The Naked Kid

Today was Cooper's Fall Program at Mother's Day Out.  I have been so excited about this day, but I've been a little nervous too.  Karl and I have been thinking of various scenarios of how this could go.  

Would he get on the stage and cry because of all the people?

Would he make his teacher hold him?

Would he cry if he saw us?

Would he run off stage if he saw us?

Would he keep his costume on?

Would he keep his clothes on?

Would he participate?

I am happy to report that he did great and was beyond precious and stayed fully clothed while on stage!  The younger kids performed in the first part of the program.  The really little ones were pumpkins and the two year olds were turkeys.  The kids were so adorable!  I didn't put up a lot of pictures from the program because I try not to put up pictures of other people's children, but here are a few of our little turkey!

 He walked right up on the stage and sat down!  It wasn't where he was supposed to sit though, so one of the teachers came and got him.  We laughed!

 He scanned the crowd searching for us.  He knew we were supposed to be there.  Even though he didn't see us, he just sat there looking and saying, "Mama.  Daddy.  Mama..."

 He was so happy when he found us!  I couldn't believe he spotted us though!  We were up in the balcony on the second row.  He kept telling his teacher and pointing to us.  At one point, I really was afraid he was about to hop off the stage and come to us!  We got so tickled watching him watch us!

FYI-this is all during the program...his participation in the songs and dances wasn't great, but it appeared that all the children were more interested in creating their own personal performances for the audience!

 When he wasn't pointing to us or talking to his teacher, he was rolling off the steps of the stage, cleaning up the leaves on the ground, and occasionally clapping or dancing.  But then he spotted an outlet!  It was covered with tape, but that didn't stop our kid.  He pulled that tape right off and started examining it!

It was such a cute performance, and I was really blown away by how hard the teachers and staff had worked to make it so special.  As the younger children exited the stage, the director said something about how pumpkins roll and turkeys get really excited at Thanksgiving--that summed up their performance!  The kids seemed to have so much fun though.  The older children were dressed as pilgrims and Indians and were much more focused on their singing and dancing than the little ones! They were all super precious!  

After the program, we went to retrieve our pumpkins, turkeys, Indians, and pilgrims from their classrooms and get their fall artwork.  Y'all know I am a complete sucker for handprint art!  I just love a cute handprint turned into something else!  I think I was just as excited about seeing Coop's artwork as I was about the program because the other day he had some paint on his hand and under his nails, so I knew this was going to be good!  His teachers did not disappoint!  

I love this!  I don't know if they read a story to go with it or not, but I have a little farm book with lift-the-flap pictures.  One page says something like, "Who pecks the corn on the farm?"  Then you lift the flap, and there's a turkey.  If I was still teaching, this would be our craft to go with that book!

 This looks like they had a stencil that went over white paper and they painted over it.  He's posing by the teepee in the Adventure Room.

 His precious Thanksgiving placemat that I will save forever and ever.

 A closeup of the picture on his placemat-this was on Farm Day at the end of October.

They also finger painted a turkey and added feathers to it and made a fall wreath.

I love all his little crafts and am so proud of him (and his teachers)!

Now an explanation for the title of this post:  Cooper has two teachers in his class.  One of them is very, very sweet and has always been very tender and kind with Cooper.  The other is great too, but she's just not quite as friendly and nurturing.  She's also the one who got on to Cooper for not keeping his clothes on last week.  Well, she wasn't there today, so they had a substitute who hadn't subbed in Cooper's class yet.  After the program, we went in his room to get our little turkey and all his awesome artwork, and his substitute teacher came over to tell us how sweet he was today.  That meant so much to me because I normally don't get any feedback about how he was that day.  She said she called him Naked Kid all day because she didn't know the kids' names yet.  Karl and I burst out laughing!  I told her we'd been working on that at home, and she said she thought it was fine and that it helped her today with remembering who he was!  When it was time for lunch, she told us she said "Here's Naked Kid's lunchbox, I mean Cooper's!"  That made my day!  I loved that she wasn't upset with him or us and even seemed to think it was very funny too!  We have so much to be thankful this year, and the fact that our little boy didn't use the Fall Program as an opportunity to strip today is definitely on my list!

The Great Outdoors

Little Man loves the outdoors.  He is such a different child when he is outside and has the freedom to run, play, climb, and explore.  A few weeks ago, we went to Karl's hunting land to put up a tree stand.  This was Coop's first time to visit one of his daddy's favorite places.  He got to ride a horse, ride on a four-wheeler, play in dirt, look for deer tracks, and have a picnic on a trailer in the middle of a beautiful field.  All with a perfect blue sky and feel-good temperatures! 

 The boys on Hank the Horse.  Cooper loved the horse!

 This child did not want to waste a second!  He was ready to go!

Pappy (Karl's dad) showed Cooper what a shooting house looked like.  He was more impressed with the ladder than anything else.

He just couldn't pass up kicking and stomping on the piles.  

After all his hard work, we were sure he would sleep the whole way home.  He was asleep before we even hit a paved road.  I haven't seen Tuscaloosa since the tornadoes last year.  I just never wanted to see the destruction in person.  I saw the pictures and heard the stories-that was enough for me.  However, since we were so close, we decided to drive through.  Karl saw it within two days after the tornadoes, and he's seen it many, many times since.  At one point, we were on 15th Street, and I was looking to my right.  On my left was my old apartment building.  For a split second, I didn't know where we were.  I didn't recognize that spot at all.  As we continued on, I felt my eyes tear up.  Everything looks really good; it just looks different and knowing what happened there and why it looks so different was emotional.  I remember watching the television when the tornado was cutting through Tuscaloosa.  I was standing in the kitchen looking into the living room.  Our new neighbors would be coming over for dinner soon.  The news station did a full screen shot of the tornado.  It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen.  I looked at Karl and said, "There are people down there."  And then I lost it.  It still makes me cry when I think of it.  That was a sad, sad day, and we were so fortunate.  As we got ready to pull on the expressway after our little drive-thru, I heard a sweet little peep from the backseat.  Our wild man was awake after maybe a 30 minute nap, and we had an hour and a half until we would be home!  He did good though and didn't fuss at all.  After all, we were in Karl's truck, and Coop loves riding in the truck!

Time Out

I'm about to have a crazy-mom moment on this blog where I get defensive over something ridiculous, so bear with me.  First I'd like to say that I do not think Cooper is perfect.  He gets in trouble all the time at home.  He can be a handful.  Time outs happen several times a week in this house.  For him and me. But, he is my baby.

As y'all know, Mother's Day Out has been an adjustment.  Throughout September and mid-October, Cooper would get upset if you even said "school" to him.  He would cry when I dropped him off, and although he was fine when I picked him up, I worried that he wasn't enjoying it and having fun while he was there.  To be honest, I wasn't enjoying it either.  It was giving me an opportunity to get chores done around the house, but I missed my boy.  Recently it has gotten a lot better though.  Now there are no tears and clinginess when I drop him off, he doesn't get upset when we talk about school, and my floors are getting vacuumed and mopped at least once a week!

However...

Cooper got sent to time out today at school.  For continuously taking off his clothes.  I laughed when his teachers told me that he wouldn't keep his socks, shoes, and pants on because I go through this with him at home all the time.  I even warned them about it the first time I met them.  The boy loves to be in his diaper or--better yet--naked.  But when I opened his folder and saw on his Daily Sheet that he had to go to time out for it, it made me feel sad.  That's my baby they put in time out!  Of course I know that it is not appropriate for my son to undress in public and more importantly, once he's told not to do something, he shouldn't do it again.  Here's the problem though, I feel like it's a little bit my fault, and it makes me sad that he got in trouble for it.   The child does hate wearing clothes; he always has.  He is hot natured, and I definitely dressed him too warm for today because I thought it was going to be colder than it is and cloudy, not sunny.  If he was hot, that's just how he handles it.  Also, we're working on potty training.  When he needs to go, he normally strips down and goes.  What if he kept taking off his clothes because he was trying to practice his new skill?  Did his teachers even think of that?  Probably not.  They do have 11 other children to tend to after all, and they did tell him several times to stop taking off his clothes.  I know the real problem here is that Cooper disobeyed, not that he continuously took off his clothes.  That makes me feel sad too.  It's upsetting to think of someone else disciplining your child or being upset with them.  It's really upsetting that someone has to discipline your child because your child did something wrong.  

If I was still a teacher today, I would be so different than I was then.  I get it now.  The whole parent side.  I get the phone calls, notes, and emails asking for more information about an incident that resulted in a straight face or sad face rather than the typical happy face on their daily behavior sheet.  I get how defensive parents can be when you discuss an "issue" with them.  I get the sense of wounded pride when they see or find out of a wrongdoing.  I get the walking them to the classroom door to say goodbye in the mornings even though our policy was to use the car rider line.  I get the hanging on for one more second because you just don't want to let them go.  I would have done better, been more patient, been more open, and embraced those things.

This parent thing is tough.  You want to protect them, make them happy, give them all you can and all they need.  It's a fine line though.  You don't want them to be cowardly or selfish or greedy or unappreciative.  One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my life is the satisfaction and appreciation that comes from perseverance.  When you have to work-and work hard-for something.  When it doesn't come easy.  When it isn't a natural ability.  When you have to do it yourself.  And when it's done, you get to look back and know that no one gave it to you, no one did it for you, it was by God's good grace that you got it done.  There's fulfillment in that.  That's where character gets built.  The kind of character I pray my son has.  As much as I want to protect Cooper from every hurt, pain, and disappointment in this world, that's not my job as his mom.  My job is to let him live and let him learn and let him become him.  God will protect and oversee and bless him.  I'll always be here for him though, and most likely restraining myself from rushing in and fighting his battles for him, no matter how silly they are.  

Old McCooper was a Farmer, E-I-E-I-O!

Our little farmer had a great time trick-or-treating last night!  He was a good sport and happily put on his costume (although I did bribe him with a sucker) and was super excited about going trick-or-treating!  Sadie let me put a red bandana on her too, so we decided to let her tag along with us this year.  We walked through the neighborhood with our next door neighbors and their little dinosaur, who happens to be Cooper's best buddy.  We had such a good time and got to know some of our other neighbors better.  We are so fortunate to live around nice people, and they all had lots of great treats for our little one.

 Cooper was very happy to discover that he had some candy left in his bucket from Boo at the Zoo!

 Instead of leaving the candy in his bucket, he preferred to eat it on the spot!

 It was so cute seeing them go to each door, ring the doorbell, and say, "Trick or treat," and "Thank you!"  I know some people make a very negative fuss about Halloween, which bugs me personally.  It is what you make of it.  Karl and I talked about that this morning.  He pointed out that it was a great opportunity for Cooper to practice his manners (he said, "Thank you," each time he got a piece of candy, learned to only ring the doorbell once, and waited patiently for us to move on to the next house while we talked to people), enjoy a fun night with his friend, and meet new people in our neighborhood.  He loved it, and so did we!

 After a few houses, Coop figured out he could move faster if he left the candy in his bucket and just went on to the next house for more!

 Also after a few houses, Coop decided to take advantage of our neighbor's wagon, which they were very smart to bring and very gracious to share!

What could be better than getting candy while being pulled around in a comfy, warm wagon on a beautiful night with your best friend?!

And that was our night!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun

In the days leading up to Halloween, I wanted to do fun projects with Little Man, but as I said the other day, we were having a tough time with the "fun."  Pumpkin painting did not go as planned, but Tuesday's Farm Day at school seemed to go great.  Cooper came home with a fun and festively decorated treat bag.  Inside was a baggy that had "Cooper's Pumpkin Puzzle" written on the outside and large popsicle sticks on the inside.  I didn't think much of it.  When I took it out for us to put together, I found out it was a very precious little puzzle!  I thought it was such a cute Halloween souvenir! 

Then that night my brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner and to carve pumpkins with us.  They made a great pumpkin-carving team.  Karl is a great carver, so I just sit and watch him create masterpieces.  However, Cooper wanted to be involved in all the action.  I didn't think he would like the gooey insides because normally he doesn't like for his hands to be yucky, but he loved it.  In fact, he loved it so much that we had to get him a little pumpkin to play with so that his daddy could get back to work!

 We lost our saw that goes with our kit, so Karl got out the power tools to try to get it carved!

 Their finished product: A big jack-o-lantern eating a little pumpkin!

Our 2012 pumpkin: A Goblin!

Say, "Cheese!"

Earlier this month, Cooper came home from Mother's Day Out with a nasty stomach bug.  When I picked him up that day (it was a Thursday), his teachers said he didn't eat any of his lunch.  Well, that's my boy!  Eating has never been his favorite thing to do, so I didn't think much of it.  As we pulled out of the parking lot, he got sick, but just a little.  I thought maybe he had gagged himself with his sucker.  I cleaned him up and started for home again.  A few minutes later, he got sick again.  I knew something was up at that point. I got him home, cleaned, and put down for a nap.  He woke up shortly after (just as I finished cleaning the car seat from our ride home) and was sick again.  I called the doctor's office and told them what was going on and that he hadn't been sleeping well since the Friday before when he woke up during his nap really upset.  I wasn't sure if he had had a nightmare or what, but he hadn't been sleeping well since.  The nurse said that concerned her more than the throwing up because he could have an ear infection.  We set up an appointment for 45 minutes later.  I got Cooper in his car seat, covered him with a towel in case he got sick again, and off we went.  He did get sick again...four times total...and that towel I had over him did not do a bit of good since he pulled it off to throw up under it.  It was terrible.  I was helpless as I drove, and he looked so pitiful.  I cried and prayed the whole way there.  Once in the parking lot, I took off his clothes and cleaned him as best as I could.  I wrapped another towel around him, and then we sat in the waiting room for way too long.  Of course, he threw up two more times in a trashcan in the waiting room.  It was tough.  Once we saw the doctor, we found out he had fluid in both ears and obviously a stomach virus.  Long story short, the virus continued off and on for a week.  He would be fine, and then in the middle of the night, he would start throwing up again.  Early on in the virus, the "sessions" would last four hours, and then he'd be fine until the next night.  As the week moved on, they got shorter and shorter.

Karl and I got smart though and put two sheets over the chair in his room to protect it, along with washcloths (for wiping his mouth) on the arm rest, and a trashcan with two plastic bags (in case one leaked) next to the chair on top of his book basket, which was also covered with a towel (we also had a pillow and blanket to make sleeping more comfortable and somewhat possible for us).

I would hold him most of the night, so that we weren't having to change his sheets (crib sheets are not fun to change) and bathe him (middle of the night baths are not fun either) constantly.  This set up made it as easy as possible and worked really, really well.
Well, Sunday night I looked at Karl after I put Cooper to bed and said, "I don't feel so good."  Oh yeah.  I had caught the stomach bug.  Cooper and I both spent Sunday night throwing up.  Then Karl left for a really important business trip to Germany Monday morning (and he started feeling nauseous as he flew over the Atlantic-but while he had bouts of really bad queasiness, he never got sick, thankfully).  When he left, I cried!  How was I going to take care of a sick child while I was sick and all alone?!  By that afternoon, I called my dad and must have sounded desperate and pitiful because shortly after he showed up with groceries and dinner!  He continued to cook for us and bring us food that week, and we recovered.  When Karl got home on Saturday, I was overjoyed to see him!  It had been a long, hard week!  Even within the past week, Cooper still likes to walk up to trashcans and put his head in them like he's throwing up.  I tell him it's not funny but he always smiles and giggles a little.  It's not funny though.
I'm pretty sure Cooper caught the bug from Mother's Day Out.  He wasn't loving MDO and was pouty any time I mentioned school or dropped him off.  He was always happy when I picked him up, but he didn't like me leaving him.  After the bug, I was seriously considering dropping out until next year.  Building an immune system is tough, and I'm tired of the little colds and all that goes along with it.
However, when I picked him up after his first day back, his school pictures were in his folder.  I started laughing right there in the parking lot when I saw them!  PRICELESS!  Not a single good picture, but each one got its own laugh out of me!  The bottom right might be my favorite!  Of course, I had to order a set though.  We ordered the top right one because it's the classic school picture pose.  Doesn't it look like he's having fun?! :)

They must have told him to, "Say, 'Cheese!'" because I don't say that when I take his picture and he keeps pretending things are cameras and says, "Cheese!" when he takes your picture!

Also, Cooper is still going to MDO.  It is getting better too.  He doesn't pout about going anymore and doesn't need to be held when I leave him either.  We're making good progress!  Today was Farmer Day, so he got to wear his awesome costume.  Then when I picked him up, a really pretty little girl in his class ran over to us and said, "Bye Cooper!" He smiled back at her.  It was just too cute!!