Month 15

Weighs: 26 lbs.
Length: 32 in.
Status: Mr. Helpful

Firsts:

Said "Hot" for the first time. Mike was showing him a pot of boiling water on the stove and Cooper waved his hand at it and whispered "Hhhot".  Any time he says the word hot he whispers it for some reason.  

Said "Ball" for the first time.  He pointed at the ball and said, "Mowa Ball".  Yep, still says more for everything. ; )

Can screw on and off a lid if it isn't too tight.  This activity actually entertains him for a long time.

As you know Cooper loves to help around the house and the chores he has decided are his own are putting the milk jug in the cooler, scrubbing the toilet with the scrubber, dragging the trash bag to the garbage can and holding the dust pan when we sweep.

Coloring with crayons and markers

When we do something he is interested in he watches so intently and wants to know exactly how we do it.  The other day Cooper got a big splinter in the palm of his hand so we were getting it out and instead of squirming to get away like he does when we cut his finger nails he moved his head so he could see what we were doing and he was so interested.

We were at the local Farmer's Market and there was a horse that could do all sorts of cool tricks.  Cooper got to sit on the horse and have a short ride.

Playing with play dough and finger painting

At the beginning of the month Cooper started hitting himself when he got really upset. For a while he would hit his head on the ground but we would get upset with him when he would do that so then it turned into hitting himself with whatever was in his hand.  He hasn't done this for a while which is good!  Now he will just fall to the ground and cry which is a much better solution. : )


Favorites:

One of our neighbors has a grape vine and Cooper knows right where it is.  Almost everyday we take a walk to the grape vine and pick grapes.

Favorite foods- Bananas, grapes, yogurt, bread, Triscuits with cottage cheese, graham crackers with apple sauce, celery with peanut butter and raisins, fruit snacks, milk, chicken sticks, any meat really flavorful and tender, tomatoes picked from the vine,  apples, cookies and chocolate of course.

Least favorite foods- Plain cheese, pasta (especially chef boyar die spaghettios), and tortillas

Listening for the jets coming from Hill Air Force Base and looking for them up in the sky

Cooper has an interactive dog and when you push different parts on the dog it will do different things. Cooper knows which paw turns on the music and which song he likes to listen to so he will push the paw until it gets to the song he wants and then he will dance.  He does this over and over again.

Balloons, balls, trucks, and anything he can pull

Playing in the sink

Running down big hills (they seem big to him).  He likes the challenge of trying not to fall. : )

Now that Cooper has been to nursery once at church he knows where the toys are stored.  If he gets hard to handle during church we take him out in the hall and he always heads straight for the nursery room.

Chasing bugs- He likes to chase ants and spiders around and try to catch them. He succeeds occasionally to the insects demise.

Holding hands while we walk

Cooper has made our Love Sac beanbag his own personal chair.

Sesame Street-  Cooper will bring the remote to me and climb up on his new favorite beanbag chair.  I will say, "Do you want to watch Sesame Street?" and Cooper of course responds with a smile and a big "YA!"

Playing on the ipad with dad- he is getting good a swiping and pointing

The lawn mower and all other lawn care devices.

He likes to pull things behind him. He especially loves the animals trains from Jane and the duck Stefan gave him.

Memorable Moments:

There is a 91 year old woman who lives just a few houses down from us and she has taken to Cooper like he is her own grandson.  She will watch for him outside her window and give him treats.  Cooper knows where to get treats now so we will take walks over there often to visit.  It is quite an adorable relationship between the two of them.  She is the sweetest lady.  Really, Cooper owns the neighborhood.  Everyone knows him and talks to him more than us.

We have been selling some things around the house we never use.  These are things Cooper has never taken any notice to. One guy came to pick up the chocolate fountain and as the guy started walking away Cooper started crying hysterically like the guy had just taken it out of his hands.  He did it again when someone walked away with a printer. If people were stealing our things I guess his reaction would come in handy. :  )

We got to take a trip to a farm to ride a tractor to a pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin.  Cooper was so excited to ride the tractor!  Before we got on he would point at the tractor and bend his knees saying "OO OO!"  When we started getting on the tractor his smile was enormous and he kept saying , "ya, ya"!  So cute!  At the farm we also got to see cows, donkeys, lamas, chickens, pigs, goats and peacocks.  He got to feed the donkeys straw and carrots and he had so much fun!

Mike bought some really cute Halloween Jelly Pops that were decorated like cats, ghosts, mummies, and spiders.  Cooper loved these Jelly pops and wanted one every day.  It was funny though because he wouldn't eat it for the longest  time.  He would just carry it around and look at it for a while and then eat it in the end.  Before Mike knew this, Cooper had one in his hand and Mike not knowing that Cooper just liked looking at it took a big bite.  That was the end!  Cooper got really upset and even though Mike tried to give it back to him Cooper wouldn't have anything to do with it.  It was ruined!  : )

Things that Make Cooper Cry:
When he gets his feelings hurt
When we take him away from something he wants
When he wants something he can't have
When he's hungry/tired
If he is having fun and the fun stops
When he wants more attention or is bored


Things that Make Cooper Smile and Laugh:
When he thinks he is being funny (he usually is)
When he knows he is doing something he shouldn't. (It's a very sly smile)
Dad- No one can make Cooper laugh more than Mike. Cooper is a daddy's boy.
When we understand what he is trying to say and he succeeds in  getting what he wants
When we chase him
When we do weird random unexpected things : )