Already 8 months:( ..

I guess I the pace was too slow... he took matters into his own hands . Enjoyed homemade pureed Chx/beans/carrots and mango.

Van and Le's bday celebration with siblings 7/23/2011

Finger food at 8 months

He is practicing his pincer skills! Peas and Cheerios!

Great fiber food for babies

Great fiber food for babies:
Whole grain
Peaches
Pear
Prunes
Prune juice
Apple juice (NOT applesauce)

Sitting well at 7 months

Sitting well at 7 months

Awesome Cooper family reunion! Here's the next generation of trouble :))

Awesome Cooper family reunion in Wichita. Here's the next generation of trouble :)) Summer 2011

The next generation of Scott and Simon! :). 3 yrs

Hanging out with his cousins :) Summer 2011; 7.5 months

Minicoop was playing dress up with her cousin :))

Mommy and Grandma :)

7.5 months Which channel next?

Okay... Hurry up and watch TV before Hoa Con/Grandpa comes down :)

Summer road trip 2011

Little brother is going to Wichita to meet Uncle Albert, Uncle Miles and family for the first time!

I woke up to him turning on his own music! Luv this age! 7 months

Crashing model homes; tea time anyone?!?

Crashing model homes; tea time anyone?!?

New room color!

We are closing on the sell of our existing home today! In less than one week Minicoops will have a new look to their rooms!

Baby's First Solids

Little brother's baby food log
After his 6 month checkup we started introducing cereal and pureed organic baby food. Key rule of thumb is to introduce new food and wait 4 days before introducing another one to watch for allergic reactions.

• Early June 2011 - Whole grain cereal mixed with BM. Initially it needs to be soupy.  1x a day.  Our goal is to continue to keep baby brother on BM until he is close to 12 months.  To help this goal, we always feed him his milk and then his solids. If not, there is a chance that babies will wean off milk earlier. As the new recommended practice from our pediatrician, BM babies should also have a multi-vitamin or vitamin D drops to ensure there is sufficient iron.
• Mid-June 2011  - Avocado, bananas, and steamed sweet potatoes(mixed with milk; soupy consistency) got two thumbs up. 
• Late June/July 4th - Steamed green beans and mango
• Next:  Planinng to try squash and pear

One Month Milestone and Newborn Supplies

Check out baby brother at his one month milestone.  We got our money's worth with the Fisher Price papisan cradle swing for Minicoop and her baby brother.  There are many designs available but we recommend that you consider the one with the best ratings from sites like Amazon. It can swing, has a lot of padding that's machine washable, has a mobile, multiple angles, and music.   We did all of our baby registering online to make use of the consumer feedback before making our selections.

This Baby Bjorn chair is great since it's washable, can be folded flat, has multiple angles, and has a soft backing for the baby's head. Here is baby brother watching Big Sis play with her Legos.  To help entertain Big Sis, she loves puzzles, Legos, kitchen toys, pretend play with her barbies. 



Welcome Home Baby Brother

December 2010 was a very special time for our family.  We became a family of four and welcomed home a healthy baby boy. It was a much appreciated gift to have our parents and siblings close by during the holidays. Newborn pictures were taken in our house which took the stress away from us needing to travel. The first few weeks were full of emotions, physical recovery, and exhaustion. .BUT..we have been on cloud nine!

Minicoop's Big 2 in Maui

Minicoop's first beach vacation was in Maui. Words can not express how much fun we had while we enjoyed Aunt Cindy and Uncle Toan's wedding.  The flower girl did so well walking down the ailse with Daddy.  I highly recommend a beach pop up tent.  Even when Minicoop was not using it, it was great to protect your things from the sand and sun.  We extended the vacation and spent time on the Big Island (Kona and Hilo).   Enjoy the album.  

Thanksgiving 2011

I never realized how big I was until I found these Thanksgiving pictures!

Minicoop Becomes a Big Sis

As the day got closer to little brother's arrival, I became more worried and more anxious about how Big Sis would react.  I was feeling torn on how I can have room to love another little being as much as I love her. I was feeling sad that the attention that I have to give the baby is time that I would lose with my first baby. Minicoop is a natural Big Sis.  She melted my worries since day 1.  Here are pictures of her first time meeting her baby bother.  

I continue to count my blessing on how nurturing and understanding she is. We planned for her to be potty trained and the Minicoops to at least be 2 years a part.  That was a huge plus!

We also did our homework to minimize disruption and to help ease the transition. 

-Ahead of time, we purchased I'm a Big Sister book By Joanna Cole.  She still loves reading that book!

-We bought a big sister and little brother gift for them to exchange during their first meet in the hospital.

-She still remembers that her magnetic dress up dolls toy is from her baby brother.

-In return, she gave baby brother a beany baby.

-Upon arrival at the hospital, we ensured that Big Sis saw her Little Bro in his crib and not Mommy's arms. 

-We made sure our family gave extra attention to Big Sis since the baby wouldn't know any better.

-While I was recovering, Daddy became the primary care taker for Bib Sis. He made sure her routine stayed the same while I stayed in the hospital for the first three nights.  Minicoop always went home to sleep in her own bed.

And so the journey now has a family of four :)

Tiny Tim Song

A big part of our family's routine is singing and listening to music. It helps wind the kids down, or gets them moving to pick up toys, or spare our sanity while we are driving :)  We appreciate how easily you can find lyrics to songs on the internet.  We try to memorize new songs and incorporate them into bedtime and bathtime routines.  Daycare has introduced Minicoop to many cute songs.  After she turned 2.5, we started hearing her sing songs from school.   This is one of our favorites that we learned from her.

Tiny Tim


I had a little Turtle,
His name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water.
He ate up all the soap.
And now he's sick in bed with bubbles in his throat.

The cutest is listening to her voice and when she adds a hiccup at the end of the song!

Dallas Arboretum Fairy Tale Castle

This year 2011, is our first Spring as a family of four.  Here are pictures from a day at the Dallas Arboretum. Enjoy viewing the album.

Baby Portraits of Lucas

Sophia is a proud Big Sis.  Christmas 2010 was extra
special with us welcoming home Lucas!

7 weeks old

Last night he slept for 5 hours straight! That's a first!





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Gymnastics fun!

http://picasaweb.google.com/vantrancooper/FirstTimeGymnastics25Years?feat=directlink



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Fall 2010 Fun - Tossing nuts

This Summer and Fall 2010, we've been attending Emlers Super Waterbabies swimming lessons. It is really neat to see how the program has transformed Minicoop into a little fish. After swimming lessons and lunch, we enjoy the outdoors as often as the weather permits.

Here she is gathering and tossing nuts for fun.








Gathering nuts to do more tossing




























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