I Realized Something Today

Recently I've really been missing my one-on-one nap time with Cooper. Austin always seems to want to be held constantly or decides to start fussing just as it's time to read books and lay down with Cooper. We manage, but it's just a little difficult some days.

However, today, as I was sitting with Cooper in his bed, holding a five-month-old who was squealing and giggling with delight, I realized something. Yes, my nap time time with Cooper has changed, but it's turned into a time when I get to watch my two boys interact and entertain each other, and it's like I'm not even there. Six months ago Cooper and I would lay in his bed at nap time and talk about Baby Brother--what he would look like, what it would be like to have a baby around. And now, baby Austin is laying there with us, with eyes that he can't take off of his big brother. Cooper plays with and interacts with Austin all throughout the day, but there is something about that time right before nap when we are all sitting on Cooper's bed. Coop wants to hold Austin and talk to him; he makes silly noises and faces, which makes Austin squeal and laugh; and he let's Austin "tackle" him in the bed, which Austin thinks is really fun. Every day they both end up in hysterics, and I sit there watching and laughing along. And it makes me happy.

Getting His Own Snack

Cooper got his own snack after naptime today and later, when I went to get something out of the cabinet, I found the Pirate's Booty bag "closed" like this and neatly tucked away where it was supposed to be. It was a sight that made me happy.

I was feeding Austin when Coop woke up, so he decided to "fix" his own snack. I watched from the couch as he drug his stool over to the cabinets to reach a snack bowl, then walked to the pantry to find the Pirate's Booty (which he was excited to find at Target that morning), then back to the stool and counter to begin filling up his bowl. He kept asking me, "Is this enough, Mom?". He'd add a few more, "How 'bout this, Mom?". I told him he could decide how much he wanted, so after filling his bowl (with, actually, about the same amount I would have given him), he began closing the bag and trying to get the clip back on. It was the cutest thing to watch. He was determined to close that bag, but you could tell he couldn't quite figure out how to fold the bag and use the clip. He worked on it for several minutes while I just watched him. And finally he was happy with how he closed the bag, and he put it back into the cabinet. He grabbed his milk and his cup full of Pirate's Booty and headed to the brown chair to watch Fireman Sam (a new favorite around here).

After Fireman Sam once again rescued Norman Price (how does one kid get into so much mischief?!), Coop decided he needed a little bit more Pirate's Booty, so back to the kitchen he went to start the whole process over again. This time, however, he only put a few pieces in his bowl (which is exactly what I do when a second round of snacks is requested), and he made a little snack bowl for me, too.

I know this seems like a funny story to share on our blog, but it was just so cute to watch him do this. Something I do and love doing for him every day after nap time, but today the tables were turned. He got his own snack, almost exactly how I do for him every day, AND, he even fixed a snack for me. Just a sweet moment I wanted to remember.

Watching out for Austin

We had the following conversation at dinner tonight, while talking about Annie and Allan's wedding...

Cooper: I don't want Austin to go to the wedding.
Me: Why not?
Cooper: Because it's too crowded.
Me: What do you mean?
Cooper: There are too many people. I don't want my baby brother around all those people.
Philip: It will be ok, Cooper. He'll be there with us.
Cooper: Who is going to look after him?
Philip: Well, me and Mommy and you.
Cooper: No, not me. I have to leave. With my friends. In my firetruck.

The conversation then turned to where Coop was going in the firetruck and who was riding with him. It was just a perfect glimpse at to where we are in life--consumed with all things fireman/firetruck/fire fighting and big, huge, love for baby Austin. It made me proud to see, yet again, the protective big brother in Cooper.

Bevo's Birthday

According to Cooper, today was Bevo's birthday. All of Bevo's friends had a dance party and picnic outside. Cooper and I tied balloons on the sidewalk lights, and we baked a cake that we made with salt, pepper, one egg, sugar and chocolate chips. We stirred all the ingredients together and threw the bowl in the oven. Then, Cooper and I and all of Bevo's friends each enjoyed a slice of our freshly baked cake. We even sang Happy Birthday and Bevo blew out all of his candles on the first try! I asked Coop how old Bevo was and I was told, "Two. And 87."

Balloons tied on the lights.

Our cake

Cooper getting the oven ready.

My big piece of cake. It was delicious!

Austin wanted for a piece of cake, too.

Coop was excited when Bevo blew out his candles!

All of Bevo's friends brought gifts and stacked them on the stairs.

Cleaning up after the party...with a chainsaw.

All About Cooper (3-3 1/2 years old)

• 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.

Last Outing Before Baby Brother's Arrival

The day before Austin was born, I asked Cooper what he wanted to do for the day, "How about the zoo? That's a good idea! Right, Mama?!" I said it absolutely was, so we packed up and headed out. We had a blast that day--riding the merry-go-round (over and over and over), feeding the giraffes, watching the gorillas, driving the safari jeep, playing in the kids area, petting the goats, having a picnic near the little ducks in the farm area. We played in the farm area for a long time during this visit. In the back of my head, I knew it was my last outing as a mom of one. The next day our lives were going to change. For the better, I knew, but I just couldn't wrap my brain about all the changes and what life would be like with two little boys. I remember thinking that as long as we stayed there, I could just focus on this time with Cooper. I knew the minute we got home and I got him down for a nap, my day would turn into a whirlwind of getting ready for Baby Brother's arrival. But, in that little area of the zoo, with the horses and the goats (and the largest bunny rabbit you've ever seen), it was just Cooper and Mommy time. I didn't rush our time. We just sat and played and talked and spent time together. It was completely precious to me.

Cooper was playing on the safari jeep, which has the back half of the jeep in the cheetah exhibit. I happened to be standing by our stroller drinking water when suddenly a cheetah jumped in the back of the jeep!! I dropped the water, grabbed the camera, and told Cooper to turn around! Love the look on his face!

Our zoo adventure wouldn't be complete without a visit to the ooh-oohs. And, almost by habit, Cooper stopped by the "Mama Ooh Ooh" for a hug.

Reminds me of these pictures...
April 2010 (first trip to the zoo)

and May 2011

One last stop at the merry-go-round on our way out.

I walked all over that zoo, and at some points I even had to stop and take some deep breaths because my contractions were hurting so badly. I definitely attribute all the walking I did to going into labor on my own that night. Baby Brother didn't want to miss the next zoo outing!

10.17.2011

Weekend Mornings

Saturday mornings are my favorite. Me and my three boys all cuddled up in one bed, watching the adventure of Curious George. While I often wish Cooper would sleep past 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning, I love, love when he crawls up in our bed, squeezes in the middle of us, puts his head on my pillow, and we settle in for another hour. And, it's even better when Austin wakes up and joins us, too!
(Pardon the dark photos--dark room combined with old phone equals dark photos.)

Peacefully Sleeping

Someone was peacefully sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's bed...

when suddenly, a one-man band came marching, parading, and joyously singing through the door.

Yet, somehow, the peaceful sleeper continued to sleep.

And Big Brother waited patiently for him to wake up.

And when he finally woke up, he was excited to see his big brother right by his side. I can not say enough how I love to see the love between these two. It is a love I never could have expected and a bond I could not have imagined starting so early.

A (Firechief) Mama and her boys. Just another typical day around Team Lamb's (fire station) house.