More About Cooper at 2 Years Old

Here are some other things I love about Cooper at 2 years old:

• Any time he dances or walks fast or walks with determination to get somewhere, he bends his right arm and swings it back and forth really fast. It's so cute! I know he is really focused on something when that arm starts going.
• Before he gets in the bath, but after I've stripped him, he bolts out of the bathroom and runs through the house naked. He thinks it's the funniest thing and loves "surprising" us with this...every night! Philip calls it Coop's nightly naked jog.
• He loves touching his sippy cup to someone's drink and yelling "cheers!"
• After he wakes up and I ask what he dreamed about, he always says either Ooh Ooh or Jackson
• Loves, loves, loves his Poppi. He talks about Poppi all day, "Talk Poppi? Wi Poppi go? Poppi work. Sweep take trash out with Poppi. Poppi shave. Call Poppi? Poppi put shirt on (bringing me a shirt he wants Poppi to put on him)." It makes my heart glow.
• If he sees a mess..."Uh oh. Mess Mama. (then singing) Clean up. Clean up. Evbody Ev. Clean up." Then, he'll get a towel, wipe the floor and say, "trash." And after it's cleaned up and the towel is thrown away, I always hear, "Yea!"
• He loves his bed and is not making or showing any attempt to climb out...yet. He plays in bed before falling asleep and after waking up. Sometimes for as long as one hour! I hear him talking through the monitor and I just love his little conversations. As long as he has all his animal friends and music playing on his mobile, he's a happy camper!
  
• He is VERY particular about what songs we listen to in the car and what songs we sing at bedtime. Recently the ONLY song we listen to in the car is from the Neil Sedaka CD my mom bought Coop. It's called Hey Little Devil, and Coop likes the part where kids sing "Whoa Whoa Whoa Yea Yea Yea" throughout the song. So every time we get in the car, Coop starts asking for "Whoa Whoa Yea Yea song?" And then we listen to it over and over and over and over again. If he doesn't like the song playing or the song I'm singing, he'll either say "new song" or just a flat "no."
• He tells everything "bye" when we leave the house--toys, Drake, balls, kitchen, cats, blankie.
• He is still a great eater, but some of his favorite foods include carrots, peas, edamame, turkey/cheese sandwiches, green beans, and apples.
• Tells Drake "good boy" all the time. I heard him telling this to Mocha the other day, too. And, he loves to call Drake into his room, "Da da! Dake! Daaaa Daaaa!"
• Calls himself "Toopie" (He says "c" words with "t's": cow is tow; cool is tool; cat is tac; cooper is toopie).
• He picked up "Oh man" from Sarah (Jackson's mom) and "ruh roh" (like Scooby Doo) from me. And it's so cute how he says both of them!
• He tries to get himself dressed. I always give him some time to try to get his shirt or shorts on. He knows exactly what to do, but it's the how to do it he's still working on. I love seeing his concentration on this.
• He's talking more and more every day and starting to use words like this, that, me, and you. And if he wants to do something I'm doing--watering the flowers, for example--he'll say, "my turn."
• We go for a run several mornings a week, and Coop is completely content eating his waffle breakfast in the stroller and enjoying our morning outside.
• He loves to grab anything with a handle--a grocery bag, Mommy's purse, diaper bag, a basket--put it up on his shoulder, walk out of the room saying, "bye bye, Mama" and then return with a very excited "hi!". He usually tells me that he's just gone to Jackson's or Poppi's house or the grocery store or the park.
  

Cooper's Top Ten at Age 2, Part 2

Part 2 of Cooper's top ten...

4. Singing
We sing all the time around this house. We make up songs, we make up words to already existing songs, and sometimes we actually sing songs as they were written. Usually it's just Mommy singing, with Daddy pipping in every now and then, but recently Coop started singing, too, and his versions of the songs are the best! Wheels on the Bus, for example, "Beep beep beep. All da town. Round round all town. Driver move move move. Move all town." And then he praises himself with a very enthusiastic, "Yay!!" (while clapping) He knows the tunes to a lot of songs, but it is seriously the cutest thing to hear his version of each song. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is, "Tee tee lil tar. How won are." "Yay!" And Old McDonald, "EIEIO. Pig. Oink. EIEIO. Farm. EIEIO. Pup dog. EIEIO." "Yay!" I hear him singing while we are in the car, in the stroller during our runs, in the bathtub, or while he is playing with toys in his playroom. It's music to my ears.

Sometimes Coop sings while sitting in a box, sometimes while playing with his airplane.

3. Cooking
Everytime I'm in the kitchen, Coop is right by my side helping me stir, measure, chop, and saute. He gets his own bowl and spoon, but I usually let him help me pour or stir whatever it is I'm working on. He loves to give Philip or me a taste of whatever it is that he's made, so he will dip his spoon in his bowl, and pretend to dip something out, and then ask, "Mama, bite?" He gets so excited to do this over and over and loves when Philip and I make a fuss over whatever delicious meal he's made. It's usually soup or carrots or apples. If Philip asks Coop to add a little more basil or pepper to his "soup," Coop will run over to his bowl and pretend to add more spice and then take another taste over to Philip. So cute! And because Coop loves cooking SO much, we got him his very own kitchen for his birthday!

2. Blankie
When I stopped nursing Cooper, I got him a taggies blankie hoping he would begin to rely on that for comfort. That was not quite a year ago and my little man loves his blankie! Coop has to have it at nap time and at night, but I usually throw it in my bag when we leave the house in case he gets tired or fussy in the car. I learned the hard way that having the blankie at moments like those in the car make for a more peaceful drive home. I also learned the hard way that when a child loves and relies on something as much as Coop does his blankie, that you should probably have two! I had to do some hunting, but luckily a couple of months ago I was able to find the same taggies blanket online and quickly ordered a backup. I love the look in Cooper's eyes when he is tired and ready to go to sleep and starts asking for (and still does the sign for) his blankie. When we find it, his little eyes light up and he jumps in my arms like...ok, ready to sleep now! I don't think he lets go of it at all during the night because every time I go check on him, that little blankie is either in his hand or tucked under his arm. When he wakes up in the morning, he always makes sure to grab blankie before we go get milk. As soon as he's finished with milk, though, he drops blankie and runs off to hug Drake, vacuum, or play with his toys!

1. Mommy and Dada

Cooper loves his family and friends, and Ooh Ooh of course, so much, but I feel pretty confident in saying that "Mommy" and "Dada" are number one in his eyes. Cooper's little eyes light up when Philip walks in the door each evening after work, and there is nothing better than hearing the sound of his feet running through the house to give his Daddy a big hug. And, while I am with Coop almost every minute of every day (you'd think he would get tired of me), I, too, get a warm and sweet greeting if I've been gone from him for a bit. (Unless he is at Jackson's house...he usually runs the other way because he does not want to leave!) I love the affection we get from Cooper on a daily basis...hugs, kisses, hearing "love Mama" or "love Dada." I want to soak up every minute of Cooper running up to me and asking me to hold him just because he's wants to be close to me; or Cooper letting me hold, snuggle, and rock him before nap time or bed time; or Cooper grabbing my hand and showing me all the different toys he wants us to play with. I'm so grateful that I am able to be a part of Cooper's day, every day. I can't imagine not having this time with him!

Cooper's Top Ten at Age 2, Part 1

In no particular order, here are the top ten favorite activities and things of my two-year-old little munchkin.

10. Cleaning
If you know Cooper, then you know he is a cleaning machine. His love for brooms developed quite awhile ago and he has only added to his cleaning gadget obsession. If it sweeps, mops, wipes, or vacuums, my little man is all over it! Coop will see something on the floor--a couple of crumbs, paper, something like that--and he'll say, while pointing, "Uh oh, Mama. Mess." And will then begin singing the Clean Up song. Coop's best bud, Jackson, also loves cleaning gadgets, so we often joke about the boys starting a cleaning company together. Sometimes...actually every time...Jackson comes over, I end up pulling out our vacuum for the boys to play with. (It can entertain them for quite some time!) And, to go along with the cleaning obsession, Jackson gave Cooper his very own play vacuum for his birthday!

9. Drake/Animals
Gorillas, ostriches, hippos, dogs, cats, bugs...if it's an animal, Cooper wants to look at, learn about, and hug. I started seeing Coop's love for animals at a really early age. I thought it might be a phase and he would move on to trucks or blocks or something. But, nope. His love for and interest in animals has only gotten bigger. We talk about animals all the time, we read animal books, we make animal noises, and we walk like animals. Cooper has a whole zoo of animals who have to sleep in his crib every night: Ooh-Ooh (the gorilla), Gus the Giraffe, Mr. Elephant, Dog, and Little Monkey. These are all stuffed animals. But he also has to have his little giraffe, gorilla, hippo, and baby drake figurines. If I try to sneak an animal or two out, Coop will find it and say, "Uh oh. Back bed." And then toss the animal over the rail. When I tuck Cooper in bed at night, he gathers all his figurines and tucks them in a corner, then looks around to make sure his stuffed animals are all there, and then he asks me to "night-night kiss" each animal before I leave. It's one of the cutest things in the world, if you ask me, so of course I oblige. When I go check on Coop at night, I often find him with one arm around Ooh-Ooh and using Gus like a pillow. I've tried to take a picture of this before, but they always end up too dark. Mental picture...click!

8. Reading
We read books several times a day, and I'm so thankful for this. I love reading and hope that this love of books continues for Cooper, too. Sometimes he will pick a book and ask me to read to him, but other times I'll find Cooper in his room sitting and reading on his own. At least once a day, he'll go into his room, turn on his music (I have a We Sing nursery rhymes CD in the player and he loves to turn on his own music), pick up a couple of books, and just sit on the floor and read or flip through pages of different books. When I know he is doing this, I don't disturb him; I just peak around the corner so that he doesn't see me and he'll keep playing on his own. I happened to catch him the other day reading, but then Hickory Dickory Dock started playing and he dropped his book, jumped up and danced around his room. Too cute! Some of his favorite books right now are Clifford's Good Deeds, Hippos Go Berserk, Goodnight Zoo, Airplanes, Are You Sleepy Yet Petey?, Jamberry, Wheels on the Bus...just to name a few.

7. Jackson
Where in the world would we be without Jackson? He is Coop's best bud. His partner in crime. His cleaning buddy. They play, they laugh, they get a little rough with each other, but I can tell they love each other. When we don't see Jackson for a day or so, Coop will start asking, "Wi Jack? Play Jack?" And then answer himself with, "Jack home. (or nap or go night night)" Coop always spots Jackson's car in the parking lot when we go to meet them somewhere and gets so excited to find Jackson and run over to him. One of my favorite things recently that Coop said took place just as we arrived home from our beach vacation. Philip and I were unpacking the car and Cooper jumped in the driver's seat and said, "Go Jack house. Beach!" I think he was saying he needed to go pick up his buddy and take him back to the beach! Jackson and Coop have had a ton of fun over the last several months--zoo trips, Arboretum dates, airplane museum, lots of playing at each others houses, swimming, art "camp," swinging at the park. I can't imagine where we'd be without sweet Jackson!

6. Outside
"Play side? Play side? Please? Mama, play side?" This is what I hear everyday. All day. Every day. And, I love it. I love that he wants to be outside rain or shine. Hot or blazing hot. Doesn't matter. Cooper wants to play outside. He can be out there for hours creating his own fun, getting dirty, playing with toys or chasing Drake or following his Daddy around. It really doesn't matter what he is doing as long as he is outside.

5. "Cliff Dog"
Coop doesn't have much of an interest in TV (yea!), but I will occasionally turn on Clifford the Big Red Dog for background noise while he is playing and I'm working in the kitchen. (Plus, I loved Clifford growing up, so it's fun to see it still on.) He doesn't sit and watch the show, but he will glance over from time to time and point to Clifford or the other dogs playing and he'll say little things he sees on the TV, "dog play ball. splash water. Cliff Dog jump." As little as he watches, though, Coop has really developed a love for "Cliff Dog." He asks to "see Cliff Dog?" almost everyday, which I don't always turn on because I don't want Cooper to get used to watching TV. I recently bought Coop a Clifford book that we now have to read every night before bedtime. I've decided that if Cooper was going to become fond of a television cartoon character, I'm glad he chose a good classic character like Clifford.


Stay tuned for Part 2!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to Cooper! Happy Birthday to you!

How is it that we are celebrating my baby's second birthday? Wasn't he just born? I remember every detail of the night I went into labor...Philip coming home at 1:00 a.m. from the Cowboys game; we talked for a minute; feel asleep for about 30 minutes; and then the next thing I know, Cooper was ready to meet the world. Didn't that just happen?

The last two years have been the most amazing blessing. I am so blessed to be Cooper's mother. Really, I'm blessed to just be a mother, but more blessed because God made Cooper for Philip and me. Seeing that Cooper is already turning two, once again I realize that I made the right choice in leaving my job to stay home with him. I wouldn't trade this last year for anything! I feel like Cooper and I are so close and we have a bond that is really deeper than I ever thought you could bond with a two year old. And, I've had so much fun with him this last year. He makes me smile and laugh every single day. I can only imagine what fun and exciting...ok, and challenging...things are in store for year number three!

Happy Birthday, my sweet little man!
Stay tuned for lots of birthday-themed posts!

Party in Cooper's Crib

This is how I found Cooper one morning: half undressed, partying with his best animal buds, and reading one of his favorite animal books.

A little kiss for Mr. Elephant

Good morning!

Puzzles

Puzzles have recently become one of Cooper's favorite activities. I love this because I remember loving puzzles when I was younger; I would work on some for weeks at a time and feel so proud when I put in that last piece to complete the picture.

Everyday, Coop runs over to the drawer where we keep his puzzles, pulls out all the pieces, then grabs my hand and says, "Mama sit. Paa?" It's like he's asking "would you like to do puzzles with me?".

He is great at matching the pictures, so he figures out quickly where each piece goes. But getting those pieces to fit exactly...we are still working on that!
Two finished puzzles! (This is exactly how Coop did them.)

Day at the Lake

A few weeks ago, some friends of ours invited us to spend the day with them at the lake....umm...yes, please! Coop had never been on a boat before and I had no idea what to expect with him. I came prepared for the worst thinking that Coop might hate the boat and he and I would spend the afternoon up at the house, but nope! After a few minutes of getting used to the wind blowing on his mouth, Coop settled in and enjoyed life on the lake!
Cooper instantly bonded with little Pearce. Everywhere Pearce went or everything Pearce did, there was his little shadow, Cooper. So, when Pearce decided to ride the big tube, Coop was jumping at the chance to tag along!Back to the house for a break, and Coop and Pearce found the perfect spot for their lunch.After lunch we headed back out. Coop hadn't taken a nap this point, so I wasn't sure how the rest of the afternoon would go, but only a few minutes into the ride, I realized I had a snoring baby in my lap (with a hand stuck in the snack cup).
We finished the day off with a cool dip in the lake. Coop had so much fun jumping off the platform. He would count "1..2...3!!" and LEAP into Philip's arms and instantly ask, "again?". He jumped over and over and over and over again.

All in all it was a super fun day and I'm so proud of Cooper and how well he did on the boat. Plus, Philip and I got to brush off our wakeboard legs and now we are both itching to go again!