Memorial Day Weekend by Mason

Our Memorial Day weekend was supposed to be filled with activities.  On Saturday, Mommy and Daddy were to go to a wedding and I was going to go stay with Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Frank.  On Sunday, we were all planning on going to Lewiston to celebrate Great Grandma and Grandpa Voth's 60th Anniversary.  BUT, Daddy got a migraine on Saturday morning, so we changed our weekend plans, since he had to spend his weekend in bed.  

On Saturday, we stayed at home where I helped Mommy with Cooper.

I brought the Boppy to Mommy when Cooper wanted to eat.

I helped push the stroller on our walk to the park, which Cooper enjoyed - see.

On Sunday, Mommy, Cooper and I went to the cabin.  Grandma Geralyn, Grandpa Mike, Tyler, Aly and Joe were all already there and ready for fun.

I got to sit in the driver's seat at the dock and press the horn button (a lot).

Later, Grandpa Mike even let me drive the boat.

I got to play lots of baseball.  Everyone played with me, including Joe and Tyler's friends, it was a lot of fun.

I learned some new dance moves from my Auntie Aly.

I got to spend time with my cousin Tyler.  "Tyler is so funny!"

Cooper enjoyed the cabin too.

On Monday it was Grandma Geralyn's birthday, so it was nice to see her on her special day.  We stayed at the cabin for just a little while after breakfast (enough time for me to get in another boat ride and some baseball) and then we headed home to see Daddy, who was feeling better.

I hope everyone had a fun weekend!

Cooper's First Trip to the Zoo

In an effort to get out of the house for a couple of hours, the three of us ventured out to the zoo for an afternoon.

Sleeping Cooper enjoying the Sea Lions.

    

Mason getting a glimpse of the bears during their lunchtime.

    

Despite all of the fun animals there are to see at the zoo, Mason's favorite part was the playground (he even made a friend during his playtime there).

Cooper slept our entire visit, which made for a much easier visit for mom.

Special Day x2

Not only was it my first Mother's Day as a mother of two, we also celebrated Cooper's baptism at St. Michael's Church in Farmington.  

Sleeping soundly in his baptismal gown.

Alyson Wadley (Godmother), Megan, Cooper, Corey, Kari Voth (Godmother)

After the baptism, we were able to continue the celebration at our house with all the moms, grandmas/great grandmas in our family.  A truly special day all around.

Reflux

After increasing fussiness last week followed by a day of no sleep and extreme restlessness last Friday, I brought Cooper into the doctor Saturday morning with what I thought was our first ear infection.  Turns out that I was wrong on my ear infection hunch, but right that there was more to the story than just a fussy baby.  After providing the doctor a very detailed story, she concluded that Cooper was suffering from reflux.  Now we have the joy of giving him baby Zantac twice a day to try to give him some comfort and relief.  We have seen some improvement with the medicine, but we have had some pretty rough nights with very little sleep for Cooper and I.  I hope he will start feeling better soon.

On a lighter note, our doctors appointment also gave us the opportunity to get the height and weight stats for Cooper at one month.  He weighed in at 12 lbs 3 oz (80th percentile) and was 23 inches (75th percentile).  We have quite the growing boy on our hands.

Week 4 Update

COOPER:

It is hard to believe that Cooper is already 4 weeks old, time flies by way too fast (I should know this since somehow Mason is already 3 1/2).

Likes:  Looking at himself in the mirror, being held and walked around, Mason, rolling from his belly to his back (first accomplished at 13 days), sleeping, baths (we had a couple of rough ones at the beginning, but now he has come to enjoy bath time) and late night feedings.

Dislikes:  Car seat, gas, people sitting while holding him (only during his fussy times), wet diapers.

MASON:

I think Mason is adjusting well to the addition of Cooper.  There are definitely some things that aren't as fun now that there is a baby in the house, for example, we can no longer play baseball in the living room while Cooper is in there and he has to wait a bit longer for things if Mom is feeding Cooper (I get a lot of "He is done eating.").  

Mason is a proud big brother and gets excited when all of his school friends want to see his little brother when he gets picked up from school.  

Likes:  Wii Sports, Wii Fit, baseball, golf, playing outside and hockey 

Dislikes:  Potty training, sleeping in his own bed and waiting

First Night Out

Many weeks before Cooper's arrival, we planned our first outing and bought tickets to the Elton John & Billy Joel concert.  We even did a test run with a bottle on Sunday, which he took like a champ and made me a little sad, so it looked like we were ready to go.  

I received a call from my mom (and scheduled babysitter for the evening) the morning of the concert from the hospital where she was admitted the night before and needed gall bladder surgery (the surgery went great and she was discharged the following day).  

After contemplating our options at length, we decided to still go to the concert and enlist Auntie Emmy and Auntie Aly to watch the boys.  It was very hard to leave Cooper and I only sent 5 check-in text messages during the show.  

We ended up having a great time and the concert was amazing, as only it would be with those 2 performers.  The boys had a good time themselves and everything went smoothly in our absence.  

Thanks Emmy, Aly, Elton & Billy!

Family Filled Weekend

We spent time this weekend with both of our families.

On Saturday, Cooper made his first visit to Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Frank's house in Red Wing and slept pretty much the entire trip.  Mason on the other hand enjoyed lots of time outside with Grandma and Grandpa (and later Chad) playing both baseball and golf.

On Sunday, we celebrated Tyler's First Communion (the first of the two week sacrament celebrations for the Wadley family).  It gave us an opportunity to get the first picture of all three Wadley grandsons.

Mason has changed sports with the warmer weather and now has become quite the baseball player.  After celebrating Tyler's First Communion, he enjoyed some softball/baseball with the Wadley crew.  Players included Mason, Daddy, Grandpa Mike, Tyler, Auntie Emmy, Erik (Emmy's boyfriend), Auntie Aly and Joe (Aly's boyfriend).  Mason had a blast batting, pitching and just running around.  

   

Sleepy Baby

I somehow forgot how much newborns sleep during the first few weeks, especially since Mason outgrew naps awhile ago.  As you can see, Cooper is getting plently of great sleep (we are also getting good use out of our new bouncer - thanks Mom!).  We are also happy to report that he has been sleeping in his own bed (crib) for the most part, which many of you know was not and is not Mason's ideal sleeping situation.

Brothers

It took Mason a couple of days to warm up to Cooper.  It wasn't that he didn't like him at first, he was just very nervous about this little baby.  Finally, after a day of being home, he decided that he would like to hold Cooper.  

In the days since Mason has discovered that Cooper isn't so scary, he has been very interested in what Cooper is doing.  His favorite question is "Are Cooper's eyes open?"  If we answer yes, he usually will come talk to Cooper.  Mason also thinks that it is fun to have Cooper grab his finger.

Mason has even been brave enough to give Cooper kisses.

I think they are going to be great brothers!

Voth - Family of 4

It is funny how everything can change in an instant.  Within the second that Cooper was born, our lives changed for the better.  "We now have four" as Mason says quite frequently.  We are now the very proud parents of two beautiful boys.

Happy Easter

Cooper and I were discharged from the hospital Easter morning (his actual due date) just in time to enjoy an Easter dinner at my parents house before finally going home.  

The Easter Bunny had made a stop at our house for both the Voth boys.  

Cooper's First Professional Photos

Ok, so by professional, I mean not by mom or dad.  

Welcome Cooper

As most of you know, my C-Section was scheduled for an early 7:30 am Thursday morning.  We arrived at United Hospital in St. Paul almost promptly at the 5:30 am arrival time.  After a quick check in at the admitting desk, we were headed off to Labor and Delivery to complete the C-Section prep.  This consists of answering about a million health questions, having an IV put in (twice if you are like me and have weak veins), and getting hooked up to the fetal monitor so that we were able to listen to Cooper during the million questions.  Around 7:15 am, we got to meet our anesthesiologist who explained the spinal block procedure (don't worry, I will spare you from those details).  I was then briskly escorted to the operating room for my 7:30 start.  

I get onto the operating table, get positioned to begin the spinal block when they realize that they have no blood in the room in the event somthing catastrophic were to happen and I would need a blood transfusion.  After a phone call, it was quickly determined that the lab had not yet matched an antibody in my blood and therefore could not supply any blood.  So, the anesthesiologist puts the C-Section on hold until the blood matching could happen.  I am then escorted back to my room in Labor and Delivery to wait.  The anesthesiologist informs me that I am in the 1% of people this happens to and that they will proceed as soon as a match is determined.  My doctor further informs me that this is more common than 1%, especially in those who have a negative RH Factor (my blood is A-).  After a few minutes of waiting, a nurse informs us that we will need to wait until 11:30 am, provided my blood is matched, to have the C-Section since my doctor had some other patients to attend to.  We make a few phone calls to let everyone know that things are ok, just delayed (which is only fitting for me, did I really think I was going to just walk in there and have a baby so quickly - at least this way Cooper gets a more interesting delivery story).  Corey runs to get some breakfast and our movies since it looks like we have some waiting to do.  He barely arrives back to the room when the nurses burst in and say it is time to go.  Apparently we were no longer waiting until 11:30 am.  

Within 15 minutes, I was numb from the chest down, Corey was brought into the operating room and the C-Section had begun (my doctor let me know that Cooper was still "floating around" and had not made his way into position for a natural delivery - so who knows when he would have wanted to come out on his own).  Approximately 15 minutes later (9:42 am to be exact), our beautiful baby boy arrived.  Everyone's first reaction was on what a big baby he was and my doctor reassured my that C-Section was definitely the way to go with a baby his size.  After the measurements were complete, Cooper weighed in at 8 pounds 15 3/4 ounces and was 21 inches long with a head circumference of 15 inches.

Here we go....

I cannot believe that this week is already upon us...we are having a baby this week (Hooray!).

Our house has made quite the transition over the last couple of months.  Our spare room has become a nursery, 

    

*Don't worry - the crib bumper was removed shortly after this photo was taken.  It was only put on for decorative purposes prior to Cooper's arrival.

baby toys have arrived in our living room and baby gear has been re-assembled.   As much as I didn't think we could arrive at this point, I have to say that we are ready to go.

Although my number one excitement for the week is obviously meeting Cooper, but a close second is the fact that I get to be done being pregnant as well.  As you can tell, I don't think I could get much larger (or more uncomfortable either).  At least the outcome of pregnancy is well worth the 40 weeks it takes to get through it (or almost 42 for Mason).

Come Thursday morning at roughly 7:30 am, we will be the proud parents of another baby boy and couldn't be more thrilled.  When I reminded Mason that he is going to be a big brother this week, I was told "that is pretty cool."  I couldn't agree more.

My Cooper

As most of you know, Mason has become a hockey fanatic.  His favorite goal celebration as of late is the hug.  Tonight I was in the kitchen making us dinner when he scored a goal and came to give me a celebratory hug.  He hugged for an extra long time and I asked him if anything was wrong.  I was quickly told "I hugging my Cooper," which was one of the best things I have heard in a long time.  I just hope the affection for his brother continues after Cooper is born.

Real Bowling

Mason was first introduced to bowling after Grandma Geralyn got a Wii for Grandma's house and since Christmas, he has become quite the skilled Wii bowler.  Corey subsequently purchased a bowling set for at home, which is played everyday, and Mason's school also has a bowling set he enjoys.  Long story short...Mason likes bowling (maybe not as much as hockey, but it is still one of his favorite activities).  Today, we took Mason to play "real" bowling.  Mason quickly learned that "real" bowling is slightly harder than he is used to, but overall, he had a great time.

Why?

When Mason was first learning to talk, we heard a lot of 

"what's that?", as most young ones inquire.  This week, we have been introduced to another all-important question - "why?"  Almost everything we say is followed up with a "why".  The "why" has been a mix between giving us attitude and being inquisitive, but nevertheless has become a very important word.

Life Lessons

So today we got the unfortunate experience to talk to our son about the loss of a pet.  Corey's family has had Shadow since we were 16 and obviously Mason has known Shadow since he was born.  He very much associates Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Frank's with Shadow and Ace (their other dog).  

Last weekend, Corey's family had to put Shadow to sleep.  This weekend Mason is staying with Grandma and Grandpa so we had to attempt to explain why Shadow is no longer at Grandma and Grandpa's.  

While I am not sure he understands, he appears to have grasped the concept that Shadow is gone and tells us that Shadow is in Dog Heaven (which sends Corey and I into tears every time because it is just the most heartbreaking thing to hear from our 3 year old).  My friend Cassie recommended the book "Dog Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant for us to use and I will say that it did a nice job of letting Mason know that Shadow is able to run, have treats and play in Dog Heaven.

I am sure this won't be the life lesson we have to teach our children, but I hope we don't have to do it again for a long time.