One Week Old!

Cooper is officially one week old! We celebrated his birthday by taking him to the doctor for his one week followup appointment. He now weighs a whopping 6lbs, 5oz, which the doctor says is fantastic because he usually gives babies 2 weeks to surpass their birth weight! I think he will be outgrowing the preemie clothes we had to buy him sooner than we thought! So, what has Cooper been up to the past week? Sleeping, eating and pooping pretty much sums it up. So far he has been a really good baby, already sleeping through the night! Ha, I am so kidding!! Right now he eats about every 2 hours day and night, so needless to say I'm not getting a lot of sleep, but I know eventually that will change. He has more fussy periods than Dawson did, but that is most likely due to the fact that he was early and his tummy is a little more sensitive.

So how is the rest of the family doing? We are adjusting quite well. The first week my mom and Dave were both home and it was quite relaxing. I was a bit nervous about how things would go this week, just me and the boys, but so far things are going well! I have even managed to take a shower each morning, which I think is a big accomplishment! My friend Katie said she would agree with that because she knows people who don't have kids and find showering everyday a challenge(LOL)! Dawson loves being a big brother. Every morning he gets out of bed and runs right to Cooper's room yelling "hi"! His biggest issue is not wanting to be left out. He can't go to bed unless Cooper is already in bed and he puts up a bit of a fuss if Dave or I have to leave the house. Overall we are really enjoying being a family of four! Here are a few shots of our little peanut!Future Goalie!

Introducing Cooper

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Cooper David Wilfred Andrus. Here are the details:

Name & Meaning:
Cooper- meaning barrel maker, chosen not for it's meaning but simply because we liked the name!
David- named after daddy and Great Grandpa Rachar
Wilfred- named after Grandpa Andrus

Weight: 5lbs, 14oz
Length: 18 1/2 "

A bit of a surprise: I always had it in my mind that Cooper would arrive a bit early, but his arrival on Sunday took us completely by surprise. On Saturday I was have some cramping and mild contractions, but by Sunday they were gone and I felt back to normal. Sunday night at 10:30pm I woke up with contractions again, only this time I knew it was the real thing. We called Grandma Andrus and she came over to stay with Dawson. We headed to the hospital and within 3 1/2 hours Cooper made his arrival, exactly 4 weeks before his actual due date.

Cooper was given a clean bill of health by the ICU doctor and we were able to take him home the next day, we feel so blessed!

Our Last Outing As A Family Of Three

One Sunday we took Dawson to the Alberta Central Railroad Museum just outside of Wetaskiwin. They were having an event called Railroad Days which included activities such as train rides and wagon rides. Dawson loves trains, so we thought he would enjoy the outing. Initially he was terrified by the train as it pulled into the train station and blew it's whistle. But once we got on the train he enjoyed the ride. His favorite by far was the wagon ride, we went 5 times! While we were out that afternoon I was thinking this will probably be our last outing as a family of 3, little did I know only a few hours later that would be very true!

Just Like Great Bampa

Besides sharing the same middle name, I discovered this week that Dawson and Great Grandpa Rachar share something else in common, they both like to watch TV the same way!! Those of you who know Grandpa Rachar will know exactly what I'm talking about!

Family Reunion

We spent this year's August long weekend in Three Hills visiting with a bunch of my dad's family. Here are a few highlights from the weekend....

A picnic at Dry Island Buffalo Jump

Dawson taking Ryan's bike for a spin

Great Grandpa and Grandma
Uncle Kevin and Olivia roasting marshmallows
Olivia and Ella
Olivia
Trinity and Dawson having a snuggle
Trinity and Adam

Dawson's first "smore" experience
Roasting the marshmallow

The first bite
"Do you guys realize how good this is"
Sticky Fingers
Very sticky fingers!! Smores what a wonderful invention!

Down at the river Learning to fish

Safety first, never go hiking without a helmet!

The Guzoo

Ella and Chad feeding the goats
Dawson was content to watch from the safety of the wagon
or on the shoulders of Chad

Hockey Star

Dawson loves dress up and his favorite person to dress up like is daddy! Here he is sporting daddy's hockey gloves! He insisted on wearing a "helmet" and found just what he was looking for in mommy's Tupperware cupboard!

3 Little Monkeys

Today was my last day of day home. It's definitely a bittersweet thing. Although I am really looking forward to having more free time to spend with Dawson, I know he is going to miss having his playmates over 3 days a week. Over the past nine months it has been neat watching the kids develop and reach milestones, but most of all it's been fun watching them become the best of friends. Thankfully our families are all good friends and are planning to get together for lots of play dates!

Look how much they've grown up....