Every Day

Cooper,

My favorite part of the day is you.
When I hear you wake up from bedtime or nap, I still literally sprint upstairs cause I cannot wait to see you. It feels like Christmas morning. The days when you don't wake up until after I leave for work stink, and I spend half my brain power thinking about how I imagined you looked when you first work up, and I always call your Daddy an hour or so after I get to work and make him put you on the phone so I can tell you good morning.

I have never known someone who eats cheese with such gusto.

I love how every day when I get home, within the first 2 minutes of seeing me you will reach out your tiny little pointer finger and aim it at my nose, and when you stretch far enough to touch it and I say "beep beep" you laugh hysterically. You do this when you first see me, and about a billion times a day after that, and I mean it 100% when I say it does not get old.

You are not walking yet, you are not talking yet, and most of your mad skills are the same as a few weeks ago, but at the same time, I was clicking through the camera yesterday and looking through all those saved pictures and it just does not seem real to me how much you have changed. Little things. Nuanced. Anyone who picks you up would say you are still perfectly plump with baby fat, (and I mean that in a good way), but when I look at you I see how your baby fat has redistributed itself in different places. You actually have a neck! You are looking more and more like a little toddler and less and less like a baby, and it blows my mind constantly. It seemed weird that I was a mom of a baby, what in the world happens when I am the mom of a toddler??? Do I wish I could freeze you? Not even a little bit. I honestly love each new day with you too much to not continue to watch you grow and be a part of your developing little self. I want to see you walk, then run, talk, and interact. I want to see what your amazing little mind can do.

But I do wish I had a rewind. There are so many things I want to see again and again, that I replay in my mind and try to tuck away so I can pull them back out when I need them - like when I work late, or you are napping. Or those times when I MISS something, and I can only hear about it from your Dad. I wish I could rewind then. Instead I just work really really hard to coax you to repeat whatever the performance. You tend to look at me like I am crazy.

Mommy Has Fun... At Cooper's Expense...

Cause that is why we become parents, no?



























Picture one: you trying to wipe off the yogurt puff that I had liked and then stuck to your nose...

Picture two: you accepting your fate as a yogurt faced boy.

Picture three: Can anyone tell what is wrong or funny about this picture... Look closely..

Picture four: A hint for those who haven't figured out picture three. (Aside - he put it there himself, I just didn't take it off)

A Whole New World!!!

We rearranged the living room today. Coop now has access in the pen to his book shelf. Which means our floor is littered with every book that used to be on that shelf. A small price to pay for being able to contain The Beast. He had figured out how to open the gate and would just scoot on out of his enclosure. And thought it was HILARIOUS. He even got so full of himself that he would do it, then look back to make sure we had seen, before scooting off in his military crawl to find cords, electrical outlets, bugs, and shiny things. We both are always hot on his tail, and would follow him and catch him, but if we tried to contain him he was NOT HAPPY. Now we have changed things around so there are no openings, and he is distracted by the bookshelf. It is quite lovely.

The second picture is of him reading a book. He is so sweet and adorable. He will pick up a book and hold it upside down and flip through it. He will even sit in my lap and snuggle (which Coop is many things, but a snuggler he is not) and let me read to him.

Picture 3 - what better use for a colander then a hat???? He has been in the habit of feeling truly distressed by the complete and utter lack of toys (HA HA HA) so when I REALLY need him to be entertained I pull out the big guns... kitchen utensils.

Picture 4 - LOOK AT THAT FACE.

Too Funny!

It is Sooooo funny the way the paw flaps up and down.
Seriously.
Hilarity.
Just ask Coop.

Ambidexterity

Feel free to mute to avoid my screeching voice.

We busted out The Bear this week. For those who don't recall, this was The Lifesaver when Coop was around 4 months. He loved this thing, and once Steve and I were able to block out the "hee hee hee" and song, we LOVED it too. He would kick kick kick, and giggle.

Well, this toy converts to a toy for Big Boys. And part of that is that Big Boys can take a ball and put it through a hole and it will go down a slide. Well, the first day The Bear came out Coop mastered this skill.

Steve and I have had an on-going debate - right handed or left handed. Well, we believe this kid is AMBIDEXTROUS. Hello Big Leagues.

Although he DOES favor his left hand. Which Steve says could make him a successful pitcher. Which I say means I need to press for legislation to require that all pitchers wear helmets cause have you ever seen a ball fly off a bat and right at the pitcher. NOT MY BABY'S HEAD!!!!

The End.

Happy Baby

I don't know what we did to deserve it, but I am pretty sure we have the happiest baby in the world. He is a total goofball, always playing games with us, and always doing his own little comedy hour.

PHEW!!!

I'm Exhausted, but this last video was cracking me up. I will say, I DID take the stick with the string (that which could knock out an eyeball) away from the little guy after this. Between his need to "shake shake shake" everything, and Clem's need to attack one end, pulling against Coop's weight in what would have only ended in a ricochet right to the head, I felt that, as a parent it was my responsibility to intercede and make him safe. Ya know... after I got the funny video.

Check Me Out!!!

Woot! Woot! Two posts in one night. AND one with video... Who knows, I might do ONE MORE!!!! I feel like my old self- the one who kept throwing random blatherings up on the blog on a regular basis.

So Close

And yet so far away...

Our camera's memory card is full. I can't just go and delete the pictures, cause I might not have made copies of ALL of them when I was in a hurry to post some and just saved a few to my computer... so, until I copy the whole memory card and wipe it clean, no more pictures... BUT I do have a video to post... but it isn't really related to what I was going to post about, so I will do that later. Or tomorrow. Or sometime.

Anyways... back to the issue at hand. Coop has been pulling up and "coasting" or whatever they call it, where he will hold on to furniture and walk around the room. Holding on tightly, but practicing to move his legs in that one foot, other foot fashion. Well, for the past few weeks I have been waiting for him to pull up on something, then going about a foot away from him with a toy and waiving it tauntingly in front of his face, trying to get him to reach out for me and step. He has always just turned, plopped on his butt, and scooted to take my "carrot." but NOT TODAY!!! Today, on TWO occasions he turned his torso, saw what I had, then turned his lower body, then leaned until I reached my hands up to support him and he took 1-2 little steps. Now, don't read into this. He was not walking on his own, and his full body weight was resting on my palms, and he teetered around like the in the drunken sailor toddler waddle, but he has finally realized that maybe just maybe he can get from here to there without plopping on his butt. This, THIS is big news!

Clearly I am very proud.

Coop-a-loop, nothing could have made my heart explode more then watching your drunken sailor toddler waddle today. Thank you for trusting that when mommy holds out her hands she will not let you fall.

Love ya buddy!

Early First Birthday

Coop's honorary "Aunt Stef and Uncle John" were here and he was happy to see them (Cooper has had a long-standing love affair with Stef). He was even mooooore happy to see the early first birthday present that they brought (yes, our child can be bought, even when it is completely unnecessary to "buy" him, cause he is devoted to you for life as is the case with Stef).

Picture 1: We handed Cooper the present and he opened it to unveil the coolest present ever!!!!....

Picture 2: TISSUE PAPER!!!

Not really, as you can see (Pictures 3 & 4) he got an AWESOME new hat and a Sox outfit to take him through baseball season (unfortunately not pictured here, but pictures to come)

THANK YOU!!!!

The Lame (Us), and the Awesome (Him)

We can't find the cord to the camera. The one that goes into the camera and into the computer and magically transports all the pictures from the camera to the computer. I am pretty sure Steve lost it, cause I never put it anywhere then right where it was the last time I used it....

Anywho. Despite the noticeable lack of pictures for the vast majority of this month, I want to make sure to make note of some of the awesomeness that is Cooper. Right now he loves it when he is carried from one room to another. He immediately starts kicking his legs and leaning out trying to see who will be chasing him this time. I started this little habit with him by crawling with him, and scooting ahead to hide behind some wall or corner, and then started "chasing" him up the stairs when Steve would take him up for a bath. Now he is convinced that any time he is going around a wall or through a door there is bound to be somebody there waiting to jump out at him with big eyes and wiggling fingers... hmmmm... this sounds scary. Well, I think it would be if you were not our crazy CHILD WHO FEARS NOTHING (except the ice maker, the dryer, and the blender). There is nothing like seeing those chubby little legs kick as he shrieks in an octave he will never reach again once he hits puberty and seeing that toothy smile.

There are times when Steve will be taking him to the other room, and I will be lagging behind not paying attention, wiped out from whatever life has thrown at me, and then I hear the anticipatory shriek - the one he makes when he just knows I am about to come get him - and it is like a reflex. I cannot stop it. I immediately smile and start saying "I'm gonna get you." He loves it and rewards me for my efforts with an aforementioned leg kick.

Also, bath time. Oh my gosh kid. We HAVE to take you to a swimming pool as soon as it is warm. I can only imagine how much it will rock your world and blow your mind. You see that bath, the one you take every night in the normal sized bathtub, and it's like all your dreams have been answered. It is SO cool to get to be your Mommy and know that I will get to see your face when you see the GIANT bath tub that is an actual swimming pool, and I know the warmth I will feel in my heart (and on my side) as I hold you joyfully in the water (and you pee, like you do in your bath).

Coop is also still singing - these high pitched songs. And sometimes he will take one arm and hold it high in the air - very Celine Dion - while holding what has do be some sort of High C for an extended finale.

There are literally no words to describe how fun Coop is at this age. Steve and I try, but it always ends up with one of us saying "I love that little boy so much" and the other one saying "Me too. He is perfect." And then we both kind of sit there cause that seems so inadequate to describe what he has done to us, to our lives, and "perfect" doesn't begin to capture all that personality in that tiny little body.

If I had to make a top 5 list of adjectives to describe Coop right now they would be:

1) Hilarious
2) Jubilant
3) Interactive
4) Inspiring
5) Flocculent

No, YOU Broke the Baby

As far as Cooper is concerned, there is nothing like the world from 30 inches off the ground. He sees very little reason to be anything but standing upright, unless of course he sees something shiny, or furry, or possibly edible, then he immediately throws his body to the ground to advance toward that amazing object (oftentimes a leaf) in an army crawl. Steve and I spend pretty much every waking second chasing this kid around, keeping his fingers out of outlets, sharp corners blocked as we sacrifice our own bodies, tirelessly trying to not be the one who broke the baby. Well, in the past week, we both have. Yes, Coop has entered the world of mobility, and with that he has managed a bump on the noggin and a scratch on the chin. Both instances where we were inches away, even anticipating some crazy maneuver, but it was simply a matter of we went left; he went right. I swear the kid TRIES to psych us out. Further evidence of this, when he strikes that precious little noggin against some offending toy, and I want to smother him with kisses and make it all better and all he wants to do is GO BACK TO THE OFFENDING TOY. What is up with that? Needless to say, scratches and bumps are part of childhood, and some of his most coolest toys happen to not be made out of marshmellow (yes, I know that is not proper English) so we cope, and move on (secretly beating ourselves up) and next time try to read his fake-out better.

The Pictures Steve Took

The rain is pouring down outside and we are soooo pumped cause Steve's friends are here to see us (thankfully they came from Chicago, so even with the rain, the weather here seems pretty good). I had promised pictures, so I am posting the ones Steve took earlier this week, and will have to brief our awesomely awesome weekend soon (and hopefully take some more pictures).

Day Late...

But WORTH THE WAIT!!!!
(Yes, Cooper, your Mom is a total DORK! Who RHYMES!!!!)

Picture 1: We bought a crib pad to put up against our oh-so-cool-must-get-into-it (otherwise known as our entertainment system). It was stuck up there pretty good, but has been torn down and lumped up as a launching pad.

Picture 2: He is SO cute in his jammies!

Picture 3 & $: This is Coop in the hotel in Dallas. He Loooooved that good lookin' baby in the mirror.

Serenade Me

Without a doubt, the most ADORABLE thing in the world, is the shrill, high-pitched sound that our sweet little guy makes when he is singing in his crib. This is a new thing. He has been chatty for quite a while now, but lately he will just... SING!!!

Steve and I will listen to it over the monitor while we go to sleep. He literally sings us to sleep some nights. (Trust me, only a parent could be soothed by this noise, it is THAT high-pitched, but ANYONE would find it hilariously ADORABLE).

Oh, and he also growls. Well, he did for a day. When I got home Tuesday Steve told me that they had been playing Monster and Coop showcased his new talent for me.

Steve has been instructed to take pictures today (yeah, I wield that kind of power), and there are a couple from a while ago... and some videos... I am totally thinking I will post something more exciting then this babble tonight. I am really THINKING that.

Apparently 2010 is... out of batteries

Well, not much new to report, other then the usual gushing about baby boy.

He made it through a trip to Dallas for my friend Ciarra's wedding, and was gushed over there.

It was at this point we realized he is pushing the max weight on his little infant carseat, and, TA-DA!!! we bought him a new big boy one. This one can be backwards for another month and a half (until he can legally ride forward facing) then flips around, turns into a forward facing car seat, and THEN... It turns into a booster seat when is over 40 pounds. It is very fancy.

If I had batteries in the camera, I would take and post pictures... if the Flip had batteries in it, I would post the video of Coop dancing (as the batteries died out). If I had batteries in me, I would totally recharge them... and tomorrow is Monday, if only it were Friday.

Oh, IF...