The Cooper Girls: Julia and Charlotte

First Day/Last Days

2009-09-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

Julia had her first day of school(!) today and had a great time. Most importantly, she is excited to go back tomorrow.

The first day of school means the end of summer and it's been a busy one. We took a trip to the Adirondacks and then to the beach for a birthday/retirement party for Pop-Pop. Kara's foot has been slow to heal so the girls spent two weeks with their grandparents while Aaron and Kara travelled back and forth. The girls had a terrific time and we are in debt to them for their generosity and care (but not enough to give them an additional grandchild...Nicole, we look to you).
Since we've been home, Kara and the girls have been entertaining themselves around the house which resulted in a fleece fashion show in 80 degree weather. Julia is Monkey See and Charlotte is Monkey Do. We have a pretty serious case of older-sister worship these days.
Aaron took Julia on her first camping trip (in the backyard) over Labor Day weekend and they both had a great time. Aaron was convinced that Julia had a great night's sleep, until she feel asleep on her floor for two hours the next afternoon.

Summer fun

2009-08-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

We continue to have a good, fun summer (except Kara who has been on the couch for the last 2+ weeks after having foot surgery - she is fine physically but has to keep her foot elevated for three full weeks). Julia has been in camp at Aaron's school, which is run very much like school will be this fall (it is soon to be Aaron and Julia's school). She has been loving it and comes home each day with stories about her teachers, her classmates and her adventures there. The picture on the left is from her first day and the one on the right is from today (it is "Spirit Week" there and today was "Crazy Hair Day"). If you could count them all, you would see that Julia had 10 separate pony tails in!

Meanwhile, Charlotte and Aaron flew down to South Carolina to celebrate Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary with the entire Hudson clan (the bottom photo shows the whole group). Charlotte had a great time hamming it up for everyone. She also enjoyed going to the beach, where her favorite activity was climbing into holes that Dad or Aunt Val dug and eating as much sand as possible. Here she is before a day at the beach, first in the video (the bottle on the toilet is sunscreen) and then upon arrival at the beach itself.

We hope that everyone continues to have a great summer. See you soon!

Julia turns 3!

2009-07-05T17:38:00.001-07:00

Julia had a great time celebrating her birthday, first in Chautauqua on Saturday and then with us today (no pictures of that, though they are very similar to this one).

Charlotte was happy to celebrate Julia's birthday with another cupcake.

Julia also had a lot of fun today playing with one of her birthday presents:

Happy Summer

2009-07-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a week of family reunions in Niantic (the Varjian reunion 2009) and Chautauqua (with Great Grandma & Grandpa Hudson and Aunt Val)

Here are our experiences in pictures and video:

Julia and Charlotte with cousin Michaela

Grand-Nana with her greats (from l to r): second cousin Zach , Julia, Charlotte, cousin Michaela, and second cousin Gabrielle. Though the girls' godmother Peggy was there, somehow we got no photos of the girls with her. Next time...

We should send this one to the Niantic Tourism Office:

In Chautauqua, Julia and Charlotte got to meet some of the Sesame Street characters. Here is Julia introducing Monkey to Bert and Ernie.

We also celebrated the Fourth with a parade, a band concert, flares and fireworks around the lake, and festive attire. Here are the girls with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, followed by Julia worn out after a long day and Charlotte enjoying her picnic at the concert.

Throughout the vacation, Julia and Charlotte had their first ever "slumber parties," sleeping in the same room. Though that went well, we are happily keeping the girls in seperate rooms at home. Julia also spent every night in an adult-sized bed. So, when we returned today, Julia upgraded to a twin bed from her toddler bed. Here she is right before the lights went out tonight.

Finally, two belated images. First, Charlotte walks all the time now, but here is one of our first Charlotte walking videos: (it is better described as a classic one-year old video, but it does contain some walking)

Finally, at her first birthday party, Charlotte was joined by no less than five younger friends (from l to r): cousin Michaela (3 months), Will (6 months), Tyler (10 months), Charlotte (1 year), Lindsay (3 months), and cousin Caleb (4 months). Still not sure how they are all there, looking at the camera with no adults in the picture and no tears...

Cake sure is good on your first birthday

2009-06-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Charlotte today!

First at her party on Saturday......and then tonight on her actual birthday

A Month in Pictures

2009-05-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

The girls are great, and we're all very happy that the weather has turned for the better. The girls spend most days outside on the playground, in their playhouse, in the garden, on the hammock, or just rolling around in the yard. Charlotte walks her walker up and down the street, though no independent steps yet. Julia is finishing her once-a-week school this week. She loves it (even though saying goodbye to Mom or Dad was tough for a few weeks). So much so that she names her dolls (or us) the names of her teachers and classmates when she is playing pretend.

All the way back to Easter:

And our happy girls, both inside and outside. Check out the new thumbnail on the right side of the screen too. The girls on the hammock with Julia is our neighbor Melissa.

Happy Easter (eve)

2009-04-11T10:57:00.001-07:00

Julia's first Easter Egg Dyeing experience:

Happy Opening Day

2009-04-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

"Uncle" Marc came to visit last week and got the girls ready for opening day. Dad has lost the battle (note the girls' shirts) but at least he has not lost the war (thankfully they are not Yankees shirts)

Go Braves!

First steps?

2009-04-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's summertime for you

2009-03-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Much to report!

2009-03-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

We have been remiss in updating the website, mostly because the henhouse is always busy! The girls have had a great month, both in big events and development.

Speaking of big events, cousin Michaela Elizabeth Vennell Roberts has arrived! She was born on March 25 after a marathon labor (Nicole is a TROOPER) and according to Nana and PopPop has the same Towne nose and chin as Charlotte. Kara can't wait until this weekend to see for herself.
Grandma and Grandpa Cooper made the northeastern rounds earlier in March and had a great couple of days with the girls.
The girls took a trip to Connecticut to A. see Nana and PopPop over spring break and B. get out of Aaron's hair so he could continue his tradition of painting at least two rooms in the house. Julia got her very first tricycle, which only took about an hour and one cut finger (not hers) to put together.
Charlotte changes everyday and is now cruising on furniture and climbing up the stairs. Her nine month check-up went well and she is still a skinny minny--now in the 16th %ile for weight. We find this to be very mysterious in that she eats all of us under the table at every meal. To wit, Aaron made pancakes last weekend and the final tally was Julia: 2; Charlotte: 16. That is not a typo.Julia has started a once-weekly pre-school program through a local high school's Child Development elective. She is slowly adjusting to being away from home and loves going to the library with her buddy Jane to pick out a book. She loves to do things "all by mySELF" including getting dressed, giving herself a bath and helping put away dishes and the laundry. Her hourly rates are being read to and Elmo juice boxes.

The girls have a great time together and we love watching them figure each other out and hope they will always have this much fun.

Eight Months Old!

2009-02-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

We're not sure where the time has gone, but Charlotte has mysteriously become eight months old as of today. She had her buddy Tyler over for a visit and the babies had a lot of fun 'talking' to each other while Julia read books with Liza, Tyler's mom.

Charlotte was born with a spike of hair that continues to outgrow the rest of her coif...not to worry, this ponytail is a one time photo op!

Julia has been keeping warm in the freezing winter (infamous 'Cheese!' face still going strong).

The girls had the chance to meet cousin Caleb last weekend at his bris. It was a lovely ceremony with great company (and food!) but YEE-OUCH! God bless Caleb, indeed.

A belated heartfelt-wish:

A new star

2009-02-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Julia and Charlotte's first cousin, Caleb Cooper Salmon, was born last Friday morning at 3:41. Though the girls have not yet met him, Aaron and Kara did get to see him and snap this picture. Caleb and his parents are healthy and happy. They went home on Sunday.

Charlotte continues to be extremely active. She has grown her two front teeth (which she displays prominently when she smiles) and she is both crawling and pulling herself up to standing (see the video at the end). She has even begun cruising a bit. She also "talks" to us: she mimics us (Aaron, Kara or Julia) anytime we either razz with our tongue out or scrunch up our face and sniff in and out quickly. We'll try to get a video of it for you - it is very cute. In contrast to her minimal weight gain as mentioned in our last post, Charlotte continues to eat ravenously. She has two full bowls of food at each meal and eats Cheerios by the dozen. In fact, last night, she got ahold of the Cheerios bag and spilled out a bunch as shown. Within ten minutes, she had eaten every one of these (except the four or five mushy ones that fell out of her mouth and stuck to her pants). Incredible!

We finally had a thaw this weekend. We celebrated with a hike. Charlotte enjoyed her first backpack ride and Julia played "Queen of the Mountain" on various rocks with Mom. We finished up with fries and ketchup from Friendly's - a good day.

Cuddling with Mom and Sliding with Dad

2009-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

A happy 7-month birthday to Charlotte, and it seems a good time to give an update on the doings of the girls and their latest doctor's appointments. Julia's 2.5 year checkup and Charlotte's 6-month appointment coincided this year. Julia checked in a 37 inches tall (80%) and 28 lbs. (42%). She was excited to be weighed on the stand up scale instead of the sitting one. Charlotte is 27.25 inches long (88%) and 15lbs. 10 oz (32%). Her head circumference is in the 90th %ile. The doctor was not worried about Charlotte's weight, even though she only gained 7 oz. in the past two months. She has been incredibly active, belly-crawling her way around the house and pulling herself up to standing. She continues to love her mom above all and will do a cheek-to-cheek snuggle (as pictured) everytime she sees Kara. If someone else is holding her, she will fling her upper body towards Kara when she enters the room. There have been a few close calls!

Julia has been enjoying herself in the winter wonderland that our yard (and driveway) has become. This is a long video, but it shows Julia enjoying her new game "icee"

Milestones and Mile Markers

2009-01-07T16:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

The last month has been eventful. The holidays were busy and a lot of fun. They have apparently inspired the kids to reach for new milestones and cause all sorts of fun, new headaches for Mom and Dad.

Charlotte had her first-ever trip to the deep south, as we visited Grandma and Grandpa in their new home at the beach in South Carolina for Christmas. Both girls also got to meet their great-grandparents Hudson for the first time as well as hang out with all the Cooper (and Salmon) aunts and uncles. We drove down in two days, stopping for the night in Petersburg, VA. The hotel stay was the worst night of the trip, as Charlotte woke up screaming at 2 and Julia did not go back to sleep. We ate breakfast at 4 and were back on the road before 5. We found out later that Julia had some sort of viral infection that resulted in a 102.7-degree fever the next day!

While in South Carolina, we spent time on the beach and Julia got to test out her new paddle in her first-ever canoe ride.

We also got to spend time with Jim and Pam Hudson and the Sabins, Aaron's relatives. Julia especially enjoyed hanging out with the "little boys," in particular the bigger little boy, 15 (I think) - year old Matthew, who was a hit with both girls.

On the way back north, we stopped in Maryland for Christmas with the Vennells. Both Christmas days, the 25th with the Coopers and the 28th with the Vennells, had temperatures in the 70's, so neither Christmas quite felt like those of our childhoods, but they were enjoyable nonetheless.

Upon our return to New Jersey (and days of freezing rain), the girls started to knock down one "What to expect" milestone after another. The details:

Charlotte's first tooth has broken through. She has also started getting up on all fours and then scooting herself across the floor. When she is motivated by something (usually to put in her mouth), she really gets going, legs swimming like crazy and grunts of exertion coming out of her mouth while she motors towards the object. She also scoots around her crib and has actually been able to pull herself up to standing. That is not so dangerous now that we have lowered her crib mattress.

Julia has begun drinking out of a cup, and had her first empty cup with no spills last weekend. More excitingly, while Julia was napping today , Kara went into the basement. When she came back upstairs, she heard a strange noise, and there was Julia, standing in the living room, proclaiming that not only was she done with her crib but also that she had learned to open doors - both in the same day! So, as I type, Julia is hopefully sleeping in her new toddler bed. If she's not, she'll probably make her way down here to the basement and help me type this entry...

The only unfortunate thing in all this excitement is that we have misplaced our camera (it did make it back from vacation, but we have no idea where it is now), so we have no pictures to show you of Charlotte's new lower crib nor of Julia's new bed. Once we locate the camera, we'll share.

Finally, Charlotte's six-month and Julia's 2 1/2 year checkups are Friday; we'll let you know how they go. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year.

The Holiday Season

2008-12-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

The girls had a great time over Thanksgiving at Nana and Pop-Pop's house. Julia had a big adventure and went up early ("All by mySELF").

Charlotte has found her feet!

Our attempt at a family portrait...

We also got our Christmas tree this weekend. Julia had a great time decorating with ornaments, while Charlotte supervised from her exersaucer.

Five Months Old!

2008-11-23T16:49:00.001-08:00

A trip to the ER

2008-11-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

Julia took a spill about ten days ago... and fractured both bones in her right wrist. She also hit her head and has quite a shiner on her eyelid. It was a stressful day for Mom and Dad, but not really for Julia, who acts as if nothing has happened. In fact, check out the video at the bottom to see her cutting a rug tonight after dinner. Sorry that the video is dark.

Julia should be cast- and shiner- free in two more weeks.

Meanwhile, Charlotte continues to develop well. She has begun pushing her bottom up, either in a yoga-esque downward dog position, as in the left photo, or on all fours, as in the right photo. She has started drooling profusely (getting teeth?) and eats three meals a day in addition to a lot of liquid snacks in between. Her meals include rice cereal or oatmeal, squash, yams, bananas or applesauce. Her healthy diet has made us feel guilty about ours and we have started trying to have fruit or vegetables at each meal. Not easy!

She also flashes a big, wide grin when well-rested and laughs from time to time. Tonight Charlotte was laughing repeatedly during Julia's dance routine, making it even funnier.

YES WE CAN

2008-11-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

Francis Scott Key (as long as she does not get Dad's genes)

2008-11-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

We sing to the kids every time either of them goes to bed. Kara (surprise) has the broader repertoire and the (surprise again) much better singing voice. Aaron usually copies Kara's ideas or sings either the Star Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful (sung every week at his school's assembly). Julia has heard some of the songs so much that she sometimes spontaneously breaks into one song or another.

Here is a slightly orchestrated (forgive Aaron for his voice) version of the National Anthem (pay close attention to the very end).

(Another new post below...)

Our once-monthly update

2008-11-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm. It seems to be November, and we've just realized that we haven't posted since September. Our apologies.

The girls are keeping us on our toes, and they continue to amaze us in one way or another every day. We went to the NYC marathon today and Charlotte watched the runners contentedly from her carriage or the Baby Bjorn. Julia snacked on leftover Halloween candy (thanks, Eric Pinciss) and goldfish while cheering, "Go Runners" repeatedly. Though we got no pictures, we had a lot of fun. Julia also met Dad's high school friend Bowe, who she called "Bo Peep."

Halloween was Friday and Kara and Aaron hit the streets accompained by a small butterfly and a smaller spider. Julia actually enjoyed giving candy to trick-or-treaters at our house more than visiting other houses herself. Nevertheless, we visited our neighbor-friends' houses, and Julia got a few items in her plastic pumpkin (which she calls a "grocery pumpkin")

In other news, Charlotte recently turned 4 months and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. She is 26 inches long (90th %ile) and 15lbs, 3 oz. (70th). Kara has gotten her on a good schedule of two naps a day (something we were never able to do with Julia) in order to help her sleep through the night more consistently (she still wakes up 2-3 times per night). We've also started her on solid food, including rice cereal, bananas and applesauce (homemade from apples Julia picked with Emily, Val and Aaron during Rosh Hashannah). She continues to be active, as she now log-rolls the whole way across the floor.

Finally, a fun little video showng Julia's most recent evening routine - watching the evening news. Julia has found an affinity for "Brian Wilmiams" (listen closely)

Three Months Old!

2008-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is three months today and had her latest check-up. She continues to be big and healthy, clocking in at 14 lbs., 1 oz. and measuring 25". These put her in the 88th% and 95th% percentiles for her age. Julia helped listen to Charlotte's "heartbeep" (this term started at Kara's prenatal appointments that Julia went to).

Charlotte is also turning over ALL THE TIME, which is really terrific but frustrating for her since she can't go anywhere. It is also terrific for us to watch her grow and change everyday but frustrating to hear her yell about it ALL THE TIME. Love you, C-Bear!

Houston, we have turnover...

2008-08-31T12:33:00.001-07:00

Charlotte has been spending a lot of quality time on her tummy time mat. She usually kicks her way across the mat until she is directly on the floor. Recently, though, she has been rocking back and forth, often ending up on her side. Once, she turned the whole way over and ended up on her belly. Afterwards, she reclined in the laundry basket, resting from her exercise.

Check out the next entry for news of Julia enjoying one of life's great pleasures.

2008-08-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Every night after dinner and before bath, we take a walk around the lawn to water the gardens and see what is ready to be picked. Julia always carries the tomatoes inside. Last night, she started saying "this is yummy." We thought that she was just licking the tomato until we snapped this photo - and realized she'd eaten half of it!

Daddy Day Care and Two Month visit

2008-08-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today, Charlotte went to the doctor for her two-month visit. She was 13lbs, 5 oz. (95%) and 25 inches (99%). The inches are not quite accurate, since the way they measure length is by taking a pen and drawing a line beneath the foot and another above the head; Charlotte was squirming and the above-the-head line ended up about an inch above where her head actually reaches. So, we won't be surprised if she officially shrinks in the next month! Anyway, she also got a whole host of vaccines and has been sporting colorful band-aids all day. Julia obviously thought she was a star!

Mom went to orientation for work earlier this week, so Dad took a couple of days off to hang with the girls. We went to an aquarium with Aunt Val on Monday (sorry, no good pictures) and then a new zoo with Aunt Em and Molly Blades on Tuesday. Julia had a lot of fun playing with a whole host of animals and leading her aunts all over the two places. Best of all, we wiped her out! (Charlotte just enjoyed the ride )

One thing Dad learned is that caring for two kids is hard! Thanks to all those (our mothers, mostly) who took care of us when we were young. It could be the world's hardest- and most underappreciated - job.

Two Months Old!

2008-08-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Charlotte greeted the day with a smile for her two month birthday. She then fussed pretty much all day. Ah, newborns.

Back in NJ

2008-08-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

We're back home from vacation. The girls had a lot of fun, had some new experiences and met new friends.

Charlotte has continued to grow and develop (and eat.) She has been enjoying tummy time: she has started lifting her head up off the blanket to look up. She has also started to smile - this is the best picture we have of it, though her smile is usually much larger than this. It is exciting to see her interact with us. Best of all, though, was this morning, when she cooed and smiled at Julia for a few minutes while Julia stood over her saying hello.

Some highlights from vacation:

Julia got her first baseball hat, ate her first hot dog and sat through her first rain delay -all at her first baseball game.

We had visits from some friends. Marc Chalufour came to visit twice, which was fun for everyone. This weekend, he brought two nectarines. Julia ate both in succession at dinner tonight. She then proceeded to alternate between asking when Marc would visit next and for more nectarines. As we mentioned in our last post, the LeBlanc family also come to the beach. The girls are seen here with Dad and Lee searching for crabs in the rocks. We found a lot.

We took a visit to the Mystic Aquarium. Julia got more involved in the action this year- she touched a starfish and fed a bird in addition to looking at all sorts of marine life. Next year, she might try to touch a sting ray - they were a little too much this year. As you can see, the bird was just about at her limit.

We also had a lot of outdoor fun. Julia helped Nana, Mom and Dad plant Pop-Pop's birthday present. Before she got to work, she had to have work gloves and a rake like Nana. We also went blueberry picking - and eating. Julia filled the whole pail. None remain.

Most of all, though, we enjoyed hanging out on the porch, swimming in the ocean (but only at the "new" beach, which seems more like a lake in its calmness), and enjoying quality time with family and friends (like at church as in this picture)

On vacation

2008-08-10T17:02:00.001-07:00

We're having a great time on vacation. We forgot the cable to download pictures from the camera, so we'll probably have a big post upon our return. In the meantime, the LeBlancs (Lee and Maureen and their kids Elizabeth and Emily) came to visit today and wrote an update on their blog with a link to a whole bunch of good pictures.

Vacation

2008-08-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

The girls have had a lot of fun on their first vacation together.

A few days before leaving for Connecticut, Chris Hood came over to hang out with (and feed) Charlotte while Dad was sick and Mom was at work.

Once they got to the beach, Charlotte had her first swim (moments after this was shot) and Julia enjoyed a kayak with Nana (the video).

Charlotte liked the water and, after an initial screech, settled down and actually enjoyed it. Julia has been enjoying the water less, as the noise of the waves scares her a bit. Kayaking was much more fun since it was away from the crash of the surf and allowed her the opportunity to grab buoys while paddling past.

One Month Old!

2008-07-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is one month as of today, and unfortunately is already victim to the the-second-baby-never-gets-as-many-pictures-taken-of-him-or-her-as-the-firstborn (TSBNGAMPTOFHOHATF) disease. If she wakes up again before midnight, we'll snap a photo which we're sure she'll love.

We did manage to get her to the doctor for her month check-up (of course forgetting the camera) and we are happy to report Charlotte is in fine health and according to her stats, robust to say the least.

Weight: 11 lbs., 8 oz. (97th %ile)
Height: 22.5 in. (93rd %ile)

Update:
Kara is feeling guilty enough to go sneak in and take a picture of a sleeping baby. Bad idea, but wish her luck.

Fun family time

2008-07-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

The girls posed for a photo on the couches earlier this week.

Today, we went for a hike along the Palisades at a place called Greenbrook Sanctuary, a private nature preserve to which we were given a year's pass. Our first impression was pretty impressive, as this photo of the Hudson attests. Julia hiked for most of the hour walk. Charlotte slept in the Baby Bjorn on Dad's chest. Mom picked out the perfect walking stick for Julia and snapped this photo.

2 years and 2 weeks

2008-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Julia and Charlotte each had doctors appointments on Monday - Julia for her 2-year checkup and Charlotte for her 2 week. Both checked out with perfect health. Julia's height (35.5 inches) was in the 89th %ile and her weight (25lbs) was in the 40th %ile. Both were normal according to the doctor. Charlotte was 10lbs, 2 oz and 22 inches, both in the 92-93 %ile. Again, very normal. No major shots this time, just hemoglobin and lead tests for Julia. She liked her circus band-aid. So much, in fact, that she pulled it off within about 15 seconds.

The checkup was fun, as Julia got to "test" every apparatus (the ear and eye lights, the stethoscope, etc) before the doctor used it on Charlotte. Charlotte just stared at Julia throughout the process, checking out her big sister.

Today, we went to the zoo. Julia brought her new "packpack," which she says she uses to go to school. In fact, when a school bus passed, Julia said "School bus. Get on it." Charlotte used the walk as a chance to grab a few z's. If you look over Julia's left shoulder, you will see a small tamarind monkey.

Julia turns two...

2008-07-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

An exciting weekend at the Cooper house as Julia turned two today. She had a party of family and godparents yesterday - you can see her excitement over seeing the cupcakes (each cupcake had a letter-shaped candle, spelling out "Happy Birthday Julia") Once she got her hands on the cupcakes, she licked the frosting off and left the cake.

Her biggest gift was her new "toyground" complete with two swings (one toddler and one "big girl,") a slide and a steering wheel in addition to a ladder and a small cargo net. In the hot weather, we have put her little pool at the base of the slide and run the hose down the slide. She protests every time we hold her at the top of the improvised waterslide and, after crashing into the pool below, her first words are, "do it again."

This is also the first holiday where Julia has understood that the boxes in the pretty paper contain gifts - for her. To get a sense of how that moment looked to us this morning, check out this video. It's about a minute long.

Tomorrow we get that other, less exciting birthday event - the doctor's appointment. Actually, Julia's 2-year and Charlotte's 2-week appointments are adjacent tomorrow - we'll have a report for you after the visit.

An eventful week

2008-07-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

This week began with Charlotte's one-week "birthday" on Monday. (Seen here napping on Mom's stomach at one week old to the minute) On Wednesday, we went to the doctor for Charlotte's one-week checkup. She weighed 9lbs, 10oz., an 8 oz. gain (in 7 days) from her weight when she was dismissed from the hospital. The doctors say that 1 oz. a day is good at this point, so we are all happy.

When alert and not eating, Charlotte has spent a lot of time on her tummy. Big sister Julia likes to join her sometimes for moral support.

The highlight of the week, however, was a visit from Grand-Nana. Here she is with her two Cooper great-grandchildren.

Tummy time and table setting

2008-06-29T18:53:00.001-07:00

We started tummy time this morning after Charlotte's umbilical cord fell off. As you can see, she took to it quite nicely. In fact, we think that she prefers sleeping on her tummy to her back (a no-no of course) - she ends up sleeping on our chests or catching a few z's in positions like this whenever she can. Once she woke up, she was quite active and turned her head from side to side a few times. She also scooted herself across the mat with her legs, crying and straining the whole time.

While Charlotte has been experiencing daily milestones and requiring a lot of attention, Julia has been helping out in new ways. Tonight, she set the entire table by herself. Everything you see here she placed on the table. After seeing the configuration of the items, Dad tried to teach her the concept of perimeter. Julia just wanted to eat some blueberries

First bath and other fun

2008-06-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

Julia helped give Charlotte her first bath. Contrary to appearances, Charlotte is actually a very calm bath taker; this has been the only peep in about three days of baths.

Julia has been getting to know Charlotte a bit better, holding her this morning and then enjoying some joint relaxation time in the "machines" as Julia calls them. Julia is saying "cheese" enthusiastically as always. Click on the photo to check out Charlotte's look towards Julia...

Welcome

2008-06-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

This video, from the first time that Julia held Charlotte, was also on Julia's blog. It seems like an appropriate way to begin this one.