our first Christmas as a family of 3

Christmas time around our house is busy, very busy. That is the way it has always been and we are totally fine with it. We decided a long time ago that we wanted to spend our holidays with our family and if that meant we went to five different places on Christmas then thats what we would do. So this year was no different, well except the fact that we toted around a fourth month old too!! It wasn't easy, but so worth it to see the joy that Cooper brought our families just made my heart so happy.

Cooper had lots of Christmas jammies and onesies but here are a few of our favorites

Gautreaux Family Christmas and Coopers first experience with Santa…. it didn't go so well!

 

We went to our usual spot to get our Christmas tree but this year had so much meaning. Bringing my child to the same place I went to get my Christmas tree as a child is just the best. I loved going there as a little girl and I hope he does too! 

Our tree was just as big but I did not put anywhere near the amount of stuff as I did last year! But we still loved it so much and already miss it!

This year we also went to Acadian Village. Every year they decorate the entire place with lights and it is absolutely magical. It is so beautiful to see it all lit up and this church is my favorite!! So beautiful! While we were there we got to see my little brother perform with his high school jazz band! They did great and it worked out to be Cooper's dinner time so he was quiet the entire time! Cooper also got to see Santa for the first time and could care less! We tried everything to get my normally smily boy to give us a grin and we got nothin! Ha!! Little stinker!

 

 We decided that since it was Cooper's first Christmas we would make presents for his grand-parents, great-grand parents, and his nanny. We thought it would be a piece of cake but the joke was on us! It was a mess!! Those cute little toes of his would crinkle up every time I was about to press it on the cup! We got smart the second time and James fed him while I pressed his feet on the cups! We ended up making 9 mugs total and it was a nightmare but to see how happy they all were to get them made it worth it!!

The Saturday before Christmas we went over to James' parents house for our Gautreaux/Gilbert Christmas. His mom (Cooper's Mimzy) went all out and had her house beautifully decorated and they cooked a delicious meal! One of the fun things we did was she got those popper things, but these had whistles in them for us to play songs! It was super cute and fun!! They even had these really stylish crowns for everyone to wear! ;)

Cooper's second visit with Santa went much better than the first one! He ate right before he took his picture so he was a happy baby when he got to Santa. The best part was that there was no line and it was FREE!! I couldn't believe I had spent money on the first no-smile picture and got this happy baby picture for free! We are hoping this Santa is comes back next year!!

One of Cooper's favorite people.. his Nanhan! She is my first cousin and we are three months apart. We grew up more like sisters than cousins and she has been such a big help since Cooper has arrived! Hannah, just like Cooper's nanny, is moving to New Orleans this summer and we are super bummed! But now we have two big ole reasons to go visit this summer!!    

Christmas morning was the best!! Cooper decided it would be a good day to sleep in but James and I were so excited we were up at 6 am just watching him sleep! When he finally woke up around 7 he was in the best mood! We figured he wouldn't care about opening presents Christmas morning but we were wrong! He loved it! He would get so excited when he could see what the present was! So cute!! We got to open our presents together and then he went down for his morning nap while James and I got ready for the busy day ahead. We had lunch in Baton Rouge at James' grandmothers, went visit my family when we got back and then finished the night at Maw-Maw's with the other side of my family. It was busy but great. Cooper did fantastic and got so much love, attention and lots of fun gifts!

little stinker wouldn't wake up

these are the kinds of faces he would make every time we would open a gift

our fur babies had fun too

The necklace James got me! He went out and did this all on his own and I was so impressed! He is the sweetest!!!

cooper (4 months old)

*** This post is approximately 2 weeks late!!***

But who is counting .. right?!

;)

Another month has come and gone and I can't believe it! Our little man is growing like a weed and learning new things every day. We have had a very eventful month that included 3 different illnesses, the holidays, and a two week break for mommy and Cooper to spend together.

4 months as of 12/27/13

Weight: 16 lbs 2 oz. We were actually really shocked by this! We both thought he weighed more! It sure feels like he does! ;) 

Height: 27 in.  

Sleeping: I thank God every single day for this boy's sleeping habits. I keep saying our next child will never sleep since we have been so blessed with a boy that could sleep all day and night long! He goes to bed at 7:30 (ish) every night and wakes up around 5-5:30 every morning. He takes 3-4 naps during the day depending on who he is with. At the sitters he sleeps for 3 hours straight so he only takes 2 naps but with me he doesn't get to sleep as long (this mama has errands to run and can't sit at home all day for this little stinker to sleep the day away) so he takes 3-4 shorter naps

Eating: He started rice cereal in his bottles about 3 weeks ago. He was up to 7 oz of formula and it just wasn't holding him up and he was also spitting up a lot so we started putting it in his bottles and he is doing so much better! He also started eating cereal with a spoon Christmas day! The first two days we tried he literally cried the entire time. It was a total fail and we thought we might have to stop and wait a few weeks but by the third day he was a pro (okay not even close to a pro but not screaming the entire time). He loves the spoon but isn't really sure what to do once it is in his mouth!

Firsts: Eating rice cereal with a spoon, first Christmas, first trip to Baton Rouge, first time getting sick (he got a little cold but didn't get the stomach virus or strep throat that I had, so weird but I am so thankful he didn't the really bad ones),  

Liking: mama and daddy, swing, bouncer, baby K'tan, activity mat, Sophie the teething giraffe, jumperoo, high chair, bed, Aden and Anais blankets, bath time, and he is finally starting to like the dogs! Since he was born he pretty much ignored them but lately he pets them and watches them as they walk around or play.

Disliking: still not a big fan of the car seat but it is much better than before! I can finally drive with two hands again! He is not a fan of the exercauser, we tried multiple times but he would be fine for about five minutes and then cry. We just got a jumperoo and he is loving it. I think it is easier for him to move around and jump. 

new mom @ 4 months

I am not the kind of person who has ever really cared about weight. I have never dieted, it is something I have just never really had to worry about. I have never been that skinny but in my opinion I am just normal. Well while I was pregnant I got really worried about my post-baby body. I was scared I would not be able to lose the baby weight. Luckily I had an 8 lb 11 oz baby and only gained 26 lbs during my pregnancy so I lost the baby weight within the first 4 weeks. After that I started thinking about what I weighed in high school (10 pounds less than my pre-baby weight) and decided I wanted to weigh that again. I still haven't really dieted, I just started eating smaller portions and I am now 2 pounds away from my high school weight. I really never thought it would mean that much, but it does.It feels great to start to feel a little better about my body. I know it will never be the same (thanks to even wider hips and stretch marks) but it is a start. Now I just need to do a little toning before summer!! 

new dad @ 4 months

For a while Cooper only wanted me. If he was uncontrollably screaming I was the only thing to calm him down but this last month he has been growing fonder of James. He has been wanting his Daddy all the time and it is making James so happy. When James gets home at night Cooper gets so excited and wants to sit with James and watch tv. The funniest thing is watching James feed Cooper with the spoon. James has very little experience with babies so feeding a baby was a foreign concept for James. All I can do is laugh watching those two as James tries to get the spoon in his mouth and not get cereal all over the baby and himself!

And as always an iPhone photo dump:

This is how his hair is falling out! He has actually lost more on the sides since!

first time eating with a spoon

This is how I grade papers… putting football on the iPad!

cooper (3 months old)

I am pretty sure I say tho every month but holy cow, my baby is three months old! I can't believe how fast this baby is growing. He is changing daily in so many ways. 

Cooper at 3 months
{11/27/13}

Weight: He hasn't been back to the doctor yet but I am thinking at least 15 pounds maybe even 16. 

Height: Like his weight we aren't quite sure but he is definitely a long one!! we are having so much trouble with his jammies because they are all too short!! 

Sleeping: Sleep is still great! He doesn't really have a sleep schedule so it is hard to really plan anything but he is really good about sleeping anywhere especially if I have the Baby K'Tan. He sleeps normally from around 9-10pm to 5 am everyday. It is crazy the internal clock this boy has. Every single day 5:00am!! It is just so weird how he does it!!!

Eating: This boy is such a crazy eater. He will go so long between feedings. We have been feeding him on demand since he was 5 weeks old and it works well for us because he actually eats instead of playing around. Sometimes he goes 8-9 hours during the day and then sometimes he wants to eat in 4 hours. It is so unpredictable as to when he will eat but let me tell you once he decides he is hungry you better be ready! He goes from 0 to 100 in like 10 seconds! He is up to 6.5 ounces every bottle and soon we will have to add rice cereal because the formula is just not holding him up. 

 

Firsts: I finally decided to order a baby K'tan last month and it has changed my life! This boy loves to be worn. He would be content if I wore him all day long every day. He could be screaming and I put him in and he is instantly calmed. It is the only way we can grocery shop! He also tried out his stroller for the first time a last week and loves it! He was so mesmerized by the people. We didn't hear a peep out of him for almost an hour! He started holding things with a purpose. Before he would grab on to things but now he will hold things like his pacifier for long periods of time! Cooper had his first Thanksgiving last week. He, of course, had no clue what was going on but it gave me a great excuse to dress him up and spend time with our amazing family. Booboo got his first cold this month as well! It was only a small one but he had a runny nose and cough that sounded terrible. It broke my heart to see him like that. 

Liking: bouncer, swing, thumb, stroller, mom and dad's bed, baby K'tan, Aden and Anais blankets (he loves to cuddle them), outside, country music, tv, football to be exact. He will watch football all day long! I have no idea why or how he even knows but it is so crazy how he stops crying when you put it on and cries when you change the channel!  Lastly his Mama!! This boy loves me so much!! It seriously melts me heart! Thanksgiving morning we were laying in bed and he was in between James and I and he got a little fussy so I put him on my chest and he cooed and wrapped his arms around me!! I lost it… totally cried like a baby! 

Disliking: Lately he has been hating the car seat!! It has been a nightmare to have him in it every day! I have now mastered one arm holding his hand and one arm driving! 

new mom @ 3 months

I am doing great!! Being a mom is just the most fulfilling thing I have ever done! Everyday is a new challenge, but having his precious smile to look at makes it all worth it. I still haven't gotten back into a complete routine with our life. I am used to having a pretty clean house, clothes done, no dishes but now a days all of that is out of the window. I can barely keep my eyes open once I get home and doing any of that is out of the question, Cooper is so much more fun!! I am hoping this month I can get a little better routine going because I am starting to go crazy with all the chaos! Otherwise I am so completely happy with my life right now. I am so lucky to have my dream job and dream family!!

new dad @ 3 months

James is doing great as well. He has been working really long hours, which totally stinks because it cuts into our family time. He still makes time to help around the house and with Cooper. He will get home after working 12+ hours and still rock Cooper to sleep or feed him while I get a shower. He is just the best husband and father. 

{Photo Dump}

yep peed all over me in Walmart!

he is a thumb sucker and there is nothing I can do about it!

that lip!!!