You've Got Mail!

OMG! Today, I received my very first piece of mail! It was addressed to "Dallas Cooks" and everything!! I mean, my Granddaddy Ralph in Michigan has sent me things in the mail, but he usually puts my mommy's name on it. Not this time!!! Thank you soooo much, Auntie Trina, for not only the cute "Sugar Daddy" onezie, but also for making me feel like a big boy already!! I can't wait to visit you in NYC!!

Merry Christmas from The Maverick!

There are 7 days until Christmas 2009! My mommy and daddy have the Christmas tree decorated, but not much else looks festive at our house. Daddy has finished his shopping, but Mommy still has some to do. It has been really chilly, so she has been putting it off. Now, she is sick (again) and can't be out in the cold and rainy weather. I'm sure she will get it done by the 25th.

I am almost 27 weeks gestation now. Each week, I do/learn more and more. I am moving a lot and now even Daddy can feel it! My eyes are open these days; if you shine a flashlight at my mommy's belly, I will move away from it! I can also taste now! Soon I will be letting my mommy know whether we like the same foods or not.

Merry Christmas to all of you! If you are traveling, please be safe. If you will be in the Nashville area and have some good food, please bring some to me and my mommy! Talk to you next year!

Love, Master Dallas John Cooks

Happy Holidays!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We cannot believe how time has flown! 2010 is right around the corner! The Cooks' family (Amber, Johnny, and Baby Dallas) would like to wish you a very safe and blessed holiday season!

Tuesday (12/15/2009) marks week #26 of our pregnancy. Baby Dallas is becoming more and more active with each day. His mommy has noticed that he moves quite a bit first thing in the morning (as she lies in bed wishing she didn't have to get up) and then resumes at night (when it is time to settle down for bedtime). He favors cuddling up into a ball and resting at the bottom of his mommy's belly. It is not that comfy for the mommy-to-be, but hey- what can she do?

Baby Dallas and his mommy often listen to music at night. With headphones on the belly, she has played a variety of musical genres for Baby Dallas to enjoy. Classical..... no reponse from baby. Jazz.... nope. Rap....... nothing. 90's R&B....... BINGO!! Baby Dallas loves the sounds of groups such as Shai, EnVogue, etc. Listening to 90's R&B tunes gets Baby Dallas to moving and shaking!! It's hilarious!

Nursery Update 12-08-09

Baby Dallas' nursery is underway! Mommy and Daddy made an agreement prior to knowing Baby Dallas' gender. Together, they narrowed down nursery ideas to 3 for a boy and 3 for a girl. The deal was that if the ultrasound revealed that Baby Dallas was a boy, then Daddy would make the final decision on the nursery decor. If Baby Dallas showed that she was a she, then Mommy would decide. Well, the boys won! Daddy didn't really want a nursery theme, but more of a color scheme. Baby Dallas' room is painted a lighter shade of blue (Ocean Mist), with a focus wall of stripes in Ocean Mist, Majestic Blue (navy-like shade of blue), and Cherry Cobbler (a dark shade of red). In anticipation of Baby Dallas being a star, his room will be accented with stars (similar to the Dallas Cowboy emblem)!

Baby Dallas' Daddy was unhappy with his closet. He felt that there was wasted space and wanted it changed pronto. Being the "Bob the Builder" type that he his (LOL), Daddy customized Baby Dallas' closet to be more user (and baby) friendly. The closet is now equipped with drawers, racks, shelves, and storage space galore. Mommy and Baby Dallas are so thankful that Daddy is a handyman!

Thanksgiving in Detroit

In keeping with tradition, Johnny and I (Amber) traveled to Detroit to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with our families. If you know us, then you know that we typically fly when we travel. Well, we made this trip the old-fashioned way and hit the highway! All in all, the drive wasn't too bad. The last two hours wore on my body a bit, but that was to be expected. Despite our 8+ hours of bonding, planning, and discussing, we (Johnny and I) both agreed that it will be a LONG time before we make the drive again.

The highlight of our weekend in Detroit was a baby shower hosted by a small group of our close loved ones. My mom, my sister, and close friends Jeannita, Loreal, Angelina, and Lasandra put together a WONDERFUL event to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Master Dallas. It was attended by so many of our family and friends- some that we hadn't seen since our wedding 4 years ago! The rubber ducky themed decorations were adorable, the food was tasty, and the games were hilarious! Master Dallas is so blessed already! He received so many precious gifts ranging from his first piggy bank, to clothing in a variety of sizes, to an Exersaucer, to over 60 books, and so much more. Now, on to the daunting task of writing out all of the thank you notes!! LOL!

A special THANK YOU to the hostesses (mommy, April, Jeannita, Angelina, Loreal, Lasandra), as well as my high school BFF, Kennard Williams, (for acting as photographer extraordinaire)!

A Message from The Little Maverick

Hello to all of my mommy's and daddy's friends and loved ones! I think that it's so cool that you follow this blog to keep up with what I'm doing. It means a lot to my mommy and daddy (I hear them say it all of the time!).

The past 10 days have been pretty crazy around our house ! Last week my mommy was really sick. She thought that she had something called the flu, but the doctor said it was something else since she never spiked a fever. He gave her some medicine which made her feel really funny and made her tummy cramp. She was soooo worried that something was wrong with me! Her sorority sister, Kim (who is gonna have a baby soon), sent her a monitor so that mommy could hear my heartbeat and know that I was alright. Well, the monitor came and daddy tried to use it but he kept getting weird numbers that quickly disappeared!! This made my mommy REALLY nervous and she cried so much that daddy took her to the hospital to ease her mind. My mommy just wanted to hear my heartbeat, but they made her do a whole lot of other stuff that she wasn't too happy about!! Finally, after three hours, the nurse finally gave my mommy what she wanted. The nice nurse came into the room with the same gadget that daddy used at home! And guess what, it did the same thing to the nurse that it did to my daddy! Mommy started to get upset again, but the nurse told her the number kept disappearing because I kept moving! Somehow she knew that I could sense the gadget and was running away from it. I finally settled down and the nurse was able to get my heartbeat at a steady rate. (I was tired of my mommy freaking out!). Mommy was satisfied after that, so she and daddy went home.

A few days ago, mommy and daddy went to the doctor and I had my second photoshoot. My mommy was really making a big deal about this visit to the doctor. See, before this visit, no one knew if I was a boy or girl. When asked, most people said "you're having a girl". My mommy and daddy kept doing these tricks called old wives tales and it all said "girl". Only a few people bet on me being a boy. Even my mommy thought I was a girl until about 2 weeks before my photoshoot. She says that something in her spirit told her I was a girl. Well, when it was time for the lady to take the picture to show my private parts, I LET HER SEE IT ALL!! Yep, I wasn't shy a bit I wanted everyone to know that I AM NOT A GIRL!!!! People had been saying "her" and "she" so much that I had to let them have it! My daddy was so excited that he kept asking the picture lady "Are you sure? Stop playing!!". Yep, he thought I was a girl, too! My mission was accomplished, so I decided to get comfy and not take any more pictures. The picture lady was really trying to get me to move around so that she could take shots of all of my body parts, but I wasn't having it. She got on my nerves so much that I just covered my face. She won't be back for a few months, so maybe I will want to be nice to her by then. Maybe?? Maybe not......

A Message from the Mommy-to-Be

Oh my, how time flies!! It is hard to believe that we are approaching week #18 of our pregnancy! I can vividly remember the joy, excitement (and nervousness) that overwhelmed me as I read the results of the home pregnancy test. I thank God every morning and night for granting us (me and Johnny) with the blessing that we have longed and prayed for.

I am proud to say that thus far our pregnancy has been pretty carefree. I have been blessed not to battle morning sickness or too many aches and pains. Besides being tired most of the day, I have no complaints. Trust me, I know that I have a ways to go before I get to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I am thankful nonetheless. My weight gain with Baby Dallas has me to the point where my regular clothes are a "no go", but maternity clothes to a bit too loose. I am sure that over the next few weeks, we will grow into them. I am on the lookout for stylish, divamode maternity clothes, so let me know if you have some advice!!

Johnny and I are anxiously counting down the days to our next doctor's appointment! We will experience ultrasound #2 which will allow us to find out Baby Dallas' gender! We (along with so many of our family members and friends) are counting down the days. Johnny has put together the nursery furniture (check out the pics!); all we need to know is if Baby Dallas is a boy or girl so that we can go on a shopping frenzy!! So, stay tuned for the next blog post and get ready for the big announcement!!

The First Gift

September 2, 2009

Today, Amber decided to share the news about her bundle of joy with her co-workers. A few people had already been informed, but the majority were still in the dark. A very sweet co-worker by the name of Joanna surprised Amber with a homemade, chocolate cake in celebration of Dallas. She also gave Dallas his/her first gift- a hodgepodge of baby necessities (bottles, washclothes, wipes, etc.)! Thank you, Joanna, for being so thoughtful!!

The Little Things in Life

September 4, 2009

Sometimes it is the little things in life that make your day. Today, Amber was able to experience a "first" that made her smile from the inside out! As she was driving around the Kroger parking lot, guess which spot happened to be unoccupied? THE EXPECTANT MOTHERS parking space! Oh yeah, she whipped into that spot in the blink of an eye and giggled all the way into the supermarket!

The First Belly Picture- 11 weeks

August 31, 2009

Today was Johnny's birthday and the daddy-to-be wanted to play photographer. Here is the first belly picture taken at 11 weeks. Yes, Dallas is really changing his/her mommy's body already!

It's Official!

August 11, 2009

Today marked week #8 and we were able to experience our first ultrasound! Although we have known for a few weeks that we are pregnant, seeing the image on the monitor made it oh so very real! Amber had been in somewhat of a denial state, but there is no denying ANYTHING now! According to the ultrasound technician, Dallas is right on schedule in terms of development and heart rate. She also stated that our baby's snapshot is one of the best that she has seen so early in pregnancy. Yes, Dallas was posing for the camera which is proof that he/she is photogenic already!!