First Month Photos

He loves his swing!

Bright flash

no flash

Sticking his tongue out

singing

Matching green shirts

We love how alert he is and how much he tries to do, like gaining control of his head and neck. Nathaniel is not moving him, or if anything trying to stabilize him. We caught it on tape just a little too late because this is him winding down

It has been such a great first month!

Daddy's favorite time of day

Dad took these pictures of Adam and told me that he just loves seeing him all swaddled up. When Adam is awake he doesn't like it because he can't move his arms at all, but he sure sleeps well! Mom agrees, he looks so cozy and snuggly like this and I can't complain, last night he slept for seven hours straight!

Blessing Day

Adam Nathaniel Cook was blessed August 8th 2010 in Provo Utah. He had a lot of family there to support him and congratulate him. It was a very nice day. Thanks to everyone who came especially to his Grandma and Grandpa Cook who came in from California.

Proud parents, Nathaniel and Amber with little Adam

Four generations of Cooks, Great Grandpa Gene, Grandpa Val Gene, Dad Nathaniel Val, and Adam Nathaniel. Can you see the trend in names?

The circle, all immediate family, yes we have a big family! Thank you all :)

Our little monkey Adam after his bath waiting to get his blessing suit on. I love this little guy so much!

Monkey Update

Our little monkey is growing and changing. Adam just passed his two week mark and we have noticed so many things that are changing and he is learning. Here are just some of the highlights.

• he gets hiccups about three times a day (I'm listening to them right now)
• he is now seven pounds and at least nine ounces (a full pound more than his lowest weight)
• the added weight has not added to his length, but his cheeks and legs are filling out!
• he can sleep as long as five hours straight during the night, such a blessing to mom.
• he seems to be very curious a looks around with wide eyes for hours on end.
• he rarely cries, just makes little noises when he wants something.
• he enjoys being passed around asleep or awake (a plus with a big extended family)
• he wiggles ... a lot :) (but he never finds any sandwiches)
• he likes car rides and stroller rides
• when on his tummy he can lift his head with a bit of control
• he loves bath time
• he has his daddy (and mommy) wrapped around his fingers

Every day Adam learns something new and we learn new things about him. We are very much enjoying every minute we get to spend with him. He is our little angel monkey.

blue light baby

We have been into the doctor every day this week and Adams little feet are sore from giving blood for samples. Unfortunately the results of these samples are not really what we wanted to see and now because there is too much bilirubin in his blood he gets to hang out in the bili-lights all day and night until the levels drop. He is being such a good sport and I think mom is having a harder time of it than he is. I miss not being able to snuggle with him already and he has only been on them for an half hour.

He looks like a little space man in this one.

Another angle, I am glad the technology has changed a little bit since I saw my nephew Mark in an older model. This one has a "blanket" that we can keep on him while he is eating or needs to be comforted, a little more versatile.

This morning under the kitchen lights, just chillen :) He is so much like his daddy already, just check out the resting positions!

Snoozing with daddy the day after he came home from the hospital

Snoozing with mom earlier that day after his tummy was filled! What a little Angel. We are really hoping and praying that this works quickly so we can snuggle with our little monkey again and soon.

Adam Nathaniel Cook

Our waiting is over. Storytime!

Thursday was a busy day, I made the most of my waiting by cleaning, watching some movies, going shopping, eating otterpops, and drawing a picture of a monkey. at 10:00pm Nathaniel and I were both ready for bed. It had been a long day and I couldn't wait to sleep. The lights were out and I was thinking about how the baby kept wiggling down their and how it would be ironic if he broke his own water (as I did mine as a baby) sorry if this is all too much information, but in all seriousness, I'm talking about a baby being born here. :) As I was thinking this I heard a little popping sound. Hmm that is interesting, I didn't think it was my water, there was no gush or feeling like a water balloon bursting like I've heard it described before, it was more like one of those plastic packaging bubbles popping, still, might as well check. yeah, it was totally my water. That was at 10:15

we got to the hospital and I wasn't very far dialated but my hard labor contractions started around 11:30 the whole night was difficult and neither of us slept, I got an epidural around 5:00 AM and at 1:23 PM little Adam Nathaniel came out with little more than a shout on his part. His color was great and from the beginning all three of us have been doing well. I was very tired and a bit loopy by the time the doctor came in, and aside from the epidural wearing off a bit, Adam being sideways and needing to be turned, needing the forceps, and mom getting a few stitches, everything went just great. We are so happy with how it all turned out. We were able to come home Saturday night and everything is still going great. I am so happy to have my little family here around me. The waiting has been worth it!

Picture Time!

He was wide eyed and alert and very content to be alive. I may be just a bit biased but he is seriously one of the cutest little things I have ever seen. He totally has me wrapped around his tiny fingers.

We are a happy family! Dad (Nathaniel) Mom (Amber) and baby Adam shortly after birth.

Tired but oh so Happy. As soon as he came I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

Adam Nathaniel Cook Born the 16th of July 2010 1:23 PM Six pounds thirteen ounces, 19 inches long. Four days early but none too soon!

Waiting

Lately my routine has consisted of something like this: Wake up in the morning to an alarm and then sleep for another hour, then try to convince my husband for the next half hour that he should really get up and get ready for work, eat breakfast and have family scripture study and prayer, make lunch and try to convince my husband that he needs to leave for work or else he will be late, shower and get ready for the day (though depending on how motivated I am this sometimes doesn't happen until afternoon), check the mail, and.... hmm how best to describe what it is I do for the rest of the day? I wait. I wait for my boredom to magically disappear, I wait for motivation to go out walking, I wait for motivation to make a good dinner, I wait for my Nathaniel to come home, or for him to text, I wait for brilliant ideas that will help me spend my time well, but most of all, I wait for him.

With just over a week left until his due date, waiting for Adam has become one of the biggest events of my life. I am waiting for it all to happen, for labor, delivery, tons of pain, and everything that comes with it, most especially for my son. I am actually pleased to admit that this kind of waiting is the kind I handle best. It is like the anticipation I used to get before a big dance or a big race, the biggest difference though, is that I feel like I have been waiting for this for most of my life. Having my first baby ranks right up there with getting married to my prince charming, I know it will be worth the wait. I can just picture Adam, tiny, wrinkled in my arms and me, just staring at him, reacting to funny noises and funny faces he will make. Wanting with my whole soul to protect him from everything, but knowing that he will still cry and still hurt, but I will cry and hurt right along with him.

Things are ready now, we have a car seat hooked into the back seat, dresser full of clothes and blankets, crib with bumpers, ruffles, caddy, mattress, mattress cover, a supply of diapers, a stroller and about everything else we could think of. Just like me, they wait.

New Place!

Due to our expanding family, we made the decision to move from our one bedroom studio attic to a two bedroom apartment closer to campus and Nathaniel's work.

Our apartment is the right window, before moving in we did not get the chance to even see the apartment, I was rather nervous and didn't totally know what to expect.


The excitement and tension builds as I turn the key and.......


We love it!



the large living room alone made me super excited. But of course there were other benefits


like a closet that would fit all our clothes and that we can stand up in


A room just for baby Adam


And, a kitchen that will fit a table (rather than eating over the carpet)



Overall we are very happy about our new apartment. now that we have been here for a few days we have enjoyed other benefits, like a garbage disposal and a bathtub. This change has been an exciting and rewarding one and we are really looking forward to creating new memories and welcoming our son here. I have said it before but I will say it again. I feel so blessed and thankful to my Heavenly Father for my Husband, our family, and for the opportunities we have been given. I am also grateful we have been blessed with the means to make this change as we anticipate one of the biggest changes of our life.

Old place

Since we have been married, Nathaniel and I have been living in the cutest little attic studio that has a ton of character



It has been a lot of fun learning how to laugh every time we hit our heads or have to go through the kitchen to get to the "closet"



We couldn't be happier with where we first decided to live, but with the baby coming soon, we needed just a little more space.



So we cleaned every thing up, packed and headed to our new place, taking with us a ton of memories and good times that will last a life time.

Baby Shower!

My sisters threw me a surprise baby shower and it was a ton of fun. Even though I was a bit sick that day we had a blast! Thanks sisters!

Zion!

As Promised here are some photos from our trip to Zion National Park... My camera was having issues, but we were still able to get some good photos.

My handsome hubby

Cool tree in the "narrows"

Waterfalls along the emerald pools hike

At weeping rock, a nice young German couple took our picture... after I offered to take theirs (in German of course :)

The great white throne, you might not be able to tell but it is truly massive!

If you look closely you can see a little black bird on the water. We watched it for a few minutes... it would dive in the river and pop up about eight seconds later in the same spot, or even farther up stream. so cool, but you would probably have to be there to agree.

The Three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, actually you can't really see Jacob because Moroni is in the way!

What would camping be without s'mores? On the last night we even grilled some bratwurst and cheese. They were delicious. I highly recommend a trip to Zion if you haven't been, it was super laid back and fun.

Sugar "Cookies"

As a late wedding gift we got a whole ton of cookie cutters :) and we had some fun with them.

They were really yummy!

Zions, coming soon!

For the rest of the week, My hubby and I will be in Zions national park camping. Pray for good weather! we will take a lot of pictures :)

Six months

Yesterday Nathaniel and I celebrated the six month mark of our marriage. It is amazing to consider how much has happened in such a short time. I fall more and more in love with my husband everyday and I can not even attempt to imagine what life would be like without him. This week has been great as we had our last classes on Tuesday... now just a couple more finals! Last night we attended BYU's version of Passover put on by Dr. Victor Ludlow. It was truly an evening to remember. A lot of great food and fun and a good amount of learning.(although after 4 glasses of grape juice and 2 of water I was about ready to explode and they didn't even start feeding us until 9:00!)
Little Adam (the one in my belly) has found a new position that he likes just fine, sitting squarely on top of my bladder. Seriously I have to go to the ladies room about ten times a day when before two was the norm! Oh the joys. It is fun trying to guess his personality by how he acts at different times and in different positions. I have been trying hard to do a lot better with my health, such as drinking more water, being more active, and eating less sweets, I'm still working on it but it is good to feel that I have a little more energy. My sisters are really helping me out and we are all motivating each other to be fit and active. Thanks sisters!
After passover Nathaniel and I just laid in bed and talked, who knows how long, we both fell asleep in mid sentence. It is times like these that I feel so grateful for everything the Lord has given me. I feel so blessed and often undeserving of my blessings. I don't want to take any of it for granted, not a second. Life is truly beautiful and it is the simple things that often matter most. Thank you sweetheart for continuing to love me, more and more. You are my hero!

Welcome Spring er... sort of!

The last couple of weeks Nathaniel and I have been crazy busy with school and with being together on the weekends (usually doing school work). We just have a couple days of classes left and then finals! Two weeks ago for our date night we went to Home Depot, used our gift card and got some tools. In my Religion In The Home class I was assigned to make a religious item that will have any kind of prominence in the home. For those of you who are family, you will recognize the story "The Last Straw". I want this to be a special tradition in my family during Christmas time so my Project was to make a manger.




We planned, measured, marked, sawed, sanded, stained, dried, screwed in the pieces,measured sawed and sanded some more, copied, tied and in the end tada! It was a really fun project






After the bulk of the work we decided that our creative juices were not all used up so we made some homemade pizza (thanks Debra). It was the best pizza Nathaniel had ever tasted (he said) and it was also his first time making homemade pizza. We had a great time and will likely do it again!




Easter was wonderful. We spent Saturday of conference weekend at my parents house, and then we spent the night at Nathaniel's Cousins house. Uncle Kevin and Aunt Vicky were so nice and fed us such great food that we didn't want to leave. They even made sure the Easter bunny left something for us:)

I love this time of year and I love being with family. I especially love being with my husband. The time we share together is truly cherished. Even though the weather is only now starting to warm up and look like spring, it is a great reminder of the renewal of our Heavenly Fathers love for all of us.