WARNING: CONTENTS OF THIS POST ARE FOR ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY (well, those who have a strong stomach and new mommies or mommies-to-be)

So, you may be wondering what in the heck this email is about. Is it about the new Sex and The City movie (fabulous by the way)? Is it about some tawdry rumor that I heard about a high school classmate? Not really. This post is about what it's like to be a new mommy and talk to other new mommies. It's a special relationship, really. Gone are the days that you talk about the latest fashion, what's happening on the 'shows', who's dating who, etc. Nope, now it's about what our babies are doing and what it's like to be a mommy. Recently, Cooper came down with a case of the 'runs'. Not a pretty picture, though he has remained relatively light hearted about it. The following is from a real conversation that I had recently:

AW: So, Cooper has had the runs. What did Owen's diapers look like when he had them?
JF: They were brown and runny.
AW: Well, Cooper's are sort of like that. His are still pretty seedy.
JF: Yep, Owen's are a little bit, but breastfed babies will have more, so that's why Cooper's probably look like that.
AW: Do you think it's from teething?
JF: Probably. They drool a lot and have a lot more saliva and it upsets their tummies.
AW: Well, Cooper has also had a really bad runny nose and his diapers look like what comes out of his nose.
JF: Yep, it probably is. Because all they have to drink is milk, they don't digest things like we do and it all comes out looking the same.
AW: Well, I guess we will try some Pedialite if he starts getting dehydrated.
JF: Yeah, that's a good idea. That's what we did with Owen.
...........

You get the picture. Listen up mommies-to-be, this is what you are in for. You will be CONSUMED with what your baby's diapers look like, how many diapers they have, how much weight they are gaining, if they are hitting milestones, etc. And it's worth every ounce of worry. They are so precious, and they provide us with constant entertainment. It is the most rewarding experience ever.

I have now four friends who are pregnant and all due in the same month- January! I couldn't be more excited that we are all going through this together. It's the circle of life!!!! Oops, I've got to go, Cooper just 'went' on Daddy's hand!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!

My Little Mascot

Sorry for the delay in posting lately. Time gets away from us sometimes! Cooper has been busy being the UGA College of Public Health Mascot. Let's see...he's been to my office for a day while I worked, he's been to a faculty meeting, he's been to student poster day, he attended the College field day, he's a busy guy!! I figure, since I have to go back to work due to the inability to have REAL maternity leave (I think we'll move to Europe for the next one so that I can have one year off), I might as well take him with me every chance I can get! And, it is always nice to hear how everyone thinks Cooper looks like Mommy every once in a while (he's definitely David's child).

Cooper has now developed a high pitched squeal that he likes to use as his inside voice. It's quite cute really; there is no better sound than all of his babbling, and the scrunching noise of a diaper. I love them all. It's what makes being a mommy so great! Speaking of great, we had a nice Mother's Day weekend recently. We did the obligatory tour of Loganville and Cooper got me a really nice gift. He's so sweet.

The four month doctor's visit is coming soon! I actually have been called in for jury duty the week that he goes in for his second set of shots. I tell ya- I have always wanted to be on a jury, ever since I turned 18, and I have never been called until now, which is the worst possible time. They'll really love me at work if I get assigned a case...'maternity leave AND jury duty?" Geez.

We take our first trip to the beach in five weeks. I can't wait. If anyone has a car topper, call me- we'll definitely need it with all of our beach stuff plus Cooper's gear. Just call us the Griswolds. Here are some pics for you to enjoy of the last few weeks! PS, I've added music to the sight. you can scroll to the bottom to see the artists. Yes, I've included NKOTB as they are reuniting this summer!

Milestone, milestone, milestone!!!

We reached a new milestone today!!!! This morning I put Cooper on the floor to play. I placed him on his side (to of course encourage him to roll over, but more importantly to avoid the dreaded 'flat spot' that my mother has me worried about) to play with his plastic keys. I walked to the pantry, turned around, and he had rolled over onto his tummy and had his head lifted way up in the air as if he was saying, "Hey, look at me! I'm just hanging out down here on the floor lookin' around at everything!" I was so proud! I called for David to come see, just knowing that Cooper would get tired in those three seconds and bury his head into the rug, and when he got there Cooper was still holding his head up and looking around. He did it for about five minutes and then he got cranky and needed to be turned over.

So, I'm pretty sure he will start doing all sorts of things now. I hear that around the 4 month mark babies really take off and start discovering new talents. Stay tuned for more updates!!!

Cooper's Home Videos

As promised, here are some videos of Cooper. Ignore my voice- I sound like an idiot! But, it makes him smile, most of the time, so I'll continue to do so for as long as he'll let me! Enjoy,

Delirious or Delusional? Is there a difference...

Sorry for the delay in posting! Life has been busy! The newest ordeal in the Wells household is trying to get into a routine. We have found that Cooper does not like to sleep (you trade one problem for another- we finally got him on a poop schedule). He fights it and just generally does not get enough. In addition, he is up at least twice per night and often three times. We have started to go on a walk every afternoon and then we have our nightly bedtime routine: bath, baby massage, bottle, rocking...sleep. We are just plain worn out by the end of the day!

And of course there is the general 'freaking out' over continuous new information about what can harm your baby. To put it simply- Jill and I are maniacs. We are now worried about the BPA (toxic chemical found in plastics) supposedly used to make baby bottles. I heard about this before Cooper was born, only to re-visit my fears when Jill called this week. So, we are now throwing out, with abandon, any Playtex, Dr. Brown's, Avent, etc. bottles that have the potential to initiate early puberty in children who use them! Yuck! Who needs early puberty?! I remember my pre-pubescent years- NO THANK YOU! (we hear WalMart is now taking these bottles off of the shelves). Maybe it's just a conspiracy theory...

Anywho, Cooper is making big strides. He is now rolling over onto both sides! Yay! He plays and plays and talks and babbles until he wears himself out, but not to the point where he will sleep, oh no, heaven forbid should we take a nap longer than 20 minutes!

I've learned this week that the most precious moments can never be caught on camera or video; that is what makes them so special. Just when I think, "oh darn, we didn't get a picture, now everyone can't see what he did..." I realize that those moments are burned into our brains permanently. They don't have to be captured on camera or video, but they stay tucked away in our brains until we are sitting at work one day and we think about that moment and it makes us smile. I have a lot of those moments and I always think about our 'morning time' together when we snuggle in bed before we have to get up and get ready for the day. Those are the most precious moments.

We will post a few videos of Cooper soon, so check back later on.
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Attach Part A to Part B...

What a week!! Week two back at work seemed harder than the first. I REALLY missed Cooper when I was away. David and I are still a little unsettled with the new schedule; hopefully we can get into a routine soon. The evenings seem like they are spent trying to soak up every ounce of Cooper that we can- completely neglecting the cooking, cleaning, housekeeping items, etc (that is, when we're not caught taking naps due to lack of sleep see picture below). I think I'm going to hire a maid...'Oh Hazel..'

Cooper had LOTS of visitors this week! It started when his Uncle Allen kept him on Wednesday. A whole day with Uncle Allen- what else could a boy ask for?! They had a great time, went for a walk (not without a golf club mind you-apparently we have exotic animals roaming the Clarke County area), played in the floor, and called GiGi to brag about it all! Cooper was very happy when I returned home and was so worn out he slept for several hours in his swing!

On Friday Cooper's Auntie Monica watched him for a few hours and was so good!! Cooper will definitely be good in school since he's already getting good grades on his report cards! Boy does he have everyone snowed! Ha! We are ever so grateful to our on-the-call babysitters!

Finally, Cooper has found his feet and toes. He started grabbing at them today while laying on the floor. It's only a matter of time before they go straight into his mouth! I too remember when I first found my feet- after pregnancy. For about three months I had no idea what they looked like. Then, after Cooper was born, I discovered them again and it was truly exciting! I can totally relate to what he is going through now! He is also lifting his head off of the floor during tummy time which is also very exciting!

On Saturday Allen and Michelle stopped by for a visit (Allen is clinically addicted to Cooper). David made the comment that he found a bouncy seat for Cooper in the closet. BAM! That set into motion a series of events that was quite funny from an onlookers perspective. Allen and David began to put together this contraption- the Rainforest Jumperoo. Throwing all caution to the wind, and the directions, they decided to put it together just by looking at the picture on the box. Typical. After some re-direction from Michelle, it was finally finished. We put Cooper in it and he didn't quite know what to do. Eventually he warmed up to it, but we're still working on the bouncy part- he's quite taken with the lights and sounds part of it.

Well, that's it for now. I've officially detailed every event that happened this week, ad nausea. The 12 week mark is Tuesday- I cannot believe it. It just seems like yesterday.....

Back to Work

So, this week was my first week back to work and I have to say it was tough. I do not know how David did it without tears!! I guess it helps that he is able to come home for lunchtime. Anyway, Monday was rough, Tuesday was a little better, but Wednesday was so sad. Cooper had his two month check up at the doctor; for those who don't know, this is the visit where they get their first set of immunizations! The doctor comes in and talks to you, he does his check up on Cooper, plays and laughs with him and then the nurse comes in and BAM! The shots come out and Cooper is crying. He did well though; better than I had expected. He cried, screamed really, for about three minutes and then he was done. When we got home he slept and then was pitiful the whole day! I had to go back to work, so I left him with Dixie (Dixie, by the way, is our babysitter; she is one of my grad students and she will be keeping Cooper through July; she is precious). I was bummed when I got to work, but I had a surprise waiting for me! A co-worker had flowers delivered to my office in honor of my first week back to work. From one mommy to another, she really knew how to cheer me up!

I'm glad to be back around my co-workers, but it's hard getting caught up on all of the work. I am suffering from Momnesia (a REAL condition) and am constantly saying, "now what happened before I left?" It's all a blur.

Well, week one down, the rest of my life to go!

Check out my friend Owen Ferguson at http://allthingsowen.blogspot.com