August Recap

So here we are at a month. Wow it has flown by. We are crazy busy around here but it is a great time in our lives. So much going on and so much to share. The fall is so perfect here in Arkansas. SEC Football, wonderful weather (still wearing shorts and tanks), and just being busy again with all fall offers. Enjoy the recap.

Cooper at 3 weeks

Cooper at 3 weeks

me with cooper at 3 weeks

Cohen, Cooper 4 weeks, and Jeremy

me, cooper (3 weeks) and cohen

preparing the studio... kids in tow

cooper at 4 weeks

Cohen, Cooper 4 weeks, and Jeremy web camming with my parents

cooper at a month old... he really likes his baths

So Cooper turned a month yesterday. I know everyone says this but where did the time go? Feels like we have never not had Cooper! He is still one of the best babies I have ever been around. So easy going and rarely makes a peep.

So I said I would recap August. Here are pictures of our August before Cooper's arrival. My mom, dad and brother came to town the week before Cooper's arrival with my mom and dad staying for the week after as well. We all had a really good time and miss them all so much. Hurry back guys!

So while my parents were here and the weeks leading up to Cooper it was about 100 degrees so we pretty much spent everyday doing this...

Cohen and gramma

Cohen on his motorcycle

my mom and brother pool side

cohen swimming solo

cohen and my brother

cohen pushing uncle t on his bike

the boys in the pool

cohen with his grumpa

Here are pictures from Cooper's arrival...

now you all are caught up!

The Past Few Weeks

Cooper 5 days

Cooper 3.5 weeks

Their favorite activity together... wrestling!

Cooper 3.5 weeks


Cohen giving Cooper some love. Cooper is not happy about it!

Showing us his cut on his knee

Jeremy, Cooper (5 days), and Cohen

Cooper 2 weeks

Me Cooper, and Cohen at Nate's wedding in Wichita

Me and Cohen at Nate's wedding in Wichita

Jeremy and Cohen at Nate's wedding in Wichita

Playing catch up from the past few weeks. Cooper is now just shy of 4 weeks, Cohen is 27 months going on 17 and well Jeremy he is the same old, same old. I am as busy as ever. We went to a wedding in Wichita, KS just two weeks after having Cooper. It was our first family trip as a family of four and it went really well. Cohen is pretty much potty trained, and I had my first "official" photoshoot since having Cooper and have 4 more sessions scheduled this month before I officially come off of maternity leave. It felt good to be back at it but I am clearly still in recovery mode because I did come back and nap afterward. I left Cooper for the first time with someone other than my mom, or Jeremy. It is so different the second time around. What took me months to do with Cohen only took me weeks to do with Cooper. Granted I left him in the most trusting of hands... one of the best mom's and people I know, Sarah. Cohen had a babysitter and where was Jeremy??? Golfing... and it was much needed. He has not golfed all summer really!

Cooper is still an awesome sleeper and even sleeping well at night. He sleeps for 4 hours at a time during the day and night with the longest awake period being for about 1.5 hours so he is a sleeper and so far SO good. A total snuggler, great eater too! Cohen is a crazy kid. Obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and loves his brother bear (will post videos when I have time). Enjoy the pics for now. Will try to post an August recap soon too. Then I should be caught up.

3 Weeks

I guess it is an obvious statement when I say "I am super busy"... We are adjusting to our family of four and really things have gone really smooth. Cooper turns 3 weeks tomorrow and it is really hard to remember what it was like without him here. He is a super good baby. He went from sleeping ALL the time to staying a wake a lot more here the past few days. He is content on his own, something I did not experience with Cohen. I am able to put Cooper down and walk away from him and finish a load of laundry, take a shower, do the dishes, make Cohen lunch. So for the most part I cannot complain. Aside from an awake period in the middle of the night Cooper really is a really good boy and pretty easy.

Cooper makes the cutest little noises. My mom compares them to a gerbil, I say chipmunk. He likes to snuggle but at the same time he sleeps better by himself. He is cool natured... likes to be kept bundled up. (that is me all the way) He still has all of his hair, which we still cannot believe he has and that its dark! I think he is his own look, however he does share Cohen's profile, and has Jeremy's ears carbon copied. He does not have Cohen's lips despite puckering them when he sleeps. Cohen's lips are massive compared to Cooper's so no, I really do not see a ton of Cohen in Cooper and Jeremy and I actually see a strong mix of Jeremy and my mom's side of the family.

Cohen is adjusting well to having Cooper around. He really loves him. I find him going up to Cooper and saying "Oh, bruder (aka brother), him cute" or he is always asking where "baby bear is?" Today he did tell Cooper to be quiet when he was crying and believe it or not Cohen shares his blanket willingly with Cooper daily. Aside from being a bit rough from time-to-time Cohen really just does his own thing and does not pay too much attention to Cooper. The nursing and tending to Cohen is getting easier because Cohen does not seem to mind that I have to "make milk for Cooper?" as he says. Where at first he hated that I couldn't jump to his aid while nursing, now he doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that while I am nursing I am all Cooper's.

We move into the studio later in the week and this weekend. I am really excited. I have clients that are already booked so I am anxious to get into the space and get rolling. I promise to share pictures when I have time to post. I need to do a recap of August too. I have so many pictures from before and after Cooper's arrival that are blog worthy. So until then. Enjoy a few snaps of Cooper and Cohen that I took last week.

Another Beach Boy

#2 Has arrived! He s so stinking cute too! We decided on Cooper Michael... He was a much bigger boy than expected weighing in at 7lb 15 oz a measuring 21inches. We were expecting low 7lbs even into the 6's. I was measuring a week behind schedule as far as belly growth so we were surprised.

I labored from 9am-3:45pm, started pushing a little after 4pm and about 6 contractions & 12 or 15 deep pushes later our little guy arrived. Jeremy was a great cheerleader and I cried like a baby myself. I just cannot explain the rush of emotion that came over me when I saw him for the first time. It has to be, by far the best feeling in the world!

All fingers and toes, (skinny ones) accounted for. He makes little chipmunk noises. He is nursing well thank goodness. (I struggled with Cohen) Speaking of, he is doing great. He received a big brother gift from his little brother, napped during the main part of labor and when he woke he was so smitten acting when he met his brother, almost shy. That shyness quickly subsided and Cohen was saying things like "take baby Coop on walk with me?" " I feed baby Coop?" Hearing Cohen call the baby, baby Coop is what probably sealed the deal on his name. We were considering Ty (close second), Turner and Kennon. We have not put his name in writing so we have a little room to change it if we do not feel Cooper is right for our guy but I think that it is!

Well I cannot wait for yo all to meet our little guy!

Being Induced... In hours!

Here is a little snap from mine and Cohen's maternity portraits taken this past Saturday at 38.5 weeks. This might just be my favorite and a big thanks to Melanie Merkling for making it happen. She graciously donated her talents to me because she knows I am too cheap to pay for my own since I feel like I can simply set up a tripod and set the automatic timer, right?

I write this on the eve or now the morning of being induced with #2 or baby Frank as Cohen calls him. We will post pictures of the arrival of #2 and when I post I hope to have a name for our little guy. Until then he is #2 or baby Frank and I actually will miss calling him baby Frank but no Michaelanne we will not be naming him Frank, Frankie or Franklin. Sorry!

We will keep you all posted....

not my little guy... meet sterling

No I didn't have my little guy but I am slated to be induced on the 17th if he does not arrive sooner!

We did think he was going to too! Last Thursday we spent the evening at the triage center of our birthing facility getting evaluted. At 37 weeks I was dilated to a 3.5 with my contractions being only 2.5 minutes apart. I thought for sure that we were having the little guy with no name... but nope they sent us home at 11:30pm because my cervix never thinned throughout the contractions, etc. They considered it preterm labor. So here I have sat since Thursday with back labor and contractions just waiting for #2 to arrive.

Tos see more of the above little guy click HERE. He was perfect and had me praying I deliver early... he was just shy of 9lbs! Yikes I know. Note... I am officially on maternity leave from portrait sessions. I did my two final sessions this morning and afternoon. However, when will my maternity leave begin from editing? NEVER I would assume!