August Monthly Update

I'm way behind with this post. I accidentally left my laptop power cord in Colorado, and without it, I've been unable to upload, edit, and get the boys photos posted. The owner of the house that we stayed at was so kind to mail it back to me and it finally arrived!
 

Cooper is 1 YEAR OLD!!!

So many changes for Cooper baby. He isn't officially walking, but he is getting close. I'm not sure if I've admitted it before, but I am almost positive that we aren't as naturally encouraging to him as we were Griffin in getting through all the milestones. I was so excited for Griffin to do everything, and now I want Cooper's baby stage to last longer.

He had a good checkup with Dr. Sponenberg:

Height: 30" - 58th percentile
Weight: 18lbs 12 oz - 3.6 percentile!!!! (he has chub, no problem here)
Head Circumference:  47 cm - 68.5 percentile

Sounds/Words: Mama, dada, uh oh, ow!, raspberries, the "indian"-patting his mouth while he makes a long "oh" sound
Likes: Griffin, animals, being tickled, baths, steering wheels, being drug around by Griffin on the floor
Dislikes: skipping his late afternoon nap, being picked up by Griffin under the arms and hauled around, going all day without a bottle


Here are a few things we are doing/working on:

• crawling is at warp speed - he likes to stop and sit on his legs and look around - he also likes to sit on his bottom and use his legs to spin in circles
• cruising along furniture and climbing onto and around things constantly - according to daycare, he stood up unassisted in the middle of the room yesterday.....I've yet to see something like this
• flirting with anyone who talks to him - he does the classic 'smile and lay his head down on your shoulder or in your neck' thing that is cute as can be
• we've transitioned to whole milk - it was not difficult at all
• we have also stopped the acid reflux medicine that he's been on from the beginning in hopes that he has grown out of that issue.....TBD
• transition to sippy cup is not going as well - he's getting through most days without a bottle, but we still give him one before bed at night

 

Cooper's birthday was the day after we got back from vacation. I baked some cupcakes and Nichole invited us to come over for dinner. Griffin had missed Briley something terrible, and I was glad to not be cooking since the house had been vacant for a week.


We had a good dinner and let baby boy eat a cupcake. He enjoyed it!

__________________________________________________

  
 Griffin Tanner

My monthly BabyCenter email that I still get from his pregnancy included this:

"If 3-year-olds are busy, inquisitive, and fun, 4-year-olds are all that, magnified--yet with a budding maturity, self-control, and understanding of rules that help make life a bit calmer. Sociability is a hallmark of this age. Wariness around new people wanes, and your child will likely enjoy making friends and playing with them."

This is so true for Griffin.

He says so many funny things, I MUST start writing them down. 

• While we were on vacation: "If I see any mountain bears, mountain lions, (etc.)....... I'll let you know" -- That was his catch phrase...........(insert whatever here)......I'll let you know!

• Regarding Cooper's doctor visit with shots: "You should have taken me with you to keep him from crying!"

• One evening at the house: "Don't call me babe, you call daddy that." Me: What can I call you?  "Tanner"

• Yesterday, Drew was talking out loud about how he had been on Griffin all day and it had been quite exhausting. Griffin piped up "Yes, we've had a few arguments."

He is an outdoor boy, through and through. He wants to be in the dirt, in the driveway, wandering the yard, or going somewhere outside with his Dad. The John Deere Gator that we bought him for his birthday has been charged a hundred times.

He loves to wrestle and rough house his father. You might be the target of it too, if you aren't careful. If you can handle it and play along, he'll think you are extra fun. In case I've never linked it before, there is this great blog post about boys that I love.....   https://www.scarymommy.com/plea-for-boyhood-rough-play/

More fun to come between now and next month's post!


I couldn't resist posting the first 2 photos here....it was a genuine huffy fit. Good thing Momma knows how to snap him out of it.

 

Monthly Update

Cooper is 10 months old!

Lazy, little baby boy has decided in the last couple weeks to crawl, and he is getting good fast. Not just that, but when Drew opened the door to his room on Saturday, he found Cooper standing in his crib holding the side. We made sure to lower the mattress the next day. 

He's also began "kissing" with an open mouth, and biting some too! 

He still gets a good amount of baby food, but table food is all fair game as well. There isn't much that he doesn't like. We are slowly working on using a sippy cup. 

Still holding at 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) but he seems to be working awfully hard at more. 

Griffin had an eventful month. 

Lots and lots of work outside has taken place. They've built Cotton a larger dog pen, mowed the yard several times, spent hours on the brush hog, baled more hay, and Griffin still can't get enough of it. I love that he loves to be outside.

He also received his second major burn of his life by stepping on a hot coal from a campfire. I have never seen such a large blister, and on the bottom of his foot. Ouch! He handled it like a champ and it healed quickly. He still likes to point out that it's "all better" weeks later. It was that big!

Griffin has also started melting our hearts by thinking about consequences to his actions. There have been several instances where he will realize that we are disappointed in him, and without being prompted he says in the sweetest little voice, "I'm sorry Mommy/Daddy" and/or "I won't do it again".........talk about making you feel small.

More highlights from the month:

Cooper got behind the wheel for the first time in true redneck baby fashion.....

Griffin took his first motorcycle ride with Eric.........

Cotton and I are logging about 12 miles a week together, still waiting for running with a puppy on a leash to get easier. 

Griffin got to see the new Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out with his best buddy Chase. It was his first time going to a theater and Griffin's second. They did fabulous. We were so involved, I only got a couple sub-par pictures. 

Lots of playing/jumping on hay bales:

And we've found that Cooper LOVES being the in grass. Although it didn't last long, his brother hated the feeling at first. 

Finally, a few videos and that should wrap up the June summary!