Adventures At Seay

Living in rural Mississippi has its flaws...lets just be honest. Not having a mall is definitely one of them. I miss not only the shopping, but the appearance of Santa at Christmas! Not that I was really in a hurry to force my child to sit on Santa's lap and scream and cry. But it's still something that I want evidence of when he's big and grown and refuses to do it anymore.

So Ryan, Abby, Witt and I headed to Knoxville, TN to the West Town Mall. Ryan and Witt got in line (creepy I know) while Abby and I took Cooper to go grab some last minute gifts. While we were shopping this is what happened...

Now that we have a new camera I shall give you the rundown. Here are some pictures of Cooper in his new Christmas outfit getting ready for church!

Ok, we still don't have our new camera. It was supposed to be in today... but you know how that goes. So here's a tiny update and a tiny request....

Update: we have ALL been super sick but are all finally on meds so hopefully we can get over this garbage before Christmas. Cooper is fake sneezing now and it cracks me up! He is becoming such a funny kid with all his expressions and babble. He says these made up words and look at you like he totally just told you something important and why aren't you jumping to action!?

Request: If you are checking this blog and not a follower...shame on you! I want to know who you are! Just kidding (about the shame part, not the knowing). Go ahead and hit that follow button..you know you want to. Plus, I want people to be amazed at how many people are hanging on my every word. Haha now I really am kidding, sort of.

Check back soon for (HOPEFULLY) some updated pictures of Cooperman.

Ok, so really...who doesn't want a picture of a cute baby, especially mine?! Well lucky for you I am currently designing our Christmas card so everyone can bask in the glow of our precious child. Am I too proud? Nah!

This year I am doing our Christmas cards on Shutterfly! They have sooo many cute designs this year. Ryan and I used Shutterfly to make our Christmas cards a few years ago and everyone loved them! They are so easy to do too! We also made a picture scrapbook of our wedding photos that turned out so nice.

I am having a really hard time picking which card I am going to use this year, but some of my favorites include: All Wrapped Up, Holly Jolly, and Love Stockings. Check out this link to help me decide. Let me know which card you want to see in your mailbox!  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Also, in case anyone is wondering which card to send me for my upcoming birthday (December 8th..hint hint), Shutterfly has a great selection!! http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery
And I would love if Santa brought be a cute calender with pictures of my sweet boy!! Or maybe Grampy and Grammy would like one?!  http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

Shutterfly also knows how much we parents spend on our kiddos throughout the year and have set up an awesome deal. Just for writing this blog post I qualify for 50 free Christmas cards! This is pretty much the only reason we are going to be able to send them out this year. We are so excited to see how they turn out and can't wait for you all to see them too!!!! Keep a lookout in your mailbox! Merry Christmas season!

On another note, we have ordered a replacement camera so new pictures of Cooper will be available shortly!! yay!

I know I haven't been blogging much this month, and I will tell you why. The week after Cooper's party we all came down with nasty colds. I mean need a shot, antibiotics, can't get out of the house, cough up a lung colds. And as soon as we were all feeling a little better it was time to pack up and hit the road for our Thanksgiving tour of Tennessee and Kentucky! We started off in Nashville to see some friends while Cooper headed to Murray with Grammy and Grampy. Mommy and Daddy needed a day or two to rest up. He got to go see the Racers play some basketball while mommy and daddy tried and failed to see UT play Vandy (but that is another story in itself). When our time in Nashville was up we headed to Cookeville, TN. We had a blast hanging out at Grammy and Grampy's apartment playing with Daisy and eating at some fabulous restaurants. Then we had lunch with Momma Sue and Uncle Witt on Tuesday in Crossville and can't wait to go back to see them at Christmas! On Wednesday, we packed up again and hit the road on our way to the lake! There we saw Aunt Linda, Grandma, and Granny. Cooper had his first Thanksgiving food and saw his first Christmas tree up close. He immediately stole an ornament and said "ball" (his favorite word right now). Cooper had so much fun being the center of attention all week. We have had quite the adjustment coming home.

On a sad note, Thanksgiving day our camera died. I know, devastating right? Well, until it is replaced there will be no Cooper pictures. You'll just have to settle for stories.

As we know, our little man has just turned 1. We wanted to celebrate close to his birthday but since we don't have very many friends here in Oxford yet, we thought it would be great to have a party in Nashville with all of our friends and family! Thanks to Cooper's beyond awesome Aunt Emmy, who let us use her house, we were able to visit with some great friends we have missed so much. And everyone could not get over how big Cooper has gotten! Everything was so perfect and we are so glad we could spend the afternoon with everyone! I cannot express how great our friends are and how much we miss them! We are all looking forward to the holidays and spending some more time in Nashville! Here are some pictures of Cooper's special day!

Last year on Halloween, Cooper was only 2 weeks old and not really into the whole staying awake longer than 10 minutes at a time thing. So this year we went all out!

First stop was to the Greek-or-Treat festivities at the sorority houses on campus. Cooper loved all the attention from the ladies! We got so many comments on how cute he was!

Mercy me! I cannot believe we have a one year old! A year go Ryan was posting on this very blog about our sweet boy who came into the world on October 18th. 10 days early. Always in a hurry, that one. This whole year has been one adjustment after another...Just when I think we have a great thing going and we get really comfortable, Cooper decides he wants to change it up, learn something new, get rid of something else. I guess thats just how kids go. We will probably be doing this adjustment dance for the rest of our lives. But its a pretty fun dance to do. He is a joy, I tell you. Always wanting to learn something new or go somewhere different. He LOVES books and being read to. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. He eats like a horse, but definitely knows what he does and doesn't want. He smiles and laughs and plays all day long. He adores his daddy and looks for him all day long. He loves to torture the dog. Blowing kisses might be my favorite trick of all. I love who this kid is turning into, and I know I will love who he will become. Always changing, always moving, always my favorite. here are some adorable pictures of my big boy..because I know thats why you read!

In case you don't know, we have recently relocated to Oxford, Mississippi. Home of the Ole Miss Rebels, SEC football, and tailgating galore! Being that we are huge Tennessee Vols fans, we had a hard time imagining ever enjoying life as Rebels. But we talked about it alot and decided that we would jump in headfirst and really enjoy our time here in Oxford! We have a few friends that have tents in the Grove (the area on campus where EVERYONE tailgates) and we make the rounds every Saturday with Cooper in tow. He really enjoys all the people (especially when they are telling him how cute he is) and exploring everyone's tents. Here are some pictures of Cooper (and his parents) hanging out in the Grove!

Okay, I have FINALLY gotten around to loading all of our pictures to Smugmug. So now I can show you the adorable pictures we took of Cooper on his 11 month birthday.

We are in countdown mode here people! My baby has less than 1 month until he is officially a toddler! Well if these boots were made for walking..Cooper is wearing them! This is by far our biggest accomplishment this month, and it's a pretty big one. He started out taking one or two steps and in a week he was taking 12. In another week he was taking 20. He is also babbling like nuts! I can tell he thinks he's speaking in full sentences I just wish I could understand what he was trying to say!

He is also eating everything in sight. We gave up baby food (with exception to the 3rd foods) and pretty much just eat finger foods now. He is pretty much open to eating anything, but he really likes mandarin oranges, bananas, bread, cheerios, and pears.

I took 11 month pictures but I have yet to post them on smug mug so I will post different pictures and you'll just have to wait to see the 11 month official pictures. I'll try to be better about posting more often. But until then here are some Cooper pics!

My little boy has now been outside in the earth longer than he was growing in my belly. He is just growing up so fast right before my eyes. He has picked up so many new tricks this month and learns something new practically every day.
He is a great sleeper! He averages about 11 hours a night and sleeps for about 2 hours combined during the day. He is still an early riser, which mommy and daddy are trying to get used to.
He measured low in weight at his 9 month appointment and ever since he has been eating like a horse! He is getting tired being fed baby food, so we are slowly transitioning to all finger foods. He eats peas, green beans, LOVES bananas, mandarin oranges, pasta, nilla wafers, ritz crackers, biter biscuits, peaches, bread, cheese, and anything else we have on our plates that he wants. I think he is catching up in the weight department quickly!
Cooper wants to walk, but only at his own convenience. He gets around very quickly on his hands and knees, and is pretty satisfied to continue that way. He has taken a few steps though so hopefully those will increase and we can get moving soon!
Cooper is such a sweet kid. He is so loving and SO talkative. He babbles all day long!! And he is just a delight to be around. He has started to dance and do things to be funny. I love to see his sense of humor and personality really coming out. I think he is gonna be a really fun toddler.
We are starting to prep for his birthday party..it's sneaking up on us so quickly! Stay tuned for a fall full of football game pictures, weddings, and lots of family time! Here are a few pictures of Cooper at 10 months!

Cooper got a present from Aunt Rachel and Uncle Earl last time we were in Crossville...Luke and Matt's car! Since they are such big kids now, Cooper is so happy to give this awesome ride a new home. Here are some new pictures of Cooper enjoying his hot rod...

We have less than 3 months until our little boy (not baby anymore) is a whole year old. He is having the time of his life being 9 months old! He changes everyday and learns something new constantly. This month he went to the zoo, his first Cardinals game in St. Louis, watched a fireworks show, and we went to Oxford pulling a U-Haul full of stuff!
At his 9 month appointment Cooper weighed in at 18lbs 6 oz and was 26 in long. He is only in the 18th percentile in weight so we are adding in more table foods and trying to wean onto formula. He is still 50th percentile in height so he is still right in the middle for that! Other than the weight issue (which isn't really even an issue) he is a perfectly healthy 9 month old! We will miss our pediatrician so much when we move to Mississippi. Dr. Fuller has been absolutely wonderful!
Cooper has added quite a few skills this month! He points at everything! Grampy started this by pointing at Cooper and saying "you da man!" and one time Cooper pointed back! He hasn't stopped pointing since! Cooper also started to clap. It's pretty much the cutest thing EVER! Coop also loves it when daddy hides and scares him...he laughs so hard! We still aren't walking, but he is getting really good at balancing when he stands...I don't think it'll be long! Cooper is also really enjoying being read to now..we usually read 3 or 4 books before bed. And we don't have to wrestle him into our laps!
Cooper is really starting to be so funny! He jabbers constantly and laughs all the time. he is also sneaky! He has a love for stairs and no matter how many things are blocking them, he finds a way onto them. He is going to be quite the handful as a toddler.
Cooper is eating Cheerios like it's going out of style and has gotten really good at feeding himself, if it's on his tray he will grab it and stuff it in his mouth! He has also tried yogurt and loves that as well!
 This month we make the big move to Oxford, Mississippi. Ryan is going  back to school to get his PhD in Accounting. We will be living there for 4 years. i know Cooper will love growing up in Oxford, and don't worry we'll keep you updated on all the goings-on. Here is a picture of Cooper at 9 months old!

Father's Day 2010

I know, I know...Cooper is but a week away from 9 months old (if you're keeping count..that's only 3 months away from one year..gah I think I just had a stroke!). But I am so behind that I am just now getting to his 8 month post. Mostly because I couldn't get pictures taken due to the massive amount of time we have not been home! But here goes...
This month Cooper has learned how to wave bye-bye. It's so freakin cute! He has also developed a love of the water! The kid will be a fish. He gets so close to the water and when I'm not expecting it, he dunks his face in (he also takes in a big mouthful of water). He loves jumping off the side, with my help of course. Cooper is also in love with Cheerios! He is growing so fast and as big as can be! We have a doctor appointment for his 9 month check and I will give you a weight and length. But I'm guessing he will be about 19 pounds...the kid has gotten so long I don't know what that measurement will be!! I will try to post his 9 month update in a timely manner...I promise!

On our trip to St. Louis we had to make a stop by the zoo! It's free...that's right, FREE. The St. Louis Zoo has to be one of the nicest zoos in the country. It's so clean and the overall atmosphere is so nice. Cooper was tired at first, but after lunch he perked up and managed to have some big fun! He loved the hippos, the chimps, and his favorite was the penguin cove! The penguin cove is awesome! They only let a handful of people in at a time and you are so close you can touch them (though it's very discouraged by the burly zookeeper guarding them)! Cooper even had his first carousel ride! He mostly just wanted to look at the animals, not ride them. He ended his trip with a nice long nap in the stroller! We know he will love going back even more next year when he is more interested in the animals than the plants within reach.

We went to St. Louis with Grammy, Grampy and Aunt Emily for a few days before the 4th of July. We had so much fun traveling all over the city! Daddy was so excited to take Cooper to his first Cardinals baseball game! While Cooper was such a wiggle worm and not really all that interested in the game, he was a real trooper and even stayed awake for the whole thing. We know there will be so many future trips and Cooper will one day be more interested in the game than walking around with mommy, but it was a great first game!