Toenail Torture

You find out you're pregnant.  You envision a rolly polly little chunk of cuteness.  Your mind wanders further and pictures a toddler clumsily running down the hall with squeals of delight.  Oh sure, there will be diapers to change.  A runny nose from time to time.  But mostly, you picture adorableness, chubby cheeks, tiny hands and feet....BUT WAIT.  No one bothered to tell you that those adorable little hands and feet have fingernails and toenails!!  It gets worse.  These talons of torture must be CUT by YOU, and it must be done OFTEN!!!!

Yes, it's true, children have nails, and tonight was nail trimming night around here.  It went as it always does.  Cooper says he has toenails and hand-toenails.  If I mention cutting any of his 20 toenails, he screams and cries.  He runs away.  He attempts to negotiate.  He begs and pleads.  He loses.  I win.  But my win is not an easy one.  I have to bust out wrestling moves I never knew existed.  When it's over, I say,"Now, did that hurt?"  And Cooper says,"NOPE!" and runs off happily....until the next time I try to cut his nails, that is.   

I suppose I don't HAVE to cut their nails.  I could just let them grow until they break off, but honestly....I think Child Protective Services frowns on that.  More importantly, children use long fingernails as weapons against you.  I have the scars to prove it.  They're right next to my stretchmarks.  Kids are brutal.

I'm Back. And COOPER

I've been notably absent from this blog for quite sometime, but I got a new laptop for Christmas, so I'm baaaack. I was thinking of a billion different funny, witty things I could post about, but I decided my blog needed a little meat from time to time as well.  So let's talk about Cooper.

 Cooper has some issues.  He's always had some issues, bless him.  He didn't walk until he was almost 18 months old.  He will be 4 years old in about 3 months, and he can't walk up stairs without holding onto something.  He can go downstairs without holding onto anything, but he goes super slowly.  He walks on his toes the majority of the time.  As in, his tippity toes.  Like a little ballerina.  And if that's the path he chooses in life, Mommy Laura is behind him all the way.  However, it seems to be more of a physical problem.  We had also noticed that he is extremely fearful of falling in situations where falling is honestly not even a possibility. 

So, I finally got a referral for Cooper to see an orthopedist and physical therapist.  Basically, the most we can come up with right now is that Cooper mainly has some sensory issues, in addition to flat feet and short legs. He is currently in physical therapy once a week, and his therapist says he is 6-12 months behind in terms of physical abilities.  We will know a lot more when he goes for a cognitive and behavioral evaluation at Siskin in March. 

Cooper will probably never win a Heisman.  That's ok.  B/c I'm pretty sure he'll either be doing comedy on Saturday Night Live or he'll be an artist with masterpieces hanging in the Louvre.  Even better, he might just grow up to be an awesome dude who loves his Mom.  That's more than enough for me! 

A Recipe and a Weird Kid

I love veggies, and this recipe is super yummy, super easy, and comes in at about 110 calories per cup. Your welcome!

Veggie Salad
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced pepper (any color, I used red to make it pretty)
1 can corn
1 can peas
2 cans french cut green beans
1 cup Splenda
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix it all together, except peas and beans. Add them at the very end b/c if you stir them too much, they get all smushy. Ewww. Refrigerate.

Anyway, I have to share a little bit about my 2-year-old son, Cooper, who really is a hilarious kid. He is often referred to as being very animated. Pictures do him no justice whatsoever. He is sitting in his bed as I type this, singing and laughing in the pitch black dark without a toy anywhere near him. This crazy, bubbly kid does, however, have a phobia that makes absolutely no sense. He is terrified of stuffed animals. It doesn't matter if the stuffed animal is huge or the size of a baby mouse. It doesn't matter if it's a creepy dragon or a cuddly kitten. He hates them.

He was so afraid of a bag of beanie babies at my Mom's house yesterday. I wish I had taken pictures of his horror. (LOL, is that mean?) Just so you could see what I mean. Pictures are important (tell that to the people who make the Publix grocery ads. UGH! ).

He does have one stuffed "animal" that he loves more than life itself. It is particularly hilarious because I personally think it is very creepy. It's Cooper's BFF. Check them out...

And just for fun, here is a picture of Spiderman Cooper in heels, walking the line at a sobriety check point.