All Tuckered Out...

Well, Cooper has been stuffed up for a few days and hasn't been sleeping well when he's been at day care....and as you can tell from these pictures he is all tuckered out when he gets home.  This afternoon when we first got home I was feeding him in his room...and of course both of the dogs were hovering while we were sitting in the  recliner.  Well, Cooper needed to burp so I sat him up and he just started laughing hysterically at the dogs like they were doing a comedy routine on the floor just for him.  It was too funny!  I wish Matt had been home so he could have recorded it.  It was the first time that Cooper tried to engage the dogs too...he was laughing, reaching out with his hands and feet, and clicking his tongue at them.  I kept them at a distance, but they were definitely curious as to what had him giggling so hard.  I think he was just slap happy from lack of sleep.  After eating tonight Cooper was hanging out with Matt on the couch....when I happened to look over and see this.....which made my heart ache with so much love.  

Yum!

At least I think he must think "yum" when he's eating what might look like chocolate pudding, but is actually pureed prunes.  Okay....now that you're back to reading....I know all of you just turned your head and made a "ackkk" sound like you were puking....he eats 'em up like they are going out of style.  So, after persuading him to eat the green beans that you seen on the bib....I bribed him to love me again by giving him prunes.  Y-U-M-M-Y!   Oh, and his face is so full of prunes because he kept diving towards the spoon....I really do wipe his face off between bites usually.  At least when he's not squealing for more.   Maybe all babies do this...but I think it's the cutest thing.  He makes all of these "uhm, yum, mmm" sounds when he's eating like it's the best cuisine in the world.  

My big boy car seat....

Well, as everyone is aware...Cooper is a big boy!  And his old car seat--the infant carrier--was a wee bit too small so we moved him up to his big boy car seat.  And once we put the effort and brains of two adults into it....we got it installed and adjusted for a proper fit.  Man, some of these pieces of equipment for children make you feel like a moron.  The directions...although written in English feel like they are written in Chinese.  Anyhow.....Cooper seems to like the new seat and he LOVES looking out the window when we're driving around town.  Here are a couple of quick shots of Cooper gazing out the window.  Don't you just love his toboggan??  He gets lots of "awws" with it on....or off.  :)  

What is this face...??

Cooper likes to imitate sounds that we make....and one of those sounds is the kissing sound.  This is the face that he makes when he's doing it.  It cracks me up every time I see it, and I just happened to be able to get a shot of it at dinner time.  

This Saturday he will be FIVE months old!  Time really does fly!  He is able to roll over in both directions, he can sit up for a few seconds using his arms to prop himself up, he loves the exersaucer, he's sleeping through the night, and he loves his food.  I've been making his food myself and so far it's turning out really well.  Not only do I enjoy it, but I know exactly what he's eating and where it's been, etc.  We've had peas, butternut squash, apples, and bananas so far and he loves all of it.  I've got carrots and cauliflower waiting in the freezer to try next.  I'm thinking I'll do green beans, avocado, and pears next.  

Cooper's Baptism

Well, on Jan. 17th we had Cooper's Baptism at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church.  Father Dale presided over the Baptism for us while we were all surrounded by family and friends.  It was a small gathering and we enjoyed having everyone there with us to support our family on such a big occasion.  Here are some photos of everyone at the church following the Baptism.  Our family friend  Tom is Cooper's Godfather, and my cousin Deb is his Godmother.  My mom and dad were able to come up along with my Great Aunt Sister Margaret Regina.  Matt's mom and her friend Howard also came up for the big day!  And of course, Kyler and Elise were there to support their little brother.  We all came back to the house afterwards for some homemade crab and corn chowder, sandwiches, and dessert.  Yum!

S-L-E-E-P

I didn't want to jinx myself so I spelled it out instead of saying it.  :)  The last week Cooper has been sleeping a minimum of 7.5 hours at night and has gone 10+ hours too.  I think some mornings he would go longer, but I have to wake his warm, snuggly body to get ready to leave for daycare.  Thankfully, he's just an infant so I can change his diaper and take him in his jammies if he's really zonked out!  No one blinks an eye when a baby is still in his jammies at 3 in the afternoon....but let an adult do it and the whole world criticizes.  :)  

Four Month Check-Up

Coop had his 4 month check-up today...he is 19 weeks and one day old.  Matt and I were both at the appointment to hear the doctor tell us that he is "off the charts".  We already knew he was one of a kind and all kinds of special, but he is literally off of the growth charts for his age.  He weighs in at 19 lbs. and 14.8 oz. and is 27 1/4" long.  We're also excited to know that his brain/head is growing at the same rate as his body is and is also off the charts.  Everyone was excited about Cooper's growth and very impressed with his development so far.  His strength and development is as good as many six month olds or even better in some areas.  Another exciting note is that we got the okay to start trying some rice cereal.  If we put in in a bottle with breast milk he likes it more, but we did it in a bottle and in a bowl with a spoon.  He gets too frustrated to just do the bowl/spoon alone right now because he isn't controlling how much and how fast he gets it.  Here are some pictures of Cooper's first "meal".  In a few weeks we are going to try introducing veggies/fruits one at a time.  So, this weekend we are on quest to find a good cook book for Cooper.  I really want to give the home-made baby food a good try---just seems like it would be so much better for him and I can only imagine that it's more economical.  Anyhow, we are super happy about Cooper's growth and it's always nice to get reassurance from a professional that we're doing the right things with him.  His first few vaccinations have gone well, but I am spreading them out more so I think that helps him.  We go back next week for the rest of his four month shots.  He's not cranky, there aren't any weird reactions, etc.  (Knock on Wood).  

Cooper's New Favorite Toy...

is his Play Mat!  He got a play-mat for Christmas....it plays music and has all kinds of things that move and make noise.  He loves it---on his stomach and his back.  He has been rolling from his stomach to his back on and off for a while now, but yesterday morning I found him trying his best to roll from his back to his stomach.  He got "stuck" on his side.  Here are some shots of him with Grampa and his play-mat.  Notice that even his play-mat gets a visit to his mouth....where everything goes nowadays.  :) 

What a cool kid...

Cooper got some nice shades in his stocking.....he's getting more and more used to them, and he looks just so darn cute with them on!  Don't you agree??  

Christmas Morning....

Now, I'm all grown up but luckily I get to have Christmas morning with the kids....which makes it almost as fun as being a kid on Christmas morning.  Here is the shot of the kids opening the "big" present---a Nintendo Wii.  It was too funny---we made them wait until last to open it.  And once they did they were  polite enough to hold the excited/surprised looks until we were able to get a picture. The Wii has been a huge hit with the whole family--we have all been playing it.  I am enjoying the Wii fit---makes it easy to get a small work-out in even on days I don't have time to go to the gym.  Even Cooper was excited about the presents....while Grandma was helping him open his presents he did manage to get his hands on one.  He apparently has a "taste" for wrapping paper...maybe he needs more fiber in his diet??   Santa was very nice to all of us!  I was a very good girl all year----so Santa and my sweet, generous husband took note and got me some great presents.   My husband has great taste and went to Tiffany's----good combination!  Cooper is ready to see me use the fantastic food processor that my parents got me....I'm going to try and do as much homemade baby food as possible.