Cooper J is becoming a big boy. He walks, everywhere. Crawling is no longer a thought in his mind. It was like a switch flipped. He has also learned how to have an absolute fit, as in lay flat on the floor and convulse. I've only seen it twice, and although I was shocked, I tried to not make a big deal of it in hopes that he realizes it doesn't benefit him any. I think independence is coming on strong and communication is still lacking which equals frustration and the beginning of fights with his brother. This is new territory for us!
Griffin is still a fantastic big brother. But to further explain their brotherly dynamic......now that he is completely mobile, Cooper has kind of become the "annoying little brother". Griffin gets quite frustrated about his lego masterpieces and train tracks being torn up. I don't blame him, but he is still learning to be nice in moments of anger. Then we turn around and Griffin can be the only one that makes Cooper laugh or smile when he is upset. It's pretty sweet.
Griffin loves to write his name, and is very interested in letters/numbers. He LOVES to do puzzles and I love to watch his face and his eyes light up as he puts them together and most of all, when he finishes. He has been harder lately to get to bed. He would stay up all night if we didn't force him to sleep. He must get that from me and his Grandma Kathi. We'll have to get that ironed out before school starts next August! Also, re: bed.......he has expressed interest in a big bed lately, so the plan is to convert him to a full size at Christmas. IF he's good, of course. According to him, his bed is too small. I think it's just an excuse to get in ours.
I have really failed at getting random pics of the boys through the month. I'm determined to get back to it. Here's a few:
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!
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.
