Lem'me do it...just...lem'me do it!

So this evening Kelly had a planned evening out with some of her lady friends. Cooper and I had the evening to spend with each other and it started out with dinner. This evening I made BBQ chicken with a homemade marinade, some corn-on-the-cob and some zucchini. We try to feed Cooper everything we eat.

Recently it has been the routine for us to feed Cooper with a fork or spoon. This evening, however, he started to resist me feeding him. He was reaching out for the fork, so I let him grab it. I was surprised to watch him hold the fork by the handle and place the food in his mouth, like a pro. He still had a difficult time placing the fork back into my hand in a proper fashion. Actually, he just threw it on the ground. I know I only encouraged it by laughing, but I couldn't help it. Below are some photos.

11 Months Old!

On Saturday Cooper turned 11 months old! We find it hard to believe he has grown up so fast. He has brought joy and much happiness to our lives. He keeps us so busy we wonder what we did before we had Cooper.

New Abilities:
crawling
pulling himself up to a standing position while holding onto furniture
go from lying on his stomach to a sitting position
singing
throwing
waiving
initiating a game of peek-a-boo
sleeping through the night
luring mom and dad into his room by throwing the pacifier out of his crib then crying

Likes:
eating everything mom and dad eat
playing with laptop computers (he doesn't like his toy one as much as mom and dad's)
being walked around especially up and down steps
playing with water bottles with ice water inside
being outside
playing rough with daddy
any kind of electrical cords
opening and closing things; lids, doors, cabinets
singing and dancing to music



One of Cooper's new favorite toys. It has to be filled with water and open or he'll cry.

Dislikes:
plain rice
avocado
taking naps at home
being cleaned off after eating
waiting for the next bite while eating (mom and dad are a little slow)


Here is Cooper not taking a nap. This becomes a weekend routine.

Mobile Cooper

On Wednesday September 2, 2009 Cooper began crawling for the first time. We were very surprised how instantaneously it all happened. So far, he's not too hard to keep up with. However, his preferred method of travel is still having mom or dad walk him around.

Fun at the Fair

We took Cooper to the Weber County Fair this year. He loved looking at all the animals. He even got to eat some fair food, yum!


Cooper wasn't sure what to think of this goat. A little too close for him.


This cow is bigger than Cooper!


The goat was fun to pet.


Daddy and Cooper looking at the horses.


What a cute boy in his stroller!

A Visit with Grammy Rachel

During my summer vacation my mom was able to come for a visit.


She brought Cooper a Thomas the Train book. His favorite thing was to push the horn. Too bad there is no off switch.


The weather was beautiful so we played outside almost everyday.


Cooper's other favorite toy is his keyboard. He loves to shake the cord and try to eat the end. Cooper is fast, but not as fast as mom and dad.


One day we went hiking at the Ogden Nature Center. It was a little hot that day. I think we were the only people there. Cooper enjoyed riding around on daddy.


He had so much fun that he wore himself out. He decided to take a short nap.


Another one of Cooper's favorite things to do. Rip magazines. Luckily dad said "this one's online".


Aunt Olga and Uncle Craig came down for a weekend to visit. All Cooper wanted to do was walk around. Luckily they were nice enough to oblige.




Pretty risky eating Cooper's toes. He inherited the "Sandstrom" gene, oh no!


Cooper is gagging himself as Gammy Rachel feeds him banana.


Cooper loves taking baths.


Our new family photo. Cooper and daddy always seem to make the same faces.

We had a really fun visit with Grammy Rachel and can't wait to see her again in October for Cooper's birthday.

Uh Oh!!! A New Twist to Napping...

Well, just when we thought Cooper had finally accepted his fate of taking two naps a day, he has decided to protest in a new way. Prior to today, at naptime, we would lay Cooper in the crib and he would either scream in protest (primarily due to poor timing on our part), or go right to sleep. Sometimes, after yelling for a bit, he would go to sleep. However, his new method is a bit more complex than a mere cry. He has discovered how to move from a laying position to sitting. Once sitting up, I fear a nap is out of the question...

Lovell Sisters Concert

Tonight we went to a bluegrass concert at the Ogden Nature Center. We had a blast. Cooper even enjoyed the music. He clapped, and danced, and even cheered. We are so lucky to have such a good baby!! The Lovell Sisters were awesome! Wow! What talented musicians they are. And I can't believe that out of the 3 of them the oldest is only 23! Here are a few pictures and a video taken at the concert.


What a beautiful night it was!


Daddy and Cooper clapping!


The people were fun to watch too.


Now it's time for a baba.