Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

Ho ho ho and Merry Christmas to all of you! Can you believe only 2 more days until Santa Claus comes to see me? I wish I could tell you how very excited I am! Santa gave a dry run in UB last night; he came to my house on a firetruck! Guess what else...he gave me a candy cane AND an orange! I was so tickled, I took the orange to bed with me. I also had some of it for breakfast. You will never believe who's here hanging out and counting down to Santa with me. Seems to me there's another reason they are here but in my excitement for Santa, candy canes and presents, it escapes me. That's right, Gram and Gramps B. are here for the duration and you wouldn't believe how much I love them! As a matter of fact, I don't know who is having more fun, mom or me. As you can see from above, I have been practicing for Christmas opening a few presents each day. The jig was up when Gram and Gramp got here and insisted I open their presents. Little did I know that mom and dad had such wonderful toys hidden underneath all the pretty paper and bows. Once I figured it out, they are having quite a time keeping yours truly out of the presents. At least I am an equal opportunity opener, yesterday I opened one of mom's gifts from dad. Luckily, Gramma B. was the one who caught me! So far I am cleaning up. Gram and Gramps got me a bruder cement truck. It is AWESOME!! I love stuffing my hand in the cab and all of my hotwheels in the barrel. Mom hasn't quite figured out how to get them back out, but I trust her ingenuity. I also got a Nemo bath towel and wash cloth that lights up, a Nemo hotwheels car, a Nemo lunch box, a deck of Nemo cards, a hotwheels carrier, Barney videos with my very own Barney, some new hotwheels cars, an awesome ocean book, and some new gardening gloves all from the Costello gang and aunt Helen. As you can tell, I do love Nemo and Barney. I really love my new big boy magic markers and coloring books from Ms. Michele too. For some reason, mom watches me like a hawk with those; perhaps she is worried about me writing on something I am not supposed to. Can you imagine?! Word on the street is that we can also expect Grammy and Pappy J. for a visit. Seems as everyone is waiting for the big arrival, and not so patiently at that. Poor mom had a false alarm yesterday; she thought she was going to finally get to meet my brother. Her doctor said she is 2cm and 50% effaced and even mentioned the word induction. Mom actually did a dance in the exam room. While she waited, the doctor phoned labor and delivery, but to no avail, they were all booked up until at least next Monday. SO, unless the little guy decides to come on his own, mom has yet ANOTHER date with Dr. Barnett next Monday. Keep her in your prayers; you know she is being a trooper. She told me, if it was meant to be, they would've had a spot for her, so, we wait! That's ok, I know she is excited to be home for Christmas morning. Seems as if mom, dad, and Santa are all in cahoots for some big surprises. Fine by me, I am all for conspiring for presents. As you can see from above, Gram and Gramps are keeping me busy and very entertained. You should have seen me applying sprinkles to the cookies Gramma made, I am such a big boy. They are beautiful indeed, and you know my sprinkling finesse made them taste TERRIFIC. We are planning peanut butter kiss cookies for tomorrow and possibly doing lunch at Chick-fil-A. This morning we went to Panera for bagels and coffee. Bless mom's heart, she is like a new woman with all of the help. She went from constantly stressing about all there is to do, to being on top of everything! She even napped while I did the past two afternoons. I must tell you I have been doing naps in my big boy bed. Can you believe how fast I am growing? It breaks my poor mother's heart! Well folks, thank you for checking in, but it is getting late and I better hit the hay. I want to be well rested for the big day! We will let you know as soon as Baby B. gets here. The holiday greetings are already designed, we are patiently waiting for the pictures. Don't worry, you'll get yours hot off the press. Meanwhile, we thank you kindly for your cards, gifts, and pictures, and of course for your well wishes. We will be thinking of you and counting you in our Christmas blessings. Please keep us close in heart and come and see us when you get the chance. Have a blessed and beautiful Christmas and hopefully, you'll be hearing the wonderful news from us SOON. We love you dearly, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Cooper B.

Santa Claus is Coming!

Hello out there and Happy Holidays, did you know it is almost Christmas? We have a lot to look forward to here in UB, to say the least. We are having several A-list guests in the next few weeks to include, my baby brother (brand spanking new), Gram and Gramps B, Grammy & Pappy J, and the new and instant favorite of mine, Santa Claus. He is so nice. I tell mom every day all about Santa Claus and how he is coming to bring me presents and candy canes. Have you had one of these delicious concoctions? If not, do yourself a favor. They are obviously and seriously underrated as no one has bothered to mention them up to this point. I could eat about 30 a day, possibly more. Mom bought me the cherry flavored kind at Walmart the other day (these are her favorite), but I LOVE those peppermint ones too. I say, "mine want candy canes." Of course, this does the trick nearly every time, except when I have yet to have my breakfast. For some reason m&d place quite a bit of emphasis on this meal as I have noticed I get NO candy before my breakfast, no matter how many times I ask for it. I guess I should count my blessings though, the way mom tells it, Dad is so hard core, I am lucky to get candy at all. He told her the other day that the stuff stays out of the house once the baby comes. Poor mom, her gravy train is almost over!! On with the news...I finally got my picture made with Santa Claus. But don't fool yourself into thinking I sat on that man's lap alone; mom squeezed in the picture with me, she's always horning in. I almost worked up my nerve to do it solo this Sunday, but Santa went to lunch before we made it back for the picture. More great news...mom is finished wrapping almost all of the presents. She has been busy as a bee making the house ready for both Christmas and my baby brother. I have also been doing my part in case you were wondering...every once in a while, I tear up the house when mom looks a little bored or lazy. I can't have her resting on the job too much or getting out of practice; it's about to get even crazier around here, you know. Also in the news, yesterday was my aunt Deb's birthday. If you get the chance, please wish her a happy belated. Speaking of birthdays, I think we need to throw poor mom some sort of party; she has been quite overwhelmed and emotional lately. She tells me she's fine and she sure is trying her best, but between you and me, I think those crazy hormones are getting the best of her. Needless to say, we are all anxious for both Santa C. AND Baby B. Luckily, help is on the way soon, in my most favorite form (read playthings), Gram and Gramps B. Bless their hearts, they have elected to spend their precious Christmas vacation days with us among the caterwalling and madness. Are they troopers or what?! They will likely need another 16 days of vacation when we are finished with them here in UB. Oh, big news before I forget, don't think we left you out of our holiday greetings. You know mom is always crazy about sending out the cards. But, if all goes well, we should have another big announcement before the New Year arrives to add to our Christmas/New Year cheer. Sooo, be sure to look for your holiday wishes in the form of a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Announcing the arrival of Baby B trifecta. We promise not to disappoint. We would also like to say a big ho, ho, ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS to you while we have the opportunity, just in case we become unavoidably detained in the near future. Not that we are holding our breath around here, but you never know when the baby may choose to arrive. We will keep you posted with any progress; mom goes back to the doctor on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed. Also, please know that even though there's no Christmas card in your mailbox, we are still thinking of you and wishing you the happiest and healthiest of Christmas and the New Year to come. May your days be merry and bright...and if you get the chance, drop on by to say hello to all of us here in UB. I will tell you a big story about candy canes, Santa Claus, snow, snowmen, and of course, presents. If you are really lucky, I may even share one of my candy canes with you and we'll watch Frosty, Santa, or Rudolph together. Until then, you take care and enjoy the Christmas preparations. Don't forget the reason for the season; it's easy to get caught up in the STRESS (according to mom). Rememer to count your blessings as we'll be counting loved ones like you. Lots of love dipped in peppermint and wrapped in a beautiful package, yours truly, Cooper B.