9 Month Update

Although it makes me a little sad to see the 'baby-ness' of Cooper slowly fading away, it is pretty exciting watching him grow and change and learn... He is now nine months old and surprising us every day.

Is it okay for a mom to think there was never a cuter baby ever born?

Here are a few of the cool things that this past month has brought:
-Two teeth!  Cooper has both of his bottom middle teeth now.
-Crawling!  He has explored just about every inch of the upper level of our house now.  He hasn't tried to open any drawers or doors yet... but soon those baby-proofing latches are going to come out of their boxes!
 -Drinking from a straw-and boy, is he proud of this.
-Eating more finger foods like pieces of banana, french toast, pancakes, watermelon, potatoes, even some apple pie!  He still likes pretty much everything he tries.
-He's just starting to wave bye-bye in the last couple of days.
-Still taking three short naps per day, except on the weekends when we think his body tries to catch up on sleep... then he usually takes two 2-hour naps!
-His favorite toys these days are plastic plates, bowls, and a rubber-handled cooking spoon.  His toys are old news--he loves boxes, magazine pages, books, mail, bottles, and shoelaces.  Who knew there was no need to invest in toys!?!?
-He has figured out that we're not gone when we leave the room... sometimes he crawls after us into another room.
-Still lots of jabbering, but no real words yet.
-He's grown or growing out of most of his 9-month clothing.
-He loves being a streaker... during diaper changes or after his bath, he loves airing it out a little bit!
-He survived his first cold.  We only had a Booger Boy for about five days, and then he cleared up!

Enjoy a couple of pictures from the past month...

Streaking!

 

 

 

Cooper's current favorite toys

Yummy watermelon

9 months old!

Walk for Thought

Yesterday, we participated in the Brain Injury Association of MN "Walk for Thought" in honor of my dad's ongoing progress and stroke recovery. The event was held at Como Park in St. Paul.  Last year, over two thousand people participated, and although it's hard to estimate, I'll bet the number was close to the same for this year! The BIA of MN is a nonprofit that works with individuals (and their families) who are living life after a brain injury. It was a chilly morning, but it warmed up quick. I was sad dad didn't come... he decided it was too cold. Hopefully next year he'll be a trooper and bundle up :)

Our Team

A new toy!!

A new view!!

In other news, I have slowly come to the realization that our house will never look the same.  We just removed the glass-top coffee table from the living room.  It was an injury waiting to happen.  Our former living room is now a full-time playroom, with toys strewn everywhere.  Other full-time playrooms in our house: the kitchen, the dining room, our bedroom, the hallway, and Cooper's bedroom.  Hmm... I guess that's the whole house.  Imagine that.  Our little nearly-nine-month-old has declared his kingdom.

Cruising!

Cruising: We recently got to see my dad drive in the Heimatfest Car Cruise. It has been nearly two years since his strokes and brain surgeries, and he continues to make progress. He got his driving ability back this past August, and he is pretty proud to show off his new driver's license. Driving the Chrysler in a couple of car cruises this summer/fall has been an absolute blast for him. It has given him back some independence... which is soooo important to him. I am glad that he will have some other options for this winter besides sitting around the house.

Dad and Chris stopped at our house a couple weeks ago... who do you think drove?!?!?


Cruising: Cooper is cruising around the house! He has gone from hesitantly crawling a few feet at a time to crawling from room to room! It has opened up a whole new world to him, and it is fun to see him discover how he can get around now. His head will probably never look the same... at the moment he has matching bruises on the right and left side of his forehead-very closely resembling little horns :) It was quite the week for him--his first tooth also came in. The little jagged edges are poking through the skin, and the tooth beside it looks like it's going to pop soon, too! Here's a recent video clip:

Our little cruiser!!

Cruising: Jeremy and I cruised out of town for a night away with some good friends. Cooper got to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa Kalal's while Jeremy and I went camping for the night. It was a much needed break to laugh, catch up, banter, and enjoy some adult time. Even though life changes at break-neck speed, it's nice to know friends will always be around to enjoy the journey with you.

Muscle Man!!

We have a Crawler!

So the Little Stinker is finally taking his bottle like a champ again... thank goodness! It seems as though he has calmed down enough at daycare to resume his insatiable appetite. I so wish I could read his little mind :)

School is back in session, and the kids are starting to get back into the swing of things. Now if the teachers could just get back into the swing of things!! I have a pretty nice class... they are a typical bunch-some outgoing, some very shy, others jumping out of their seats, and a few major teacher-pleasers. We're starting to gel, and it feels good to be getting to know them all a little better. Jeremy has a major schedule change to deal with; he's been adjusting to seeing all his students every day, rather than every other day for longer blocks. Soccer continues to go well for his girls. I believe before tonight's game they are 4-1-1... so he is still the "Winningest Coach" in New Prague soccer history.

Cooper is having much better days at daycare. He will drink his bottles now, but he still doesn't sleep much. He's not too crabby, though; it would just be nice to give Kris, his provider, a little break! At home, he takes two solid naps a day, and at daycare, he rarely sleeps more than a half hour at a time. I shouldn't be surprised... he never wants to miss out on anything! When I picked him up last week and today, his eyes were so red, and he was full of yawns... after getting home and eating, he's taken an evening nap every night. It kind of stinks, because all I want to do is PLAY with him. But I know he needs his sleep to grow, and I know I should relish these quiet hours because they won't last forever!!

And last but NOT LEAST... We have a CRAWLER!! Cooper's been working on crawling for weeks now. He was so hesitant at first, and now he'll cruise for 5 feet if there is some really exciting toy or reward waiting for him. The two items most likely to motivate him: his Nuk or the newspaper. Now, it's time to take a serious look around our house and get baby-proofing!! In no time, he's going to be getting into everything :)

Here are a few pics of the Little Stinker 'discovering' some fun. Have a great week!


"Who needs toys when you have a tupperware cupboard?!"

"I didn't do it."

The "Perfect" Day

Bottle Strike. Not two words that I was ever hoping to have to utter again. (We dealt with this when Cooper was 12 weeks old.) Unfortunately, Cooper decided on Monday he was not going to drink more than a couple ounces of milk from a bottle. He also decided he would pitch a fit any time the bottle so much as touched his little lips. Forget the fact that he's taken the bottle like a champ from everyone all summer; no, that doesn't matter. So combine a full week at daycare, energetic other kids running around to share attention with, and no milk in Cooper's belly, and you have one big, fat disaster. He wasn't sleeping more than about a half hour at a time, and he refused to drink any milk. We thought all the possibilities were exhausted, until Kris (his daycare provider) suggested she try juice and water from the bottle. The little stinker drank that without a problem! Was Cooper doing the one thing he could do to show us that he was not getting what he wanted?

Jeremy and I decided it was important to send Cooper to daycare on Friday, despite not having to work. We want him to battle this bottle strike issue, and we think he needs to get back in the routine of daycare, noise, and other kids. So Jeremy and I headed to the State Fair. Secretly, I think Jeremy wanted to get me out of Belle Plaine so I couldn't go pick Cooper up in the middle of the day :) I was having a very hard time relaxing or thinking about anything besides how much crying Cooper was doing and how terrible I felt for not spending the day with him when I was off of work. So when I saw "Kris" come up on my cell phone around noon, I winced as I answered, thinking I knew just what she was going to say.

But to my amazement, this is what I heard, "Hi Angela. I just thought I should call you to let you know that Cooper has had an absolutely perfect day so far." My mouth dropped open. "He has been content and smiley all morning--he took a good morning nap, woke up around ten and drank from the bottle without a problem. I just fed him lunch and he's already sleeping again. He's been a different kid today." I. Was. Beaming. Maybe, just maybe, we are going to get through this!!

How come no one ever told me parenting was going to be so stressful? I never realized just how much worrying I would do!! I mean, I anticipate the anxiety on Cooper's first day of school, or the day he gets his driver's license, or the day we send him off to college... but apparently I now have a sixth sense since becoming a mom; and it just hit me that it's never, ever, going to go away.

So we have the weekend to enjoy together, and Jeremy gets to experience trying to plan his day around Cooper's feeding schedule. We're going to stick to bottles during the day now, and hopefully we don't have to worry about this again. Although, I truly feel taking the bottle is less a learned behavior than a decision on Mr. Stubborn's part. But we'll control the one thing we can, and hopefully Tuesday back at daycare goes off without a hitch!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

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.