Month 11

Weighs: 24.12 lbs.
Length: 31 1/2 in.
Status: Mr. Speed

Firsts:
Not only does Cooper walk now, he runs! He knows where he wants to go and he gets there fast!
Dancing- He bends his legs and swings his arms to the music.
Singing- We were humming a tune one day and when we stopped he started humming a tune too. He does it every time we sing now.

He has developed quite the sense of humor. He will go up to random people wherever we are and he will stand in front of them and stare until he can get their attention and when he does (he always does) he will fake laugh, tilt his head to one side and smile or pull a funny face to make other people laugh (and they always do.

Road Trip- He did great!
Riding the carosel on the boardwalk at Santa Cruz
Touching a starfish
Gives high fives

Cooper's feelings are a lot more apparent. Sometimes he will bite us or pull our hair and it hurts so we have to be stern with him. He always feels really bad and turns down his lower lip and has this cry that makes us want to cry too. He always wants a hug after and so do we. He also has a goofy mood where he does his funny faces and fake laughs. He has a happy content energizer bunny mood when he is playful and we get the most laughs and smiles. He has a frustrated angry mood when we take him away from something fun to get a diaper change or if he doesn't get his way. He has a lovable cuddly mood, and a bored I need a change of scenery or more attention mood. He also has a mischievous mood. When he does things he knows he's not supposed to do he will look back at us and smile a big toothy grin to see what we are going to do about it. It's hard not to laugh because it's so cute!

One back molar is showing
He says the words dog, baby, more and no.
He can mimic facial expressions.

No more formula! Only whole milk and regular food from here on out. We are working on eliminating the bottle completely. A few more weeks should do the trick.

Drinking from a normal cup by himself (very messy process)
Points at things he wants and grunts.


Favorites:
Singing and dancing
Making people laugh
Wrestling or rough housing on the floor
Pushing anything he can- strollers, brooms, wagons, anything with wheels.
Chewing on and eating everything around him
Chasing birds and dogs

Technology- If he gets a chance to snag a remote, iPhone, ps3 controller, cord or laptop, he's all over that (even though he knows he's not supposed to touch those things).

Playing in the hose and his new swimming pool Stefan gave him.
Socializing

Traveling- He is a great traveler and was so good on our first road trip! We broke the 15 hour drive into two days and he was pleasant for 95% of the drive!

Experiencing new things- He is the happiest and the most content when he is in a new place and doing something he has never done before. We stayed at a beach house in Santa Cruz and the first day we were there he just ran from room to room touching, tasting, and playing with everything. He is so curious and excited about life!

The Beach! As soon as we put Cooper down in the sand for the first time he got onto his belly, dug his arms as far down into the sand as he could then stuck his tongue out and licked the sand. : ) He ran everywhere and loved having the waves wash over his feet.

Dogs- There were lots of dogs on the beach and if he saw one he would point and grunt then chase it until he caught up if he could. He met dogs named Shayla, Sunny, Milo and Kodi.

Babbling as if he is having a long conversation
The Playground
Going on walks
Books-especially his Tractor and Tail books
Being tossed in the air by daddy
Sleeping on his belly
Balloons

Memorable Moments:
The sad day arrived when we had to say goodbye to Stefan but we were lucky enough to be able to go through security and wait with him at the gate until he had to board his plane. While we were waiting Cooper was running around being Cooper but when it was time to say goodbye Cooper got really quiet and only wanted to be held. Cooper knows how to wave goodbye but he doesn't do it very often and after Stefan hugged him for the last time Cooper waved goodbye! It was so cute but so sad at the same time because Stefan was like a protective older brother to Cooper. He is very missed!

We were visiting with a friend outside and she turned the hose on so Cooper could play in it. As Cooper was playing with the hose an airplane flew over head and Cooper looked around for a second then put the hose to his ear trying to figure out if the sound was coming from the hose.

We were wading along the beach letting the waves run over our feet and all of a sudden an unexpected larger wave came along and knocked Cooper over. He landed on his side and we were thinking he would be upset by the surprise but he got up grinning from ear to ear with sand plastered all over in his hair and half his body. Many people on the beach were watching him and noted how fearless he was in the water and that he would make a great surfer someday.


Things that Make Cooper Cry:

Having to wear a bib while he is eating
When we take him away from something he wants to do
Saying no to him
Being sick
Getting teeth
When he wants something he can't have
When he's hungry
If he is having fun and the fun stops
When he wants more attention or is bored


Things that Make Cooper Smile and Laugh:
Watching himself on a video or looking at pictures of himself
Seeing mom or dad first thing in the morning
When the door bell rings
When we say, "Let's go outside"
When we chase him
Experiencing new things
When we do weird random unexpected things : )
Being tossed in the air
Getting tickled
Getting startled or surprised
He will smile at anyone who will give him attention.