Monday, November 28, 2011

A life update...


It's been awhile since I've done just a life update so I thought I would bore you all with the things going on in my life that keep me up at night...

First, I guess the biggest thing we've got going on right now is that Cooper has been diagnosed with Apraxia. In laymen's words, the brain doesn't know how to tell the mouth how to form words. For a more clinical description, click here. Really, I have been worried about his speech for awhile but kept telling myself that he wasn't talking (much) because his brain was focusing so much on learning to walk. I mean, really, he doesn't have more than 3-5 consistent words. He rarely says mama but calls me Ada so he just changed Dada to a word for me. The thing with Apraxia is that he'll come out with words spontaneously, even 2 word phrases like "what's that?" but he's unable to do them on command. We're in speech therapy at least twice a week and that will be for a long time! It's frustrating but there is one word that he can say on command without fail and that's "love" and I think that says a lot about our household...

Secondly, he's doing awesome in physical and occupational therapy. He was fitted for an SPIO that he wears almost all day. It's a stabilizing vest that he wears on his trunk so that when he's walking, all he really has to worry about is his legs. It's a miracle worker! Luckily, our insurance covered 100% of the cost and I just wish that every kid with hypotonia could have one! He's doing so good but I have to retrain him on not defaulting to crawling. For instance, he'll get really upset during our daily exercises because he wants me to stop so that he can just crawl to whatever we're walking to. I mean, he's only human, and we all want to do what's easiest for us. At this point, it's not strength that's our problem, but teaching him how to balance. I mean most kids start walking when they're 10 to 15 months so they're about, guessing here, 30 inches tall. He has an extra 5 inches that he's got to learn to balance upright. It's tough and he's so tall that conventional walking/push toys are impossible to find.


Here he is in his SPIO and I'm pretty sure that one day, he'll be pissed that I put these pics on the internet, lol...






Third, we have switched to a new neurologists because we were unhappy with the lack of progress on finding a cause for his Hypotonia. Well, they wanted to do a muscle biopsy but why would I do that when it's obviously NOT a muscle issue because he always makes progress and never regresses with his motor developement. Also, he has passed every genetic test related to muscle conditions. So, we were at a stalemate and really, if you don't have anything else to offer then let's get to the point where we can diagnosis him with Benign Congential Hypotonia. He has an another MRI scheduled for December 9th to see if there have been any brain changes since the first MRI that was completed when he was around 9 months old.


Fourth and Finally, I have a 2 year old! He's totally awesome about 99% of the time but he's giving us a run for his money with tantrums. He's speech therapists and ped seem to think it's related to not being able to communicate the way that he wants to which I can imagine has to be super frustrating to anyone, especially a 2 year old. Otherwise, he's so funny, inquistive, and loving. He makes my heart hurt because I just love him so much!


This video is from his speech therapy appointment on Monday. We just LOVE our speech therapists and Cooper has really connected with her. Here they're playing cars and he actually said "boo!" for "boom" right before I started rolling but you'll see him doing his sign for "more"...really, I love this video because he has the sweetest laugh!


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Priscilla the Pink Pig!

We took Cooper to see Priscilla the Pink Pig at Macy's on Tuesday for the first time! I've heard of this pig since I moved to the Atlanta area but didn't care really because I didn't have a little wee one to take to ride her...BUT, now I have a very energetic and curious 2 year old who LOVED it!

The wait was a bit crazy because I took him during a week when school was out (duh!) but we had a lot of fun!




Yeah, this was as close as he wanted to get. We're skipping Santa this year...






Everything was pink in this room which was great for me because I love the color pink, lol...



Even we were pink!





Friday, November 25, 2011

Better late than never!

Cooper's birthday is November 1st but we rescheduled his birthday party since he was just getting out of the hospital and he was still too sick to have his very thought out birthday party. We had his birthday last Sunday at Gym.boree and it was fun. Although, I should be honest and say that I did at Gym.boree because my brain is so tired these days and they run the party mostly, lol...

His party theme was "Blast off with Cooper!" so it was space themed...



First, some party favors :) I made these t-shirts for my older neices because the goodie bags would've bored them...



We made these cd's for the goodie bags with all of Cooper's favorite songs. We called it "Cooper's out of this world" mix :)



The water bottle labels and the cupcake toppers matched. I'm a little miffed that I didn't get a picture of the cupcakes!


Cooper was in a weird mood at the party. He's not much on being the center of attention in a group of people but he still had fun!















Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Perfection

We planned our trip to Florida around Cooper having his 2 year pics done by a blogging and blm friend, Cass, who is an amazing photographer. She a facebook page, Artful life photography, if you want to like and share her page. She sent me a disk with 60 pics on it and I swear that I love every.single.one of them!

So, here are several of my favorites!




Would you look at those eyelashes? Seriously, it looks like I've been applying Latisse, lol...
























Sunday, November 20, 2011

Super Cooper!

I was so tickled to check the mail the other day to find a package for Cooper and to find the cutest superhero cape! My dear friend and fellow blogger, Angie, and her rainbow baby, Alice, sent this cape to Cooper for his birthday!


All super heroes need a cape!





Friday, November 18, 2011

So thankful

Yesterday was World Prematurity Awareness Day so I thought it would be neat to take a pic of Cooper with one of the onesies that he wore when he was in the nicu. It's easy to forget that my rambuncious toddler was one a wee 31 weeker that needed a tube down his nose to eat! I'm just so thankful for everyday with this sweet boy!



He's probably about 2 weeks old here so he was 33 weeks gestation. He weighed right at 4 pounds! See the tube going down his nose? I still remember my first kiss on his cheeks when it was finally removed about 4 days before leaving the nicu...



This was last night! Now, he's about 26 pounds and 35 inches long! He eats everything and anything by mouth!






Thursday, November 17, 2011

More from the Sunshine State

Must haves for a Cooper road trip are his Mickey Mouse doll, mini dvd player with a Mickey Mouse video and a cup of juice. He's happy as a lark!





I just though this sign on the patio door of our villa was funny because of the alligator. We don't see alligators in Atlanta...



The sky seems so much more blue in Florida! Cooper had an excellent view :)


Just chillin


Cooper showing off his 6 pack ;)





Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mickey's house!

We went to Disney World in October, actually we went on October 21st, got home on the 24th and Cooper was admitted into the hospital on the 26th that's why you're just hearing about it now, lol...I am so far behind in posts!




I am fully aware that Cooper will have zero memory of this trip but I will always have the memory of his smile when he say Mickey Mouse for the first time! We watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every.single.day in our house...


Taking the tram...




To take the ferry to Mickey's house...



Yay! We're here!


Cooper and I on the tea cups! He had a blast and was actually the one turning the wheel, lol..



We're about to ride Dumbo!



Cooper on Daddy's shoulders watching Mickey's not so scary Halloween parade! It was SO MUCH FUN!









Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Starry night...

I read why too many blogs and can't remember where I got this project (because I always like to give credit where credit is due) but we had a lot of fun with it in our house. I'm sure your toddler is just like mine in that a box is a wonderful and amazing object. Screw whatever came out of the box but the box is the bomb-diggity!

Basically, I just took a screw driver and punch several little holes and inserted Christmas lights in the top. It looks like stars are in the box when you plug them in! At first, I think he was hesitant because I messed up his perfect box but got into it when he crawled inside!









Sunday, November 6, 2011

Our very simple Halloween :)

We didn't go trick or treating as we had just checked out of the hospital that afternoon so I picked up some ghoulishly fun goodies for him while I got his meds from Wal.greens. The best part was that everything was like 50% off since I went the day of Halloween, lol...The pumpkin basket is from last year...












Saturday, November 5, 2011

The hospital story

Our hospital saga actually started on Monday the 25th when Cooper was running 104 fever and was really congested. They did a chest x-ray and it was clear so we were sent home to continue what we would normally do for Cooper's congestion since he has asthma.

The next day, we went back because Cooper's respiration were just out of control there were a few times that I counted 60 breaths per minute. Just for a frame of reference, non-sick 2 year olds breath about 20-30 breaths per minute so he was breathing twice as hard as he should've been. We headed back to our local children's hospital and they did another chest x-ray which showed pneumonia in both of his lungs. They admitted him with an unknown virus and it took 3 days for blood work and a nasal sample to reveal that he had RSV. We were on contact isolation actually the entire time that we were there but were allowed in the hallways with face masks UNTIL the rsv was discovered then he was stuck in his room for the duration.

We did come home on Monday, halloween, but didn't go trick or treating. His docs (his regular ped and his pulmonologists) want him to stay away from group activities with kids his age. Mainly, because kids his age don't know to cough into their elbows and wash their hands and Cooper's asthma trigger (so far) has been viruses. This poor kid, if it's not one thing, it's another...

I never go anywhere without a camera so I snapped some pics when he was getting better. Quite honestly, I don't think I have ever been more scared than I was the Friday that they admitted him into the ICU. I wasn't as scared the day he was born at 31 weeks then I was on Friday. So, these pics are from Sunday when he was moving onto the regular floor again and he was going back towards health.



This tree was our view from our room on the ICU. I just loved the color of the leaves so this was my focal point when I started having anxiety...



Cooper reading some birthday cards...







One of his best buds sent him this Mr. Potato head and he loved it!



And, this was when I knew my Coopie was feeling better, when he stuffed a whole powder donut in his mouth...such a boy!






Friday, November 4, 2011

2nd birthday round-up

Last weeks hospital stay has put me so far behind in posting and getting my act together. I have a few different things to discuss on here but we'll do some birthday stuff today!


Breakfast was pumpkin spice pancakes with blueberries! LOL, the blueberries making the 2 were my hubby's idea which I though was cute!


Cooper opening his gifts


He was a little bit excited about the easel :)



He was REALLY excited about the easel, maybe, he's an art prodigy already? A mommy can hope :)



Investigating everything...



My boys doing some art together...



Daddy is making a stickman, so the art prodigy stuff must come from my side ;)




So, I had gone to the grocery store the day before Cooper went into the hospital so I had pizza stuff in the fridge SO I made him a #2 pizza for lunch...


Obviously, he's a fan!