Sleeping Like a Baby

Ian and I got home from church today and found Mommy and Cooper asleep on the couch. Luckily, the camera was handy and we got this picture of the two of them.

Green Energy Idea: Power the World With Two-Year-Olds

Okay, so I am not sure exactly when I got old, but it has become evident to me recently that there are several people living in my house who are younger and more vigorous than I. Case in point: we woke up at about six thirty a few mornings ago to find Ian-- who had been awake for probably ten minutes, singing songs (his own music and lyrics, by the way) and playing around. His light was on and he didn't have a care in the world. I opened up the door to his room to tell him, "Hello!" and was greeted by this sight:
In case you can't tell, those are Thomas the Tank Engine stickers all over his face. I just don't have the enthusiasm that he does that early in the morning. Maybe all those years of trying to be a grown-up weren't such a good idea...

Runs In The Family...

So, I was out with my Granddad Infanger on Tuesday (pictured below with Cooper) running some errands and had a fun experience. Granddad is 85 years old and doesn't see as well as he used to. We had to go get some stuff for a Christmas dinner that he is throwing on Sunday at his house. We were at Costco getting plates, spoons, napkins, et cetera and Jenny called to let me know that we needed more baby wipes. So, I grabbed a box and tossed them on the cart. We got up to the checkout line and Granddad loaded his stuff on the belt; I put one of those little divider things on the belt and tossed my wipes up there. No sooner had I turned around to move the cart than Granddad had put the divider back and scooted the wipes up with his stuff. I tried to move them back-- he moved them up. I tried to move them back again-- he moved them right back up. I told Granddad that he didn't need to buy wipes for us, and he said that he wanted to do it as a present for Cooper. I could see that I was not going to win this exchange. The lady behind the counter just looked at me and said, "I wouldn't mess with him." I told her that I was pretty sure that this conversation was over and that I had lost. Then I said, "As you can tell, stubbornness runs in our family." Ever quick on the uptake, Granddad looked at her and very matter-of-factly told the young lady, "I am not stubborn at all. I am just very resolute!" You've gotta love Grandy.

Home Again, Home Again...

We're home! Sort of. I have my first final in the morning and two more before this time next week, so we decided to move Jenny and Ian and Cooper in to my parents house out in Pleasant Grove. In any case, Jenny and Cooper left the hospital this evening and this time I remembered the camera! Cooper was down to 6lbs 14oz this morning (pretty normal) and his bilirubin count is high enough that we are going to go back to the hospital on Wednesday morning to get it checked again. Other than that, he is doing great! His head is assuming a very normal (and very pleasing, I might add) shape and he is sleeping and eating well. Jenny is feeling better than she was with Ian and is very cute with our boys! I am SO proud of her and love to watch her with our cute little family.

Photo Montage

Top to Bottom: Cooper with Jenny's Mom & Dad (Brad & Linda Lamb), Cooper with my Mom and Dad (Rex & Alison Infanger), Cooper, Cooper with my sister Val, Mommy with a sleepy Baby Cooper, Daddy, Mommy & Baby Cooper.

Santa Baby

Seeing as it is the Christmas season and all, Jenny could not resist the temptation to put little Cooper in some sort of ridiculous getup. It could have been much worse-- you should see the stocking that the nurses tried to stick him into at the hospital (I guess they feel that it is their prerogative to humiliate the children of other people. I'd probably be notorious for that sort of thing if that was my job.) Anyway, I think he looks pretty darn cute. It is weird to think that it has only been 48 hours since we took this picture, but for him that is half a lifetime ago.

Cooper is doing well-- eating a lot, sleeping a lot (though not at night) and generally being pretty healthy. His bilirubin count was up slightly today, but he is still in the low-to-mid range. With as well as he is eating (and pooping) he should get it out of his system soon.
Jenny has been taking such good care of our boys the last few days-- especially since I have either been taking finals or been sick in bed. (Who gets the flu after having a baby--twice! Seriously!)

Bonus question: What singer/actress was once described by Orson Welles as "the most exciting woman in the world?" Hint: She originally sang Santa Baby and was the voice of Yzma on The Emperor's New Groove.


Answer: Eartha Kitt

You Otter Be In Pictures

Ian gave Cooper an Otter that we brought back from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Jenny thinks that Cooper and the Otter have a resemblance... she gave birth to him, so I guess that is her prerogative. Cooper gave Ian a little stuffed Emperor Penguin, and the penguin is now named "Hantu." Ian was playing with the penguin's flippers and looked up and said, "Daddy pendwin haf han too!" (translation: "Father, come and inspect the vestigial wings of this Aptenodytes forsteri; I find it humorous that he appears to have hands just as do I!") Anyway, "Hantu" sounded like a good name for a penguin.

Wide Awake!

He was wide awake and talking to Mommy today. His eyes look like they could be blue or maybe hazel, but they don't look as dark as Ians.

Frog Legs, Lobster Hands & Other Traits Inherited From Jenny's Family

He has been cooped up for so long that he still has little frog legs. I love it! It kinda makes changing diapers hard, though. Ian looked at Cooper's hands in the little hospital shirt and started pinching his fingers together. Then he looked at me and said, "Baby Cooper. Lobster. Crab. Pinch!" It was adorable. The nurses just about died laughing.

Here he is in all his monkey-swaddled glory! Jenny made this cute blanket for the baby. She says that she is getting very domesticated. He gets antsy when he is not swaddled up, but when you wrap the blanket around him you can see his whole body relax.

He's Here!

Okay, I know that I am going to be drawn and quartered for this, but I left the camera at the hospital when I came back to my parent's place tonight-- so I don't have any pictures to post-- I'll fix it soon, I promise! Anydangway, the important thing is that COOPER IS HERE!

Cooper William Infanger was born last night at 6:46 in American Fork. He weighed 7lbs, 4.7oz and was 18.5 inches long (Granddad Infanger says that he fits just fine in the slot limit!). He is an adorable little boy with lots of black hair, a little upturned nose and (a family tradition!) absolutely no behind whatsoever. Seriously. What is it with these scrawny little boys of ours? How are we supposed to keep the diapers on?

We brought Ian down to the hospital to meet his little brother this morning and they were both really cute. I wheeled the bassinet into the room and Ian saw his brother for the first time. He tapped on the side of the bassinet, peering inside. "Baby Cooper? Baby Cooper? Baby Cooper!" He started tickling the bassinet and was so delighted to finally get to meet the little guy who has been stealing Mommy's lap for the last few months. I sat on the couch next to the window holding Cooper and Ian started telling Cooper about all of the things that he could see outside. He talked about the cars and the snow and the Christmas decorations and the trees, then he just turned around and looked at the baby and said "Love you, Baby Cooper." It was incredibly cute and doubly so because it was spontaneous. Ian is coping well with spending lots of time at his Grandmas' houses and is just as happy-go-lucky as ever. He is going to be a really good big brother because he is so happy all the time (he's teething now, but still pretty delightful).

Jenny and Cooper are both doing well. We are so grateful that Cooper is here and that he arrived safely (for both him and his Mommy). We are also so indebted (again) to our families for all the help that has been forthcoming as we try to get through this next week with adjustments to a new baby and my third round of Law School finals. I will post pictures as soon as I can-- it is finals week, so it might take me a day or two.

Much love, Chris, Jenny, Ian and Cooper.

Talk About Egg On Your Face...

So, have you ever made hardboiled eggs? Ever cracked one of the eggs while you were putting it into the pan? Ever notice how one end of those cracked eggs ends up looking kinda like a suction cup? Guess who made this startling discovery at breakfast one morning last week? That's right. None other than our little culinary experimenter extraordinaire, Ian. I'm 25 years older than him, and despite the fact that I have lived more than 10 times longer, it has never, ever occurred to me to take that little suction cup end of the cracked hardboiled egg and stick it on my face. I guess I'm just not very creative. That's my boy!

Ian Met Santa (He Was Impressed. Really. Sort Of.)

So... Ian met Santa Claus the other night at the Provo Library Fiesta Navidad. We found out after I waited in line for an hour that Ian pretty much doesn't care about Santa Claus. However, a Santa Claus who gives out treats is another story altogether. We posted this picture because this was about as enthusiastic as Ian got right up until the elves handed him his bag of treats.

We had fun playing while we were in line while we were waiting and out in the snow after we were done, though. Ian is loving the snow. He likes that he can make tracks in the snow and then follow his own footsteps back to where he was before. Cute boy!