Another slide

Talking with Daddy

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Cooper had a fabulous 1st Thanksgiving surrounded by family.

A photo time line of today's events.

Our first trip to the E.R.

Yesterday was quite possibly the scariest day of my life. We had to take Cooper into the E.R. I took CRP and infant first aid but was hoping I'd never have to actually use it. We've decided we're taking a refresher course to be safe.

Cooper was playing in the middle of the floor, there was NOTHING close to him and he started choking. He started off crying but then started coughing really bad. It sounded like he was choking and couldn't breath. I scooped him up and sat on the couch with him. I flipped him on his stomach on my legs and began back thrusts on him. He calmed down a little so I flipped him over and looked in mouth to see if there was anything in there - nothing. I did a very shallow, quick finger sweep and nothing.

He started coughing again. A high pitched, gagging, screaming cough. I flipped him back over and started again with the back thrusts. This time he started vomiting. When he stopped I cuddled him again but he started gagging again so I started with back pats this time. He started vomiting again but this time I saw little red spots mixed in with it - blood. That's when I really started panicking.

He calmed down again so I snuggled him to my chest. His face was bright red and he had a look of pure terror on his face. I will never forget that look. He was pleading with me to help him. When he was cuddled he wasn't crying, he had a very serene, calm demeanor to him. He gagged, vomited, snuggled off and on for at least 10 minutes, but it felt like hours to me.

Every time he got calm I would call Paul, desperately trying to get a hold of him. He wasn't at his desk and wasn't answering his cell phone. Finally on my 9th call he answered, I relayed what had happened and he rushed home. We now only have one car so I had to wait for him to get home before we could rush to the E.R. I called the Pediatrician and they said to take him straight to the E.R.

As soon as Cooper was done with his coughing, gagging, choking spell he was perfect. He snuggled up in my arms, sucked his binky and just laid there staring at my face. I was terrified to put him down so I held him until Paul got home, we snuggled up on the couch together.

Paul made it home in record time and we headed to the E.R.

When we got to the E.R. they took his temp and weight and then we waited... and waited... and waited. Let's just say we got to the E.R. at 2:30, went back at 3:45 and left for home at 6:15. TONS of waiting.

They did an x-ray to make sure he didn't have anything lodged in his throat or tummy. That is what we were so worried about and why we took him in. They found nothing. phew! The dr. said that he most likely spit up and then inhaled it which caused him to choke. The blood was a result of popped blood vessels in his throat because he was coughing so hard.

Every time he coughs I freak! I rush to him to check on him. I'm sure I will do this for quite some time.

Oh yea, Cooper weighs 17.32lbs now!!!

New Car Seat!!!

Picture Update

Grandpa came to visit!!!!

Such a big boy!

Cooper's Crawl

This is how Cooper crawls!

Gimme that beer!!!

Cooper is trying very hard to get Daddy's beer.

News Flash - Baby Poop Stinks and Other Shenanigans

Coop is now 8 months old. *sigh* where has the time gone?! Only 4 months until he's one! It's just not fair!

Next month I'll no longer be able to say that he was in my belly longer then he's been out.

Coop is starting to get the hang of solid foods. So far he's had sweet potatoes and green beans. OMG does his poop stink! I knew it would stink, but it doesn't even stink like adult poop stinks. This stuff has a whole stench of its own.

I miss breastmilk poop!

He has discovered his penis. Diaper changes and bath time just got a whole lot more fun for him. Paul and I have a hard time believing that he's not hurting himself the ways he's grabbing, squeezing and pulling on his penis but it doesn't seem to phase him at all. It hurts like hell when he does that to my arm! I'm having to break Paul from telling him "NO" when he does it. Paul's starting to get it. The only time I pull his hand away is when I need to get in there to clean so I'm trying to get Paul to do the same.

He's starting to try to pull himself up on EVERYTHING now. I'm trying not to hover too much. I don't want to break his fall every time. I'm afraid if I do that he'll think it's fun to fall down (or safe) and I won't always be there to catch him. It's hard not to hover though! It's hard to stand back and let him take a spill, let him learn for himself.

We don't think he's ever going to crawl. Not a "real" crawl anyways. He has his method and it is very effective for him. He gets where wants to go very quickly. We call it the "slithering army crawl" It's so cute!

When he hears the door open in the evenings he looks now, he knows Daddy is home. And then when Daddy talks before we can see him he gets this huge grin on his face. It's great that he's learning those sounds and knows it means Daddy is near. <--- happy tears When Daddy calls from work I put him on speakerphone and let Coop "talk" to him. For a while Cooper got this worried look on his face, as if to say "Why is my daddy so small?" Now he just grabs for the phone to chew on it.

My boy is growing up. I look forward to the days that I can really do things with him, like crafts and such. I look forward to being able to put him in some kind of "class" like tumbling class or another Kindermusik so he can play with all the other kiddos. So many fun milestones have been hit in 8 months and I know there's so many more to come. Every milestone brings joy and sadness. When he learns to do something on his own he no longer needs me to do it for him.

Everyone warns you that being a parent is hard but no one tells you about the emotional aspect of having to "let go". I knew parenting involved letting him do things on his own, letting him learn for himself, etc. but I never thought it would be so hard to actually sit back and let him do it himself! *sigh*

And one more thing... Is he EVER going to sleep through the night?!