Congrats!

Leslie and James have a new baby girl - Cora James Mayo, born Dec. 21. I hope they post pictures soon! Congrats you guys, and to Kaitlyn too!

Santa can be scary

He's still cute though! Gotta have at least one crying picture.



A truck ride made him forget about freaky Santa.

"Merry Christmas, you wonderful ol' Building and Loan!"

It's Chrimmis, and I'm trying to stay in a good mood. Still more shopping to go, but the season is quickly going away, and I don't want it to end! So, whenever I'm in a bad mood, I've tasked Luke to say "Christmas cheer!" and then I have to change my attitude. It's worked so far!

FYI: Extreme Home Makeover is in the Austin area this week, and there are all kinds of comments going around on the radio about how nice/not nice the crew from the show is, where the house is, people wanting to volunteer, etc. It's kinda cool. I couldn't find any pictures of the house being demolished (that's today) but I'll try and find some. It's going to a family who has FIVE autistic children. I can't imagine that. I can't wait to see it on TV! Maybe I should go by there. I might be disappointed, since they say Ty is short. Ha.

Love everyone!

I'm alive, I promise

Sorry I've been so behind on this. It's been a CRAZY few weeks, but I'll do better.

We had a fantastic weekend! Went to the Peeples/Pittman wedding on Sat. night and saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time. Cooper was super tired the entire time, but everyone we knew that babysits for us was at the wedding! Oh well - it was fun. Very pretty wedding as well.

Here's Cooper being attacked by his pudding. What a messy face, and chest, and hair ....





Cooper's growing so much. He's in 18-24 month clothes for the most part, and some 2T. He's so tall! He says a lot of things now (that only I can understand sometimes) like "more please," "big boy," and more. Last night, I sang "A, B, C ..." and he said "D!" I was all "GENIUS!"

The other side of spectrum which hasn't been so fun is the fit-throwing Cooper. Most of the time, when he does that, there's something else wrong - hunger, tired, etc. Sometimes he just goes nuts, we ignore him, and he stops. Hope that's the right thing to do! He doesn't really understand spanking yet, and he's in a diaper, so not as effective. But, he DOES understand a swat on the hand. All in all, he understands "no" and is a pretty good boy. Couldn't ask for more! I just don't wanna screw him up. Anyone have any discipline tips for a 13 month old?

Christmas has come upon us, and the stress level is already rising for me. Anyone think I can finish shopping before Dec. 15? Why not? Don't you believe in me?

13 monther

It was such a nice, relaxing weekend! Well, until we went to the new IKEA, 10 minutes from our house. It was SO busy, but I think I'm in love with that place. It's like Wal-Mart, but better, sometimes cheaper, and I don't hate it.

Here's Cooper playing with his not-put-together kitchen stool.


Here's Cooper helping Dad put it together. What a team. They look confused.


Here's Cooper, just being cute. It's so hard to get him to look at the camera at all these days. He's too fast!

Cooper laughing

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

Click here for a Coop video in Quicktime.

Mr. Rogers

I love watching Mr. Rogers with my son in the mornings. He (like I used to be, and still am) is entranced by the calm, even-toned voice of Fred Rogers. I love all of the issues he tackles with kids. Even though they're all reruns, each addressed issue is timeless.

There's a song that Mr. Rogers sings at the end of a lot of his shows that I'm going to try and sing to Cooper more often. I can't find a video of it online, but here are the words:

"It's you I like.
It's not the things you wear.
It's not the way you do your hair,
But it's you I like.
The way you are right now
The way down deep inside you.
Not the things that hide you.
Not your toys,
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like.
Every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,
Whether old or new.
I hope that you remember
Even when you're feeling blue.
That it's you I like,
It's you, yourself
It's you.
It's you I like."

Just wanted to share that with everyone. Also, a question: What do you sing to your kids every day?

Toll Road Mania

"This is the best thing EVER!"

These are the words I hear as soon as Luke called on Tuesday night. "This is wonderful. I'm so excited. Whoever thinks the toll roads are bad does not have an hour commute every day. I'm in heaven."

As some of you may have heard, the new toll roads in the Austin area have opened, for the most part. One just opened about 30 seconds from our house, and it connects to Mopac, no lights. It has taken 20-30 minutes off of Luke's commute already. This makes me happy too, because SH 130 will help my commute as well, and might shave 15 minutes off of my drive. Anything to make our lives a little less hectic is awesome - especially Luke's life. He works so hard every day and has the super long, traffickish drive on top of it. What a guy! I can't tell you how relieved I am for him.

Some one-year pictures of Cooper we had taken on Friday. He looks so big in these, it's almost scary!

Little Monkey

Happy Halloween!

Cooper the crouper

Yes, Cooper has croup, which is a major cough and sore throat. He's also got a fever and snotty nose, and I've been at home with him for the past two days. It would be really nice if he wasn't super sick and whiny. Poor guy. Sounds so sad and pitiful. I think he's getting better.

I never posted his 12 month appointment stats:

Weight: 23 lbs, 12 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 30 3/4 in (80th - tall boy)
Head: 18 1/2 in (75th)

All is well!

Also, I'm deciding on my next post. Apparently, it's either politics or Luke. :)

Lazy face

I was waiting for one of my friends to post a homecoming blog so I could steal their hard work and link to it. Here ya go - some good pics on Sara's blog of my friends and the little ones.

Now I'm asking you. What should I post about next? Music, baby stuff, current events? I'm trying to keep this thing from being too same ol' same ol'.

The birthday, day.

Cooper,

(Here's a video of Cooper walking today on his birthday. Please excuse Luke's St. Patty's Day shorts ...)

Today is your actual birthday. You are one year old. I know, you've already had a party, but today is the real day. I can't believe it's already been a year in the life of Cooper. Obviously, you've grown up a lot, both mentally and physically, and it's been a miracle to witness.





I couldn't ask for a better first year. We've been so blessed to be your parents, and will always feel this way, no matter what. I know there've been struggles this year - me getting used to all of your schedules, work, colds, your one ear infection (I know - poor, poor mommy), all of the feeding changes, the stress of your parents sometimes, and more. But, I feel like all of those crazy times are so miniscule compared to the awesome things we've experienced as your parents.



I don't really even know what to type as I sit here. There's too much. You're my baby boy. You always make me smile no matter what, and I equally love making you smile. Your infectious laugh is just too much. I'm a little worried that your favorite songs to bounce up and down to are Justin Timberlake songs, but hey, he's the jam. I love it all when it comes to Cooper Martin Hejl. Even when I'm exhausted and I wanna quit, it's impossible to think that way. You are a miracle from God, and I cannot imagine my life without you.

Keep being you. I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, I'm off to print out pictures of about half of your life - that's how in to scrapbooking I am. Sorry! I'm the momma you got!

I love you,

Mom

Pah-TAY!

We've recovered. What a weekend! We hosted Cooper's first birthday party at our house with a few friends and family over hamburgers, hot dogs, and yes, an Elmo cake. He got some great gifts from everyone in the family, and we're glad all of you could be there! Thanks to Sara's Photo Card Cafe' for the invites - super cool.

We went to a pumpkin patch on up north on Friday morning. It was such a nice day. Only one pic of me and Coop - some nice old women couldn't figure out my camera.


















And the party (yes I, in fact, made the cake myself):



Before:



We lit the candle and sang, and he tried to put out the candle with his hand. Poor guy - this was the reaction. I think it just scared him.



Then, was the good part:





And of course, what mom and dad got him:



He's not one yet, but expect a reflective post when he is. How time flies!

Two of a kind

Here are my boys dressed up for church last Sunday:



And, Cooper will not look at the camera, or, my camera's really slow:



If that isn't enough, here's what I have to look forward to:



Here he is playing:



What a cute set of boys I have!

A few things

I'm going to post pictures soon, of Luke and Cooper dressed the same, but I thought I'd add some things beforehand.

Let's see:

1. Cooper took his first steps last Friday! He took about four steps three different times, and about seven steps one time. Since then, he barely wants to stand up, so he hasn't done it again. Woo hoo!

2. My daddy BUSTED his knee hunting last weekend. I mean, it's shot. Not really shot, but out of commission. Pray that his surgery goes well and his recovery is minimal. Go daddy!

3. Cooper can now say THREE when I say "One, two ..." What a genius. He can also say "mmmmoo" when I ask "What does a cow say?" it's great. he loves saying Bible and can almost say Jesus. So cool.

4. I'm making an actual dinner with pork chops tonight. This is rare.

5. Jay and Ally had their baby girl Camden yesterday evening. We're so pumped for them. She's gorgeous.

6. I can't wait until Project Runway tonight! Such a great show. Everyone is so talented. I can't even cut in a straight line.

7. The switch to milk for Cooper is going well. We're making the milk switch first, and he's getting less and less formula. We should have the total switch by his first birthday, and then we'll make the no bottle jump. That should be the hardest. Again, thanks for everyone's advice!

Keep the high five alive!

This post has nothing to do with its title. An intern at work said this to me this week, and I thought it was funny at the time.

Thanks to everyone for the milk/sippy cup/straw advice. He uses a sippy cup at mealtimes that's usually filled with water, so when I hand him one with milk in it, he gets confused. We're going to make the switch to milk first I think, then to exclusive cup after October. He's already doing pretty well!

So, Grey's Anatomy? How does everyone feel about last night's show? I really tried to get into it because most of you know my dislike for Meredith Grey. Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd put on an awesome performance last night. I really like her. But seriously Meredith, GET A CLUE! Sorry, I'll stop.

Wanna talk about compelling - does anyone out there still watch ER? SUCH a great show last night. SO controversial - I love it!

The Office was hilarious. Poor Pam and Jim. Steve Carrell and his conference room scene with the awkward hug - I almost died laughing.

11-monther

Can you believe Cooper's almost a year old? Where did the time go? I can hardly remember what he was like in those early days already, so I'm having to go back to pictures. It's all very crazy that those pictures are the same little boy.

We had a fun weekend with my mom and dad in town! Went out to eat, Cooper (and Luke and I) got some clothes and toys from Grandma and Big Walt at the new outlet mall, and of course Target, and just relaxed. Coop's been feeling a little feverish lately, and has a cough and runny nose, but I think he got better over the weekend with the grandparents being here. :)

Here's a narration of Cooper at Z'Tejas. He's really good at mimicking us:

Wow, I can put my hands on my head just like daddy!


Hey, I think I have more hair.


Everyone, stop laughing so loud at me!



Now at home:

I love the cabinets. I wish mommy and daddy would baby proof them for me, but that would be less fun. Don't worry, the cleaning stuff is up high, for those who were scared.


Grandma gets me.


Okay, advice time. We're having to switch Cooper to whole milk soon, and to a sippy cup as well. Has anyone made that transition easily and has some advice to share? Or, tricks? He just looks at me funny when I put real milk in his sippy cup. He likes water so much, and his formula too. Sometimes, he just doesn't wanna drink. Suggestions?

Catch up

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, and I'll try to do better.

Cooper's getting so big. I know I say that every time, but it's true. He's about to stand up and walk away any day now. Here's a few pics. He wont' stand still at all for pictures now, so I either need a major camera, or accept blurry pictures!

We had a good weekend with some friends in Emory, Texas. HUGE town. Some great catfish, and fun times just chatting with friends and watching each other's kids play. Good times. We missed Jay and Ally though ... come on Camden!

IT'S RAINING

It rained this morning, and I think it scared Cooper. He starting crying the car on the way to the sitter this morning because of the hard rain, and I just realized that this is probably his first realized experience with rain. Boy, do we need it!

You be the judge.

Here is Luke at four months, and a couple at eight months:







Now I see the nose and eyebrows looking more like Luke's. And, I've seen that look in the eight month picture before. Sorta like, "Whatever mom. You're not that funny but here's a courtesy smile."

Sara W.'s Blog Blurb

Check it out:

My friend Sara has started a new business and I thought you all might like to see it. Check it out online at www.photocardcafe.com. If you want, put a link to this Web site on your blog if you have one. It would really help her out!

Cooper totally got his looks from me.

Picture courtesy of my mommy this weekend. See the picture in the last post to compare faces. I'm looking for a Luke baby pic to scan as well, just to see. :)

10 MONTHS yesterday

My boy is getting into the double-digits. In months, that is. It's hard to believe that in two months, he'll be a YEAR old!

He can do so many things now, and we can barely keep up. He can:

- Eat basically anything, and drink out of a sippy cup most of the time
- Walk pretty well holding only one hand - he's almost there!
- Cruise along the furniture, really fast
- Still army crawling, but can go on all fours if he wants. He'd rather walk!
- Say mama, dada, ball, kitty, doggie, bye bye, hi, uh oh, and a version of thank you
- Knows to step up on stairs
- Has two teeth coming in, and we don't know where the tip of a top tooth went that was there a couple of months ago. I guess this isn't really something he can "do" per se, but something he has!
- Laugh when we laugh, all of the time!

He's so smart. I can't wait to see what he's going to do at this time next year.

Cooper is such a blessing to us. We couldn't have asked for a more agreeable, flexible, happy, well-adjusted, fun child. We love him so much, and are so thankful to God that he is in our lives. We can't remember what we did before Cooper was born, and we really don't want to.

Birthday weekend for momma.

I had a great weekend! Luke went all out for my birthday. Man, I'm old. TWENTY-SEVEN! Whew.

Friday night, Luke and I left Cooper with Jeffrey and April (and Mason and Landon) and went to a late dinner at Truluck's downtown. MAN was it good. That's the best place. Everyone should go there. Then, Luke gave the gifts - best part. I got a bottle of perfume I'd been wanting, and then was the clincher: I open an envelope that basically says to go to Spa Aloha at 10:45 tomorrow morning (Sat.) for your hour massage, lunch and hour facial. WOO HOO! I was elated. Needless to say, it was a great experience, and I'll be going back.

We went to a Chris Rice concert on Sat. night at Westover (before which, we went to Wally's down the street from church and got some good greasy food). It was an AWESOME concert. He's so smart with his songwriting, and relaxing too. What a fun job he has. Cooper actually liked it too. He sat in Luke's lap and leaned on me for about 45 minutes just listening. He's going to be a musician, I feel it!

Sunday I went to a baby shower while the rest of the guys went to eat. Cooper too - I guess he's one of the guys now! Then, we went to the Hejls for some burgers and cake. Mmmm. Best part: Got the pre-ordered ZOE Group CD Closer from Charlie and Janie. Can't WAIT to get that one. Good gifts guys! I also got some great gifts from my sis from Target - I love Target - money from grandparents and a much-needed deep freezer from my parents. We're all hooked up!

All in all, a fabulous weekend. Lots of family time and good food. That's what it's all about.

Trying to catch up - too much stuff

Some cute video of Cooper talking and walking. He has fantastic conversations with himself! Please excuse the river of drool.

Click here for video #1 ...
Here for video #2.

The title of this blog sums up my life in the past week or so. It just never seems like I can catch up with anything - housework, work work, blogging. My goal this week is to get everything back on track, including my posting to this blog. I always think of interesting topics to blog about, but I'm always somewhere other than my computer when ideas hit me. So, when I sit here, now, nothing comes to mind. I'll just start where I think I left off, and go from there. I'll talk more about the too much "stuff" bit in a little bit.

Mexico: Luke and I had a blast in Cancun. It was SO beautiful, and unbelievably nice to get away from the real world for a while, Cooper too. I know that's little harsh, and it could make me sound like a bad mom, but I don't care. We ate a lot of great food, got some sun on the beach and just talked and sat around. It's been a long time since Luke and I hung out for an extended period (yeah, three nights isn't just oodles of away time, but oh well). Much needed. Once we touched down in DFW, I realized how much I missed Coop and couldn't wait to get back to grandma's. He had a fantastic time, and all was well! Well, except Luke's back and face. He was body surfing and hurt his back, while scraping his forehead and nose on the sand. He had a cool story and a funny wound. It's healing nicely.

I'm serious, this is an actual picture from our hotel room at the Hilton:



Here are my feet, in heaven:



Then, back to work. It was a crazy three days back, but the weekend was productive, and lots of fun! We went to the lake with Luke's family (and soon-to-be sister-in-law Alyssa) to of course, eat and swim. That's what we Hejls do best. Cooper took a nap in his stroller, and enjoyed the water.

Here he is, all smiles:



THE cutest. I always worry about when and where Cooper takes a nap when we go places for a long time without a bed, because for some reason, I always feel like THE WORLD WILL END if he's off schedule. Is that a mom thing, or should I just chill? If anyone knows me, it's hard for me to just chill. Our BlackBerries worked in Mexico. That is not chilling.

Back to the "stuff" comment: Does anyone feel like they have just way too much stuff? Especially baby stuff? I mean, to the point where you hate to get out of the car at home because you know you'll have to make three trips back to the car to get the bag, the Bumbo, other toys, his stroller, etc. It's almost exhausting the amount of things a baby "needs" day to day. Granted, Cooper is a LOT easier to take care of than he was six months ago, but I mean, goodness. I went to the grocery store last night to get CAUGHT UP on groceries, and a few hundred dollars and a tax-fee weekend later I got out to my car to put the groceries in. It was a lot of groceries. And, if you know me, you know I have a lot of SUV to put them in. 'What a relief,' I thought, thinking that I could just chunk all of the bags in the very back and go. But no. I open the hatch and there they were - a stroller, an exersaucer, fold out chair, some toys, and an air compressor. UGH. I had to use the BACKSEAT of my gigantic car for the bags. The horror. So, anyway, the stuff is wearing me out. I'm going to have to minimize what it takes to keep Cooper happy, and go from there. The other option is an aching back and lots of sweating because of the 300 million-degree heat wave.

And, as I think about this, I have to stop and think about how dumb and spoiled I sound, when there are parents out there who can't even afford to give their children backpacks and school supplies for school. Westover works with an apartment complex down the road from the building - puts on VBS, actually had our VBS over there, etc. - and we were all charged to donate a backpack or two with school supplies in it for these kids at the complex. They were worried about getting 200:



There were just that many on the other side of the pulpit. SO cool. So, don't take what you have for granted like I have lately. Count your blessings every day!

I'm going to an ACU Austin party tomorrow. Go Wildcats!