Out of the mouths (& from the hands) of babes

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Cooper has always loved breastfeeding; I guess that's kind of obvious from his size. We had a little difficulty in the beginning, but once he caught on (or "latched" on, you might say) he never quit. He likes to nurse for long periods of time (I'm talking over an hour & a half if I let him) & as often as possible. I can probably count the number of times he's refused an offer to nurse on one hand. Anyway, Cooper's always been very appreciative - he sometimes smiles when he's about to nurse or stops in the middle to smile at me, he moans or sighs (as if to say, oh, that's what I needed), and he often drifts off into a happy sleep. But this weekend when it was time for his morning nursing I sat in the chair & my mom laid him down in front of me & he actually laughed in anticipation! It was the cutest thing, except for what he did today. Today I put him down to nurse & while he was waiting for me to open up, he clapped! I actually got applause! I loved it.
It also reminded me that I have a lot of things to be thankful for (not necessarily in the order of importance):

• Cooper, of course
• John, my wonderful husband. He's my best friend & a great person, & even though there are a bunch of reasons why it makes sense for me to go back to work, it's as important to him as it is to me that I stay home with Cooper.
• Being a stay-at-home mom & spending every second (almost literally) with Cooper. I often complain or get upset that we're broke & can't afford it & I don't know how we're going to pay the bills, but I know things will work out & I really should just appreciate the fact that I'm here with Coop.
  
• My family - I could write posts for days on why
• Cooper's health. We had a terrifying start when he was born with him going to the NICU unexpectedly & then the doctors telling us he might need surgery, but he only had to spend 36 hours there & completely recovered.
• All the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, & National Guard men and women serving our country
• Justin has been safe & healthy & will be coming home soon
  
• Our dogs, Dora & Audrey. I love them even though they annoy me (& pee in our living room! on the new carpet! while we're trying to sell the house!) & I'm so glad both of them adopted us. I'm also thankful for my parents dogs (Audrey's family), Annie, Butch, Scout, Peach, & Max, & the fact that they're going to stay safe at home with them.
• Breastfeeding. We've had almost every problem I've heard of, including problems getting Cooper to latch in the beginning (the NICU filled him up with formula & I needed to use nipple shells), getting him to latch correctly, yeast infection/thrush twice, clogged ducts constantly, mastitis, cracked nipples, & (currently) a milk blister that just won't quit, just off the top of my head. But, I'm so glad I'm breastfeeding. I really don't think I would have survived his infancy without it - he was so colicky & didn't sleep at all & nursing was the only time I could stop the crying, get a little break, & make him happy. Plus, I've dropped down to a size 6 & I was a 16 before I got pregnant! I'd be proud of myself, but I really haven't done anything - I eat a lot of crap, I eat constantly, & chasing & carrying Cooper is the only exercise I get (although he's huge, so carrying him is a bit of a workout!).
• Naps! in the crib! for more than 20 minutes! (this is a recent development)
  
• Sno-cones & slurpees - they brighten any day

I'm sure there's tons more, but that's what's on my mind now. Thanks for reminding me Cooper!