cooper: 8 months

our sweet little buddy turned 8 months old yesterday! (9 years old in dog years!) i can hardly believe it! he has grown so fast and he is so, so smart! he is turning into a big dog now, and it's so much fun to watch him mature and figure things out. he is very independent, but also such a mama's boy. he is master of the puppy eyes, and the most patient and loving dog you could ever imagine. we haven't weighed him since he was 7 months, but at that time he was just under 40 pounds, so i'm guessing he's anywhere between 40-45 now.

favorite foods:

ice cubes

baby carrots

peanut butter (it was an acquired taste for this guy)

dryer sheets

leaves

potato bugs

chips

whatever is on mom and dad's plates

carpet (remember that time he chewed up our bedroom carpet? that was fun.)

window blinds (we'll be replacing those, too)

newest tricks:

cooper knows words and names! i play a game with him where i sit in the living room and one at a time, ask him to bring me certain toys: ball, bone, kong, rope. he knows the name of each toy and will bring the right one every time! if he can't find one, i will tell him "look in the kitchen" or "in the bedroom" and he will go in whichever room i said to look! this guy's a genius. he knows "mom" and "dad" and he knows that "load up" means we're getting in the car. i think he knows what "dog park" means, and he knows "dinner" and "water". he pays such close attention to us, so i'm not surprised. he's even gotten in the habit of copying whatever we do! it's hilarious!

favorite games:

tug-o-war

fetch

hiding in his "fort" (under the bed. he is under there all the time)

"you can't catch me" (he loves to be chased!)

and he also loves to talk/bark with us.

it's important to him that he is 100% included, 100% of the time

things we're working on:

catching (we throw him a treat and it hits him in the face... haha)

sleeping on his own bed, not ours  (a constant work in progress)

stay/come (we're getting there! he is just anxious)

cooper will always be my first baby. i obviously don't know what it's like to love my own child, but i'm pretty sure i love cooper just the same. he's so gentle and funny and has such a big personality. he's made the biggest difference in our lives, and in the best way! cooper is just fun to be around. he is always entertaining, and the perfect snuggle buddy. he can definitely tell what kind of mood we're in. he is always goofing off when i'm mad and when i don't feel good, he is totally content to snuggle up and fall asleep. sweetest thing ever. i can't wait to get another dog so cooper can be a big brother! i think he would do so well with a little puppy. he'd teach him everything he knows!