To my Cooper Ryan...

As I nursed Cooper before bed tonight, I couldn't help but kiss his beautiful face over and over again. This wonderfully sweet-natured, giggling, raspberry-blowing baby boy will be nine months old tomorrow. It's a little shocking how fast that time has gone. I remember feeling the same way with Caden around that age. Of course, I had also just found out I was already pregnant again with Cooper! 

Somehow though these past nine months seem to have gone by at triple the speed! I'm certain it's because there are now two little boys who need my attention, a new home we've inhabited and most recently a new business I've started. I feel very blessed, but there are moments like tonight, as I stared into Cooper's twinkling eyes and ran my fingers through his wispy blonde hair, that I truly want to stop the clock. 

Every minute my babies grow a little older and a little more independent (recently a lot more in Caden's case). Every day, they grow a little more into the great men they'll become. I can't put into words (hard to believe, I know) the level of pride or the magnitude of love I feel for these little boys. It's the kind of love that fills every inch of me with joy and awakens me with worry. It's the kind of love that makes me give everything I have and never feel like it's enough. If I never accomplished anything else in this lifetime, my two beautiful boys would be enough.

I didn't plan this post as an ode to my children, but I just feel so overwhelmed with the feeling of life so quickly moving that I guess that's what it's become. 

In honor of my lovable, chunky little guy and his soon to be nine months of life, here are the...

"Top Ten Things I adore about Cooper Ryan Smith"

1. His crinkly, smiling eyes always so full of light and joy 

2. His kissable cheeks - so soft and smooth and perfect

3. The way we lock eyes when he's nursing. I treasure those sweet moments.

4. His wispy, feathery tow-headed mane that curls around his face and on the top of his sweet head

5. His infectious giggle 

6. His insatiable appetite - 3 jars of food and some yogurt? Pretty typical meal for this guy

7. The way he loudly says "muah!" as he kisses me over and over again 

8. His sheer determination to move himself forward only to end up going backwards 

9. His "clap, clap, clap" 

10. His beautiful soul... He truly shines from the inside out with joy and love and a serenity I've never seen. I'm so very blessed God chose me to be his mama. Happy nine months, "Coopie."