Life at the Cooper household has been more like a factory than a family home of late.

The shift occurred just after the birth of our son, James, on Dec. 1.

The days since are a bit of a blur. The little man is mostly a good little baby, not overly fussy and pretty content with himself and his surroundings, unless he is hungry.

That’s when his red-haired nature shows. At the moment, James is still eating approximately every two hours, a brutal schedule for his mother and me, who are the primary feeders. This will wane soon as his belly becomes more capable of holding more.

At the moment, though, seeing light at the end of the tunnel is difficult. Some factory jobs are like that — monotonous in their routine.

It’s been funny over the last few weeks as people ask about the baby.

“How’s the baby?”

“He’s fine, but the rest of us are in rough shape,” is usually my answer.

Truthfully, so far, we are blessed beyond belief. James has been healthy and aside from his horse-like appetite, he has been doing just fine.

Older sister Anna is adjusting to having to share the role of apple in mom and dad’s eye. While that’s tough — particularly during the “factory phase” we are in right now — it will be good for her in the long run.

Julie and I are adjusting too.

First, we both realize, we’ve aged significantly in the nearly four years since Anna was born. Handling a lack of sleep does not seem to improve with age.

We are also adjusting to the differences between boys and girls — or at least our set.

Anna was fussier as a baby.

James is more laid back.

Anna was far easier to clean up on diaper changes.

Now, we’re going through diaper wipes at a blistering pace.

To my knowledge, Anna never managed to pee on me during her babyhood and may have only christened her mother a time or two.

James on the other hand came out making his mark on the world. Literally as Dr. Frank Guedon was holding James upright and cleaning him a bit so he could breath, James struck.

“He’s peeing on me,” Guedon exclaimed with a broad smile and a deep laugh.

Dr. Guedon is in good company.

James has christened virtually our entire family, extended members included.

I mistakenly thought he and I had a sacred father-son pact going.

We had a “discussion” early in the morning of our first night together about how little boys should never pee on their dads. He seemed to be listening at the time.

I had an amazing streak going until 3 a.m. Thursday.

He got me. It wasn’t a full-blown shower, but the pact was broken.

Despite the droning nature of the baby-feeding factory, we should still have a great Christmas, thanks in no small part to my very intelligent wife’s decision to plan ahead.

Our tree has been up since before Thanksgiving, and presents have been wrapped and hidden since that time as well.

I married well, clearly.

Through all the hype and hoopla of Christmas, let’s all spend a few minutes today reflecting on the reason we celebrate the holiday. Christmas is not about food or family. It’s not about presents or pastimes. It’s about a baby, born more than 2,000 years ago who changed our world for eternity.

For non-believers, Christmas is just a holiday about gifts and the man in the red suit. For Christians, today is among the most important days on the calendar. It’s the day God joined us here on earth in human form, to sacrifice himself so that we may live forever. All that is required is that we ask Him for forgiveness and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

It’s a simple, but life-changing step for all of us.

If you are not a believer, but have curiosity about it, a myriad of churches in the area would be happy to help you. If you have trouble finding one, give me call. I’d be happy to talk through this with you as well.

Merry Christmas to all.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.