The first part of summer vacation and some other updates: (be warned, it's a long post!)
School finished up for us late in June and we headed out a few days later for Wisconsin to spend some time with Steve’s side of the family. For some, it has been a year since they’ve seen Cooper. We are spending 2 weeks at the Upty cabin and some good quality time with Great Grandpa Upty. Lucky for us Grandpa Jim has been puttering around the cabin as well. We’ve made a few visits into town to see Grandma Judy. But for the most part we’ve been relaxing and getting to spend lots of Cooper time- which we absolutely love!
Travel
Cooper was an angel in the car. Sometimes one of us would sit in the back with him while the other one drove. Cooper played with a few toys, but would often be found playing with his feet-swinging them, putting them in his mouth, tugging on his toes. We did break out the movie player, but some well-given advice from my sister is to explain that the movie player only works for long trips. We watched some Veggie Tales, Finding Nemo (a staple on all car trips even before Cooper was born), Jungle Book, and Friends (my favorite when on a car trip). We find it cute when we get in the car and Cooper points to the movie player in the roof…..we’ll just continue to follow the new rule to avoid the video player becoming a bad habit .
Mealtimes consisted of picnics where we stopped along the way at parks or nice rest areas. We’d spread out a blanket and let the little guy crawl around. The trip each day lasted about 11-12 hours day and the only fussing was when we had to change his diaper! We are incredibly lucky for this!! I do realize we still have a return trip and surely hope I am not jumping the gun on what an angel he was. Grandma Judy is coming home with us for a week, so she’ll keep him entertained.
No More Bottle
We decided that the 2 weeks with Cooper would be a good time to teach him how to use a straw cup and to drink his milk during meal times instead of having a bottle 3 separate times a day. We truly expected it to take the 2 weeks. Well as is natural for Cooper, he adjusted to it all with ease. He doesn’t even miss his bottle and has mastered the straw cup. My sister also suggested (funny how much of her advice I follow nowadays-certainly wouldn’t have happened 15 years ago!!) a cool thing that attaches to a regular ol’ water bottle for Cooper to drink out of.
PS----If you look at the pictures you will also see that he has enjoys drinking out of a can, too!
Teeth
The molars have arrived along with his final 4th tooth on the bottom. We have been anxiously waiting the arrival of the 4th tooth on the bottom since April! The molars started a few weeks ago and not a fuss from the little guy. We only noticed one time when he was laughing and caught a glimpse of some jagged white on the far back of his mouth. I still don’t know what Steve and I have done to deserve such an easy child!!
Talking
Cooper is a jibber jabbering away. He definitely has some stories to tell. He is saying Dada much more than Mama. When he drops something we truly think he is saying “Uh Oh” which is cute as can be. He can “woof” when he sees a dog. Today when watching the news he saw the bulls in Pampalona and said “woof” over and over. Weeeee is the word of choice when closing a door or playing in the lazy susan kitchen cabinet. Cooper can pat his head when we ask him where his head is and immediately breaks out into a rousing round of applause for himself.
The funniest thing about Cooper is how he seems to know the right time to laugh. There will be a conversation going on where we’ll start laughing and immediately he’ll throw a laugh in. He’s also earned the nickname “Chuckles” as it’s a laugh that completely gives it away he is up to no good! A sneaky chuckle if you will-too cute because this son of ours is not sneaky.
When we go out somewhere-stores, restaurants...he is definitely the charmer. He spent the entire dinner the other night flirting with 3 tables of people. One of the tables was on a different floor than our table and he still managed to get their attention. Needless to say, he does not pay much attention to his mom and dad at dinner.
Cousins
Gage and Taylor are Shelley’s kids (Steve’s older sister). Gage is 5 and Taylor is 10. Taylor just finished up a babysitting certification and will make a great babysitter! She cleverly came up with a way to distract Cooper from the electronics and the tv by covering up the stand with a blanket. It worked perfectly. Cooper was completely enamored by Gage. He’d follow wherever Gage went and would watch every move that Gage made. Gage played with Cooper and definitely kept him entertained! The cousins spent a few nights at the cabin and really got to spend some good quality time with Cooper. We watched Gage’s tee ball game and Cooper had a good time watching all the kids playing around. For the 4th of July we saw Taylor perform with her dance team in the Lake Nebagamon parade.
Grandma Upty
Gram is having the best time watching Cooper. He is a total ham!! He’ll play peek-a-boo. He works hard to get the attention of anyone not paying attention to him. He’s chuckling at everything and gets us laughing everytime. In the middle of dinner one night he just breaks out clapping which got us all clapping and laughing hysterically. Gram gets to give Cooper his naps most days and puts him to sleep every night. She loves the cuddle time and getting him to relax when he’d rather be playing is sometimes a challenge. I believe Gram’s favorite part of the trip was that she witnessed Cooper taking his first steps. She was watching him play at the back door and all of a sudden he turned around and started walking. I had my back turned and heard her say “Hey, hey”, but thought that he was getting into something he shouldn’t and saw him take a step or two. He has only done it a time or two since then but seeing those steps made Gram very happy!
Weather
The weather in Wisconsin is truly magnificent. We spent a few days where it was only 55 degrees with an abundance of clouds and wind….but since then it’s been glorious! 75 and breezy and not a single bit of humidity. It’s going to be tough going back to DC with the 100% humidity and 90 degree days. The cold days (and yes it’s cold because those days were typical winter days at home!) we had a fire going in the morning. I can see my dad shuddering right now as he reads this!!
The craziest weather patterns occur being so close to the “Big Lake” as everyone calls it. The weather can be 75 and with one switch of the wind come down to 60! When we’d go into Superior or Duluth, we’d have to bring a set of warm clothes! Still have not dipped my feet in Lake Superior…..
Deep Lake
Deep Lake is the lake that the cabin is on. This is my 5th summer on the lake and I’ve managed to avoid getting into the lake each time (except for once and I jumped right back out-so that does not really count). Growing up a beach girl lake water is very different than the salty, roughness of the ocean. While the lake is fresh water and smooth as can be there are bushes (okay, not bushes but very thick grass) that grow beneath the waters that when my feet touch it I don’t like it at all. Not to mention the fish that are in the lake. Well, when I mention this those who are not as fond of the ocean say to me “what about the fish and crabs in the ocean??” To me, the ocean is always in motion so the sea life in the ocean is not as evident as it is in the lake.
Either way, as the story goes…..If I didn’t like the cabin I wouldn’t have lasted as that was a stipulation for Steve and I to have made it this far. Nowhere in his plan did I have to like the lake, too. Eventually I am sure Cooper will give me that smile that says he wants me to play in the lake with him and I’ll oblige with my water shoes and squealing aplenty. For now, I will enjoy the lake along the beach working on my tan, in the pontoon, or in the boat when pulling the tubers!
Food
Never in my life have I met a family that is more dessert oriented than the Upthegroves! Every night there is a freshly made dessert ready and dinner is no more finished than dessert is being dished out. I think for this family dinner is served just as a reason to have dessert.
Some of the favorites when visiting Gram are: strawberry shortcake with homemade shortcake and whipped cream (I never knew homemade whipped cream existed-I thought Cool Whip was all there was! And the homemade shortcake far outweighs the angelfood cups in the grocery, homemeade apple pie-all the way down to the crust, rhubarb bars (I never knew what those red stalks in the grocery store was used for-granted this rhubarb is homegrown). There are a variety of other pies that Gram is always making. She also makes wonderful cookies. Her kids grew up everynight having dessert, thankfully for our waistlines we only have it when we come to visit!
We are on our way home and get to have Grandma Judy along for the ride. She'll spend a week with Cooper in our new home where we'll give her plenty of Cooper-time as Steve and I will spend time unpacking and trying to get organized on some bigger projects. 2 weeks after that, we will be heading to Florida to see my side of the family....ohhhh, it's going to be HOT!!!
