Coop's Scoop

Warning: The following is an OVERLOAD of information about Cooper. It's mostly just stuff his mommy wants to remember about this age and stage. In fact, if I wanted to make this short and sweet, I'm sure I could sum it all up quite concisely, but what's the fun in that when I can ramble on for ages?! So, here is the long version of every crazy detail about Cooper!

Here is the Coop's Scoop for 8-10 months:

Teething Bites-Cooper has two teeth on the bottom, 2 teeth on the top, and 2 more barely poking through on the top. When all 4 of those top teeth were preparing to make their debut, Little Man suffered. He tossed and turned while he slept, cried out during the night and naps, had bad diapers, was a little fussy, and just overall, not himself. Thank goodness for Baby Triaminic!

Criss Cross-This is just a little Cooper characteristic I think is cute. Cooper always crosses his feet. He crosses them in his carseat, highchair, when sitting in my lap, and even while he sleeps.

His feet were crossed, but then he un-crossed them as I took the picture. He falls asleep in this position a lot though. It cracks us up when we go in to check on him, and he's fast asleep with his legs propped up on the bumper!

Determination Face-Little Man is quite determined. When he sees what he wants, he crawls right after it, and he does so with a very determined look on his face AND makes a snorting sound. During those moments, he looks like he's part dog/part pig. :)

He wanted to the towel off the oven handle...

so he could chew on it while playing with his reflection in the oven.

No rock-a-bye baby-Cooper does not let me rock him. :( As soon as we sit down in his glider, he starts squirming, trying to put his paci in my mouth, crawling on me, and taking no part in this sweet time. I let him have his way, and I put him in his crib, where he plays for a little bit (and throws his pacis out of his crib and then yells for us to put them back in) before going to sleep. And then... I come back in his room after he falls asleep, and I take him out of his crib, and I rock him. It's a win/win for both of us.

Sometimes two is better than one.

Speaking of sleep-Cooper has weaned off his 3rd late afternoon nap and now takes a morning nap (from about 8:45-10:15) and an afternoon nap (from about 1:30-3:00). He goes to sleep at night between 7:30-8:00 and sleeps until 6:00. He plays in his crib until 6:30 when he starts yelling for us to come get him. He is normally standing up in his crib with an ear-to-ear smile on his face when we walk in. This is the sweetest moment of every day.

He drools like his daddy. :)

Energizer Bunny-I'm pretty sure Cooper could outlast that little guy these days. The child is always on the go. He is curious and adventurous and happier than ever before as he becomes more mobile. He is a fast crawler, pulls up on everything, walks along furniture, opens and closes all the doors and drawers he can get his hands on, can crawl up the stairs, etc. I am so happy we have a pool membership this summer because he loves the water, and it gives him a good way to use up some of that energy!

Trash is better than toys...

Even when you get caught!

Cooper climbed in the laundry basket one day as I was folding his laundry.

The first time Cooper pulled himself up to standing was in his crib.

He still likes to taste everything before playing with it. This reminds me so much of Sadie!

Pucker Up-Cooper gives kisses, and they are oh-so-sweet and slobbery! He even sticks out his tongue a little before he plants one on you!

Here Cooper admires his reflection in the trash can

and decides he is worthy of one of his own kisses.

Growing up-We haven't been to the pediatrician since his 8 month check up, so I don't know how much he weighs or what percentiles he's in, which I'm sure everyone would agree that me not knowing is probably best because of the way it stresses me out! However, Little Man is definitely still on the little side, but that's okay because he is growing. He is in size 3 diapers and 6-12 month clothes. Anything that is just a 12 months is wearable, though a little big. 9 months seems to be a perfect fit. His hair is getting blonder and is just about ready for a cut. I feel like he's starting to lose the "baby" look in his face, but I think he's more handsome than ever before, especially since he pretty much always has a smile on his face. Coop and I ran errands earlier today, and a saleslady at one store said, "He must look just like his daddy!" In other words, he looks nothing like me!

Cooper and Karl on Father's Day

PICKY-That is the kind of eater Cooper is. He is still very difficult to feed, and I am definitely ready for the baby food stage to be over. Now that he is getting more teeth, hopefully we'll be moving on to more real food and less baby food. I normally give him a bottle first (or else he doesn't drink it), a jar of baby food (stage 2), and then some type finger food (black eyed peas, lima beans, broccoli tops, cheese, toast, noodles, etc.). He still doesn't drink out of a sippy cup; however, I bought a new one yesterday, and he seems to like this one.

Cooper got to try one of his great-grandmother's special homemade waffles when we went for a visit at the beginning of June. He really loved it, just like his mama.

If any mamas are still reading this at this point, I have some questions:

Is this how I'm supposed to be feeding him at 10 months as far as what I'm feeding him and how much?

When is the baby food stage over?

He still likes his bottle warmed. How do I get him to drink it cold?

How do I wean to a sippy cup?

Thanks for any advice! :)

Blah, blah, blah-Cooper says "mama" all the time, and I just love it. He has other sounds he likes to make and repeats regularly, but "mama" is the only true word he says. My favorite of his sounds is his fake cough. If Karl or I do it, he does it back. It makes us laugh every time, especially when he initiates it. He thinks this is funny too. :)

Our favorites right now seem to be the pool, water of any kind (toilet, Sadie's water bowl, the sink, the bath, the pool, puddles outside, the hose, you get the point), Sadie and other dogs, going for walks, just being outside, chewing on everything, baths, ripping magazine pages (I guess he likes the sound or just the mess he makes?), opening and closing doors and drawers, and playing peek a boo in his crib.

Once Cooper started trying to crawl out of his baby tub, I decided we needed a new one. He loves the duck tub, especially when it starts quacking; however, he likes to try to crawl out of it too!

I would love to type more about what a wonderful age this is and how much joy Karl and I get out of being Cooper's parents, but I think I've gone on long enough and a certain little boy just woke up from his nap and is calling for his mama now.