For those checking in, it’s time for a little update. Thursday was Cooper’s six-week mark, and by all accounts he’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing.
First off, in the measurable areas, he’s up to 13lb 1oz, which is right on track for the 1oz/day gain we’re looking for. A length measurement is just a little trickier – we need to give it a try when he’s not so wiggly – but he’s probably at or a little past 24 inches.
And then there are the developmental milestones. I’m sure that nearly every parent gushes about how smart and ahead of the curve in some way or another, so I’ll apologize now if I sound predictably proud. But Cooper’s hitting all of his milestones… and then some.
Looking at the lists at WebMD, here’s where Coop’s at:
Cognitive
Here I’d say he’s right on track, in the 2-month group. He’s starting to understand that there’s a cause and effect to his behavior, although mostly it’s understanding that crying makes us respond. There’s subtle differences also in his body language and actual cries depending on what’s wrong (wants food/diaper/swaddle). He tracks objects well and often turns to look when people enter or leave a room. Different voices also seem to register with him pretty easily, especially new voices.
Social/language
Likewise, the 2-month description sums it up pretty well: “Coos, squeals, and gurgles; smiles responsively; shows emotions, like delight or distress; quiets self with thumb; holds eye contact; studies faces and vaguely mimics facial gestures; tracks moving persons.”
Of course, the emotions are still pretty binary right now – happy and content or fussing and crying – but they’re easy to recognize, and he knows we’re listening.
Physical
Here’s where the kid is impressing us most. From the start, we’ve noted that he’s STRONG. He’s not keen on doing tummy time, but when he does, he’s already able to push up and keep his head aloft. He also controls his head remarkably well when sitting upright, but he was able to lift his head almost from day one, so that’s not too much of a surprise.
The thing he’s most ahead of the curve on is leg strength. If he gets a solid surface beneath his feet, he instinctively pushes off. Holding him upright, arms under his arms, he will push himself to a standing position and stay there. Occasionally he will even attempt to ‘walk,’ stepping forward one leg after the other, which is amazing and terrifying all at once.
I’m going to bet this kid is standing and walking well before he’s supposed to.
I’ve already expressed my absolute love for Jon Klassen’s book “I Want My Hat Back.” Well, he has another title out now, and it appears to continue in the same hat-related theme.
I realize this is a somewhat belated post, but this past weekend was just tremendous, and exactly the sort of thing I should be posting about. Plus, this post has a secret. Read on.
On Friday morning Cooper had a visit from my parents (henceforth known as Grandma and Don Diego de la Vega, apparently). He’s probably too tiny to really comprehend who they are, but he likes for them to hold him, so it’s all good.
The day continued relatively uneventfully until evening, when Chris’ parents were supposed to come by and bring us some dinner. However, first to arrive was actually her brother David, surprising us by making it back from Grand Junction to join us for dinner.
Or so we thought.
The real surprise came a few seconds later when Chris’ realized that along with David were her niece Amelia and her sister Heather, freshly arrived from Austin! We’d been told that they ‘might’ make it out for Thanksgiving, but David conspired to have Cooper meet the rest of his family a little bit sooner. It was a really wonderful surprise and gift.
Sunday brought our final ‘shower,’ a really nice little party at Chris’ cousin’s house. Cooper got to meet all manner of new people, relatives and friends alike… although ‘meet’ might be a generous description. The car ride put him to sleep, he woke up for a quick feeding and then was right back out. Truly his father’s son. But it was still a really nice time, and in addition to a lot of congratulations and well-wishes, we were bolstered with 6-9 month size clothing, which no doubt he’ll be wearing in another few weeks.
We also got received a lovely gift from an old friend; a collection of photos of myself and my parents from when I was itty-bitty. While I maintain that I really don’t have any concrete memories of my childhood before about 5 years old, there’s an undeniable nostalgia in looking at these photos. Thank you, Roger.
And remember when I said this post had a secret? Well, here it is. That photo up there, the baby with the red balaclava on?
Not Cooper. Me.
Anyhow, after the party, Chris’ family came by to visit and relax until it was time for Heather and Amelia’s to head off for their flight. Amelia even got to hold Cooper for a while, which was remarkably sweet. It was really nice to see both of them – even though I really didn’t have much of a chance to visit with her, Amelia really seems to be growing into a very sharp and witty young lady. It’s a shame they live so far away (hint hint). In a few years she’d be such a wonderful babysitter…
All in all, a lovely weekend, and a few pictures to share. Probably some more, should any of the relatives send them along (nudge nudge).
