Me: It is chilly out this morning, let's find you some pants.
Cooper: I want special pants!
Me: OK, we'll find special pants (grabbing the top pair in the bin).
Cooper: NO no I want DIFFERENT ones.
Me: OK, pick out a different one.
Cooper: (grabbing the next pair in the bin) THESE different ones. THESE special pants. I want THESE.
Me: Great. These look like perfect pants. Let me help you...
Cooper: NO COOPER DO IT. NO COOPER PUTS TOES IN PANTS NO MY DO IT.
Me: You are putting them on backwards, dear.
Cooper: NO STOP MOMMY STOP MY DO IT COOPER DO IT PUT PANTS ON MIIIIIIIIINE.
Me: They are still backwards.
Cooper: Mommy help.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Love
Cooper has discovered the word, although maybe not the real concept, "love." He uses it in very sweet and sometimes funny ways. And he's very emphatic. He's also started saying Oh My Gosh as one word, ohmygosh, although it sounds more like "oh-mee-doss."
"I LOVE brown cookies today ohmygosh."
"Cooper LOVES feed Grant his oatmeal!"
"Ohmygosh I LOVE eatin' pomatoes from the garden."
(He calls tomatoes pomatoes, which is an improvement from when he said straight up "potatoes" but still very confusing)
And lastly "My LOVES my doggy horsey blankey naptime."
Awwwww.....
"I LOVE brown cookies today ohmygosh."
"Cooper LOVES feed Grant his oatmeal!"
"Ohmygosh I LOVE eatin' pomatoes from the garden."
(He calls tomatoes pomatoes, which is an improvement from when he said straight up "potatoes" but still very confusing)
And lastly "My LOVES my doggy horsey blankey naptime."
Awwwww.....
Friday, August 27, 2010
They are not the same
I forget sometimes the profound, inborn differences that are already evident in my boys.
Cooper loved sleeping in strollers and the car seat. He liked nothing more than a good stroller-nap. Cranky? Stroller! Falling apart? Car ride!
Grant does not fall asleep in the stroller. He will actively fight it by squirming, crying, and getting mad. He's basically got an anti-stroller nap policy. Even if he's tired, he'll fight it tooth and nail, opting to alternately cry and suck his thumb instead of sleeping. Likewise, he needs to be totally exhausted beyond reason to sleep in the car seat. Sure, he'll lie quietly in there, resting, but his eyes are open and he is NOT sleeping.
The boys are similar in their approach to napping and sleeping (when compared to the right ages) but the falling asleep differences are stark. For nearly a year, Cooper would get so strung out and panicked if we tried to let him fall asleep by himself that he'd either get diarhhea, vomit, or become hysterical with panic and scream himself hoarse. Needless to say, we rarely attempted this because it was clearly very traumatic to him.
Grant prefers to fall asleep on his own. His idea of a good way to fall asleep is to be laid in his crib, given a soft flannel receiving blanket, and stare at the wall while sucking his thumb. He likes the sound of the fan, but it isn't required. Rubbing his back is a neutral- he likes it, but not hugely. And that's it. If he's tired, he'll slowly fall asleep stroking his blanket and sucking his thumb. Done. And he's been like that since birth. Even as a tiny tiny baby, he didn't want to be held while falling asleep- he preferred to be swaddled and laid down.
And I think these two things are quite related. Cooper needed lots of stimuli to become quiet on the inside, somehow. Grant, on the other hand, likes to deal with it himself- I want the world to be sleepy so I can be sleepy.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out as they grow up!
Cooper loved sleeping in strollers and the car seat. He liked nothing more than a good stroller-nap. Cranky? Stroller! Falling apart? Car ride!
Grant does not fall asleep in the stroller. He will actively fight it by squirming, crying, and getting mad. He's basically got an anti-stroller nap policy. Even if he's tired, he'll fight it tooth and nail, opting to alternately cry and suck his thumb instead of sleeping. Likewise, he needs to be totally exhausted beyond reason to sleep in the car seat. Sure, he'll lie quietly in there, resting, but his eyes are open and he is NOT sleeping.
The boys are similar in their approach to napping and sleeping (when compared to the right ages) but the falling asleep differences are stark. For nearly a year, Cooper would get so strung out and panicked if we tried to let him fall asleep by himself that he'd either get diarhhea, vomit, or become hysterical with panic and scream himself hoarse. Needless to say, we rarely attempted this because it was clearly very traumatic to him.
Grant prefers to fall asleep on his own. His idea of a good way to fall asleep is to be laid in his crib, given a soft flannel receiving blanket, and stare at the wall while sucking his thumb. He likes the sound of the fan, but it isn't required. Rubbing his back is a neutral- he likes it, but not hugely. And that's it. If he's tired, he'll slowly fall asleep stroking his blanket and sucking his thumb. Done. And he's been like that since birth. Even as a tiny tiny baby, he didn't want to be held while falling asleep- he preferred to be swaddled and laid down.
And I think these two things are quite related. Cooper needed lots of stimuli to become quiet on the inside, somehow. Grant, on the other hand, likes to deal with it himself- I want the world to be sleepy so I can be sleepy.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out as they grow up!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Closet ninja
At 7:10 this morning Matt murmured, "I think Cooper is in the closet." 99% asleep, I grunted. Matt said it again, "No, really, I think he's in the closet." Now closer to 80% asleep, I heard the closet door make a tiny, nearly imperceptible creak, and then silence. I said, "Dog musta leaned against the door. Cooper is not in there. I'm tired." And I fell back asleep.
At 7:20, I woke back up because Matt was saying it again, "Honey, I really think Cooper is in the closet." My response: "Don't talk so loud, you'll wake up Grant and Cooper. And Cooper is not in the closet."
And then, Cooper opened the closet door, said "Hi Mommy!" and crawled onto our bed with a big smile.
HOW LONG WAS HE IN THERE? And perhaps most importantly, WHY?
At 7:20, I woke back up because Matt was saying it again, "Honey, I really think Cooper is in the closet." My response: "Don't talk so loud, you'll wake up Grant and Cooper. And Cooper is not in the closet."
And then, Cooper opened the closet door, said "Hi Mommy!" and crawled onto our bed with a big smile.
HOW LONG WAS HE IN THERE? And perhaps most importantly, WHY?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Grantzilla the giggler
Grant perfected "pulling to a stand" in the last few days, and one of the things he likes to stand on is Cooper's plastic barn. He towers over it and likes to whack at it with his hands, and it has a sort of comical Godzilla-esque look to the whole experience. As a result, we've started calling him Grantzilla.
On an only tangentally related note, I took him in for his 6 month appointment today. He weighs 18lbs and 14oz- which is still quite large for his age. I think they said it was 86% or something. Big kid!
In classic adorable Grant fashion, when it was time for him to get his shot he thought that the nurse was trying to tickle his fat little thighs, and he giggled confusedly the whole time. It was sort of a nervous giggle laugh. Perhaps best of all, it made the nurse and I laugh, and so when the shot was over and it no longer stung, Grant burst out into a full on laugh at us laughing at him. The nurse said she's never seen a baby giggle while getting a shot in her whole full 10 years of nursing. She told all the other nurses about it, and when we left the exam room they were all saying "there's the baby that giggled! can you believe it?!"
That's Grant for you. He's so dang positive that he thinks a nurse grabbing his leg to steady it for a hypodermic needle is actually a fun tickling game.
On an only tangentally related note, I took him in for his 6 month appointment today. He weighs 18lbs and 14oz- which is still quite large for his age. I think they said it was 86% or something. Big kid!
In classic adorable Grant fashion, when it was time for him to get his shot he thought that the nurse was trying to tickle his fat little thighs, and he giggled confusedly the whole time. It was sort of a nervous giggle laugh. Perhaps best of all, it made the nurse and I laugh, and so when the shot was over and it no longer stung, Grant burst out into a full on laugh at us laughing at him. The nurse said she's never seen a baby giggle while getting a shot in her whole full 10 years of nursing. She told all the other nurses about it, and when we left the exam room they were all saying "there's the baby that giggled! can you believe it?!"
That's Grant for you. He's so dang positive that he thinks a nurse grabbing his leg to steady it for a hypodermic needle is actually a fun tickling game.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Two funny things
Cooper has been saying a lot of funny stuff lately, but two things are in the front of my mind right now.
1) He can't seem to figure out how to pronounce "tofu-dogs," as in the faux hot dogs that we sometimes cut up and serve for lunch or snack. Instead, he strings together a random assortment of related syllables before the word dogs. It cracks me up. Today he called them "mo-foo-doo dogs" and "two-foo-foo dogs" and my favorite, "foo-coo" dogs.
2) His mimicry of us, ever amusing, has led him into some funny (and also not great) habits with Grant. As a good example, today Grant was getting all fussy and cranky and Cooper, in an irritated tone, said, "Grant, could you please try to relax?" Oh, dear. I think I'm going to have to mention this to Matt (he's the one that uses this phrase). He also sternly warns Grant that he's not allow to stand in the bathtub "No standing! Its slippy!" that certain behaviors are not permitted "No pull on momma's hair that hurts momma!" and that screaming is never ok "Grant! No Screaming!"
On a sweet note, today Cooper got possessive of Grant and told me it was "Cooper's turn to hold the baby." This happens about once a week. Grant was in a great mood, so I plopped him onto Cooper's lap. Grant giggled as Cooper fumbled him around, and Grant had a great time poking Cooper in the eyes as Cooper told him to stop while laughing all the while. It was awesome. They are adorable.
Grant is going to be 6 months old in a few days. That's mind blowing. I'm looking forward to his weigh-in... any guesses? FYI, he's really, really big. I'm thinking 19lbs, but we'll see if that's right.
1) He can't seem to figure out how to pronounce "tofu-dogs," as in the faux hot dogs that we sometimes cut up and serve for lunch or snack. Instead, he strings together a random assortment of related syllables before the word dogs. It cracks me up. Today he called them "mo-foo-doo dogs" and "two-foo-foo dogs" and my favorite, "foo-coo" dogs.
2) His mimicry of us, ever amusing, has led him into some funny (and also not great) habits with Grant. As a good example, today Grant was getting all fussy and cranky and Cooper, in an irritated tone, said, "Grant, could you please try to relax?" Oh, dear. I think I'm going to have to mention this to Matt (he's the one that uses this phrase). He also sternly warns Grant that he's not allow to stand in the bathtub "No standing! Its slippy!" that certain behaviors are not permitted "No pull on momma's hair that hurts momma!" and that screaming is never ok "Grant! No Screaming!"
On a sweet note, today Cooper got possessive of Grant and told me it was "Cooper's turn to hold the baby." This happens about once a week. Grant was in a great mood, so I plopped him onto Cooper's lap. Grant giggled as Cooper fumbled him around, and Grant had a great time poking Cooper in the eyes as Cooper told him to stop while laughing all the while. It was awesome. They are adorable.
Grant is going to be 6 months old in a few days. That's mind blowing. I'm looking forward to his weigh-in... any guesses? FYI, he's really, really big. I'm thinking 19lbs, but we'll see if that's right.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Milestones
There have been a lot of milestones lately in this house- especially for Grant.
Grant got his second pair of teeth in this week, and they are big! I forgot how huge they look in a little baby's mouth. So far we've avoided getting nipped, but I do know it is inevitable with those big chompers that he's going to bite something.
He also started both crawling, and being able to transition himself from a crawl into a sitting position. He's incredibly pleased with himself and spends a lot of time slowly crawling around the house to grab some object, and then sitting there contentedly with whatever precious thing (like a spoon, or washcloth, or a dried leaf) he has found.
This week also brought my first business trip since Grant was born. It went really smoothly and when I got home I was impressed, as always, that the dishes were done, the laundry was under control, and the kids were clean and happy. Even Matt seemed pretty dang put together. We had Grant join Cooper at daycare for two days so that Matt could still work while I was gone, and that went well, too. The report was that he ate well, took good naps, and Cooper didn't seem too weirded out by having Grant there.
The fun part was going to daycare on the day I got home and picking up the two boys. When I walked in, Cooper was playing in the main room. He looked utterly startled and started whimpering like he was gonna cry, and then he finally sputtered out "I want to go see Grant" and then he grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the baby-napping room (where the little guys nap). Grant was just barely waking up and so Cooper, in his funny big brother "parenting coach" mode told me in a rush of words that I should "Pick up Grant put Cooper in car seat in the car to go home have dinner." Sure, kiddo! So we did that.
Lastly, Cooper is SO excited that we are growing string beans. He stands next to the row of beans and tells me to pick them so he can eat them. I'm hoping soon he'll learn to pick them himself, to take out the middleman. I should have planted purple string beans to make them easier to locate on the plants... I planted some yellow ones, but they are not yet ready for harvest. Live and learn, right?
Grant got his second pair of teeth in this week, and they are big! I forgot how huge they look in a little baby's mouth. So far we've avoided getting nipped, but I do know it is inevitable with those big chompers that he's going to bite something.
He also started both crawling, and being able to transition himself from a crawl into a sitting position. He's incredibly pleased with himself and spends a lot of time slowly crawling around the house to grab some object, and then sitting there contentedly with whatever precious thing (like a spoon, or washcloth, or a dried leaf) he has found.
This week also brought my first business trip since Grant was born. It went really smoothly and when I got home I was impressed, as always, that the dishes were done, the laundry was under control, and the kids were clean and happy. Even Matt seemed pretty dang put together. We had Grant join Cooper at daycare for two days so that Matt could still work while I was gone, and that went well, too. The report was that he ate well, took good naps, and Cooper didn't seem too weirded out by having Grant there.
The fun part was going to daycare on the day I got home and picking up the two boys. When I walked in, Cooper was playing in the main room. He looked utterly startled and started whimpering like he was gonna cry, and then he finally sputtered out "I want to go see Grant" and then he grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the baby-napping room (where the little guys nap). Grant was just barely waking up and so Cooper, in his funny big brother "parenting coach" mode told me in a rush of words that I should "Pick up Grant put Cooper in car seat in the car to go home have dinner." Sure, kiddo! So we did that.
Lastly, Cooper is SO excited that we are growing string beans. He stands next to the row of beans and tells me to pick them so he can eat them. I'm hoping soon he'll learn to pick them himself, to take out the middleman. I should have planted purple string beans to make them easier to locate on the plants... I planted some yellow ones, but they are not yet ready for harvest. Live and learn, right?
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