25 Random Things

So like Melissa said on her blog, this has been all over Facebook...here are 25 random facts about me.

1. I have known Sam for almost half of my life...that's a long time! We met in high school in 1995.

2. I often wish I was as adventurous as my sister. She left Spring, TX to live in South Carolina, New Jersey, London, and now North Carolina. I can't manage to leave a 60 mile radius of the house I grew up in.

3. I hate mayonnaise more than any food in the whole world.

4. I still have dreams about sleeping through a final exam.

5. I used to think I wanted all girls...now I can't imagine having anything but boys!

6. Our dog is a 90-lb lab who sleeps in our bed. Yes he snores, and yes it is crowded. But on a cold night he keeps me very warm.

7. I really miss being pregnant.

8. I didn't think life could get any better than college...but I wouldn't trade where I am now for anything.

9. I can't believe I'm old enough to realize that what I wore in college is really out of style now.

10. We inherited some Wyler's Italian Ice pops from the Parsons during Hurricane Ike, and I am absolutely addicted to them.

11. I love milk and could probably drink 2 gallons a week if it wasn't for Beckett's protein allergy.

12. I watch way too much reality TV.

13. At one point I thought I could get about 5 major projects done on maternity leave. I now realize that getting a shower and getting out of the house (even if it's just to check the mail) is a good day with a newborn...so much for all of the free time I imagined.

14. I used to love prank calling. I probably still do but haven't done it since college.

15. I could eat cheese pizza every day of the week if only it fit in more categories on the food pyramid.

16. I sobbed through the ending of Marley and Me because I know someday that will be us.

17. I really like being a mom...even more than I thought I would. Beckett makes everything about a bad day all better.

18. I didn't think it would take me so long to figure out how to not get sprayed while changing Beckett's diaper. I'm much better now but still manage to let my guard down and make a mess every now and then.

19. I strutted my stuff in a bikini last May in Aruba while 15 weeks pregnant. It wasn't pretty, but we didn't know anyone.

20. I've been to Florence, Italy twice...on the same trip. Not intentionally but because Brooke and I couldn't understand the conductor on the train. But the gelato and shopping were good so we were happy.

21. I was a little nervous about moving to the suburbs a few years ago, but now I love it. We have made some really good friends up here.

22. Sometimes I really think that the high school kids we work with through Young Life actually think I am cool and not some old lady.

23. I really believe that God has a plan for each of us...even though we might not always understand the timing or the details.

24. When I was in high school I fell off a treadmill in the middle of a gym.

25. My first job was as a cashier at Randall's. I won a scan off contest for being the fastest. The grand prize was a case of Dr. Randall's soda.

Brave boy

My poor baby finally got his 2-month shots on Wednesday, a couple of weeks behind schedule. The last two times we tried to get them Beckett had a low grade fever so Wednesday things were finally back to normal. I think the shots are much more traumatic for the parents than for the babies. I'm terrified of needles in the first place so I just stood at his head and held the pacifier in his mouth praying I wouldn't get a glimpse of the shots going in. It would be my luck that I would be the mom they would have to pick up off the floor from passing out. But I did good...and so did Beckett! He let out a loud scream with the first prick and gave me the saddest look as if he was saying "Mom, how could you? I thought we were friends." But they were over quickly, and we spent the rest of the day napping. I felt so guilty for putting him through that so I compensated by letting him sleep on me all afternoon...no crib after shots is the rule around here :-)

We also found out this week that his milk protein allergy seems to be very mild. I have been able to add back everything to my diet except for ice cream and cold milk. Hallelujah!!

Other than that it has been life as usual. He is now sleeping consistently through the night. He typically goes down between 8 and 9, wakes up around 4 and needs his pacifier, then wakes up again around 5:30 to eat, then goes back to sleep until 8:30 or so. It is absolute bliss to finally feel rested again!


His battle wounds from the shots


Burping success


We need to work on his manners...notice the middle finger

Loving bath time

Playing with Char

Smiling for the camera

Playing with George

Diaper check...yep, it's a dirty one

...and it's nap time

Even George is wiped out

Two months old!

Where has the time gone? My maternity leave is flying by way too quickly, and my baby is growing too fast!! We went in for his 8 week check-up last week so here are his stats.

Weight: 13.4 lbs (75-90%)
Length: 23.5 inches (50-75%)
Head circumference: 16 inches (50-75%)

He has now definitely outgrown all of his newborn clothes and even has a few 0-3 month clothes that are getting a little snug. My little man loves to eat and never skips a meal so that's no surprise!

It seems as if he is learning new things every day. He has become a smile expert and will generally give a smile to anyone who is willing to pay attention to him. And he has the most adorable dimple on his right cheek...it gets me every time!

He has also started making all kinds of noises that crack me up. He loves to be talked to and read to and really does respond like he totally understands what I am saying. I feel like a comedian and a genius all the time. And I must confess that every now and then I find myself using that silly "baby" voice I swore I would never use. But he seems to like it so I don't feel quite so silly.

We also found out last week that Beckett has a cow's milk protein allergy so my diet is severely restricted. I know that milk grosses a lot of people out, but I am a huge fan so this has been really difficult for me. Not only have I had to cut out milk but all milk products and any product containing milk ingredients, whey, and casein. It might not sound so bad, but take a look in your pantry and see how many items you are unable to eat...I was amazed. But we are managing and head back to the doctor tomorrow for his shots and a follow-up.

More later...here are pics from the last week or so.


Getting so big!


Such a sweet sleeper...I could watch him all day long.


Laughing with Aunt Jenny

My little burrito

Quality time with Uncle Adam

Cracking each other up!

Sleeping with Char

Looking back at 2008

What a year 2008 was for the Cocke family! We were so glad to see 2007 go and couldn't have imagined a more exciting and eventful 2008. Our recap is below.

January
This was a relatively uneventful but rough month for me. I had a miscarriage on 12/27/07 so I was a little leery of what this new year would hold...little did I know the excitement that was to come :)

February
Sam completed the Austin marathon. I was able to cheer him on at several spots along the way and had a front row view of him crossing the finish line. This might sound cheesy but it truly was one of the proudest moments of my life, and I literally had tears in my eyes as I saw him cross the finish. He worked so hard to train for it, and I was happy to see his efforts pay off. I wish I could say that watching him inspired me to train for one...but it didn't. I might consider a half marathon one day, but 26.2 miles just seems cruel.


March
Just a few days before my birthday we found out I was pregnant again. We were definitely more cautious this time but extremely excited nonetheless. My 29th birthday felt like a monumental occasion since it marked my final year in my twenties.


April
This month was a huge milestone for us with the pregnancy. We heard the heartbeat again at almost 9 weeks which is when the previous pregnancy had ended. We were so relieved and finally felt comfortable enough to share our news.


May
Sam and I took our last "just the two of us" vacation. We spent a week in Aruba and had a blast. We didn't do much during the day other than lay around at the hotel pool or beach and soak up the sun. But we did research restaurants in the area and enjoyed some really good food while we were there. I was about 15 weeks pregnant on our trip and must admit that I felt a little awkward in a bathing suit...luckily we didn't know anyone in Aruba :)


June
We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on June 19th. This also happened to be the same day we scheduled our "big" ultrasound where we found out that Baby Cocke was a boy...that was our best anniversary gift yet!


July
Sam and I both went as leaders to a Young Life camp in Colorado called Frontier Ranch. We hadn't been to Frontier together since 1998 so experiencing this together again was amazing. It was a life changing week for many of our high school friends, and we were so glad to be a part of it.

Sam and I at Frontier in 1998

August

My mom and I took a trip to visit my sister in Charlotte, NC where we had some much needed girl time. Jenny was quite the hostess and kept us busy and entertained the whole time.

September

Hurricane Ike hit Houston...hard. We were fortunate enough to be spared from any major damage and only had a messy yard to clean up. We also were fortunate in that we only lost power for 4 days, unlike my parents who finally moved in with us after being without power for about 2 weeks.

October

Sam turned the big 3-0! We had a shindig at our house...nothing fancy but several of our good friends came over to spend the evening with us. It was casual and low key, but seeing as how I was about 37 weeks pregnant at the time it was the best I could do.

November

Beckett Walker Cocke arrived on the 12th after keeping us waiting for about 30 hours in labor. But it truly was the most amazing experience of my life, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

December

On December 1, 2008 we welcomed our newest nephew, John "Jack" Ransom Cocke. We were also able to celebrate Beckett's first Christmas with our family and friends.

Family of 3!

John "Jack" Ransom Cocke

So here's to hoping 2009 is filled with as much excitement and as many blessings as 2008!

Twins!!

We received a birth announcement from Sam's cousin last week welcoming their first son who was born just one month before Beckett. We could not get over how identical they looked. Beckett is posing next to the picture on the birth announcement. How crazy is this??

Beckett's First Christmas

I love this time of year and must admit that I have been looking especially forward to this Christmas since the day I found out I was pregnant. Beckett is such a precious reminder of what Christmas is really about, and he is the absolute best present we could have ever asked for or imagined!

Looking back it probably would have been a good idea to get a head start on my Christmas shopping before I had him, but I just can't bring myself to shop until after Thanksgiving is over. Luckily Beckett is a real trooper and made several trips to the mall and Market Street with me. We managed to get all of the gifts wrapped and under the tree before Christmas morning...a huge accomplishment.

We went to dinner with my family on Christmas Eve (Happy Birthday Jenny!!) and then to a candlelight service at our church. Beckett did awesome and pretty much slept through everything. We celebrated Christmas day at our house with both of our families. Here are a few pics of his first Christmas.


In his Christmas pajamas


Opening Aunt Jenny's present...a bear she made from Build-a-Bear named Sparky. It cracks me up to see how small he looks next to the bear.



His big present from Santa...a Radio Flyer walker (Santa didn't quite have enough time to put it together...but luckily he won't need it for at least a few more months)

His lamb rocker from Grandpa and Char

Taking a bottle break with Grandpa

The faces he makes when he's being burped crack us up.

Learning how to wink??

Our Christmas card picture for 2008!

Long time no blog

So I'm officially a bad blogger. I have been scolded by several of you so I might as well just admit my mistake and move on. I wish I could tell you that I have been terribly busy doing all kinds of really important things, but the truth is that I have just been lazy when it comes to blogging.

It's amazing to me how quickly the hours of the day fly by when you have an infant. It is a constant cycle of feeding him and changing him only to start it all over again...and then with the holidays...you know how that goes. But I certainly don't mean to complain...I am truly loving every minute of it. It's just that when I finally have a free minute or two I seem to spend it trying to catch up on laundry or just holding him and watching him sleep so the blog has taken a bit of a backseat. But don't worry...this post should fill you in on our life the past few weeks...

Beckett turned one month on December 12th. I just can't believe how quickly the time is passing by...he will be walking and talking before we know it. I've introduced him to tummy time. We started with just 2 minutes and finally worked our way up to 7 minutes tonight. He really has a strong neck and is basically able to hold it up by himself. He has also started to smile in the last week or so. That is hands down the best thing he has done yet. It makes me feel like I'm the funniest person in the world (and not so ridiculous for talking to him in that goofy baby voice that I swore I would never use). That's pretty much it for his "tricks" right now. I'm not sure what will be next...so I finally bought the book What to Expect the First Year to make sure I'm doing everything I'm supposed to.

He is growing like crazy and though we haven't officially weighed him Sam and I are betting that he is pushing 11 or 12 pounds. I had my first "my baby's growing up" moment last week when I put on a newborn outfit that fit him just a week earlier only to discover that it was several inches too short and way too narrow in the waist. I'm sure it's no surprise by looking at his pictures that the child is not deprived of food! My poor baby looked like Chris Farley singing "Fat Guy in a Little Coat".

I can't say that we're on any type of schedule yet, but he did surprise me last night by sleeping from 11:30 - 6:15. I could not believe it and must admit that I felt like a million bucks today! That's all for now...stay tuned for pics of his first Christmas.


Sleeping...as always the hands are by the face


Stretching after a nap

Not sure how this is comfortable...but he seems happy

His famous touchdown pose

Sucking the thumb

Play time (George is supervising)

Tummy time

Taking in some Sunday afternoon football with Dad

Playing with Dad

Big smile after bath time

His Elvis impersonation

Staring at something

Big smile

Look how big he is!

Future Aggie