They Sure Keep You Busy...

If you're upset with me, take it up with the little man. But don't let his cuteness factor fool you. He fights dirty.

I am ready to face the music. My last post (three months ago, give or take a few days) promised to be a two-part, can't-miss event along the lines of a television series finale. And then we changed daycare providers, and then Cooper got sick, and then I had to go out of town, and then, and then, and then..........

Today I have re-committed myself to updating regularly. When I last wrote we were down to the wire in finding a new location for Cooper's childcare needs. Since that time we've moved (again), and are now on our third provider in five months. Needless to say we hope this one works out, and so far she has.

We're just over a week away from Cooper's odometer rolling over to ten months. When you talk with other parents they always say things like "the time goes by so fast, I can't believe how quickly they grow up, etc." And when you become a parent for the first time it finally hits home. He's growing like a weed, and we can't stop it.

If you saw him eat, you'd understand. The boy is a combination of the Tasmanian Devil, a Shop-Vac and a drunken college student. What I mean to say is he eats quickly, he eats everything, and he eats whatever he can get his hands on. Recently I commented on my Facebook page that he'd eaten a combination of baby food (chicken and rice), some cheese, a few Goldfish crackers, a handful of Cheerios, oatmeal cereal, and polished it off with a vanilla wafer.

As far as mobility the little man is fully capable of crawling, but doesn't feel the need to get moving. He's the baby equivalent of a pencil compass. If you went to elementary school in the 1980s (before they were considered a weapon) you probably remember these.

Imagine Cooper's pelvis is the stationary (green) piece of the compass. And his chest/arms are the pencil. When on his tummy, he can spin in either direction but refuses to get up and get going. But he will get up on his knees and rock forward and back, so the fuse is lit. He'll be crawling in no time, and that's when things really get interesting.

There is plenty of other material to discuss, and I'm going to be more diligent about updating those of you patient enough to stand by for updates.

Seven Months...Already

Would you mind watching our handsome little man? We're desperate!!!

Time sure does fly when you become a parent. It seems like yesterday I was shocked to hear the doctor tell Supermom her blood pressure was too high, and asking "are you ready to have this baby today?"

Cooper's odometer rolled seven months last Friday (March 5th). When I look back at all we've been through, all he's learned, and the new things he does on a daily basis it really is the "golden" time in his baby development. At least that's how the the parenting manual "What to Expect the First Year" describes this stage. While the experience may differ for many parents, I can't disagree that being the parent of a child at this stage is one of the most remarkable things I've ever witnessed.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for the little man he looks more and more like me every day. I did a little comparison of six-month photos, side-by-side, and the results are pretty overwhelming. See below.

The biggest stress for working parents is finding quality childcare. This process is torture, agony, and frustration all rolled into one giant ulcer. Supermom and I looked for weeks leading up to her return to the workforce. After an exhaustive search we finally found someone we liked; a stay-at-home mom, a military family with just a couple of other children and really close to our house. For a few weeks everything seemed to be going very well. Cooper was happy, I was able to drop in at lunch and spend a few minutes with the little man, and the other children weren't mauling him. All in all, two thumbs up.

That was until our childcare provider was offered a full-time job and decided it was time to go back to work. Less than six weeks after we thought we had found a great fit, we were looking once again. The State of Texas Child Protective Services has a website listing all certified and registered day cares, and this seemed like a good resource for the next search. And it is. Within a few days we were interviewing daycare providers, and Supermom found one a few blocks from our house. We scheduled a visit, and really liked the layout of her daycare (which was in her home). After visiting for a few minutes she told us another family had visited the night before, and paid a deposit for the only remaining space.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Back to the website, and many more options. Being the middle of the spring semester, most (but not all) daycares have no available space. But we found one that could take him, which meant another interview visit. Supermom didn't get a good "vibe" during our meeting, but we were a week from getting booted at daycare #1. What to do? Stay tuned.

A Long Time Coming

Last Friday (Feb. 5) was quite the milestone for Cooper as his odometer officially passed 6 months. It's staggering to think about all that has transpired since his birth, and how time has flown by in the few months he has been with us. It was only eight weeks ago that the little man was in the hospital for heart surgery, and the recovery is astonishing.

Based on his development since the procedure, you would never guess he had gone through a major procedure so recently. In no particular order he has rolled over (from tummy to back), started on solid foods (cereal and veggies), sleeps like a regular person (9-10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), recognizes the sound of our voice, has mastered the art of shoving things in his mouth, and discovered how much fun it is to play with his feet.

The only adjustment for Supermom and I was modifying how we picked him up. The doctors wanted to make sure his sternum was fully healed, and that meant "scooping" him under the back rather than under his arms. But the 6-8 week recovery window has come and gone, so we're back to tossing him around like a sack of taters.

Supermom had taken an extra three months off from work to make sure he was healthy before and after the surgery. Toward the end of January she went back to work, which meant we had to find a place for him to stay during the work week. Luckily we found a babysitter that is relatively close to the house, and he seems to have adjusted very well to the new environment. The best part is because my office is so close to the house, I can drop by to see him every day at lunch.

Cooper is also quite the ham. Supermom caught him laughing at Nana last month, and the video I've posted below is only a couple minutes of what turned out to be a five-minute laugh attack. Please enjoy.