karl.allison.cooper.jake: One and A HALF

My Little Man is one and a half! Last night I read an article about what 18 months are supposed to be able to do and generally what they are like at this age. I laughed and read it to Karl because it was like I was reading an article about Cooper! He is curious and independent and full of energy (these are actually the exact words I would have used to describe him, and they were the first words the article used to describe this age). He can throw some serious temper tantrums. He is "toddler talking" ("car" and "boa"-blower-are his most commonly spoken words these days). He can run, walk upstairs while holding someone's hand, kick a ball, throw a ball, pretend to be using household items (telephone is a favorite), understand simple directions, point to body parts correctly (belly button is still the favorite), imitate a crayon stroke on paper, hold and love on stuffed animals, and take interest and turn pages of a book. He is also still incredibly picky, which is apparently a common 18 month old trait (somewhat relieved that it's not just my child). And, just as the article said, sleep has become a bit of an issue again. He won't take two naps anymore, yet one nap isn't quite cutting it. He favors the morning nap, but then late afternoon is terrible because he's so tired. I try to keep him up him until 11:30 or noon, but some days he can't stay awake until 10, as is the case this morning. Because he's getting overtired during the day, he's not sleeping well at night, thus becoming more overtired. Oh, this vicious cycle!!! We have many days when he's either running wild like a crazy man or is as ill as a hornet, both showing he's tired. We'll get back on track though...hopefully very soon! He is doing better at night, thankfully, and some nights when he naps early in the day, I just put him to bed at 7:00. I've found that no matter what time he goes to bed, he wakes up at just about the same time, which is between 6:00 and 6:30; however, we did have a couple mornings two weeks ago when he seemed to enjoy waking up around 4:45. Whew! Sunrises are pretty, but I don't prefer to see them! I think all this will get much better when the time changes in a few weeks. That'll put us at much better times. Until then, coffee is my best friend! Anyway, it was a good article, and it was nice to see how "normal" my child is. Based on that article, he could be the poster child for 18 month olds!

Karl and I made a list of things we want to remember about Coop at this age, as this might be our new favorite age! It does have its challenges, like with the temper tantrums and picky eating, but it is so fun to see him take interest in things around him and become more capable of doing things. He amazes us daily. We sure do love this little boy more than we ever could have imagined possible!
Cooper's Favorites:
~LOVES outdoor equipment and tools. He would be very happy to spend all day in the garage playing with the lawn mower and blower (both of which he calls "boa", and he seriously says "boa" constantly all day long!). He has his own little drill and hammer, and he favors them over all his other toys. My little man is going to be a handy tool man!
~LOVES to be chased! We spend many afternoons running through the house or around the yard. Cooper gets so tickled and squeals and laughs with pure delight as we chase him!
~LOVES Karl's truck. He pretty much loves anything that deals with Karl these days. He likes when we let him sit in the driver's seat and he pretends to drive. Karl said it's always interesting to get in after Cooper and start the truck because all kinds of things will be moved or blinking or making noises!
~LOVES to watch me cook, which I LOVE too! I have sweet thoughts of Cooper sitting on the counter when he's older helping me measure and pour and mix!
~LOVES music and dancing! He dances anywhere and to anything! My favorite though is watching him in my rearview mirror when he's in his car seat and a song comes on that he likes. He'll immediately start waving those arms and kicking his legs!
~LOVES bath time and water! Lately, he's been laying on his stomach in the bath, and he'll occasionally dip his face in the water and then look at us and smile. It's really cute when it's a bubble bath and he comes up with bubbles all over his face!
~LOVES his crib. I've never seen a child who loves his crib so much. Sometimes when I need a moment's break or Cooper needs a little time to just chill, I put him in there, and he is as happy as can be!
~LOVES to be outside. He never gets tired of being outdoors! I've learned not to put his shoes on him inside if I don't intend on taking him outside at that time because he associates those shoes with being out of the house, and he gets really upset if I keep him in the house!
~LOVES to help. He likes to be involved in whatever Karl and I are doing. The other night Karl was going to build us a fire and asked Cooper if he wanted to help. Coop went out on the deck with him, went over and picked up a piece of wood, brought it in, and put it in the fireplace-all before Karl did. He obviously watches us closely and is picking up on what and how to do things. If I ask him to put him clothes in the hamper, he will. If he sees me cleaning up his toys, he comes over and helps. He loves to be with us and do what we do. Karl and I really love that too!
~LOVES his Sadie dog! He plays with and picks on her ALL day long! The sweet girl stays right by him too.
~LOVES his daddy. When he hears the garage door go up, he goes CRAZY! He runs to the door with his arms flailing and squeals all the way. He tries with all his might to get the door open. He'll stand there stomping, dancing, and squealing until Karl opens the door or I take him out there to him.

Also...
~He can show you where his head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, belly, belly button, toes, and some other body parts are. If you ask him where God lives, he points to his chest (his heart).

~We have a little book with different animals on each page. When we get to the dog page, I say, "What does a dog say?" Cooper will try to bark like a dog, and it cracks me up! Karl's parents have a cat who is not friendly. She always hisses at us. If you show Cooper a picture of a cat, he will hiss instead of meow!

~Mr. Independent likes to have you close by, so he leads us around by our finger from room to room. I love when he comes over, takes my finger in his sweet little hand, and guides me to a new room or toy.

~If I had to guess what I thought Cooper would be when he's grown up, I'd guess an engineer. He seems to have that mind. He loves seeing how things work, taking things apart, putting them together, and "working" on things. He reminds a lot of Karl with how he is with things. However, personality wise, he's all me! He is tidy, likes things clean, and is a busy body! He isn't one to sit and play with a toy; he likes to be doing something. No matter what he grows up to be, he will be a hard worker. I like that about him.

~He's a country boy. Outside of loving Karl's truck, wanting to be outdoors all the time, and looking adorable in overalls, he hates to wear socks and shoes. He prefers to be barefooted all the time.

Now that I've rambled on like an obsessed mama for way too long, here are pictures from our 18 month photo shoot!