Uncle Russell and Aunt Lacey Drop In

Cooper received a visit from his cousin Maddy, Aunt Lacey and Uncle Russell on Saturday October 24th. Cooper was very excited to see his cousin, and was impressed by Maddy's ability to locate not only her nose but her belly button and toes. Well done Maddy! Her spinning game also captivated Cooper. He wore himself out just watching and decided to catch a few minutes of sleep in his uncle's arms.

Splish Splash...Cooper took a Bath

As we prepared Cooper for his bath, I think he knew something terrible was about to happen. He wasn't sure what it was, but he put his "Quit Jiving Me Turkey!" face on.

Oh man, it's terrible...there's soap...and water! Jenny placed this towel in a strategic location for this photo--so you couldn't see his hips. :)

Gigi calmed Cooper down by showing him the benefits of taking a bath--the mohawk! Or it may be a faux-hawk. Either way, there's a chick magnet on the loose.

Awwwwww!!!!111!!!

How cute is this little dude?

1st Visit to Doctor

Cooper had his first trip to the doctor on Monday October the whatever it was...19th I guess? It seems as if the OR nurse mismeasured Cooper and he is actually 20 inches long and not 21 3/4... The nurse at the doctor's office assured me that he did not shrink but I don't know that I trust her 100%. I should have asked the OR nurse OR U SURE? I can never find my tape measure when I need it.

All of Cooper's labs came back negative (which is good because the lab was testing for the presence of bacterial infections). The doctor also confirmed that he was in fact a boy...woo hoo! There's $25 worth of copay right there. The medical knowledge of some professionals is absolutely astounding.

Cooper's weight was up to 6lbs 6 oz on Monday. When he left the hospital his weight was 6lbs 4 oz due to a small amount of weight loss that all newborns experience. I saw his first dirty diaper, and I can assure you that is the reconciling difference to his birthweight...wow.

He was all tuckered out by the time we made it home and he posed for the above photo. He may end up with his daddy's tan. That's all natural baby!! Don't look up my shorts!

Granny Pays a Visit

Cooper's Granny dropped by the house on Sunday to see the little guy after he arrived home from the hospital. She also brought 2lbs of ham lunch meat and a host of other goodies. I couldn't get the ham in Cooper's bottle so I went ahead and ate it. Cooper also has 5lbs of mixed nuts waiting on him for when he gets teeth. I may have to eat that too. At least the cashews.

Home Coming!

Cooper came home from the hospital on Sunday Oct 18. Jenny and I were both very relieved to be home and away from the hospital, but judging from the look on Cooper's face you would think he was missing the old room... I'm sure he'll get over it and learn to love the new place. :)

Mr. Handsome B. Wonderful

A picture is worth a thousand words. This picture, to Jenny and I, is worth every single moment we've had when words fail us. This little guy is an absolute delight.

When this picture was taken, Cooper was almost 24 hours old. They grow up so fast don't they?

It's hard to imagine that this sweet little peanut will someday borrow my car and forget to call me when he's staying out with his friends. But, for now, I'll live in the present and enjoy every little moment.

This is not page 49 of the new Southern Living magazine. This is the incredible job Jenny and her mom did on Cooper's room.

Cooper Wayne's room awaits his Majesty's arrival. Ginger sewed the red curtains and donated the cubicle system to Cooper.

Jenny and Ginger spent a lot of time and engery preparing for Cooper's arrival. I had no idea that someone could outsource nesting but her and her mother share a special bond.

I supervised from the couch (unpictured and in different room of the house).

Cooper is relaxing on mommy after an intense feeding session. He loves to have one or both hands up around his face. He actually placed his right arm behind his head in this picture.

We are new parents so everything over the past few days have been fascinating and worthy of picture taking.

Jenny had quite a bit of indigestion during the entire pregnancy, and we were happy to see Cooper born with a full head of hair. The scientific hypothesis we tested related to the presence of persistent heartburn during the pregnancy to Cooper being born with hair.

We have submitted our findings to the Harvard Journal of Medicine and are awaiting a response.

Coper's preexisting cousins from left to right: Chase, Miley, and Abby. Aren't they cute?

My brother Jeff and my sister-in-law Trisha made a guest appearance with Cooper today. He actually slept through this inital meeting but I think he may have passed some gas on my brother's arm. Therefore, all is not lost...

Gigi's Cast of Characters

Family Time! Gigi poses with her newest grandchild. Her and Billy's number of grandkids literally doubled with the birth of Cooper. She is pleased with this development. Very pleased.

Here is Jenny and baby Cooper. The swaddling job is brought to you by Dad. Not sure who swaddled Jenny.

Tada! Cooper Wayne Plagens was born at 6:08 PM on October 15, 2009. He weighed 6 lbs 11oz and measured 21 3/4" in length. That is actually his hand and arm in the sock pictured above. Don't worry; his legs were not quite that long...or flexible to extend up past his forehead. Isn't he precious? Yeah, I thought so. :)

This is the view from the waiting chair I sat in while I waited for the doctors and nurses to prepare Jenny for Operation: Baby Extraction.

Don't tell anyone, but I almost passed out here. I had the extra-medium sized scrubs on with a Michael Jackson-style surgical mask that was kind of hard to breathe through.

Being as I'm not a real doctor, I was not extremely prepared to sit a while and think about what was about to happen. Jenny's doctor broke the tension when she told me that there may be a 1-800 number to call for technical assistance or warranty problems. I guess she forgot my email, because she has not given me that information as of the date of this post.

This entry launches Cooper Wayne's world-famous blog. He is a bundle of joy and perfect in every way. Jenny and I are extremely happy to have created such a perfect little baby.

Yeah yeah... "Let's see some pictures..." That's why you came after all, right? :)

From left to right is Aimee (our incredible labor nurse who doubled as a reference for a house keeper), Jenny, and a giant lost member of the Blue Man Group. Not adequately shown in the picture is that the blue outfit continued all the way down to the shoes. Nice.