- He's tough and rough. But he's also as sweet, loving and kind as they come. He's honest, not at all mischievous. Maybe just a little tiny bit sneaky every now and then, but never in a bad behavior way.
- He's not a tattle tale--yea!
- He's thoughtful. If a friend is crying, he shows concern. If a friend is crying because he played too hard, he shows remorse and gives hugs and kisses. He shares things with me and tells me, "I share because I love you so much."
- He is still a bookworm and I totally love that. We always read books before nap time and bed time and even several times throughout the day. I'll often find him sitting in his play room or bed room with a book in his lap. We go to our neighborhood library regularly and Coop looks forward to picking out his own books now. Love that!
- He likes to read instructions and put things in rows. I'll find random things around the house lined up in perfect little rows--toys, house decorations, my makeup brushes, crayons, books. He also loves organizing and sorting things.
- He loves maps. When we are driving, he likes to hold a street map and tell me which way to turn and when to take a street or a highway. This is always a good time for us to talk about left and right or miles and distance.
- He's a helper. I hear, very enthusiastically, all day long, "I can help you with that!" No matter what we are doing--laundry, dishes, sweeping, outside work, cooking, checking email--he wants to be a part and help, and Philip and I usually let him.
- He has imaginary friends. "Andy" is his tried and true friend who shows up regularly. Just this week he had friends named "Cockpit" and "Pilot." They were both sick, apparently, so we made them soup and pie. Cooper will sometimes tell me to not sit somewhere or watch my step because Andy is near me, and we often have to open the front door because a "friend" is knocking. He has a turtle friend named "Random" who shows up these days, and often times his friends' names rhyme..."izzy and lizzy" or "ozzy and mozzy."
- He loves to play with bigger little kids. Every time we go to a park, Cooper meets new friends. Usually it's kids (boys or girls) a year or so older than he is and, luckily, they are always nice and want to play with him, too. I love watching him run around and see what fun they have. He'll always run by me with an enthusiastic update, "Mom, me and my friend are looking for acorns!!" Or "I Fireman Cooper, my friend fireman, too. Here we go!!" Or today, for example, he was running around with three little girls at the park. His update today was that they were playing in a castle, but he told the girls, "I huff and chuff and blow your castle down!" I guess that's what happens when you mix boy with castle.
- He's still a great sleeper. Regular 2.5ish hour naps and 10ish hours at night. He's great about staying in bed, only getting out if he really needs something. He'll lay in bed before falling asleep and play and talk like he's always done. I have so many recordings of him talking and singing in his bed. From the time he could make a noise and coo until now, making up his own stories and songs. Is it too much to ask for Austin to follow in his brother's footsteps on this one?
- He's compassionate, kind, loving, sympathetic, empathetic, sensitive, thoughtful, fun, playful, imaginative, and creative, adventurous, brave, smart and clever. He's also independent, stubborn, strong-willed, and determined. The latter are amazing traits that I'm glad he has and they will make him an incredible man one day...but they prove to be a little challenging at times for a three-year-old.
- He's on top of anything that needs fixing around the house. If a light bulb is burned out or a door is squeaky, Coop immediately tells Philip and they are off with tools in hand. As I'm often told, "We have a job to do, Mom!".
- He's really good at making sound effects. Trucks, animals, sirens, bells, whistles, spaceships blasting off, even trucks braking. How are boys good at this?
- He notices things not even close to being on my radar--certain details in signs at the grocery store or along the highway, for example. Just this week, while at Central Market, he pointed out what looked like eyes to him in the colorful design of the avocado boxes; he noticed a poster with cartoon-like images of peppers (showing the hotness scale of the peppers); he noticed balloons stuck to the air vent way up high above the deli counter. Just amazing little details that peak his curiosity or spark an exciting discovery.
- He's a problem solver. Whether it's fixing something, moving something, playing with something, if he's met with a challenge he enjoys solving the problem (and is good at it).
- He has the most amazing imagination. He imagines stories, songs, friends, things happening around him. He creates games for us to play at home. His hands go from talking to each other to being sleeping (snoring) firemen who have to jump up and run to their fire truck to jet airplanes that zoom to far away lands. A screwdriver might look like a screwdriver to you and I, but to him it could be the captain of a pirate ship or an astronaut about to blast off to the moon or a train conductor waiting for his train at the station.
- He absolutely loves Drake. He constantly tells Drake, "I love you, bubba." or tells me, "I love my puppy dog." I often find him just laying on Drake or cuddling with Drake on the dog bed (which has led me to wash the bed more often).
- He has the best expressions. From the day Cooper could smile, he's been so expressive with his face. Silly, serious, shocked, surprised, excited, happy, inquisitive, scared...he's got a facial expression for it all.
- He loves to look for and at the moon and stars. The second the moon appears, Cooper is quick to find it and loves to point it out to anyone around. We often hear, "let's go stare at the moon," so we all head outside with binoculars.
- He eats the crust of his sandwiches first, which makes me happy because I never wanted to be a mom who cuts off the crust.
- He has the greatest worker man voice. I'm not sure how to even describe it...it's a little lower, he often has his fist on his hip, his chin slightly down toward his shoulder and talks out of the side of his mouth. It's so great. So, so, so great. I smile every time I hear it. And, the best part? He's completely serious about it.
I love so much about him, it's hard to list everything. I love that he wears a backpack when he helps Philip cut firewood. I love that he sorts things and lines things up and organizes things, but also makes the biggest messes you've ever seen. I love that he gathers up treasures to take everywhere he goes. I love that more often than not, he wants me to call him Fireman Cooper. I love that he tries to make anything a belt--rope, a measuring tape, ribbon. I love that he makes up his own songs, but always circles back to Old MacDonald or Wheels on the Bus. I love that he packed a toolbox full of ping pong balls for our trip to the aquarium and when we got there, he pretended to shake food out of the balls for all the fish. I love that he has to stop brushing his teeth because he needs to change gears on his tractor and his brush is the gear handle. I love living life and seeing the world through his eyes.
I love how he loves his baby brother. He watches out for Austin, he makes sure to include Austin. When we leave the house, he always makes sure we don't leave Austin at home. He wants to hug Austin and cuddle with him. He loves to make Austin laugh and tickle him. After Austin wakes up from a nap, every single nap, Coop always asks, "You sleep well? Have good dreams?" I hear on a daily basis, "Mom, I'm so glad we have Austin." I could not have imagined love this big from Cooper so early on with Austin.
I adore Cooper's adventurous spirit and innocent curiosity. I adore his stories and when he tells me about his day. I adore HIM.
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