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!
No comments:
Post a Comment