I think we've got it!

In the boppy:

Without the boppy:

In a shopping cart:

On the changing table:

In the bathtub:

(With a belly like that, no need for a strategically-placed washcloth.)

And by the alligator (week 29!):

YAY sitting!

Cooper's week

Sucking on his toes.

Playing with Daddy.

Napping with Daddy.

Pausing for a nap in the middle of an attempted escape.

New friend, with matching pacifier:

New hat (and cousin Jennifer with new hair-do):

We're working on sitting up. It's not entirely pleasant. Clearly Coop's my kid -- why stand when you can sit; why sit when you can lay down.

Ok, so standing seems to be a bit more fun than sitting:

And we've relocated bathtime to the upstairs bathroom. In the big tub. (With a little tub inside it, still.)

Cooper's final moments as a vegetarian

To prep him for carnivore-ism, we gave him animal toys to chew on: crinkle-tail fish, a bear, and the always-yummy rubber chicken.




And then we started in with vegetable beef puree.




Cooper eats most anything, so I can't say for sure that he loved meat more than anything else, but I will say that it was one of the few foods that didn't cause a bitter grimace upon first taste.




A satisfied customer.

We're famous!

Our picture is on the internet, and not just because I keep slapping them up here!

A few weeks before Cooper was born, Alan and I had a maternity photo session. Admittedly, it was mostly (entirely) for me, and I loved every minute of it. I would highly recommend a professional photo shoot for any pregnant woman because, when you're 8-months pregnant, you need someone telling you that you have nice cheekbones.

Before we left Illinois, we returned to the same photographer (Laura), this time with Coop on the outside. And again, we were so pleased with the process and results. We're currently in negotiations to have Laura come out to Kansas for Cooper's first birthday -- her husband was excited to hear how close we live to Cabela's, so it may actually happen!

Anyway, Laura has just recently updated her website, and she's included some pictures of Alan and I during the maternity shoot, some pictures of Cooper, and a few of our little family. And if you're bored, you should browse around the rest of her site. She's really quite good.

Happy Half-Birthday, Little Man.

Mama loves you.

Note: I just now realized that Coop's naked in 3/4 of these photos. He really does have clothes. I promise. Lots of cutes ones even.