Nine Months

Cooper has now spent equal parts baking and equal parts living on the outside. And he is growing ever closer to toddlerhood. Did you know that after 12 months they're technically called a toddler? I'm probably going to be calling this kid "Baby Coop" for the rest of my life. Congratulations on graduating high school Baby Coop is what I'll say. It's weird to think that he was really only a baby for a year. And it was a year that went by in the blink of an eye and that I'll never get back again. Sad!

Anyway, even though I'm clearly an emotional wreck about my baby growing up, it's so fun to watch him grow. Every month I find myself telling someone that this is totally my favorite baby age, apparently whatever stage Cooper is currently in is my favorite. But seriously he just gets more and more fun every day.

This month:

Cooper has been working on picking up food and feeding himself. At the beginning of the month he had some wild and erratic ways of getting the Cheerio in his mouth. Sometimes he would pick it up with one hand and with the other hand use his finger to push it up to the top of his palm to just the right spot so he could get it by sucking on his fist. Sometimes he would get frustrated and throw it off the edge of his highchair so I would pick it up and he could try again. Ususally this process takes about ten minutes and usually I forget to eat because it's so funny to watch him problem solve with his Cheerios.

This month Cooper started snuggling me a little. Which is huge news for the world's wiggliest baby who usually tries to head dive backwards whenever you hold him. He's started to snuggle me for about ten minutes whenver he wakes up from naps and do you know what feels better than baby snuggles? Nothing. Baby snuggles are tops.

Cooper has figured out how to jump in about every situation. He stands in his exersaucer and jumps around like a crazy man. He also tries to jump in his highchair. He loves it so much, we had to find him a jumper to go in the doorway and he looooves it.

After 8 and half months of not being sure if Cooper likes me or not, Cooper finally decided he liked me the day I tried to drop him off at the daycare at the gym. I guess I should have tried to drop him off with a stranger a while ago so he could realize that he likes his mama. Also Cooper started crying whenever Josh leaves for work now, and watching the door at lunch time because he knows it's time for daddy to come home. And he FINALLY started to reach for me after reaching for Josh for months now. It feels so good to see some pudgy hands covered in crumbs reaching out for you. Best feeling in the world.

Cooper is finally crawling! Last month he could only army crawl backwards, but now he's figured out how to army crawl forwards which is much more productive! And he started crawling on all fours but that one seems a little taxing and he mostly likes to scoot around on his belly.

We took Cooper on a baby swing at the playground and he just about died, he loved it so much! What a cutie. I'll have to take him more often!

That about sums up this month. Cooper has been a great sport about Josh and I dragging him on walks and hikes and road trips. So far he hasn't really cared about looking at any of the scenery in Washington. He mostly likes to watch cars drive by or stare at his fingers. Josh and I are dying to take this kid camping and fishing and hiking and biking and canoeing and can't wait for him to get a little bigger. Poor outdoor hating Cooper is in for some rough times ahead.

Love you buddy!!

Rawhide!

Why did I choose a chalkboard tile to use in these monthly photo shoots? 

Lake Quinault

For this weekend's adventure we went up to Lake Quinault. This little beauty is located just on the inside of the Olympic National Forest and is 40 miles from our house. It's also the only rain forest in the continental United States. Do you want to come visit me yet? No? Ok I'll show you some pictures.

Will you take a look at this kid? Cutest kid ever. 

This is the ADORABLE Quinault lodge. It was built in 1926 and it was where FDR dedicated the Olympic National Forest. It is so so cute and I would definitely take anyone who came to visit me here. Hint hint...

Also if that's not enough, there's a hotel with an indoor waterpark here too. Now will you come visit me?!

Ways in which my son publicly humiliates me

So I realize that babies are well, babies. And they don't really have manners yet, nor does anyone expect them to. But for some reason Cooper's lack of manners in public really embarrass me sometimes. I was sort of unprepared for all the public attention you receive when you're toting a baby. But sometimes that attention isn't always positive...

So, the ways in which Cooper has publicly humiliated me:

Cooper STARES at African Americans. We're talking full on drop what you're holding, open your mouth in awe, wide eyed, no blinking, cannot tear your eyes away for anything kind of staring. So embarrassing. One day at a hamburger stand while waiting for our food Cooper was very obviously ogling a very particular stranger if you know what I mean. This nice man could tell Cooper was enthralled with him and came over to say hi. I tried to casually play it off like, "Oh he just really seems to love you!" Hahaha, faint nervous laughter.... I didn't add it's because you're black afterwards. Seriously, it's such a problem that I've taken to constantly showing him pictures of black people at home so that he can get over it. I call it diversity training.

Speaking of non-discrete staring, Cooper goes into a full on trance watching people eat food. It's such an intense, humorless stare too, like the stare of a serial killer or something. One day as he was staring down some lady in a restaurant I overheard her telling her friend, "Um is this baby seriously going to watch me eat my entire meal?" Um ya lady, he sure is. Or the poor man eating pizza in Costco, Cooper shrieked with delight every time this guy took a bite. Can you imagine trying to eat a piece of pizza while some stranger's baby laughs at you the entire time? How awkward would that be? Imagine if Cooper saw a black person eating. It would be Cooper's dream come true.

This kid has a lot of awkward social problems at restaurants, I should probably stop taking him. Like the time we were out with the family and Cooper was at the end of a long table in his high chair- the waiter came over and stood next to Cooper as he filled our water glasses. After a minute or so I looked over at Cooper to see he had his entire arm wrapped around this guy's upper thigh. Just sitting there, clinging to this man's upper thigh. Mortifying.

Also restaurants are not a great place for Cooper's food jealousy issues. I went to lunch with a friend who isn't around kids too often and was probably caught off guard by Cooper's lack of manners. She was holding him on her lap when the waiter brought the bread, she took a piece and brought it to her mouth when Cooper reached up and grabbed her hand out of her mouth and shoved the bread into his mouth instead. And this little dude is strong too! The other day we were fighting over a spoonful of applesauce and guess who ended up with a face full of applesauce? It wasn't Cooper. So when Cooper decides he's going to commandeer your food, you better watch out.

Speaking of he-man over here, he is often abusive to children and the elderly. Like the time I took him to the petting zoo, I was holding him up to the fence to see the piggies and I was concentrating on not letting him fall into the pig pen when I heard the little girl next to us let out a big scream and then start to cry. I looked over to see her holding her head and Cooper holding a fistful of her hair. I tried to apologize over and over but she was pretty mad. As anyone would be if someone ripped out a chunk of your hair while you were looking at some pigs.

Or the time during sacrament when Cooper was playing with my car keys in my lap and then out of nowhere flung them backwards and just nailed this little old lady right in the face. Then to top it off he let out a laugh as the keys made contact with her face. I did all the apologizing I could for a meeting in which you're supposed to be quiet but it's hard to apologize for something like that. What do you say? I'm sorry my son threw car keys at your face? It's humiliating. Plus she sat there and held her nose the rest of the meeting as I tried not to die of embarrassment.

Cooper tends to reserve these moments of no manners for when some stranger is paying total attention to him. Like the time I was changing his diaper on a changing table in a rest stop during a road trip. Some sweet little old lady flocked over to fawn at my sweet angel baby. As she was fawning over him, he made a bee-line straight for his little boy wee-wee as soon as I took his diaper off and I had to have the rest of my small talk with this lady as my son was double fisting his junk so tightly his face was turning purple. And I tried to sit there and keep talking about the weather as if this was completely normal behavior. Real cute Coop. Thanks a lot. Also, why do you have to be so aggressive? Mommy is worried you're going to hurt yourself.

Cooper doesn't seem to understand the whole taboo of "private parts" especially in public. Like the time I took him to my friend's bridal shower and he kept motorboating me in front of everyone. Coop really likes to shake his head back and forth and for some reason he chose those few hours when I was at a bridal shower with a bunch of people I didn't know and no other children and everybody staring at me to shake his head in between some unfortunate areas. And he kept doing it too! I had to pry him off me. He hasn't done it before or since which leads me to believe that he waited until he could cause me maximum embarrassment. You succeeded buddy.

Coop, I can't take you anywhere.

More pictures of pine trees

Tonight I found this little trail across the street from my house. Literally, this little bit of nature is a two minute walk from my front door. I can't get over that. Also I can't get over how green and wooded and just beautiful it is. People in Washington must think I'm nuts, I jog with my camera and stop and take pictures about every ten feet. But it's just so green! I can't get over it! We found this little trail on accident while we were on a walk with Cooper, as soon as I saw it I screamed and Josh thought I was getting attacked by a bear. Then I ran home for my running stuff and my camera, told Josh to feed Cooper dinner and took off.

I wish I was better at being descriptive about how beautiful it is, these pictures do not do it justice at all. I guess you'll just have to come and visit me to see for yourself! Or maybe you're a normal person who doesn't scream when they see a bunch of pine trees...

These cute little mini pinecones are everywhere. Hehe.

Feel free to delete me from your newsfeed because I won't stop posting pictures of trees. I'll understand. Hopefully I'll get a little more used to them after a while and calm down a bit.

Confessions- Washington Edition

I fall asleep to the sound of frogs croaking outside my window every night and I love it.

For the first time in about 3 years we have tv and I kind of hate it. Though I have realized that I want to be best friends with Barefoot Contessa.

The only rain coat I have is a children's rain coat that I bought on accident. The sleeves only go to my elbows.

I am super paranoid/stressed out about mold here. One morning I was late picking my mom up from the airport because I had the housing manager over looking at a mold spot on my kitchen floor and my friend's dad on the phone trying to find us different housing. Turns out it was a burn mark.

I am currently plotting ways to convince Josh that we need a kayak.

Josh thinks I know how to roll a kayak and I don't. Sshhhh...

We gauge directions in amount of bridges now. If I'm trying to describe where something is to Josh, I'll say something like, "you cross three bridges but not the fourth." And Josh will know exactly where I'm talking about.

Most people don't have air conditioning here and I still don't get it. I'm super sweaty.

I saw someone shoplifting from a Sears the other day and now I'm convinced I'm going to get murdered every time I go outside.

I was so excited to see the lighthouse here and it was like ten feet tall. Booooooooooooo.

I feel like there aren't as many babies here as there are in Utah so wherever we go Coop has an instant swarm of admirers which is great. But... like 5 people have called him a girl so far this week.

And now, without further ado, a million more pictures of pine trees... I'm a little obsessed with taking pictures of pine trees.

Disappointing lighthouse. The sign even said tallest lighthouse in Washington. Um what?

These are all crappy quality phone pictures but you get the idea. 

These next ones are from this sweet little quiet road I found to run on. I love that you don't have to travel to get into nature, you pretty much just live in the woods. Only you're not the unabomber. 

Trip to Olympia

Today we drove about an hour to Olympia. I'm sort of too embarrassed to tell you why.

Ok I will.

Because we had to go to the bank. Yep, the closest Wells Fargo is an hour away. As is the closest Costco, 

and the closest whatever retail you might need to continue living. Awesome.

Also the stupid Costco here only has fountain Pepsi products. What the heck guys.

It's a good thing that the drive to Olympia is BEAUTIFUL. Seriously, come visit me just so you can drive from Aberdeen to Olympia. I'll be so happy to see you I'll be the best hostess in the whole world. I'll give Martha Stewart a run for her money.

Somewhere I read that she keeps journals of what she cooks for her guests so she never serves them the same thing twice. I'll do that for you too. Day one: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and frozen pizza...

Also Olympia is beautiful, and Aberdeen is beautiful, and the whole western side of Washington is beautiful. Josh has barred me from driving anywhere because I can't stop looking around long enough to drive in a straight line. I'm a little obssessed.

Anyway, some pictures of Olympia...

The state capitol building

The view from the capitol overlooking the harbor. Harbor or lake? It's hard to tell. There's water everywhere.

I love Olympia.

Erin Brockovich-ing

So on our way to Washington we stopped and spent the night at a hotel in Troutdale, Oregon. Josh parked our moving truck and his car in a seemingly abandoned field next to the hotel as it is kind of hard to manuever a 16 foot truck with car trailer into a parking spot. We got in at midnight and woke up at 6 am to find... no truck and no car. It turns out we were towed during the night. We got towed at 4 am and called the towing company at 6 am, they charged us for two vehicles, so for two hours they ended up charging us $630. Almost more than it cost to rent the truck! Now as infuriating and irritating as that is, I am not one to complain if I am in the wrong and am at fault (or I guess Josh would have been at fault) but the sign they put up in this abandoned, half paved, unlit lot was the size of a postage stamp and completely unlit. It was impossible to see, especially in the middle of the night!

Visual proof-

Can you even see the sign? Probably not...

For some reason this just really rubbed me the wrong way. Aside from being annoyed at my loss of money, I get really irked at businesses that profit on preying on other people. Really, you can't find an honest way to make money so you have to take advantage of people instead? What if someone had been towed from there without another vehicle to get them to the impound lot? What if someone didn't have the money to get their vehicle out and it just sat there racking up charges? The whole experience with this demon company really lit a fire under me and I decided to become Erin Brockovich. I mean look at this article. What a nice company.

After hours of research and complaining to everyone I could think of, the company itself, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, government employees in three different Portland area cities- I have come to discover that while Portland and other suburbs have signage regulations for tow companies, maximum chargeable fees, and other regulations, the city of Troutdale, where we were towed, has no such thing and these vultures take total advantage of it. We were charged much more than the maximum allowable fees in these other cities. After e-mailing the mayor, the city manager, each city council member, and the planning department, I have been invited to present my recommendations to the city council in two weeks. And you better believe I am hauling my baby four hours roundtrip to Troutdale to do anything I can to help create laws to regulate these jerks. And you better believe I am making my city planner husband write me an ordinance. And you better believe it is going to get passed and it's going to be called Paige's Law. And you better believe that people will send me fan mail for the rest of my life. And you better believe they're going to make a lifetime movie about me.