9 Months with Cooper Nash

Posted by Kaitlyn Kambestad June 18, 2013

9 Months with Cooper Nash

Happy 9 Months Baby Boy!
"Hands on a miracle, I got my hands on a miracle...& there ain't no way, let you take it away." - Foo Fighters

9 months have come and gone. 9 beautiful, fun-filled, exhausting, tear-filled, lovely months. Seems SO long and yet so very, very short all at the same time. Truthfully, it gets more fun by the moment...cliche, right? It's true though.

Big News (Or just News in General):

Let's start with some good news:

- The new job is going well. I really like the people I get to work with, and am so enjoying being a bit more creative than my last position. That said, I do not have as much free time as I thought I might. ;) I'm learning, taking on many projects...and I think once I set my schedule, I will be on track for 25-30 hours a week. That's totally doable and wonderful in my opinion! Yay for not giving up and finding something you can be excited about!

- Mother's Day fell on Eric's 30th birthday, so we celebrated Eric 1 day early. It was a blast! I got him 30 gifts; some small, and some not as small - followed by a day of fun and relaxation. I made him a delish breakfast that I found on Pinterest (with avocado), and then we headed to Flying Saucer. Yes-I brought my baby to a bar. So? We had a little gathering with his buddies and feel so blessed to have such great friends. It was an awesome time.

Surrounded by awesome people.

Love this. Happy 30th, Foo.

- I had a lovely Mother's Day. Cooper and Eric got me a frame with Cooper's first drawing. I love it! I also had a mom-osa, indian food for lunch / dinner, and got to relax ALL day. Thank you for making it the perfect first Mom's Day, Foo. I love you both SO very much!

Cooper's first drawing!
Grandpa J would be *so* proud.

- I got a new (to me) car! My Jetta was just...too small. Cute, but small. It was so hard to get Cooper in and out of his gigantic car seat. I got a Tiguan and so far, I love it!

At the dealership, getting in the car,
and a smiley Cooper.

- Cooper has been really attached to me for comfort, and REALLY excited to play with Dada. They're ridiculously cute together. It's so fun - when Dada comes home from work, Cooper will hop up and down and flap his arms with excitement. Darling boys.

Eric's fav picture to date...

Man, I love them.

Here's the not-as-good news (sprinkled with a few fun things) section:

- Mom and Dad were on their way to Nashville to help watch Cooper. They had made it all the way to Albuquerque when they got a call and headed back to California...to say goodbye to my Grandma (Mom's mom) and spend her remaining days with her.

- My amazing Grandma Eloise Jenkins passed away on Tuesday, June 4th (12:05AM). She was a teacher, a lover, such a sweet lady. She taught me to tie my shoelaces. She taught me to ride a bike. She taught me to cook her famous sesame chicken and cheesy potatoes. She taught me to love...because she LOVED everyone. Especially Grandpa. I am so sad. So, very sad. But I will celebrate her full life and the fact that she is reunited with her soulmate, dancing in heaven.

Grandma feeling Cooper kick.

Grandma, me, and Grandpa. Back in the day.
Coop kinda looks like me, eh?

Says, "My wonderful grandparents. Reunited today."

- So, the week my parents weren't able to be here - and bless them, they were going through much more than I was - I had Cooper all day, while working my new, basically full-time job. At least I have the opportunity to work from home...but that said, wow. It was so hard. Cooper is one demanding, attention-needing child which normally wouldn't bother me. I just really wanted to put my best foot forward at work, and it was very difficult to manage - which is putting it lightly.

-Coop and I traveled by ourselves to CA with a stop in Phoenix. My word. 1 Mom, 1 baby, 2 carry-ons, 1 suitcase, and a car seat. It was a sight. Cooper did fairly well on the way to CA.

What's up? Halfway to CA.

We got to see family and spend quality time with them. Coop was very attached to me and cried every time I passed him to someone else...but he got better as the days passed. We went swimming, went on walks, played with cousins, reminisced, I snuck in work, and went to my Grandma's graveside service and reception, which was lovely and just what she would have wanted: 3 songs, and family speaking about her wonderful-ness. The week was filled with memories...and creating new ones. I am so grateful I was able to make the trip.

At Gigi and Pop's house in CA.

Snoozing after the service.

Thank you Auntie Tina & Uncle Yai.
I love my bear, Coop Skywalker.

Sav, Tina, Yai and Coop.

We caught a slight smile in the pool!
Way to go, Auntie Kimi!

Sure loves his Gigi.

I sure love my little fishie.

The in-laws and family!

- I decided that it might be nice to see Eric's sister since she lived about 10 minutes from my parents house, so I had Eric text her to see if she was available. She told us to come on by - but we only had about 25 minutes to spare before we needed to head to the airport! Little did we know, it was Reagan's (niece) 2nd birthday, so the WHOLE family was there...such a wonderful surprise! Everyone got to meet Cooper, and then just like that, we had to leave.

- The way back to Nashville, even with my Mom to help, was a freaking nightmare. The poor kid screamed 80% of the flights. It had to be ears, right? Whatever it was, I hope we don't ever have to deal with that, at least THAT bad, ever again. We flew through Vegas on the way home, and the poor man next to us was a hungover musician. Ha. I'm sure all he wanted was to sit next to a screaming baby. ;) Everyone was really nice though, and we survived.

- Now, Gigi and Pop are here, I am getting back in the swing of things, and we're just...enjoying each other and life...it's pretty wonderful. We have a lot planned for their month here - but - I know time will disappear all too quickly. Time always flies when you have fun. I told my mom jokingly (but not really jokingly at all) that they should sell their houses and just move into our basement. Since they'd have no house payments, they could fly back to AZ and CA any time they wanted! ;)

Milestones & Memories:

- Cooper is officially CRAWLING! Woot! So proud of my lil' scooter. I will post a video in my next post.

- His 2 teeth are super cute, and I THINK one on the top middle-left is trying to break through, but is having a tough time...which means he's in a great mood. ;) Ha.

- Gigi signed him up for Gymboree classes and he's having a blast! I got to go to one so far and it's pretty adorable. He's bonding with us and really enjoys watching other kids play! He also really loves the bubbles.

- He is...kinda...sleeping through the night, consistently...HALLELUJAH!!!! About 8PM to 6AM. Because of the teething, he has been awakening lately, but he usually works it out himself.

- He's having SO much fun with the pugs. He'll grab their toys and play tug of war with them.

I know I am late posting this, but I'm going to put all of THIS month's stuff in the 10 months post...even though this month is already over 1/2 way over. Geesh...where does time go???

Enjoy some Cooper cuteness and have a great one, y'all. Thanks for stopping by!