Scare you later!

Here is Cooper's Halloween sweatshirt...

We are taking him out to see our neighbors and some friends tonight. I'll try to get some pictures posted after we get home.

Scare you later!

Our puppy...

Here are a few photos from yesterday afternoon’s daycare costume party. We got to decorate sugar cookies with Cooper. He probably ate about 1/8 of one and loved it. Thankfully, he didn’t get as much of the frosting on him as one of his friends that will probably still have orange hands to match his Tigger costume on Friday. After we got Cooper dressed, they put most of the little ones in a stroller and rolled them to the playground for the parade. The home store next door invited the kids to come over for trick-or-treating. Cooper got several pieces of candy that he can’t eat, but that Mom and Dad will enjoy for him. He is progressing in his menu of things to eat… cookies, toast, crackers, pudding, mashed potatoes, but no candy bars or M&Ms yet. Cooper had fun grabbing the item out of the bowl and then giving it to me to put in the bag… sometimes I was prying it out of his hand before it went in his mouth (with the wrapper). They had a magician at the daycare after the trick-or-treating, but we decided to pack up Coops and go home.

On a sad note, we drove in yesterday to see our front tree pretty well lying across the grass with a ten foot stump sticking out of the ground. Unfortunately, this was planned. I hate it and will need time to mourn the tree. Last night I just wanted to close the drapes (not that it would have helped as they are shear) and close the blinds in the bedroom… I can’t bear to look outside. I love our wooded lot and hated the thought of taking it down… and the five (one on the side of the houe, too) others to come. They are 50 year old trees… you just don’t grow them over night. But they are starting to become unstable and the thought of one them crashing through our living room makes me know that this had to be done… BUT I HATE IT! The five trees lined our front yard in a perfect row. Now we have two, a huge gap, and two more. The yard is going to look silly… my OCD response… I like things in order. Steve said we will plant another tree as soon as we can… maybe yet this year, if we can. When he asked how big of a tree to get I said a 50 year old size, but that isn’t realistic and the size I want will probably cost as much as it took the other one down. I just don’t want a “twig” in our front yard. Here is how it used to look…

Moving right along...

I wanted to share a few more pictures of Cooper crawling. He came to see me while I was on the computer last night... and then left me to go back to Steve. I think he is enjoying his new mobility. Excuse the fact that he is missing his pants.

Cooper is going through a phase… I hope it is a phase… where he doesn’t like to get his clothes changed. Last night he bawled me out with a babababababa or mamamamama (I don’t think it is really mama) with a bit of a quivering bottom lip. He has started to express his displease with a situation. His current favorite “word” is i-da, i-da, i-da. He has several combinations, but the i-da is the one we probably hear the most.

He is making progress also in the area of eating. We have tried hard toast with him and he is doing great. While Steve’s parents were here we went out to eat and he had a couple of crackers. We have also been doing diluted juice with a sippy cup. It is amazing how quickly he can suck down a cup of juice.

Yesterday Cooper helped fold laundry with one of his teachers. I wonder if we can get a discount on his tuition. They have decided that with his new moving experience that he will stay in the mobile infant room. Up to this point they have been combining the infant rooms as they are not full. They have a new little one and a couple of the older infants have moved on to the toddler room.

Tomorrow the daycare will have a Halloween parade. Steve and I will go over tomorrow afternoon to get Cooper ready. He is going as a puppy. It will be fun to see him and his friends in their costumes. I think we will take Cooper to see some of our neighbors on Friday.

Here are a couple of photos Jackie took when she was caring for Cooper. My teddy bear is about the same size as Cooper and he loves it!

Here's another one of Steve and Cooper.

I'll try to get some costume pictures up tomorrow.

Cooper can crawl!!!

Happy Saturday!

Well, he’s done it. Cooper can now crawl! He has made great strides in the realm of baby transportation. Yesterday when I went to pick him up from daycare, his teacher was sitting with him on the floor. She had a toy that she was tapping on the floor encouraging him to come and get it. He didn’t know I was behind him (or he would have wanted me to pick him up) and he made a move for the toy. He did it! He crawled!!! She said that was the first he actually did it... if it wasn't I'm glad she lied to me, but I think she was telling me the truth. At last! Cooper has been working on it for a few weeks and his determination paid off. He has been moving all over the living room since. Now we are frantically working to get the remaining child-proofing done as we know he will all over the place now. Some things are obvious, but then there are things that we don’t think he’ll get into, but probably will. Now, where to put everything???

Cooper is also pulling himself up on things. The other night he pulled himself up on the coffee table and started pulling books off… so we cleared it off, except for things he can play with.

Steve’s parents are here for the weekend. They are having fun with him! Grandma bought Cooper a winter jacket for an early Christmas present. I never thought it would so hard to find a 12-18 month jacket, but we did. Now he can stay toasty warm when the temps drop.

We took Cooper to get his picture taken at JCP. They were busy and I was a bit disappointed when the photographer only took about ten minutes worth of photos, but I still had a horribly difficult time trying to decide on what to get. She got some great pictures!- But the subject is absolutely adorable, so what did I expect??? As you can see from the pictures I took today he was in denim bibs and a white shirt. There are a few of him with a pumpkin and some leaves and then she spelled out Cooper in blocks. I got the smiles-by-wire, so I will post them when I get them.

Since Steve is celebrating a very special birthday (read 40th… shh) tomorrow, we will take advantage of Grandma and Grandpa babysitting and go out to dinner tonight alone. I made Steve a drop-raspberry cake with butter-cream frosting… trust me this is a HUGE feat and a symbol of love. I could have bought one, but I wanted to show him I love him… hmmm, I really hope it tastes good or it may not taste like love…, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Hold on… I have a pooopppppppppyyy diaper to change. Yuck, yuck.

Well, Steve and I are off for his birthday dinner… with me. We’ll go out with his parents tomorrow.

Take care!

Scooter

It’s been another busy week for Cooper trying to move. He can move by scooting around, but he desperately wants to crawl or run. He is getting better at getting that leg from out in front of him and he can get on all fours, but now to make that move! He loves to stand and “walk” with help. He walked from the coffee table to the kitchen the other night. When pulling him up from lying down he goes right to standing… forget sitting.

He is trying so hard...

But...

Someday...

As you can see the drooling without teeth continues. I can’t get a picture without a wet shirt or bib in the picture, but oh well. Someday his teeth will come. Cooper and Jacob can sing “All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth”.

Over the weekend we went with Jackie and Kyle to look at a house and stopped at Pizza Ranch for lunch. Coops tried some mashed potatoes and chocolate pudding. I’m probably not starting him out right on real table food, but he really enjoyed the pudding. After lunch he took a good nap… my cute baby.

On Sunday Cooper and Jackie spent the afternoon together as Steve and I went back to Lanesboro for another play. We enjoyed having some couple time. The play was Man of La Mancha. While I really enjoyed it, it was a play that you really had to pay attention to. Parenting, working, and life in general is quite exhausting and I think both Steve and I were struggling to stay awake during the middle of the it.

Steve’s parents are coming on Friday for the weekend. They are on their way to Texas for the winter. Steve is also celebrating a special birthday on Sunday, so we will need to party! I made an appointment for Coops to get his nine month pictures taken on Saturday… it will be a little early as he doesn’t turn nine months until the 6th of November.

Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy!

Can you see an inquisitive, perhaps engineering mind at work here??? "How DOES my exersaucer work???"

My two handsome guys, again!

I have a feeling it is going to be another quick week!

The daycare outfit

Another post in less than a day! Now you must really be shocked!!!

I probably shouldn’t share this, but tonight when I went to pick Cooper up from daycare, his oh so kind teacher went and got him from his crib and presented my child in horribly mismatched attire! I couldn’t help but laugh… oh, the poor baby. Apparently, Cooper had two blowouts today and their choice of clothing was very limited. Now keep in mind, I usually send two to three matching outfits and socks, but they try to be nice and salvage what they can which meant what he had in his locker didn’t match. I’ll take some blame (most of it) as I didn’t check last week to see what he had left… sometimes its hard to remember. Soooo… the poor child came home in a lime green and blue striped polo shirt, gray and blue plaid pants and red and white socks. In my life I have never seen such a sight. The daycare director was enrolling a new family and I had to go to the same desk to check Cooper out. I was a bit embarrassed hoping they didn’t think I sent him that way. Needless to say I will re-supply his locker tomorrow!

Cooper in pictures...

Another post in less than a week!!! You must be shocked!

Well, I thought I’d update it quickly. First, I took a few pictures of the items Cooper has made at daycare. The bat is made with his handprints. The Happy Fall is made with his foot. And then several handprints.


Yesterday morning we gave him an apple to suck on. If you are sucking in your breath in horror, a bit like my mom… yes, mom, I could hear it over the phone… Cooper doesn’t have teeth and we were sitting there with him so we know he didn’t “bite” any pieces off. At first he didn’t know what to do with it, but then he sucked on it for awhile. Eventually Cody got the slice.


In Friday’s post I mentioned Cooper aging about thirty years in his flannel shirt and jeans so I thought I’d share a picture. He is lying on the floor next to Steve being silly.



For Aunt Tamra, Cooper was reading his book from Thailand. He likes the cloth book as it is easy to hold and bend.


Last night we got together with Jan, Steve and Amaya. We didn’t get any pictures, but they were cute together. Cooper demonstrated how he can dump out toys to find what he wants… sorry Jan and Steve. I think he had fun with Amaya’s toys! Amaya is crawling… I wonder if Cooper picked up any tricks.

Happy Friday!

Not a whole lot new this week. Today is cozy shirt day at daycare. I sent Coops in a red flannel shirt and jeans. I think it aged him about thirty years. I should have taken a picture- it’s not like I don’t usually have the camera out. He was in such a good mood (as always) this morning. He awoke about 5am just chattering. He sounded so happy that I thought I’d leave him for a few minutes and then he fell asleep, again. I should mention the little guy fell asleep about 6:30 while he was having a bottle. About 9pm I changed his diaper and put him in jammies. We thought he’d sleep for awhile and then be up for an hour or so, but he slept pretty much straight through. He got up about 6:30. He’s been chattering since he got up this morning. I’m sure the daycare will hear many stories today.

Yesterday he came home with a bat… a cute bat made out of white handprints on black paper with a black pompom body. It has a magnet, so we put it on the refrigerator. On Wednesday they sent home a sheet with several orange handprints. I am so appreciative that they do those types of activities with him. I’ve tried to do a few handprints with him on cards to people as his signature and handprints are very hard to do at this age. I can’t imagine doing it with several kids… although most of them are about a year old or so.

Yesterday the daycare reported on his “about my day sheet” that Cooper dumped five buckets of toys to find the toy he wanted to play with. I’ve noticed at home that he seems to gravitate toward one particular toy for a period of time. He’ll play with others, but there seems to be one he plays with longer. The other day he was sitting at the door frame of the bathroom and trying to get his rings (the thin plastic rings that can be attached to create a chain- works great to hold toys to the stroller… or to chew on) between the crack of the door and the frame. He was pretty persistent.

While we can’t really see much progress with crawling- in the last day or so, I’m sure there is progress taking place in Cooper’s brain and body. He keeps trying. I really think in another week or so he’ll start. Not that I’m really ready to for him to crawl… note to self… start child proofing! When he sees something he wants just out of his reach he is usually pretty determined to get it. He can reach and scoot and he usually gets there. He is already a pretty tenacious little guy. It’s a skill I know he will benefit from throughout his life, but it also means as parents he’ll probably be very persistent when he wants something from us, too.

He currently prefers a cup without a lid to a Sippy cup. I’m sure at this age it’s hard to figure out how to suck from the spout. The other night he was getting frustrated with a cup of diluted juice so we took the lid off and helped him drink from the cup. He did really well. Obviously he is nowhere near being ready to do that one on his own. We also tried to give him some of the Gerber puffs. They are puffs that will dissolve in his mouth. Its fun to watch his hand-eye coordination and his ability to pick up small items… note to self, again… start child proofing! He got it on his tongue and immediately stuck his tongue out with the expression of “what is this”?

Watching him change is amazing!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy 8 Months Old, Cooper!!!

Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend...



This morning we had an adventure with cereal and bananas and plums. Cooper insisted on putting his fingers in his mouth after each bite. While we had quite the mess and needed a clothing change, he enjoyed his breakfast!

Happy October!

Wow, another week is nearly coming to an end. It was a fast week, and as much as I should be enjoying every minute and not wish the week away, I’m glad it’s Friday.

Last Saturday I arranged for a babysitter and Steve and I went out to dinner and to a movie. We needed a little couple time. The person that watched Cooper wasn’t my best friend Jackie, so I was a bit nervous at first, but Cooper was in good hands and I think they had fun. As for Steve, I tortured him with Nights in Rodanthe based on Nicholas Sparks’ book. He doesn’t usually put up to much of a fuss, but this time he tried to tell me that since he has seen all the other Nicolas Sparks movies (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle) and after seeing the movie trailer, that he knew what the story was about and how it would end, so he really didn’t need to go. Once we got to the theater, he asked if he could see another movie, but being the good husband that he is he took my hand and followed me to Nights in Rodanthe. I probably owe him one. One note on the movie… and this is just my opinion…. don’t read the book and see the movie. Do one or the other or put several years in between. I read the book back in 2002, but thought I needed to reread it before the movie. I actually finished the book a few days before the movie. The book is great and the movie is really good, but I spent way too much time comparing them. Overall, it was a really nice evening out.

Here’s a picture of Cooper on Sunday before church in a sweater my mom got him before he was born. Steve wore a similar yellow polo shirt and navy blue pants. Don’t they look handsome?!?!



On Sunday, Steve’s parents came for a quick visit. Steve’s dad found a tractor on the other side of Minnesota that he was interested in so they stayed with us. They went and bought the tractor on Monday, came back for the night, and then headed home on Tuesday. They will be back in three weeks on their way down to Texas for the winter. I think Grandma enjoyed getting some extra Cooper time in. Grandpa enjoyed getting his tractor. It’s similar to one he used to own when they lived in Lower Michigan. I got a few pictures of him and Cooper on it and then a few with Steve, too.



Coops is doing well in daycare. He is learning sign language. I also bought a “signing with your baby” book and I’m trying to enhance what he is learning at daycare. Typically if you start to sign with them around seven months, by about 10-11 months they will start signing back… before they can talk. Cooper is already starting to gesture when he wants to be picked up, so I really think he will pick up on signing. We are working on the important signs like mommy, daddy, eat, more, all done, I love you, thank you, and dog (but I really don’t like the sign for dog). He is also working on social greetings… waving hello and goodbye and saying, “Hi”... not that he can say it, but imply it... although, I thought I heard him say it yesterday. They continue to work on object permanence by putting toys in a box and showing him they don’t go away even though you can’t always see them. I bought him some soft blocks and he enjoys knocking them over after I build them. Oh, he is fun to watch.

This month the daycare is focusing on fall. Today he was to wear his favorite fall color. I put him in a plaid green and yellow shirt with some jeans. He looked very grown up. Thankfully, they sent home a calendar that says what they are doing each day. He has a different color to wear each Friday. Actually, next week it’s cozy shirt day instead of a color. One day next week is “bring your teddy bear day”. Of course, at the end of the month they will have a Halloween themed week. Last week we got a card of a tree with his footprint as the trunk. Too cute!

Tomorrow my best friend Cindy is coming and she, Jackie and I will have a girl’s weekend. We have been best friends since we were about 12. For the last few years we have been getting together once a year to goof off… not as much as when we were 12, but just have fun. This year Cindy is coming to Rochester. Usually we meet in Fairmont, MN since it is the half way point. I think we’ve tapped the entertainment in Fairmont. We’d get a hotel room, shop at Shopko… not much else in Fairmont, order pizza, and then stay up as long as we could (also not as long as we could when we were 12) talking. We’ll see what this weekend brings. Steve is on baby duty from about noon tomorrow until noon on Sunday as we plan to shop and go out from dinner. Once again, I probably owe him! My guys will do great.

Cooper turns eight months on Monday. Oh my.