38

Websites really like to make you think that 37 is full term, but I am still on the 38 week bandwagon. With all the weird ways that you calculate your due date, I think 38 weeks makes the most sense. That's just what I think, and I don't think it really matters all the much. 

Needless to say, I am 38 weeks pregnant which is approximately equivalent to 9 + months pregnant. Yes, I am ready to birth and meet Mr. Coopito. Though, with the way Lucy has been acting as of late, I am a little frightened at the prospect of having two children. Good thing I have some amazing in-laws that will soften the blow for a little while. We will discuss Lucy a little bit later. 

People always ask me how this pregnancy has been different and for the most part I honestly don't remember a lot of how I felt when I was pregnant with Lucy. Jimmy will remind me of some of the aches and pains that I voiced, but I just don't remember exactly how much Lucy moved or how much my back ached (though I am sure it did). With this pregnancy I know that I have been lucky enough to avoid major swelling. The weather is reason for that. It was a very mild spring in both Virginia and here in MA. I LOVE it! In fact the cool mornings make it perfect for walk (an "adventure" as Lucy likes to call it!). It doesn't leave my feet ten sizes bigger for the rest of the days' activities. And my face, which I know is somewhat fuller, is not fully enhanced by water retention. It's the little things that keep me going...

Other than that, I am tired in the mornings because of the interrupted sleep, but I remedy that with a very nice nap in the afternoon while Lucy sleeps. We both really need that nap. I think overall this has been a pretty good pregnancy, though I do not consider myself someone who loves being pregnant. I must confess I would like to wear my shirts without them being very snug around my belly. I feel like I am re-adjusting something about my clothing. 

Lucy on the other hand has been quite the little hand full. I think she has embraced being two quite avidly by using the word "want" in almost every other sentence and paring it with "mine." And when she doesn't get things immediately she has mini melt-downs. I am not saying she has become an unhappy child, she is still very happy. We just get a little more independent/stubborn Lucy than we are used to, and it is difficult to match her energy especially when she is having a melt-down. 

For example the other day Jimmy was cutting up watermelon for dinner. As he was putting away the half we were not using she became overly emotion, thinking that her precious watermelon was being sentenced to an eternity beyond her reach. She cried, she went limp and basically could not be consoled. I had to remove her from the room just to get her stop carrying on. It was almost funny and I am sure I giggled a little bit when it happened. We decided to leave the watermelon as a dessert at the end of dinner. She consumed 5 pieces! That girl can eat I tell you.

I guess the best way to describe Lucy right now is dramatic. When she is happy is over the moon, when she is sad she is downright emotional. I am sure some of us can relate. 

But sure as she is dramatic she is also super cute. Thanks Grandma Schillemat (K) for this lovely dress that I could only partially get on camera. 

Here's hoping some the next pictures I post are of a new family member....

Happy memorial/birthday!

This year my birthday fell on Memorial day. It does that every so often. It is kind of fun.

On Saturday we celebrated Lucy's birthday in Boxborough, so on Monday we decided to go to Nelson to celebrate my birthday. All the Schillemats gathered at my aunt and uncle's house and we ate yummy food. It wasn't really a birthday celebration, more a Memorial day celebration but we brought cake and everyone sang a little tune for me. It was nice. Plus this cake was a angel food cake, which is my favorite. And, Jimmy made it by himself from scratch. He didn't think it was a success, but I beg to differ. I thought it was delicious!

Lucy had a fantastic time. She was the only little one around, apart from my cousin's 2-3 month old baby. She got a lot of attention, including personalized bouncing privileges on the trampoline. She was pretty tired by the end of the day.

In other news worthy events, I have now met all the midwives from the practice, so Coopito can come anytime. With Lucy I said the same thing and she came within a few days. I am not saying this is going to happen, but it really is nice that our little ones wait until we have everything in order before they make their appearances. It calms my nerves quite a bit. I must say, moving a month before your due date is MUCH better than moving 2 weeks before your due date.

And that is that. Here is a favorite picture of mine. It was taken on Monday at my parents. Lucy was frolicking, as she does so often and she asked that I put this flower in her hair. She is a very pretty girl, if I do say so myself.

Birthday party celebration

Just for those who couldn't make it, here is the cake I made. By the way we missed you.

I am NOT a cake decorator, and I am not offended if you do not know what I was going for. I will tell you. It is a Winnie the pooh cake with little bumblebee cupcakes. I liked the cupcakes better than the Winnie the pooh. Mostly because they were simple and seem to appear more like what I actually intended them be. Let's not talk about the writing on the bottom of the Pooh cake. It just didn't fare very well. But you can read Lucy and that is all that is important. But those bumblebees....Who knew you could cut up jelly beans and use almond slices as wings. I was pretty pumped that I didn't have to use an fondant. To me, that stuff tastes gross. If you like the taste, to each his own, I am just not a fan. Lucy didn't really care. She just wanted to eat it.

She also enjoyed having her cousins to play with her. It really was a fantastic birthday party. And she gave some very memorable hugs after she opened each present. She pats people's backs when she hugs. We like her.

She is in bed now, singing happy birthday to herself. I would say she had a good time too!

I be two!

Today is Lucy's birthday. We celebrate on Saturday, but regardless today is a special day. Lucy has treated us with some att-tit-tude, I guess that is what being two is all about. We still love her.

How do you describe Lucy? Well, as her grandparents would say, she is either eating, running or sleeping. All of which she is very good at. She is also quite a little chatterbox. Every time you talk with her she has learned a new word or phrase. Yesterday she said the phrase "I see a little bird on the rock.." I know, I know, super profound. But honestly, when did she go from one word to phrases like that? It baffles me. I feel like she has grown up over night.

2-year-old Lucy (goodness we need a new camera!)

When you ask her how old she is she promptly replies "I be two!" She is also quite excited about her birthday party on Saturday. Good thing her expectations are not too high though I am sure if there is food she will be happy.

She is such a happy little girl and we love having her in our family.

Happy birthday dear Lucy - goose!

gang's all here

So here we are in the little town of Boxborough starting a new beginning. Or perhaps we should say, transitioning into a new transition and phase of life. We made the 11 hour drive in two days because we weren't sure of Lucy's desire to travel that far, and needless to say being pregnant as much as I am also doesn't lend itself to long trips.

Regardless, we arrived on Tuesday a little after lunchtime. And it has been very nice. Our family is so gracious to us as we go through this very crazy little time of life. Jimmy has begun studying, but the hardcore stuff starts tomorrow. I have started to prepare a little more seriously for Coopito. I actually bought some clothes using some of the gift cards we received from friends.

I also met with the midwife practice that will help with the labor and delivery of Coopito. They seem very nice and a little bit more my style when it comes to delivery. Don't get me wrong, Lucy's delivery wasn't anything traumatic, but I didn't feel super connected to the doctors because I didn't really see them much before or during the labor and deliver. I wanted something a little more personal, so I was directed by my sister-in-law (thank you Heather!) to look in NH. Let's face it, NH is pretty cool, so it wasn't a stretch for me to look around the NH boarder a bit for a practice of midwives that might fit my needs a little better. I am also a big fan of a smaller hospital/birth centers. It seems like a win-win.

Now the waiting game begins. I am feeling pretty big, but not super uncomfortable. Jimmy's guess for Coopito's arrival is June 18th. I am trying not to think about it too much. When he comes he comes. All I know is he is really active and my belly looks like he is trying break out.

Lucy is in HEAVEN! She has grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins to love her. The other day we were visiting with her three Cooprider cousins and she was delighted to say the least. And even better, it totally wore her out. She slept in to 7am. It was awesome. I envision more play dates in the future.

And that is life of this Cooprider family. Stay tuned for some birthday pictures. Lucy turns 2 next week. Yikes! And then I turn 29. Double yikes!

James R Cooprider JD

This happened yesterday....

Can I get a HALLELUJAH!?! Doesn't he look so professional? 

We are so glad that he has finally jumped the Law School hurdle. Tomorrow we leave for MA. In a few months he will take the bar and we will be who knows where. Somewhere in New England most likely. My, my how these three years have flown (though, let's be honest, it felt quite long sometimes...)

A big thank you to ALL of our family and friends. Your support and prayers are what made these last three years bearable and possible. 

Now onto the next adventure. Baby coopito!

And happy Mommy's day! 

potty time

It is true, Lucy is getting closer to the potty training time. We haven't really pushed it because well...I am pregnant and we are moving. I feel like potty training requires a little more diligence on our part and we haven't really had that kind of time. So every night before her bath Lucy sits on the potty even though she doesn't do anything. That is about all the consistency we can handle.

Sometimes she asks to use the potty and we let her go then as well. But again, she doesn't do anything except sit there and ask to use the toilet paper. Which is right within her reach I might add. If we aren't paying attention there goes the entire roll.

But tonight ladies and gents after a little bit of coaxing and a little bit of grunting on her part, Lucy peed in the potty. I tried to sound super impressed, and she just kind of shook it off. Maybe just maybe this little happening will allow her to continue, even if we don't do a great job working on it until we are fully moved. Either way, I like all parents was super proud in that moment, even though it might seem like a strange thing to be proud about.

This is picture is totally unrelated, but I thought a visual of Lucy is always nice. Sometime I will talk more about Boxerwood.

The title was to entice you to read. Here is the boring "what's going on in our lives as of right now" part...

In other news VMI classes ended and all I have left are finals. One of my finals is on Tuesday night and the other is on the day of Jimmy's graduation. Needless to say I got someone to proctor the final on Jimmy's graduation, so really I only have to twiddle my thumbs through on exam. Although I then have to grade all of the exams, which to be quite frank, I am not super excited about. Oh well, I guess I must suffer a little bit if my students have to suffer through the final.

In general my thoughts on this semester are a little different than the first, and that mostly has to do with the group of students I had. I also had one less class to teach, which greatly eased some of the stress, although I do miss teaching astronomy. But in terms of the students, I would have to say they were a lot less whiny and a lot more motivated to do well. Last semester I had a bunch of students who thought I should basically given them example problems exactly like the tests and quizzes. This semester I did try to prepare them a little better by letting them know what to study, but I felt that they were a lot more receptive to my suggestions. I guess at some point I will get the evaluations for this last semester and see if it really helped. Either way, I was a lot less stressed.

Jimmy is DONE. I mean D-O-N-E done. All he needs to do is be present for the formal graduation ceremony, which I am sure is not even required. But seriously, he gets a walking stick and it feels foolish to not go when he has been doing this for 3 painful years. And we get to see our family. Lucy has been talking about Grandma Coop all weekend. "Who is coming to visit in a few days Lucy?" to which she replies "Grandma Coop is coming!" We are beyond excited to have parents and grandparents here within the next few days. We love seeing them, first. But second, we have a lot of things to move and they will be a great help!

In terms of this move coming up, I have mixed emotions.I am SOOOOO happy that Jimmy is done with Law School. It is not an exaggeration to say that he did not like Law School. There were parts he enjoyed, but mostly he hated it. It was very emotionally draining for him and therefore difficult for all of us. School is like that sometimes. But at the same time I am pretty sad to leave this area. I really like the friends we have. Our friends from church and the people I have met through employment. They are so generous and caring. I will miss seeing them often. It is difficult to think that after the summer we will not be coming back to see them.

And then I think about how wonderful this summer is going to be, surrounded by family as we welcome another child to our family. A little snuggly(we are really praying for it) baby and lots of people to love Lucy and keep her entertained. That little girl is going to love being around her family. It makes me smile. And then I cringe because I loath packing. Pulling things out and putting things in boxes. I hate the pulling things out part because it makes our apartment a mess and I do not like messes. I am the mother that makes Lucy clean up her one mess before starts another one. Clutter makes me feel trapped. And no, our house is not always clean, we tend to hide the clutter in closets so I don't  go crazy. Unfortunately for Jimmy I become emotion of about packing quite often. Yesterday was a doozy. So basically all I can say is that I am quite bipolar about this moving thing.

But ending on a happy note, I know that we are going to find something perfect for our family and that makes me happy. Even if it takes a little while, I know that we will someday live in a nice area and have a garden. Even if that doesn't happen right away, those are the kind of thoughts that get me through packing and get me through missing this area. Oh change, why are you so difficult sometimes....

But let's not forget change means that little babies turn into big girls that eventually learn how to use the potty. And right now that also brings me a lot of joy.