Full House

We had some company this weekend. My sister Shasta and her son Owen flew in from Maryland to meet baby Cooper. I wasn't planning on seeing her until Christmas like usual! It was really nice because she not only helped around the house, but allowed me time to just relax and rest. 

Here's a collection of pictures she sent me from her phone:

he does open his eyes some!

quick bath in a tupperware container

kissy face

cousin Owen learned to ride the Mickey car

On Sunday, Shiloh came over and we all spent the day together. 

they're obsessed with my kids' plump lips.....Drew's genetic contribution

My mom made dinner for us each night and we all enjoyed being together at home for the first time in almost a year. Nothing like 6 adults and 3 children packed in a small house! 

Cooper meets Dr. Sponenberg

Cooper had a check up yesterday with his pediatrician, the first visit post-hospital. He goes to the same doc as big brother, Dr. Sponenberg. This man has been practicing since they used chisel and rock slabs to write, I'm sure of it. He seems to know what he's doing, so we really like him. He is quite old though, so at Griffin's last appointment when he started asking me when I was due, I tried to confirm with him (as nicely as I could) that he would be around long enough to take on baby #2 as a patient. He smiled and said, "I will be practicing for a long time". Fair enough.

The appointment solidified what we already knew. Cooper is perfect. Dr. Sponenberg told us we were doing a very good job. We will go back in a couple weeks. 

Griffin is getting quite comfortable at certain places outside his normal daily life, coming out of his shell if you will! The doctor's office is one of those places. He talks to the nurses, other kids, anyone. At his 3 year check up, he asked Dr. Sponenberg repeatedly, "is my mouth okay?" Very funny when he's saying silly things to such a serious old man (Really, you should go back to the link in his name above and watch the video--second time I've ever seen him smile). Yesterday, when the doctor walked in the room, Griffin waited about 5 seconds before saying, "don't hurt my baby brother!" 

Drew and I almost lost it. 

Monthly Update

I didn't buy any more stickers for Griffin to wear for monthly pictures. However, I couldn't resist taking some photos of him today in his chair with Bobby. I thought it would be a nice touch to a post about how he's been changing. 

He is still very much a "daddy's boy". He and Drew have been out of the house, at the office and doing their "man things" most of the day.

With a lot of incentive and bribery, I'd like to say Griffin is completely potty trained now. This is huge since he's been semi-trained for quite some time. We haven't bought diapers in forever, but it hasn't been fun cleaning nasty little boy underwear. I guess he just needed to decide for himself that it was time. We do have an occasional accident here and there. I think he gets so busy and focused on playing or doing other things that he is too late by the time he realizes he needs to get to the bathroom. 

We also have had our first trouble with naughty words. I thought I had been hearing a version of one around the house but didn't want to make a big deal in case I was wrong...............flash forward to a text from the daycare director:

Knock on wood, I think we've nipped this one in the bud. 

I now believe in the power that television has over children. One evening, Griffin was getting a very stern talking to (I don't remember what about, just that I was very mad) and I was even crouched down at his level holding onto him by the arms. After 5 minutes of me trying to get my point across, Griffin sat there staring at me.....paused for a few seconds.....then said, "what's the big idea?" Thank you Donald Duck. It was really hard not to burst into laughter. He also says "Oh, coconuts!" (that's another Disney show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates) and many more. 

I guess when you turn 3 you decide that you should take showers instead of baths. He thinks he is a real big boy these days. We are jumping on that bandwagon, hoping that it will keep him from wanting to be a baby again when little brother arrives. 

We took Griffin to the movies for the first time and invited cousin Briley. They were very well behaved and stayed focused on the movie the entire time. It was Planes: Fire & Rescue, so how could 2 little boys not love it. 

On the baby front, I am exactly 38 weeks along today. At my appointment this past week, I was only dialated to about 1 1/2cm. Griffin was already born by now. It's fun to see how different the progression has been. I did gain a full cm in 1 week, so who knows what will happen. I'm still scheduled for a c section on September 3rd but my doctor is continuing to bet on baby boy coming long before then. I'm trying to stay off my feet and do as little as possible to keep contractions at a minimum so that, *fingers crossed*, we can make it to at least September 1st. August just has too many other birthdays and things going on. Come on Labor Day!