Trip to ARIZONA!!!

We have been wanting to go to Arizona for quite some time. The last time we were there was in March of 2006 for a family wedding and I fell in love with Arizona! I just loved how different everything looked from what I was used to in California. So anyways - we finally were able to return to the land of Cactus during my Spring Break. Chad's grandparents, Mamaw and Pawpaw welcomed us graciously into staying at their house for 7 days! This was their first time meeting Cooper - so they were thrilled and so was little Coop! Cooper absolutely loved playing with his great grandparents. He laughed so much and began saying so many new "words"... Cooper definitely enjoyed having a big house to crawl around and new cupboards to open! He is quite the crawling and climbing little guy.

In Arizona Cooper had many firsts:

1. flying on an airplane

2. going to the Zoo

3. eating table foods and LOVING them all - mac and cheese, grilled cheese, raviollis, mashed potatos, rice, beans (I have been putting this off for awhile b/c I am fearful of choking, but he proved to his mommy that he is a great chewer!)

4. meeting his great grandparents - Mamaw and Pawpaw

5. meeting his Uncle Stevie, Aunt Marny and cousins Alyssa, Luna and Ryder

6. seeing the largest pig known to mankind!

We can not thank Mamaw and Pawpaw enough for showing us such a wonderful time in Arizona. Chad got to play golf 2 days - what a treat for him! I got to go shopping a lot and finally bought myself a new pair of sunglasses and a few other things :) I also began reading Memoirs of a Geisha (I have not read a book in over 2 years) so it was nice to take the time to relax and just read. We visited Sedona, which was beautiful and like nothing else we have ever seen. Best of all, we got to take time from our busy lives and spend a whole week together as a family...it was wonderful!

Cooper enjoyed playing with his cousins

Trying to steal the remote and game from Pawpaw

Mommy playing with Coop and the whale

Stunna Shades...

Dipping in the pool w/ Daddy Cooper and the Tiger @ the Zoo Strolling around @ the Zoo...
Gardening with Pawpaw The Arizona Cactus! Pawpaw, Cooper and Chad @ SedonaDon't touch the cactus Coop!

The Rock chair was pretty cooooolll....
Our Family with the "buddies" statue

I wanted to skate too... A happy Cooper boy with Mamaw

First 10 months...

Since I am just starting this blog and don't want to back track too much or I will never get to the present days... I will just post a few pictures from the past 10 months to track the growth of our adorable little boy.

2 1/2 Months old - enjoying time in his robe & slippers after his first dip in the pool...Looking handsome as always at 3 1/2 months...Cooper was a happy pirate on his 1st Halloween...ARGGHHH!!!Christmas pictures...almost 7 months old

Bathtime fun with a spikey Mohawk - the night before his 1st haircut...Cooper looked extra handsome after his 1st haircut - 9 months old

Cooper Graham

On May 27, 2007 Chad and I welcomed our handsome little baby boy to our family - Cooper Graham.

Cooper is enjoying his first nap in his crib all swaddled up...He would only sleep if he was swaddled for the first 5 months - until he became a little rascal and broke through the blanket!

A little about my Labor experience (if you're interested...haha)

Although, I had an easy pregnancy - never got sick or anything...I was SOOO ready to bring Cooper into the world instead of having him in my tummy any longer. I loved the feeling of having a little baby growing inside of me, but I was completely over being the size of an elephant! Our due date was June 1st. So, on the night of May 26th Chad and I were at a friends watching some UFC fight and I kept telling Chad that I was feeling different and maybe I was having contractions...On our way home we were starving - or should I say I was starving (like I was the whole time during my pregnancy) and we got some Jack in the Box - very healthy! Came home, ate, and then went to bed. This was all about 11:00pm. At 11:45pm I woke up to go pee - another thing I do not miss about pregnancy...and I was like what the heck, my water for sure broke...so my heart starts beating so fast cuz there was no turning back - I truly was going to have to give birth and that was a scary and painful thought! I woke up Chad and said ummm...I think my water broke and we need to go to the hospital. Chad jumped up and we got the bags in the car - pretty sure we were both a bit nervous. We arrived at the hospital about 2am and I did not get into a room until 4am...come to find out I was only dialted to a 1.5 - meaning I had a ways to go. My mom, dad and sister showed up (drove all the way from Stockton at 2am :) ) My mom and I walked down the hall for awhile and still no progress. So the nurses gave me pitocin to speed up the process about 6am...and oh boy, that pitocin stuff did the trick! I do not really remember much except Chad was counting the time in between contractions and he was freakin amazing at helping me breathe through them - THEY ARE PAINFUL PAINFUL...but hey I completed my goal and gave birth without an epidural! I remember the nurses coming in a lot to see my progress and around 12:30pm they said I was a 9...I felt like I was for sure a 10 b/c I needed to push right then. The hardest part about labor is the end - when you need to push your little baby out - but they tell you NO! Anyways - at 1pm I was finally ready to push and I did for a whole 57minutes! Chad, my mom and sister were there with me helping me all the way through - and at 1:57pm little Cooper blessed us with his beautiful face and loving cries! Yes, labor is PAINFUL, like I already said, but as soon as I saw the little baby that I had been carrying for 40 weeks, I forgot about all the pain and was filled with joy. That is why I am sure I will do it again, SOMEDAY. :)