Trick or Treat

We sat in our driveway and handed out candy, while Cooper played in the Exersaucer.

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It wasn't very busy at all. I think I ate more candy than I handed out. I was getting sick from eating it.

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I don't know why we even buy him toys at this point. He can be easily entertained by anything - some newspaper, a straw, daddy's watch, ginsu knives, or in this case a bag of candy.

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Cooper likes looking at this little mirror on the Exersaucer. He gets right up on it for a few seconds and then he pulls his head back and then he repeats the process a dozen or so times.

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This would have been a classic picture if Mommy hadn't blinked. Oh, maybe it will be anyways.

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From the kids say the darnedest things file: One kid came up tonight and I gave him some candy. He told me that his bag was almost full, so I said "Well, then you gotta go home and empty it and then come back out and get some more." He looked at me kind of funny (a little angrily even) and said "No! I'm going to eat it!"

Well okay, you do that then. He put me in my place.

Daddy's Little Pumpkin

Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of photos of Cooper in his first Halloween costume.

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He didn't stay in his costume too long, because he got hot at the party.

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Mommy went to the party as an Ohio State fan, so....

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Daddy went as a Michigan fan (a reversal of roles). It was kind of scary. I got some funny looks from people when we went to eat dinner. I had to explain to one guy that it was my costume and I am actually a Buckeyes fan.

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Knocked out at the party.

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Cooper got up today and we sweated out the Bengals victory over the Packers.

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Ohio State 45, Minnesota 24

I had a few pictures I wanted to post. I like this one with his penguin hat. It's a little too big for him and he doesn't like wearing hats yet.

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We had to get up early this morning to go bowling, because we have a Halloween party to go to tonight. Pics in costume will be forthcoming. Daddy found the scariest costume he could find for himself. I know at least one person who will be shocked by my outfit.

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Asleep on the way to the bowling alley this morning.

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I found some software that does some sophisticated algorithms and calculations to create a picture of what someone may look like in the future. Here's Cooper in about 35 years.

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I know Coop. It's wrong to make fun of a defenseless infant, but I'm sure someday (perhaps even soon) you will break something very expensive and we'll be able to call it even.

Testing, Testing. 1. 2. 3.

Is it teasing to put the camera on the floor so that Cooper notices it and then pull it slowly away from him to see how far he will crawl after it? I don't think so. Mommy calls it teasing, while I call it testing. I just wanna know how far the boy will go. So far he's gone about 5 to 6 feet before getting frustrated. I thought it was sort of funny when he cried, so maybe it really was teasing.

Cooper loves the ladies and the ladies love the Cooper (Cooper already knew this, of course). We were at Panera tonight for dinner. Mommy gave him a bottle so she had to sit outward from the booth. Cooper kept leaning over to see the girls in the booth next to us. He was quite taken with them.

When is the proper time to de-binkify a baby? I just wondered. I suppose it could cause permanent psychological damage if we waited too long. Of course, we will probably sleep well at night either way.

Jusspress is back up, though I can't upload new photos yet. Just in case you missed them, be sure to check out the photos from this post.

The customary nightly photos of our little dude.

A Little Fatherly Advice

Cooper,

The wind hit me today and it brought with it a memory from a time that seemed just like yesterday. I blinked and five years had passed or maybe it was ten. I don't know anymore. Time seems to move faster when you hit a certain age.

This memory got me to thinking as I am oft to do. I thought about all the things I used to want but never got. Unanswered prayers. These were all those things I had regretted, my failures stored in the back of my psyche. Sometimes a person can feel like they never get to choose; you might always feel like you get your second choice or even feel like everything is given to you. You never win the big game or slay the dragon or save the princess or get the job you really want. You take what you can get and maybe it doesn't seem like that much to you.

Now... Looking back...How wrong could I have been? Had I succeeded more often in getting what I wanted what would I have for it? I don't know, but I can't imagine having lived a life without all of the twists and turns that led me to be your father. I can't imagine my world without you. So many things had to go a certain way for you to happen. A choice here or a choice there and you're not here. I look back now and I see how all of the doors opened in just a certain, perfect way as if the moon, the stars, and the sun were all perfectly aligned. I couldn't have known why at the time. It's fate.

Some advice for you little man: Don't suffer from the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence. Don't spend too much time wondering what could've been. There's a short game and a long game. It's good to win the short game, but it's much more satisfying if you win the long game. Remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. So many things I thought important once were just small beer.

If I have truly failed at anything in life, it was in knowing what I really wanted. Ah... but I am sure now that I have succeeded.

Love,

Dad

Slipped Disc

Tues Evening
Originally uploaded by mcandou.

Cooper,

Your mother carried you for 9 months and went through the merciless pain of childbirth to bring you into this world. You should always remember the sacrifices she made for you and how much she loves you. You should especially remember these things whenever you are angry at her.

I carried you the other day and for my efforts I received an extremely painful slipped disc in my lower back. I also want you to remember that and feel very guilty. I'm sure you can expect me to guilt you with this fact for many, many years to come. It hurts a lot. A whole lot. Even with the musle relaxers and prescription strength Advil, it still hurts.

Love,

Dad

7 Months

Cooper turned 7 months old today and Mommy forgot. Daddy forgot too, but he remembered before Mommy, so Coop remember that your Daddy loves you just a little bit more than your Mommy. Just kiddin'.

We're wrapping up our deal to purchase a new house in the Commonwealth of Kentucky (Kentucky's not even a state), so we got home late this evening. I've also made it my goal to get to bed before 10 every night, but it's almost 10 already, so I going to miss that goal. I'll keep things short, though.

The dog is in big trouble. He tore apart a poopy diaper that we had left on the coffee table. Gross! I rubbed his nose in it and chased him around with it all the while telling him what a bad dog he is. Safe to say I won't let him lick me for a few days. I feel like the whole place needs to be disinfected.

Cooper's crawling, kind of. More like slithering, but it's definitely forward motion, so we'll give him credit. He's also very talkative at times and he has this new grunting thing that he does. He used to grunt just when it was time to fill his diaper, but this is something a little different. He grunts and clenches his fists just because he can, I guess.

With Mommy when we got home a little bit ago.

Cooper w Mommy this evening, originally uploaded by mcandou.

Cooper's new jacket. He also has a new toy, the newspaper. It can entertain him for hours and it's recyclable. That's right... Were saving the environment one toy at a time. I have become a manic recycler. Did you know that recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a television for about 3 hours? I figure in my lifetime I could've recycled enough cans to keep Las Vegas going for about a week. I implore everyone to do what they can to recycle.

New Jacket On A Cold October Morning
Originally uploaded by mcandou.

I dropped the camera and it took this shot. I kind of like it.

I dropped the camera and it took this shot
Originally uploaded by mcandou.

Flickr Photos

Just posting some photos tonight so Grandma Stella will be happy. My back is a little bit better. I went bowling last night and bowled better than everybody on our team. I was very stiff this morning, plus I had to get up with Cooper, because Sunday is my day to get up with him. I'm sure if Coop could speak, then he would know a few new words.

w mom, originally uploaded by mcandou.

toy box
Originally uploaded by mcandou.


sun eve
Originally uploaded by mcandou.


swinger
Originally uploaded by mcandou.

Pain

Somewhere, someway, somehow I wrenched my lower back. It was I believe a delayed muscular reaction, because when it started to hurt I was not doing anything that should have caused me pain. I think that lifting Cooper and his carseat is the most likely cause. He's too big for me to lift him in that thing.

I was barely able to walk last night. It's a real tightening of the lower back muscle, once I get going it loosens up and I'm a lot better. Still it was very difficult getting out of bed this morning.

I know... Bend at the knees.

Jusspress down

Well, I got this email today, so I guess I will have to post some pictures using Flickr. They better have some great improvements soon. It seems like they're down for upgrades every other week.

Hello,

As you may have noticed JussPress is down at the moment. Don't worry, all your photos and videos are safe. JussPress will be down until early next week due to server upgrades. We are upgrading are server to a number of new servers that will be faster and more reliable. Unfortunately we need to take JussPress down for a few days to transfer all the data. Please bare with us, we have a number of great improvements coming soon.

Thanks,
JussPress

?

So how do I keep the kid from playing with the dog's toys and the dog from playing with the kid's toys?

Nothing To See Here

I hate when the pictures are down. Not much to post tonight, but I'm home tomorrow taking care of Cooper, so maybe I'll blog more then. Hopefully the pictures will be back up by then.

I Was Here

Cooper is almost crawling. He's getting his arms extended straight down and his hiney in the air like he just doesn't care. His only movement at this point is a slight backwards. I'm thinking it may be just days before we see a full crawl. Oh joy. Everything off the floor now! Cover the electrical outlets. Damn the torpedos! This kid is going to be dangerous.

Something very special happened last night. Cooper slept through the entire night in his crib. This just does not happen. Only once before has The Boy Wonder made it throught the entire night. This just does not happen.

The time he arrives in our bed can vary from 11:30 to 4:30. It's generally a matter of how tired we are. If he wakes me at 2:36 and I'm dead exhausted, I'm picking him up and bringing him into our bed. It's just so much easier that way. If I'm rested and have the time to spare, I'll try to calm him down.

I was very surprised to open my eyes at 5 AM and not have him by my side. It was nice, but I kind of missed seeing him there.

I didn't get any pictures tonight until almost 8 because we were out, but then in only a few minutes I had amassed nearly 50 shots. That's just the way things flow sometimes. Some nights a few opportunities arise for a good picture, while others like tonight there was only one but I feel like tonight was a very good picture taking night.

I was lucky to capture this special moment. It was there and gone in just a couple of seconds.

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Then there's another good moment that rolls around and you hope you just don't miss it.

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And then another.

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And another.

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I lived today. I will say that.

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And I am grateful for it. Blessed am I to have seen it.

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He's really trying hard. It takes every bit of his effort to do just the little bit that he can, but he only keeps trying harder. Watching him for just a few minutes you can see he wants to do it. He's almost the epitome of the "The Little Engine That Could".

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He notices the little things now, like the smallest piece of lint. He focuses in on it. He tries to grab it. He wants to know what it is, or perhaps eat it.

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Pictures!

It's been awhile since I got off my butt to post some pictures of the young lad. Daddy was getting a little lazy. I can't keep disappointing the masses (aka Grandma Stella and Aunt Kelly) Here goes.

Wide eyed on Friday evening.

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Napping with Mommy.

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Passed out in his swing on Saturday.

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Almost game time on Sunday.

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Knocked out during NCIS.

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On the car ride to the baby sitter's this morning.

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Monday breakfast at Bob Evans.

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Trying to climb up my leg.

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Daddy's New New Rule

When monkey noises don't work: Give the television remote to the kid.

So why does the dog have to puke on the carpet when my boss calls to tell me that they're having major system problems and poor Cooper is pitching a "I need to be held" fit?

Daddy's New Rule

When all else fails to calm a screaming/crying/fussy baby: Make monkey noises. Lots of them.

Light blogging

I took a vacation day because Micole is off today. The camera is in the diaper bag and the diaper bag is in the car and the car is in Kentucky, because Micole had to do some lab work. So no pictures until later.

Only one thing to blog right now: Cooper pulled himself up this morning using the coffee table. He's been working at it for a week or so, but he's only been able to get about half way up, before losing his grip. It was a surprise, because just before he did it he tried one time and failed. I was thinking I'll put that in the blog tonight, but then he had to go and do it for real. It seems like that is how it usually works. Just when I'm ready to say he's almost doing something, he goes and does it. When he first rolled over, I was in the process of blogging about how close he was to rolling over and then he did it, and then again, and then again... Things move so fast.

So yes, he's done it, but I'm not sure if his brain quite comprehends the concept of holding on. He pulled himself up and then two seconds later he fell down, crying. We might have scared him though. We were so excited and it may have lead to his letting go. He didn't cry long.

Professional Photos

My drawing of Micole just a little bit ago. Poor girl.


A few of our pictures from our recent trip to the JCPenney's photo studio. I wish we could've got one with him smiling.

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A couple of good photos from this evening. I don't have much to say tonight. Only one thing to note for posterity's sake: Cooper tried to pull himself using our coffee table. The difficult thing for him is getting a good grip on the table. Otherwise, I think he'd be able to do it.

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