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?