Apple picking (cont'd)

John, Cooper, & I went to County Line Orchards in Hobart, IN with some of the nursing group families. We had perfect weather - just a little bit cool & sunny. I took a bazillion pictures; have I mentioned that digital cameras are absolutely the best invention ever?

Hurry! Let's go pick apples!

We started out with apple picking, which John was doing for the first time, then we went to the petting zoo, had lunch, played in the corn maze (or maize as they call it - ha, ha), and went on the "Moo-Choo", a kids cow train.

I've been very reluctant to give Cooper any food larger than bite size. He doesn't bite things, just shoves them in his mouth, so I'm always worried about him choking. Particularly with apples because when I give him bite size pieces (with no skin, of course), he puts them in his mouth, chews, puts more in his mouth, chews, puts more in his mouth, chews, but never swallows and winds up choking up all the apple. So I was nervous about giving him an apple at the orchard today, but I'm trying to loosen up a little. Cooper loved it! He dug right in, bit the apples (made it through the skin & everything), & sucked all the juice. And he was so cute doing it!

Cooper kept shoving the apple in my mouth & when I'd bite a little of it he'd laugh hysterically. He was so excited about sharing (& insistent!) that he nearly choked me!

Almost napping in the corn maze

Cooper kept signing milk! milk! milk! before we left.

The last week or so has been a communication explosion. Cooper's been saying "Mama" & "Dada" for a while, & he seems to know "dada", but we haven't been so sure if he knows what "mama" means. Last week when I was letting the dogs out, Cooper pointed outside & said, "Go! Go! Go!" (Okay, it's a little more like "ga! ga! ga!" but he seems to mean go, which is what we say when we let the dogs outside.) He's also doing the sign for milk (nurse), bath, & more. He does the sign for milk all the time! He always wants to nurse. I would think it wasn't really a sign, just something he does with his hands, but he brings me the boppy pillow when he does it. He does do it sometimes when we're in the car or out & it doesn't seem like he wants to nurse, but that's making me suspect that the sign for milk also means me. It reminds me of the first few weeks after he was born when John would call me "Milk" because I said I felt like that's all I was. It's much cuter & sweeter coming from Cooper though!