My sweet (and sometimes rotten) boy

Coop playing with Shelby's doll house. He loves it (the garage door the rolls open is his favorite part) and she's happy to share.

 

 Two years and two months.

 

Coop just passed two years and two months.

 

How does that happen? I miss my baby. But I also adore my little man. He's so, so precious. In all his sweetness, he's also having some terrible, tantrum filled moments (think  beet red face, screaming, pumping his fist, throwing himself on the floor, etc.).

 



Cooper and his girlfriend, Hello Kitty. He latched  onto Shelby's doll a few days ago, and has been dragging her around for days now. He LOVES her.


For the most part Cooper is just about as sweet as they come. He loves his family. He is attached to his mama. Follows me around and often needs to be right on top of me, in my lap, doing whatever I'm doing. Though most of the time I love this, it can also be exasperating. However, I know before too long he might not want anything to do with his mama, so I better soak it all up ... right?

Cooper is a chatter box right now. Some of my favorite things he says:

• Uh-oh spaghetti-o's
• Help me (over and over, until you help him do whatever it is he's doing)
• Ma, Mama, Mommy, Mommy-Mama
• Sheeeeelbeeee (that's Shelby said in a very loud, drawn out sort of way)
• Honey (which I yell to Mike and then Cooper repeats)
• Daddee
• No Cash (telling the dog to stop doing whatever is bothering him)
• Eat (and then add whatever it is he wants to eat ... usually berries (strawberries), toast or whatever Shelby's eating.)
• Juice
• Milky
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (he sings it, which is beyond adorable)
• Rock-a-bye Baby (also done in a sing-song voice ... more heart melting by Mama)
• e-i-e-i-o, which means he wants you to sing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" with/to him
• Occasionally he'll repeat I love you after I tell him I love him
• Bye-bye or Bye-bye gampa (grandpa), he often says Bye-by gampa to everyone, even if you're not his grandpa.
• Peese Papa (Please Papa), when prompted to say please, Coop often says "Please Papa" since it was his Papa who really taught him to say please, hence the "Please Papa."
• tank-ooo (thank you)
• icky
• bankee (blankie)
• babee (for his baby doll ... a stuffed bear he got while the hospital on his first birthday, which he sleeps with along with his blanket)
• Of course he knows all the names of his family in Tucson, since he sees them all time. He recognizes Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Mickey Mouse, and Handy Manny ... and can say their names too.

There are all sorts of other things he says, but these are the most memorable and frequent phrases he's using at the moment.

Coop having some Greek yogurt, which he loves. He's still not eating meat, so this is a big source of protein for him!

Coop has also started to become aware of himself and his diaper business (if you know what I mean). He he makes a mess in his pants he'll dramatically grab his crotch and say "Uh-oh!" It's so stinking cute, it ALMOST makes up for still having to change that stinky diaper.

Another funny thing about my boy right now, and I'm sure he'll hate me some day for sharing this ... but I must! He's obsessed with tampons. He found a box of them in the bathroom and makes a daily beeline for them. He carries them around with them and even though I tell him the are "icky" he loves them. He sticks them in his mouth (packaging still intact) and lets them hang out like a sucker. It's odd, but I've heard there are lots of kids who go through this phase.

Coop's still sleeping in a crib. Shelby was already in a big-girl bed at this point, but Coop just doesn't seem ready (and neither are we). So, he stays ... happily in his crib for now. Every morning when he wakes up he stands up in his crib and starts yelling "Eat, eat ... " until we come in, get him and make him breakfast. He hits the ground running and must be fed as soon as he wakes up (just like his mama). 

I have to say i just adore this phase in Cooper's life. He's growing and changing so fast. His vocabulary is exploding. And he really is starting to understand everything we say to him. He's much less baby and a lot more big boy. It's a treat to see him grow and change. I love this boy. Just love him.