Pre-Christmas Fun

We started celebrating Christmas a few weeks ago. Aunt Denise and Uncle Jim came for a visit, bearing gifts to worship the baby Cooper. Ok, maybe worship is a strong word. Cooper's favorite is still the singing Frosty the Snowman. He takes it everywhere with him.

Despite my being a bit of a gimp, wanting to get in the Christmas spirit, I took my sister up on the offer to help me "bake" some holiday treats. We decided to try gourmet carmel apples to give to friends and neighbors. Two 4-hour shifts later spread across two days and .....

By the time we were done, we were tired (and I was makeup-less), but happy with our Christmas-making. It was SO fun to be able to do some Christmas-y cooking with my sister; it's not every year that I get to do that!!!!! They were so yummy! I think our adventure in Christmas candy land was successful. If they didn't taste good, at least they looked good. ;o)

Why is it that every time I get the camera out, Coop is pants-less? I promise this kid DOES wear pants over the diaper most of the time! Couldn't resist this picture of him using the gifts under the tree as a step stool to reach higher ornaments. The one he's standing on has also been used as a seat. He's decided it's just right for him.

Uh-oh! That's what he said as he reached for the ornament...

Looking at the Bright Side

A month ago I had microfracture surgery on my left knee to remove some torn cartilege and get some replacement cartilege to grow in its place. It's a much longer recovery than the originally planned 2-3 weeks of a regular scope surgery. It's 6 weeks with crutches and in a metal brace that goes thigh to ankle and is locked at the knee, 6 weeks in a machine for 6-8 hours a day that moves my knee for me, plus physical therapy 3 times a week on top of it. Another 2-4 weeks of walking with the brace unlocked at the knee...ok you get the point. I'll spare you the other details.



My point is not to get a pity party going. In fact, my point is just the opposite. It sounds so awful, and at times it has been, but I have been so fortunate and blessed to have had this for the following reasons:

1. I had the OPTION of having the microfracture done because the condition of my knee was perfect for it. They can't do it unless the condition of the knee is just right for it, not many people are lucky enough when they have cartilege removed.
2. I have the health insurance to cover it.
3. This will return my knee to normal so I can play tennis again and do other exercises and fun things like hiking--yay!
4. It gets better....:-)......this is only TEMPORARY!
5. Had the surgery 4 days before Thanksgiving, which meant I didn't have to cook much or do any dishes, and I didn't feel guilty about it cause I was too doped up on painkillers. ;o)Have been able to work from home every day for a month, which means I've been blessed to spend much more time with my son and my sister.
6. Very blessed with a job that allows me to work from home during this, rather than take medical leave.
7. Have had AMAZING luck finding close parking spaces at places when I have ventured out. I call it a tender mercy from the Lord, who must be looking out for me since I don't get a handicapped parking pass.
8. Have been able to take naps in the middle of the day when I feel like it--like today for instance--took a 3 hour nap while Nate took care of Coop. Bliss!! Haven't had so much sleep since before I got pregnant with Coop.
9. On that note, I can't just get up in the middle of the night if Coop wakes up, so Nate has taken over that role. I have to admit it has been a little nice. But I do miss my little snuggly Boo Bear in the middle of the night. :o)
10. I could list more, but I'm going to stop at ten. So the BEST part about having surgery?!?.................getting to ride one of these at Wal-Mart. ;o) They are more fun than you might think!
    

Cooper 14 Months

Cooper turned 14 months old on Thanksgiving Day. In the last month he has...

• Learned to say a few more words. A few days ago he and I were playing with two toys. He picked one up, pointed to the other one on the floor, babbled a few sounds, and then said..."other one" clear as a bell. Every so often he'll repeat a word like light, fan, or pretty (which is what we call something he's supposed to only look at and not touch--like the Christmas tree). But his favorite word continues to be, "Naaaaaaaoh!" (No.)
• He discovered his belly button, and will suddenly come up to you and lift your shirt to search for yours. So if you visit him in the near future, I suggest you keep your shirt tucked in!
• He has developed an obsession with light switches. The picture below shows my exercise step he has turned into HIS own personal step to reach all light switches in sight. The other day Nathan moved the step back to it's appropriate storage place, and put it upside down in an effort to deter Coop from using it for some precarious adventure. Cooper promptly toddled over, picked up the step, flipped it over, and carried it to this his favorite spot in the kitchen where there are THREE light switches in one place!

• Cooper has also developed a real love for his toys, especially his stuffed animals. At night he likes to sleep with at least three: his Monkey, his Dog, and his Sea Horse. Lately he's added a fourth--a frog. I think he'd ask for more if he could carry them. I only allow in his bed the number of stuffed animals he can carry in his arms at one time. Otherwise the poor kid would have no place to sleep! A few of his other recent pastimes are playing with cars, reading books, playing in his tunnel, and using his scooter to climb onto things.

Cooper with his sleep time Dog, and his Snoopy Dog, another of his beloved stuffed animal toys.

• Cooper continues to love to dance. He has a toy that plays lots of different songs. He has learned which songs are his favorite, and will push the button until he finds the one he wants. Nathan and I were surprised to see him do this; neither of us taught him how on purpose. He is very observant!
• His other favorite thing to do is take things apart. Most recent casualty: my black pepper grinder. Took it apart. Completely broke it. Was mad I wouldn't put it back together so he could take it apart again.
• On that note, Cooper has learned to throw kicking, screaming, complete melt down fits on the floor. He's also learned the trick of going completely limp, which makes it nearly impossible to hold him during a fit.
• Due to the latter, he has experienced his first timeouts (about 10 seconds each), and has learned to say he's sorry afterward by giving a hug. For Cooper, an "I'm sorry" hug differs from a regular hug by the patting of the hands on your shoulder/back. Regular hugs are tight squeezes. Melts my heart every time.

Can you believe this adorable little stinker throws such fits?

• He thinks the phrase "I love you" means he's supposed to give you a kiss. He's also learned to blow a kiss, but it's more like just smacking his lips from across the room at you.

That's my Little Boo.

Edited to add: By the way, that's MY beanie he's wearing in that picture. His head is so big that small adult hats fit him. Like father, like son. Just means he has room for lotsa smarts. :o)

Thanksgiving - Double the Fun!

We had twice the fun for Thanksgiving this year--two turkey dinners! We were sure disappointed that we weren't able to visit Nathan's Dad as we had planned. We had looked forward to the trip for months. But due to my having knee surgery only four days before, traveling long distance was out of the question. We thought we were going to be stuck home alone on Thanksgiving Day, but Nathan's Aunt Denise invited us over last minute. The one hour drive to SC was rough on me, but we made it!

Cooper had lots of fun playing with all Aunt Denise's Thanksgiving decorations.Allison and her friend were great at keeping Cooper entertained,
as was Lindsay!

They played bubbles.

Took adorable pictures of Cooper.

And helped him explore things like bubble wands,

and leaves.

Nathan and Jim watched lots and lots of football. I sat on the couch and did, well, nothing but watch all the goings-on. We were thankful to have family to spend the day with after all, and to have a wonderful dinner with. Thank you Aunt Denise and Uncle Jim for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

The following Saturday was Thanksgiving, take two. We had a turkey dinner with my brother and his family, and my sister.

The guys watched the BYU vs U of U football game. By the end of the night we were all exhausted from having so much fun! Coop ended the night reading stories with Aunt Liz.

One good thing having knee surgery so close to Thanksgiving: I didn't prepare much food or do any dishes! ;o)

Cups, Graham Crackers, and Cars: Oh My!

Friday night Coop was playing with this cup for awhile. He is constantly trying to figure things out. At one point, he actually got the lid put back on, but that was before the camera started.

This morning Coop was eating graham cracker. He had shoved the entire graham cracker in his mouth, and his cheeks looked like little chipmunk cheeks full of food. We tried to take a picture, but he decided to do an open-mouthed grin instead. So I aplogize for the food shot.

He thought it was hilarious.

This afternoon we gave Coop some matchbox cars to play with. He was excited to check out the cars.

Daddy helped show him some of the cars. I loved this picture of the two of them. Coop's face shows his awe.

Bed Head

Thought I'd never get to say it, but Coop woke up from his morning nap today with bed head.

Our little baldy is finally getting some hair. In fact, I just gave him his third "haircut" last week to even out all the long strands to match the short ones and make him look like more of a little man. Thanks Chelsey for the pictures so we can all revel in this cute proof of what must have been a great nap!

13 Months (ok more like 13-1/2)

Here I am at work, finishing lunch, and thinking of things I have forgotten to blog about. I don't like blogging without pictures of the Coopster, but sometimes better to record cute things without the visual aids than not at all.



I realize I failed to do a post for Cooper's 13-month milestones. Things he started doing recently (forgive me if I've mentioned these before):

• Dancing - Coop has discovered rhythym and dance. He mostly dances in a circle with his arm in the air, but will also do a head bob, a quick shuffle of the feet, or a bounce at the knees. I love dancing with him.
• Along with dancing, he has learned to turn on the CD player. He knows what button to push to play the CD. But lest you think he's technologically advanced, he also likes to use the CD player as a seat. It's the perfect height for him. His favorite CD to date is the soundtrack to the movie Juno. It has lots of songs with distinct beats and funky upbeat sounds. Yesterday I was tired of hearing this soundtrack, so I put in a children's CD I have, and he was SO not interested. Nate says it's because he can already tell the difference between good and bad taste in music.
• Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose - Coop has learned to identify these things on himself and others. Well, almost. Sometimes he gets them mixed up, but he's learning!
• He's starting to notice things on his clothes. At night I let him pick out his pjs. The other night he picked some because they had a monkey on them. He was excited to "have a monkey on his belly."
• His climbing antics have gone to a whole new level.
• When I tell him no or that something is naughty (usually something he's climbing onto, or getting into), he stops and "angrily" says "Naaaaaa!" back. Then goes right back to it, all the while looking at me like, "Na, na, na, na , na." He is stubborn and somewhat defiant. Oh boy.
• Coop LOVES talking on the phone and is starting to talk back. He is constantly pretending to talk on the phone, but when there is really someone else on the other end, he gets elated. So if you want to call and chat with him (his attention span is probably about a minute), he'd love it. You may even catch him saying, "Hello?" or "Hi!" He hasn't figured out yet though that waving bye-bye doesn't cut it when talking on the telephone.
• I love his little giggle he does when he's trying to communicate something and you guess correctly. It's his little, "That's it!" Gets me every time.
• Just when I thought my little guy was going to be lucky enough to not go through it, Coop has started having separation anxiety. Maybe it has to do with the fact that for the last week I have been working on coaching him through learning to fall asleep on his own. [The "Sleep Lady" is a genius!] Or maybe it's just his age. But today I was about to leave for work, and he came running into the kitchen to give me a kiss and then wouldn't let me leave. Chelsey had to bribe him with looking out the window for birds. This may make my working career even shorter than planned...so hard.
• Coop has taken to his stuffed monkey (shown in this picture). He has refused the "snuggle bunny/blanket" item we tried to give him as a security item, and has moved on to the monkey. At night when he's crying, I tell him to lay down and give his monkey a love. It calms him, and he'll lay down and snuggle it. So cute.
• Coop loves to pull things out of bags. At church he's constantly raiding someone else's bag or purse. All the people who ever sit next to us are forever moving their stuff out of his reach. It's rather embarrassing. At home if someone's purse is on the floor, he's immediately into it. The only bag he won't get into is his own diaper bag. Been there, done that, I guess. This morning he was getting into Chelsey's purse soon after she arrived, and so I suggested putting a few things into one of those reusable grocery bags we have. Coop was in heaven.

Ok enough for now. More pictures later when I remember to re-charge the camera battery...

Halloween Celebrations

This year we had lots of opportunities to celebrate Halloween. First was a Fall Festival/Halloween Party for the kids from my brother's apartment complex. Coop posed as a scarecrow.

And got to pet a real Velvetine rabbit.

We had two trunk-or-treats to go to. The first one for our church I forgot my camera. Coop was funny that night, not fully understanding what was going on. He wasn't as interested in gathering candy as we was in the various trunk decorations, especially things that lit up like mechanical ghosts or candles in jack-o-lanterns.

Saturday night was a trunk-or-treat at the ward my brother's family attends. Ellie dressed as Dorothy (might I add that she won a costume contest for the cutest costume at the Fall Festival mentioned above. Grammie did an awesome job making the dress!). The rest of their family was centered around the Wizard of Oz theme: Chelsey as Glenda the Good Witch, Liz as the Wicked Witch of the West (Cooper was terrified of her all night as she was hardly recognizable with all the great makeup), and Bryt (not pictured) was Oz. I was a witch, and Coop was a skeleton. His outfit glowed in the dark.

Coop and Dad ready for trunk-or-treating

Nate did an awesome job both nights decorating the back of the truck. It was the talk of both parties with so many spiders, big and small, and the light behind it all. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Coop was a stinker Saturday night. He was tired and wanted to run around without holding my hand. It was a fight all night long, including taking pictures.

Ah, the crash. While we were cleaning up the truck, he pulled a lollipop out of his loot, and was sucking on it through the wrapper. Next thing I knew, he had ripped the wrapper off the top and was very happily licking the lollipop. It was his first taste of candy, and if the sticky mess was any proof of how much he liked it, we may have to hide the rest of his candy.

5 Questions

I have been tagged!

The rules of this game are that you answer the questions posed by the person who tags you, and then you leave 5 new questions for people to answer.

1. What is your least favorite household chore and why? Most favorite?
I don't like ironing. It's tedious and hot, and my neck and shoulders always ache afterward.
Most favorite...hmmm...vacuuming. Feels very methodical, and it's usually a time when I am left with my own thoughts, even with a toddler chasing me or in my arms. Plus, I'm always sweating afterward, which makes me feel like I got a workout for at least a few minutes. And I love how clean things seem after vacuuming because to vacuum you have to pick things up first.

2. What holiday traditions do you most look forward to each year? How did these traditions begin in your family?
Christmas. As a child we had so many Christmas traditions from picking out the Christmas tree to going down the stairs in reverse birth order. But my favorite was reading a Christmas story about a family that earns straw for the Baby Jesus' manger by doing service for one another, one piece of straw for each act of service. Mom would always cry when reading the story, and we would spend the month doing secret service. Of course, I knew Mom was the one who put the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve, but I always looked on Christmas morning to see if he came, to see whether we did enough acts of service for him to have a soft bed of straw. I so look forward to starting traditions with my own children.

3. Share your FAVORITE recipes for an appetizer and dessert:
Favorite appetizer is bruschetta (Nathan's 2nd cousin's recipe). But if I shared that family recipe here, he would have my head. I have already nearly lost my life for sharing it with the few that I have.

Favorite dessert is cheesecake. New York cheesecake. With fresh strawberries. But I'm not sharing a recipe for that because I haven't found one yet that I like. So my recipe is...go order a piece from Cheesecake Factory.

4. What has frustrated you this week?
Having to take a trip to ATL for work, leaving behind my husband and child. Aching knee. Incessant aching. Scheduled a day for surgery, but no day ever seems like it's going to work. Never a good time to get laid up.

5. How would you describe your personal style? (Dress, decorating or both.)
I don't have a style. My clothes are a hodge podge of remnants of what still fit me from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe, and what I've broke down and purchased since then. Was thinking recently I need to reclaim my personal style, or I fear I may end up on that TV show "What not to wear." Decorating--much the same story. Someday when we buy a house I'll put effort and money into decorating. Until then, while we rent, not much point in decorating, I mean truly decorating.

Okay, I tag:
Camyll
Chelsey
Liz
Hilary
Megan
Anyone else who is looking for an idea for a new blog post

Here's YOUR questions:

1. What do you like to do in your spare time, or what would you like to do if you had any spare time? Why?
2. What is your favorite book and why?
3. Think of something that makes you smile. What is it? Why do you smile?
4. Do you have a scar? How did you get it?
5. What is the worst thing that happened to you today? What is the best?

A Fall Day

Last Saturday started off in the wee hours. Coop was an early riser. I was taking advantage of the extra morning time, and making french toast. While I was busy in the kitchen, Coop was busy himself...figuring out how to climb up and on top of his toy shopping cart! He figured out how to climb onto the wheel, pull himself up, and into the basket, and then stand up. Oh. My.Goodness. I about had a heart attack, then thought to quickly grab the camera and hope he didn't fall off and break his neck before I could snap a shot.

Later that day we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL southern fall weather and visited a local pumpkin patch. Coop didn't know quite what to think of the petting zoo.

But he was quite interested in the ramp leading into the General Store...another climbing mechanism.

We stopped at the General Store for some needed refreshment.

Coop had fun exploring the pumpkin patch. He toppled over about every other step due to the unevenness of the ground, but just got right back up and took off.

He has his eye on the prize...

the TRACTOR!

Coop has two books about tractors, and so he knew exactly what they were. He was ecstatic to check out the big tractor, but it was pulling hay rides, so he had to settle for the little tractor. (We didn't tell him it was really an old John Deere lawn mower.)

This puppy-faced pumpkin was his favorite. (All the little scratches in the paint are from him.) He kept going back to it over and over again. Such fun!

Little Red "Wagon"

Cooper can be quite creative. The other day he was playing with this suitcase, and was delighted when his Dad took him for a "ride."
Almost as good as real wagon.

The Coopster being the Coopster

Gotta follow up that depressing, venting blog with a fun one!

Status from today's 1-year checkup:

Weight: 24 lbs (50th %)

Height: 29.75" (30th %)

Head Circumference: 19.5" (over 100% for his age)

Our child is ever so slowly thinning out, and getting taller. But honestly, I can't tell the getting thinner part. He's still chunky as ever to me. Love it!

He's such a toddler lately. Not a baby any more, so siree! The only baby thing he seems to do any more is drink a couple bottles a day. The other morning, while I was getting ready for the day, he found our squirt bottle of water, and I found him trying to feed it to his monkey stuffed animal. Too cute! My sister snapped this shot of him a few days ago, trying to feed the same monkey his real bottle. What a kid.

Sick, but happy!

Last Sunday in between Conference sessions of church, we took a stroll in the fall weather (Finally a break from the summer heat!) to the park in our neighborhood. For the first time ever, Coop went down a big boy slide all by himself. It was one of those twisty tube slides. I was at the top, and laid on my belly to get him in and halfway down before letting go. It was a little nerve wracking wondering whether he would topple over. But nope! Here he is at the bottom, so happy! If you look closely you can see his thin, sparse hair standing straight on end. LOL. Taking Coop to the park is becoming more and more fun.