Happy One Month Birthday!

(Pulled from an email originally written on June 24, 2011)

It's nutty to think that Cooper is already one month old!  And it's even nuttier to realize that Cooper has thus far survived our parenting attempts and that Evan and I are living through the sleep deprivation... :)  We are all doing well and Ev and I have fallen so madly in love with our little guy.  It's hard to imagine our life without Cooper in it.  We miss him when he is out of sight!

We're becoming more savvy in deciphering Cooper's cries and needs, which is making us more confident in our parenting abilities.  In turn, I think Cooper is beginning to trust that we're not completely without skill and that we really do have his best interests at heart...  Many thanks to all of you for continuously checking in, offering sage advice when I call with random questions, and for modeling how to care for and soothe a fussy babe (special props to Lauren, April, and Lisa for their frequent assistance).  Thank you also for your visits- we have averaged about one a day since his birth- Coop has enjoyed meeting you all (though he may have slept through it) and is increasingly comfortable with new people and being passed around for cuddles.  What a sweetheart!

Coop is growing well. He has already grown out of his newborn clothes and now fitting in 0-3 month outfits.  He had his 1-month pediatric visit this morning and measured at 22 inches long and 10lbs, 5 ounces.  That's a two inch growth and 3 pound gain in four weeks!  Healthy little bugger...  His belly definitely seems somewhat out of proportion since he's constantly eating and sating his appetite! Just over the last few days Cooper has extended the pause between feeds from 1.5 - 2 hours to at least three hours and needs less soothing and calming to fall back asleep at night.  That extra hour has been incredible in giving us a mental and physical break, particularly during the evening hours.  I think we have some time to go before we get longer sleep stretches, but I'm happy with these three hour stretches when we can get them...

In the Bumbo... I kinda love it, kinda hate it!

Happy Father's Day, Pops!

What?!? I'm not allowed to drive yet?

Evan has since returned to work, and my mom flew back to Portugal on Monday night.  She is tremendously missed by us all, not only for all the help she provided around the house, but because of the close relationship she had formed with Cooper in their 3+ weeks together.  Aside from Evan and I, Oma ("grandma" in Dutch) has spent the most time with Cooper and has been omnipresent since he was born.  We look forward to her next visit in November!  This week was my first at being with Cooper alone at home during the day and managing his needs on top of what needs to be done at home.  I've come to realize that my daily To Do list has been drastically reduced from about 20 items to about two.  If I get just one item crossed off my list, I'm happy.  (I tried to make dinner about two weeks ago- I started prepping at 10:30 am and it still took me all day.  Ridiculous!  And it wasn't even that good... My expectations of what I can get done have officially been lowered)!

Week Two in the Life of Cooper

(Pulled from an email originally written on June 9, 2011)

Hi all,

A number of you have called, emailed, or texted multiple times over the last few weeks to check in and I'm sorry if I've been somewhat unresponsive... I do appreciate all your contacts but have been soooo distracted and haven't been able to get back to you- especially on an individual basis!  Whenever I seem to find a free moment, it's only several minutes long, and I end up tidying around the house, doing a load of laundry, writing thank you cards, and spending time with Evan, my mom, and playing with Cooper during his alert/awake times.  The day goes by so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time...

Cooper is a total sweetheart and such a good little boy.  I love watching his facial expressions, him waving and discovering his arms and legs, learning what he likes (consistent ssh'ing noises, being spoken to, sleeping on his side with arms up, light touches, playing with his hair, his sleep sheep) and what he doesn't (diaper changes, getting dressed and undressed, baths, his pacifier until he realizes what it is and he actually does want it despite initial protests).  The last week has been a bit rough in that he seems to have trouble passing his gas and stool.  When he works it out, he gets a bit fussy and upset.  Once he starts to cry and fuss, he gets all worked up and can't seem to stop.  Towards the evening, we try to anticipate when he might be a bit overtired and overstimulated so that we can prevent new bouts of fussiness just before bed.


We haven't yet settled into an eating/sleeping routine, and are likely several weeks away from experiencing something somewhat regular.  The only consistent pattern is that Cooper awakes and is ready for the day around 5:30am.  Evan and I aren't getting much sleep at night, and I'm not much of a daytime napper, so we're are most definitely sleep-deprived and a bit loopy.  There have been a few times where we've gotten a 3-4 hour sleep stretch at night, but most often we're up every 2 hours to feed the little guy.  Between nursng, diaper changes, and soothing him back to sleep, we generally only get about an hour before he wakes up for the next feeding- exhausting!  Coop loves the boob, and is eating well and going through TONS of diapers.  All good signs that he's getting what he needs, that I'm making enough milk, and that he's growing.  Unfortunately, I feel like a milk machine with very sore udders.  I also feel tethered to the living room/dining room where I've set up everything I need during the day so I can keep one eye/hand on Cooper and multi-task when the situation calls for it. I've been good about trying to get out and about (on errands, walks, etc) with Cooper in tow so that we both get used to it.  Practicing breastfeeding and diaper changes in public makes perfect!!

Cooper had a good pediatric visit at his two-week mark and has grown an inch and put on a pound since we left the hospital on 5/26.  He's slowly but surely outgrowing the smaller newborn outfits, so I'm putting him in my favorites as often as I can to get as much wear out of them as possible before he moves onwards to the next size. 

Both Evan and my mom have been amazing in so many ways.  My mom has been taking care of the house and the cats and most of the dinners while I'm otherwise occupied with the Coop.  Evan has been up with me at every night feeding to make sure we're comfortably set up, and to do all the diaper changes and soothe Cooper back to sleep as needed.  He went back to work this week, so he gets about a 10-hour break from it all during the day, but misses Cooper tremendously and is so excited to see him when he gets home for some daddy-son time.  I'm usually very grateful to hand him off at that point and get some housekeeping done!  My mom heads back to Portugal on Monday, June 20th and then I'm on my own!  I'm eager to see how I'll manage with Cooper and other demands on my own, but I'll miss my mom and her assistance tremendously.

Many thanks to all of you for your gifts, flowers, food, messages, visits, and support!  It is so sincerely appreciated and please know that I'm thinking of you and wish I could be more in touch with you than I am at the moment... I'm trying to get the hang of this, determined to figure out Cooper's cries and needs, and manage the household (and stay somewhat connected at work) all at the same time.  I'll be back to normal within a few months, I promise!! 

Welcome to Cooper's Corner!

In full disclosure, this is my first attempt at blogging.  I'll admit I'm a bit hesitant since this is all new to me, I'm not sure whether anyone will actually be interested in reading my ramblings about dear little Coop, and I don't know whether I'll have the time, patience, or werewithal to keep this blogging up.  We shall have to see!

I stole this blogging idea from my lovely friend, Betsy.  She came up with her own blog to detail the chronicles of her own baby daughter and share them with friends and family without posting to the world of Facebook or sending out mass emails.  Seems like a great idea, and I love being able to check in on Betsy's family on my own time and catch up on what I'm missing.  Because most of my family and friends- and many of Evan's friends- live far away, replicating a blog spot for Cooper might be worth a try.  You'll have to let me know whether it's worth our time!

So... about our little man. 

Cooper Jackson Caten arrived on Monday, May 23, 2011 at 4:47 am.  He was born at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and received with bundles of love and joy!  Labor was amazing; an incredible experience.  Not without pain and hard work, but it couldn't have gone any better...  Evan, our doula, and the L&D nursing staff at BIDMC were all so supportive and wonderful and really made my labor and delivery a smooth, uncomplicated, and inspiring experience.

I began having contractions about 3pm on Sunday.  I wasn't even sure they were contractions until my doula (labor coach) confirmed that, indeed, those sensations were in fact contractions.  I stayed home and breathed and paced around the bedroom through the increasingly uncomfortable surges until my doula called to check in around 9pm.  After spending an hour with me on the phone to time the contractions and get a sense of my discomfort, she suggested to Evan that we head into Boston. We checked in at BIDMC around 11pm to discover I was already 4 cm dilated, and reached 7 cm within another two hours.  I paced and circled that hospital L&D room over, and over, and over again.  Evan jokes that I must have walked about eight miles within those six hours of laboring at the hospital!  I took my doula's recommendations seriously that walking, staying active, drinking loads of water, and squatting would push things along... and she was right!  As soon as my water broke around 4am, I went from 7 cm to fully dilated in under 20 minutes.  Cooper was ready to meet the world, and in a mere two contractions and four pushes later, he joined us in a calm and serene fashion.  He measured in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 20 inches long.

Evan and I fell in love instantaneously.  What a cute, alert, and sweet little bugger.  We hope you agree!