This is the Cooper gene

Hunter is a ray of sunshine in the morning. He actually smiles at me each day after he wakes up, and he can have a conversation and say nice things like "I love you" and "How are you?"

This was a revelation to me, because my dad is Rick Cooper, King of the Morning Grouch. He tried to overcome it with his kids, I know, because I remember him letting us hug him and trying to talk to us first thing in the morning even though I learned as I got older that this was the last thing he wanted to do after getting out of bed. (The first thing he wanted to do was light a cigarette and sit quietly in his chair in his underwear for a few minutes. Possibly there was scratching.)

I didn't inherit the full Grouch Gene -- that belongs to the sibling who will remain anonymous but whose name starts with "E" and ends with "lizabeth." But our sweet LG may dethrone both of them.


Now, these photos were taken in late morning, which is why he's dressed. Obviously first thing in the morning neither of us are in a picture-taking mood, so there aren't any of him in his swaddle sack, screaming with the mad face until he gets a morning snack so he can go back to sleep until noon like an itty bitty rock star.

These were taken last Thursday, before Ryan went to have lunch with his father then attended his first school performance to see his sister sing songs about spring. At Hunter's office, he cooed and gurgled at everyone there, but I must admit that he prevented some of the public's work from being done for a half-hour or so. It was a Cuteness Break.


That night, at the school performance, he snoozed through each number until the rounds of applause startled him awake.



He's not always grouchy. As you can see, he knows how to charm. Here he's test-driving a laugh for Maddie last weekend.





This makes up for everything, including the screaming.