Cooper Turns 1!

1 Year Ago

One year ago at 1:39 pm you came barreling into this world screaming as if someone had just taken away your favorite toy. I guess in all truthfulness someone had taken away your comfortable, warm, and safe home where you had lived, kicked, and elbowed me for 9 months. Granted, you did not kick and elbow me the ENTIRE 9 months, but trust me, I knew you were in there!

You had 10 toes and 10 fingers, a bruised face, and a working set of lungs (oh yes, we heard you!). Most new mothers cry, I know, but truthfully it was just the coolest feeling in the world to know that I had given birth to you. It was such a weird concept to think about until it was done. So yes, for the stories that will come, I will set them straight. I was so excited that I took the camera from Daddy, who was still in shock I’m sure, and started taking pictures of you. So instead of crying, I laughed and joked around just as I did during the preceding 12 hours of labor!

How would I have known that we were about to embark on probably the BEST learning experience so far in life? The lessons started out small at first; let the nurses take you at night if they offer so that I can get some sleep! GIVE A CHILD A PACIFIER, even if you ARE breastfeeding! It’s really okay if you set the baby down for a minute so that you can go to the bathroom. Swaddling only creates problems for the future! Wow, that first week was full of more tests than our freshman year of college. We soon found out though that there would be so many more tests, but also so many neat milestones to come.

I believe that the first 3 months were and are still a blur to me. I don’t remember if I ever made it to getting more than 4 hours of sleep at night! But then I learned about nursing in bed! Who would have known that that would end up saving my life for the next 2 months? So, without any hesitation, naps and bedtime were shared. If you napped, then I napped right next to you so that you could nurse. At night you would sleep in between Daddy and me, because quiet frankly I had NO energy or desire to hear you cry! On the nights that I couldn’t sleep with you in bed, you went to your swing where you slept SO well.

There were also GREAT things that you accomplished. You started sitting up on your own pretty early and you would smile SO much while Daddy and I did the CRAZIEST dances. You were GREAT at leaving some awesome presents for Daddy to receive once he got home from work. You enjoyed bath time so much and found your penis very quickly (Daddy was proud!). You also kept showing the doctors how much of an over-achiever you were by being in the 100th percentile (top of the class) on your weight. There was no denying that you knew how to eat. At 5 months old you weighed so much that the swing gave out. That meant that the sleep that we did get at night came to an end. You were just too heavy for the swing to continue swinging for 10 hours at night! Who knew? That is when Daddy and I became SMART parents and read a book! You started sleeping longer through the night, taking great naps during the day, and developing so quickly. You began rolling over, pulling up in your crib, and beginning to laugh at us.

Life just became easier at that point. Sure you were mobile, which meant that baby gates went up and you pointed out everything that we had forgotten to baby proof. And yes, your head found the fireplace a time or two, but you’ve learned (Way to go!). Sleep was no longer at a shortage in this house.

You showed us when you were 6 months old that you have a heart for animals. Tootsie (our front yard cat) puts up with so much fur pulling, tail yanking, and eye gauging. But she loves you still the same. You also saved the dogs from a life in the garage and backyard by laughing and playing with them. It is because of you that Bleu and Beagle both get to sleep and play in the kitchen/dining room, and they will forever be grateful.

You were never a great baby food eater. I just assumed that you wanted nothing else than me, which I loved and hated at the same time! But all it really took was feeding you our food. You really have made my life easier by this! I don’t have to worry about what could be in the baby food nor if I even have enough! I’m sure Gerber and Huggies both despise people like us! We just don’t give our money to them.

Today you are crawling at lights speed, climbing the stairs as if it is just another one of your toys, and watching me drive (I’m sure you’re already taking notes too) as you sit facing forward in your car seat now! You eat table food and drink whole milk (yippee for ME….you’ll be weaned soon!). You laugh and dance at silly songs. You think saying “Dada” in a raspy voice is cute, and it is! You eat cheerios like they are going out of style and prunes seem to be your favorite fruit (and so I feed them to you every weekend so that Daddy can change your diaper!). You give great hugs and open mouth, slobbery “kisses”. You wake up laughing in the morning as if God just told you the funniest joke around. You reach for us when we pick you up from the church nursery or the gym daycare. You stand up on your own like such a big boy and then plop back down on your bottom where you get up and try again. You follow us around from room to room wanting to know where we are at all times. Diaper changes will never be the same with you rolling and crawling everywhere. I’m convinced that one of these days Daddy will come home to a naked baby running around and I won’t have a care in the world!

You, our handsome, fun, and loving Son, have changed our lives forever. We wake up in the morning wondering what cool things you are going to do today. We laugh at the smallest things that you do that make you smile. We knew that on May 12, 2007 at 1:39pm our lives would never be the same; instead they are filled with joy, excitement, and love that we will never lose.

Here’s to you Cooper James Smith; Happy First Birthday!