Shannon's World

Happy Birthday to my sweet, handsome husband! You make this balancing act fun:

. . .AND thank you for being kind and patient with me – always. You’re an amazing father and a funny man – I am thankful you chose me to partner with!

Mr. Tuff Guy was 12 weeks last Wednesday (making him 13 weeks – I’ve had this post in draft for a while) and to celebrate he rolled from his stomach to his back on Thursday! Cooper is definitely our “big guy” . . .it’s hard to imagine, but I think he’s going to be bigger than Libby! Last Wednesday he weighed in at 14 lbs 8 oz and his 3-6 month sleepers are quickly becoming too short! Side note: why is it so difficult to find sleepers with zippers AND no feet?!

He continues to be a good sleeper – typically going 12 hours with one feeding somewhere in there. The past few nights he’s been sleeping until about 5, eating and then going back to bed until 9!! Even with all that sleeping at night, he’s remained a good napper too. Sometimes he takes short naps (45 – 60 min) but usually also takes at least one really long nap (2 hours+).

Based on his weight above, I don’t have to point out that Cooper is a good eater…taking about 5 oz every 2.5 – 3 hours and a bit more before bed (7-8 oz).

It’s hard to believe Cooper’s only been with us for 12 weeks – I can’t imagine life without him.

Mr. Cooper (who slept from 8 pm – 6 am and then again until 7:45am on Sunday night/Monday morning) dedicates this one to Papa Jack who is from the East Coast . . . and LOVES crab!

Speaking of East Coast. . .my Aunt was telling her coworkers when our sweet boy arrived and they thought we were big Super Mario Brother fans. . .Koopa . . .Cooper . . . sound the same with that heavy New England accent!

I received this from one of my favorite people a few days before Cooper was born and I wanted to share it and dedicate it to another one of my favorite people that gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Saturday night. . .

Loving Two . . .

I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship. Suddenly I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited. And I wonder: how could I ever love another child as I love you?

Then he is born, and I watch you. I watch the pain you feel at having to share me as you’ve never shared me before.

I hear you telling me in your own way, “Please love only me”. And I hear myself telling you in mine, “I cant”, knowing, in fact, that I never can again.

You cry. I cry with you. I almost see our new baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never quite have again.

But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty. I’m afraid to let you see me enjoying him as though I am betraying you.

But then I notice your resentment change, first to curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.
More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine. The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.

But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two. There are new times – only now, we are three. I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other.

I watch how he adores you as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of his new accomplishments. And I begin to realize that I haven’t taken something from you, I’ve given something to you. I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.

I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong. And my question is finally answered, to my amazement. Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you only differently.
And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I now know you’ll never share my love. There’s enough of that for both of you – you each have your own supply

I love you both. And I thank you both for blessing my life.
- Author Unknown

Better late than never…we had a great weekend…LAST weekend:

- We spent Saturday at the fall festival with Nanny and friends (highlights include Libby’s beau, Henry (pictured below) and Miss Lauren’s return from college!)…we watched the parade, ate great food, bounced around, milked some cows . . .

- Sunday we went apple picking and had AMAZING weather and a great time. Libby’s already counting the days until we can go back for more apples and pumpkins with Papa.

The fun never ends at our house. . . happy aloha friday, everyone! Have a good weekend!

Being the awesome big sister she is, Libby constantly wants to hold Cooper…problem is he doesn’t always want to be held! This morning that was NOT the case…they had a great time and I was able to capture it on film! (click to see larger images…i didn’t edit them, so apologies for the red eyes!)

loving these two playlists:

Kate Spade: http://www.katespade.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2876030

Tory Burch: http://blog.toryburch.com/2010/09/spring-2011-show-playlist/

My sweet boy slept from 8 pm – 5 am last night!!

On Monday Libby and I had fun with makeup. I cleaned out my bathroom cabinet and found a lot of random makeup that I’ll never use. Libby did my makeup and I did hers. She quickly decided I didn’t use quite enough and she redid her makeup . Here’s the finish product:

What you can’t see in the photo is the large amounts of powder and blush that were “painted” on my “cheeks”/jawline! I am happy to report for the first time EVER Libby said doing makeup with me was the best thing that happened to her that day. We ask the question every night at dinner and Libby usually answers “playing with Paige and/or Mallory” but not Monday night…it was me!!