My first bath!!

Sorry it has been a few days between posts...I was planning on adding this yesterday, but I left my camera at a friend's house, so it caused a little delay!! Cooper's umbilical stump finally fell off over ther weekend, so he got to take his first bath in the BIG tub with his daddy! He seemed to tolerate it ok, but there were times when he voiced his discontent (see below for evidence of this)! :) Life is going well here in Mobile. We are just continuing to pack and work towards a manageable schedule with the little one. He seems to be sleeping more at night and is pretty alert throughout the day, so we think we are headed in the right direction! We can't wait to graduate on Saturday and then head towards the north at the beginning of the week...it's going to be a busy next few days! Cooper is excited to finally get to meet his paternal grandparents this week/weekend and we are ready for them to get here! Love you all and enjoy the new pics!!

Katie

A Good Report!

Hey y'all-
Just wanted to update everyone about how we are doing here at home...we went today for Cooper's 2 week appointment and got a great review from the doctor! Cooper has gained 12 oz in the last 9 days and now weighs 7 lbs 2 oz which we are very happy about! It is nice to know that I am providing enough sustenance for the little guy. Ryan and I have really been enjoying all of the family time we have been blessed with and are finally daring enough to venture out of the house from time to time. Cooper seems to be developing a pretty good schedule, thanks to the Baby Wise mantra, and has somewhat figured out days and nights and is getting some well-needed shut-eye during the night hours. Other than hanging out with Coop and one another, we have been slowly trying to get some packing done since we leave for Cincinnati in less than 2 weeks! I can't believe I am moving to the North!!!!!!!!!! We are really excited about being close to family and about starting residency in a couple of months, but the task of packing up our house is pretty daunting. I am going to post a few more pics of our precious for your enjoyment and hopefully those of you who haven't had the privilege of meeting him will get to see him in person soon! Lots of love...
Katie

Deacon and Cooper

For all of those who were concerned about how Deacon would react to our new addition...you can rest easy. Deacon has been very docile and sweet with Cooper. Only the occasional sniffing, but otherwise he seems a little timid around him! This picture cracks me up because whenever Coop is in his swing and talking Deacon jumps up to check him out!!

Cooper is growing by the second and eating like a champ! We are getting some sleep at night as he seems to be switching his clock and realizing that it is time to go night-night when it is dark! Thank goodness...the sleep deprivation certainly takes its toll on you quickly! I am going to add some more pics to the bottom of the posts so you guys can see how big he is getting! Love you all!

Katie

My First Walk

Yesterday we were able to venture outside for the first time as a family. It was really nice to get Cooper (and Mommy) some fresh air. The weather down here is beautiful, so hopefully we will be able to make walking a part of every day! I added a few more pictures to the bottom. I feel like he is growing so much already!! Thanks to everyone for all of the thoughts and prayers and calls over the weekend...we are glad to have made it through that rough patch! Cooper is doing much better and eating a LOT, but we are still struggling to get him to sleep at night...any suggestions????

Love- Ryan, Katie, and Cooper

My Aunt Nikki

I am really missing my Aunt Nikki now. She left us yesterday morning after being here all weekend and making sure she kept my momma's belly full of good food so that I could grow! She sure is good with babies and I love it when she cuddles me. In this picture I was saying goodbye before she left for the airport...I don't know when I will get to see her again, but I do know I love her! Mom and Dad seem to be really grateful for all of her help. I don't know if Mom would have made it through the first few days of breast-feeding without her! Thanks again Aunt Nikki for everything...I love and miss you!!!! Make sure you check out new pics of me added regularly to the bottom of the posts! :)

A little scary...

Hey everyone-
Sorry it has been a couple of days (that feel like weeks!) but we have been having some adventures down here! We had to take Coop to the doctor yesterday morning for a weight check to see how things were going and we didn't get the best review...he had lost 13 oz since birth which was more than the pediatricians like to see. The doc was optimistic since my true breast milk had started to come in, but we have to go back in the morning to make sure he is making adequate progress in the weight department.
While we were at the doctor's office I mentioned that he was looking a little jaundiced (yellow) and wanted to make sure he didn't think it was too bad. The doctor didn't seem too concerned, but sent off a bilirubin sample just to double check, especially given the significant weight loss.
Needless to say, we didn't get the best news about the bilirubin levels either--they were a little on the high side, so all day yesterday Cooper was confined to a "bili blanket" which is basically like a mini tanning bed that helps the little guy break down the excess bilirubin. Ryan and I were really worried and stressed about all of this news yesterday morning and were pretty discouraged, but we kept working hard on the feeding and my milk finally made a GRAND entrance and things have been going much more smoothly since then.
This morning a home health nurse came to check his weight and bilirubin levels and we were ecstatic to see that he had gained 5.5 oz in one day!!! He just needed to eat! :) His bilirubin levels also came down substantially, so we were able to stop the bili-blanket this morning. Overall, we are quite relieved and feel blessed that he turned around so quickly. He has been eating like a champ (as would be expected with the parents he has) and is just adorable.
We are so blessed to have such a strong little man and we are so thankful for everyone's love and support. I am going to post a few pics...some of which he is a little yellow in for everyone's entertainment!! Lots of love from the Pettit family! Check out our new pics below!
Katie

Rough Night!

Hey everyone-
Thanks for keeping up with us via the blog. Well, we had our first night home last night and boy, was it a rough one! I think between the circumcision, the neonatal tests, and the change of scenery, Cooper's schedule was really affected! Cooper, Mommy, and Daddy were up most of the night, but we are doing better today!! We certainly would appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers as we adjust to the pace of our new lives.
We feel unbelievably blessed to have such a precious little one. The breast-feeding is coming along (though not without frustrations) and Cooper is getting settled into life outside the womb. I am fortunate that my oldest sister, Nikki, is here with me through the weekend to help out in the feeding department. She has been a God-send. My parents, Kelly, and Haze left this morning after taking care of us while we were staying at the hospital and we are certainly missing them!
Thanks to everyone for all of your posts and well wishes. Please continue with the prayers and encouragement! We love you all and hopefully before too long you will all be able to meet our little man in person!
Katie

Home Sweet Home

Katie, Cooper and I finally made it home at about noon today. We're so happy to be home. Cooper seems to be adjusting to his new environment. He loves his bassinet, his swing given to him from cousins Ian and Haze and all his new clothes! Katie is doing wonderful keeping up with Cooper's appetite, he is a Pettit afterall! Again, thanks so much for everyone's well wishes and prayers. I'm really looking forward to updating this blog with all of Cooper's adventures!

Absolutely amazing!

What an amazing day...Cooper was born today, 4/8/08 at 2:45 PM. Fighting weight was 6 lbs 14 oz and he measures 21 inches long. He's an amazing little man and words cannot describe the emotions that Katie and I feel for him already. I'm uploading a few pics tonight for everyone with more to come in the near future. Thank you everyone for your prayers and wishes, we love you all.

Ready to go!

Hey everyone-
I am attempting the blogging this time. I can't believe how crazy life has been. Ryan and I haven't been able to sleep we are so excited about the arrival of our little one...we are trying to tie up all loose ends before heading to the hospital this evening. This morning we completed a CPR class, at 2:00 today we are closing on our house, and then at 7 tonight we are headed for Mobile Infirmary. Thought we would stay busy up to the last minute!!
I am really excited that my family is going to come down for the birth and be here with us when we come home from the hospital. Accepting the responsibility for another human is quite overwhelming and we are hoping and praying we are prepared for the task! Please keep all of us in your prayers...we look forward to posting some pictures of Cooper soon!
Thanks everyone for all of the love and support! We need it more than we know.

Countdown has begun...

We're so excited! It looks like Ryan Cooper Pettit will be making his grand entrance on Tuesday, April 8th! We're going to head to the hospital on Monday night for a little pre-game excitement and hopefully everything will go well on Tuesday and we'll have our little man in our arms. I'll post some pictures as soon as we have them! Thanks to everyone for keeping up with us and checking out the blog.