8 Month Update

Cooper is nearly 2/3 of a year old :) He has officially entered his 8th month, and life continues to get more and more thrilling for him (and us). This month has included lots of new and fun things:

-That pincer grasp is coming along! Those little Puffs better watch out...
-Cooper loves helping feed himself--he grabs the spoon and loves examining and licking food off his own little fingers.
-Lots of 'rocking' on his hands and knees. His only gear is reverse, however. He does a little slithering, but only backward. He hasn't figured out what to do with his hands just yet.
-The little shyster loves playing games, especially lots of variations of Peek-a-Boo. Another favorite is our family chase around the kitchen island. It's a fail-proof way to get Cooper laughing like crazy.
-Our newest little nightly tradition is a laugh attack after bath time. Jeremy can really get Cooper going--and I mean REALLY. I hope I can get it on video one of these days.
-He is chewing on EVERYTHING... But still no chompers.
-He is ready for teeth, however... he's been practicing with his new toothbrush!
-We've heard "mom" and "da" but they seem to be purely on accident ;) Lots of chatter and jabbering!!
-Diaper changes are nearly impossible these days without a three-ring circus to keep our little Harry Houdini distracted. He is now regularly changed and dressed on the floor instead of the changing table.
-His Jumperoo is on the highest height adjustment, and Cooper still finds a way to get 'air' once he really gets going.
-Big boy baths! Cooper is sitting up in the tub now, so bathtime is so much more fun!


Some fun pictures from this month:

Practicing with his Winnie the Pooh toothbrush

More fun in the pool

Big Boy Bathtime!!

8 months old!

Well, it's that time of year again, and back to the grindstone. For all you non-teachers out there, I know you have no sympathy for us, but it was such a bittersweet day. It's time to get back to adult interaction. It's time to get back to using those two expensive degrees we both earned. It's time to get back to a daily routine. It's time to welcome a new group of excited and nervous kids. But it just doesn't feel like summer is ever long enough!


In my motherly guilt tonight, I thought I should share my thoughts with Cooper:

Dear Cooper,
I'm just not ready for it to be time to send you back to daycare :( I knew you would have a rough day today, and you didn't prove me wrong. You're not used to the noise, getting up that early, sharing your caregiver, or napping somewhere other than your crib. For you, EVERYTHING is different, and I know that. I am sorry I cannot stay home and provide for your every need, but I am banking on the fact that you are resilient, and I'll count on you being more flexible than I give you credit for. I just want to fast-forward to the day (hopefully SOON) when Kris will say, "Well, today was a great day!" I thought about you all day today. I was counting the minutes to 3:30. Sadly, when I arrived to pick you up, your face said, "Get me out of here!!" and your crocodile tears said even more. I just hate to see that sad little face. It makes me feel like a terrible mom. Someday soon you'll love going to daycare to play all day. Someday soon we'll laugh at this day. Someday soon I'll be sad that you enjoy daycare more than your boring old mommy. Until that day, I'll send you off with a kiss and think about you every minute. I promise!

Much Needed Update!

Why does it feel as though my left arm was cut off when I was without a home computer for a week? I suppose reliance on our computers is the reason we love and hate technology. We learned quite a lesson: back up your precious data, and do it often. With a brand new hard drive, this bad boy should be good to go for another couple of years. Thank God for Snapfish, so I didn't lose all my digital pictures of Cooper!!

Now on to the real reason I was DYING to update~~

JEREMY WON THE DERBY last Sunday! Congrats from your very proud wife :)

He did a great job, had fun, wrecked a few rivals' cars, and most importantly--wrecked his own car. He was more sore than he has ever been, though. I still am not sure if his neck is back to normal, but he isn't walking around like Quasimodo anymore, so I suppose that's an improvement. This got us thinking--was it a harder-hitting derby than usual, or is he just getting old?

I'll go with getting old. After all, today is his 29th birthday!

Here are a couple pics from the big night.

Before... Shiny and smooth

After... Total and complete carnage

And of course, what would a proud dad be without sharing his excitement with his first-born son? I don't think Cooper was very interested in the story, however. The shiny, big trophies were distracting him. Clearly.

Jeremy started coaching JV girls' soccer this week, with two-a-days through next week. So his summer 'ended' this past week. Mine is quickly coming to a close, with my first day of duties this Friday. Cooper and I had a great week, spending lots of time outside, meeting some friends at the park, and practicing what is sure to be his first word: "Mama."

Hopefully my heart is strong enough for the inevitable "Dada" that everyone says comes first.

Our Redneck Hobby...

Jeremy is getting very excited for his big summer highlight: the demolition derby! He says he isn't getting nervous, but I know better... it's only a matter of time before the butterflies wake up!

This week, Jeremy picked up his car and proudly pulled it into our garage. I've officially be demoted to parking in the driveway so a big hunk of metal can be parked diagonally in the garage. Supposedly his precious car cannot be left in the rain... sounds pretty tough, huh?!? Hahah, just kidding, Jeremy! We are both hoping to keep the car as 'healthy' as possible in preparation for Sunday evening. I think his curse is over, and his first night (and only night) of running this car is going to go great.

The six other guys who built cars in the Jabs garage all have a variation of the black/pink combination with white lettering. We lettered the car tonight with the help of Lori and Gary. Cooper also got in on the action. His cute little footprints are on the roof. Jeremy's planning to cut that part of the roof off after the derby and mount it on our garage wall.

In other news, we had a great time camping in Cannon Falls last week. Cooper loved the pool and loved watching all the kids zoom by our campsite on their bikes. The only downfall of the trip is we sort of 'wrecked' Cooper's sleeping routine. He has been getting up at night again and pitching a real fit until we get up and do something about it. Tonight is time for a little tough love... and it's going to be harder for me than the little guy. Here's a pic of Cooper and Dad hanging out at the campsite.

Last week, and once this week already, we've had the pleasure of visiting little baby Abigail Jean Endres. Congrats to our friends Tom and Amy on beautiful baby girl #2. Abby is a little peanut, and I can't wait to watch her and her sister, Olivia, grow up with Cooper. They live just a block away, and I have a feeling there might be a bike trail worn between our houses as the kids get a little older. I wouldn't mind ;)

School is getting close--Jeremy and I both received our back-to-school letters from our districts. Hard to imagine that in just a few weeks we are back with another new bunch of kiddos. I am weirdly starting to get the 'itch,' though. I have some new ideas I'm excited to try. I know it's going to be harder than ever to go back this fall, though, after having such a fun summer with my little man. He seems to love daycare (we must be boring), so when I can't be with him, I am thankful he has a loving and safe place to hang out for the day.

Last but not least, do you think it's possible for a baby's kick to break a nose? After my run-in last spring with a flying softball, my fractured nose was feeling fine... that is, until Cooper and I were playing last night. I was smooching his little toes and WHAM, he kicked me right in the side of the nose. Now my nose is actually swollen and just might be more crooked than after that fracture. It doesn't hurt like the softball did, but it throbs a bit every now and then. I knew he was a strong little guy, but really? We'll give it a couple days and maybe the swelling will settle down a little bit...

Enjoy your beautiful week!

7 months old!

The Fair is finally over for another year, and I get all of August to enjoy with my boys! I feel like I was just transported back to my normal life after 'missing' a week of it. The three of us are heading down to Cannon Falls to camp for a couple of nights. Hopefully the weather is good to us and we can bike, swim, and take some walks!

In other news... We received a package in the mail yesterday with Cooper's six-month photos. Our very talented friend, Nicole, of My Friends Photography, captured some memorable shots of Cooper and of our little family. Thanks, Nicole, for your BEAUTIFUL work! You have truly captured our little guy's emerging personality. Here is a sneak peek at a few:

But now that he's SEVEN months old already, it's time for an update :) Here's what Cooper's been amazing us with these days:
-Sleeping better now... going to sleep on his own again-finally:) Weirdly, he seems to prefer side sleeping or belly sleeping these days
-Slept in until 8 am a few times (of course when Jeremy was on morning duty)
-Gets frustrated when he slams into the crib rails while rolling over-just hasn't figured out to go the other way yet
-Eating two solid meals a day - breakfast is cereal and a fruit serving, supper is a veggie serving and a fruit serving
-Loves my cooking (for now!). I make his baby food... SUPER easy, and he loves it! His current favorites are green beans and mangoes.
-Eating crackers. Well, maybe EATING is a bit of an embellishment... he loves chewing on them and is learning to get more in his mouth
-Barrel rolling across the room
-Sitting up nearly unassisted. He topples over every now and then, but he's pretty close to being deemed "A Sitter"
-Babbling more every day. No words yet, but I hope "mama" is coming soon!
-No teeth yet (and no complaints from me since nursing is still going so well!)
-Loves being outdoors... going for stroller rides, splashing in the pool, watching the birds from on the deck, walking around the yard, and camping
-Lots of chuckles:)

Here's the monthly pic... you can see our monthly photo session quickly turned into a rolling session.