Sunday, September 11, 2011

Nantucket, part 1

Over Labor Day weekend, our little family had the amazing opportunity to take a (long) weekend vacation on Nantucket Island.  Nantucket is a 14 mile long island that is located right off of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  I visited Nantucket once with my mom and sister, the summer after I graduated Baylor.  It was love at first sight!  I mean- what's not to love about exchanging our 110 degree Texas days for 40 degrees cooler at the New England coastline?!!

Needless to say, Todd and I were thrilled when my mom began planning a trip up to the Cape for me, Todd, Coop, my stepdad, and sister.  After a drive from Waco to Dallas, a flight to Cleveland, a flight to Providence, and a drive to Hyannis, we boarded the ferry (next to Ryan Reynolds!) that would take us into Nantucket.  

Coming into Nantucket Harbor at sunset after 13 hours of travel with a 10 month old is definitely a sight for sore eyes!
We stayed in the cutest little house I've ever seen- and I am so bummed that I didn't take any pictures of it!  Nantucket building codes are intense- your house HAS TO BE gray shingles with white trim.  And because of the climate, hydrangeas grow like wildflowers.  {Jealous.}
After the tastiest dinner at Brotherhood of Thieves (I am still dreaming about my sesame crusted tuna salad), we headed home and called it a day.
Almost everything in Nantucket is walking (or biking!) distance, so we spent the next day exploring,
    
Shopping,
Cycling,
Taking photos of each other,

Eating ridiculously fresh seafood,
And fudge,
And admiring the ginormous yachts in the harbor.
Seriously... what do you have to do for a living to be able to afford one of those?!!  
That evening, we took Cooper on his first ever sailboat ride.  I have to say that my first thought after sitting down on our tiny boat that seated... ohh... 6 people knee-to-knee, was "What the heck am I thinking, by taking a ten month old on a sailboat?!!  And without a lifejacket, at that!"  Thankfully, the sweet boy was such a champ and didn't cry, didn't get sea sick, and just curled up on Daddy's chest and fell asleep.  I LOVE my guys!
I was SO proud of my little boo.  He let us tote him all over the town, catnapping in the stroller.  I don't think he took a single nap in his crib all week.  I'm not sure if that was a bigger victory for HIM or for ME.  I tend to hyper-schedule this poor boy.
Another delicious dinner of lobster mac and cheese at the Rose & Crown.  
And still bummed that we didn't stay for the karaoke.  
More pictures to come!

Monday, August 29, 2011

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!




Friday, July 29, 2011

9 Months.

Happy 9 Month Birthday to you, Baby Boy!  Guess we're going to have to start thinking of birthday ideas, since that's right around the corner (yeah right, I already have it all planned in my head!)
9 months!  Wow!  9 months seems like such a big boy age, but I guess that's what's happening!  And I am totally embracing it.  We found out at your well-baby checkup this morning that you weigh 18 lbs. and 13 oz. (guess Mommy's scale was a little off last month!), and are 27 inches long.  You are in the 25% for weight and 10% for length.  Small and cuddly- and just perfect, in my opinion!
You are our sweetest little treasure on this earth, Cooper Boy!  Daddy and I sometimes say that we feel like such weirdos- we could sit and stare at you forever.  I love watching you play and learn new things.  You have a few quirks, which isn't surprising.  You love kissing your reflection- it's most funny when you kiss your reflection on the glass door front of the oven.  You will just stand there giving yourself a big, open-mouth kiss.  You are silly!  But you seem to always find any reflective surface and make sure to check out how cute you are- the glass doors on the TV cabinet, your shiny toys, and the mirror at the doctor's office, to name a few.  You are also pretty into chewing.  Earlier in the month, I noticed teeth marks the whole way around your crib!  You've also chewed up all four sides of the coffee table!  I thought I was raising a boy and not a little beaver!
Your favorite toys seem to be the things that aren't really toys- iphones, car keys, computer cords, and the remote control are your FAVORITES!  Coopy, you are turning into a little man already!  Those "toys" are off limits though, so you are happy to settle for spatulas, whisks, and crushed up water bottles.

It has been HOT, HOT, HOT this summer, so we try to make it to the spray park or swimming pool a few times a week.  You are a little tank in the water!  If we hold you on your belly, you kick your legs like you're swimming and sometimes will dunk your own face under water!  It doesn't even phase you at all!  You are already a little fish!

We finally broke down and bought you a highchair this month.  You sit in it like it's your throne.  You love to lean back while we spoon feed you!  What have we created?!!
We've let you try a few "finger foods" this month.  So far, you seem pretty unimpressed.  I put some cut up avocados and bananas on your tray one day and you looked at me like, "what the heck is this?!"  A few minutes later, I watched as you sneakily tried to hide or dispose of those yucky foods by sticking them in your lap!  A few things that you HAVE enjoyed are fresh watermelon and cantaloupe, noodles, a baguette, and a fruit popsicle.  It's funny now, doing the things I thought I'd never do with a baby- like giving you a popsicle, but it seemed to feel good on your teething gums, so oh well!
We have been to the doctor a lot this month- you've had 2 ear infections (one time it was a double ear infection) and have had some trouble with asthma.  I hate it that you haven't been feeling well, but you handle it like such a champ.  We occasionally have to do a breathing treatment for you, which you love because you get to watch Praise Baby, and I love because I get to snuggle with you.
At Jack's birthday party, you played with balloons for the first time.  You crawled around and tried to gather as many as you could and would cry when we'd try to get you untangled.  Lucky for you, Jack let you take one home, which you loved!

I love to watch you observe and learn new things.  You are a little sponge and are learning all the time!  During the afternoon, the sun shines through the window on the front door to the house and makes little shapes and rainbows on the rug.  You love to sit there trying to grasp for the light.  I love it!  Do you know that your name means "lighthouse," Cooper?  It's no wonder that you are so attracted to the light!
You haven't been feeling great for a few weeks out of this month, so we've let you watch some of your videos- Baby Einstein and Praise Baby.  I'm not sure which part you like best- seeing the babies in the video playing or hearing the singing.  Either way, you will sit on the floor (or in your saucer) and be pretty content to watch for a few minutes.  
I seriously am so obsessed with your cheeks!  All I want to do is kiss them!  It works out well because you love being kissed.  You get very relaxed and press your cheeks into our lips, while we shower you with kisses.  I pray that you always know how dearly you are loved!
Coopy Boy, you have gotten so mobile!  You've been crawling and pulling up for a while now, but your "cruising" has really taken off.  You are a fast little man as you walk along the edge of the coffee table!  A few times this month, you have gotten pretty bold and stood without holding onto anything for a few seconds.  I like to see you challenging yourself!  Who knows, but I don't think it will be that much longer before you take your first steps.  Here you are after having yanked all the books off the bookshelf (notice that the bottom shelf has already been permanently cleared off!)  Your other favorite thing to get into is magazines- you love to shred them to pieces!

Oh Cooper Hudson, I could just eat you up.  Sometimes it makes me just cry thinking about how blessed we are to have a sweet boy like you.  I love being your Mommy, and it is such a gift to get to spend my days with you, little love.  Happy 9 months!