More pics from Cooper's Birthday Party

Here are some more pics from Coop's Pool Party Birthday Bash. It was a perfect day to hang out at the pool. Coop floated around in his raft with Auntie Melanie while Mommy and Daddy made preparations.

Cooper is becoming quite the swimmer. He will take formal swim classes in September. He does pretty well already, kicking and such. He likes splashing around in the kiddie pool too. Can't wait for swim lessons!

He wasn't sure what to think about all of the cake. Hence him starting out slow with the frosting.
He then realized there was something under that yummy frosting and dug right in. This picture was the final product of his birthday cake extravaganza!

Cooper enjoyed seeing what was hiding behind all the wrapping paper. He wasn't much interested in tearing the paper off though

Luckily this means we do not have to buy toys for a very long time.


Cooper also got some pretty snazzy swim trunks. They were just too cute with a little crab on the butt!! Can't wait to hit the pool again and put him in them!

On the move

Here is a quick video of Cooper walking. He found his legs this past week and is walking everywhere.

The Big One

It's hard to believe that just a year ago, we were blessed with our little boy. This weekend, Cooper celebrated his birthday in style. It started with a visit from Auntie Melanie. Cooper has enjoyed seeing Auntie Melanie and playing with her.
On Saturday we headed up to Tucson for some fun at the Gymboree class. His favorite part of the class was the plank he walked across. That's right...I said he walked!! At just a few days shy of a year, our little boy is a walker!! Now is when the run really starts! Cooper also had fun going up the slide. He wasn't much for sliding down, but he likes crawling up. I think we will be repeat Gymboree customers!
We finished the day with a trip the mall which Cooper found exhausting.
After much preparation, we were finally ready for the big pool party! Cooper almost missed his party though, due to a nap. But he made a grand entrance in his new red wagon.
We swam for a bit until Daddy grilled the burgers and spicy hot dogs. Cooper enjoyed a burger, some pasta salad, and fruit.
And then came the gifts. Good is a very lucky boy, receiving so many gifts. He enjoyed seeing all his new treasures
And then it came time for the cake. He started out a dainty eater. But by midway through the cake, he had both hands in the cake, scooping it out and shoving it into his mouth.
Due to a graphic nature, I am unable to show the final pictures of his cake experience...there was cake everywhere (nose, ears, eyelashes, etc). It made for some interesting shots
I think Coop had a pretty fantastic birthday. Thanks to all who sent gifts. We really appreciate it. Until next year!

A day of firsts

On 26 May, Cooper experienced a day of firsts. It started off with his first haircut at the salon in Wal-Mart. He was so good. He sat on mommy's lap the whole time and didn't fuss once. Coop liked watching the stylist’s necklace. He started getting a little restless towards the end, but the final product turned the little guy into a little man. It was amazing how much a haircut changed him. See for yourself...

Next Cooper went to the Fort Wayne Children’s zoo.

This was his first trip to the zoo as well as his first ride on a merry-go-round. He rode the tiger with his daddy right beside him. And enjoyed every minute of it.

But it was all just a little too much for Coop. He fell asleep before reaching the goats.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, we all went to Tongoes shoes (where Mommy got her first pair of shoes), to get Cooper’s first pair of shoes. He wasn’t sure what to make of the foreign objects on his feel and tried to get them off once he got into the car.

An eventful day to say the least. Then the next day, Cooper went to his very first (of many) baseball game.


It was a little more than we bargained for as the game endured an hour rain delay. All in all....it was a five hour game. And we can only assume that he loved every minute of it. Good times!


Stay tuned for more pics from Fort Fun!

Rub-a-dub-dub, Cooper in the tub

I just had to share these absolutely adorable pics of Cooper in the bathtub. Of course I am sure 15 years from now, he won't find them so adorable. But with a face like this how can you refuse!?Cooper continues to get more teeth. We suspect that he will have 8 teeth by the time we go to Indiana at the end of the month. Cooper can't wait to see Grandma and Grandpa in less than two weeks! I can't wait to see the little guy myself! It's only been a day and I miss my boys already.

Baby needs new shoes...

Today was another breakthrough moment for Cooper. We bought his first two pairs of shoes today. These won't be the shoes he will take his first steps in, we need to go to Tucson for that. But these shoes will provide enough support so Coop can take his Jeep for a spin outside with the other kids. I hit the garage sales last weekend on post and found a gently used walker which he absolutely loves. We have just the right about of carpet that he can move around without getting into too much. It is so handy when we are trying to do stuff in the kitchen.
Cooper is become so mobile! As you can see in the above picture we had to get a new Cooper-friendly coffee table. He loves it! It is padded leather that he can pull himself up easily. He is getting so good that he can now transfer from the sofa to the table. He is also a big fan of his Leap Frog Music table shown above. He likes making music and learning his ABCs.
Cooper now has two more teeth through. Normally babies get the top front ones next, but Coop got the ones on the outside of the front ones. But today we noticed that his front teeth are starting to make their way through. By the time we go to Indiana, Cooper might have 6 teeth! WOWZAS!
The plans are in motion for Cooper's 1st Birthday Pool Party Bash! We will use the pool within our housing addition to celebrate Coop's first birthday. It will be a baseball theme. I am looking forward to making baseball cupcakes! There will be plenty of things to do...swim, vollyball, shuffleboard, etc. For those of you interested in making it down, it will be on Saturday, July 18th starting at 11:00am. I can't wait! to prepare for the Pool Party, Cooper will take swim lessons starting in June. Should be lots of fun!

Cooper videos

So Coop has been doing some pretty amazing stuff lately. Well for a nine month old with first time parents they are amazing. He crawls, started to pull himself up on furniture, has got a thrid tooth in and loves to talk with his own language. Its so much fun to watch him try new things and learn about the world around him. Hard to believe he will be a year old in three months...

Easter Egg Hunt

Last Saturday, the mom's group I am in had an Easter Egg hunt at the Community Center in our housing addition. Cooper and Daddy enjoyed finding the eggs together. It was a perfect day to spend with friends and family. Cooper and Daddy found all ten eggs with ease. Then we enjoyed some good food and conversation before heading up to Tucson for the weekend.


We ventured up to Tucson in hopes of finding an Easter outfit for Coop as well as doing some other Coop shopping. I am actively searching for the perfect umbrella stroller. I think I've found it in the McLaren Sport. Now I just need to find it for the right price!



We stayed at the StarPass which was fantastic. Dinner wasn't exactly great with undercooked salmon, but the hotel is absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend it if you get out to the Tucson area!Cooper continues to develop. He is really getting the crawling thing down now as well as saying "Dada" He doesn't associate it yet with Mike, but there are a lot of dada's, gaga's and baba's coming out. He's growing up so fast!

A trip to the park

Last weekend, Cooper and I ventured to one of the local parks for a picnic with friends as well as a jaunt in the infant swings. He loved being outside and was especially fond of going on the swings.

However, with all that fresh air and excitement, he was bound to get tired. So he took a nap while Mommy hung out with a neighbor at the park, watching Justin play on the merry-go-round.

In other news, Cooper continues to grow like a weed. I recently took this picture as a comparison to the picture with Coop and his bobby when he was just days old. Check out how big he is now!!!
Cooper continues to grow and develop. He is ready to take off, getting more comfortable crawling on his hands and knees. He learned how to shake his head back and forth which is the cutest thing! This weekend we are going to an Easter party and he will be able to participate in his first Easter Egg Hunt! Should be fun! He still only has two bottom teeth, but is working hard to get the top ones out. I can vouch that he has quite the bite!

Coop's alseep

So I thought I'd take a few minutes to post a few new pics I took this weekend. Cooper is getting excited for baseball season and wanted to wear his baseball shirt to a birthday party on Saturday. He looked like such a little man with his polo and shorts. He had a good time watching the other kids play, as usual.Another milestone for the weekend is that Cooper's passport came. Now he can be an international traveler. If all goes well, we will be able to go to Italy in September. I have my fingers crossed!!I tried out the baby food maker from Christmas and made a very tasty mango and pear compote. I mixed it with a little cereal and Cooper ate it right up. So we'll have to start experimenting more and more with recipes. I just need to remember not to make so much. I currently have half an ice cube tray filled with pear and mango.Cooper continues to teeth and I imagine we should see a new crop of teeth coming through in the weeks ahead. He's been drooling more and wanting to chew on just about everything. Part of his fever this past week was attributed to teething, according to the doctor. He has a pretty firm bite already with just two teeth.
I know I still need to get Cooper's first Christmas posted. It might be Cooper's second Christmas by the time I get all the pics and text done. Who knows! Enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by!