Cooper's Birthday Party!

On Saturday, December 5th (which feels like a year ago as I type) we had Cooper's First Birthday party at our house. The guests included family, friends, his playmate Libby Tunks, and his teacher/babysitter Miss Lynne.

We had chili (traditional and chicken), Stuttgart cheese, chili toppings, cornbread muffins and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Yum!

Everyone ate and drank and watched Cooper take tentative steps amongst the party goers. We sang to him which was apparently terrifying and Miss Lynne fed him some cupcake since he all but refused to eat his cake. After a quick wardrobe change he happily opened the LOADS of gifts that he received and loved the gift wrap just as much as the contents of each package.

When the day was done we were tired, full of good food and unforgettable memories.

01.05.10

My first post of the new year is about Cooper's first tantrum. After he attempted to plug in the lamp that he had just unplugged I smacked the back of his hand and said "No. No." I've only had to do this 3 times in his life. Once with the dog's food that he wanted to try and choke on and once with the Christmas tree. In those instances he cried and acted pitiful, but then moved onto something else and all was forgiven. Tonight he wailed and screamed and kicked his legs and when all the drama was over and he pulled himself back from the brink of certain death... he went right for the plug again, looked back and laughed at me.

It's going to be a busy year.

12.28.09

I know I need to post about the following events: Cooper's birthday party, Cooper turning ONE, and Cooper's 2nd Christmas. However, this post is all about this child (see below) and what he did last night.

Last night, Cooper Andrew Wells, fed himself dinner. I know other children his age have already done this and therefore it's not a Guinness World Record, but it's huge news in this house. He had ham, corn casserole, yams, a banana and milk. We mastered the finger foods long ago, but eating his veggies out of a bowl, with a spoon and NOT making a mess is a new thing. Interesting tidbit... he switched hands every time he took a bite. Wonder what that means? Probably that he likes using both hands.

Thanksgiving

Eventhough I'm WAY behind the following post will be about our week-long vacation in Great Mills, Maryland where Christopher's parents live. This week was important for many reasons, so it must be discussed.

Our first "real" car trip with a child went amazingly well. Yes, we had to drive 12 hours through the night for it to go well, but well it went. We had an early dinner on Sunday before Thanksgiving and with Cooper decked out in cozy pjs headed out of Nashville. We made 3 stops along the way and woke Cooper up for all three to give him a break from the carseat and to change him and give him a bottle at the half-way mark. With tired eyes, an about-to-wake baby, and a stuffed SUV we pulled into their driveway exactly 12 hours after we left Nashville. Best. time. ever.

The week was fun of fun and firsts. First time to Grandma and Grandpa's house, first time to meet his cousins (Lelany, Nicky, Samantha and Emily), first STEPS, first 1st birthday party, etc. It was all very fun. Cooper really blossomed on that trip. I don't know if it was from being surrounded by people who were smitten with him or getting loved on so much or all the new things Grandma had waiting for him, but he really thrived there. I went with a baby and came home with a toddler!

Cooper's first 1st Birthday party.

He was definitely freaked out by all the people standing around singing, but once people slowly lost interest in his stunned state he started to dig into his cake. It took forever to clean him, his outfit, his highchair and the dropcloth we had beneath him.

This is pretty much what we did all week... took turns driving Cooper around the house. He absolutely loves that car. Since we've been home he's mastered how to get in and out on his own, walk it around by himself and even stand on the seat and give Mom a heart attack.

Stairs... the final frontier. I was worried once we got home he'd be all over our stairs, but he rarely goes up there. Thank goodness.

My very own crib at Grandma's! Yay!

I don't care how tired I am Mom, I need to drive my new car! Grandma got it for me!

It was an awesome week. Just to be together with all of Christopher's immediate family at once was a blessing. It's the first time we've all been together since our wedding and it was so much fun. Now that Christopher's brother Craig and his family have relocated to the DC area from San Diego we will be sure to see each other as much as schedules allow. Eventhough Cooper had hung out with his grandparents and Aunt Rebecca before, he was thrilled to have 24/7 access to them. He would crawl up to them, put his arms up and laugh/squeal which of course got him hugs and kisses. Who could resist such a cute boy!

We were sad to head home, but are making plans to be with everyone again very, very soon.

11.18.09

My child is so over baby food or anything that you feed him with a spoon. Now that he's fully mastered finger foods that's all he wants. If you come at him with a spoon he does one of two things: spits up the food that you had to scrape against his top teeth to even get into his mouth or waves his arms as you come in with the spoon thereby knocking the food (and sometimes the spoon) onto the floor.

Last night's dinner consisted of: peaches, cheerios, Gerber cheddar puffs, potato and a few bites of shredded chicken.

11.17.09

For the third year in a row, Dana has come over and been willing to shoot our Christmas card picture. We thought it was hard with two crazy bulldogs, we didn't anticipate how MUCH harder it would be to throw a baby into the mix. Here are some cute shots that didn't make the card this year, but are still fun to look at.

Fish playing hide and go seek.

My boys.

Cooper looks mad, the dogs, overheated.

Chips wanting some more Cheerios.

Bulldog bookends.

My little man with his space ship.

Here's to next year. Thanks again D!

11.16.09

Too cute to resist...