What a Difference a Month Can Make!

In the last month, several significant changes have taken place.  We have established a loose routine in Penny's world.  Cooper has accepted his baby sister and is showing a lot of interest in her.  We as parents have fallen into the "comfortable" category raising two kids.  To prove it, we have taken two road trips in the last two weekends.  I'll try and recap the last few weeks...hope I don't lose anyone!

Firstly, Miss Penny's routine:  Eat, Poop, Look around, Sleep, Repeat.  The significant part of this routine is the timing.  Penny only wakes up once through the night, and sleeps to a decent hour in the morning.  We start our day around 6 a.m. and she is asleep at night by around 9:30 p.m.  So nice and so different than Cooper's start at life. (That baby ate every hour and a half and NEVER slept.) Also, just in the last week or so, Penny has started focusing better on our faces and is crossing her eyes less.  She has also discovered the ceiling fan and loves staring at it.

Penny's first bath...she hated being naked, until we put her in the water:

Next, Cooper, thankfully, has accepted Penny into our lives.  When she is in her baby swing and starts to cry, he runs over to turn on the music.  He is also constantly asking to give her kisses and hold her. He also loves to point out that she has a head, hands, feet, etc. I think he is going to be a great big brother!

Cooper and Penny, when she was less than a day old.  He wasn't so sure...

Cooper and Penny, at one month old.  A little more sure...

And finally, our last two weekends away from home consisted of a family reunion in Fredericksburg and a jaunt to Houston to visit Nonnie, Aunt Amanda and cousins!  In Fredericksburg, we discovered the difficulty of having two young kids sleep in a motel room...they woke each other up!  Houston was a little easier, since we stayed at Nonnie's house, but any time you take little kids out of their usual routine, things can get a little hairy.  Overall, though, we enjoyed our time away from home.  (I personally hadn't been out of town since June, and before that, Februrary!)

At Lady Bird Johnson Park in Fredericksburg:

In Houston, Cooper scored some new Thomas the Train stuff,  and Penny got some bibs to wear for each of the upcoming holidays...all compliments of Nonnie, of course.  Penny kept to her usual eat/sleep routine, but Cooper mixed it up a little. He woke up at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, ready to play!  We didn't get him back down until 5 a.m.!  I think all the excitement and fun he was having playing with his cousins kept him from eating much through the day, therefore waking him up at such a cruel hour!  Thank goodness for Mom and Dad that Nonnie always keeps the coffee flowing. 

Coop, enjoying his new train set, cousins Brycen, Brianna, and Brayden, and the fact that t.u. lost to an unranked team, at home!  (Zoom in on the television in the background...WHOOP!)

Two Weeks Old!

On Friday, Penny turned two weeks old!  We are happy to report that after two weeks, she is still the sweet and easy baby that she was when we brought her home.  She is eating and sleeping well, and it showed at her check-up on Monday.  Penny weighed in at 7 lbs, 15 oz, and measured in at 21 inches.  That put her in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height...funny because those are the percentiles that her brother is always in.  The doctor also thought that everything about her looked healthy and normal, which is always good to hear.  We are still just thrilled to death to have her here!

Nonnie's Visit

This week Nonnie Kirk came to stay with us for a few days to help us settle in as a family of four.  She was a big help to Mom, who is still catching up on her rest, and Cooper had a good time with her.  Cooper and I were able to have a quick outing just the two of us, several extra chores got done, and we even got to visit the Texas State Aquarium.  We hope she can visit again soon!

Coop and Nonnie:

And of course...Penny!

Our First Week Home

We spent the week adjusting to life as a family of four.  Penny so far is an excellent eater and sleeper, which is making the transition easier.  We almost don't know what to do with such an easy baby.  She barely even cries!  

Penny, at one week old:

Meanwhile, Cooper had his first day of school in the two year old class.  He seems to like it, as in, he doesn't even notice when I leave him there.  He also seems to be adjusting very well to being a big brother.  He lets us know when Penny cries, and when I sat down to nurse her the other day, he even brought me a pillow.  

Cooper, on his first day of school: