Cooper at 1 Year

So pictures this month were interesting.  It didn't help that because I'm back to work, I couldn't choose the best time of day.  We took them after dinner, and Cooper was getting a bit nuts.  (Before dinner he wasn't having it at all.)  But he's happy!  He just didn't want to sit still and wanted to hug his fox the whole time!

Weight: 22lbs 8 oz

Height: 30 inches

Sleeping: What a difference a month makes.  And my inability to nurse him...  Because I was going back to work, I weaned Cooper.  I also was leaving him for a weekend 3 days after I went back to work, and was hopeful that he would get used to not nursing himself back to sleep.  It worked!  Because I wasn't around to feed him, he had to go back to sleep on his own.  Overall he has been sleeping really well ever since.  He sometimes wakes in the night, but most of the time can go back to sleep on his own.

He naps twice a day, in the morning for less than an hour and in the afternoon for a couple hours.

Eating: As I said, no more nursing!  He's drinking milk from a cup now and eating like a regular boy.  He will eat anything that we put in front of him and doesn't ever seem to get full!  When he wakes up in the morning he's pretty cranky if I don't feed him immediately, which is the total opposite of Parker who wants nothing to do with food for at least an hour.

Favourite foods...it's hard to pick a favourite with Cooper.  He likes grapes and bananas, pasta, meatballs.  Those are some of the things he gobbles right up.  But I'm not sure I've found anything that he refuses to eat.

Milestones:
-climbing stairs
-cruising
-first night away from mommy
-started daycare

Likes:
-playing in Parker's room
-wrestling with his brother
-toys with wheels
-food
-the bath

Dislikes:
-not a huge fan of dogs
-not getting food fast enough

He has adapted so well this month to his new routines.  The first few days he was very sucky when I picked him up from daycare, but he had been totally fine all day without me.  But now he's completely back to his regular self.  He never cries when I drop him off.  I think it definitely helps that Parker stays with him.

A One Year Old

And poof, he's one.

This kids growing up thing is something that I'm still not used to.  It's crazy how much they change.  They go from this little teeny tiny baby, to this big boy who loves to eat and crawl and climb on top of his brother whenever he gets a chance.  And it all happens in a year!

Right after I had Cooper, I couldn't imagine going through birth again.  It hurt.  But I knew I would forget, and I have.  I also couldn't imagine going through pregnancy again.  But everything that you have to go through, makes this time so worth it.  I want all the babies if I'm able to watch them grow, because it's really so much fun.

I was so relieved when I went into labour with Cooper at just over 36 weeks.  That's something that not many people say!  But I was ready to meet this guy.  I was ready for him to make our family just a bit more complete.  

And brothers!  Oh boy, it's been fun.  I was unsure of what life would be like with two boys.  And it is a bit crazier than I had pictured my life.  And I think it will be a bit more expensive than I had hope, because Cooper eats everything in site, and Parker makes me open everything and then says "I don't like that."  But I love watching them together, and I love that they have each other.

Cooper has been such a joyful, easy going baby.  I hope he has those qualities for the rest of his life.  I hope he grows into a kind, hardworking, generous person.

We have done a lot this year.  Life has been crazy busy.  But that's the way we've wanted it to a point.  We have these kids, who want to see the world that they live in.  So I love to take them places, watch them as they see something for the first time.  Parker has also grown up this year and understands so much more, and so I know exactly what I have to look forward to with Cooper.  But if he could stay a baby for a bit longer that would be fine by me.

Ok enough of my rambling.  All of this is just to say, Happy Birthday Coop!  We love you more than you will every know (until you have babies of your own).