Somehow (by the grace of God, I am sure) I have managed to learn how to be a wife, teacher, home maker AND mother.
The difference between 3 months and 4 months is unbelievable. Looking back on the first 3 months of Cooper's life, I was just trying to survive. Just trying to be the best mom I could be and everything else sort of fell by the wayside. Definitely living day by day, sometimes hour by hour, especially with tracheomalacia flair ups and cold after cold, since Cooper catches EVERYTHING!
But now that I am getting the hang of it, I am able to refocus on my other roles. I must say, I am pretty proud. My house stays clean. The laundry gets done. And somehow through all the stress and worry, Rick and I have still managed to have some time alone as a couple and even some time alone from each other. And we are happy! :)
I put a lot of stress on myself to be a good parent. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT! I spend 40 hours a week, teaching kids and helping parents find ways to help their children. Some days I spend more time helping parents raise their kids, than the parents do. And that is okay. BOY have I learned a lot.
But with that comes the pressure of making sure I am listening to all of my own advice.
I must say (to toot my own horn), I am very proud of how far we have come. Cooper puts himself to sleep every night, usually in his crib but can go to sleep anywhere really. He is able to put himself to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night as well. He has been getting up between 2am-3am to eat, but again goes right back to sleep, all on his own.
And while we are on the subject of good parenting, I know I have said this before but Rick is an amazing teammate. He is such an active and involved father. I feel so blessed to have him!
So much has happened in the last 5-6 weeks.
We celebrated Cooper's Baptism on Christmas Eve which was wonderful. We baptized him at our church, Good Shepherd UMC where Rick and I have been attending for over a year and have been members since May 2010. We have built a wonderful church family, which has had a HUGE impact on our lives.
We celebrated Cooper's first Christmas! He was able to see all of Rick's family, many of whom he hadn't seen since he was a few days old and some that he was meeting for the first time.
We celebrated 2010 and welcomed 2011. 2010 will always be an incredible year in our family history. We bought our first house and had our first baby. I am so beyond excited for what 2011 will bring!
We celebrated LSU's Cotton Bowl Championship! LSU defeated Texas A&M last weekend in Dallas, Texas. It was no national championship but we will be there next year at the Sugar Bowl.
Next up on this busy Rice family's agenda is Key West! We are flying to Key West on Febrary 12th and staying through the 19th. My parents, brother, sister and her family will be meeting us there. I am definitely looking forward to taking Cooper to the beach, can't wait to put his toes in the sand with mine!
So I am not a slacker. I am carrying a very full plate and somehow managing to stay on top of everything (except maybe this blog!)
Life is good.
Here are some pictures from the last couple months.
My little fish! He loves swimming. He loves his Grandad. He loves his Delaney!
At All Fired Up making handprint coasters for Rick and the grandparents. They were a big hit :) I am definitely getting the hang of keeping secrets!
Merry Christmas Cooper James!
