Cooper CAN Do - Part II

First off, a little eye candy for you of my two favorite men in one of my new favorite pics. This is from a hike we went on a little while back.

And this, with our neighbor's cat.

Lately I have been frustrated with Cooper's therapy situation and overall progress. It seems as if the gap between where he should be and where he is continues to get bigger and bigger. At the same time, I find myself constantly running after a little boy whose physical abilities are getting stronger, while his mental abilities are still behind creating more and more dangerous situations. There have been so many instances in the last several months that literally could have been a huge tragedy and the end of Cooper if what could have happened really happened.

It is tiring and scary, and the feelings of guilt are so overwhelming at the moment. Guilt about what if I did more speech therapy at home, what if I made more healthy dinners and could somehow get Cooper to eat more vegetables, what if I were more pushy with his therapists here, or what if I spent more time seeking out better therapists, what if I just talked more, what if I spent more time teaching him hands on how to pedal his tractor or push his little car, what if I bought him different toys, etc, etc, etc. Then there is this question that keeps popping into my head, making me feel most guilty of all: Why can't I just spend more time helping him, rather than wishing he were different? Because, quite honestly, most of the time I do wish things were different. I wish that it were easy. I wish that he would communicate with us. I wish that he would call me mommy. I wish I could give him more, help him more. I wish that he could do and understand and say all the things that the other kids his age can.

I have to remind myself to not let the deficiencies overshadow the little victories and things that Cooper is accomplishing, because they are so wonderful and important. And I really do get excited over the new accomplishments. What I love the most is God's timing. Two days ago, I was at my wits end at mealtime and in an emotional funk after one of Cooper's therapy sessions, and out of nowhere Cooper looks up at me and clearly says "More" while perfectly doing the sign language for more, which I haven't done in over a month! Yesterday I had a really hard day with Cooper. Everything was a struggle and after a week alone with Peter out of town, I had zero patience left. I actually contemplated laying Cooper down without reading any books, which never happens because I love reading, Cooper loves reading, and that is typically my favorite time together with him. Guilt made me sit down and start reading anyway. I pulled out a picture book and for the first time, Cooper correctly identified and said Car, Ball, and Shoes, among some other words and pictures that he already knew (dog, cat, apple, duck). Then, the ones he didn't know I could really see him making a big attempt to repeat the words after me (flower, train, boat) and I swear I could see him absorbing that information. Those are the moments that push me on and reassure me.

So, it is time for Part II of Cooper CAN Do. These are some words that he knows, his first words, and words that he may not say but can understand.

Cooper's first words were:

- Up

- No
- Froggie
- Bye-Bye

More words he knows now:

- Bubbles

- Cookie

- Bugaboo (Gummy Bears)

- Papa

- Car

- Otto (boy next door)

- Apple

- Uh-Oh

- All Done

- Open

- Juice

- Ball

- Shoes

- Down

- Dicka-Dicka-Dicka (tickle)

- Chocolate

- Hello

Body parts he can identify (although he doesn't say the words, but touches these parts):

- Toes

- Foot

- Eyes

- Mouth

- Nose

- Ears

- Tummy

- Belly Button

Animal Sounds he can make when he sees a picture of an animal or a toy figure:

- Pig

- Duck

- Dog

- Tiger

- Lion

- Cow

- Monkey

- Snake

- Sheep (this one is my favorite)

- Fish

Favorite Books:

- Chicka, Chicka ABC

- Goodnight Moon

- Fridolin der Frosch

- What's Up, Duck?

Other Stuff:

- He can take things to the trash when I ask him to.

- He knows how to blow and smell when we talk about those words.

- He knows the melodies to several songs and will often "sing" along with us.

- One of my favorite things is to find him in his room, sitting in his rocking chair reading books. He does this a lot and it is the one activity that he can do for the longest amount of time.

- He is doing a lot of repeating after me right now. He will repeat almost any word that I ask him to.

- He loves Curious George and will always pick that DVD out of the cabinet full of DVDs and bring it to me. Then he will sit in his special little chair that is set up just for him when he watches TV.

- He can turn the lights on or off when asked, although that doesn't mean that they will stay the way I asked them. Cooper might decide that he wants them off again or on again, or he just may go for the strobe effect.

- He is learning to take his clothes off when I ask him to (still needs some help, though), and when I tell him to pull his pants up, he makes the cutest attempts.

- He loves to jump into my arms on the count of three.

- When I ask him for his piggies, he lifts up his foot and loves to play This Little Piggie.

- When I ask him to, he will sit on the stairs so that we can put on his shoes.

- When I ask him if he wants to push the button on the elevator, he knows exactly what to do.

Let me tell you what is so great. It is so great that as I was typing this post, I had to keep scrolling up and adding more and more words that Cooper knows.

And what do I know? I know that Cooper is special and wonderful. I know that God's timing is perfect and He has a very special and specific plan for Cooper. I know that Cooper is happy and loves his mommy. I guess that is all that I need to know for now. That, and the fact that this is just the cutest guy on the Earth!