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!

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!