PhotoStory Friday: My Baby is One

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Today is Cooper's first birthday. I can't believe that he is so big, and I know everbody always says that, but I am still just amazed at the fact that he is even here. I am so in love with him, as are the kids and of course, Pete. We will celebrate his birthday this year by attending a halloween party tonight and then we are headed to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday with some friends. But I thought since it is PSF, I would talk a little about him.

Very shortly after I had Annie, I had a feeling that there was another baby coming to our family. I ignored the thought.

When I found out I was pregnant with Cooper, I had mixed feelings; most were shock and fright. I found out when Annie was 11 months old, and I had also been told that I could not get pregnant without the doctor's help. Imagine that. We had decided we were done having kids for this reason, so the thought of being pregnant was a little terrifying. Would this pregnancy last? Would it be an easy one or would it be difficult? Am I ready for this again, so soon? I cried when I told Pete, like he was going to be upset or something. He just looked at me and said, "Pam- you have done this before. You will be fine." I then had to call my friend and cried on her shoulder as well.

When I was about 7 or 8 weeks along, my placenta tore. Although it could have been worse, it was stressful and very scary. I had to quit teaching my fitness classes right away, which neither I nor my boss was expecting. Around 15 weeks, I could feel my round ligament, which I tore while pregnant with Noah, giving out.

I was the most sick with this pregnancy, and lost a lot of energy, trying to keep up with the other two kids. Luckily I had some great friends around to help when I needed, and most of all, to tell me that I could do this.

I went into labor almost 4 weeks early, which I knew would happen. I was pretty much prepared for it. Labor was not long, and I remember Pete sleeping through everything except the actual birth. When Cooper came, he was so tiny; the smallest of the three. He was a whopping 6 lbs, 2 oz.

Of course, we all loved him from the get-go, and automatically we wondered how we never wanted a third child. Throughout the entire pregnancy I kept thinking that I knew that this baby was coming before I actually knew, and I ignored it. This was my wake-up call. I learned at this point that I was not fully in charge of my life.

Cooper has been so much fun! He is such a happy baby, and Noah and Annie just love him. We love having him here, and are so glad that he is part of our family. I was blessed with a mellow baby, finally!

As of right now, he still isn't crawling, but he is working so hard on it! He inches his way to whatever it is that he wants. He likes to play with the kids, he loves the tub, and eats anything he can get his hands on. He says "mama", he calls Pete "dad-n", says "ba" for ball, "pup" for puppy, "bu" for bum, and "kiki" for his favorite toy, Katie Dog. He is the sweetest thing, and makes the best pouty faces; the ones that melt your heart. His eyes are just as stunning as Noah's, but he has the longer, darker hair that I had always hoped my kids might have. It's even curling at the ends!





I am so grateful for this baby in so many ways, and I can't wait to see how much he changes in the next year! Happy Birthday, Cooper! We love you!