Frogger-caterpillar style

The surest sign that it is autumn is all the fuzzy wuzzy caterpillars outside. I fondly remember finding and collecting these as a kid. I would build "houses" for them out of twigs and fallen leaves.
These last few days have been so nice with the sunny weather, it has brought these guys out in droves! The easiest place to spot these neat critters is on the roads. Driving to pick up Colten from school, I see so many of them making the dangerous trek across the highway. I am amazed at the number of them crossing the road, and many of them survive! I can't imagine trying to be as small as these and trying to inch my way across a major highway like the Frogger video game I played as a kid. I do make a point when driving to avoid hitting any of them (unlike slugs that I will try to tag!) Walking today there were lots of casualties seen though.
I know they are just dumb insect that curl up in your hand and pee in it if left there and I shouldn't feel bad for the ones that cars squish, but I do. Maybe it is the persistence they show following instinct and crossing the big road, maybe it is remembering them when I was a kid. I have to wonder if the caterpillars would still cross the road if they knew the fatality rate. Trying to cross the road and having a huge vehicle coming straight at you, instinctively curling up in a ball and then being blown off the road by the wind. It could be a great thing-being blown to the other side, or a bad thing- going back to start. The march of the caterpillars is Nature's frogger game to the death.

Disfunctional Wardrobe(s)

Cooper and I have a common problem: nothing seems to fit just right.

Having a baby always causes wardrobe issues. When first pregnant it is that all my normal clothes are too small and the maternity clothes are too big. Then the maternity clothes start to get too small. Once the baby comes, a mom would hope that she can fit back into her "normal" clothes pretty quick. Not the case for me. I am not one of those blessed people who can nurse their child and watch the pounds and fat melt away from their body. More than two months after having Cooper, I still weight the same I did two weeks after giving birth!

I have had to make a tough choice after having Cooper; do I cut back on my eating and start exercising more to lose the baby weight, possibly compromising my milk supply, or do I eat and rest when I need to and just suck it up and buy some new "fat" clothes? I'm stuck trying to do a little of both without costing me more money. Most of my pants are pathetically too small for me, and even the "fat" pants I have from after I had Carson are too small. Creating time to exercise is a daily challenge for me and yet, I know I need to do this. I'm not returning to work for six more weeks, but I have parent conferences coming up and sweat pants and old T-shirts just won't cut it. I worked so hard last fall to lose weight and get skinny, and so many of my old clothes only accent the extra rolls and flabby parts when I wear them. So I am trying to get my clothes to magically fit, but still eat enough to keep from shorting Cooper calories.


Cooper is having similar clothes issues. He is growing so fast and disproportionately that many of his clothes don't fit right. Cooper is 97th %tile in length and still growing fast. He has a very long torso, but short(er) legs and arms. This means that one piece outfits don't fit well unless they are 6-9 month sizes. Onesies are too small in the 3-6 month size and I need to find some in the 6-9 month size box. Pants that are 3-6 months size fit, but other 3-6 month size clothes are big on him. This makes for mixing and matching pieces to get outfits that fit.

I've also started boxing up the clothes that are too small. Some still have tags on them, Cooper out-grew them so fast. I'll pass these on to people who need them. It is so sad seeing all the clothes I've gotten for all three boys over time as gifts now outgrown. I always told myself I would take all the adorable outfits and make a quilt of all the cute materials and decals. Now I'm looking at all these clothes and can't see myself having the time or energy to make a quilt. I've also got a problem cutting up all these functional (and mostly stain-free) clothes when I could pass them on to someone who needs them. I also don't have storage space for how many clothes I would keep if I were to make the quilt later, and then I have to wonder where this quilt would be kept or shown and who it would be for. So in the end I decided that instead of making a quilt, I'd take picture of the different outfits (on Cooper and laid out) so I can remember. I did debate about whether or not to keep the outfits I brought the boys' home from the hospital in, and decided to pass those on as well. My future daughters-in-law will hopefully thank me for keeping less stuff to pass on when my boys are all grown. Now I just need a friend or sister-in-law to be expecting a boy and need some clothes.

It's been a rough road to here

Today marks the two year anniversary of when I miscarried my sweet baby Taylor. Looking back at my old posts from my miscarriage and then from last year, I was so buried in grief and without much hope of getting pregnant again. It has been a long and hard two years to get to this point.
Friends have asked me if having had Cooper has made losing Taylor easier. Having had a successful pregnancy DOES make the grief easier to cope with. Cooper doesn't replace Taylor at all, but does help. I don't think I'll ever forget Taylor or forget this date each year, but I can think about pregnancy in a positive way now.
I sit here now, sleep deprived, cuddling my darling Cooper, and can't help but wonder what I would be doing differently if I had a 18 month old running around too. I don't have much time to sit and wonder, and I don't do it very often anymore, but I do occasionally think about how things might be different. One positive thing: the orchid Tony bought me for Taylor's due date is re-blooming. It is so beautiful to look at and remember my sweet lost angel.

2 months old!

Darling Cooper,

You are 2 months old now and growing so fast. I know your big, but I don't realize how big until I hold you close to other older babies. You are 24 inches long and 12 pounds, 1 ounce! No wonder you're outgrowing the 3-6 month clothes so fast!

I love every minute I have with you, and the time is flying by so fast. This last month you spent four days with me at 6th grade outdoor camp, CISPUS. You were incredible the entire time. You fussed a bit on the 2 1/2 hour drive up to camp, but you were wonderful from the first minute we got there! You slept in your K'Tan carrier or in someone else's arms while I was busy with camp stuff. You slept most of each night snuggled up with me in my sleeping bag and rarely cried at all. You were the most popular camper in the entire place. You charmed students, counselors, and all the volunteers and camp staff. The biggest problem you caused was that only one person could hold and cuddle with you at a time. You even got a part in one of the cabin skits!

You have not yet gotten a schedule yet, but you are becoming more predictable for taking naps. You are also sleeping longer periods at night, usually 3-4 hours a stretch, though a couple nights you have been up hourly! You are also eating so much. You are always interested in eating, no matter where we are. All that food is helping you grow so fast too.

The best change in this last month is how you can now be entertained by someone other than Mommy! You now enjoy sitting in your bouncy seat or floor mat and looking around and at the toys. This means that Mommy usually gets to eat dinner or get things done for 20 minutes while you are entertained. You have also been spending lots of time with the grandmas getting used to other people caring for you, not just Mommy. We all love the smiles and coos you are so generous in sharing. I can't wait to watch you grow this next month!

Never a dull moment!

You would think that not working and staying at home would give me more time to get things done, but I seem to be busier than when I'm working! This last week Carson started pre-school, finally. I was the bad mom who didn't register him early enough last spring and he was wait listed for the summer. I had accepted that Carson, who really, really, wanted to go to school, was instead going to have to wait until next year. Then I got a phone call from the school director telling me she had enough interested students to start another class. Carson was so excited to finally be going to school. He goes on Monday and Friday afternoons. My Aunt Sandy bought all three boys these great monster truck hoodies (Cooper's is still a little big, but not for long!).

Cooper likes to talk to anyone who will listen and commands attention regularly.

Saturday we went to Lattin's Cider Mill and Farm with Ed and Jackie to enjoy fresh made doughnuts and hot apple fritters. The farm makes these fresh each Saturday morning and the boys and I often escape the house to get some. The farm also has a variety of animals to see and feed. The boys always like seeing the baby chicks and ducklings.
The goats and sheep are also fun to feed. The farm has a platform goats can climb up and people can send food up to the top in a bucket on a rope. One goat has figured out how to pulley the bucket up by itself, lipping the rope and pulling it up. The boys enjoyed putting food in the bucket and watching the goat feed itself.

Saturday night we celebrated all the October birthdays in our family. There were three of us with birthdays this week. My grandma is October 2nd, cousin Olivia is the 4th, and I turn 32 on the 5th. My uncle made a delicious halibut dinner, while the kids played and Cooper was passed around for snuggles.