1st Day of School

The boys both had their first days of school last week.  Cooper started preschool at Wooddale Church on Monday and Drew went to ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) on Tuesday.  Monday went really well.  Although on the way to school Cooper said he didn't really want to go the second we walked in the door he jumped right in playing with the other kids.  He seems to be enjoying himself and the teachers, Mrs. Cindy and Mrs. Lisa, both seem really great.  Whenever I ask him what he did at school he replies, "I played with cars."  According to the notes I get each day from the teachers he does a little bit more than that ; )
Drew and I will be going to ECFE together on Tuesday mornings while Cooper is at preschool.  We are together for the first half of class, then I go to another room that is still connected by an open door for the second half.  We have the same teachers as when Cooper and I did this class together when he was one, so it is really nice to be familiar with everyone.  Drew is struggling a bit with separating so this was a bit of a challenge.  Quite a few tears were shed while I was in the other room but Ms. Laurie gave him a lot of snuggles and found some new toys that kept is attention for a few long stretches.  It is a terrible feeling hearing the poor little guy crying but I am doing my best to stay in the other room with the other parents and our parent educator.  I know this is important for his social development and really hope he starts to adjust sooner rather than later.  Drew seems so much younger to me than Cooper did when he attended this class.  He isn't walking yet and doesn't have as many teeth which I think has something to do with it.  I love the picture of him sitting at the little tiny table in the little kiddie chairs, so cute!!  He loved looking around the table and seeing all of the other friends his size.

He is obsessed with walking along the furniture and has started standing completely on his own for a few seconds at a time.  His vocabulary is also starting to grow.  Just this weekend alone he said, "cool, Cooper, milk, echo, and more."  He has also become much more opinionated at meal time and will definitely let us know when he needs something.  I will take my best guess at what he wants and ask if he wants whatever it is I'm holding.  He often replies with a loud yes and a big enthusiastic head nod.  

Cooper has also started soccer through the YMCA.  We have two games under our belt and he seems to be enjoying it.  He had a lot of fun playing goalie but unfortunately forgot to quit using his hands once he was playing a new position.  I just bought him a new soccer ball today and he had a lot of fun practicing in the backyard with Jennon this afternoon.  We are continuing to enjoy perfect weather so have been putting in a lot of time on the swing set and bike rides with the burley.

End of Summer

We had a fun Labor Day weekend.  We have had an amazing, fun-filled summer, but I am honestly looking forward to fall and all that it will bring.  Cooper and Gavin had their last t-ball game on Thursday and were both thrilled to receive gold medals.  It was a fun season and we are looking forward to soccer starting soon.  We had fun at the Como Zoo on Saturday and wrapped up Monday with some quality time in the sprinkler.  Drew was in HEAVEN playing with the water as it sprayed out!  Drew also took his first burley ride!  The boys were a little fidgety with each other at first but once Jennon got moving they had a great time.  Cooper found it so relaxing he fell asleep!

Happy 1st Birthday Drew!

We have had a fun week celebrating Drew's first birthday.  We ended the celebrations today with an "Art Party," with family and friends.  Thank you so much to everyone who helped us celebrate.  Grandma Cyndie did an amazing job painting the kids faces, we did some finger painting outside and enjoyed playtime and a picnic lunch.  Drew seems to take after me and might not have much of a sweet tooth, he wasn't that into his birthday cake although he did like smearing it all over the place!

This year has gone so fast but at the same time when I look back at the pictures of Drew's birth it seems like forever ago!  He is growing into an amazing little boy and brings so much joy to our lives.  

A few Drew facts:

Favorite song: ABC's and Itsy Bitsy Spider

Favorite food: Cheese, toast and MEAT (seriously, this kid LOVES his chicken)

Favorite toy: usually whatever Cooper is playing with, lately he likes to take Cooper's car tracks apart

Much to my delight he is starting to take more of an interest in books

Loves to watch Gus out the window when we let him outside (they are great buddies)

He now weighs 22 lbs 15 oz - 53%

Height is 31 in - 85%

Head is 10 in - 93%

Funny little story, Jennon and the boys were in the toy room and Cooper accidentally bumped into Drew.  Drew started sobbing and Jennon said, "Drew, it wasn't that bad, you're fine."  Drew looked right at Jennon, stopped crying and gave him the biggest, cheesiest grin/smirk Jennon has every seen.  I think this little guy is going to keep us on our toys.

We love you so much Drew-bird, happy birthday buddy!!!

Crawling and 1st Haircut

As of two and half weeks ago Drew officially started crawling!  I am so happy he is on the move for the sake of his development but I must admit it was kind of nice knowing when I put him down somewhere he will be in the same spot when I come back ; )  Definitely not the case now!  I feel like he is so much happier and is loving his new found independence.  His favorite destinations seem to be the entertainment stand and the basement bathroom where Gus' food and water dish are.
He is adding to his vocabulary and has recently said, "Hi Nana," "Bye bye," and Nana swore he said, "happy," while the boys were singing Happy Birthday to Gumpa.
Pretty sure our poor little buddy is working on three new teeth about to pop through!  It might even be more but I wasn't able to get a very long look at his bottom teeth.  So far he has three teeth that have totally popped through.
Yesterday Coop and I took Drew to get his first haircut.  He had a bit of a Donald Trump do going on and the length was super long on the top and some random spots on the sides.  I do love the curls and think we will continue to grow his hair out, but wanted to even things out a bit.  Drew was stone cold serious the entire time Rosio was cutting his hair.  His right eye was a little irritated but for the most part he did a great job sitting still.  I think he looks very handsome with his new look ; )

We had a little celebration at our house today.  Knock on wood Cooper is officially done sucking his thumb!  He was able to pick out a toy from Target for doing such a great job with this difficult task and he selected some sort of Star Wars ship.  Then off to the library where he selected two Star Wars books to bring home, I think I see a pattern ;)

Drew is 11 months and William turns 1!

Other than Drewbird, Drew has taken on a new nickname. Bam Bam. Any time the little guy gets something in his cute little hands he just starts pounding it on the floor. Bats, spoons, puzzles, you name it, he loves to bang it on the whatever is in front of him. Maybe we have a future drummer on our hands!
Not yet crawling but getting SO CLOSE! He scoots back in reverse and often does a kind of army crawl pivot. He seems very frustrated by his inability to go forward, so we are hoping for his sake he soon figures it out so he can cruise around to his hearts content.
He is really close to two more teeth popping through bringing him up to a whopping 4 ; ) The top left and the incisor next to it should be fully through any day now.
He is adding to his vocabulary and his new favorite word is, "Hi." It is often accompanied with an adorable smile and head tilt to the side, quite a charmer with the ladies ;) He also says, "Gu," when he sees Gus.
We have also made some HUGE progress in the sleep department. I take full responsibility for Drewbird not yet sleeping through the night, I know I have needed to just let him cry it out but just haven't been able to follow through. Awhile back we started giving him a bottle of formula at night to try and tide him over longer, well the other day for various reasons he ended up having 3 bottles of formula and the little monkey slept through the night for the 2nd time in his entire life! Of course the 1st time I was out of town. Wanting to do all we could to repeat this behavior we tried to have a very similar routine the following day, and he slept until 5! I'll take it! The picture of Drew in his highchair is him clapping after his first full nights sleep. So, needless to say, he has continued to have more formula bottles and I think he will soon be done nursing completely. I just can't believe next month we will be celebrating his 1st birthday!

Speaking of 1st birthdays, cousin William just turned 1! The Chupp's have spent most of July in MN and we have had so much fun spending time with them. The other day William was nice enough to share his train set with Cooper. Cooper was building the tracks and William came over and started taking them apart. In a high sweet voice Cooper started to say, "No no William! No no William! No no William!" Then turns and looks right at Auntie and says, "William wants to go to bed." The boys have loved wrestling with William, playing in the tent and splashing in the water table. So happy it won't be too long between visits!

Batter Up!

Cooper had his first t-ball game tonight. Seriously, doesn't get much cuter! He is on the Cubs with Gavin, and they were just adorable together. They started off playing catch together and every time they were about to throw it they would say, "Are you in ready position?" It was a pretty hot night and I don't think Cooper is really used to sweating that much. He came running off to the side for some water and said, "Daddy, I'm sweating!" Jennon reminded him that Joe Mauer sweats too which seemed to make him feel a little better. Everyones favorite seemed to be batting and running the bases. The boys were thrilled to see that the Coach brought popsicles for the end of the game. I think he is on a great team with a sweet group of kids. Drew had so much fun cheering everyone on, he was such a trooper given the heat.
I just realized I never did a post for Cooper's 3 year check up. Everything went well and he had a vision and hearing test for the first time. He came running back in to the room and said, "Mommy, I have the best eyes and the best ears!" The nurse was very impressed with his ability to follow the directions. He has grown almost 4 inches in the last year and gained 5 pounds.
Height is 3 ft 3 in - 93% Weight is 37.6 lbs - 93%
A few of Cooper's favorite things:
To eat-grilled cheese sandwich
To play-race cars or read books
Favorite thing to drink-milk
Favorite thing at the park-the slides
Favorite book-Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site
Loves to dance, listen to music, and make his little brother laugh ; )

Cooper's Beach Bash!

Big thanks to our friends and family who helped us celebrate Cooper's birthday today at the beach. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Fun-filled day of swimming in the water and playing in the sand. We are so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives, thank you for sharing this special day with us!