i luuuv the way you ...

A friend of mine from high school, whose son is 3 days older than Coop, posted the most amazing blog entry on her son's 1st birthday. With chills running from head-to-toe, I was inspired to steal her idea. Thank you, Heather, for reminding me to not only pay tribute to Coopie's monumental birthday, but also to the little man himself. =)

Cooper, I luuv the way you …

look to dada and me for guidance. Like when you’ve just plowed into the wall and you can’t decide if the bonk to the noggin hurts enough to cry or not, so you read our faces and follow our example (laughter and smiles are usually the way to go!). Or whether you’ve just attempted something new, like pulling up on the rail of your crib, and you want reassurance that what you’ve just done is a good, no a great thing, which it is, though we’d much prefer the pulling up to take place closer to the ground, please.

glance at me out of the corner of your eye and toss a half smile just after you’ve projectiled your semi-chewed peas into my hair. I hate the yucky, mucky spit part, but that sneaky, ha! ha! face you make reveals a deeper, more mature side to your personality and I crave watching each level develop and come to life.

take life as it comes—on your own terms, in your own time. You started rolling over, sitting up, crawling (slithering?), chewing, chatting when YOU were ready and then you dove headfirst into the brand new experience.

make your voice heard. Whether you’re giggling with dada, squealing with delight or making one of your 10,000 crazy noises, your little voice is the sweetest, most precious sound to ever echo in my ears … and in my heart.

hug. You wrap your little arms around my neck, bury your head in my chest and squeeze so hard that you make the world stop spinning and, for a moment, it’s just you and me suspended in this special place made only for, and by, your little hugs.

are easily delighted and fascinated by the oddest things … like when you dig so deep in my mouth I swear you must be destined for dentistry or when you jab your fingers in dada’s ear like you’re mining for gold. Your curiosity is contagious and I pray that you never cease to wonder and question and explore everything around you.

snore when you’re uber tired. I always know that you gave the day everything you had to give when you fall asleep and the faintest little snores waft through the air. It’s a reminder to me to strive to live as fully as you.

indulge me and dada on Saturday mornings when we plunk you right between us in bed and cuddle you and love on you and breathe you in. You look at me and smile, and grab a wad of my hair in your tiny little hand only to flip over to dada (taking my hair with you) and look at him and smile, repeating the process over and over, flopping around like a fish out of water… it’s your silly way of getting in good face time with both of us.

love. You have never met a stranger, never refused to pour on that Coopie charm. You make everyone around you smile and delight in the simple pleasure that is your company. You, just being you, with all of your quirks and crazy characteristics, reminds us all that life is precious and perfect and beautiful, even with all of its little disasters. How could life not be precious and perfect and beautiful when God blesses the world with such amazing little creations like you?

You’ve made me and dada better people. We are no longer Chris & Tessa, we are Cooper’s parents, we are mom and dad (mama and dada to you) and those changes in title have brought with them changes in ourselves. You make us live healthier, happier lives. For you. You make us love more openly, more honestly. For you. You make us embrace the challenges, knowing that triumphs are just around the bend. For you. You make us more fiercely protective, more playful, more compassionate, more open-minded, more optimistic, more realistic, more of everything we might never have been. For you. I love the way you have flipped our lives upside down and inside out … who knew the view would be so much better?

I love you. I love you. I love you. You are my light, my life, my love.