Cooper John - O N E

I never had to be cautious of being peed on

I never played the same game over and over without getting bored

I never sat and watched someone else play with total amazement

I never gave up my middle of the night sleep so willingly

I never considered bottling up a smell so I could keep it forever

I never cheered on a brand new crawler

I never danced around the living room singing just to hear a giggle

I never felt so inadequate

I never fell in love so quickly

I never kept track so closely of the progress of a tooth

I never pureed so many vegetables

I never coached someone to learn how to walk

 I never experienced tremendous pain (labor) followed by sheer joy

I never wanted so badly to see someone come to know the Lord

I never read the same book every day like I had never read it before

I never was so aware of nap time

I never took notice of so many "firsts"....

...until you came along

H A P P Y   B I R T H D A Y   C O O P E R! 

The past year has been more than I could have ever imagined it would be.  You are a blessing.  A treasure this side of eternity. I thank the Lord daily for allowing me to be your Mama and have the privilege of raising you.  You melt my heart Cooper John.

On Monday, his actual birthday, we went to the Splash Pad in Oak Park with some friends to celebrate and have fun in the water.  The guy loved it!  He kept clapping and didn't want to move away from the water.

He sat here for about 45 minutes...no joke!

Enjoying a muffin made by Auntie Miss for the birthday celebration!

His new trick for the month...starting young on the phone

We had Grammie, Gramps and Mimi for a BBQ dinner followed by
the famous donut cake on the "You are Special Today" plate.

this picture makes me smile...look at his face and skip over mine :)

he demolished it... good boy

enjoying some of his gifts!

Lord, thank you for 12 full. long. spectacular. amazing. trying. wonderful. months with the guy.

This is one joy and tear filled Mama.