special bella

This is Bella, our "special" resident. We knew she was special from the first day that we picked her out in Denver a couple of years ago, but we discovered just how special she was last Saturday. 

That morning we installed a baby gate in between the family room and the living room to help keep the dogs out of the family room when Herb, Cindy and the dogs visit this weekend. Little did we know that Bella would be totally confused by the gate in front of her. For a little perspective, it took Lucy about 2-3 minutes to figure out her way around the gate. 

Determined to figure it out, Bella would sit on one side of the gate trying to push her head through the bars and wait for it to open. She wasn't just waiting for a few minutes, she would sit there and wait for us to walk through for 30 minutes to an hour. After hours and hours of trying to shove her face through the gate, we finally came to the conclusion that we were going to have to help her out. We tried a few different ways to teach her, but once we pulled out the kitty treats she panicked and figured it out within seconds.

At the final tally, it took Lucy less than 5 minutes and Bella about 6 hours! 

Swimming

It has been very hot here in Thousand Oaks the past few days.  It has been close to 90 degrees both days. Cooper got warm during stroller strides today that I had to strip him down to his diaper.  He loved it! He loves being naked in his diaper.

AJ went and bought a blow up swimming pool and we decided to put Cooper in it today.  He seemed to like it.  He was splashing and kicking in the water.  We haven't put him in the big kid pool yet in our community because we are waiting until we get Cooper's blood drawn again next week to see if his white blood counts have gone up.

 sticking out his tongue, his new favorite thing

 tummy time in the pool

6 months

A little late on posting, but a lot has been going on with us.

Cooper went in for his 6 month appointment on April 16th where he had his examination and received his shots.

Statistics:  The nurse was pleased with how he was growing.  His head continues to go up on the curve, but does not seem to be alarmed as it is inline with his height.
Height:  26.75 inches (65%)
Weight:  15 lbs 10 oz (20%)
Head Circumference:  17 5/8 inches (75%)

Sleeping Patterns: Cooper was sleeping fantastic in the beginning, but then took a turn and has been waking every 2-3 hours.  We are not sure what is causing this (either he is hungry, or is waking up in the night because of gas and he has difficulty putting himself back to sleep).  We are still working on napping.  He can usually nap for 45 minutes, but cannot go longer than that.  He is napping 3x/day.

Eating Habits: Cooper was started on solids.  He has tried:  sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, apples, zuchinni, peaches and carrots.  He gets about 1 tablespoon 1x/day.  He is still getting use to the idea of solid foods, and is not always interested in eating.  Bananas seem to be his favorite, but tend to make him constipated.

Accomplishments:  Goes into the BOB stroller for stroller strides and runs with mommy.  Has been able to roll front to back and back to front (but not very consistently).  Sits supported with Boppy.  Can now jump in Johnny jump up.

Discoveries: He has discovered his voice and talks to himself and his toys.  Continues to reach for his feet.  Likes putting his hands in the puree food and discovering the texture.  Cooper enjoys looking around at other people and smiling at them. He loves having bubbles blown on him.

Special Memories:  Celebrated his 1st Easter in Colorado with Grandma and Grandpa Adams, Uncle Chris and Corey and Auntie Karrington.  Went to our mommy and me classes where we sang songs and played with other babies.  Flew back to Denver in the beginning of April for the memorial service of our friend's dad who passed away from his long battle with cancer.

Cooper continues to be a fun and loving boy who challenges us as parents.  We enjoy seeing him grow and discover new things.  We love hearing him laugh and smile.  Some of his favorite songs include: the wheels on the bus, and if you are happy and you know it.  His daddy needs to learn more kids songs.

We cannot believe he is half way til his first birthday.  Guess it's time to get planning! :)

Sitting

Cooper is getting close to sitting independently.  He is able to sit with the boppy behind him to provide back and side support.  He can sit and play for about 30-45 minutes at a time with the boppy behind him.

Teething?

Cooper has been very cranky for the last few days.  He has been showing many signs of teething.  Drooling, frequent crying/ fussiness, decreased interest in eating solids and not able to sleep (he has been waking every 2-3 hours and has been unconsolable).

We had tried many things to make him feel better (tylenol, orajel, Sophie the Giraffe and rubbing our fingers over his gums).  Nothing seemed to help.  So we got a wash cloth wet for him to chew on.  He loved it and calmed down immediately.  Now if only he would get back to sleeping through the night and not waking up every 2-3 hours.  Mommy and Daddy are very tired.

Swinging

We went and bought cooper a swing for the backyard.  He liked the one that my mom had at her house in Colorado, so we figured it would be great to get a swing for our house.
We try to go out and swing a few times per day as Cooper loves being in the back yard.  It has been overcast and gloomy the past few days, so it hasn't been the best weather to swing. We can't wait to see the sunshine again.

Cooper visit the beach

On April 20, it was a very hot day in Thousand Oaks, so we decided it would be a great day to take Cooper to the beach in Malibu.  It was about 70 degrees in Malibu and perfect beach weather. We headed to paradise cove, which is a private beach that charges a fee to visit.  This is a very famous beach where many movies were filmed.  We had a great time at the beach and then ate lunch at the restaurant. 

Cooper dipped his feet in the ocean and the sand.  He seemed to enjoy it.  We can't wait to take him back again when he is a little older and spend longer there.