The Spark Family

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cooper's First Road Trip

I wish the circumstances were different but Cooper had his first road trip experience last weekend as we drove to Minneapolis for my Grandma's funeral. He was a great traveler and we only needed to stop once both ways to feed the boys...it did add about an hour to the trip though!
Even though Papa and Nana just saw Cooper they were excited to hold him again:)

Aunt Shannon and Uncle Bud got to meet Coops for the first time...

As did Uncle Dave...

AND Uncle Mike! It was a big weekend of meeting relatives:)

The boys hanging out at Mike and Sherah's. Mike and Mimi watched Carter during the funeral. Cooper came along and slept through it all. It was fun for all the extended family to meet him!

Carter really likes the banjo these days. I have a Two Many Banjo's CD in the player on my bedside table. Most days he goes in our room saying, "banjo banjo" or "Dave" and he wants me to turn it on so he can dance. He finally got to hear some live music and loved every minute of it. Uncle Dave even let him play a bit:)

Carter is already beating up his little cousin!

Papa and his grandsons!

The Flying Finn from Hibbing, Minn

Martha Elena Carroll
July 9, 1920-February 20, 2o10
We will miss you Grandma.

More pics from the Spark visit...

Carter sporting his new boots and jacket from Grandma Bev! She is such a good shopper:)

It is quite a trick getting Carter to smile these days (and getting Cooper to wake up for a picture!!)

The Spark boys

Carter and Mimi...they were having a great time despite Carter's facial expression!

Thanks again Mimi and Grampy for coming to Grand Forks!!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

These are a few of my favorite things.....

Carter cried for the first time EVER when I dropped him off at the nursery this morning at church. I'd say that going 18+ months is pretty good:) The nursery worker said that he only cried for about 10 seconds and then realized he was there to play and did fine the rest of the time! I'm guessing it is all apart of the adustment phase with a new brother around.

Although the jury is still out at times as to whether Carter has fully embraced Cooper into the family, there are three things we know for sure that Carter really loves:)
The first is a book called "Go, Dog, Go". He calls it DOG, GO, GO and yells it excitedly when he would like for it to be read.

The next thing Carter really likes these days is a Nick Jr. cartoon called Go, Diego, Go. Interesting how similar the titles are:) He will start by asking for Diego. Then DIEgo, then DIEGO DIEGO DIEGO!! It is clear that he is passionate about this show. The only problem is the songs get stuck in my head....

And the last thing that Carter can't get enough of these days is Elmo. Tim took him to Walmart the other day just to get out of the house. They walked the toys aisles and Tim let Carter play with the balls, push buttons on the noisy toys, etc. But Tim was shocked when Carter saw Elmo and called him by name. We have no Elmo toys and Carter hasn't watched Sesame Street or any shows with Elmo in it.
I had a friend over the other day and her 5 year old let me know that there is an Elmo stuffed animal in the nursery! Anyways, Grandma Bev went on an Elmo hunt around Grand Forks and finally found one at her 4th stop yesterday. Life is good for Carter!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Time with the Sparks

Bev and Steve came to town on Sunday night and we have LOVED having them here with us. Bev has blessed us with home cooked meals each night and they have loved on our kids. Steve has also turned our laundry room into a workshop and is building a toy chest for the boys! I'll show pics when he is done:) Here are some pics from the past couple of days:

I finally caught Cooper with his eyes open!!

Carter in his new vest! Bev told him that when he wears this vest he is like one of the guys. All day long he kept pointing at it and saying "guys, guys" and would have us put it on him:)

Cooper still sleep about 23 hours a day...rock star!

Some quick pics after church

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Week Number Two

Cooper still sleeps ALL THE TIME! Honestly he wakes up a little bit to eat and sometimes when we change his diapers. He is super content and so far has been a very easy baby. He is eating great which is such a blessing. Thank you LORD!!

Carter has adjusted very well this past week. When he wakes up in the morning he asks for Coopy and wants to give him kisses! I'm sure there will be some bumps in the road but we are grateful for how quickly Carter has taken to the new guy:)

My mom left on Tuesday after being here a full week so we had a couple days on our own. Tim was able to be around more this past week which was a huge blessing. Bev and Steve will come tomorrow and will be a huge help as Tim transitions back to working full time.

Here are some pics from the past week:

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Doctor Appointments

Both boys had check ups on Friday...it was a busy day!

Carter had his 18 months visit and here are his stats:

Height: 32 1/2 (50-75%)

Weight: 26 pounds, 5.7 ounces (50%)

Head: 19 inches (75%)

Cooper had his 4 day check up and here are his stats:

Height: 19 inches (apparently he shrunk a bit since birth!)

Weight: 6 pounds, 10.5 ounces

Head: 13 2/8 inches

Both are healthy and growing!!

Our Littlest Spark

First Bath

Lots of sleeping

Big Brother

Every day has been quite an adventure for Carter since Cooper was born. Some moments he looks at Cooper, smiles and give him kisses. Other times he seems distressed that there is this new person stealing his attention. He has been a little more disobedient but also quite entertaining!

Here are some highlights:

The Good

Lots of kisses for his little brother:)

The Bad

Cooper knows to keep one eye open when Carter is around!

In addition to being quite rough with Cooper, Carter has also tried to put more things in the toilet and is pushing the limits with just about everything.

The Funny

He keeps taking my breast pads and wearing them around as hats:)

Not sure why but he keeps doing these crazy poses for pictures!

And my favorite...at the hospital he kept acting like a monkey!!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Hospital Pics

After going in for my weekly prenatal visit on Tuesday, January 26th, Dr. Brown was a bit concerned with a blood clot in my leg and that Cooper was measuring a little small. I ended up spending about 6 hours at the clinic that day getting all sorts of tests run. Dr. Brown decided to schedule Cooper to be induced on Friday, February 5th (about a week before our due date). In addition to that, I needed to go in for follow up ultra sounds and tests to make sure things were progressing well. After my Friday visit, numbers were still a bit low but not overly concerning. However, when I went in on February 1st for the same tests, Cooper's numbers had dropped again and Dr. Brown said I needed to have this baby TODAY!

It was a little stressful in the moment. I was in the clinic and within 15 minutes was wheeled over to the hospital. Dr. Brown broke my water and started me on pitocin about 2 hours after I had arrived for my check up. Tim arranged a babysitter for Carter, called my mom who immediately got in the car to head up to Grand Forks, and then he rushed over to the hospital.

Once Tim got to the hospital we talked, I caught him up to speed, we canceled all our appointments and then played some cards! Labor eventually got a little too difficult for cards but I did end up getting an epidural which was GREAT!! After two different scares where Cooper's heart rate dropped, the nurses stopped the pitocin and about 10 1/2 hours after my water was broke, Cooper was born! Labor was pretty easy and I only had to push through two contractions. Cooper is healthy and such a gift from the Lord!