1 Month Old and still growing

This past Sunday ( November 9th) Cooper turned 1 month old. As of then he weighed 8.7 lbs. I can't believe how much he's grown in the past month. This weekend Cooper got to meet some more new people in his family. He met his Aunt April and his Great Grandma Beulah (GGB). It was so nice that GGB got to meet her first great grandchild. Here are some pictures from our weekend.




Cooper is learning to use all the different parts of his body. Someone was able to catch a picture of him sticking out his tongue. That's some quick picture taking.


GGB holding a sleepy Cooper. He always seemed to go right to sleep whenever she held him.


Aunt April holding Cooper.



Cooper was so tired he decided he would go to sleep sitting on mommy. Mommy loves the Cooper hugs.


This was about the only time Grandpa Ed had a chance to hold Cooper all weekend. The Grandma's held him most of the time.


Cooper yawning as he is being rocked to sleep.


It's amazing Cooper was able to sleep this weekend with so many people holding him. Surprisingly he stayed awake longer than usual. He seemed to enjoy being awake spending time with everyone.


This was a cute picture of Cooper sleeping on his stomach. He was about to roll off the pillow. Luckily when we moved him he didn't wake up.

Lately Cooper has been sucking on his hand to help him go to sleep. I can't bring myself to give him a pacifier yet, so this will have to work for now.


Great Grandma Beulah, Grandma Terry, Daddy, and Cooper.


Cooper was always well behaved when being held by GGB.


Here is Cooper sleeping on his stomach. He likes to sleep with his legs curled up and his butt up in the air. This seems to be his favorite position to sleep in because he sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time (Supervised of course). I wish he would sleep this long at night.


Cooper was overstimulated this weekend by the many kisses he received from family. Daddy was a little overwhelmed by all the kissing going on.


Here is Daddy giving Cooper his first bottle. Daddy did a great job feeding him, although Cooper seemed to be hungry an hour later. I don't think he drank enough. Now daddy will be able to help feed Cooper during the night so mommy can get a little more sleep. Thanks daddy!

Cooper's First Halloween

Cooper in his ghost costume.


This is what Cooper did most of the day.


Here we are getting ready to carve a pumpkin for Cooper.


Daddy is carving out the pumpkin while mommy and Cooper watch.


Here is the finished product. The pumpkin has Cooper's name carved in it.


This was a cute picture of Cooper sleeping.


Here is Cooper in his reindeer costume. He was trying to suck on the hood.

Thanks Grammy Rachel

Dear Grammy Rachel,
It was so wonderful for you to come visit with my mommy and daddy. It was nice that my birthday was planned so you were able to come and be apart of my special day. I was so happy when you were at the hospital and were the first person who was able to hold me while daddy was busy caring for mommy. It wouldn't have been very fun if the nurse had to hold me or if I had to stay in my crib. It was nice when I was finally able to go home and see my new house and wonderful room. Thank you for helping take care of my mommy while she recovered. Surprisingly, her recovery has gone quite well and I know she is feeling better already. It was so nice of you to wash all of my clothes three and four times a day when I pooped or peed on them. I absolutely love the dino and animal blankets you made for me. They are so warm and fuzzy and will keep me warm during the cold winter months. I promise not to pee too much on the sheets you made. Although at this point I can't control how well mommy and daddy put on my diaper. If I pee all over, it may be their fault. I'm way too cute for it to be my fault! Thank you again for helping mommy and daddy the first two weeks of my wonderful life. I can't wait to see you (and Poppy) at Christams time. It will be even more fun when you finally move to Utah.
I hope you had a save flight home and I will see you soon on skype. Below are a few of my favorite memories with you. Thanks again.

Love,
Cooper

How Cooper Got His Name...

Why did we choose Cooper???

It was a funny thing. Kelly and I were taking a walk around the neighborhood in April, after we had learned that we were having a boy. Although we had many girl names picked out, we didn't bother with the boy names because...let's be honest...original boy names are difficult to come up with. As an example, when I go to any Bonneville cutthroat trout meetings, I usually interacts with 5-6 different guys named "Paul." None of them go by Chip, just in case you are wondering. One time I was at a meeting with 5 people, and 4 of them were named Paul.

Kelly and I thought it would be fun to focus our names on something or someone derived from the natural world. So naturally I came up with some fish names, none of which were readily accepted by Kelly. While we were walking and talking about our name ideas, we happened to see a Cooper's hawk fly overhead. I had observed them over the winter and on this walk, I finally saw their nest, way up in a big cottonwood tree. Out of the blue, I suggested "Cooper" as a name. Kelly loved it, but I was unsure. I thought it should be "researched" more. So I spent the next 5 months trying to come up with alternatives. In fact while working with our crews this summer we would have conversations strictly regarding the naming of "Baby Bebb." We generated a shortlist by September. My list did not include Cooper.

When the big day arrived last week I went into the hospital quite sure that we would be naming our little boy a name like Sawyer or Owen. However, as soon as I saw him, I was shocked. There was no question in my mind that this little boy is Cooper. Kelly's mom, Rachel, who was also present for the birth thought the same thing. So when it came time to name him, I mentioned "Cooper" and Kelly agreed. I am impressed by the intuition that Kelly has. She stuck with the name for a long time. She just knew!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Accipiter-cooperii-01.jpg

So the name "Cooper" comes from a Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii). I guess you could also say that Cooper is named after the 19th century naturalist, William Cooper, after which the Cooper's hawk is named.

Cooper's Hawk Information
William Cooper Information

Aunts, and Uncles, and Grandpas Oh My!

This past weekend was Cooper's first visit with Aunt Olga, Uncle Craig and Grandpa Ed. It sounds weird to think of my brother as an uncle. He is so big next to Cooper. Here are some pictures from their visit.


This is Uncle Craig making funny faces with Cooper.


Here is Aunt Olga smiling at an awake happy Cooper.


Cooper decided he needed a pre-dinner snack. He seems to suck on his fingers often right before he eats. I promise, I feed him all the time.


Paul is posing in front of the totally awesome lasagna he and my mom made for dinner. It's his best ever! Thanks Paul for slaving away in the kitchen all day.


Here is Grandpa Ed holding his first grandchild. He didn't want to let him go. He'll be back again next weekend along with Grammy Terry and Aunt April.


This is a picture of Cooper's room with his new camel lamp. This lamp used to be Paul's lamp and his dad saved it all these years. You can't see it too well, but the colors on the camel match the room perfectly. Thanks Grammy and Grandpa Burnett. We love it.


Daddy is enjoying some time on the couch with Cooper. This is one of Daddy and Cooper's favorite positions. He could sit there for hours if mommy would let him.


Mom and Daddy love to make faces with Cooper. He can't quite see us yet but we love to imitate all his adorable faces.

What does your name mean?

Cooper Name Meaning and History

1. English: occupational name for a maker and repairer of wooden vessels such as barrels, tubs, buckets, casks, and vats, from Middle English couper, cowper (apparently from Middle Dutch kuper, a derivative of kup ‘tub’, ‘container’, which was borrowed independently into English as coop). The prevalence of the surname, its cognates, and equivalents bears witness to the fact that this was one of the chief specialist trades in the Middle Ages throughout Europe. In America, the English name has absorbed some cases of like-sounding cognates and words with similar meaning in other European languages, for example Dutch Kuiper.

What Cooper Means You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

Paul's Name:

Your first name of Paul creates a dual nature for you desire to systematize your life to progress step by step, but so frequently, you are taken into new experiences, instability, and change. You are intrigued by a challenge, especially in mechanical and technical fields. Scientific concepts appeal to you. You like activities that require physical effort as well as mental ingenuity. Your questioning, critical, practical nature makes you prove all ideas to your own satisfaction, rarely accepting anyone's word or ideas

What Paul Means

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

Kelly's Name:

What Kelly Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.

To find out what your name means click on the link below: /whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/

Coopermania Continues...

We are just loving life with baby Cooper or "Mini Cooper" as some of you like to call him. We thought we would just limit words and let our friends and family enjoy some photos.


Bubbles...


Cooper snuggling with mommy. Not to worry. Mommy was not asleep, just enjoying his company.


Daddy's first, somewhat successful attempt at putting clothes on Cooper. This required Cooper to be disturbed from his rest for an extended amount of time while daddy tried to make sense of the random buttons that did not seem to line up with anything. The end result...a mad baby! Not to worry. He got over it in about 15 seconds and went back to sleep.


A happy family finally home!


A lot of this going on!


Preparing Cooper for his first bath.


Preparing mommy for Cooper's first bath. See the towel on Cooper? This is to protect mommy and daddy from the stream of pee that tends to fly about randomly during diaper changes.


A successful bath!


A clean baby.


Mommy and Coop!