New Photoshare Site

Check out our new site where all the pics of baby Cooper are posted :)

www.cooperhagemeier.shutterfly.com

Cooper's Hospital Pics

The last day we were in the hospital, the hospital photographer came to the room and did a photo session with Cooper.  He slept the entire time but the pictures turned out beautifully.  Here are a few for everyone to enjoy.

Cooper's Bedroom

I may have mentioned before that Ryan spent a great deal of time painting and putting up wallpaper in Cooper's bedroom.  In fact, Cooper's room is now the nicest room in the house.  We went with a safari sports theme and couldn't be happier.  Cooper loves his room and stares at the wallpaper and curtains whenever he has the chance.  Sometimes I wonder if he uses the bathroom just so he can get a diaper change and hang out in there!  He also really enjoys the mobile hanging in his crib.  The only downside is that Oli the cat loves the babies room too.  We constantly have to keep the door shut and keep an eye out for the cat.  He has snuck in without us noticing a couple of times and has been found chilling out on the glider!

First Thanksgiving

Auntie Kasey got Cooper a bib for Thanksgiving

This year on Thanksgiving we gave thanks for baby Cooper.  He turned 4 weeks old on Thanksgiving Day and we can't imagine life without him.  This year we spent Thanksgiving at our house.  Throughout the week we were surrounded by family.  Auntie Kasey came out to visit Sat.-Wed.  Uncle Sean and Granny and Grandpa Cantrell drove out and were here from Mon-Fri.  Nana and Papa Hocevar came to visit Fri-Sat.  It was a busy week but we are so grateful to have wonderful family members who love Cooper.

Cooper with his mommy and Auntie Kasey

Cooper, Granny and Uncle Sean

Cooper gave us several other things to be thankful for this year.

1. He slept for 7 hours straight the night before!
2. He slept through our turkey dinner and let us eat a meal with everyone else.
3. He is just sooo cute!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Introducing Cooper Paul Hagemeier

Cooper Paul Hagemeier

Our little boy is finally here!  Cooper Paul Hagemeier arrived Oct. 28, 2010 and here is his birth story.

On Tues. Oct. 26th (Ryan's Birthday), we made a trip to the dr. for my 39 week appointment.  After being examined, my doctor told me I was 2 cm dilated and ready to go into labor at anytime.  Since I was on medication for gestational diabetes, she said she would like to schedule me for an induction if that was ok with me.  Considering I was really uncomfortable and eager to meet my baby, I started crying and say I would love to be induced.  We went down the hall where they called the hospital and scheduled me for an induction the following morning.

Pre-labor...waiting to be induced

On Wed. Oct. 27th we got up early, called the hospital for the go ahead, and arrived at Meriter hospital in the birthing center at 7am.   I was a little disappointed that I wasn't allowed to wear my birthing skirt since I had to have an I.V.  It took awhile for the nurse to set everything up, but by 10am, I was hooked up to an I.V. of oxytocin and was officially being induced.   The day went by really slowly.  Ryan and I watched tv on my computer and managed to take one nap.  They kept asking me about my pain which seemed minimal throughout most of the day.  Late in the day the contractions got a little worse and they gave me narcotics so that I could sleep.  It was obvious I don't use drugs since the narcotics hit me pretty hard.  After 12 hours, the resident told me I was still only 2 cm dilated.  I almost cried!  A little while later the dr. came in and said I was close to 3 cm and she broke my water.

After they broke my water, the contractions immediately worsened.  At first they gave me more narcotics because I didn't want to have an epideral for more than 4-5 hours and they estimated it would take an hour per cm.  This time, however, the narcotics didn't help much.  I began to have lower back labor pains which made me cry.  After an hour, I asked for the epideral and was relieved when they showed up to put it in.

Once the epideral was in place, I was able to take another short nap and insisted that Ryan get some sleep as well.  I woke up after about an hour and was starting to feel a lot of pressure pain.  The nurse said they would return in an hour to check on me.  After 30 min the nurse returned to check the baby monitor and realized I was having a significant amount of pressure pain and sent in the doctor to check me.  After they examined me, the resident said it was time to push!  So a little after 2am the pushing began.

Finally, at 5:23 am on Oct. 28th, our little boy was born.  The NICU team had to evaluate him and they said he was perfect...words every parent wants to hear.  Cooper weighed 7lbs. 9oz. and was 19 inches long.  I loved watching Ryan hold him, all bundled up in the hospital blanket.  After a long 9 months, we were finally able to meet our little boy!

We spent 2 more nights in the hospital.  It was nice to have the nurses there to help and there was an extra bed in the room for Ryan to sleep in.

On Sat. we finally took our baby home!

Wisconsin Baby Shower

On Sept. 25th, Ryan's mom and stepdad threw us a baby shower at our house in Wisconsin.  We had a great turnout (about 30 people) and loved having the opportunity to show off the baby's nursery.  The house was filled with beautiful decorations and everyone wore name tags that contained an ultrasound picture of baby Hags foot.

After everyone arrived and had some appetizers, we played a few fun games.  During the first game, everyone received a ziploc bag containing a baby frozen in an ice cube.  When the baby was freed from the ice, the winners screamed "My water broke".  In the second game, we paired up and competed to put a diaper on a baby doll using only one hand from each partner.  Ryan and I's baby did not look very comfortable in her diaper! The last game was a drinking game (so I obviously did not participate).  We filled baby bottles with 4oz of beer and participants raced to empty their bottles.  I had a great time watching all our guy friends trying to get the beer out of the baby bottle nipples.  The winner was smart enough to chew a hole in the nipple so that more came out.  We won't be able to use that bottle in the future!

Once the games were played, Ryan and I opened gifts.  We received lots of wonderful presents for the baby including baby clothes, bottle feeding supplies, and a pack-n-play.  We are so thankful to everyone for the baby gifts.  

Next we enjoyed a dinner of lasagna, salad, bread and cake.  

Thank you to everyone who came to our shower.  We especially thank Ryan's mom and stepdad who were wonderful hosts and made the shower amazing.  Now we just need this baby to arrive so we can show him all the amazing gifts he has received from friends and family.

Fashion and Labor

Needless to say, most women do not look their best during labor.  Although we may not be able to prevent our hair from getting messy or being covered in sweat, the one thing we can chose is what we will wear during labor.  The hospital I am scheduled to deliver at allows for any attire (except pants of course).  After doing some research, I decided that I want to wear a birthing skirt.  I ordered a teal Binsi skirt that arrived yesterday.  It comes with prayer beads that supposedly give you something to play with during contractions.  These may be ripped off before baby arrives!  The skirt has slits on the side for flexibility and snaps down the front in case it needs to be ripped off in a timely manner.  Additionally, the skirt sits below your belly, allowing your belly to stay cool and to wear a baby monitor if needed.  My teal skirt (with black drawstring) will be paired with a black sports bra.  I will probably look ridiculous, but at least I will feel comfortable and know that I planned out my outfit for the big event.  Now I recognize that things may not go my way in the fashion department when it comes to labor.  Therefore, I will have spare clothing and of course the option of a hospital gown.  Now I just need to decide on what the baby and I will wear home from the hospital :)