our biggest fear

When we chose the name Cooper it was hard to come up with, but quick to agree on. Since we are both teachers it was hard to find a name that neither one of us didn't have the "no, I had a student with that name...." I came home a few days after agreeing that was the name and expressed my concern with Steve, "Cooper the Pooper" He quickly told me, "With a name like Upthegrove he's screwed either way." I was put at ease.
Little did I know that Cooper would be calling himself Pooper!! He calls himself by his name all the time, and we can't help but laugh everytime.

I know, he will outgrow this and one day someone in school will remind him what his name rhymes with.

Burp everyone

Cooper's new thing that I believe I started....To get him involved in Nora's feedings I'd have him tell Nora to burp and on occassion he'd help pat her back. Well one day he says: Burp, Daddy-so Steve fake burped. Cute. Then Burp, Mama-what could I do but fake burp. Even cuter. Then Burp, Pooper (Cooper in Cooper-ese)-he fake burps. The cutest. Burp, Nora. And we have to burp for Nora. He laughs at himself each time! It's the funniest thing.

Chuga Lug

Nora is a passionate eater. She curls her toes so tightly you cannot move them. She will also wrap her fingers around our fingers while giving her a bottle that it cuts off the circulation. She probably does that so that we don't take the bottle away from her. She drinks her bottles in about 10 minutes....it's so quick that when it takes 20 minutes we don't know what to do.
Now the burping...she'll have to stop that before she starts dating (when she's 25, of course), but she lets out burps that shake the house!
May she always be this good of an eater!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Cooper loves his books. He has a few we've read constantly: Goodnight Moon for the first 18 months or so. We were excited when he could point out various parts of the book-the red balloon and the bears in the picture. Then Goodnight Gorilla when he'd be able to say and point out the animals in the book as the gorilla used the zookeeper's key to unlock all the cages. Now his favorite is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom which helps him learn the lowercase alphabet. He's did great with that only gets the n-calls it a u, p and q gets mixed up, d and b-all the normal switches. He knows almost the whole book and says it with me as we read it. I found the book on youtube being read as a song, and he gets a kick out of watching the book on the computer. Randomly as he's playing he'll starting saying parts of the book.
I've been singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him since he was a little baby. A few nights ago, I paused and he filled in the words. Melted my heart.

He loves her...he loves her not

Cooper is loving Nora. He sees her and his face lights up and the sweet, sweet way he says Nora and goes looking for her when he hears her crying.
He's incredibly gentle with her-rubs her hair and face. Sometimes he gets a little close to poking her eyes out, but all in all he's very gentle.
Hiiiii Nora. Hi. is what he says when he sees her. Nora, Nora is the other.
When she is crying he asks about her binky, but when we give it to her he rips it out of her mouth and says "no binky".
If Cooper can't see her face he makes it so he can by trying to roll her over or he moves so he can see her.
Still no kisses are being given....we'll take what we can get these days from big brother!
My favorite moment so far: A few mornings ago I was feeding Nora in her chair and we were relaxing after the bottle. Cooper woke up for the morning and he came to Nora's room. Proceeded to climb right up in the recliner with us and sat so sweetly. It was a picture perfect moment that I can't share except with words because it was not captured with the camera.

Okay, how long do you think Cooper will be this sweet to his baby sister?????

First Month....already!!!

We' ve had an exciting 5 weeks. Nora's arrival, visits and help from the families, Cooper turning 2, the end of another school year, selling a house, buying a new car.
We seem to follow trends: I've had 2 houses as birthday presents. Cooper had a new bigger car (2door civic to a 4 door focus) bought for him and Nora had a bigger family car (Pacifica for a minivan) bought for her. Both were angels during the buying process. Maybe if we had used their crying to our advantage we could have received a better deal!!

Family: They are the best! Mimi and PopPop came down first and took care of things when I first got out of the hospital and we brought Nora home. It's a blast when they come to visit because the cousins really get a lot of time together and there is nothing better than seeing those boys play. We can't wait for Nora to get bigger and seeing these 4 grow up together.....will the boys have a tea party with her or will she end up playing with the legos?
Of course the dishwasher broke 2 days into their visit. Extra mouths to feed meant more dishes, but it also meant more hands to wash the dishes :)
Cooper's favorite thing to say: Where's Mimi....Where's PopPop if they weren't where he was. He'd even say it when they were right in front of him which made us laugh each time. But the smile he'd give when he "found" one of them is the best!!

Right after that helpful visit Grandma Judy came with cousin Taylor. Cooper is still not giving Nora attention, but it's better this way. Taylor has her babysitting training so she was changing diapers, feeding Nora and the best was running around with Cooper. He had a great time with that! Grandma Judy was taking the kids for walks which Steve didn't have the energy to do and I was still not moving real well to do. Steve and I weren't the best company as we both got sick on different days that kept us in bed sleeping. We think Cooper gave it to us because just a few days before he was sick!! At least Nora didn't get it... Fortunately Steve was able to take Grandma and Taylor around to do a few things and of course the girls hit the mall (funny how I felt okay to do that-hahaha).

We definitely wish our families lived closer, but we do get to go visit some pretty great places with them living farther away. Wisconsin is the perfect place for the summer and can you beat Florida for winter vacation?

Nora

We've had our first week together, just me and Nora. I love having this time with her.
She's got the cutest little dimple that shows up when she smiles...and she's starting to smile beyond just gas. The best is when she does it in her sleep because I wonder what she's dreaming about. She's definitely alert a lot more these days and looking all around checking things out.
She turns 1 month this week. It's hard to believe a month has gone by already since Nora arrived to see us. Steve calls her "itty bitty" and she is still small, but has the hugest feet!!

Cooper is getting used to his sister. He finally realizes that she is not leaving with the company that's come to visit. We chuckle over the fact that he calls her "Dora" and really does not pay attention to her when she cries. Sometimes he'll look for her binky and try to give that to her, mostly he just continues playing with his trains. Anytime Cooper does get anywhere near Nora and looks like he is about to come into any contact with her Steve and I run to find the camera to capture the moment!! Don't worry, we know we should be happy that they get along so well right now because it won't always be!

Thomas...Percy..Gordon

No, those are not the names of our future children or the dog we will never get. They are the names of trains. Yes, trains! Cooper LOVES Thomas the Train and all his friends. I wish you all could see his face when Steve bought him some trains off of Ebay. The way Cooper's face lit up when he got his new trains. And I'll be darned if the kid can tell the difference between 2 blue trains that I cannot tell the difference between. Duh Mama, Thomas and Gordon are very different!
He looks at these trains with such love...it's fun to see. I forgot to mention how excited Steve was when he found all these bargain trains on Ebay that usually sell for $10 and up at the toystore. Randomly Cooper will say "Thank you, Daddy" when he's playing with the trains. So cute!

cat

Nora sounds like a meowing cat when she cries. It's the funniest thing and we've called her kitty from day one. Tonight she was "talking" and Cooper says...CAT!! So it's not just us, he hears it too :)

May 23...Nora's birthday

I woke up Sunday morning with some Braxton Hicks which have been typical. Cooper woke us up, as usual. I decided to sleep in a little when Steve took him down for breakfast. I woke up a little later when I heard the boys in Cooper's room and decided to join them. I crawled into Cooper's bed and the Braxton Hicks were a little stronger...it was then I realized that I wasn't having the little contractions, but the real thing! I decided to just try to "walk it off" as if they go away.... I started packing my own stuff and then told Steve that I had a feeling today was the day. I immediately started crying....for a few reasons:
1. We weren't ready. This weekend was to be our weekend to get it all together. I KNOW that Nora doesn't wait until we are ready, but I can still be upset about it :)
2. We didn't have a plan for what to do with Cooper because Judy wasn't scheduled to come until June 3, that was 2 weeks away!! I do have some wonderful coworkers who would take him in a heartbeat, but I didn't want to impose. I called upon Annie and Tim and while I didn't want to do it because she is 8 months pregnant I had to do it. Fortunately they were happy to take him. Avery loves playing with Cooper and Cooper LOVES Avery. Thank goodness for friends.
3. We would need help once we got home with Nora so I called my parents in a panic. I needed them to come up immediately but I wanted them to come later when I was able to do more things. I called them crying-poor Daddy was the one to answer and he didn't know what to say or do. Later I talked to Mom and she promised that they'd come immediately and then come later in the summer.
4. Steve was so excited that we were going to meet Nora and he had everything under control. In between contractions and getting packed I was trying to love on Cooper. I was looking forward to having some special days with Cooper before Nora was born. I really thought I'd be emotional the night/day before we left for the hospital. Because of the rush I wasn't dragging out our last time just the 3 of us. Cooper was definitely aware that things were going on. So glad that he was going to be with people that he was comfortable with and have fun with them!

We got to the hospital and there was no one there, but the lady at the registration desk only had one speed and it wasn't speedy. I was trying not to be overly dramatic about my contractions, but I really needed her to move a little faster!!
I was admitted and taken to labor and delivery where the nurses were waiting for me. I had called the doctor on call about 2 hours earlier and he wanted me there pronto. I just wanted an epidural. Come to find out that when you have a c-section that you don't get an epidural. It hurt so badly and I just wanted to hurry up and get the process going. I asked the nurse if she heard some crazy loud screaming when people were in labor. She definitely had heard some doozies. I so badly wanted to scream, but I was much more reserved than what I wanted to do. I also wanted to eat!!! Also didn't know that I couldn't eat real food until the following afternoon. Yummo for Jello!
I was admitted at 10:30 and by 12:23 Nora was born. The process went quickly, but at the time did not feel like it. The doctor was full of humor, the nurses were very kind, and the process much more different than with Cooper. The fact that Steve and I were well rested made a huge difference. Steve was able take pictures and went back with Nora while the nurses cleaned her up. Getting to see her just melted my heart.....
After I was put in recovery I was taken to my new room for the next few days and it was really nice. I had to wait a little bit longer to see Nora, but Steve was able to go. We spent some time together that night and sent Nora off to the nursery for the night.
We woke refreshed and ready to spend the day with our baby girl. The best thing we ever did-send Nora to the nursery so we cold get some sleep....She won't remember this will she???

My birthday

It's been a few days since my birthday and the events that followed:

I had a Pampered Chef party-not to celebrate my birthday, but to have some girl time and just to relax. After getting pampered with some good food and time with friends, and a sprinkle of gifts for Nora, Steve, Cooper and I headed to the toy store to find a playground for Cooper. On a typical day there is no way I would have been able to run errands after a day of having company over. I'm just exhausted going through the grocery store. Well, this should have been my first indication of what was to come.....When Cooper was born I was in pain on Friday night, Saturday had this huge wave of energy and then woke Sunday morning in labor.
I ate a good dinner of a Wegman's ceaser salad, watched an episode of 24 and off to bed I went......

Sunmaid Raisins

Cooper thinks the Sunmaid Raisin girl is me. The commercial airs all the time on PBS and he always points and says "mama" when the commercial is on. I think I know what my Halloween costume will be this year!

Steeeeeeeve

A few weeks ago I was at the bottom of the stairs calling "Steve". Next thing I know I have a sweet voice yelling with me. I lost it!! Well, that kept the voice going. Now Cooper's made it a habit to call for Steve by name. Sometimes he'll call Steve on the phone. The best is when we pull into Steve's school parking lot, to the spot where we wait for him, and Cooper starts yelling "Steve!" over and over. I laugh so hard which is of course why he keeps doing it.

Thomas....

I am not a fan of Thomas the train. Now, I do realize it's not all about me, but if I do like to sit with Cooper while he watches his shows so this is a little bit about me!!
Little man was sick on Sunday night so he stayed home with Steve on Monday. We started a subscription to Netflix because it can be played through the Wii. Anyway, I digress....
All Cooper wanted to do was snuggle up to Steve, so they watched a lot of tv and napped (that is the best part of being sick, right!!). Steve found about 300 episodes of Thomas the Train that he got Cooper hooked on. Now it's not Word World that he wants to watch-he says Thomas. No, he screams Thomas!! It's not one thing that I can pinpoint that makes me dislike the show, but I do get a big kick out of watching Cooper be completely mesmerized by the trains.

potty

I am not a fan of talking about the bathroom, but this story must be shared even if it is a bit embarrasing.
Coop has been telling us when he poops or goes potty. Still not sure which he is doing, but he knows he's doing something. So we've been talking about if we should potty train and how he'd do. Well, last night he grabs a magazine and says "potty" and heads off to the bathroom! I laughed like I never laughed before. Either he's ready or he is really in tune to the things Steve and I do.

Routines

When we get home, Cooper will take off his jacket and wants to hang it up but the hooks are too high (Grandpa Jim suggested we put a hook low enough for him-just might do that!) so he puts it on the bench.
Then he goes to the closet and stands there saying "shoes". We take off his shoes and he puts them in his shoe pockets.

Cooper helps us unload the dishwasher. He knows where his cups and plates go and will put them away. Now that I can't bend over as far, I close the dishwasher using my foot to kick it up. Cooper loves to close up the dishwasher and push the shelves in. The other day guess who used his foot to close up the dishwasher door? And continued to push until it was closed all the while using his foot!

Big Boy Bed

Cooper has been in his new bed for a few weeks now. We started off with the mattress on the floor then added the box spring today. He's only fallen out of the bed 2 times and was found curled up on the floor.
He took to the bed with no problems. I did some reading to see how to introduce the bed to him. This is how we did it:
1. brought the bed upstairs.
2. got cooper ready for bed and got the bed ready for his room
3. and he crawled right in and went to sleep!

I had read to make it a big celebration, let him pick out his own sheets, introduce the bed slowly. So happy we didn't have to do all of that.

The absolute best thing about Cooper being in a bed: In the morning when we hear him throw his door open and his little feet pitter pattering down the hall. He throws open our door and says "HI". We've had a few moments where he wakes up earlier than we'd like and that's taking some getting used to-so the tv is our friend in the morning as we are getting ready. The wake up call is the best way to start the morning.

New ears

It's been a few weeks since Cooper got the tubes put in his ears and he can hear so much better! He's repeating all kinds of phrases we say and has learned a lot of new words. So many to list, but we are having such a good time listening to us repeat what we say. Now we just have to watch what we say......

The other day I was calling for Steve and he starts yelling Steve! Then at dinner tonight Steve was in the fridge so he couldn't see Cooper, next thing he was calling for Steve. When Steve turned around, Cooper would make this face like he wasn't calling him.
Swim lessons have been completely different. Steve said Cooper usually would just be looking all around not paying attention to the instructor. Now he is listening and watching the teacher. Cooper LOVES swim lessons. He waits in line for the slide just like a big boy and reenacts the swim class in the tub!

Baby Girl

Getting ready for Baby Girl. She's getting antsy waiting and wants to get out to meet her brother. I truly think that anytime Cooper is giving me hugs and kisses Baby Girl goes nuts. He still loves to kiss his sister and gives my belly hugs. It is the ultimate heart melt moment. The other day he laid a book on my belly and said baby. He loves to lay his head on my belly to snuggle his sister. Please tell me this will all last the rest of their lives...how naive am I???

First Surgery

And hopefully his last. Friday Cooper had surgery for his ears. A standard procedure of having tubes in his ears, a CAT Scan to check to see where the hearing loss damage is, and then a hearing test. He was a trooper. We were up by 4:30 on the road by 5ish to get to the hospital by 6:00. No food or drink, but once we get to the hospital and the toys are discovered we've got a happy kid!! The surgery itself took a few hours along with the recovery time. It was all very reminiscint of my own surgeries....except this was my baby!! Steve was the one to go with Cooper as he was put under anesthesia which of course happened in 5 seconds.
The nurses wheeled the little ones in from recovery and each time the doors opened we hoped it was Cooper...finally it was and the nurses were laughing because when he woke up he kept saying "uh oh" because of the IV, things on his foot and finger for heart rate. It was as if he was telling on the nurses because they hadn't taken them off. Steve says Cooper was asking for Daddy and I thought that the nurses said he was asking for Mommma....either way, he was wanting to see us.
Coop proceeded to chug a cup of apple juice then ate 2 popsicles. He wasn't able to eat solid food until we got home, but didn't seem to mind much especially since he keeps a stash of cheerios in his car seat.
I think Steve and I were hoping for a day of snuggling and just relaxing with our little guy, but within an hour or so he was up and running! It was as if nothing even happened. We like it that way. If Coop has to have surgery, then let it be when he's little and doesn't remember what has happened.

Who in the world gave us this kid????

Everyday when we get home Cooper goes to the coat area and takes off his coat. If he could reach he'd hang it up (he actually does at daycare). Then he points to his shoes and pulls his foot up so we can take off his shoe. THEN he takes the shoes and puts them in the closet in the shoe rack!! Now, we should teach him to sit on the floor and take off his own shoes, but it is so darn cute when he holds on to our shoulders to take his shoes off.

Today he was saying 'face' and I saw him rubbing it in the rear mirror. Well, he'd finished his Cheerios and was rubbing the dust from the cereal all over his face. He was pretending to wash his face!!

So cute and so much that I wish I could remember to tell!

Found the magical song

Cooper has moments where he does not want to sit still and have a diaper changed or get dressed. There is just too much to do for him to be tied down for 2 minutes! We've tried tactics to get him to cooperate-stuffed animal, toy, funny faces....turns out the ABC song works like magic! I started it about 2 days ago and he would just smile. Steve and I sing together and he just goes back and forth watching us with a huge grin. Well tonight he really wanted to go play with his train, but it was way past his bed time and that train could keep him busy for a long time. I had to wrestle with the little guy for a few and then remembered the song. Instantly he melted and just smiled at my musical voice (hahaha). THEN I paused a second (probably because I couldn't do 2 things at once) and he filled in a letter for me. We then proceeded to sing the song at least 10 more times where I'd pause and Cooper would fill in letters as I stopped! He's a genius. We've only been singing the song for a few days and already he knows the order!!

LOVE????

Cooper can say almost any word these days which is causing us to really pay attention to our words.
butt is our new fav especially when he points to his butt!, broccoli, poop, buddy...

The one word this boy won't say and it amazes us because that and his name are the 2 words he's been hearing at least 10 times a day since he was born. He will not say LOVE. He just plain out ignores us when we say "say love, Cooper".
We don't think he has ever said his name. He will call himself Buddy which is what Steve calls him.

Even tonight he said spaghetti. Not perfectly, of course, but he tries. LOVE, no way. He won't even attempt it. We know he loves us because he'll just come up and give a hug and kiss. Just like any girl, I want to hear it from him to know he means it!!

Love having company

Grandma Judy came to visit this past week. We were still on snowday vacation, so we got to spend more time together where usually it's just Grammy and Cooper. The weather made it hard to get out and do things, but the train kept everyone busy. Grammy made sure she got Coop a train as soon as she got here! He's really good at putting the tracks together and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to say Chuga Chuga! I am always amazed at how well he focuses on working on things that seem frustrating. He's got a great amount of patience!

alphabet

Have you ever really noticed how many letters you see in a day? Well, get a 20 month old who is learning his alphabet and you'll learn just how many letters you see!
Driving in the car hearing this sweet little voice "o, a, b, i, m" and I'm looking around to find the letters. The other day he saw them on a truck!
At Lowe's and he starts pointing at boxes with brand names on them saying the letters he sees. It's great!!
He learned F the other day. Want to know where he learned it? Word World!! It's Cooper's favorite show thanks to his cousin Zion telling him about it. Now he sees a T and calls it an F. Well, they really do look alike, don't they?
The best is when he says K. He says the sound the K makes (think the sound of K in keep). We don't always correct him because it's so cute when he says it!

The brain is working so much each day, it's no wonder he zonks out at night! Can you imagine what it must be like to have all this new information each day and how much your brain has to process at such a young age? It's great!

baby....

We got pictures of Baby Girl the other day and are trying to teach Cooper to say "sister" or even baby girl when he asks for baby. Sister he does, but not girl.

We have this little Scooby Doo van that has a light that you can shine on things. Cooper LOVES to shine the light on my belly. He comes to me and asks for "baby" and helps me pull up my shirt to find my belly. He then shines the light on my belly and tries to grab the light. He laughs hysterically when chasing the light.
Anytime he plays with baby when he is done, he says "bye bye".

As of today, we've chosen a name. Trying to teach Cooper how to say it. Steve knows me too well...He said, "maybe we shouldn't teach him yet in case you change your mind." Please, me change my mind...never!

Tomatoes...

I'm overly paranoid about Cooper eating food that isn't cut up. I've only had to dig in for food when he was choking once and it was enough to make me paranoid. We were at the grocery store the other day and had a clamshell of grape tomatoes. We usually put everything in the lower basket because little man LOVES to grab everything out of the cart and put in the seat next to him. Okay, I diverse....I am grabbing something off a shelf, Steve is at the deli. I look over and Mr. Grabby has gotten a hold of the tomatoes. They are falling out of the little holes in the cart and all over the floor. I want to get them as fast as I can so no one rolls over them and makes ketchup or worse, slips. I gather up a few and see Cooper chewing away. He got a hold of a tomato! I have only given him the tomatoes when they've been cut in 1/4ths (I know, paranoid!) He's got a handful and is putting them in one at a time and loving them!
So, I've gotten over my paranoia (a little) and he eats the tomatoes all the time. The face he makes when the juice bursts is great. A kind of "what the heck is that in my mouth" face. And he says tomato....

Too long....Too busy

We have been so busy these days just playing and watching Cooper change before our eyes. I truly wish I could just sit down each night and record the new and funny things this little guy does. I say I'll do it, but....well we all know how well that's worked!

Alphabet. Cooper says so many letters and seems to learn a new one each day. He's got the vowels down. And says many of the other letters. R is the new one and it's funny the way he says it "err". When we are out and about Cooper will see signs and just start saying all the letters. It's certainly made us more aware of new signs!

Anything with a handle. If Cooper finds something with a handle: purse, bag, suitcase, duffel bag (you get the idea) he takes it and puts it over his shoulder and says "bye, bye". The most unique handled item so far: A cutting board. Grabbed it out of the cabinet, carried it around, and said "bye, bye".

Personal hygiene. Every parents' dream. Brushing his teeth, washing his hands and face are all fun times for him. He even loves to wipe his hands and face after eating. "Dirt" is his word when there is something on his hands. Funny how kids don't seem to like things on their hands!

Mr. Independent. Cooper surely loves to do things for himself, but fortunately does not get frustrated when he can't do them. Surely did not inherit that from his mommy!!! He will work and work to put something back together. His new thing is that he'd prefer not to sit in the seat of a shopping cart, but fights to sit in the big basket. He gets in that basket and is the happiest kid on earth. He is also learning that he can feed himself and wants to eat like us. If dinner is cut up chicken, he won't eat it. Put it in a sandwich and he devours it. He tries so hard to get himself dressed...it's just always backwards. He can actually get his jacket on, but it's with the zipper on the back. WHen Mr. Man wants something off the counter he can be found trying to scale the cabinets to get to the counter. Definitely a learning curve to keep items out of his reach!

So loving! Cooper kisses everything-stuffed animals. Characters in books. His Mommy and Daddy. AND his baby sister. He loves to come up and asks for the baby then give it hugs and kisses. Absolutely the sweetest thing ever. He is going to love his sister.

Trains and Bellies. Definitely his 2 favorite things. He's even gotten to where he will go after the little girl at the sitter's and her belly button. Granted, she does pull her dress/shirt up and tempts him! She's gotten to where she runs away from him. He pulls up shirts (including his own) and pokes at his belly. Then he'll laugh like crazy. The best is when he tries to do it in public!

Directions. Cooper follows directions so well. We are well aware that this won't continue through his teens, but we can hope! It amazes us each time we ask Cooper to do something and he does it. I think we ask him to do things just to be amazed at what he can do-of course we think he is a genius!!

That's all for now. Can I keep up with this and post more often??

world through a child's eye

Cooper has learned the letters E, O, and I. Anytime he sees letters he points to them and says E, A or I. We were driving home today and he was so quiet, but all of a sudden he starts pointing and saying the letters. Other times he'll be playing and see something with the letters and will point to the letter and say them. We are noticing letters signs that we would normally never notice!
UH OH....poor Cooper tells on himself anytime he does something "wrong". He does even the smallest thing-drops his cup and the sweet words UH OH come out. It's so cute!!

Chug Chuga...Cooper got a train from Grandma Judy and the kid goes BEZERK over it! He wakes up in the morning and does his chuga chuga. In just 2 days he is already learned how to control it and better yet, get the train on the tracks straight. I've never seen a kid love the train so much and he is serious about it.

Can I take this age and bottle it?

Christmas Vacation

Christmas Vacation started 3 days early for us since we got 2 feet of snow that closed school early. We took off for Mimi and Pop Pop's 2 days early and were able to enjoy the warm weather because it got cold 2 days after we got there. Yes, it was downright chilly while we were there-in the low 60s and no sun!!
As usual, Cooper was an angel in the car. We did prepare ourselves with his show "Word World" in case we needed it and suprisingly we only needed to watch a few episodes. While he didn't nap much, he was content with playing with his stuffed animals and other toys.
Christmas Eve we were able to show off Steve and Cooper's swim lessons that they've been taking by heading to the pool. It was windy and cooler than Pop Pop liked it, but he jumped right in! Mimi and I were the official photographers.
Cooper definitely kept Mimi and Pop Pop busy:
1. We didn't even make it into the house before Cooper discovered that there were ceiling fans in every room. Wandering around saying "on" and pointing to the fan kept us all laughing. Pop Pop and Mimi even turned the fans on which is very uncommon for the middle of winter!
2. When Zion went to visit last year he discovered that magnets work on the front door. Mimi got some magnetic letters and Cooper took them from the door to a dump truck. Pop Pop would sit on the floor and get Cooper to bring all the letters to him then as soon as he collected them all have him put them all back. Since Coop did just one letter at a time, it kept him good and busy. Over the few days, Cooper learned the letters E and O. He even goes around finding the letters on things and points them out.
3. Santa. Everywhere we go there were Santas around. Mimi collects Santas, so Cooper had a good time pointing them all out.
4. Pictures. Mimi and PopPop have a digital picture frame. Cooper loved to pass by the frame and point out who he knew in the pictures. There was a picture of him that looks like he is upside down and he tried to turn it right side up. LOVE seeing the world through his eyes like that!
5. Apple. Apples everywhere. Oranges=apple. Tomato=apple. Anything red and round=apple. However, Cooper will find an apple anywhere! We were sitting in a parking lot and he said apple. And wouldn't you know-there was a sign for Applebee's right beside us!!
6. Golf cart. While Cooper didn't get a ride in the golf cart, he sure loved to play in it. He'd crawl right up and pretend to drive and honk the horn. The horn is on the floorboard, but he still thought he was honking the horn.
7. Playpen---Playing us for a fool?? About 2 nights into the trip, Cooper would cry hysterically when you went to put him in the playpen for nap or bedtime. He has never cried like this and would literally crawl up you and hang on tight when being lowered into the playpen. So we decided it was because the area was too cramped for him. We put him on our bed and surrounded him with pillows and the little guy was in heaven. He'd just lay there staring at the ceiling unwinding from his day. A few hours later we'd put him in the playpen and he'd sleep the rest of the night.
8. Mimi Pop Pop. Cooper would walk around the house saying Mimi Pop Pop looking for one of them. As soon as he'd wake up and we'd give him run of the house he'd start singing Mimi PopPop looking for them...as soon as he'd find them he'd smile so big!
9. Word World. Every morning after Cooper would wake up pointing to the ceiling saying "on" his next words as he left his room looking for Mimi and Pop Pop was "Word World" He'd find the remote and start looking for his show.
10. No. Cooper says no and it's the cutest thing in the world. Mainly because half the time he doesn't know what he's saying no to. If he was about to do something we would all say "no, no, no" and he started saying it. Makes us laugh!!
11. The park. Cooper loves the park. We love going to the park. Pop Pop drove us all around after Mimi found a few parks besides the one we already knew about. We found a really fun park that had us all going down the slides and climbing on seesaws or mountains. Watching Pop Pop make sure that Cooper saw everything in the park and then Mimi go down the slides to show Cooper how fun they are just brings out the kid in us all.
12. Kisses and hugs. Cooper gives the best! He will often tell you "no" when you ask for a kiss, but mostly he'll gladly give one.
13. Stuffed animals. Fortunately Cooper does not favor one over the other, but he gives kisses and hugs to his animals and LOVES to play with them. He had a big Curious George and bear that he played with for an hour in the car ride.
14. ICE. We took Cooper and Pop Pop to see Ice at the Gaylord Hotel in Orlando. Pop Pop hates the cold. So much that he doesn't want to come to visit in Virginia past the 2nd week in September for fear of it getting below 70 degrees. So when I suggested to Mimi that we go see Ice she was really excited! The display is set up in a 9degree tent with a variety of ice sculptures and they are amazing. Fortunately we were provided with very cozy warm parkas, topped off with our hats and gloves and we were set to battle the cold. There was a big sign that said not to lick or touch the ice. Cooper did both-well not lick the ice directly, but any chance he could he'd touch the ice and put his hand to his mouth. It was an incredible display and we were really proud of Pop Pop for sticking it out and not trying to rush right through the display to get to the end!
15. We headed a few days later to Grandma Roz and Papa Phils. The weather was fantastic and Cooper got to play outside a lot. Grandma Roz played the piano with Cooper. Papa Phil shared his animal crackers with Cooper. Both got to hear Cooper ask over and over to turn the fan on.

We love visiting family and Cooper makes it very easy for us. He is very good in the car and really is easily entertained. Will this trait be passed on to his sibling???