Happy Fall Ya'll!

On Friday, October 28 Curtis, Cooper and I went to pick out pumpkins for Halloween! Here are just a few pictures from our time at the outdoor market near our house!

Cooper's First Haircut

Cooper had his hair cut for the first time today! He was so cute and so well behaved the whole time! Here are just a few of the pictures we have from our adventure today!

Before the first snip...

Trying to figure out what is going on

Miss Crystal trying to figure out how to tame those curls!

The first cut!

Our big boy after his first hair cut!

Happy Boy!

Cooper on the Beach

Cooper and Andrew watching Curtis bounce a ball on the beach!

Cooper on the Beach from Marian Rea on Vimeo.

Beach Trip 2011: Day 1

Curtis, Cooper and I arrived at the beach late this afternoon and decided we would at least go down and check out the water and the sand! 

Walking down to the beach!

Cooper wasn't so sure about the water...

Or the sand...

That's better!

Cooper 2011

One Frame A Day 4-24-11

Happy Easter!

One Frame A Day 4-12-11

The many faces of Cooper...

One Frame A Day 4-11-11

4-11-11

One Frame A Day 3-17-11

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

3-17-11

I know, I know we aren't wearing any green in this photo! While he was at Weezie's earlier in the day he had on a cute outfit with a green frog on the hiney :)

 I was taking some photos of his beautiful new high chair today and decided we had to have a few with him in it as well! We are so fortunate to have our Uncle AJ who is an incredible wood worker and built this chair especially for Cooper. Travis and Pop finished the high chair this past weekend and so far Cooper loves it! Many thanks to Cooper's great uncle AJ, uncle Travis and his Pop for all of your hardwork on this beautiful chair!

Cooper is Crawling!

Cooper Crawling! from Marian Rea on Vimeo.

Happy 8 Months!

How is it possible that I have an 8 month old?? Where has the time gone? We have once again had a VERY busy month. I don't know if having Cooper has made time go by faster or if it's just how busy we have been.

Cooper and I spent 3 weeks, not including weekends, on our own while Curtis worked in Hilton Head. It was the first time we have not all been together since Cooper and I stayed at the beach in September. But other than those 2 days all 3 of us have been together, day and night since July. The past 3 weeks gave me a new respect for all of those single parents out there. I do not know how they do it. If it were not for my mom, dad and of course, Weezie, I don't know how we would have made it without going crazy! We are both so happy to have Curtis home and hope that it's a VERY long time before he has to stay out again.

Our little man has accomplished SO much this month! Here is just a little bit of what's new!

• He started getting from his belly to a sitting position all by himself. It's pretty entertaining to watch and so exciting that he's learning new things!
• Cooper drank apple juice from a sippy cup. It's pretty funny, he'd much rather chew on the spout than drink but once he gets going he can't seem to get enough!
• He received a swing from my parents for Valentine's Day and boy does he love it! He just squeals, laughs and kicks his legs the whole time!
• We went to the park with our friends Jenny and Price for the first time. The boys were so cute, swinging next to each other, smiling and laughing the entire time. Jenny and I sat them on the slide together and took a few pictures. I hope that we will have many more days like that in the future.
• The weather has been absolutely beautiful here, even a few days with highs in the 80s and we have enjoyed being outside a lot!
• Cooper is "talking" a lot more and expressing himself quite well. He will definitely let you know when he's not happy about something you've done or not done whatever the case may be!
• We've started to have a little bit of separation anxiety. If he can't see us or hear us he kind of has a melt down. 
• He's reaching for us when he wants to be picked up. It's the cutest thing EVER!
• Cooper has learned how to "blow bubbles", of spit that is. It's really funny and he makes the funniest noises when he does it.
• The weekend after Valentine's Day, Curtis and I went to Asheville for the night. Cooper spent his first night away from home with my parents. I think I did pretty well, only called a few times. As nice as it is to get away just the 2 of us, neither of us could wait to get home to our sweet boy!
• On Friday, February 18 Cooper got his first tooth! That morning when I dropped him off at Weezie's it wasn't there. By the time I picked him up from my mom's after my hair appointment that afternoon there was a little rice grain on his left lower gum. A couple of days later the second tooth popped through. He doesn't like to show them off quite yet, but if you get him to give you a big grin you can catch a glimpse!
• Cooper got his first ear infection yesterday. I guess it was too much to ask to make it a full month without a visit to one doctor or another. He's on antibiotics, tylenol and motrin and is much better today than yesterday. I just hope this clears up quickly and doesn't become a frequent occurrence!
• And finally, the milestone that Curtis and I are the most excited about, but also a little nervous too...Cooper is crawling! Maybe only 3 little steps at a time then he pushes back to a sitting position, but it is enough that he can get to what he wants, when he wants it. Guess it's time to really baby proof this place!
• He's still sleeping and eating like a champ. Yesterday at the doctor he weight 21 pounds 10 ounces! Here's to hoping that slows down soon or I'm going to have to figure out a new way to tote him around!

Our little man has been busy and is keeping us on our toes! Can't wait to see what the next month brings!

The JOY of LOVE: day 09

Things are getting a little out of chronological order from when I actually took these pictures but some of these assignments are requiring a little planning and sometimes assistance :)

Day 9's assignment from willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "passions/hobbies." Since Cooper is only 7 months old this assignment was a little difficult for me. There are lots of things Cooper likes to play with and do but I wouldn't call them a passion or hobby. So, instead I changed it up a bit. Since a passion or hobby is something someone LOVES to do, that's what I chose to capture.

On Valentine's Day Cooper received a swing from his Grammy and Pop (my parents). He had never been in a swing other than his infant swing when he was smaller. The weather here was gorgeous the week of Valentine's Day, perfect for swinging outside. Cooper was thrilled! He was laughing and smiling the entire time he was swinging, He absolutely LOVES to swing! I would definitely call it his new "passion/hobby."

the JOY of LOVE: day 15

Today's assignment from willette's {the JOY of LOVE} was "kiss." I absolutely love how excited Cooper and Curtis get to see one another. Whether they have been apart a week or just 8 hours while Curtis works, their love and excitement over seeing one another is the same. Curtis always holds Cooper, gives him a hug and a kiss when he gets home. It's so precious and I love the smiles on their faces!

the JOY of LOVE: day 13

Today's prompt from willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "routines." We started trying to get Cooper into a routine early on. I liked to know that we kind of had a schedule that we could plan around. Sleep is so important for babies for so many reasons and it's important for parents too :) When Cooper is at home with us we usually start our day with breakfast and then some play time. After he has been awake for about 2 hours, it's time for nap. This is just a small part of our daily routine that includes eating, playing and napping. We do lots of other things but we work those in between! I love nap time for many reasons, but mainly because it offers the promise of a much happier baby :)

the JOY of LOVE: day 12

Today's assignment from willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "the eyes." When I was pregnant I thought about our baby all the time. How would he or she look? What would their personality be like? As long as our baby was healthy I didn't care what they looked or acted like. The only thing I did really want was for our baby to have eyes like their daddy. I cannot get enough of those icy blue eyes. Lucky for me, Cooper has those same baby blues.  They change shades of blue all the time but really pop when there is a lot of light or if he is wearing blue. I absolutely LOVE his eyes!

the JOY of LOVE: day 10

Today's assignment from willette's {the JOY of LOVE} was "space - where they are comfortable." Cooper loves to play and anyone who has visited our home lately can tell that our den has turned into a playroom of sorts. We have a large container of toys hidden behind our club chair but some things are not so easily hidden. Santa gave Cooper a Baby Einstein Musical Motion Jumper for Christmas this year and he has the best time playing in it. He loves all of the lights, sounds and music that are all at an arms reach. When he gets really excited he jumps so hard that sometimes I worry he's going to hurt himself! This is the one place that seems to keep him entertained for a prolonged period of time. I'm sure over the next couple of months his "space" will drastically change as he gets more mobile. But until then, here's our sweet boy in his space...

the JOY of LOVE: day 07

Today's assignment for willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "Generations." I have TONS of pictures of Cooper with both sets of his grandparents and with his great-grandparents. I took this picture right before I started this workshop but it is one of my absolute favorites. Cooper was just about to fall asleep and he and my Grandmom look so peaceful and relaxed, her eyes are even closed in this photo. I am so happy that Cooper has 2 sets of grandparents and 1 set of great-grandparents to get to know as he grows up. I hope that there will be many more pictures like this over the years.

the JOY of LOVE: day 06

Today's assignment for willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "who they love." While Cooper has lots of people that love him and that he loves in return, no one really compares to our miniature schnauzer, Griffin. Over the last couple of months Cooper has become increasingly aware and interested in Griffin. He watches Griffin where ever he goes and before long I have a feeling he will be following him where ever he goes. Cooper loves to pet Griffin and pull on his beard and tail. Griffin as started getting pretty comfortable with Cooper as well. He even tries to sit on Cooper's lap! Cooper giggles whenever Griffin licks him or brushes by him. This is one boy who loves his dog!

the JOY of LOVE: day 04

Today's assignment for willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "what they wear." Cooper wears lots of different styles of clothes depending on what our plans are for the day. If he is just going to Weezie's I try to put him in comfortable clothes that make changing/feeding/napping, etc very easy! If Curtis dresses Cooper he is most likely to have on some type of Clemson apparel. One day Curtis brought him to see me at work and Cooper was wearing a Clemson onsie, bib, hoodie, hat and socks! He also had a Clemson burp cloth in tow! At least the man is trying to raise his son as a TIGER fan :)

As much as I love the Clemson clothes and cute little cotton pants and jackets, my favorite clothes to dress Cooper in are traditional Southern boys clothes! I love little John Johns with smocking and appliques, and little Polo Ralph Lauren outfits are also among my favorites. I figure, boys have the rest of their lives to dress like a man in a collared shirt and tie, why not dress him like a baby while I can? Anyway, this is a precious outfit we got in Dillon at my great-aunt's children's clothing store. It's by Boys N Berries and has a little dog on the left lower leg.

I love all of these little outfits and I just hope I can keep dressing him like this at least for a little while! I know that before long it will be khakis, Carharts, jeans, camo and t-shirts!

the JOY of LOVE: day 03

Today's assignment for willette's {the JOY of LOVE} is "Then and Now." It's hard to believe that Cooper is 7 months old. He has grown and changed so much over the last 7 months, it's difficult to remember how small he once was. Cooper only weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces when he was born and as of this week he is up to a whopping 20 pounds 15 ounces! These pictures are of my 2 of my favorite people in the world and really show how much Cooper has changed in such a short amount of time!

Curtis & Cooper
Just days after coming home from the hospital in July and now!

the JOY of LOVE: day 02

Today's assignment for willette's {the JOY of LOVE}  is "how they look." The goal was to capture our loved one at their best, their worst or both, whatever "look" we love. Some of my favorite moments with Cooper are first thing in the morning. When we go in to get him out of his crib he is always happy, smiling and sweet. He always has a little color in his cheeks, his hair is a mess and his little eyes still look a bit tired. These days we never know what Cooper is going to be doing when we get to his room. One day this week he had his "Nancy Blanket" completely covering his head and he was just cooing away. Many days we find him playing with his feet or on his tummy repeatedly patting the mattress.

How he looks...

Good morning sunshine!