plate, feed it under the table to the dog, and forget about it, and focus on the garden's cool perks.  In the garden, Adam got the awesome task of naming every animal.  How cool would that be?  Look at a giant four legged beast and say hmm...blabamat? No. Cutamonger? No. Oh. I got it.  Hippopotamus. Yep.  Definitely hippopotamus. Well.  Here's the connection. Kylie seems to have appointed herself the "Adam" of this house.  Afterall, she is responsible for "Amma", "Papa", "Ammy", "Marta", "LaLa", and "Doe".   Sorry Cooper.  She was here first so I guess she gets naming rights.  And, since she has naming rights, she took the liberty of giving Cooper a new name of his own.  Luckily for Nat and I, she kept the meat and potatoes, but added a twist.  Any time someone asks Kylie what her baby brother's name is, without hesitation, she responds, "Cooper Marshall Le Johnson Le".  And so it goes. Anyone know what the Department of Social Security charges for an official name change?

I think we have reached another parenting milestone.  An ah ha moment if you will.  One of those things that anyone who has ever been a parent of two will tell you, but nothing you understand until you experience it.  The first baby is still the bus driver and mom, dad, and the little one are just along for the ride.  Luckily for us, Kylie is a decent bus driver.  Today, our little coop got to come along on a number of adventures and he seemed enamored (don't be fooled by his age) with it all.  We went to story time this morning...he slept.  Kylie and I took a nap...he stayed awake. We went to Drayson Center for some pool time...he slept.  We walked to market night...he slept.  Anyone sensing a theme? Yep Cooper slept through some fun stuff today, but in all reality we probably wouldn't know what to do with two chidren who were awake at the same time anyway.  Keep sleeping my good man. Keep sleeping. :-)

More to come soon,

Craig

Cooper just hanging out at the pool.

 Queen of the pillows

 Goldie painting a rainbow and stars on Kylie's arm.

 Drayson center pool with Tabitha, Nico and Portia.

 Kitty time while I took photos at Emily's house a couple days ago.

 Just relaxing with Liam.

 Super dad, super husband.

 Kylie decided to take a "hike" down the street and do some "camping," good thing she remembered her pillow.

 Riding a new pony at market night, Pepper!

Cooper finds the fountain of old age day 19

I spent a day away from the family.  Not by choice really, but because sometimes duty (work at the hospital that is) calls.  That's all fine an dandy until you wake up the next morning and don't recognize the giant child in your bed.  After ruling out Big Foot, Godzilla, and a yeti, I decided it must be Cooper.  No the spunky little sprite didn't grow full body hair or a spikey tail but he did seem like a much older version of himself.  Who would have known that he could change so much (more awake, bigger eyes, rounder face, etc.) in only a day.  I guess we know what his super power is now. 

We had a lunch date party here today (seems like our little guy has the same social prowess as his big sister), and mini me just took it in stride like he always does.  Kylie loved showing off her new brother, toys, and stories to Amy, Kerry, Julia, and Olivia.  She gets so excited having people over.  Cooper on the other hand, performed his best impression of an opossum. Yep.  He never seems to overwhelmed or upset by the day's social event.  Thanks for the nice lunch date and gifts Amy and Kerry.

Cooper seems to be developing a little routine, and today was no exception.  He eats in the early morning, sleeps in the late morning and most of the afternoon, spends a good amount of awake play time, eats all evening (even gets fussy if you cut him off too early), then sleeps pretty well through the night.  We'll see how the sleeping goes tonight, but however it goes, we'll take it in stride.  Overall, he has been a happy little 2 week old (slightly biased), and we feel truly blessed with two great kids.

More to come soon,

Craig

P.S. We headed to breastfeeding group this morning, Diana, Kylie, Cooper and I (Natalie). It was so fun to be back to group, the women are wonderful and it is so fun to see all the babies. Kylie was happy to be back too :o)

When it was nap time, this is how I found my little pumpkin, reading on her pony bed. 

The kids...Kylie (27 months), Julia (3.5 months), Olivia (2 months), Cooper.

 Poor boy slept through the whole thing, didn't even realize there was a party going on around him.

Busy day....

We started the morning with a trip to my cousin Emily's house. Diana did an amazing job entertaining and caring for Kylie, Cooper and Liam while we took newborn photos of Declan. It was really fun and we got some good photos! Declan did a good job of sleeping for the majority of the time and Liam, although not always thrilled about posing for the camera, did a great job.

We headed home, Kylie asked again for a nap, nice. Melissa came over for a short visit, she has been out of town for the past couple days, it was fun to hear about her best friend Anna's wedding.

When Kylie got up we decided to take a trip to KidSwap and look for some shirts for Kylie, we were successful as always. We then headed to ice cream, yum, then to TJ's for food.

Kylie has had moments of difficulty during this adjustment to being a big sister. She has been doing some regression as well, today she wanted to lay in the baby rocker. She says things like "I'm a baby, just learning how to walk," and "I need nannies (nursing), I am a baby and I am crying, waaaaaa." I have been trying to devote lots of time to her, especially some 1-to-1 time while Diana is here. I keep reminding myself that this is all still very new and it will take us all some time to get used to the changes. Cooper is such a sweet boy, he is so expressive and is definitely smiling at us already, which is so fun. He tends to sleep more during the early part of the day and then go through some cluster feeding in the evening, tonight I felt like I nursed him nonstop from about 6-9pm. He has been sleeping well at night, 2-3 hour stretches, he wakes to nurse and goes back to sleep, easy enough.

I am hoping to go to breastfeeding group tomorrow, we will see if we can get ourselves out of the house on time :o)

More to come soon,
Natalie

Welcome Declan

Sleeping on the job.

Kylie wanted to hold Cooper on the "fancy blue chair" at Office Depot.

From yesterday...