10 Months.

Happy 10 Month birthday, Mr. Coop!  Ten months!  TEN months!!!  Double digits!!!  I kind of can't believe it, but I also kind of can... you are turning into such a big boy!  Each day is just better and better with you, Cooper!  Being your Mommy is the BEST thing ever!  I am so thankful that God put you in our family.

(Not a great photo... you haven't been feeling great today.  Just keeping it real.)

In honor of your ten month birthday, here are ten of my favorite things about you...

1. Your wispy and silky hair that flies out on the side of your ears like little wings.  In the morning you wake up with crazy and fuzzy bed head, and I love it.  I love to rake it back into place with my fingers while you eat in the mornings.  

2. That "mama" was your first word.  "Mamamamamama" on repeat is what you would say when you were first learning to crawl.  Later you said "baba," which means "daddy," and "bottle," and "Bobo," and all the other things that you love.  But I love that you said "mama" first!

3. Your adventurous little heart.  You love to be tossed in the air.  You love to explore new things.  You are totally unafraid of new surroundings- in your eyes, it's all something new to conquer!  You move around with a quiet little smirk on your face, just taking everything in.  I pray that you are able to find courage and strength in your heart all the days of your life.

4. The way you love.  I know that you love me and Daddy, but there is something special about seeing you love Bobo, your teddy bear.  You hold onto him tightly as we scoop you out of your crib in the morning, and tote him all over the house with you.  Bobo is definitely your first little friend, and in the weirdest way, it melts my heart to see you love on Bobo.

5. Your round, smushy cheeks.  You get a lot of compliments on your cheeks, Coopy Boy.  I just can't get enough of them!  I could make a living out of kissing those fluffy little cheeks of yours.

6. Your sweet little chuckle.  Your little laugh cracks me up!  Random things make you laugh- like when we put your toys in our mouths.  You think that is so funny!  Or when Daddy crawls under the coffee table to play.  That kills you!  You get tickled over the funniest things, Cooper!

7.  The way you love Daddy.  When he gets ready in the morning, you love to sit at his feet and watch him.  When he leaves the house for work, you follow him to the door and cry.  It's so sad, but I love that you already respect and admire him- and that you want to be near him.  You light up when he comes home!

8.  Your playful spirit.  This month you have been interacting more during our play times, and it's so fun to see your playfulness emerge!  You love to play peek-a-boo in the curtains.  It never gets old to you.  You also love it if we "chase" you.  We say, "I'm gonna get you!" and then you will crawl away as fast as you can, laughing the whole way.  You know that when we catch you, we are going to scoop you up and tickle you!  These have been the first real games that we've played with you and you just eat it up!

9. Your bright blue eyes.  As with most of your physical features, you got those from your Mama- but yours are deeper blue.  Brighter.  And they have some serious depth to them.  You have a tendency to stare- and have stared me down on a number of occasions!  Still, I love how your eyes twinkle and shine.  And I love knowing that one day there will be some incredible wisdom behind those bright eyes of yours.

10. That you cuddle.  Oh, I am so thankful that the Lord gave me a baby that cuddles.  You love to snuggle.  I am thankful that at ten months old, you can still fall asleep in my arms.  For about the first three months of your life, I think I was too sleep deprived to appreciate the sweetness of those moments, so I am incredibly thankful that I have the opportunity to cuddle with your big sweet self now.

You are quite the little chunker at a whopping 20 lbs exactly.  Daddy and I commented on how you seem like such a little man all of a sudden.  When did that happen?  Was that this month??!  

Your cute little personality has been coming out more and more.  You are VERY independent.  You love to crawl off and explore new things.  Some of your favorite hangouts are near the kitchen cabinets where you love to pull out cookie sheets, at the pedestal sink in the bathroom where you bang the pipes, and at the feet of whoever is brushing their teeth.  Something about brushing teeth cracks you up!  Speaking of teeth, you are working so hard on getting those top two teeth in!  Hopefully they will be in any day now!  Oh, your poor swollen gums make me so sad!  Come on, teeth!

Eating will definitely be easier (and more fun!) with the addition of those top teeth.  This month you've tried a few new things- pureed chicken and turkey (not a fan, but who could blame you!), yogurt, beans, blueberries, Cheerios, and some of Mommy's snowcone.  Yum!  Oh, Coops, I can't wait to give you cake!  Two more months.

You took your first plane ride to Kansas City to go visit Grammy Audrey, Aunt Lyn & the boys, and Aunt Susie and her little crew.  You did great, sleeping each leg of the trip, smiling at all the passengers, and just being your cute and spunky little self.  Our flight was super early and you were super tired, but you did great!

We went swimming every day- and you loved getting to float around with Grandpa Mark!  He would sit you up on the side of the pool and count 1 ... 2... 3... before you would scoot off the side into his arms!

1....

 2...

3!

 This is my favorite picture from this month.  I love you with your bright eyes and huge grin, just loving the thrill of hopping into the water!  Remember to always live that way, Coops- embracing the adventure that is right in front of you!

You love your little walker toy that we got you a few weeks ago.  You just push it all over the house like it's your own little lawnmower or something!  You could sit and play with the sensory toys on it all day long!

 You've learned the meaning of the word "no" this month.  Seems like we say "no touch" and "no eat" all the time, so I'm glad you are learning what that means!  You have the saddest little pout when we tell you no!

We are still trying to beat the heat- we hang out on the splash pad all the time!

You love playing with the donkey marionette that Grandpa Mark brought you from Greece.  I am pretty sure you think that it's a real puppy or something.  Glad it's not because you practically strangle it when you finally catch it!

 Peek-a-boo / Where's Cooper is currently your favorite game...

 Where's Cooper??!

 There he is!!

 Where's Cooper?

 Where is he?!!!

 There he is!!

 All day long...

I love it.  I love how proud you are of yourself.  You should be!  You are the best baby ever.  So smart.  So funny.  So cute and quirky.  There are a million things to love about you, Cooperkins.  Happy ten month birthday, Baby Boy!