Monthly Update

Cooper is 9 months old! 

He and Griffin are so different but a lot alike at the same time.
Griffin was very mobile at this age, Cooper is very mellow and lazy.
Griffin struggled with eczema and sensitive skin. Cooper has not so far.
Cooper says “Ma ma” and “Da da”, while Griffin took longer to start saying words.
Griffin had a fair amount of hair from birth on, Cooper is just now getting some.
Both have made for very easy, happy babies. Both have slept very well. I wouldn’t trade them.

Height: 28 1/2 in - 57.9 percentile

Weight: 16 lbs 10 oz - 2.7 percentile !!!!!  (his pediatrician says he looks fine, just slim)

Head: 45 1/2 cm - 55.2 percentile

# of teeth: 6 --- 4 very spaced out on top, 2 very close on the bottom

Mobility: sitting is his favorite, turns circles, rolls both directions, no attempts to really crawl

Eating habits: having baby food for all 3 meals generally, 6 oz bottles every 3 hours on average, starting to get table food here and there, loves puffs but his strong gag reflex gives us lots of trouble – his doctor referred to this as a “texture aversion”

Sleeping update: as of Memorial Day weekend, he is sleeping in his crib!! I was nervous for no reason. He had begun to turn sideways in his rock ‘n play so I had no choice but to go for it. One night took 3 tries of calming to get him to bed, and another he wanted to be face-down, otherwise it has been smooth sailing.

Griffin has missed his daddy (who has been traveling on business again) this week. The only good thing about Drew being gone is that Griffin will instantly go to sleep when I put him to bed at night. With daddy home, we go through a major stalling session where he needs to pee, he wants to exchange made-up bedtime stories, then he is hungry, he comes out of his room because he has something to tell us, or he needs one more hug/kiss, etc. for sometimes an hour before he finally goes to sleep. 

Griffin is definitely more tuned in to the feelings of those around him now than he ever has been. He is quick to show compassion and apologize. He also does not like to disappoint us, and whether it is a good or bad parenting move, we use this in disciplining him. It works pretty well in place of raising our voice or spanking. We still do both of those things at times.

He is always offering to help us. We had a big storm come through a couple weeks ago and Drew asked him if he wanted to pick up sticks in the yard. In about 10 minutes, we found that he had filled his red wagon full and was still going. He loves to watch me cook and help bake cookies. Of course, he is also still the definition of ornery, rambunctious, and stubborn all melted into one.  

Favorite foods: hot dog, pop tarts, chicken pizza from Subway, ham, apples, sadly Diet Coke (if we let him have it)

 Favorite TV show: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Favorite color: still blue and black

Likes: choosing his clothes, playing outside, his cat Rocky, holding/helping with Cooper, swords, fighting bad guys, soldiers, brushing his teeth, being loud

Dislikes: thunderstorms, car washes, going to bed, waking up in the morning, cotton candy (found this out recently)

Facebook is not always a great thing, but there are good things that come from it..... this post shared by a friend of mine (click here)  is one. I can relate in so many ways.

We had a good turkey season this year. Griffin is very interested in the whole process, and probably knows more than most almost 4 year olds. I know that makes Drew's heart happy. 

Duke continues to warm up to Cotton, and we continue to have our patience tested with all that comes along with a puppy and 2 small children. He's not only like a third child, but he's our most difficult. I know it could be a lot worse. 

More pics from the last month:

 

old man in a recliner already

I love lazy Saturday mornings....

We recently got out the doorway jumper and Cooper LOVES it!

That was quite a summary. I'll try to do a better job of breaking it up in June!

Monthly Update

Cooper is 7 months old!

Still making their way in a millimeter at a time....2 bottom teeth! I remember Griffin's first teeth played a hide-and-seek game for a while, visible then not, over and over. Cooper's are not doing that, but are just taking their sweet time.

Cooper remains quite lazy and only rolls on occasion. I did witness my first "back to stomach" roll in the last week. He just isn't in a hurry to get more mobile. Dr. Sponenberg wasn't concerned. He could tell I was, so he listed out to me every important milestone and at what age: sitting by the end of the 6th month, pulling up by something, cruising by can't remember, walking by 15 months.......he's not worried about my laid back baby's desire to just hang out.

Cooper has also started sitting a lot. If he keeps his hands down he can sit for quite some time. Trouble happens when he's got them in his mouth and doesn't put them down fast enough when he gets wobbly. Face plants are NOT fun.

Since we were a month behind on the shot schedule, I actually have measurements to go along with this update. 

Height: 27 inches - 48%
Weight: 15.8lbs - 5.8%
Head: 43 3/4 cm - 31.3%

Notice the weight percentile.....Dr. Sponenberg is not concerned about my skinny baby. He says he looks fine and has some pudge, so no worries there. 

Also, it seems he's developed his first habit. Griffin was a thumb-sucker. My nephew Briley had a blanket with him everywhere he went. Cooper has never taken to a pacifier or any other typical baby habit. he likes to pull his shirt. It doesn't matter if he's hungry or not, tired or just work up.....maybe it's teeth related. The necks of his clothing are taking a beating! they get stretched out big enough for a linebacker and soaking wet in no time. He might have to start wearing bibs all day. 

Another super cute development, he's started "shying away" when people look/talk/smile at him. It is soooooo adorable when he hides his little face in my neck. Maybe I can get that on video by next month.

Where do I begin with Griffin?



He is something else. I think that term "threenager" is a real phenomenon. He is an endless ball of sass and energy. 

I did a terrible job this month writing down the many things he says and all that he did that he make Drew and I look at each other in shock. There would be a million if I kept track. He is just so smart and catches on to everything he sees or hears. There is never a dull moment.

He had his first (and only) T Ball practice ahead of 5 weeks of games starting on Tuesday nights. It was quite interesting. Drew and I are helping coach the team. I was so involved trying to help each little boy get a turn at bat, I hardly had eyes on Griffin the whole time. At one point he came moping over to me, red faced, crying with his head down and said "I want to win Momma!" Oh dear.

As wild as he is, he is so loving at the same time. Now that the weather is warming up, he is spending lots of evenings outside. I love to watch him interact with our cats when he doesn't know I'm looking. He hugs them and talks to them about who knows what. They love him, but not near as much as his little brother does. Griffin spends so much time making sure Cooper is happy and taken care of, it brings me so much joy. He is really the best big brother ever.