ENT

Coops had an ENT appointment this morning.  It went great.  No problems or concerns there.  He is going to be on Nasonex until he's not so cruddy and stuffy.  He is going to have a swallow study in the Spring, but he doesn't need to see the ENT doc until then.  Yay!  I wish all doctor's appointments were that easy.

I went to the pharmacy today to pick up several (4) prescriptions.  It's bad when the pharmacist knows who you are, right?  I walk up and he says, "We'll get those right away Mrs. Schneider."  I'm apparently there WAY too much!

What not to say

I had coffee earlier this afternoon with some of the women (I hate the word "ladies") from my Bible study.  They all have children with some disability or other and we got to talking about what people should not say to a parent of a child with a disability.  Number one on my list was, "I just feel so sorry for you."  No one wants pity and no one wants to be in a position that causes other people to pity them.  Instead, be open to talking to that parent.  I'm fully open to having a discussion with you about my child.  And once you talk to me, you'll see that there is no reason to feel sorry for me.  I love Cooper just the way he is.  Yes, he is challenging.  No, he may never be like other children.  But he's mine, he's what I was given, and that's ok.

And parents with "normal" children, encourage your kids to do the same.  Let your child talk to a child with a disability.  Or, if that isn't possible, let them talk to the parent.  The only way the next generation won't feel sorry for moms with kids like mine is exposing them to kids like Cooper.  Just a generation or two ago, children with disabilities were put in homes and not talked about.  We've come so far as a society.  Let's keep it up.

And really, what is a normal child?  Every child and every parent has issues that have to be dealt with.  No one is perfect.  No child or family is perfect.  I don't feel sorry for you, so please don't feel sorry for me.  If that sounds mean, I'm sorry.  I'm just trying to put things into perspective.

Does this like a kid you should feel sorry for??

Ophthalmology Appointment

Cooper went to the eye doc yesterday.  Physically, everything is fine with this eyes.  The alignment of his eyes are off.  However, this is a developmental issue, not a physical one.  So, the doc decided to postpone the surgery and reevaluate in 6 months.  The doc said he would never do this surgery on a 3.5-4 month old (which is about where Coops is developmentally), because the alignment of their eyes change as they develop.  His worry is that he will do the surgery, then have to redo it once his alignment changes.  Anyway, pray that as he continues to develop, his eyes get better.

Here are some pictures from the weekend that Cooper spent at my parents.  Should've had these on the last post, but...

Cooper and his Podge

Mom and Jason feeding Cooper.  I TOLD them it was easy!!

Blurry, but this is Coops laughing at my mom!  He's so funny!

Bachelorette Weekend

My little sister, Madeline, is getting married!  This weekend was her bachelorette weekend in Nashville, TN.  Cooper stayed with my parents.  I was a little (really) worried.  He is one complicated child, but they did great!  AND, they didn't call me a million times!  The last time I left Cooper overnight (15 hours), I sobbed.  It was awful.  But I did so well this time!  No crying and only a minimum amount of freaking out!  The weekend was really fun, and I can't wait to hang out with all those awesome ladies again in November!!

Video Proof

He won't do this at school, but he'll do it for his mama!!!

Good things

Two good things from today:

1.  Cooper rolled over!!  He had a big poop about 4 this morning.  We changed him (yes, we!) and put him back to bed ON HIS STOMACH.  When we went to get him this morning, he was on his back!!  I don't know how, but YAY!!

Here's a cute picture of Cooper for your viewing pleasure!

2. I started a Bible study.  I heard that the Bible study, BLOOM, had a small group for moms with special needs kids.  I don't know anyone, here or anywhere really, that has a child like Cooper, so I jumped at the chance to meet other moms who understood what I was going through and dealing with.  I was hesitant at first, because I'm not very Bible-sudyy (I made up that word), but I went to day for the first time and had a really great time.  The other women were amazing and so nice.  It was a great morning.

Updates

Lots of updates, so here we go!

Me:  STILL sick, and sick of it!  No more nausea and all that goes with it, but I am still really weak and tired.  My throat hurts, my head hurts, and I just can't eat.  At this point though, I'm having to carry on with life.  Please no visitors; my house is a wreck!

Cooper:  After his sickness, he was having a lot of trouble holding down his food.  We have talked to many doctors and nurses, trying to figure out what was going on.  The short term solution was just giving him pedialite for a while, then working back up to pediasure.  A longer solution might be getting him a pump.  He would eat three small meals a day, then the rest would be pumped into him over a 10 hour period overnight.  Not ideal, but might be what he needs for right now.

He had his urology pre-op visit.  Things are good there.  Dr. C is very nice and understanding about all of Cooper's issues.  He is going to consult with pulmonary before and after the procedure, so he hopefully won't be back in the hospital with pneumonia again after surgery.  He is not going to send him home after surgery, so he'll be watched closely for a while at least.  And he is good with Dr. Ph doing surgery on Cooper's eyes at the same time, if it comes to that.  All-in-all, things are good there.

Brad:  Hates the PICU.  His patients are depressing, he rounds twice, he works really long hours, etc.  BUT, he got to go on the helicopter (and earned $150 extra in 3 hours), there are so many docs on PICU this month that he got an extra day off, and they've been really helpful and understanding with everything going on with Cooper's and my illnesses.