Southern Hospitality

Nicknames

2012-02-12T23:07:00.001-05:00

It is 11:00pm, and I am waiting to see if Caitlin is going to stay asleep in her crib. While cleaning up around the house I started thinking about the nicknames that have been given to her. They are by no means nicknames that relate to her name, and honestly don't have any real association to her.At a day old my mom started calling her peanut. I assume it is because she was so small when she was born, compared to Christopher. She is no longer a tiny newborn, or even a tiny infant. She is growing by leaps and bounds, but yet is still proclaimed "peanut" by grandma. I have a feeling that she will have that name for a while.Before she was born (probably when I was certin we were having a girl), I started calling her my little bug. Bugs are normally not associated to girls, but while laying in bed talking to her I would always call her that. I'm pretty sure I spoke to her with that name more than her real name. This is the reason why her room is a lady bug theme. I know for a fact that this nickname will be hers for life.It's funny how nicknames are decided, and given. And even more intruging when they have a story behind them. Christopher's most common nickname is Fred. Odd, and in no way close to his name. The day he was born I remember picking him up and saying "come on Fred", and it has stuck ever since. It always just seemed to fit. I wonder what other nicknames these two will gain, and how long they will stick around.

One Month Old

2012-02-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone says, "It's hard to believe she/he is one month old!", and to some extent it is. I notice the exhaustion filled days more, and I notice the complete disaster that is our home. One thing that has completely slipped by me, almost virtually un-noticeable, is the time I have been home with my little ones. It has been a month since Caitlin was forcefully brought into this world by cesarean (it's a good thing, because I am certain she would not have arrived on her own account), and I am glad that we are now past the first big hurdle.

There is another little phrase muttered by new moms, and repeat moms as well. It's usually something to the extent of, "I can't imagine my life without him/her". I think it might be a little too soon to decide that I feel like she has always been here. Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful feeling, and I can't wait for the day to come when I feel like she has always been right beside me. Right now I am just completely sleep deprived, and really don't remember much of the last month.

As far as progress goes, she is a complete doll baby. She is now weighing right around 9 pounds (a ball park figure from grandmas scale, since we don't see the doctor again until she is 2 months old), fits into most of her 3 month clothes, and is eating between 4-5 ounces at each feeding. I am hoping that her sleep schedule gets normalized here soon, because Jeff & I would both enjoy a good nights rest.

Christopher is adjusting as I expected, NOT WELL AT ALL. He loves his baby sister, and is the first person to jump up when she starts to cry, but is also showing the signs of missing complete attention. He is getting used to the word "patience" since it is hard for me to feed Caitlin, and fix him a snack at the same time. We are also teaching him to get dressed on his own, and he has been doing this task by himself for about a week. I do not always like his style choices, but if that is what he chooses then I will be quiet.

Sleepy Baby Girl

2012-02-04T13:13:00.001-05:00

I love watching her sleep. It is very possible that I could stand in her room for hours peering down into that little girls peacefull face.

Three Weeks Old...

2012-02-01T14:59:00.001-05:00

...and WIDE AWAKE!!! I miss the days of Christopher sleeping all day and night. This blue eyed "Georgia Peach" wants to make sure that she does not miss a thing. Her big brother on the other hand is cruising right along, so to speak.

While I Was Out

2012-01-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

I have not posted a single thing since mid December. We have now added an additional member to our family. We would like to welcome Caitlin Elisabeth, born on 01/10/12, to our lives. Big brother Christopher is adjusting to the changes, and we can't wait to see what the future brings for our family.

Christopher's Play-doh Pizza

2011-12-02T20:53:00.001-05:00

First of all, ignore the fact that Christopher is only in a pull-up. I didn't know how messy this would end up, so I did not want clothes destroyed.

He has had this Play-doh pizza maker since his birthday, and has been asking for a while now to play with it (I just didn't want the mess associated with it). Tonight, after he ran away from home, we broke out the pizza maker. He actually makes a pretty good (fake) pizza, when instructed on what steps to take. There was one portion of the pizza I disagreed with, he thought that the pizza needed "little fishes" (anchovies... BARF!!!).

Waiting on Caitlin

2011-11-27T18:23:00.001-05:00

We are less than 50 days away from our little girls arival. It's to the point now that WE CANT WAIT FOR HER TO BE HERE!!!!!

We have also put our Christmas tree this weekend... What a task with a 3 year old.

He's 3!!!

2011-10-15T15:34:00.001-04:00

We had a GREAT time at the party today. We were a little late getting to the park to set everything up, but the kids didn’t mind (they had the park to entertain them). Christopher had so.much.fun!!!! The kids LoVeD painting the pumpkins, and getting to basically roam free. He cried when everyone started leaving, but as soon as he got home he passed out. I would call it a complete success. :)

Someone Is Almost 3

2011-10-08T13:31:00.000-04:00

It sucks, just a little, to think that next Saturday my baby boy will be three. He has grown and changed so much in the past few months that he is actually as tall as a four year old. I wish that I had actual stats to give, but Dr. Stone has become the most sought after pediatrician. This makes it very hard to get in with him, unless your child is sick. Christopher's three year old check-up is not until December. I do know that he still weighs 34 pounds, and this seems to be where he is going to stay for a while. It has become hard to find pants to fit him. He is in 3t's in the waist, but 4t in the length. I can't wait for his party next Saturday, and in just a few months Caitlin will be here too!

LOTS of Pictures!!!

2011-09-17T17:37:00.002-04:00

There have been alot of "happenings" lately, and instead of doing multiple posts I put them all in one.

IT'S A.....

2011-08-31T18:24:00.003-04:00

....GIRL!!!

I can't believe it. I'm sure I will still be in shock when she get's here. Christopher is thrilled to have a baby sister. I thought he would be upset, but when I told him that he was going to have a baby sister he started jumping up and down. Jeff is just as shocked as I am, but very happy to be having a "daddy's girl"! Everything is measuring right on track. The baby (because we havn't looked at names yet) is measuring in the 50% for 20 weeks. Dr. Mac is hoping for a normal 6.5 lb baby girl. You could say I am on cloud nine :)

Georgia Oaks

2011-08-14T11:32:00.002-04:00

Christopher and I spent time at the park this morning. Luckily our neighborhood park is covered with extremely old Oak trees. We kept pretty cool with the breeze coming in off the ocean. Christopher was having a great time, and even stood up next to one of the trees to show how big they are. This afternoon we are headed to see the train museum. We hope everyone else is having a great Sunday!

My 2 Year Old

2011-08-07T18:24:00.012-04:00

I'm not sure why he is like this (and I am also pretty sure he is not the only one), but my child can go from "get away from me" mood to "I love you Mommy" in a matter of seconds. That is how our lives have been the past few weeks. These are pictures of today to show his progression.

<--awake for 5 minutes

Two minutes after first "screaming tantrum"-->

<--"fine I will drink it
but I'm not happy

Look at my cookies for breakfast-->

<--Try and stop me from

blowing my whistle

"Ok! I love you again Mommy" -->

<--goodnight Mickey Mouse

Lets have a color party-->

Baby Cotter the Sqealqual

2011-06-08T17:59:00.004-04:00

Jeff and I had our first ultrasound today for baby #2. I am 8 weeks and 3 days along, and our due date is January 15th. I want to keep this short, so I will keep updating as the months go by. So far, so good. Very little morning sickness, and no other symptoms. Hopefully this will be another easy pregnancy.

Memorial Day Fun

2011-06-02T19:37:00.002-04:00

Yes I know its been a while, so lets move on. It is very rare for Jeff and I to have 2 entire days together, but because of Memorial Day we got just that. First of all I would like to say thank you to all of our troops (past and present), your sacrific can never be repaid. Jeff and I did a whole lot o' nuthin' on Sunday. We ate dinner at Moms, and relaxed most of the time. Monday we took Christopher for a bike ride out by Tybee. The pictures below are from Monday and a happy boy flying down the path on Daddy's bike.

I Took a BIG Jump...

2011-04-09T12:45:00.003-04:00

...and landed with Robin at a tattoo shop. I have wanted a tattoo for a while, but have never really had the guts to get one. I decided when Christopher was born that I wanted a tattoo that keeps a piece of him with me. That being said, it was difficult to decide what to get. I decided on his baby feet. Below is the result, and I can't stop laughing when he looks at my arm. He tells me that "Mommy has a Christopher foot Boo-boo". Hehehehehe

Funny Boy

2011-03-30T21:58:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I actually have sat down to (and felt like) blogging. There have been a lot of things causing this that have been affecting our family. I am hoping that what is best will be the end result. Christopher however, is by no means worried. He is still the happy little boy that he always has been. Tonight I wanted to show off his counting skills (as well as his ABC's) that they are learning, but he decided to "play dead" with Daddy instead. He did eventually get to what I wanted... sorta :)

"My Lynda",...

2011-02-26T17:10:00.004-05:00

... says Christopher. She has only been here for 24 hours, but he has quickly become an attached little boy (again). He hasn't seen her in over a year, but it's as if she never left. She is getting some practice in before her baby arrives. By this time next year, Lynda will be a mommy too.

Christopher has not let Lynda out of his sight. He is always looking to make sure that she is right beside him. Last night when she arrived, he tried to sit in her lap (only to be stopped by her 18 week baby bump). She tried to explain to him that there was a baby in her belly. His response was, "My baby". I had to force him to leave last night, with the promise that we would be back today and spend the night. On the way home he told me that he loved "his Lynda". He is going to be sad all over again when she leaves. We will have to drive up and visit next spring.

Such A Great Day.

2011-02-19T22:17:00.004-05:00

Great start to the weekend so far. I wasn’t sure what Christopher and I were going to do today while Jeff was at work. I hate to stay inside when the weather is GORGEOUS. I was set on taking Christopher on a nature hike, but that is something we usually do with daddy. So we called Mamaw to see what she was doing today.

After driving in a big circle downtown, we decided to head to Hilton Head. Mom wanted to go to the outlet mall and see the beach. Let’s just say this was a very long day. We left home at 10 this morning, and didn’t get back home until 7. None the less it was a great day. We spent some time at the beach, and I was surprised to see how many people were there today. Christopher was as excited about the ocean as he always was. He certainly didn’t want to leave, even if he needed to eat lunch. This by the way was a Fuddruckers famous hamburger (YUM!!).

After some swift shopping at the outlet mall, we still had yet to pick up Jacob’s gift for his birthday tomorrow. Mom decided that we would stop at Wally World on the way home, which happens to be right down the street from my office. This particular store serves adults over 55 mostly so I was curious as to what their baby and toddler area was like. JACKPOT!!! Everything was so much cheaper than anywhere else I have ever looked (when baby #2 happens to come along, I will be going there for EVERYTHING). I happen to also run across toddler beds on clearance that was half price. We took two, one for mom’s house and one for ours.

So this brings you up to speed, and now I am typing this blog while my little guy is fast asleep in his new big boy bed. Tomorrow we are celebrating my baby brother’s 7th birthday, so if I’m not to tired… more pictures will come.

While He Sleeps

2011-02-06T13:02:00.003-05:00

It has been almost 2 months since my last update. I feel bad for not blogging more frequently, but there has not been anything out of the ordinary going on. Christopher continues to grow like a vine, Jeff was released back to full duty today, and winter seems to be getting the hint to leave.

The boy has most definitely hit the terrible two's. Most of the time he is whining, and when he is not getting his way the "Cotter Temper" comes out. We have been trying to break him of his violent mood swings, but it only seems to be getting worse. He uses hitting as his way of getting what he thinks is his. This is getting to be our biggest hurdle. He is most definitely a mix of Jeff and me. I haven’t decided if he will grow up to be an excellent lawyer or a fascist dictator (hard to tell at this point).

Jeff has been off work for a little over 2 months. He had surgery on his shoulder to fix a lesion in a tendon that keeps his shoulder from dislocating. He wasn't supposed to go back to work until next month, but he assured me that he was ready. This is the only reason I have free time to blog :).

This winter weather has been giving me the blues lately. I moved south to rid myself of this cold, blah, and wet climate. I might enjoy it, but it has been lasting to long. Today was a great day to be outside, beside the fact that I am getting sick AGAIN. Christopher and I went out to play with some toys before nap time (which is going on now). I leave you with some photos from today, and hope that I might be inspired to blog again soon (or it might be another 2 months).

Santa Truck & Christmas Day

2010-12-25T15:25:00.002-05:00

We always start off our Christmas week with the "Santa Truck". Our fire chief, Wayne, first started this tradition years ago, and it has become a yearly tradition throughout the area. I always enjoy doing the Santa truck, because there are some children in our area who don't even get a tree for Christmas (let alone toys). We don't have enough money in our funds to get hundreds of kids toys for Christmas, but the one thing we can give is parade. Depending on how may people show up, we take our 2 or 3 fire trucks with the Santa sleigh. The sleigh is decorated in lights, Santa waves (while saying his ho-ho-ho's), and his helpers give out treat bags to the kiddo's. We do this 3 nights in a row, to make sure everyone gets some candy and a chance to see Santa. The third night is, by far, the most embellished night of all. As we go across the causeway, the people that live on Burnside Island meet us. They drive their cars, 4-wheelers, golf carts, or whatever else they can find (of course they are COVERED in lights). The video below doesn't do much justice, but it is an amazing sight to see. We enjoy it every year, and are glad to give the children in our area some happiness, even if for just a few moments.

Santa Truck from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

As for Christmas morning, I thought Christopher would be more excited to open his presents. He let me down!! "Tear the paper", I say. "Open the presents". Nope, all he cared about was the snazzy new tricycle that Mimi got for him. I have learned my lesson. Next year Mimi's gifts are hidden, until he opens Mommy's. Hehehe!! Once he opened his gifts, and realized how TOTAL GREAT they were, he got in the swing of it.The video below is of his train set. It takes up a good portion of the living room, and we didn't even use all of the pieces. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, and has a great New Year.
-The Cotters

Christopher's Train from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Tis The Season....

2010-12-05T17:31:00.005-05:00

...for holiday photos. I love this time of year, especially when the Christmas lights are out. Jeff and I made a last minute decision to get our family Christmas pictures taken today. Off we went to Portrait Innovations. Their photos ALWAYS turn out so great, and Christopher usually has a good time. Below is the finished product of today's event.

Chestnuts on an Open Fire....

2010-11-27T22:29:00.002-05:00

.....well, not so much. I love decorating for the Holidays, Christmas just happens to be my favorite. Not because of toys, food, or shopping. Mostly because, I remember being little and having every one of my family members in one house, usually Grandmas.

It was always nutty (hence the chestnuts), but there was NEVER a dull moment. On any given Christmas get together there would be 23, or more, people together in one place. I remember playing games with my cousins, watching Grandma cook (like a pro) for a small army, and Grandpa sleeping away in the recliner. We never heard a peep from Grandpa, unless one of us did something that was beyond Grandma's stern words. All of my aunts would be chatting around the house, and my uncles watching football. I can hear the laughter emanating from all over the house, and smell; what was always the best food I had ever tasted.

I miss those Holidays. I miss my large family, and the wonderful sounds. We don't make it up home very often, and when we are there it's always a rush. Trying to make sure we get everyone squeezed in to such a small amount of time.

This year we won't be going home. We have decorated, and plan to spend our Christmas here. Jeff is having surgery next week, and this doesn't allow for any traveling. I'm glad that we won't have to rush this year, and Christopher can spend Christmas in bed. He will have his Grandma, and Pawpaw (who just got home from Afghanistan) to play and start their own memories. Meanwhile, I will be remembering my own.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:23:00.002-05:00

Fish!

2010-11-21T22:57:00.006-05:00

Christopher is obsessed with them. I first noticed his liking of them a few months ago, and it has since become his 2nd favorite thing (next to cleaning). This has only been made worse by the winning of Fin and Gil at the fair 2 weekends ago.

Christopher now wakes up every morning, intent on seeing these fish (who were originally named Friend and Gin). It is almost like he has become so intrigued that any deviation from the routine absolutely RUINS his day. That brings in a whole new issue of the two year old tantrums. He is in full blown toddler terror most of the time.

Anyhow, returning to the fish. Jeff is on midnights this month, so during the day he sleeps. This is normally not a problem with Christopher being at daycare, and me at work. On the weekends, however we have to find something to do outside of the house. Normally this includes going to my mom's and waiting for Jeff to wake up. Today was different! I wanted to do something fun with Christopher, that he has not yet been able to do. Earlier this week I thought of taking him back to the zoo, but with his ears being infected, that was OUT. Friday, I stumbled across the aquarium in Charleston, SC. I thought to my self, "Fish, he loves fish". Proceeding with buying the tickets, I was consumed with happiness as I thought about how much Christopher would enjoy this.

Saturday night comes, and Jeff is getting ready for work. I brought up the website to show Jeff what was at the aquarium for Christopher to do. Looking at Jeff's face, I could tell he was upset we would be going without him. We decided that if he got home, and was not dead tired, he would tag along. At 7:00am Jeff was home, and wide awake. He would join Christopher and I on this date planned to LET.HIM.SLEEP...

To make a long blog, that seems to be growing by the minute, short; We enjoyed the aquarium immensely. Christopher couldn't decide where to go first, and was fast asleep within a few minutes on the ride home (and so was daddy!). These are some of the photos from the trip today..

A Halloween Adventure

2010-10-29T21:05:00.004-04:00

It has been a hectic week. We started in our new building with patients on Monday, and by Wednesday we had booked a couple surgeries, and were getting into the swing of things.

This past weekend, while taking supplies to the new office, we stopped off at a pumpkin patch to get Christopher a well... pumpkin. He tried out several (reminded me of goldilocks trying out beds) before he found the one he wanted. The man was very nice, even after Christopher dropped a pumpkin and broke the stem. The pumpkin didn't get carved until last night, but it looked great.

Tonight was trick-or-treating on post, and Christopher was a pro this year. He walked up to every door with a smile and said, "Tic Treat". His costume this year was his favorite BARNEY, and he was quite popular for it. Every little kid he passed wanted to hug him or sing to him. Savannah was Jessie from Toy Story, and Jacob was Batman.
They all had a great time, and made it home with Bags full of candy.

It has been a few weeks since my last post, and in that time Mike and Kim had a beautiful baby boy. Nolan James Cotter has now joined our family of boys. I wish I could go visit, but until spring, photos will have to do. Congrats Mike and Kim!

2 Years Down

2010-10-13T09:42:00.003-04:00

Christopher turned 2 yesterday, and Mommy is relieved it's over. There was a lot of running around involved, but the day was very special. I would like to think Christopher is secretly applauding Daddy, Maw-maw, and I for all the hard work.

The day started out with Mimi and I running here there and everywhere getting last minute items for Christopher and the parties. We met Mom at JcPenny and went to Target in search of Christopher's now favorite toy (the sweeper). Once we had everything we needed, we were off to the daycare for Christopher's party there.

Daddy couldn't make it, and Pawpaw Don wouldn't have enjoyed it much, so Mimi and I went alone. The kids had just gotten up from their naps, and were ready for some sugar. Christopher wanted no part of the party hat (neither did most of the kids)! The cupcakes we made were a big hit, and all of the little ones LOVED Mimi. When we tried to leave, she had 5 of them attached to her (see the photos below), tee hee hee. Christopher went back to the house with Mimi while I headed to Mom's to decorate for his family party.

Christopher's party theme was Elmo. He is obsessed with Barney right now, but I was unsuccessful at finding any purple dinosaurs. Christopher had a great time, and was even happy to let Savannah and Mikail open presents with him. Although when it came down to playing with the toys, all of them were not too happy with sharing.

A great day, and my little guy is not so little anymore.

It's October!!!

2010-10-03T20:24:00.007-04:00

This year has gone by so fast. Christopher turns two in a few weeks and I am in NO WAY prepared. It has been a busy month! I started working with a new doctor, Jeff switched shifts, and Christopher has been making big strides in Toddler-Ville.

In May our director of operations told me that a new doctor was starting with our practice, and asked if I would be interested in being his M.A. He didn't start working until last month, but we have already gotten a good patient base in Bluffton. Our new office is almost built, and I can’t wait to move in.

Jeff finally switched shifts!!! He is home every evening, and we couldn't be more thrilled. Christopher likes spending time with Jeff, and I like seeing my baby happy (and spending time with Jeff!).

Christopher will be two soon, and he is showing it. His tantrums are getting funnier every day. Just recently he started showing interest in the potty, and has become very good at telling me when he needs to go. There are times when he is having to much fun, and forgets. He loves his uncle Jacob too! Christopher follows Jacob around like a puppy on a string.

S'Mores

2010-09-04T21:30:00.003-04:00

Tonight was Christopher's first taste of Smores. He was a little skeptical of them at first, but as soon as he had a taste, it was love at first bite.

Big Guy

2010-08-29T21:00:00.003-04:00

Christopher will be turning two soon, and as we get closer to that day I fret about it even more. I don't want to believe my little guy is growing up. Every day he learns new things and surprises me with new words, and adventures. It has been a while since he has actually let me sit him down and take a few pictures of him. It has also been a while since he would sit in a basket for the aforementioned. I hope you enjoy these, as they will probably be the last of such pictures ;)

Afternoon Fun

2010-08-29T20:48:00.002-04:00

It has been the BEST weekend in some time. Christopher and I have been able to go exploring more, because we finally bought me a car. We have been driving around and visiting places we wouldn't normally be able to go without Jeff. I don't think I have seen Christopher so excited to just randomly ride around to listening to music.

Tonight we cleaned the car out (it got dirty when two random dogs jumped in at Robyn's house). Christopher was outside without his shirt on, playing in the water from the hose. I love the many faces I get from him in a few minutes time. He has become my little buddy in crime, as he can do whatever he pleases and get away with it.

An Update

2010-08-26T21:35:00.002-04:00

It's been a while, and our family has had quite a bit of things happening lately. Christopher went to his first baseball game, we have been looking for a house, I started with a new doctor, and Christopher has wanted to play like there is no tomorrow (which is why blogging is on the back burner).

The baseball game was a huge success. It was our company picnic, and the sand gnats pulled out an awesome win. Christopher went for a lot of walks, but was amazing and behaved well the entire time. The end of the game was the best. There was a man trying to set a world record by lighting himself on fire and running the bases. He was successful! After that was the fireworks and Christopher's bedtime.

House hunting is always fun. I like going to different places and seeing how each house is differs from others that we have seen. Hopefully by next spring we will find something we like, and move in. The closer I can be to my new office, the better.

That brings me to the new job. Wednesday I was offered a new position being the primary MA for a new surgeon in our group. He will be working in Hilton Head (and so will I). I went today to set up our temporary office. Our building will not be finished until November, but we have been set up in a nice building for the meantime. Dr. Sutherland is right out of residency, and moved here with his wife and adorable little girl Isabella. She and I hung out for a while today and played on PBS kids while Dr. Sutherland took care of some business at home with his new dog. A great start to a new beginning!

Christopher has been getting very funny lately. I know it's going to get better as he gets older, but some of the things he is doing now makes me so happy to see him growing and learning. I loves to sing, and play hide n' seek. He knows how to count forward and backward to 10, and has 19 letters down pat. As far as the "sickies" go, we are on a 5 week stretch without ANY issues! We are so grateful to Dr. Moretz for making our little boy feel better, and getting him back to normal.

Below are some of the pictures taken lately, enjoy ;)

Hiking with My Boys

2010-08-11T21:55:00.002-04:00

After work tonight Jeff and I took Christopher for a nature hike at Skidaway State Park, and a picnic at the park there. The weather was very nice today a "cool" 85 degrees, with no rain in the forecast. We couldn't ask for a better day to take Christopher for a hike.

Before we went on our hike, we had a picnic at the playground in the park. Christopher couldn't care less about eating. He was to excited to play at the park that nothing else mattered to him. He even went down the slide for the first time by himself.

We have not taken him on a hike for over a year, and he was very happy to see all the different things along the way. He kept asking, "What's that"? He really liked the big palm leaves, and along the path were numbered posts (to tell you what the type of tree was that they were in front of). Christopher picked out the number 13 as his favorite, and even was refusing to leave the post for a few minutes.

Slumber Party with Mommy

2010-07-29T21:01:00.004-04:00

I've said this before, but playtime before bed is my FAVORITE time with Christopher. He is so playful, and this is when I discover what he has learned that day. This is also the time that he is the most loving.

Today I learned that he knows how to count, and not just repeat. If I held up 2 fingers he said TWO (and so on). It's hard to believe that he knows so much and he is not even two. Unfortunately he would not perform on queue while I had the camera going (go figure). I did get a lot of adorable pictures of him (which causes a new problem because my computer is getting low on space)! Enjoy!

Nite Nite from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

What A Day!!!

2010-07-21T20:01:00.005-04:00

Even though I work for a surgeon, I strongly believe no one should be set for surgry at 6am. This was the time we were given for Christopher, and I am now exhausted!

He did very well during surgery, and afterward as well. The surgery only lasted about 20 minutes and they had Christopher back to us with in an hour. The nurses were very relucktant to bring me back my little boy. They said he was a wonderful little man, and that they wanted to keep him all day.

After a short stay in post-op Christopher got to come home. He was excited to leave, but with the pain he was having he went straight to bed. Tonight he is back to his normal self! Enjoy the cute pictures of him in his little hospital gown.

Last Beach Trip For A While

2010-07-18T14:08:00.008-04:00

With Christopher's surgery happening this week, we wanted Chris to have one more fun day at the "BIG POOL". Oh! I also cut all of my hair off.

After Christopher being woke up by Brock at 5:30, we got a bright and early start to the day. We wanted to get chairs with an umbrella or a sun shelter before we headed to the beach, so we had to wait for the stores to open (at 8am). We ended up with a sun shelter from Target (one AWSOME store), and were off the beach. You will notice the shelter in some of the photos; it looks like a tent cut in half. On a side note I would recommend this thing to anyone, you can take it to beaches, parks, or anywhere else you might imagine (and it gives SPF protection from the sun).

We got to Tybee (Tie-bee) close to 9, with an already sleeping little boy. Chris loved the sand, but was not impressed with the waves messing up his sand castle. Anytime we took him into the water he would lay his head down on our shoulder and close his eyes. At one point in time we thought he was asleep, so Jeff went to lay him down in the shelter, of course he was faking.

After a Goldfish and Capri Sun snack, we packed up and headed for the truck. My favorite photo in this bunch is the one where I am holding him, and right behind us is a wave about to crash. We had a great time, and can't wait until he is better to go back again.

This is my new style, after I got mad at 10:30 the other night (IT WAS HOT!!), and cut my hair off. It's a little shorter than I thought it would be.

Video's From Vacation

2010-07-10T20:35:00.003-04:00

As promised below are a few of the video's from our vacation. My favorite one has to be of Christopher and Aiden playing Ring-Around-The-Rosy. Enjoy :)

Mac N' Bink (Christopher discovers a new way to eat Mac N' Cheese)

Mac N' Bink from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday To Me at Buca De Bepo

Happy 24th Birthday To Me from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Cotton Eye Joe Dancing

Dancing Fools 2 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

And last, but not in any way least, Ring-Around-The-Rosy

Dancing Fools from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Summer Vacation 2010

2010-07-07T20:57:00.005-04:00

We started off with a big BANG (and I'm not talking about fireworks)! We spent a week visiting friends and family in Ohio. Along the way we took Christopher to some fun places with new experiences mixed in.

Our flight up was the first kink in the vacation. A rain delay in Savannah put us in Charlotte later than expected, followed by a two hour delay for leaving Charlotte. We made it into Columbus around midnight, and once Mimi found another way to the airport (because 670 was closed for construction) we made it to the house. At around 5 am Wednesday morning Jeff woke me up complaining of extreme pain in his abdomen. At 9 am we made the trek to Riverside Hospital. 8 hours later Jeff was pain and appendix free. This left us with limited choices for the rest of our vacation.

Thursday we brought Jeff home (to sleep), and spent the rest of the afternoon outside with Mimi and Aiden. The boys had fun playing with bubbles and toys in the pool. This is how we spent most of our afternoons while Jeff recuperated. No complaints from us!

Friday was Jeff and my date night. Red, White, and Boom was OUT since Jeff was not feeling up to the crowds or the walking. Instead we went to Easton. We had dinner at Cheesecake Factory and watched Eclipse in IMAX. I was so thrilled that Jeff agreed to go to the movie. I was equally thrilled that he liked it.

Saturday was another "relax" at Mimi's house day

Sunday brought more traveling. This time we went to my hometown to visit my side of the family. It was a big surprise for me to have Christopher actually sleep at my aunt's house. I was so proud of him; he made his mommy very happy. It was fun to watch him with my family (especially my grandparents). There were no temper-tantrums, and he actually danced for them. We left around dinner time to head back to Columbus. Oh, and Happy Birthday to ME

Monday went took the boys to Whetstone park. It was a scorcher, and they were not thrilled. I took Christopher up to the Park of Roses. It is one of my favorite places in Columbus. It is about 10 acre of nothing but roses. I could have spent hours there, but Christopher and Aiden were getting tired and still needed lunch. That afternoon Jeff and I went on a shopping excursion in Dublin, followed by dinner at Buca Di Bepo.

Tuesday was Zoo day. I am still amazed at how these little guys made it through 4 hours of heat and walking. There were some moments at the zoo where we could have stayed and watched the animals play. There were 2 black bears playing in the water right next to the glass, the boys were amazed with them. Aiden was not very happy to see the Wolverines’, and all of the monkeys in the zoo were aiming to please. All-in-all it was a successful trip, and we will definitely do it again. That evening Mike and Kim took us to a Clipper's game. While the team was not brining their A game, we still had a great time.

TODAY... (Whew, sorry this blog is on the ridiculously long side). Our flight left bright and early. The second leg of the trip we were astonished to find the plane less than half full. This meant we had 4 seats to spread out and relax, allowing Christopher space to move. This brings us up to speed and time for bed. Check back in the next couple days for videos.

Swimming and A New Cinematic Adventure

2010-06-26T22:18:00.003-04:00

I am so glad Mom decided to get a bigger pool! I came in very handy today while we were battling the 100 degree weather. Mom also ended up keeping Christopher tonight, so Jeff and I went on a new cinematic adventure. Now all that’s left to end the day is to finish the laundry before vacation Tuesday :)

Again, thanks to Mom for the pool. Christopher LOVES to play in it. He is so happy when we put on his trunks and UV protective shirt, it's almost like he knows that we are about to have a great afternoon. Below are some pictures from this afternoon, and a video as well.

Summer Swimming from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

After leaving Mom's Jeff and I decided we wanted to see a movie. We made an amazing choice! Robin Hood recently came out, and I was very apprehensive about seeing it. I figured it was going to be the same story line I have seen since I was a kid. This movie was NOTHING close to the cartoon. I don't want to give too much away, but it was what Robin's life was before he became an outlaw. I am so glad I let Jeff talk me into seeing this movie....

Fathers Day

2010-06-20T19:06:00.005-04:00

We did nothing special for Father's Day this year. I offered Jeff breakfast and was told NO!Christopher did manage to give daddy his card without destroying it. For the rest of the morning we hung out together watching cartoons. There was a moment where a meltdown happened on Christopher's part, but it was well founded as he had fallen and hit his ear on his chair.

I had to work Urgent Care so Christopher and Jeff hung out this afternoon by themselves.

T-Minus 12 Days...

2010-06-17T21:47:00.004-04:00

...until a much needed vacation. I am excited for a few days away, and a chance to spend time with our families.

Not much has been going on in Casa Del Cotter. We have been fighting Christopher's 4 month tirade of sinus infection. We did finally find out why the antibiotics have not been working. There are 3 different bacteria in his sinuses. Two of them are resistant to Levaquin, and the other is resistant to Penicillin’s. So for the past three months we were only fighting them in "sections". He is finally getting better after his super dose of both antibiotics, and we were referred to an ENT specialist. We are hoping that the ENT can figure out why Christopher is getting these sinus infections so easily.

Below are pictures of our newest family member Prince, & Christopher and his teddy, Officer Cuddly. He loves his bear...

I Love, Love, LOVE Savannah!!!

2010-05-30T20:12:00.002-04:00

This is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever been too! There is always greenery no matter what the season, it is warm 80% of the year, and there are some of the biggest fountains I have ever seen.

This morning we took Christopher down to Daffin Park. Not so much a "park" for play as it is a park of a big pond and two enormous fountains. There is a path all the way around the pond, only about a mile and a half, and in the middle of the water is a building you can rent out. At first Christopher was scared to death of going anywhere near the pond. I guess he thought we were going to get him wet. He finally decided it was ok, and was very excited when we got close enough to show him how far in the air the water went.

We walked the entire path, and met a strange savannah bird (It is a mix between a chicken and a duck). After he tried to jump in two or three times, we thought it was best to leave. We did get a few great pictures. Just so you can grasp how big these are, the water goes higher that the trees in the distance :)

A Day In The Pool

2010-05-29T14:26:00.006-04:00

We set up Christopher's pool a few weeks ago. He has been in it twice, but today was the first time Jeff was home to enjoy the fun. Not to mention the water Christopher decided Daddy needed to wear.

After breakfast we put Christopher in his pool (without water, because he likes to assist in the filling process). I honestly think that getting to play with the water hose is his favorite part. He splashes water everywhere, and giggles while doing it. Unfortunately, I can't get in the pool with him until next weekend (because of the surgery), so he has yet to fully enjoy his pool. I on the other hand enjoy the fact that he is plum tuckered after playing, and is sleeping away in his crib.

Pool Time from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

I Love Carnivals

2010-05-17T20:04:00.009-04:00

They are a great "mini-fair", and allow me a chance to expose Christopher to rides without the commotion. Case-and-point, Sunday night Mom and I took Jacob and Christopher to the carnival here in Savannah.

When Jeff and I first moved here, they had a carnival every year around this time in front of the National Guard Armory. However, last year there was no carnival. I was so upset, because I was excited to get fair food (without waiting for the fair to come down here in OCTOBER!!!). Evidently these "Carnie-folk" forgot to get a permit last year, thus enabling them to visit Savannah. Luckily this year they had their remembering caps on.

Jacob is always so excited to see the carnival, this year was even better. He is finally tall enough to go on the big rides, and I enjoyed them as well :). He would run up to the gate, get into the ride, and freak out when it started moving faster than he expected. For some reason he always got off the ride with a smile saying, "That was awesome, but let’s not do it again".

Christopher even got to enjoy some little rides. They had a great variety for the little ones, and I loved watching him. He couldn’t have cared les that he was on a ride. He sat there stone faced, staring off into the distance (while he spun in circles, and Jacob laughed hysterically!) He did win a prize at the rubber ducky pond, a green kick ball.

There was one ride that he decided he did not like too much. It was a double swing. He and Jacob sat side-by-side, and at first it was like every other ride. Somewhere about the fourth time around, I noticed his face (click on the picture to get a better view). The ride operator noticed it too, and hit the emergency stop button for me to get Christopher off. From that point on, he was done with rides. I am so glad I got that picture!!!!

Another Mothers Day

2010-05-09T20:51:00.003-04:00

This day has become a very big part of my year. For me being a Mom means so much more than "Just being a Mom". I always think about the women out there unable to have this day for any given reason, and I am grateful that I have Christopher.

I couldn't imagine not being able to celebrate this day with him. Even If he gives me headaches and tries repeatedly to kill the cat, he is my little boy. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future, not only for Mother's Day, but for every other day too!

This year was pretty low key. He took a few long naps, giving me a chance to do the same. I am fortunate for this as I had surgery on Friday, and I am still having a few pains (not including Jeff! HEHE! ) We spent the afternoon with my mom, since Jeff had to go back to work today. This meant Christopher got to play with Jacob, Savannah, and his favorite doggy Brock. This picture is of him bouncing on Brock's belly. Thankfully Brock doesn't mind at all!! So Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mom's out there, and for all of those who are soon to be or hope one day to be!

Random Week Of Late...

2010-05-03T21:52:00.010-04:00

....Started off with a bang!

1. Found out I do have a moderate version of the big "C". I have surgery this Friday to remove all affected cells, in hopes of keeping this at bay.

2. Jeff had a great day Saturday at the Hometown Hero's Event (which he planned from start to finish!!). There was a good turnout for both the event and the game. He also has come out of it with great ideas for next year (one of these includes wearing sunscreen, as he has a terrible burn).

3. Christopher has now figured out the dreaded "No" word. I was quite happy 2 weeks ago when all he would say was "uh-uh".

4. Movies have been made, but not yet posted of the past few weeks. That is by far becoming my "fail" for this blog. If only I had an assistant to do these things for me....

5. I never did mention that Christopher has decided that no vegetable shall be a part of his world (this includes steamed, raw, fried, bbq'd, or covered in gooey cheese!) He has on the other had fallen in love with Jeff's favorite... Mac N' Cheese. So much for healthy choices!

6. We had one split second where I thought Christopher might want to try the big boy potty. This was only to trick me into letting him close enough so he could splash the forbidden water inside...YUCK!!!!!

7. I took Jacob to the baseball game Saturday where he proceeded to eat a.... hotdog, bag of potato chips, my nachos, bag of peanuts, and an Ice cream cone (before deciding that his tummy hurt!).

8. Thanks to Mamma and my constant pushes, Christopher can point to his eye, chest, and me to tell me "I Love You". He still won't say the word but I get "I You". Close enough!

9. We sat down and watched a Scooby-Doo marathon, where Christopher kept saying "dog...bad bad". I guess we're not ready to advance from Max and Ruby just yet.

10. As I lay here typing this, I am listening to Christopher babble in his sleep, so cute!

Soft Play Area

2010-04-23T20:58:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we took Christopher to the mall to hang out for the day. They have a new carousel and train in the mail, and a soft play area where kids can play while parents watch. Christopher LOVES the soft play area (and I love not having to worry about him busting open a lip every time he trips!)

18 Month Check

2010-04-23T20:55:00.002-04:00

Christopher had his 18 month check-up on the 20th. There were a few concerns (especially since he has been sick off and on over the past 2 months). His weight is getting closer to a child his age, were bouncing back and forth between 30 pounds and 28. This puts him in about the 85th percentile. His height is still off the charts. He is now as tall as a 3 year old a whopping 36 inches. Dr. Stone put him on 20 day's of antibiotics, and if this doesn't knock out his infection we have to go to a specialist.

On a lighter note, Dr. Stone moved into a new building.... IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Each room has a different theme (our was a dinosaur), with matching exam tables. His wife did an amazing job with decoration and designing (as she took two months and did it HERSELF!!!). We were so lucky to find this pediatrician, and would recommend him to anyone!!!!

Oatland

2010-04-21T22:05:00.001-04:00

Ok, so i have been slacking on getting these pictures published. The slide below is from Oatland Island here in Savannah. We took Jacob and Christopher to the wildlife reserve to look at the animals (and for a VERY long nature hike!). My fav. picture is the one of Jacob sitting on an egg :)

Waiting....

2010-04-15T23:06:00.003-04:00

....I know I have checked my phone at least a hundred times today (not to mention pulling up the St.Joe/Candler website to look for my lab results) in hopes of getting any sort of news. I thought waiting a week to find out if I have the big "C" would be a snap (most of our patients wait much longer for surgery on painful body parts). I however was completely mistaken.

A week ago Wednesday I got a call from Dr. MacIntosh (my O.B.) telling me that my pap test in NOVEMEBER was read incorrectly by someone at the lab. This person was fired for not reporting a serious problem on someone else's slide, which is how mine got re-read.

I saw Dr. Mac yesterday and a series of not so gentle biopsies were preformed (even with valium in my system.) She said not to worry until we know more, but the look on her face told me something completely different. That is the look we give patients we bring into the room after having a CT or MRI and we find Cancer cells. I'm not too fond of that look.

On a lighter note, Jeff informed me that Valium + me is a funny combination.

The pictures of Christopher, Mimi, and PawPaw below I took today. Enjoy....

Happy 28th Birthday to my Hubby!

2010-04-14T22:04:00.004-04:00

Technically it is not until tomorrow, but since we were both off work tonight we celebrated early. Christopher was a little sleepy, but we still had a nice dinner at Molly McPhearsons. Jeff and Ryan even toasted his birthday with a Scottish scotch.... YUCK!!!

So again Happy Birthday Love!!!

Easter Pictures

2010-04-04T17:42:00.004-04:00

What a weekend!!! Christopher had a great time with Mamma and Leisa here, even if he was not felling so well. We can't wait for them to come back again soon. The slide above are pictures taken on Easter Sunday, and the few pictures below are from him doing the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday.

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-03-26T21:44:00.004-04:00

Christopher has become obsessed with the broom. Inside or out he wants to have the broom with him. After trying to clean the house, and fighting him for the broom, I decided it was time to look for a "Christopher broom". He has not let go of this broom all night (including now while he is asleep). Please overlook the messy face, we had Pizza-Pizza Pie for dinner.

Sweeping from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Sweep 2 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

I also took a new video, and pictures, of Chris in the bathtub. This seems to be the only time he wants to talk on camera.

Bath Time from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Rainy Day Blues!!!

2010-03-21T15:50:00.005-04:00

What to do on a rainy day???? Nothing funnier than following Christopher around Mamaw's house with a camera to see what he finds interesting.

First a picture with Mommy!

Then we discover Lynda's computer (and when she says no touching, I pull her hair and tickle her toes!)

I looked outside for a brief second with hopes that the rain was gone. No such luck!

Time to climb on Mamaw's coffee table.

Back to the window, still no change.

Contemplate stealing Aprils bone (probably not a great idea).

Decide I no longer want Mommy taking my picture today!

Happy 6th Birthday Jacob!

2010-02-20T22:20:00.003-05:00

We had a great time at Chucky Cheese this afternoon. Jacob had a great time with friends and an even better time with "The Cheese" himself. Even with the place being packed (seemingly beyond capacity), we enjoyed our time there. It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to entertain little kids, or Lynda and I for that matter. She and I have now decided on a weekend trip to Jacksonville for some Dave and Busters (big kids version of Chucky Cheese).

Tonight Jeff and I headed off to a very short dinner at Skidaway Island State Park. Dr. Considine and his crew at Coastal Imaging were throwing a Thank You celebration for all of the area offices that have given them business in the past year. I am now lying in bed almost asleep. Enjoy your evening and the rest of your weekend.

Dance Dance Babies from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

And if you couldn't tell who was dancing with Savannah and Christopher, that would be Lynda Butt!!!

Not Feeling So Hot!!!

2010-02-19T21:36:00.005-05:00

To be truthful he has actually been very hot over the past few days, temperature wise. Since Monday Christopher has been trying to fight off his first illness from daycare. He started with upper respiratory infection, and pink eye. Assuming he was getting better we sent him back to daycare on Thursday. That night however he started throwing up, not to mention the 102.1 fever.

Jeff stayed home with him today, since I had already missed two days this week. Christopher ended up sleeping most of the day, and was not in the mood for much of anything. Mom took us all out to dinner (because Aunt Gloria was here), and Christopher fussed through most of the meal. Even with his fussiness we still managed to enjoy some great down-home (Paula Dean) cooking at Uncle Bubba's.

Jacob's birthday is tomorrow. It's hard to believe that he is six years old. I can still remember when he was a toddler (much chunkier than Christopher) waddling around the house. He now has a mouth that gets him into as much trouble as what I used to get into. I on the other hand never got in trouble at school. I can only hope that he becomes and amazingly smart boy that can do anything he ever dreamed of. He gets to celebrate his birthday tomorrow at Chucky Cheeses with friends from school, and all of us.

So please just keep Christopher in your thoughts that he might get over this soon. Also keep us in your thoughts tomorrow while dealing with 12 kids at the best place to be a kid ;)

Not Feeling So Hot! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Wake Up Baby from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

A Southern Snow

2010-02-12T21:24:00.003-05:00

While I realize that most of you northerners now are disgusted by snow, I have been away from it long enough to be thrilled at the sight of the falling white stuff. Tonight I was typing away on Facebook (with my Mamma I might add), when I heard a puppy barking at snow while looking out the back door. I don't think I have been more excited this ENTIRE winter.

To look out my back door in SAVANNAH, GEORGIA and see big fluffy snow flakes was like Christmas all over again. As I sit here typing this blog, sipping Hot Cocoa, and watching the snow fall I am glad I live in the south. I can actually enjoy snow when I see it, and not be disgusted when I hear it in the forecast.

I also realize that you have probably seen enough snow this winter, but if you want to hear me as "giddy as a school girl" watch the two short videos below.

Southern Snow from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Southern Snow Part II from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Silly Little Boy

2010-02-06T21:25:00.006-05:00

My favorite time of the day has to be right before Christopher goes to bed. I've posted before about his nighttime routine, but failed to mention how much I love spending this time with him. He is always in the best moods right before bed, and can make my most horrible day fall to the wayside.

Tonight just happened to be a night where I wasn't in a hurry to get him in to bed. Who cares if he goes to sleep at 7:45 or 8:45 (it ended up being the later of those two). While we played in his room I grabbed my camera to capture a few of these moments. However it never fails that as soon as I start taking a video, the batteries die. Epic Fail on my part for not checking first.

I hope that everyone else has a few of these moments at some point in their day that make you sit back and say, "Life is wonderful"! Have a great night!

Goodnight Chat! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

A New Haircut and A New Beginning

2010-02-05T20:55:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday Christopher got his first haircut. He wasn’t in desperate need, but it was getting long. He had a rattail long enough to braid, and the hair on top of his cubby little head was starting to split. He did a really good job letting the stylist cut his hair. He was more amused by all of the ladies in JcPenny cooing over him.

This morning was a new start for Christopher; it was his first day at daycare. According to the staff at the daycare he did great. He wouldn’t take a nap, but I’m not complaining because he wouldn’t even sleep at Moms. Breakfast, Lunch, and the snack were a snap (he even finished off the other kids’ apple slices). They said that he was one of the best little boys that they had ever had. I say, “Give it a week, and he will fit right in”!

Lions, Elephants, and Toucans

2010-01-23T20:27:00.004-05:00

These are just a few of the things seen today at the circus. We also saw Acrobats, Magicians, Miniature Horses (One full sized Horse), and as always Clowns. It was a new adventure for Christopher and Mommy too!

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey are in town this weekend. When we saw the billboards a few weeks ago we decided it might be worth a try to take Christopher to see it. In normal circumstances I would NEVER consider taking a one year old to the circus, however Chris LOVES animals. Not to mention the clowns visited Jacob at school, and that’s all he talked about from then on.

We opted for an earlier show today, because Christopher and Savannah would be needing naps at some point in time. Savannah happened to take hers during the show (she wasn’t feeling well today). Even with choosing the 11 o’clock showing, we wanted to be there at 10 for the all access pre-show. This was something I had never heard of before, granted this was my first real “Circus” experience. They allowed anyone who bought a ticket to come in an hour early and meet all of the actors and animals. This was probably my favorite part. We got to see the elephant, Susie, up close, (By the way, they are a LOT bigger up close that what they seem at the zoo), we danced with the Clowns (watch the videos below), and saw some fun magic tricks.

The show started exactly at 11, this was a surprise because I would never imagine that something so complicated could ever be on time (take my Aunts and Christmas for example… NEVER on time). It lasted about an hour and a half, with an intermission, and kept us entertained the ENTIRE time (great job Ringling Brothers!!). Christopher did fall asleep right after the acrobats preformed, and slept for about 10 minutes. He missed part of the Lion act, but was wide awake for the elephants. I have never heard him laugh and squeal so hard.

All in all it was an amazing experience for us, and we will definitely do it again.

Circus 1 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Circus 2 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Circus 3 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Circus 4 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

A Goodnight Routine for My 15 Month Old!

2010-01-16T20:14:00.012-05:00

It's official we have passed the 15 month marker. Every day my beautiful little baby grows and learns something new. He is constantly showing us that being new to our world doesn't mean you stay down for long. I don't believe how quickly he is grasping how "life" works. Lately he hasn't slown down for much, not even a hug for Mommy.

Instead of doing the usual "This is what we did today" blog, I thought I would let you in on his bedtime routine. His routine is as follows:

6:30 Dinner

7:00 Head upstairs to get his room ready for bed. Most of the time this means we take out all of the toys and ready them for after bath play time.

7:30 BATHTIME!! This might possibly be his favorite time of the day. If there are bubbles in the bathtub he enjoys it that much more.

8:00 Get pj's on and play with said toys that were previously mentioned. He also used this time to learn how to climb onto my rocking chair. This has led to many bumps and bruises during the day, because he now believes himself invincable

8:30 Call daddy, if he didn't stop by, to tell him goodnight. Get Lamby and binky (Yes, he still has his binky at bedtime), and go to sleep.

So there you have it, my little boy and his goodnight routine. Most of the time it NEVER goes this smoothly. He always finds a way to throw a wrench in somewhere. I hope that everyone else has a nightly routine as fun filled as what ours is.

Goodnight 1 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Goodnight 2 from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Goodnight All!!!!

My Officer In Training

2010-01-07T21:47:00.003-05:00

Christopher loves his new Cozy Coup Police car that Mimi got him for Christmas. He has become an "inside police officer" with hopes of moving out into the world come spring.

Everyone knows that a good policeofficer gets messy and needs a relaxing bubble bath at the end of the day....

Christmas Time Has Come....

2009-12-26T19:50:00.004-05:00

....And Gone!!! All the presents unwrapped. Both families have been visited. Hectic air travel accomplished (NO KIDDING!). Now Mommy and Daddy are back to work.

This Christmas things were a little different than last year. I have a job, which limited me to less than one week of vacation. Christopher is older now and is more able to travel (willingly or not). We asked Mimi and Pawpaw to come down a week before we went to Ohio to spend a little more time with them. Christopher loved having the extra entertainment, even if it was met with just as much supervision. The first two days were spent relaxing and enjoying the company. We went at some point to see Santa, and to my surprise Christopher did an AMAZING job. He went right up to Santa and started to play with his beard and Glasses. We did more running around while they were here, but for the most part of the time it rained leaving us with minimal choices.

EARLY Saturday morning we flew up to Ohio for our short visit with the rest of our family. Christopher did very well on the flights (considering we had no windows on the row that we were in). I think that I enjoyed the subway in the Atlanta airport the most :). I have never been on a subway so that was a new experience for me. We were very lucky that we made it in to Ohio when we did. Shortly after arriving we started hearing about flights being canceled or delayed do to weather.

There were quite a few people who had still never met Christopher, and we were excited for that experience. Sunday was the "Cotter Family Pictures" that had never been taken before because of the distance. The pictures were amazing, and the boys did great! Christopher loved the photographer with her stuffed kitty, and Aiden just like to laugh at Christopher laughing. That night was the extended Lynch family Christmas (Jeff's mom's side of the family). Mimi counted 29 people and 9 of those were kids under 10.

Monday brought with it a day to shop for last minute gifts for the Jividen Family Christmas (my side) on Tuesday. It also was a day to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep. Jeff and I also took Christopher out to the Columbus Zoo for their Winter Wonderland. The entire zoo was covered in lights. It is honestly the most beautiful part of Christmas I have ever seen. We got Christopher in to bed that night and then headed out to meet up with our friend Tyler for a night out.

Tuesday was all about packing, the Jividen Family Christmas, and mentally preparing for the trip home on Wednesday. My favorite part of the Jividen Family Christmas is the "Grandma Pettet Gift" (also know as the White Elephant Gift). These are gag gifts that people bring to give out for laughter. It could be anything from a stuffed fish or a ceramic butt (which happened to be the gift Jeff received this year). It makes Christmas much more enjoyable not worrying about the price of gifts or whether the receiving person will even like what you have given them.

Wednesday was our flight home, again VERY early. This flight was more stressful because we only had 25 minutes between our connecting flights. We literally ran through the Atlanta airport, and successfully made it to our flight.

We are now home and have very much enjoyed our Christmas adventure. Below are pictures from our trip, Christmas day pictures will be on the next post ;)

It Has Been A LONG TIME!!!

2009-11-29T21:07:00.003-05:00

Indeed it has been longer than I would want it to be. There have been a few changes in the Cotter house in the past month. We are very excited for the holidays, and can't wait to share our photos of our little man throughout the next few weeks.

Our biggest change was another move. There were some unforeseen circumstances that came up and in a matter of a week we have moved just down the road into one of our fire chief’s condos. We are hoping in the next few months Jeff can start some college classes for Criminal Justice. Another change has been with our little one himself, HE IS WALKING. He started on in 13 month "birthday" and has been cruising along since.

We have already passed by Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here soon. It difficult to believe that at this time last year we were still without sleep most nights. Christopher has, for the most part, conquered his sleeping schedule. He is even generous when he wakes up early, letting mommy and daddy continue to sleep while he plays in his crib. Decorations are still in their boxes, at least until Wednesday. I'm very proud of myself for waiting, considering last year they were up before Thanksgiving.

I also can't wait to visit with my family in Ohio in a few weeks. There are still a few of them who have not met Christopher; we are hoping that we can change this. We are also anxious to see snow!!! Even if it only snows for 30 minutes while we are home, that would be enough.

Below are two videos, one of Christopher walking for the first time, and the other of us playing peek-a-boo the other night while unpacking.

HE IS WALKING!!!! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Curtain Fun from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Mashed Potato

2009-11-10T20:02:00.003-05:00

Dinner tonight was full of funny moments and messy baby photos!!!!

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

2009-10-25T18:16:00.003-04:00

Sunday was a day to remember for our big guy, as he went on his first pumpkin hunt. We drove for almost an hour to reach a run down farm, that was advertised as "spectacular". We found nothing that we were looking for, but managed some adorable photos and yummy apple cider! We decided that the little pumpkin stand down the road from the house was a much better idea (and it was), as we found so many awesome pumpkins. There were so many there I was almost afraid Christopher would never choose just one.

After going through the ENTIRE pumpkin patch (some 200 pumpkins), Christopher started for what seemed to be another walk-through. This time around however, he stopped halfway through and did a dance of sorts. He had found his pumpkin, which by the way is HALF his size (and he's no small pumpkin himself)! We took a few more pictures with his fabulous choice in pumpkins, and headed home for a much needed nap. Rescue even got his picture taken with a wee little "pupkin"!

Chucky Cheese's

2009-10-17T21:24:00.007-04:00

It really is a great place to be a kid. Christopher got to go for the first time today, and he had a lot of fun. There weren't very naby things for him to do, but he enjoyed the hundreds of other kids running arround. Jacob and Savannah went as well and had just as much fun, if not more. These are a few pictures that were taken while we were there.

Happy Birthday...

2009-10-15T22:13:00.003-04:00

...To my big guy! It has come and gone, Christopher turned the big number one day! I did amazingly well with keeping the flood works down, but struggled a little when watching tonight.

His party was a hit. Well at least in my eyes! His theme was Mod Monkeys, and was ADORABLE!!! I made a cake for the first time that wasn't square and required actual work. He had his best buddy Mikail there, and his cousin Aiden. There were a bunch of our friends, and our family who drove down to visit from Ohio. There was WAY to much food, but at least we didn't run out. He didn't care too much about opening presents, but he loved his cupcake :)

Mimi and Gandpaw (and yes it's not GRANDPAW) were here for a few days to visit before hand. We wish they could have stayed longer, but we understand the time constraints and wanting to spend time with Mike, Kim, and Aiden. We can't wait to visit with them again soon, and maybe by then Christopher will be running through the house and yard.

Cold State, AKA Ohio

2009-09-30T21:23:00.003-04:00

Other than the rather chilly weather, the trip up north went exactly as expected. We had the viewing (for Mammy) on Sunday, the funeral on Monday, and spent our last day with the Cotter clan. Not to mention Jeff getting an earlier taste of his favorite Ohio delicacies.

Sunday was spent in New Lex with my family at the viewing of Mammy. There were a lot of family that came from all over the state. Along with those that I already knew, I met a lot of family that I had never even heard of before. I guess that's how funerals go though, people come from all over to show their respects. Grandpa held up pretty well, I was very afraid that he wouldn't be able to get through it. After 50+ years together he not only lost his wife, but also lost his best friend.

Monday brought the funeral, and winds that could chill a southern transplanted Ohioan to the core (and they did!!!). We didn't have to worry to much about Christopher being out in the cold, because he fell asleep in the car on the way to the graveyard. While at the burial I managed to stop by and see and Daddy's grave as well.

Tuesday was the day of fun, and where most of the following pictures came from. We met up with Mike, Kim, and Aiden at their house. After eating a much awaited for meal of Buca Di Beppo, the boys spent a while playing on the floor and getting to know each other. We also attempted to get a "complete" Cotter boy photo, but the little ones we not wanting to cooperate. The video is of Christopher and Aiden having a raspberry battle and laughing hysterically at each other. We can't wait for them to get down here in about a week and a half.

Raspberry Fun from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Christopher's First Flight

2009-09-27T08:28:00.005-04:00

Well due to a loss in our family, my Mammy, we made a quick purchase and flew to Ohio yesterday. Christopher did AMAZING on the airplane! We were very fortunate and we blessed with having 3 seats when we only paid for 2. On the second leg of the flight Christopher settled down in the middle seat and took a nap. It was a huge blessing, giving Jeff a chance to get a short nap as well (We had to get up at 2:30am to get to the airport by 5am). These are a few photos that I took with my phone during the trip (Yes I know it was supposed to be turned off!). Enjoy!

First Birthday Pictures

2009-09-19T10:51:00.003-04:00

Now it's even more real then what it was a few weeks ago. We went this week end got Christopher's first birthday photos taken. It was a rather odd day because Tyler was down to visit from Ohio and we went to the Ocean in the afternoon, his pictures were not supposed to be taken until 7pm (bedtime), and Savannah was there to get her pictures taken as well.

Tyler had a great time at the beach, even if he wouldn't go into the water! He got a few souvenirs to take back home with him, and we let the beach to get ready for little man's photo session. Poor Tyler didn't get to do very much that day!

Mom had decided last week that Savannah needed her pictures taken as well, so we just set up her appointment right after Christopher's to make it easy on the studio. Christopher didn't want to smile, laugh, or even look at the camera for the first 10 minutes. He finally started to loosen up, and we even got a few snap shots of him standing on his own for the first time (GO BIG BOY!). She took a lot of photos, and was gracious enough to let us do more than the allotted amount of clothing changes. I can't wait for them to arrive! This is a slide show of my favorites and all of Savannah's pictures.

11 Months Old

2009-09-13T22:12:00.003-04:00

Christopher is 2 short days from being 11 months old. Our little baby has become a growing little boy! We have noticed over the last few weeks, his little Irish attitude meshing with my outspokenness. He now lets you know when he is not happy with what you do, or for that matter don't do! It's awe inspiring watching him learn new things, and begin to figure out how this world works on his level.

We love to hear him say new words, like "up, pants, hi, and ball". He still has his favorite word "lights", and knows how to turn them on and off. He says "Dada" when he's sad or sleepy, and I have been fortunate enough to get a "Momma" out of him. We can't wait throughout the day to see if a new word might emerge!

As we wait for this last month to pass before toddler days begin, we ask everyone to keep us in mind while we try to mold our little munchkin in to the little boy he can be!

It's Officially Buckeyes Season!

2009-09-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

One can only hope this season ends with less disappointment than the last few. I'm sure Kim is sitting in their Buckeye room yelling at the guys on the field, maybe this year they might hear her pleas for success.

Christopher has been learning to feed himself, and I must say it creates a disaster in my dining room. These are a few pictures of him eating baby ravioli, or trying to at least. He does a lot better with a spoon than what he does with his hands. It's hard to imagine that in about a month he will be a year old. I only can hope that the next few years to come brings new and exciting experiences.

I'm leaving you with a video that applies to every woman who has ever went looking for that "perfect card".

A week to forget!!!!!!

2009-08-29T22:57:00.002-04:00

My week of terror and loss is FINALLY over. For those of you who didn't know last Saturday my cell phone was stolen on post at the commissary, and Monday night someone attempted to break into our home while Christopher and I were here. The entire group of Southside officers responded to our home, but still no one has been caught.

I did get some good news this week. I officially sign my contract with SOC Monday. This means no more waiting and more money flowing in. I leave you tonight with a video of our little goof, the name of the video says it all...........

Hysterical Laughing from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Lost In Time!!!

2009-08-08T14:20:00.007-04:00

So it's been a little while, or maybe a long while. We have been on a Internet loss here at home. Our neighbor is very nice and lets us hit off his wireless for free, but when the power goes out due to storms (every night) we loose Internet. It has been a few days since the loss of power so I am scrambling to get this updated.

This month has been a learning frenzy for Christopher. He is standing, crawling like a pro, taking steps, and learning more words. I almost wish he weren't growing so fast. He is like a weed, but we are hoping with more movement happening we wont have to buy new clothes for a while. He is still in between 12 and 18 months, and at 10 months old that's saying something.

We have been keeping very busy trying new things with Christopher and letting him explore more. I almost thought that child was going to have a concussion with all the falling he was doing. I'm so excited to see him learn new things, and find new friends. We had another play date with his buddy Mikael two weeks ago. They play together like you would expect two growing boys to do. Between the hitting each other on the head, throwing toys at the other one, and pushing each other around, they were both beaten and bruised. They had a great time and we can't wait for the next play date.

We met up with my friend Lindsey last week, and Christopher got to spend some quality time with his "girlfriend" Lauren. He wasn't to impresses with her and spent more time watching the waitress. They did however, exchange baby kisses before the end of the night.

On a more depressing note, My phone was stolen from me today. I am not to thrilled at the thought of having no ones phone numbers anymore, or loosing all of my data (pics, music, calender). I can't believe that there are people in this world who believe it is OK to take other peoples things for whatever their reason. Stealing IS a crime, and should this person ever be found they will go to jail. AS ALL THIEF'S SHOULD!!!!

Swing, Swing! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Bathtub Chatter! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

New Experiences

2009-08-02T09:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the day for new experiences for Christopher and Jacob. Christopher played in the grass for the first time, and Jacob went to his first baseball game. What a day it became!

Jeff and I went over to my Mom's at about 12 yesterday after Jeff got out of bed. Christopher was already there from me going with her to the commissary for groceries. She was trying to sweep the floor and Christopher decided that he didn't like the noise very well. To keep him from screaming like a crazy person we took him out onto the front porch (he likes to watch the flag and wind chimes). I got the grand idea that since he can crawl now we could take him into the grass, and let him play. He was not to thrilled with the prickly grass on his knees, so he wouldn't put his legs down onto the grass. We ended us setting him down on the grass instead of trying to get him to crawl on it. He didn't move and inch. We did manage to get some very cute pictures though.

Later in evening was when the family picnic and Sand Gnats game kicked off. It wasn't looking very like the game was going to be played, as the weather was terrible. It poured for the first hour that we were there. The picnic ended at 7 and the game started at 7:30 so the wait wasn't to bad. Jacob, not ever going to a baseball game before, was very excited. We had trouble keeping him entertained while waiting for the game to start. We ended up only staying for the first 3 innings because Bubba was getting tired and we still had to get Christopher. We had a good time, and next year Christopher will be big enough to go with us!

Two Years...

2009-07-29T21:56:00.003-04:00

..... Have come and gone since the day we said "I Do"! Jeff and I are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and a beautiful little boy to share it with. We spent our evening eating a great meal and exchanging our gifts. The theme for the two year anniversary is "Cotton" and while I was tempted, I did not get Jeff a bag of cotton balls for his gift. I got him a gift set of his favorite cologne, and he got me a gorgeous necklace. It has three harts, one in gold, one in silver, and one in bronze. Each one has little diamonds around it, and I LOVE IT!!! We had a lovely night and are excited to see what this next year will bring us.

Very Rare Date Night

2009-07-24T23:05:00.004-04:00

On an unexpected turn Jeff found out he was still on vacation until tomorrow. JACKPOT!!! I had just said to mom the other day that I wish Jeff had a few more days off so that we could have a date night. He was off for 18 days but for the last part of it Mom was gone to O-H-I-O for Kyran and Lynda's wedding (congrats you two high school sweethearts). This left Jeff and I without a babysitter. When we found out the other night that his vacation was longer than we thought, immediate plans went out that tonight would be our date night.

I met him after work to drop off Christopher to my Mom, and off we went to dinner. Sticky Finger's was good but our service was CRUD! We left and made it to the movie theater just in time to get tickets and get into our seats. Harry Potter was our choice (mostly mine!). I know every time a new movie comes out that I will be disappointed. The fact that the movie adds extra scenes that are not supposed to be there, or cuts out parts that are fairly important for future moments gets me every time. I still managed to enjoy it just enough that our date night ended on a positive....

...Not to mention the fact that I came home to a bouquet of flowers for me on the table. I have the BEST husband ever!

Crawling Baby

2009-07-22T21:43:00.004-04:00

Recently Christopher has decided he was going to start "fully" crawling. I managed to get a few videos of this the night it started but I want to make one big video (hopefully tomorrow night!).

We did have our nine month check up today with him and got a few interesting facts. He is still on the gaining side on weight but he hasn't gained as fast. He finally dropped from the 98% to the 96%. Hopefully all of this crawling will help get him back to average size for his age. He now weighs 25 lbs and 2 oz. His length was 30.1 inches (off the charts, something like 102%), and his head circumference was 35 cm (also off the charts at 101%). He is the average size of a 2 1/2 year old. While he is not overweight anymore he is still extremely tall with a large brain. We also discussed Christopher's eating habits (not at all the normal for his age). He is only taking in 16 oz of formula a day. We cant get him to take anymore, and he won't even eat a whole jar of baby food (don't ask me why he is still my big linebacker). It looks like we are going to be trying the toddler formula to see if he likes it any better.

We did have some funny moments tonight that I managed to capture on camera. Mom had this Pooh Bear that Bubba LOVED (it walks, runs, sprints, and talks!). We got it out for Christopher to see how he would like it. He had the same reaction....

Playing with Pooh Bear from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Pooh Bear Fell Down! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Video from the beach....

2009-07-20T07:12:00.002-04:00

.... a little belated, but better late than never! Ignore the annoying kids in the background....

SPLASH!!! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Off To The Beach

2009-07-19T14:47:00.003-04:00

Today was Christopher's first trip to the beach. It was quite, there weren't to many people there so we got our pick of the beach. Christopher wasn't to sure if he like the waves or not, but he loved splashing in the water. We didn't stay to long because I didn't want him to get burned, and his hair was so adorable after drying (the water had spiked it for us!). Tonight is time for rest and relaxation before heading back into work tomorrow.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears.... OH MY!!!!

2009-07-18T15:05:00.004-04:00

....Well minus the Tigers, but we had a great time at the zoo. The dive down was a little rainy, but we saw a gorgeous rainbow. The hotel wasn't what we expected. We took a drive through some back roads in Jacksonville before going to the zoo in the morning. When we finally made it, Christopher LOVED all of the animals and people around.

I left work a little early so we could get on the road and make it to the hotel before Christopher needed his bath. It started raining at about the halfway point, but it didn't last very long. Not to far down the road we noticed a beautiful rainbow.

We made it to Jacksonville with a little time to spare before Christopher's bath. Unfortunately the pool was closed at the hotel, so Christopher missed out on some swimming. The suite was not the best, but also not the worst. We made it through the night on very little sleep, and not in the normal sleeping arrangements.

This morning we were off a little to early before the zoo opened so we decided to drive down to a civil war monument. We happened to also arrive there before it opened. Not the best of timing for us this morning. We did manage to see some wild Peacocks on the road before heading back toward the zoo.

The zoo opened just as we arrived, finally good timing. Christopher enjoyed watching all the big kitties (especially the Leopards), and the Elephants. He watched the other animals, but they weren't as exciting. Three hours later we made it through the zoo and were on our way home.

A successful first family trip!!!!

Lions OH MY!!!! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Giraffe Fun from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Choo-Choo from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

One REAL Expensive Dinner

2009-07-16T20:29:00.006-04:00

Jeff and I were looking for a place to grab a bit to eat tonight, so to the Internet we came. In Savannah there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from, but they all seem to have the same thing. We couldn't find anything that truly sparked our pallet, which left us with just going someplace new. We had yet to try Tony's Stake House that opened a few months ago. They say in the add, "An uptown dinner at a decent price". Boy are they wrong!!!! The dinner was great, but the price not so much. We decided we were eating our anniversary dinner a few weekends early. Christopher really enjoyed the fancy interior and our Greek waitress.

We got a lot of funny faces from the wee one tonight as well as a video of him eating a lemon.

Lemons Please from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Mommy and Me.....

2009-07-16T07:32:00.002-04:00

..... Before getting a bath, eating dinner, and going to bed.

New Fan and A Game of Peek-A-Boo

2009-07-12T13:12:00.004-04:00

Christopher had the horrible 1980's looking fan in his room that only sucked air up to the ceiling. It never would reverse to the opposite direction and the glass housing for the bulb kept falling down (a big hazard for a growing boy who now loves to play in his room). We found a fan the other day that was multicolored and smaller so we got it and decided to put it up yesterday. We got lucky and managed to have the whole day to finish all of the half completed projects around the house since Christopher went to grandmas in the morning. The fan looks great and Christopher loves all of the colors but I think one of the wires came undone because the light works but not the fan (a project for another day!!!).

Today is yard day! Unfortunately it's so hot and humid outside right now that a break was in order. While eating our lunch we discovered a website for Christopher to play on. He can hit any key on the keyboard and it plays Peek-A-Boo with him. We even got a "dada" and "kitty" recorded too! Enjoy the video...

peek-A-boo from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

The Bunny Hop

2009-07-11T07:38:00.003-04:00

Christopher has officially found a new way to get around the house. Not crawling, rolling, walking, or scooting. He does the bunny hop. I apologize for the quality of the video, it seems that is a moment of complete blondness I took our new camera outside the other night to capture us setting off more fireworks only to leave it there overnight. IN THE RAIN!!!! It still works, thankfully. Our memory card on the other hand was not so lucky. I still have the video but it is grainy and jumps.

Don't mind the chatter in the background, I was on the phone with Lou when Christopher decided to try this new type of movement.

The Bunny Hop from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Messy Savannah Lee

2009-07-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

OK OK, I know this is our "family" blog, but now that Savannah is close by and I can take pictures of her I figured "Why Not"? I want all of our family to be able to keep updated not only on Christopher, but Savannah as well since we are so far away. These two pictures were taken the other night during spaghetti night....

BOOM! BOOM! AHHHHH!

2009-07-05T08:31:00.003-04:00

My 23rd birthday has now come and gone, and today I am feeling MUCH older than I expected. I have noticed, just this morning, my knees cracking and a pain in my neck that I never took much notice to before. I am fortunate however to know that there are still some many years before I receive the common aches and pains of those wiser and more experienced of you.

On my birthday yesterday I was allowed to sleep in my my wonderful husband and impeccably adorable little one (even if I can only sleep in until 8!!!). I was informed a few days ago that Jeff would be sending me to the spa for a day of retreat and peace. I turned it down. Don't get me wrong there is not much that can top a 3 hour day of massage, mani's, pedi's, and quiet. I however only wanted to get my hair trimmed and highlighted (sorry but I forgot to get a picture of it!). I was a wonderful two hours in the salon, but much needed.

After leaving from the hair beautifying we met Ryan and Robin for lunch at Coach's Corner, played a little trivia while waiting for our food, and discovered that my husband knows WAY to much useless information. The food was yummy and fattening (just what I wanted for my birthday!!), and Christopher enjoyed watching all of the happenings around him.

Jeff rushed off to work while Christopher and I headed over to Mom's for dinner and cake. The cake never managed to get cut because we were in such a hurry to make it to the fireworks. We always get there a few hours early just so we can get nice spots. The fireworks started at 9:20 and were over 25 minutes later. I wonder every year why people wait 2 hours to see a 25 minute show and then get stuck in an hour of traffic to get home. Christopher and Savannah were big troopers. It was so humid and they were both tired but neither one behaved like it. We had a great time and Christopher really enjoyed Uncle Ryan & Aunt Robin and Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Erica being there even if Daddy wasn't. Can't wait to see what next year brings ;)

Airport Training and A New Friend

2009-07-01T21:24:00.003-04:00

We had training on Tuesday night at Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. It was great to get to learn about all of the equipment that is used in an aircraft emergency. It is NOTHING like everyday firefighting. First of all you never leave the truck. The fire can be put out from inside (It's like playing a video game), SO COOOL!!! Second, one truck can put out a 747 by itself... try that in an average truck (it's not gonna happen!). Third, there are plane emergencies EVERY DAY at EVERY airport! They don't put them on the news because they are mostly little prop planes. We had an awesome time, even if we didn't get home until after midnight. Thank goodness for grandma.

Tonight we had a play date at Max and Vanessa's house with Makale and Christopher. Chris has never had a play date before so I was a little apprehensive about how he would react. They are just 3 days apart in age, so he loved it! The boys shared their toys and played like they have known each other from birth. There will definitely be more play dates to come.

Pool Party Anyone?

2009-06-27T19:22:00.003-04:00

We all know that Christopher LOVES the pool. Today we got to see how much Savannah loves the pool as well. Christopher spent his time relaxing and floating around watching the action. Action it was, Savannah had a blast splashing in the pool. Will had to hold her up because she was to fast for the pool and didn't like the outcome. I took some pictures with Mom's camera as somehow I always manage to forget mine at the most inopportune moments.

At Work

2009-06-22T16:52:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here at work in my last few minutes, and I have realized setting a surgery is kinda like planning a wedding. There is mountains of paperwork, lots of signatures, the surgeon is kinda like a preacher (without him nothing happens), picking a date, taking time off work, going to therapy afterward, and my favorite part signing your life away to someone who could be almost a stranger. I LOVE IT!

I only wish I could do it all by computer. You hand starts to ache after just a few surgery postings.

How Creepy would it be to show to surgery and see this......

As it says this is what the operating rooms at Candler Hospital here in Savannah looked like in 1915.

Christopher and Savannah

2009-06-21T16:15:00.002-04:00

Mamma,

You asked for pictures of Christopher and Savannah together. This was NOT an easy feat. Somehow we managed to get a few though.....

Father's Day

2009-06-21T15:46:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure Christopher enjoyed today more than Jeff did! Daddy was supposed to sleep in until 10 but Christopher decided he wanted daddy up at 9 (even though he had slept in himself until 8:30). He got to wake up daddy, help open presents, eat his lunch, and go back to sleep. Jeff did really like his gifts. I was excited about Christopher's painting. He had so much fun making himself and the high chair a mess, but he got washed off in his new pool afterward. The footprint plaque turned out great and it has a little poem on the back...

Daddy's Little Boy

His big arms hold him near,

His big voice grows soft and dear.

His big smile full of pride,

His big heart now worn outside.

His little kisses brush his cheek,

His little eyes, joy they speak.

His little hands tug him tight,

His little smile beams true light.

I'm my Daddy's Little Boy,

He's my hero and I'm his joy.

It has been a GREAT day, besides the scorching heat, enjoy the pictures! Another post to follow in a few ;)

A Few Photo Slides

2009-06-20T14:20:00.002-04:00

I have a lot of pictures to show off today so I figured I would put them all on one blog.

Happy Baby and Cousin Savannah

2009-06-14T18:27:00.002-04:00

Christopher has been in a wonderfull mood lately. This is a great break considering that he had been sick all last week. We have been getting nothing but smiles from him all day. Mom got home today from Virginia and broght Savannah and Erica back with her. Christopher was so excited to have someone to play with...

Silly Baby

2009-06-13T12:46:00.007-04:00

Today I wanted to get some updated pictures of Christopher and a few hopefully containing his "pearly whites". First thing this morning we headed off to the grocery store which happened to get hit by lightening last night so all of their frozen or cold foods were ruined and had to be thrown away! So much for grocery shopping. We came back home to a still sleeping daddy so Christopher decided he wanted a nap too. He woke up around 11 and on doctors request we started the weening of the bottle today.... another bad idea. He has been using a sippy cup for a while but only for juice and water. Christopher wanted nothing to do with the milk in the sippy cup, but as soon as I dumped it into his bottle it was fine and dandy. By this time his clothes were soaked so the pictures of him contain only a diaper and he couldn't have been happier!

Below is a video I took at the same time... He loves the camera now!

NAKED MAN!!!!!! from Sara Cotter on Vimeo.

Jeff Took Me Out To The Ball Game

2009-06-12T18:30:00.003-04:00

The other night we were invited out by another couple in our fire department. The plan was to go to the local Minor Leagues game "The Sand Gnats". At first I was mildy dissapointed because the game was draging on and not to much fun in 82 degree heat. By the bottom of the fifth inning when it started to cool down and some more "interesting" caracters showed up the game became ammusing. The other team had a few members with names that should not be given to children by parents. One was Jesus (not the spanish pronuciation either) who I am sure got the most of the heckling from the crowd. We did manage to win the game and enjoyed it so I do believe we will be heading back soon. Below are a few pictures I took during the game... enjoy!

Please read.

2009-06-10T16:11:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone. Instead of Sara posting a blog, it is I, Jeff. I normally don't write blogs. I leave that up to Sara. But recent events surrounding a certain criminal case has gotten me and a lot of fellow SCMPD officers standing up for a cause. Let us begin.

Back on August 28th, 1991, Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen McPhail Sr. was shot and killed at a Burger King while working off duty. Officer McPhail had responded to someone getting robbed at gunpoint. As Officer McPhail approached the suspect, Troy Anthony Davis, Davis shot Ofc. McPhail causing him to fall to the ground. Reports state that Davis went over to Ofc. McPhail, stood over him, and shot him again while smiling. Ofc. McPhail died before help even arrived.

I did not know Ofc. McPhail but he is still a fellow officer.

There were numerous eyewitnesses to this incident. But as the year progressed, many have recanted there testimony. I believe this is due to witness intimidation on the suspects part. Davis and his family have been trying since 1991 to clear him. All of his appeals have been turned down by some of the highest courts in this country. But one thing. If Davis was not guilty, why did he flee to Atlanta to hide out. People state that there isn't enough evidence to convict Davis. However, with numerous witness accounts, which if they testified again almost 20 years later, their memory would not be as acute as it was then. Davis sits on death row. He has appealed numerous times. His family, the NAACP, Amnesty Intl, and other organizations stand up for Davis. But where are the people standing up for Ofc. McPhail. There are numerous officers with Savannah Chatham Metro Police, Chatham County Sheriffs, and other local law enforcement agencies standing up for the McPhail family. I ask that all that read this study the McPhail case and help support the Law Enforcement community. You see Davis supporters wearing "I am Troy Anthony Davis" shirts. Well, as police officers on duty, we can display our support with t-shirts. However, a lot of SCMPD officers on Facebook and other online websites display our support. We also display our support on duty by showing up everyday in our uniform ready to perform our job to the best of our abilities. We ride our calls and guarantee our safe return home to our families. If you have a Facebook account, look for the cause "Justice for Mark Allen McPhail, Sr" and sign up. And tell you friends about it too. Every law enforcement officer will appreciate the support, as well as the family and friends of Ofc. McPhail.

My Sleepy Man

2009-06-10T07:38:00.003-04:00

It took 6 days but I'm pretty sure this retched cold is almost gone. Christopher on the other hand is only on day 3 of his cold. He hasn't been sick since he was a newborn so this is a new experience to him. Last night he was at moms while Jeff and I had our fire meeting. He ate his dinner and went to sleep perfectly fine, but when we picked him up it became a whole new story. He decided he wanted to wake up and play. Not to mention he couldn't breathe. In our bed he came in some hope that he would realize that it was "sleepy time". No such luck! He wanted to play with Jeff's ear and slap me repeatedly. Finally we just put him back in his bed and after being home for 3 hours he finally fell asleep. This morning comes around and Christopher is still asleep. I took a picture of him when I found him.... and another picture after I removed all of the blankets he decided he needed in the middle of the night. Even after opening the curtains and repeating his name with some back rubs he was still fast asleep.

We are now wide awake and mommy is headed off to work! I just wish that everyone in the world could enjoy a deep sleep like what this little one was in. Enjoy and have a wild and wonderful Wednesday!

7 Month Update.... Late!

2009-05-30T12:20:00.004-04:00

So he turned 7 months ummmm 15 days ago. WHOOPS! I thought I had better get a move on and update this thing. We haven't been able to get his pictures taken because I work all week long and Jeff works the weekend so i decided to try and get a few good pictures of him myself. He has been doing the "Mogley" crawl and trying his best to get around. If that doesn't work there is always rolling. He has mastered the introduction of teeth, now that he has eight. We see a few more buds wanting to come through so evidently his is going to take after my dad and have 12 by the age of one. He is wanting so bad to eat everything we are eating and with mom giving in every time it's becomingly increasingly hard to say no. He still says Dada but only when he is mad or upset and on random occasions I hear a Momma find it's way out. Since staring this new job I see him only a few hours out of the day so I have now replaced Jeff with missing out on anything new. We are hoping this summer to take a weekend trip to Florida since we can't get up to Ohio. The zoo down here is the next best thing! As far as height and weight go... he's slowing down. Thank goodness, I was wondering how much more we were going to have to spend on clothes. He only gained 1.5 pounds in a month and grew an inch. These are a few of the pictures I really liked of him and a slide show of the entire process. Enjoy!