Boo at the Zoo!

On Saturday we went to Boo at the Zoo with Clint, Hillary, Evan, Nora, Kendall, Me-mom, and Myia. This is an event where the kids all dress up in their Halloween costumes and walk around and look at the animals.

I'm not real sure why, but I have this infatuation with the zoo. I don't really know where this came from because, as my mom said yesterday, "we never went to the zoo when y'all were little." I hope that Cooper enjoys it as much as I do. I can do without the monkeys and the reptiles and birds, but I LOVE the big cats. (Amanda hates that I take pictures of these things.)

We walked around and pushed the kids (the twins stroller is HUGE) for about 4 hours in an effort to see as much as possible. We really had a great time and, even though Cooper didn't act like he was having too much of a good time, I think he did. 

It was a lot of fun to see the animals and listen to Evan talk about all of them. I think his favorite thing was the tigers, but he got a big kick out of it all. Cooper didn't go to the zoo and learn nothing. In fact, he learned that he likes Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (Thank you Uncle Clint and Aunt Hillary!)

Cooper dressed as a little Monster.

Cooper's First Ear Infection

Coop has an ear infection. It doesn't really seem to bother him as he really only tugs at his ear in his sleep. His medicine, which he has grown more fond of, smells rather interesting. Initially Cooper did not like it and he ended up getting more on me than he did in his mouth, As the week has gone on, he has gotten to where he takes it much better. Hopefully this goes away pretty quick and we don't have a recurring thing.

First Family Road Trip

Amanda, Cooper, and I loaded up and went to San Antonio last weekend. It was a little bit of a bittersweet trip. We went to accomplish two things. First, we were going to support our friends in their time of loss. Second, we were taking Cooper to visit Aunt B and Uncle Paul. They had not gotten the opportunity to meet Cooper yet so we saw this a good opportunity.

 On Friday, Paul kept Cooper while Amanda and I attended the funeral. They had a lot of fun while Amanda and I sat through one of the toughest things we have had to sit through. On Saturday we were able to spend time together as a family. That afternoon Amanda and I went to see a movie while Aunt B and Paul kept Coop. When we got home, Cooper had begun to crawl. It's not really a "true" crawl, it's more of an "army" crawl type thing, but Cooper can move on his own now.

On Sunday we went to the outlet malls in San Marcos. We spent most of the day shopping and then met up with Allison, Nathaniel, and Gabriel at California Pizza Kitchen. After eating a little too much, it was back home to start a new week.

I'm having trouble coming up with a title for this blog. I have a lot on my mind and really just don't know what to call it. It's funny how having a kid becomes such a part of who and what you are. Amanda and I are both very aware of that as we sit in bed on this night. We found out earlier today that a very good childhood friend of mine lost their 5 month old baby today.

 I don't want to say that Cooper is sometimes taken for granted. He very much is not. I will admit that you become very accustom to having him around though. We had a conversation the other night about remembering "life before Cooper" and how anti-climatic it was. To think of being forced to endure what our friends are right now is really very scary. I remember being in the emergency room with Coop and feeling completely helpless as I held this little boy who was just so small. I remember having to be the rock for Amanda and how difficult that was since all I really wanted to do was break down myself. The thought of those feelings being prolonged is just so difficult to comprehend.

I'm definitely not the most religious person in the world, but I do believe that God has a plan, and even though we may not agree with it or understand it, it does all work out in the end. I firmly believe that going through what we went through with Cooper brought the three of us so much closer and made Amanda and I both so much more aware of how special this gift was.

Our hearts are breaking tonight for our friends. I honestly can not imagine being in their shoes and dealing with the feelings that they are feeling. I am reminded of the poem "Footprints" that my great-grandmother used to have in her house that she gave to Hillary. I pray that God carries them at this very difficult time in their lives.

New Foods and New Tricks

Cooper is getting bigger daily. It is amazing how quickly kids grow. It seems like you go to sleep one night and wake up the next morning and you almost don't recognize him he's grown so much. Amanda and I were talking the other night and she asked a question that I really hadn't thought of. She asked, "Do you really remember what life was like before Cooper?" The funny thing is, it seems like so long ago even though it was just 6 months. I know that it wasn't nearly as much fun.

Cooper has started eating REAL food. We are slowly weening him off of formula. Did you hear that? (That was our bank account cheering!) We have given him rice cereal and are now beginning to introduce vegetables. (We started with carrots.) It's sloppy, it's entertaining, and it's fun. To watch his face, or to watch him try to work the spoon himself, or to see how big a mess he can make is priceless.

Along with new foods have come new tricks. It pains Cooper that he cannot go from laying down to sitting up on his own. In fact, every time we lay him down, he immediately begins to try to sit up. The good news is now when we sit him up, he is able to maintain himself. He's not always great at it, but for the most part he is able to stay in that position for long periods of time.

We really think that Cooper is going to be crawling soon. He can currently get up on his knees or get up on his hands. He just hasn't figured out how to do both at the same time. As soon as he does that, he's going to be off to the races. It is kind of scary because he is so aware of his surroundings. When he can move himself across the room, there is no telling what he is going to be into.

Cooper's First Homecoming

Cooper got to experience his very first homecoming on September 23. The daycare had a pep rally that the cheerleaders from Frank Seale and Walnut Grove Middle Schools participated in. Amanda, Mom, and Hillary were all able to go over there and hang out with Evan and Cooper. Cooper genuinely loved it and the mascots.

We were on an early release schedule to accommodate the parade from the High School to the Stadium. It isn't quite the same as when I was a kid and the whole town shut down, but it is still quite an experience. (It will be interesting to see how events like this are affected when we open the second high school.) Cooper and I rode on the Frank Seale Cross Country float with Amanda. It was a little warm, but Cooper had a good time.