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Happy Halloween! As you can see, I dressed up as a monkey and Cooper was a banana. My Mom thought of this idea and said it is something she can only get away with for a few more years. I was a silly monkey and made lots of monkey sounds in preparation for trick or treating. More to come on Halloween later in the blog. Backing up two weeks ago...
We took advantage of the final, beautiful fall weather that hit our area a few weeks back. It was also Mommy's last week before she went back to work. The transition for her has been going fine. She is exhausted after getting up really early in the morning and then teaching all day. Her class is better than last year's group (behavior wise) and it helps that Heather and Mommy have the job-share thing down. Most of all, Mommy just misses us boys when she is away but is grateful for only teaching 2-3 days each week, what a blessing for all of us. Back to our playdate...Maddie, Claire, Shauna and our family met so we could enjoy the fall leaves and park. Maddie and I raced down the slides together, although I was a bit of a cheater. I would say, "Ready, Set, Go" but headed down the slide on "set" each time. Luckily, Maddie wasn't too upset with me.
Daddy went to the hunting shack to prepare a few tree stands and while he was away, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy only took a few pictures, but loved the ones of Cooper and Grandpa Jamie together.
Cooper is starting to bounce a lot in the Jumperoo and the Johnny Jump Up (swing in the door frame). He must have really tired himself out because we turned around after hearing him fuss and he fell fast asleep in his swing. As I mentioned in previous blogs, Cooper can sleep anywhere, lucky guy!
Cooper had his 4 month check up last week which meant 2 pokes for him and the flu mist for me. I want to personally thank the smartest doctor in the world who created the flu mist for toddlers. It is two squirts in the nose and is just as effective as the shot. Mommy wishes they had this option for adults.
We all went to Cooper's appointment since it was during the work day. Cooper's stats for 4 months are: Length- 26 3/4 inches (94% for his age), Weight- 17lb. 3 oz (85% for his age) and head size- 16 1/2 inches (28% for his age). Cooper's growth chart looks like a rocket heading to space. There is no curve yet, it just heads straight up. The doctor says this is nothing to be concerned about. Cooper is extremely healthy, thank goodness, and pretty soon we will see his growth slow down. Cooper's gross motor skills are great, much more advanced than where I was at his age (to my defense, I was a preemie). Cooper continues to be social and verbal, which we see as his biggest strengths of all. The doctor thinks that Cooper will be an early walker from his leg strength and size. He also told Mommy and Daddy that they would need to start shopping for the convertible carseat since he will outgrow his in just a few more pounds. My parents are "super" excited since this means Cooper's X-mas present will be a $600 gift (two carseats...ugh!)
At the doctor's appointment, we were told Cooper could start rice cereal. The cereal looks disgusting, very watery and bland. Cooper was a champ though and seemed to know exactly what to do.
I think Cooper is wondering why we are all staring at him, taking pictures, and cheering him on. Just wait until he does something really big, like crawling!
Rice cereal= happy baby! Cooper had about 5 spoonfuls of cereal and liked it. He swallowed the cereal just like he has been eating it for weeks. We are excited that he did so well. This means we can start fruits and vegetables anytime in the weeks ahead and that is when the real fun begins.
Halloween~ What a big ordeal this holiday is. We went to two pumpkin patches this month, decorated the house, and Mommy had us wear Halloween clothing and colors in preparation. I finally figured out what people did with the orange things outside. Daddy scooped out the pumpkin guts and then we had a contest to see who had the greatest masterpiece (Mommy and Daddy like to compete each year).
I really didn't like the pumpkin stuff inside. I kept trying to wipe it on everything nearby. I am really good at this since I love to pick my nose these days and wipe the remnants on whatever is close to me.
Cooper sat in his saucer and observed this weird tradition.
I use Mommy's whisk everyday to mix up pretend cookies. Today, I used it to stir up the pumpkin guts. I thought this was a genius idea on my part.
Ta-da! One clean pumpkin (Daddy did help scoop it out).
Now, before you turn my parents in, I am using a pumpkin carving tool. Mommy is confused by this device as it is dull as can be, but cuts right through a pumpkin. I mostly just made huge stab marks all over the pumpkin and yelled, "I DID IT!"
Mommy helped with a little jack-o-lantern face on the front and she carved my name in the back.
Daddy carved his pumpkin while Cooper looked on, oops... looks like Cooper got tired of watching Daddy take FOREVER to carve his pumpkin. Note to Cooper, get used to it buddy!
Well, what do you know? Cooper woke up just in time to show off his jack-o-lanterns. I think we all know that he didn't make these, so I am not sure why he got to show off the glory of my pumpkin creation and Daddy's.
Here are the finished products from L to R. Mommy turned her pumpkin into a spider, my pumpkin was a happy one (Mommy asked me if I wanted happy, sad or scary, and I went with happy), and it looks like Daddy made a Kindergarten style pumpkin...triangle eyes, oval nose, and mouth. Mommy declares her pumpkin the winner between the two of them but she told me that my pumpkin won overall.
Daddy and Cooper took a break to watch the football game on TV. In case you are wondering, Cooper and I wore Vikings gear last weekend when they played the Packers. Mommy is SO disappointed that she didn't take a picture of it for proof. Mommy gave me a choice of a Packers jersey or a Vikings jersey and I chose the Vikings one. Daddy was there to witness this and I am sure he popped a few more gray hairs because of it.
Before I went trick or treating, we went to see Great-Grandma at the assisted living apartment she moved into a month ago. She had candy for me... way too much candy.
This couch is so crazy! Daddy remembers this couch at his Grandma's house when he was a kid. Gotta love that Cooper just blends in with his busy shirt :)
Great-Grandma has one of those grabby tools that will help older adults pick up things that they drop. This thing was hilarious and I had fun picking up candy with it...notice that I am still using my left-hand. My parents are wondering if I am going to be a lefty!?!?
We didn't stay too long because trick or treating began at 5:00. We gave Great-Grandma kisses and headed back home to meet up with our neighbors. I already had plenty of candy in my pumpkin bucket and sugar in my tummy before we got home! 
As you saw in the first photo, I am a monkey and Cooper is a banana. We were a great pair and received lots of compliments. The best part of our costumes were they were warm and cozy. Mommy stayed home with Coop to pass out candy to the kids and I went with some of our neighbor friends trick or treating. Daddy and I ended up trick or treating with everyone for two hours. By the time I got home, I was WIRED from all of the sugar. I enjoyed visiting all of neighbors and remembered to say, "Thank you!" as I grabbed candy from their candy bowls. I think this might be my new favorite holiday.
Genevieve, our neighbor, was a cute bumblebee and we took a few photos together before we headed out. 
I stopped to say, "Hello Buzzy Batterpillar" to the little guy who was on our driveway not moving. I think he needs some sugar... it does the trick.
When we were out, Mommy took Cooper's picture before removing him from his super warm banana costume. As usual, Cooper took a lot of cute, smiley pictures. I am certain that he will be mad at Mommy for this one in about 15 years.
Daddy and I got home before it got too late and too chilly. I had a full pumpkin of amazing treats... full sized candy bars, cheese curds (a local cheesemaker has a lake home near us), tons of candy, fruit snacks, chips, etc... Mommy is threatening to use the candy for potty training which I think is an absolutely terrible idea. I am doing pretty good with #1, but not with #2 (I know, too much information). Anyhow, she is thinking that maybe this candy will get me to go... I think I have read studies that you are not supposed to bribe kids with candy due to the psychological trauma it can cause.
You can tell that I am starting to unwind from the sugar high and the 2 miles of walking that we did. I still have a runny nose from our chilly walk but it was well worth it! I can't wait for Halloween to arrive, only 364 days left and I am sure my Mom is already thinking of a Halloween duo costume idea for Cooper and me!
There is nothing like crisp fall air. We went to a local park to play and run through the piles of leaves. We don't have big trees yet in our yard, so this was a HUGE treat for me to see all of the fun remnants! I didn't want to stay too long in the woods since I was eager to get to the playground for more excitement.
Cooper liked the leaves too. We put him in a leaf pile and then he wore them the rest of the day. Cooper wore the little sweater and hat that Great-Grandma made me when I was just a baby. Daddy dubbed it the "Teletubby" outfit with the pointy hat. We think he looks really cute either way!
Cooper isn't quite sitting up on his own... he usually folds over but is getting stronger each day.
Everything seems to be going in Cooper's mouth these days; mmmmm, yummy leaves. He is only 4 months old (in two days) but he seems to be teething with all of the drooling and gnawing on anything he can get his gums on. I didn't get my first tooth until I was 10 months or so. Maybe it will be a long, drawn out ordeal... oh goody.
This was the best picture Mommy could get of her boys before I was ready to run for the hills. I was DONE with this crazy photo shoot that Mommy tricked me into.
Finally, what I was waiting for... a digger! I am still too little for this fun sand toy, but I attempted to drive it. My parents are convinced that I will be a construction worker someday just so that I can drive fun trucks around.
Our next stop (different day) was to the pumpkin patch. I already went to a pumpkin patch with Grammy and Mommy but we wanted Daddy to be able to join in on the fun. Cooper is such a show off in these photos, all smiling and cute. I was too busy to want to stop and smile. So much for the annual pumpkin page in Mommy's scrapbook this year.
Time to chew on the coat... 
Guess who was ready for a nap???? I have been waking up at 4:00 in the morning ready to eat breakfast. By 11:00 a.m., I am ready for my whopper of a nap (3 hours). I am confusing everyone, including myself. My parents are ready to ship me to Grandma's for a week.
Of course, Cooper is smiling as he pretends to be a werewolf. I didn't want to take part in this silly photo.
We briefly stopped to talk to the animals where I cordially greeted each one: "Hi goats!" "Hi cows!" "Hi ducks!" You get the picture...
The pumpkin patch would not be complete without a hayride. My favorite part was sitting up front so that I could keep a close eye on the John Deere tractor that was pulling us (see my happy smirk above).
The pumpkin patch had fun slides. One was in the haystack and the other was a slick one by the woods. Mommy and I raced down the slide and I found it hysterical each time when I took a digger into the sand. It was one FAST slide!
Probably my favorite activity at the pumpkin patch was climbing up the vintage tractor and pulling the gears and pretending to be farmer Caden. My parents were a bit worried that I would not get down from there, but fortunately I did as I was distracted by the many other activities.
Dan and Nancy, our next door neighbors, moved out of their house and into a townhome for a few months while their house is being built in New Mexico. They brought over a super fun train for me as a little gift and I was memorized. Cooper liked it too. We will miss Dan and Nancy as they have become family to us. We are happy to have a few more months with them before they move far away.
We took at trip to the cities to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Cooper has figured out that cars are for napping, yeah! He HATED car rides until about a month ago. Mommy did have to climb in the backseat for an hour on our way home from the cities b/c he was getting fussy. While she was back there, she took a few pictures.
To my Mom's dismay, every trip to the mall results in whining as I insist on going on the rides. She knew this would happen the day she put those quarters into the slot. At this mall outing, Daddy let Cooper ride in the Jeep with me. I am thinking he didn't love it from the looks of it.
Just a few days ago, Mommy put Cooper face-up under his activity mat so that she could make breakfast for herself (yes, she does eat from time to time!) When she heard Cooper groaning and fussing, she found him face down. She is thinking she missed his first full roll. Since then, she has tried to re-create the situation but so far we only get Cooper rocking side to side. 
We find it really funny that Cooper almost always sleeps with his arms behind his head. This completely suits him as he is such a laid back and happy baby. He even sleeps with a smile on his face. How lucky are we to have Cooper in our lives!!!
I only have two weeks left of gymnastics and some of you have asked how it is going. As you can see in the two pictures of me jumping on the trampoline, it is GREAT! What you don't see is that I nearly have a fit each week b/c I could easily jump on the trampoline for 45 minutes. My parents have decided that although it is a crack up to watch me somersault all over the living room floor, this will probably be my only gymnastics session until I can demonstrate better self-control. I am like a kid in a candy store and what I see is what I want... trampoline please!
We met up with Shauna, Maddie and Claire last week at the park. As we were walking, Mommy saw this albino squirrel in the tree. It was a very pretty squirrel and it even allowed us to take his picture.
Maddie and I had a little picnic snack at the park.
She found it super funny how I would race across the bridge. We just love this picture of Maddie as it shows her adorable smile!
The see-saw was a good attempt at trying to get it to go up and down. Our Moms had to help us get the thing to work. We hope to have a few more fun playdates at the park as we hold on to nice fall weather this week!
In closing, Uncle Jimmy and Karri gave Cooper this Adrian Peterson jersey for his baptism. Since the Vikings played on Monday night (and lost, sniff, sniff) Mommy got us all dressed up in our gear. It was a good thing Daddy was at work b/c he would have never allowed this. As you can tell, we had a great time wearing purple! It will be interesting to see what we wear on Sunday as the Packers and Vikings face off. Tune in next week to see what colors we wear for the BIG game!
Happy Halloween! As you can see, I dressed up as a monkey and Cooper was a banana. My Mom thought of this idea and said it is something she can only get away with for a few more years. I was a silly monkey and made lots of monkey sounds in preparation for trick or treating. More to come on Halloween later in the blog. Backing up two weeks ago...
We took advantage of the final, beautiful fall weather that hit our area a few weeks back. It was also Mommy's last week before she went back to work. The transition for her has been going fine. She is exhausted after getting up really early in the morning and then teaching all day. Her class is better than last year's group (behavior wise) and it helps that Heather and Mommy have the job-share thing down. Most of all, Mommy just misses us boys when she is away but is grateful for only teaching 2-3 days each week, what a blessing for all of us. Back to our playdate...Maddie, Claire, Shauna and our family met so we could enjoy the fall leaves and park. Maddie and I raced down the slides together, although I was a bit of a cheater. I would say, "Ready, Set, Go" but headed down the slide on "set" each time. Luckily, Maddie wasn't too upset with me.
Daddy went to the hunting shack to prepare a few tree stands and while he was away, we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Mommy only took a few pictures, but loved the ones of Cooper and Grandpa Jamie together.
Cooper is starting to bounce a lot in the Jumperoo and the Johnny Jump Up (swing in the door frame). He must have really tired himself out because we turned around after hearing him fuss and he fell fast asleep in his swing. As I mentioned in previous blogs, Cooper can sleep anywhere, lucky guy!
Cooper had his 4 month check up last week which meant 2 pokes for him and the flu mist for me. I want to personally thank the smartest doctor in the world who created the flu mist for toddlers. It is two squirts in the nose and is just as effective as the shot. Mommy wishes they had this option for adults.
We all went to Cooper's appointment since it was during the work day. Cooper's stats for 4 months are: Length- 26 3/4 inches (94% for his age), Weight- 17lb. 3 oz (85% for his age) and head size- 16 1/2 inches (28% for his age). Cooper's growth chart looks like a rocket heading to space. There is no curve yet, it just heads straight up. The doctor says this is nothing to be concerned about. Cooper is extremely healthy, thank goodness, and pretty soon we will see his growth slow down. Cooper's gross motor skills are great, much more advanced than where I was at his age (to my defense, I was a preemie). Cooper continues to be social and verbal, which we see as his biggest strengths of all. The doctor thinks that Cooper will be an early walker from his leg strength and size. He also told Mommy and Daddy that they would need to start shopping for the convertible carseat since he will outgrow his in just a few more pounds. My parents are "super" excited since this means Cooper's X-mas present will be a $600 gift (two carseats...ugh!)
At the doctor's appointment, we were told Cooper could start rice cereal. The cereal looks disgusting, very watery and bland. Cooper was a champ though and seemed to know exactly what to do.
I think Cooper is wondering why we are all staring at him, taking pictures, and cheering him on. Just wait until he does something really big, like crawling!
Rice cereal= happy baby! Cooper had about 5 spoonfuls of cereal and liked it. He swallowed the cereal just like he has been eating it for weeks. We are excited that he did so well. This means we can start fruits and vegetables anytime in the weeks ahead and that is when the real fun begins.
Halloween~ What a big ordeal this holiday is. We went to two pumpkin patches this month, decorated the house, and Mommy had us wear Halloween clothing and colors in preparation. I finally figured out what people did with the orange things outside. Daddy scooped out the pumpkin guts and then we had a contest to see who had the greatest masterpiece (Mommy and Daddy like to compete each year).
I really didn't like the pumpkin stuff inside. I kept trying to wipe it on everything nearby. I am really good at this since I love to pick my nose these days and wipe the remnants on whatever is close to me.
Cooper sat in his saucer and observed this weird tradition.
I use Mommy's whisk everyday to mix up pretend cookies. Today, I used it to stir up the pumpkin guts. I thought this was a genius idea on my part.
Ta-da! One clean pumpkin (Daddy did help scoop it out).
Now, before you turn my parents in, I am using a pumpkin carving tool. Mommy is confused by this device as it is dull as can be, but cuts right through a pumpkin. I mostly just made huge stab marks all over the pumpkin and yelled, "I DID IT!"
Mommy helped with a little jack-o-lantern face on the front and she carved my name in the back.
Daddy carved his pumpkin while Cooper looked on, oops... looks like Cooper got tired of watching Daddy take FOREVER to carve his pumpkin. Note to Cooper, get used to it buddy!
Well, what do you know? Cooper woke up just in time to show off his jack-o-lanterns. I think we all know that he didn't make these, so I am not sure why he got to show off the glory of my pumpkin creation and Daddy's.
Daddy and Cooper took a break to watch the football game on TV. In case you are wondering, Cooper and I wore Vikings gear last weekend when they played the Packers. Mommy is SO disappointed that she didn't take a picture of it for proof. Mommy gave me a choice of a Packers jersey or a Vikings jersey and I chose the Vikings one. Daddy was there to witness this and I am sure he popped a few more gray hairs because of it.
Before I went trick or treating, we went to see Great-Grandma at the assisted living apartment she moved into a month ago. She had candy for me... way too much candy.
This couch is so crazy! Daddy remembers this couch at his Grandma's house when he was a kid. Gotta love that Cooper just blends in with his busy shirt :)
Great-Grandma has one of those grabby tools that will help older adults pick up things that they drop. This thing was hilarious and I had fun picking up candy with it...notice that I am still using my left-hand. My parents are wondering if I am going to be a lefty!?!?
We didn't stay too long because trick or treating began at 5:00. We gave Great-Grandma kisses and headed back home to meet up with our neighbors. I already had plenty of candy in my pumpkin bucket and sugar in my tummy before we got home! 
As you saw in the first photo, I am a monkey and Cooper is a banana. We were a great pair and received lots of compliments. The best part of our costumes were they were warm and cozy. Mommy stayed home with Coop to pass out candy to the kids and I went with some of our neighbor friends trick or treating. Daddy and I ended up trick or treating with everyone for two hours. By the time I got home, I was WIRED from all of the sugar. I enjoyed visiting all of neighbors and remembered to say, "Thank you!" as I grabbed candy from their candy bowls. I think this might be my new favorite holiday.
Genevieve, our neighbor, was a cute bumblebee and we took a few photos together before we headed out. 
I stopped to say, "Hello Buzzy Batterpillar" to the little guy who was on our driveway not moving. I think he needs some sugar... it does the trick.
When we were out, Mommy took Cooper's picture before removing him from his super warm banana costume. As usual, Cooper took a lot of cute, smiley pictures. I am certain that he will be mad at Mommy for this one in about 15 years.
Daddy and I got home before it got too late and too chilly. I had a full pumpkin of amazing treats... full sized candy bars, cheese curds (a local cheesemaker has a lake home near us), tons of candy, fruit snacks, chips, etc... Mommy is threatening to use the candy for potty training which I think is an absolutely terrible idea. I am doing pretty good with #1, but not with #2 (I know, too much information). Anyhow, she is thinking that maybe this candy will get me to go... I think I have read studies that you are not supposed to bribe kids with candy due to the psychological trauma it can cause.
You can tell that I am starting to unwind from the sugar high and the 2 miles of walking that we did. I still have a runny nose from our chilly walk but it was well worth it! I can't wait for Halloween to arrive, only 364 days left and I am sure my Mom is already thinking of a Halloween duo costume idea for Cooper and me!
