Cooper's 1st Haircut

On June 26th we finally broke down and got the Little Prince a haircut. That one little pesky curl that has been sticking out over his ear and driving me nuts for months was finally going to go - hallelujah! Or so I thought... 

We took Cooper to visit Terry at the Golden Razor, the same barber that gave Cooper's daddy his first haircut. I walked in feeling good about it - "Cooper's hair cut" would finally get checked off my to-do list. I was armed and ready - cheezits, Daddy and my camera. Let's do this thing! I know what every mother out there is thinking, I forgot the envelope that I would collect the hair from his first haircut in. Nope, I didn't forget. I had no desire to gather up the little strands of hair that would fall on the barber's floor. I had read once that Angelina Jolie saved all her children's fingernail clippings and hair - so strange. That's just not me. I'm not that mom. I'm not even very sentimental. Saving hair is weird. I didn't even consider bringing an envelope.

We walk in and waited our turn until Coop was finally up. Brandon stuck him in the big ol' chair and the little babe was not scared one single bit. I got my camera ready. Terry goes straight for that annoying curl and with one quick snip it's gone... 

I thought I was going to shatter into a million pieces on the floor. I quickly hid the big heavy tears rolling down my cheeks behind the camera and snapped away frantically. No one seemed to notice that I was dying right there in the middle of the Golden Razor. Terry asked me if I would like him to stick the little curl into an envelope to save - YES. Yes yes yes yes yes - I NEED that little curl. My baby just went from newborn to twelve year old looking boy when that curl got cut off. I NEED to hold, stare, probably carry that curl around my neck in a locket for the rest of time. Now that I'm thinking about it that curl wasn't so annoying after all... It was the curl he twisted between his little chubby fingers when he was sleepy. It was the curl that made him remain a tiny baby. WHAT HAD I DONE LETTING HIM GET A HAIRCUT?! 

My sweet son never moved a muscle the entire time Terry worked on him. I continued to let the tears drip down my face and tried my best to stop time by frantically taking one picture after another. I wanted to remember how little he looked. I didn't ever want to forget how brave he was. I desperately tried to burn the images of his little legs and feet, not even long enough to dangle over the edge of the chair. 

This baby boy of mine amazes me every day. Literally, daily, I underestimate him and he proves me wrong. Haircut day was one of those days... I so want him to remain tiny. I treat him like he is a baby 95% of the time. But on haircut day, my Little Prince sat bravely in the big boy chair, held perfectly still while the scissors snipped and the clippers buzzed all around his tiny head. I carried in a baby and he turned into a boy right before my eyes while sitting in the barber's chair. And my heart swelled with pride and joy despite the tears.

And while I so desperately want him to remain my teeny-tiny baby, I hope he understands how much I enjoy watching him grow... 

Sweet boy of mine, don't be surprised if you see a stray tear every once in a while because for every haircut from here on out, whether you are two or twenty-two, your Mommy will only see the little boy in the big chair at the Golden Razor.

Letter to Cooper's Daddy

Yesterday was Brandon's first Father's Day and Cooper's 10 month birthday... It amazes me that in a little less than a year, my husband has mastered being a Daddy! He can bring smiles and laughter to my sweet son's face when nobody else can. He teaches him and disciplines him and shows him true, unconditional love... and he's pretty darn good at changing diapers! 

Below is a letter that I gave Brandon the day Cooper was born. I've done my best to live up to my promises and without a doubt, he has exceeded all my expectations. As lucky as Cooper is to have Brandon as a Daddy, I feel even more blessed to have him as a husband and partner in this parenting journey. We are so fortunate and grateful to call him ours. We love you Daddy... Thank you for all that you do.

Husband,

Today is a day I've been looking forward to my whole entire life... Today we become parents! It doesn't seem real even as I write it. Nevertheless, it's true - Cooper Remington King belongs to you and me. Could life get any better?

Our world has officially changed forever, but I want to remind you that a few things will always remain the same... (1) You are my #1 priority, the absolute love of my life. Some days it may feel like this little man has waltzed in and stole your spotlight but please remember that I truly believe I can't be the mom I want to be without being the wife you deserve. So if you begin to feel neglected, I want you to gently let me know while never forgetting that it is my heart's desire to please you always. (2) I am 100% your biggest fan. Sweet husband of mine, I know without a shadow of a doubt you are going to be the very best daddy in the whole wide world. I believe in you! From our beginning we have had each others' backs and that will not change. I chose you as my husband because I knew you would be the perfect man to lead our family. You have done nothing in the last two years but strengthened my faith in that... I promise to do my very best to always support you, to never allow an adorable little boy play us against each other and when the time comes that we don't see eye to eye (and it will come I'm sure) to never question or push you in front of him. (3) Finally, never ever forget how much I appreciate you. Thank you for letting me stay home and be Cooper's mommy. Thank you for always making me believe that I am still a contributor to our family, that this new "job" of mine is one of great importance and worth. Thank you for loving me always.

I read once "Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice." I believe this to be true and it brings me great confidence that our son will grow up to be an incredible, Godly man - one that we will be so very proud of. I know this because the example you will set for him will be an amazing one! You will show him what love looks like in the way you treat him, his mom, his friends and even complete strangers. You will teach him that wisdom, guidance and good judgment can't be found by simply attending Sunday service, but by walking with Christ daily. You will show him that he is important by giving him the gift of your time. You will teach him compassion, humility and what a caring heart looks like as you provide and care for your patients. You will show him the joy of being generous as you constantly search for ways to invest in people. You will teach him the importance of education as you are a life-long learner. You will show him the thrill of adventure as I'm sure he'll be tagging along on all our travels and trips. You will show him strength and courage as you will inevitably be forced to make difficult decisions and I am confident you will make the right ones even when they aren't fun or easy or popular.

Brandon King you have a whole lot of responsibility, from today on there will be little eyes always watching... There is not another person in the world I would rather have my son looking up to. 

I love you with my whole heart.

Love,
Raegan

Helpful Hint: How To Remove Stains From Your Laundry

If you have read a single one of my Cooper Weekly posts you are familiar with the fact that Baby Boy likes to eat! Now that he is chowing down on all kinds of yummy real food, I've had to learn a few new Mommy tricks in a hurry! 

EXAMPLE (A): 

I want Cooper to get to wear cute clothes + Babies are very messy eaters + I don't want to ruin all of Cooper's cute clothes = Mommy must be an expert stain fighter!

EXAMPLE (B):

What goes in Cooper, must come out... And some times "it" comes right on out of his diaper... Get my drift? Mommy needs to be an expert stain fighter and deserves a medal.

I know what you're thinking, "No, that sweet little angel face surely doesn't make a mess! He probably eats little tiny bites at a time and then politely holds his hands out waiting for you to wipe them off with a napkin." 

Think again.

This little squirt can cover his clothes in raspberries, hummus, pork chop seasoning, or whatever else his little appetite desires in not time flat! And while occasionally I just strip him down before handing him his grub, there are times when that just isn't practical. 

So, I did want any smart Mommy would do and called the most hard core stain fighter I know, my Aunt Jana. She's the Mommy of one beautiful daughter (who I'm pretty sure never got dirty) and THREE baseball playing boys who are always doing their best to get grass stains on their sparkly white suits. Side note: Can someone please explain to me why coaches always pick white? Seriously. 

They sure are some handsome dirty boys, huh?! Anyway, I asked her what her secret was and she sweetly shared it! Great news: it wasn't even that tricky - powder Biz and spray on Resolve - BOOM. (And no, this is not sponsored in any way, shape or form... )

So I put her tips to the test. First, I grabbed Cooper's shirt that had just gotten raspberries all over the pale colored sleeves. Then, knowing that I rarely ever put something straight into the washer, I dug out another shirt that had been sitting in the hamper all week and was covered in whatever slightly brown thing Cooper had eaten for dinner that night. 

I sprayed both heavily with the Resolve spray and rubbed it in slightly (based on the instructions on the bottle).

You could immediately see a difference in the fresh raspberry stain! 

Next I dropped the shirts into my sink, filled it about half full of hot water and the recommended amount of powdered Biz and stirred it up a little bit...

I didn't watch the clock very well but I had four loads of laundry and I started soaking the shirts when I put the first load in... and I stuck them in the washer with the last load... You get the general idea... 

I ran them through the washer with the rest of Cooper's clothes and then stretched them and let them hang dry. **NOTE: DO NOT DRY BABY CLOTHES!! Almost every brand will shrink up considerably and you'll get about two wears out of everything (trust me, I learned this the hard way). I wash all of Cooper's clothes together either on normal or delicate cycle and then get them out and give them a little stretch before laying them flat or hang drying them. His clothes have started lasting soooooo much longer! (If you've already dried them, fear not, just stick them back in the washer and stretch them out - it works!)

Check this out:

Sparkling clean & spotless! 

And as an added bonus I really like the smell of Biz! Thanks Aunt Jana for the great tip... You saved the day! Hope that this little hint, helps keep your clothes looking great.

Be Blessed,

Raegan

On The Day You Were Born...

On the day you were born, much like every other day, your mother was being a touch stubborn. Your daddy and I had been visiting our friends, the Dudes and their newest addition, Baby Jackson, and on the drive home we discussed when we thought you would make your grand entrance. I assured your daddy that despite the next day being your due date, it would be at least a week before you arrived. I felt way too good... and we had just got a call saying that your Uncle Caleb and Aunt Ashlee were heading to the hospital to have your cousin Kamryn. Tomorrow would be her day. You'd be late because you were my child and we never do anything on time. 

Six hours later, I woke up from a dead sleep thinking that we really needed to buy a new mattress. This thing was getting ridiculous. My back was killing me. So, trying not to wake your daddy, I rolled my big ol' belly to the edge of the bed, swung my feet around until they dangled just above the floor and then rocked until I slid off to stand. I grabbed my pillow and tip-toed to the closet, the only part of our room that has carpet, and with great effort laid down in the floor. Turns out it wasn't the mattress. The floor hurt my back too - every four minutes it hurt my back... "These are contractions. Today is the day. You are having a baby," I told myself literally out loud in the closet and then the stubborn Raegan chirped in, "Cooper, today is NOT your day. Today is Kamryn's day. You just sit tight, do you hear me?" That really happened... and it really did not work. 

I continued to lay in the floor for a little over an hour until I couldn't stand it anymore... Did I wake your daddy up? Nope. I was still confident I could talk you into staying in there (See, I told you I was stubborn) so instead of waking up your daddy... a doctor... who probably would've been very helpful during this situation... I grabbed a bowl of grapes out of the fridge and turned on the shower. Eventually, the contractions started coming every three minutes or less, and I decided Daddy should join the party. I woke him up and told him he was going to become a Daddy today and he JUMPED out of bed! He was so excited... and then a little disappointed when I informed him I wasn't going anywhere until I showered, fixed my hair and put on my make up. We decided to call your Pops and Gabby since they had a 2.5 hour drive to make. I was in the shower, but I could hear every word your Daddy said to Pops, he told him not to rush, that I was having contractions, but that we wouldn't be heading to the hospital until I got out of the shower and ready. No need to start driving or alarm the troops (my ENTIRE family rolls out to welcome a new baby!) just yet, we just wanted to give them a little heads up. Before I even got out of the shower my phone started vibrating non-stop with text messages from Callie and Lyndsey! Needless to say, Pops was excited! Daddy called Grammy - who was already bringing your cousin Brooks to the hospital since he was getting a new baby sister (it ended up being very convenient that everybody could come visit one hospital and see two babies!) and Grandpa was tied up at the fire station but would be there as soon as he could sneak away.

Your Daddy finally got me in the car and we started the thirty minute drive through rush hour traffic to the hospital - no horror story here - Daddy was a good, safe driver! He drove quickly, but not crazy. We used his handy-dandy doctor's pass to park right next to the door and before getting out of the car, we stopped and your Daddy said the sweetest little prayer I've ever heard over our growing family. You've got a very good Daddy, Cooper...

They had us check in at out-patient triage where they would send us to a temporary room until they were sure we needed to stay. Before I even got my hospital gown on, Uncle Awesome came cruising in... He looked ner-vous! He was holding a Monster (per usual) and being very nice and quiet. Not two seconds later, I'm still not even in my gown, we hear "We're the grandparents!" Pops and Gabby made the 2.5 hour drive in record time! They almost beat us to the hospital!! 

Oh, and that out-patient triage room ended up being the place where you made your grand entrance - turns out there were no more rooms in labor and delivery. This made for some comic relief throughout the day because funny things kept happening. Examples: The ac didn't work and the fan wasn't tall enough so one nurse had to literally stand holding the fan on me like I was Cleopatra. The door to our room opened directly into the lobby so anytime anyone came in or out there I was laying there spread eagle and your sweet Pops was standing on the other side of the door, with tears running like Niagra Falls, trying to see in - awkward. I kept reaching up behind me to grab the bed during really hard contractions and once I accidentally grabbed the part that made the bed move up or down which meant that in the middle of a bad contraction I went from sitting straight up to slamming the entire bed back down flat - scared your Daddy to death! Being in triage, made your delivery much more eventful and we are thankful for the funny tidbits it added to your big day.

I could tell you the rest of the story, but I think the photos do a better job... You can watch the  video by Josh McCullock Photography by clicking here or you can simply scroll through the pictures below. 

Your Daddy couldn't have been a more perfect helper that day.

And the "welcoming committee" dropped everything, jumped in their cars and spent their day waiting for your arrival. You were blessed and loved by so many before they had even met you sweet boy...

I think this picture is perfect. Your "Pops" was too excited to sit down, but my "Daddy" was having a hard time hearing his little girl be in pain. It's quite the dilemma.

In out-patient there was no bar on the bed to hold onto so the wonderful nurses took turns playing tug-of-war with me using your receiving blanket as the rope.

My apologies to the nurse whose arm I had in the death grip. 

It was necessary at the time.

And not two seconds later, all the pain was worth it and our lives changed forever...

Your Daddy was smitten the very first second.

Pops and Gabby couldn't wait, they had to peek.

This, my sweet son, is what love looks like. 

It was instant and unconditional and overwhelming.

My Daddy hugging your Daddy...

A picture Mommy will cherish forever.

Grammy had her hands full - two grandbabies in one day!

It was a good thing we were all at the same hospital!

Gabby was so happy to meet you.

She introduced you to your great-grandparents: 

Coach, Gigi and Grandma Dorothy.

Your Uncle Awesome checked you out thoroughly.

Blake gave you kisses!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.

There are not many children in the world who have people literally lined up to meet them on the day they are born... Oh my sweet son, how blessed we are to call these people our family. These people will be there for you on your very best days and on your very worst days... They will multiply your joy and divide your sorrow. They will love you expecting nothing in return. Some day you will understand their love. It is rare. It is priceless. It is something to be forever thankful for. You are one blessed boy Little Prince.

My whole heart.

August 15th, 2013 was the very best day of my life. 

Thank you, sweet boy, for letting me be your mommy. 

You'll have my whole heart for my whole life.

I love you forever and a day.

All my love,

Mommy