Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

One Month

Ellie's first month of life has come and gone very quickly! She is a pretty mellow baby - until the sun sets.  At night, she turns into a fussy little gal who doesn't want to miss out on anything exciting....at 2 am.  We hope she will soon realize that nothing fun happens in the middle of the night and starts sleeping longer.  She is an alert baby and is taking in her surroundings.  She looks at us and has smiled a few times (I want to believe those smiles aren't just gas....they are so cute!).

One of the best things about having two kids is watching Cooper interact with his little sister.  He's already so lovey with her, so hopefully the sweetness continues as they get older.  Maybe in high school, he will still come up to her and kiss the top of her head? 

It's been a fun but tiring month and we are looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us.  (Sorry, no more babies though....our family is now complete).

Sleepy smiles

Something that happens often nowadays: Ellie falls asleep a) while eating b) while we try to burp her and/or c) in the daytime.  She's not quite the awesome night sleeper that Cooper was at this point but with that face, we forgive her.  She is quite the cutie pie and is changing so much each day.  We can't believe she is almost 1 month old!

Cooper's First Christmas Tree

Our family of four ventured out to Redmond to cut down our Christmas tree this year.  Cooper had a blast exploring through the rows of trees while Elliott took a nice long nap.  Cooper also enjoyed seeing a real tractor up close and personal.  He's in a big truck and tractor phase right now, so he was very excited.  After bringing home the tree, we put the lights on while Cooper was napping.  The video below is his reaction on seeing it for the first time. 

Tractor Love

Tree Hunting

Naptime

Curious boy

  

Timber!

Look at my tree!



Elliott is here!

We are happy to introduce you to Cooper's little sister, Elliott Diane. She arrived last Monday at 7:22 am, all 6lb 15oz of her. She is light as a feather compared to her big bro. Cooper is adjusting well and loves his little sister.  He is very sweet with her and likes to wave at her and kiss her head. 



Entertained by Peas

According to Coop, peas are hilarious.

Playing Catch

Coop is learning how to catch a ball but finds it hard to walk, laugh and catch at the same time. 

"Sister"

Cooper knows that something called "Sister" is in Mama's belly.  He likes to give her kisses and love pats.  If this is any sign of what's to come, he will be a sweet big brother. 

Towers

One of Cooper's favorite activities is stacking blocks and building towers.  But sometimes blocks are just too boring and he gets fancy by adding some other toys to his construction. 

Swings and Leaves

Cooper's favorite outdoor activity seems to be swinging, but this week, he added a new one to his list.  At the park, he discovered fallen leaves.  We haven't played in the leaves in our yard bc they are always wet and muddy.  But Juanita Beach Park on Lake Washington had some nice, dry leaves for C to play in on a sunny, Fall day.  

Mr. Moo

Last year, Cooper was Charlie Brown for Halloween.  This year, he was an adorable cow.  Notice how in both photos, he has the same expression on his face?  He doesn't seem totally convinced that Halloween is fun but I bet that will change when he goes trick or treating next year and comes home with candy.

Almost 2 months old - 2010

Almost 14 months old - 2011

Our little cow likes to walk everywhere...

...and doesn't like being interrupted to take a family photo.

"Come on, I want to get off this porch."

"I mean it, I am DONE with this photo shoot!"

A Toddler in the House

It's official: Cooper is a toddler and prefers walking over crawling now.  He loves to walk all over the house, carrying his toys from one room to another.  He's a bit unsteady but is cautious and takes it slow (most of the time).  We compare his walk to part Frankenstein, part drunken sailor.  It's pretty cute to watch.  Go ahead, here's a video.  :)

Surgery

Cooper had day surgery (for chordee repair, which means correcting a curve in the penis) at Children's last week and we are very happy to report that everything went well.  Coop was a great patient and the nurses and surgeon were so nice.  We were in and out in about 3 hours and as soon as we got home, it was back to business as usual for C.  This video was taken the day of the surgery -happy to be knocking down towers and building them again - what a tough little fella!  He is much stronger than his daddy and mama....it was a hard day to get through and we are so glad it's over.  Cooper is healing nicely, thank goodness. Now on to the next big event....Baby Sister's arrival!  Only about a month to go!  

Daddy's Little Bear

Looks like we have a Bears fan in the making.

First Steps

Cooper took his first steps last weekend! He was holding one of his toys and took a couple steps towards his Daddy.  He was very proud of himself and now wants to practice walking all the time (with help from whoever wants to hold his hand).  I couldn't get to my camera quick enough to capture the first steps but my dad managed to get this video yesterday of Coop walking with his "pop-pop".  (I love how he takes a break to do a squat/lunge and then continues on his way).  It's only a matter of time before he is running around the house, chasing after Luna. 

Birthday Parties

Cooper celebrated his birthday twice - on his actual birthday, my parents had us over for dinner and cake and that weekend we had a birthday party at our house.  Cooper had his first taste of a sweet treat and wasn't too sure about the cake.  He liked the frosting better. 



Next up was the big birthday bash. It was a gorgeous summer day and we had a bbq in our backyard.  It was fun to celebrate with our family and friends - we are so fortunate to live so close to family and friends again. 

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Cooper is one year old!  We celebrated his birthday last week (party post coming later) and it's amazing how quickly his first year flew by.  His personality is shining through and he is a happy and smiley boy. We love you, Coop! 

His latest favorites:

- balloons and balls
- walking up and down the hall with anyone who wants to join him (getting so close to taking his first steps by himself)
- playing with magnets on the fridge
- cuddling with soft blankets
- helping Mommy put food in the shopping cart
- brushing his teeth (all two of them)
- books, books and more books!

First Haircut

Cooper's hair was getting a bit too long in the back and even though mullet's may look cute on babies, I decided it was time for a trim.  And what better person to give the first haircut than Cooper's Auntie K!  She is a stylist at VAIN downtown so he was in very good hands. 

Excited about his cape

The Baby Mullet

The Haircut

All trimmed up!

Thanks, Auntie K! I love my new do!

11 months

As of today, my baby is 2 weeks away from turning one.  Cooper's first year has flown by and he is turning into a little boy.  At 11 months, he continues to be active and busy.  He still loves opening and closing doors and drawers but now is interested in what he finds inside.  He likes to use the laundry basket as a walker and pushes it up and down the hall.  The only thing that gets him really frustrated is when he runs into the wall and can't turn around.  Maybe he'll learn how to steer next?  His daddy walks him around the house and he's started to take some one handed steps.  He's getting closer to walking on his own. 

 Cooper loves blueberries and strawberries but we are still working on other finger foods.  The gag reflex issue is not getting much better and hopefully his pediatrician will have some answers for us at his 12 month visit. 

Cooper loves to "read" his books.  We'll see him crawl into his room and then discover him surrounded by his books, flipping through some of his favorites.  We hope his fondness for books lasts forever.  As of right now, his bedtime picks are The Hungry Caterpillar, Five Little Ladybugs and I Love You, Good Night. 

We are looking forward to his first birthday party in a couple weeks.  Ethan's parents will be here from Virginia - C can't wait to see Basha and Gramps!  We are excited to celebrate Cooper's first year with our family. 

First Camping Trip

A few weeks ago, Cooper experienced his first camping trip.  We drove out to the coast with my parents and sister for a couple days at Mora Campground.  I grew up going here each summer and it was fun to show it to Cooper for the first time.  He seemed to like camping and especially loved Rialto Beach.  Looks like we have a sand lover!

Self-Feeding: Round 1

Cooper attempted to feed himself some lunch...most of it got on his hands and face but he had a good time trying.  It's fun to watch him learn new things, especially when he adds sound effects.

10 months

Cooper is actually closer to 11 months than 10 months now....but it took me a while to post this photo.  I honestly can't believe he's turning one year old soon.  Seems to me this little guy just learned how to roll over last week - and these days he's cruising around the living room with no problem.  He even stood by himself a few times in the past week.  I wonder if he'll be walking before his birthday....

Cooper's latest and greatest:

*first lower tooth arrived the day before he turned 10 mos

*loves Ritz crackers (but still gags a bit if he gets too much on his tongue)

*holds his bottle on his own and is almost a sippy cup pro

*loves anything with wheels

*pushing chairs around the dining room makes him smile (I let him do it because it's good practice for walking)

*points at things and makes a sound like "huh?" (translation: what is that?)

*fascinated by hanging light fixtures

*always on the go....which makes diaper changing and getting dressed a two person job

*plays peek-a-boo with curtains and pillows