3/4 of a year (really 9 months)

Playing "airplane" with Mommy is one of your favorite things to do!

You are busy chewing on things and the handle of the toy shopping cart is just the right height to gnaw on and work at cutting those top teeth!

Dear Cooper,

You are so busy and big now. New things going on this month: Teeth! You've now got two chompers on the bottom and you like to use them on everything! You have also started eating table foods, with the freeze-dried yogurt drops being your favorite thing to eat. You are now eating at least three meals of solids a day and still nursing several times a night. You've got it down to only one nursing a night, and this Mommy really likes that.

Your babysitter doesn't like that you only will go to sleep if you are rocked or nursed to sleep. Your sitter has been trying to get you to sleep on your own, and you are having nothing to do with it! You have sat in the crib and screamed for a long time, only to fall asleep within minutes of when I am to pick you up!

That's another thing you've developed this last month; your temper. You've never been a patient baby, and have always been very determined to get what you want, but you now throw full-out temper tantrums! If someone moves you away from the toys you are playing with, you will throw yourself back on the floor, arch your back, and scream at the top of your lungs. You would think someone was pinching you as loud as you scream! This makes things interesting when your brothers move you away from their toys, or take their toys from you.

You are wanting to move fast like your brothers that you are now very close to standing all on your own, and will even walk or "cruise" holding on to things. I love it when you let go to reach something when you are standing and then you almost get scared and grab on again.

You still have a very sporadic nap schedule. Sometimes you nap for hours, other days only minutes. It makes getting things done with you around a challenge. At least with the nicer weather (finally) I can sometimes convince you to sit in the stroller and watch me do yard work. Sometimes it works, sometimes you scream until I get you out. You like crawling in the grass, but it hasn't been warm enough to dry the grass so you can go after your brothers.

My little Coop, I so enjoy watching you move and change and grow. Keep growing, but don't change too much, too fast. Let your mom enjoy your babyhood for just a little bit longer.