21 weeks pregnant.

Yeah, I know. Long time. Latest news, I'm 21 weeks pregnant and it's a boy! We are so excited to have another little man in the house.Here are a couple cute pictures of Cooper who is now 14 months old and a hand full!!!

How cute is that!!!

9 1/2 Months

I had to post this. He is growing up so fast!

New Winter Activity

Brett finally talked me into trying to ski. I wish I looked this cute going down the slopes...unfortunately adults cringe and small children flee when I strap my skis on. I am not very good yet, but I won't give up....and I am not just saying that because we just bought some skis and boots that I can't return.
Brett has been a really good teacher. We have gone three or four times in the last couple weeks and he has stuck with me each time. Hopefully by the end of this ski season I will be cruising down the mountain like it aint' no thang!

Cooper loves his toy

A friend gave this toy to us at a baby shower and Coop is loving it. It plays little songs for him and helps him fall asleep at night.
Cooper is getting so big so fast and it makes me a little sad. BUT at the same time, he is so fun to interact with as he gets older.

He has finally figured out how to get his arm under his body to turn over all the way. This little video is from my phone so its not that great of quality. It is also sideways for some reason...oh well, here it is!

3 months old

So it's official. We are not good bloggers. But by request of Gina Cook, we will update you on our little Coopster. He got to fly to Oregon with me to see my family. I was a little worried flying without Brett's help, but Cooper was amazing as usual and just slept the whole way. My family LOVED him and SPOILED him. He definitely had to go through cuddling withdrawls when we got home because I didn't hold him every second like my mom did. :) It was great to see him with my brothers and sisters because it was really their first time holding him and interacting with him. Everyone was so cute with him. Lizzy, my 17 year old sister, slept with him downstairs the first night and woke up with him so I could sleep in. Then my mom got up with him the rest of the mornings to feed him. I really got to catch up on sleep. It was sooo nice! Daddy missed us while we were gone, but I think he got in some good video game time so I don't think it was too hard on him.

Cooper has changed so much from our last post. He is now about 15 pounds and about 24 inches, maybe 25. He smiles a TON and giggles when we tickle him tummy. Daddy was also saying funny things to him and we caught him giggling a little in a video that we will post. Just to forewarn you though, Brett is saying something from Star Wars to Cooper and Cooper is loving it....unfortunately he is acquiring his parents geekiness. Sorry son.



I am loving being a mom. I feel like Cooper knows me really well now and when he's crying, being held by mommy usually does the trick. I love that he depends on Brett and I for everything. We love you so much Cooper and love seeing the new things you are doing each and every day.

5 weeks!

So, we haven't posted for awhile...but I am finally getting the hang of this mommy thing and made Cooper go down for a nap so I could get some sanity time. :)

Cooper is doing so well! The first week home after the hospital (which was really week 2) was a little scary. We took turns sleeping with Cooper downstairs, watching his breathing. We were so paranoid...i don't know how we survived! Now, Cooper sleeps in his own room and usually lets me get 4-5 hours before he wakes up for food. Brett is a good helper and gets him all ready for bed at night during the week, and on the weekends he helps with middle of the night wake up calls.

Cooper is definitely a good baby and only cries when he is hungry or needs a diaper change. We wish he slept longer at night, but we will take what we can get!

He is just starting to smile and we are loving it. It is still rare to get a little smirk from him, so when it happens we get really excited. I have been trying to catch one on camera and I finally got it!




Here are some cute pictures I got of him today. Brett, being the photography buff that he is, didn't like that the flash was so bright in these pics...but oh well. :)





SO CUTE!
We are so lucky to have Cooper. He makes us smile everyday. He is worth all of our time and energy.
We love you Coop Dogg.

Coopdate

Just got back from the hospital and Coop's doing really good. Melissa was able to feed him several times today and he opened his eyes a ton and was smiley the whole time Momma was with him. They said that he needs to continue with his antibiotics for four more days so that means he is stuck there for at least that amount of time.

We want to thank everyone for their love and prayers. We've felt the spirit strongly throughout this ordeal and know that the added strength we're getting comes from you guys. Thanks a ton, we'll keep you posted

Below is a video and pic I forgot to post the other day.

1st Day in Special Care

The First Few Hours

Once Cooper was born the doctor basically threw him on top of me while Brett cut the cord. It was one of those moments where I was totally lost. I was in so much pain, yet it was so surreal to see our baby for the first time. My brain had no idea what to think.

As quick as they threw him on me, they took him just as fast. I tried to watch as they wiped him off, wondering if he was ok, but the pain that I thought would lessen once he was out just got worse. I felt like I couldn't enjoy the amazing moment because the pain was all I could think about.

The doctor finally got me stitched up, and Brett was able to hand me the baby. I could only hold him for about 2 or 3 minutes before Brett had to take him back because I was shaking so bad from the pain. I could tell Brett was really worried about me because he had Cooper in his arms, but he couldn't stop looking at me and reassuring me that I was going to be ok. It felt like FOREVER before the nurse brought in some meds that were suppose to help with the pain. I ended up taking an Ibprofen and Percocet and finally, after about an hour I was doing a lot better.

My family and Brett's parents got to the hospital pretty quick, so they were there before Cooper had returned from his first bath and check up. At that point I hadn't really even seen or held him. Once they brought him to my room the nurse said that I needed to try and breast feed him...which ended up not being very successful. He was exhausted and so was I. I was able to hold him skin to skin for about 45 minutes or so, and then I handed him off to my mom and the rest of the family so they could have their turns meeting him. After they all had their time, the nurse said she needed to check his vitals and it was then when she noticed that he was breathing pretty fast, and that she wanted to have him checked out by the nursery just to be safe. When Cooper didn't come back to my room for what felt like an eternity, we began to wonder what was up. The nurse finally came back and it was then that she informed us that Cooper would be needing to stay in the Special Care Unit for the time being because he had some meconium in his lungs from a bowel movement he made in my uterus before being born.

Seeing that Brett and I were pretty worried, our families left in order for us to be able to figure things out with the doctors.

Even though this happened a couple days ago, it is all kind of a blur when it comes to our emotions and what we were feeling and when. I just know that I had a really hard time with not being able to see him or hold him in the first hours of his life. Brett and I were both pretty shaken up by everything that was going on and really felt helpless. We just sat next to each other and waited...praying that everything was going to be ok.

An update finally came and we were told that Cooper was being put on oxygen and iv's to help flush all the junk out of his lungs. At that point it was just a waiting game and we knew we just had to be patient...which is probably the hardest thing to be in this type of situation.

Later that day...

When we were told that we could finally go see him, Brett helped me into a wheel chair and slowly rolled me down the hall to the Special Care Unit. When we got there was had to do a five minute scrub down of our hands and arms. One of the nurses had to do it for me because I couldn't even stand up from the wheel chair. After washing, I was rolled over to his little heated bed where he was hooked up to a bunch of different tubes and monitors. Seeing him like that broke my heart! My emotions were all over the place after that and they have been a roller coaster ever since. Even writing about it makes me a little teary eyes because I hate that he has to be stuck in that bed hour after hour.

That night, Brett and his dad gave Cooper a blessing while his mom and I stayed back in the room. I knew I couldn't handle listening to the blessing because I would have lost it. They came back to the room looking very hopeful and at peace, and I knew everything was going to be ok. Chuck, Brett's dad, told me a little of what Brett had said in the blessing and it was so good to hear that we were being reassured by our Heavenly Father that everything would turn out fine. I was also told that Brett told Cooper to honor his mother and to know that I had been through a lot to bring him into the world. After hearing that I balled. I just imagined Cooper growing up, turning to me for his needs and loving me as I love my own mother.

I love Cooper so much. I can't even explain how I feel when I see him and touch him. I was a part in creating such a beautiful little person. It is incredible to feel this much love for someone. This whole experience has also really brought Brett and I together like never before. We rely solely on each other and our Father in Heaven.

We are a family.

Cooper Vid's

Coop just chillaxing under the heater before his first bath.

This is where Coop will probably spend the next week.

(to watch in HD click here)

Our Beautiful Baby Boy

Here is a cute picture we got of Cooper before the mayhem started. We will be posting more about the situation that is going on soon. He just has to be in the Special Care Unit of the Nursery for lung issues for the next while.

Cooper with Grandma Fotheringham