2 Weeks Old

Our little Cooper is already 2 weeks old. I can't believe it. He is growing up so fast. He is finally settling into a nice routine of feeding every 3 hours in the day, and then sleeping a block of 5-6 hours at night, which is SO NICE for his tired mom. Now that he is falling into more of a schedule, he's back to his calm self most of the time. Actually, unless something is wrong (diaper, cold/hot, hungry, bubble), he continues to be a happy baby. We are so lucky.

Today he was awake and alert a lot more than he has been the last few weeks.

He is very particular about some things. He most often has his hands clasped or held close together just under his chin or on his chest. He sleeps like this, eats like this, etc. I have tried and tried to get him to move his arms and hands away from his chest while eating because I think it would be much more comfortable for the two of us, but he wants none of it. He'll start throwing a fit if I try to move them. The only time I can move them without a fight is when he is nearly full, drowsy, or asleep. Funny kid.

He is such a strong little guy. He has been holding his head up on and off since he was born, but in the last few days I have noticed a marked difference in his ability. I happened to snap a picture just when he had his head up looking around.

His favorite thing to look at are our windows and blinds at night. The windows have white panes in them, and the blinds are white. The white against the black windows at night create a nice contrast, and he will just sit and stare at them. He also has a few rattles he likes to watch and will track them with his eyes.

Nathan is such a great dad. He has learned a lot about babies in the last two weeks. The other day he handed Coop off to my mom almost like a football. I mentioned something to him about the nice football pass off, and he commented how funny it is that within two weeks time he has gone from being afraid of hurting the little guy and being ever so careful and gentle, to realizing that he's not so fragile and breakable and can really handle a lot more than that. Nathan is anxious for Cooper to grow up a little and become more interactive. He likes to walk him around the house and show him different things. Last night he put Coop to sleep after I fed him. He has been such an amazing husband and father in the last two weeks. I am not at all surprised, but just very thankful for him and all he does to support me, help me, and be an active part of our baby's life.

Of course I love the fact that I'm starting to get a little more sleep, but I am trying to enjoy my baby being a little newborn because I know these weeks are fleeting. I get a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye just thinking about it. There is nothing like holding your baby in the wee hours of the morning after just nursing him, looking into his cute little eyes with him recognizing who you are, and sharing such a tender moment as you sing him to sleep. Being a mother is everything and more than I dreamed of. The last two weeks have been the most rewarding in my entire life. Happy 2 week birthday, little Coop.