Merry Christmas

We had lots of Christmas gatherings starting Friday and ending Christmas day. Here is a link to a slide show of all the photos we took during this time. We all had a wonderful Christmas and it was so nice to get to spend time with our family. We're looking forward to seeing our friends, Morgan and Shawn and the twins this weekend and Chloe's birthday party. Enjoy the photos and have a very Happy New Year!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22213301@N03/show/

After the Storm

Well it's been quite strange around here the past couple of weeks. We had a good trip to Branson, it was kind of yucky, foggy, rainy weather, so we mostly stayed inside and enjoyed playing games and watching movies. Sunday, we had a big ice storm that knocked out our power Monday morning. We were glad we made it back in time, though. Dennis hooked up the generator so we had all we needed, but our power is back on today-Yay! I wish I'd have taken some pictures, the trees just looked like glass out there, it looked cool, but I was sure glad we were inside and warm. It's been a little mini-vacation for me and Cooper, we have stayed at the house since Sunday night, but we are ready to get out and run a few Christmas errands before we get our predicted snow.

We are looking forward to having family gatherings starting next week and through to Christmas, it's always great to see everyone and visit, especially those we don't see every year or only see this time of year. I'm sure we'll have some fun pics to post after Christmas. This is, of course, Cooper's first Christmas, he probably won't be as interested in his presents as he will watching everyone else open gifts.

We hope you all have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho!!

Here are some cute pics of Cooper with Santa and his cousin, Chloe. Sasha and I took them to Bass Pro today to visit Santa. Chloe immediately cried when she got on Santa's lap, but was happy with the candy cane after the fact and Cooper seemed to like Santa's furry coat.

Thankful

It's been a very whirlwind kind of week for us. Thanksgiving was good, it's always good to see friends and family. A lot of my family was in for a funeral, however, not just the holiday. My Grandad (Dad's Dad) passed away last Friday, his health has been poor for the last few years and it is just a relief for us to know that he isn't going through that now. What a crazy year!

Cooper is doing great! He is growing like a weed!! He gets to go to Branson for the first time next week. Here is a picture we took at our house the Saturday after Thanksgiving with Dennis's family. Hope everyone had a great turkey day!

Happy Thanksgiving

We are looking forward to getting started with the holidays. Cooper will have his very first Thanksgiving this week at his Great Grandma Harper's (Dennis's grandma), we'll visit Morgan, Shawn, and the twins in Edmond on Friday, Saturday will be at our house, and Sunday at my dad's house. What a busy week!
Cooper is doing great. Last week we went for his 2 month check-up and shots- he weighs 11 lbs and he's now 22 1/2 inches. He's growing so fast! He just gets cuter and cuter (: We are so thankful for our little miracle!
We wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!! Love & Hugs!

All Played Out

Cooper loves to play in his little play gym, as you can tell, it wears him out. Isn't he sweet?

Family Photos

Here are some photos we had taken October 20th. Cooper definitely looks like his daddy. Aren't they cute!?!

Happy Halloween

Cooper had his very first Halloween yesterday.

He was sure interested in all the kids when we passed out candy. Isn't he cute as "Daddy's little monster"? (:

I had to post this one of him in his little bathrobe, too, it's just so much fun!

He is growing so fast, he weighs about 10 pounds now. He has started smiling at us now, which makes all those fussy times seem not so bad. Maybe I'll catch his smile on camera soon.

Happy Fall

Cooper went shopping for his very first pumpkin last weekend and slept through most of it. I painted each of us a pumpkin, even Harry dog!

Happy One Month Birthday!!

Cooper was a month old on the 13th!! It seems like it has gone by really quickly. He's such a good baby and he's pretty adorable, if I do say so myself. We are really truly blessed! He had his one month check up with the pediatrician yesterday. He now weighs 9.6 lbs and is 21 5/8 inches long!! Mommy's milk must be pretty yummy. He's growing so fast and he has changed alot in a month. This month is when he will start giving us a social smile and cooing back at us, so much fun- I can't wait!
Dennis stayed with Cooper by himself for the first time last night while I went to my Mary Kay meeting. They were both fast asleep when I got home and Daddy survived! Dennis's business has stayed very busy and he has even hired his first employee who started on Monday. That's a pretty exciting step for MTTS! We are also selling our house as we look for land to build on or a a house with some acreage and room for a shop building so he can have a place of his own for the service truck and extra tools.
I guess when we have major life changes, we go all out!

Party Time

It's been an exciting weekend. We went to Edmond Saturday evening with Cooper and stayed with Morgan, Shawn, David, and Grace. Today was David and Grace's first birthday party and they got all kinds of noisy toys! Cooper slept through all the excitement, though. We really enjoyed getting to hang out with Shawn, Morgan, and the twins!

More of Cooper

Here are some more Cooper pics! Daddy is getting the hang of things, he's fed him some breast milk from the bottle, burped him, and even changed a few poopy diapers- he's a pro now!

Cooper likes to hang out with Mommy in his papasan chair and I read to him a little while he just watches me, it's so peaceful to do that. I still can't believe we're parents!! He's such a little miracle.

At Home

We are getting settled in with little Cooper. Here are a couple of pics we've taken and I'll have some more from family from his first day very soon.

As you can tell, Daddy is very proud of his boy and they are so sweet. Cooper is not too happy about sponge baths.

Daddy and Mommy took him to his first pediatrician office visit yesterday and he is doing great. He also got to make his first shopping trip to Babies R Us and out to lunch. He slept the entire time after the doctor visit until we got home! He sleeps very good, we are so lucky and he's a good eater too!

Cooper Lee Rains

I was scheduled to be induced on the 18th if he didn't arrive sooner, but the boy decided to get here early on his own.
We welcomed baby Cooper Lee to the world on Thursday, September 13th at 2:22am. He weighed in at 7lbs. 5 oz. and measured 18 1/2 inches with a full head of dark brown hair!!
He is adorable, if I do say so. We are all doing great, we came home Friday evening and got all settled in. (:

Waiting

Well, we've just made a little bit of progress since last week, but still waiting for the baby. The doctor said today that we are both doing good and we are going to go ahead and schedule for me to be induced probably about the 18th if I haven't had him before then. (That's only 2 days before my actual due date) He could really get here any time in between at this point. So, now we just have to wait and I'm finding all kinds of little things for me to finish up and keep me busy until then.

Progress

We're at 37 weeks and I'm ready for this boy to get here!!! I took these pictures today so you could see my progress and the nursery.

I had a doctor's appointment today, only dilated to almost a 2, but that is progress from 1 last week and doc says we are still on schedule and he should be here in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to meet my little passenger!

Counting Down

We are getting closer and closer to the little one's arrival!! I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I've finished up getting all the baby things we needed (at least I think I have) and things are put away and put together, even have the car seat installed. We went to a childbirth class on Saturday, which was pretty helpful for us. I think Dennis probably knows way more than he wishes he did, but he knows what to expect now. At least we didn't have the watch a video of someone giving birth. He is really good at the massage part that they taught us, but neither of us are so sure we'll remember the breathing techniques when it's time. I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday to check up on everything. I can tell the baby is getting bigger by the way he moves now, I think he's running out of space in there!

Busy Week

It has been a really hectic week. Mom's funeral was Tuesday, it was a nice service and I'm just glad she has peace now. Sometimes it doesn't seem real that she's gone. Even though we hadn't been very close in the last few years because of my stepdad, I miss her, I had hoped that we might become closer again and that she would be able to see hergrandson. But, life has unexpected turns sometimes. I think Mom would have been so impressed to see all of her family together at one time just for her. The timing was just amazing, we had family that we hadn't seen in a while that were able to visit and just lots of little things that brought everyone together at the same time.

Thank you to all of you who sent cards or flowers or called with words of sympathy, support, and prayers. My MK unit even donated about $200 in Mom's name to the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, that will be used for cancer research. We are so blessed to have friends and family like all of you, thank you so much!

Dennis and I did go to Eureka Springs on Wednesday and came back on Friday. It was not a long enough break, but it was nice to have some time to ourselves and I think we both really needed it after the previous days we had.

This was our really yummy shower cake!

Dennis is practicing holding Grace while Morgan and David hang out with them.
I'm feeding David, look how huge I've gotten!!

Saturday was our baby shower. It was so nice to see lots of friends and family there and to open all kinds of baby goodies. It lightened up the weekend after the previously heavy one. We are almost all ready for him to get here, just have to get a few little things and we're set. Dad, Nancy, and Marie decorated the nursery while we were in E.S., it is really cute! I have everything from the shower put away now and clothes all washed, we're on the home stretch and getting excited! Shawn and Morgan and the babies, David and Grace made it from Edmond for the shower, too, we so enjoyed getting to visit with them and looking forward to the next time we get to visit.

I had a doctor appointment today, we are right on track and doing good. I have fat feet now, they have just started swelling since it got really hot last week, but doc says it's normal with the heat and I've been doing good so far on that. Fatigue is starting to kick in again, but not near as much as the first trimester. The boy is upside down in position, he won't have room to flip over now, so that's a good thing. I can tell which way he faces when I feel around on my belly and when he moves. He gets the hiccups a lot, too. I can't wait to see the little guy!!

Family

It has been a really long 3 days. The funeral is tomorrow afternoon, I think we are all ready for it to be over and to let her have rest. Sasha had dinner at her house yesterday for family and friends, it was really good to see everyone and I felt like it was a big comfort for us all, too. We had some old pictures that we shared of Mom growing up that everyone enjoyed. I know it was good for Papaw, he seems to be taking things the hardest right now and to have his family around seemed to help lift his spirits a bit-especially Chloe, who entertained him and everyone else most of the day. She just had to drive "Uncy Dennis" truck as you can see. We are just so thankful to have a family that can come together peacefully and supportively in a time like this.

Mom

I am back already. It was a very short trip, I arrived in Dallas 10am yesterday my sister called me at2am today bacause my mom passed away in her sleep. I returned this morning at 8am.

I'm just thankful that she wasn't in pain and that it was peaceful for her. She was only 47 , I wish she'd be here to see her grandson. I want to remember her the way she was in this photo, not when she was sick. Thank you for thinking about us and we are so blessed to have lots of friends and family that love us very much and are there for us in this time.

Update

I thought I'd post something before I leave town for a little while. I leave for Dallas tomorrow morning and come back Saturday, then Dennis and I are off to Eureka Springs from Sunday through Friday. We're both ready for a little break and some alone time!

Here is a pic of the baby's bedding that we got for his room, the crib is also similar in style, except we went with black, we're very excited about getting the nursery put together!

I have got an update on my mom, her health is declining, as expected. She had started having a lot of pain in her head, so she is on some very strong pain medication to help her stay comfortable, which means she is sleeping a whole lot. She is only somewhat aware of who comes and goes at this point. It is only a matter of time before she is at peace and no longer suffering from this horrible disease. She has already held on a lot longer than the doctor anticipated. Just continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. We are definitely seeing the entire "circle of life" working itself out in our family right now.

Time Flies!

I can't believe how quickly time is passing by! There is only 8 more weeks until the baby's due date now. I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up and everything is right on track-YAY!
The boy has really been moving a lot, he ought to be a pretty strong little baby, with all that kicking and stretching he's been doing. The funniest thing is when he has the hiccups and if he's in just the right spot, my belly moves with every one of them. I still feel pretty good, which I hope lasts a while longer. I just rest when I need to, this extra package gets to feeling a little heavy at times. I think he's hit a growth spurt now, it seems to be getting bigger and I can feel the stretching again, which is a good sign he's doing what he's supposed to. Even though, it's warmed up a bit, I'm still glad it's not as hot as last summer.
We are going to order furniture for the nursery today, I can't wait to get it in the room!
I am leaving for Dallas for Mary Kay Seminar on the 1st and coming back the 4th then we are planning to take a much needed break for that week after, just Dennis and I. I think we're going to take the camper to Eureka Springs, since it's not too far from home and we haven't been there in a long time. We thought it'd be good to have a little alone time, since it may be our last opportunity for a while. Then we'll be back in time for our baby shower. It's just amazing how fast July has flown by!!

Last Quarter

We're in the home stretch now at 30 weeks! I can't believe how quickly it goes by. I had a doctor appintment today and everything is going just as it should, so I am very happy about that. He is definitely an active baby, I feel like he never sleeps! I'm not so uncomfortable that I wish I was delivering now, but ask me in a few weeks and I may tell you differently. I seem to be expanding much faster now and getting a little tired again, but I know there's not long to go and it's so worth it.
Dennis gets to feel him move more now. He calls the baby "Mini-Me". He's been taking good care of me. He even brings my little step stool around to me and helps me in and out of his really tall truck when we go somewhere, luckily we usually drive my car.
We visited our friends, Shawn and Morgan, in Edmond last weekend and played with their 10 month old babies, David and Grace. They are so cute and I can't believe how quickly these little people can grow!! It was so great to visit with good friends we don't see much and especially to get some mommy advice (not to mention really good zucchini bread)-Thanks, Morgan!

10 weeks to go!!!

Nesting

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th!! I thought I'd give you a little update on the progress of my "nesting". I feel a big sense of accomplishment getting rid of a bunch of stuff. I sold some furniture we didn't need and all the junk I pulled out from cleaning all my closets and drawers is gone, too. All that's left is the guest bed and it has a home already-Yay! Now we're almost ready to move in baby stuff. I've been cleaning out kitchen cabinets and all kinds of little places I forgot existed. Dennis thinks I've lost my mind and he's right. He's been so great and we are trying to somewhat prepare for this huge change in our little world.

12 weeks to go!

I had a doctor's appointment today. Baby and I are doing great and doc says we're right on track. I'll have an appointment every two weeks now until mid-August, then it will be every week. The boy is very, very active now, but thankfully he hasn't found my ribs yet, although he does get me a little motion sick now and then from really wiggling like crazy. It's really weird to watch my belly move and my middle is getting larger much faster now. I'm still feeling good and have some energy and I'm definitely not complaining about the very mild summer temperatures!

Summer Flowers

I thought it'd be nice to share this photo of what my flower bed looks like right now. My roses have bloomed some, but not as much as I'd like. Everything else is doing great, though. If anyone needs seeds for Lamb's Ear or Purple Coneflower, let me know, I have plenty!!

The Great Outdoors

We just returned from the Rains family camping trip where we celebrated Al's and Tayliana's birthdays and had lots of fun on the lake. We camped out at Lake Tenkiller for a few days. We love to go camping, and Dennis makes sure we are always well equipped. Luckily, we missed some of the bad weather over the weekend, too.

As you can tell, my belly is getting much bigger (I'm the big green one-hehe), but I'm still feeling good and enjoying being pregnant. We're looking forward to being "mommy and daddy".

My mom is home now and having hospice care. She has lots of family coming to visit often, including me, and I know she is happy about that and enjoys the company. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers, keep it up for us if you will, we still have a rough road ahead.

I finally had the chance to see my mom today, she is in the hospital again after another seizure and vision problems. Her tests show that her tumors have not been affected by her treatment and there is not much the doctors can do right now. She is only 47. We could all use your thoughts and prayers to get through all this, no matter what happens.

Growing

I had a doctor's appointment today, everything is going great. Doc estimates his length about 12 inches and weight a little over a pound. We don't have any pictures of him this time, but his heartbeat sounded great and I can feel him moving around very frequently now, especially when it's time for bed. Dennis even got to see my belly move and feel him for the first time last week!!

I got these little pj's today, they were too cute to pass up, so I thought I'd share, it's fun getting baby stuff!

On another family note, my mom is back in the hospital due to some brain swelling. I don't know all the details at the moment, but she could use your prayers, as could my sister and I as we deal with the turmoil that is my stepdad.

I found this little mechanic hat last week and thought it was too cute! It's sitting on the little quilt that I pieced together quite a while ago, I had someone quilt it for me, turned out very cute, so thought I'd share with you.


Baby boy is definitely growing, I can tell when he moves, there's no doubt when it's him now.
We've been working on a few names, so far the ones we like best are Dennis (probably go by middle name so I won't go insane), Patrick, and Cooper. A few others we liked were Evan, Case, or Mason. Dennis is really getting into the names, we've been having a lot of fun! Right now, I just call him "Baby Boy". Let me know your favorites or any new ones!


Other than baby, there is not a lot of news at the moment. I have not started my director qualification just yet, still getting there, but it will happen soon. I don't have any good garden pics yet, but hopefully the rain will subside long enough for my roses to put on a show again. Dennis has been staying really busy with his business, this is the busy season for him. The latest news on my mom is that she will be finishing up her treatments next week and she is doing as good as can be expected, and getting the use of her right side back so we're happy about that.

That's all the news I have for now- Happy Mother's Day!!!

It's a Boy!!

We went to our 20 week ultrasound and check up today. We are having a boy! It's great to finally find out. Everything checked out good and he's very active. Now we can work on names and shopping for baby things!

(if you click on the picture, you can get a better look- the bottom left has arrows so you can tell it's definitely a boy)

We're at week 17! Everything is going great! I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time today, it was so cool!

The baby has been very active, I've been feeling it move for a couple weeks, it's getting more noticeable now. Little "bean" was a wiggle-worm during the ultrasound, but too shy to tell the sex. We'll have to wait until the in-depth ultrasound on May 1st.

The top picture is the back, a little "mooner"-hehehe. The bottom one is the front (laying sideways) with head on the right, you can kind of make out a little face and arms. Baby was moving too much to get the shots of the arms and legs stretched out and the silhouette, but I did get to see it on the screen.

Updates

I'm at 15 weeks now, my next appointment is April 9th and maybe we will find out if we're having a boy or girl! I have a weird feeling it's a boy, but I could be wrong. I've been feeling pretty good, just have to rest when I need it and I've figured out I can't go quite as hard as I'm used to, I have to take a break.
We went on our maiden camping voyage last weekend in our camper, it was really fun! It's not like we really rough it with heat and air and a bathroom. It makes a nice, inexpensive getaway! I didn't take any pictures to post, maybe next time.

My mom has started her chemotherapy, it's a brand new kind in pill form, and the doctor sounds like her prognosis is good to get through it just fine. She will be doing radiation at the same time. I'm not sure how long all this will take, just as long as it works is the main thing.

Lucky 13

We're at week 13 now! I had a doctor's appointment today, everything is looking good and Dennis got to see our baby on "camera", too!

In this pic, our little one is looking straight at us and almost waving. I'm getting bigger around the middle now and will probably actually look like I'm pregnant in a few weeks instead of just fat. This is definitely an interesting experience, there is nothing else like it, I'm positive!

On another note, my mom is at home doing some rehab and when she is healed from surgery, she will start treatments. She is suprisingly taking everything rather well, so I'm really thankful that she's not worrying herself sick like she usually does. It probably has to do with the pain medication, but she is just taking it one day at a time.

Family

It's week 12 for baby and me, things are going good and I'm actually looking forward to going to the doc next Tuesday to be sure everything is going great.

Papaw is home from the hospital now and doing good, just has to take it easy for a couple of weeks. We found out my mom has cancer, as soon as her head heals from her surgery, she will begin radiation and whatever other treatment that she needs. She just has to stay at the hospital until she's cleared to start her treatments, so we've been sure to visit often and make her a little more comfortable. Never thought, I'd have to help my mom shave her legs, but whatever makes her feel a little better.

Well, I'm 11 weeks pregnant now, wishing I was showing instead of feeling like a cow! I have had "night sickness", but just queasiness that subsides enough to go to sleep and I can never get enough sleep. And all the other fun, weird things that happen to pregnant bodies. I guess those are good signs that the baby is growing. My next appointment is March 13th, maybe we'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat instead of just see it on the monitor. I'm in good health so far and we are almost through the first trimester. I'm looking forward to the more "energetic" second trimester.

I am still planning on starting director qualification, just had to move it to April 1st instead of March, but that's okay, I'll start stronger.

I had some not so good news about my family today. Papaw (my grandpa) is in the hospital having a heart balloon procedure done tomorrow and my mom is in a different hospital undergoing tests because they think she had a small stroke! So, I'll be making my round tomorrow to be with my grandma while she waits. Then I'll go down the street, literally, to the other hospital to see my mom, who has finally decided she wants the rest of her family to know what's going on with her.

Anyway, crazy week so far, but I hope and pray it gets better! Thursday is my birthday, too!! Maybe everyone will get well as my gift! (:

NEWS!!!

We're having a baby!! I went to to doc today, I'm 8 weeks and 3 days, the baby measures a little less than an inch and the heartbeat is strong and very good. The estimated due date is September 20th. We are excited about our little 'bean'!

At the request of a dear friend (you know who you are), I am posting, even though there is not a lot to post at the moment. January has been somewhat slow for both of us because of icy weather, but things are picking up.
On my Mary Kay front, I have added 3 new Mary Kay recruits to my team this month and expecting more in the next few weeks. My goal is to begin Mary Kay directorship qualification on March 1st, which happens to be my birthday. For those of you who have no clue what that is, it means that I will be leading a large group of women in Mary Kay, earning the use of a car (not the pink Cadillac just yet, but we'll get there), wearing a really cool suit, and making some serious money working far less than 40 hours a week for the most part!! Can you see where that could be exciting??
Anyway, that's about all the news I have to share at this point in our 2007 story, there will be much more to come! (;

Happy 2007

I can't believe it's 2007 already! 2006 went by so fast and brought lots of changes, both good and bad. But, we have not let the not so good stuff slow us down and we are praying and working for positive changes to happen for us this year in our family and businesses. I am so glad that nothing stays the same!!

Hope you have a wonderful year!

Lots of love from Dennis, Summer, & Harry