Cooper Can Do

I know that I haven't been the best blogger and I'm about to tell you why. Well, at least each half of the reason why. The first and foremost half is that I am lazy and a skilled procrastinator. Self proclaimed. The second half is that quite frankly, it is hard to blog about what isn't happening. You may have picked up on some of my little jokes about Cooper's development or, at times, lack thereof. While I make no bones about the fact that Cooper is quite possibly the happiest, most loving, and most adorable little guy on this planet, it is a little harder to own up that your child is . . . let's just say it . . . behind. It's something that Peter and I have watched very closely from the beginning, sometimes a little too obsessively. Now that there are books that track milestones by days, weeks, and months parents have become competitive and often base their self-worth in parenting on whether their child smiles, turns over, crawls, walks and talks before the other babies. While Peter and I have watched our friends kids move forward in giant leaps, we find ourselves making excuses and yes, occasionally stretching the truth, about Cooper's progress. And as for the mother guilt (and every mother knows exactly what I am talking about) - we won't even go there.

So moving on - Peter and I have talked to our pediatricians both in the US and here about our concerns. Our pediatrician here noted our worries and said that at Cooper's 2 year check-up he would closely examine Cooper's development and see what if anything needed to be done. Now, I am putting aside for a moment my absolute disbelief that my little munchkin is nearly 2!!!!! We'll cover that next week. At this 2 year check-up appointment they ask all sorts of questions - Can he dress himself? Can he say at least 20 words? Can he say small phrases of 3-4 words together? Can he point to parts of the body and name them? Can he stand on one foot? Can he follow short commands without hand gestures? - No, No, No, No, No, No. The verdict - definitely behind. The doctor told us that we would go through a small battery of hearing and eye tests, which both turned out fine as I expected. Then we are to go to what is called a Fruehfoerderstelle (that's a long word) which is a therapy center that does speech therapy and works on motor development and occupational therapy for kids. We had our first appointment on Tuesday where the therapist talked with Peter and I about what we see at home while Cooper played around us. Next week she will attempt to perform some diagnostic tests, but was honest to tell us that she wasn't sure that he was even ready for those, and if that is the case therapy would have to wait. I am happy to finally have some action on what we have known has been an issue for quite some time and hope that we won't have to wait any longer to start working on it and getting some help.

It is hard sometimes not to focus on what all Cooper DOESN'T do as opposed to what he DOES do. But he sure does make me smile every time I look at him. He is still the happy and healthy guy that he always is. He has learned a few new things which we are always excited about, but in the back of our minds we always have the feeling that it isn't what it should be. At 2 years, I still have never heard mama or mommy except by accident. I so can't wait for the day that he looks at me and calls "mommy".

So, in my attempt to focus for now on what he CAN do, I have created the following list entitled:

Cooper CAN DO!

1. When changing Cooper's diaper I can give him a wipe and he will attempt to wipe himself and then try to put on his own diaper.

2. He knows what a plug is and often tries to put the plug in the outlet (a slightly dangerous skill, but shows comprehension!).

3. He likes to crawl under our bed and turn off the power surge protector which means that we have to crawl under the bed each night and turn it back on to be able to use the lamps and then reset the clock . . . every night.

4. Cooper opens and closes every cabinet, door, and drawer imaginable. Even those that other kids would never notice such as pocket doors. This includes the refrigerator door.

5. And while we are on this topic, he loves to close all the doors to our wardrobe as well as his in his room. He has learned to recognize that when the door won't close something is in the way and then he moves it.

6. He also likes to put things away so that things are "in their place". His place may not coincide with our place, so our sock drawer currently holds a big red wrench, his toothpaste, the key to my jewelry box (which he locked himself), and his little snugly blanket.

7. He can climb stairs with expertise (which is a necessary skill in a house with 45 steps total).

8. He loves the vacuum cleaner and knows how to open the hatch to access the attachments.

9. He loves to climb and can get in pretty much any chair or sofa on his own. He even knows what a rocking chair is, and likes to rock himself.

10. My little man knows how to work his CD player in his room. He can turn it on, press play, skip between songs, and turn the volume up.

11. When I say, "time to brush your teeth", he climbs on his little step stool at the sink and lets me brush his teeth and then knows that afterwards it is his turn to brush his own teeth. When I am not looking, he sometimes grabs our electric toothbrush.

12. At the moment he wants to eat most things off a fork. He hasn't learned to jab his own food with accuracy yet, but he tries. He can hold the fork himself and bite the food off.

13. Cooper likes to play with those little rings that slide over a post. His is wooden and the holes on the rings are really small, so you have to get it just right. He is really good at this.

14. For a while now, Cooper checks his own temperature with the electric ear thermometer. He turns it on and sticks it in his ear. After the beep, he takes it out and looks at the display.

15. Since we went to the ear doctor 2 weeks ago for a hearing test (which he screamed through), he gives himself hearing tests at home as well. If he finds a certain computer cable of Peter's (which always seem to be laying around our house) which looks a little like the ear probe at the doctor's, he sits still and puts it in his ear, then waits a few seconds and takes it out.

16. He can instantly locate the Pringles potato chip can or the bag of gummy bears or the M&M's from the pantry. I have NO idea where he learned this, but it CERTAINLY was NOT from me!

17. He has learned to unzip his pajamas.

18. When I get him out of bed in the morning (always smiling of course), he puts his arms around my neck and gives me the tightest hug.

19. My new personal favorite: He has learned to give a kiss on the lips.

That is all for now. And in case you had any doubts about who the cutest little boy in the world is, let me just remind you.