"Nesting"

Daddy has been giving Mommie a hard time about "Nesting" around the house, I've been doing baby laundry and working on packing the hospital bag and arranging his room. I can't help it....I just have a feeling that we won't have to wait 5 more weeks for him to come (or maybe it's just wishful thinking). If I'm not mistaken, Daddy has been doing some cleaning and arranging too (probably just to keep Mommie from freaking out!!). I think he had a lot of fun putting together that puzzle of a stroller. Maggie doesn't know what to think about it. She is very jumpy each time the thing moves. We thought about practicing strapping her in the baby seat, but decided against it. At least now, if Baby Jack comes early, we'll have a way to get him home!!

The Latest News on Baby Jack

We had our 34 week appointment the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Because Jack (and Mommie) have been measuring "big" our Doctor has been scheduling extra ultrasounds to keep an eye on size. This was ultrasound #6! (Our insurance company must love this!) Mommie is measuring at 40-41 weeks (ugh!) and Baby Jack is currently 6 pounds 14 ounces , which places him above the 90%!!!!(Average weight for his age is around 5 pounds and According to Granny Ruthie, Jack is about the size my sister Rachel was at BIRTH) His head is measuring as a 39 "week-er" (o, lucky mommie!! We just keep saying it must mean he is really smart with all those brains inside his head!!) We haven't spoken to our Dr. yet about scheduling anything such as inducing etc, (she was out of town this week...how dare she have a life outside of the office!!) but we have another appointment in 2 weeks, and I'm SURE we'll broach the subject then. Given the fact that he gained 3 pounds in 1 month....I don't really see us lasting until New Year's Eve! He could be over 10 pounds by then!!!! eeek! Thankfully everything else on the ultrasound was just fine. He is healthy....VERY healthy!Unfortunately with his size and positioning we couldn't get any good pictures...we may just have to wait until the "Big Day".

Joshua A. Cooper, FNP

On Wednesday, November 14th, after many hours of studying, Josh took his Nurse Practitioner Certification exam (the "Boards") After completing the 3 1/2+ hour test, we were prepared to have to wait up to a week for the results (ugh!) but we got a pleasant surprise when he walked out of the testing room. The guy sitting at the front desk said "Congratulations, you PASSED" We even have a print out to prove it! What an answer to prayer!!

Josh got a job!!!

After many weeks and months of praying, job searching, resume submitting, we FINALLY got some people willing to speak to Josh! Actually 4 someones.....4 job interviews in 3 days to be exact. As a result of these interviews, 2 family practice clinics offered him positions, and the other 2 opportunities are ones he could go back and inquire about after he passed his certification exam (more on that later!!) One of the clinics is in Murfreesboro, and the other in Livingston, TN (30 minutes north of Cookeville). We were leaning towards Murfreesboro (good location, nice people, etc) but we decided to go ahead and drive out to Livingston to give it a try. On the way out there, Josh said "well, they would have to really sweep me off my feet to make me want to make this drive everyday...." then after his interview, his first words to me were "How would you feel about moving out here?" I guess they swept him off his feet!! Josh accepted the job after getting a little more info, and he started working out there on Monday, November 19th. They must be excited to have him, because they had both Livingston newspapers come out to take his picture and do a little "write up" about his joining the practice (who would've guessed that little ol' Livingston would have 2 newspapers!!!??) and the doctor even offered to let Josh spend Monday night at his house to keep from having to drive back and forth. We won't be moving for several months, to allow Melanie to finish out as much of the school year as Baby Jack will let her (more on that later too) and be able to have him at Baptist etc. so for now, Josh is driving back and forth almost 2 hours one way. Please pray for his safety, and our gas budget!!! The picture I inserted is of Livingston's cute little town square. You can learn more about Livingston by visiting cityoflivingston.net or livingstontennessee.com When we move, we will likely be moving to the nearest "big city" which is Cookeville. I'll keep you updated on the house hunting that we will be doing with our Cookeville experts-Jeff and Rachel H.-graduates of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and fabulous future uncle and auntie.

Getting ready for Jack

It's been a busy couple of months with registering, cleaning, painting, partying (and growing). I don't think Mommie has been much help! She's feeling more and more awkward all the time! We still have about 6 weeks left for more fun! Thank goodness Daddy is finding time to work on the room in between studying for his boards and job hunting. Thankfully the nursery is very close to being done, just a few decorative finishing touches left. The theme is "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." We were thinking about trying to go gender neutral with the decor, but thanks to an AMAZING deal from a consignment sale, we get to go "ALL BOY!" There is also a sprinkling of cowboy paraphernalia just for fun. Gotta pay homage to our Texas heritage! Maggie's enjoying the room too, although she's having a little trouble understanding why all these cool new things are off-limits to her! She especially loves the stuffed toy penguin.

No, this isn't all about our dog

We just thought it was a cute name. All the other logical and semi-logical names were already taken. Besides, anyone who knows Maggie, knows that she thinks she's in charge, and sometimes she actually is. Hopefully she'll be willing to share the load of responsibility once Baby Jack comes in a few weeks. Enjoy our stories.