2 Weeks.....

We just got back from a pre-op check up with our pediatrician.  Gracie weighed in at 27 pounds (shoes and clothes).  We haven't seen Dr. P since she had the flu in February.  He walked in, looked at her, and said, "This is the best I have ever seen her look!"  I agree - makes it harder to take her to the hospital.  He thumbed through her charts and said, "Man, this kid has come a long way, hasn't she?"  Ears, throat, lungs, etc all looked great.  He said that he wanted to come by the hospital to check in on her.

So, here we go....  2 weeks from tomorrow.  Ugh.  My stomach is getting more and more nervous.  We have our heart cath next week to measure all of her pressures in her heart.

Start saying those prayers!

Kindergarten Graduation

My son is officially a first grader!  I am a little sad, because he is getting so big.  Here are some pictures and videos from his ceremony.

Minute to Win It

Bennett and Grace love to watch the show Minute to Win It.  It is one of their favorite shows.  Bennett - my creative child - loves to create games and try to "win."  (He also created a Wipeout course....but that is a whole different story....)


Here is the course and their "completion" of it....

A Conversation with Grace

A night time conversation with Grace...

Fun in the Mud

We went to the farm for Craig's birthday. (This is Craig's parent house)  They have a couple of hundred acres.  It rained all weekend.  Bennett, my little water bug, was very encouraged by D-Daddy to go check out the mud pit.  You can see what happened.....

Healthy heart!

We got some terrific news on Wednesday!! Baby Cooper has a 4-chambered heart!!! We saw the ECHO tech at Dr. Thomas' office. It was still a little early to check, but we could see everything except the pulmonary artery clearly. However, Dr. Thomas said that based on the blood flow through the ductal arch that it looks as if there are no problems!! Hooray!! We will set another appointment in a month just to look at the pulmonary artery to be sure. It will also be time for the sonogram at the OB/GYN office so we will get to see baby lots next month!!


Bennett and Gracie are getting more and more excited. B wants to feel the baby moving. Hopefully baby will cooperate at some point before it is born.

We have all been relatively healthy...with the exception of pink eye that Gracie caught....gave to Craig....who in turn gave it to Bennett.....who had a terrible case! Grace and Craig's eye cleared up so quickly, but B's has really hung around.

Our friend, Karen aka Jozzy, came to visit us the last weekend of March. She was running the half marathon. The kids were beside themselves to see her....which turned to pure estatic glee when we pulled into the parking lot of Great Wolf Lodge to spend the night! They ask to go there all of the time. We got a gift card 2 Christmas's ago and we have been saving it. Lots of time at the water park....Gracie must have gone down the blue slide 976 times. She would get cold....we would take her to the hot tub to warm up....and then she would be off to the slide again. B's highlight was defeating the dragon playing MagiQuest. He had a wand and had to solve several puzzles to collect all of the runes. Then, we headed down to become a Master Magi and defeat the dragon. Homeboy was all kinds of proud of himself.

We are all still doing well. Times are tough in education right now, but thankfully I have a job for next year. Kids are doing well in school. Craig is staying busy with work. Everybody feels good.

B has been in soccer overdrive. He plays on a rec team. He got invited to join a club team with his kindergarten teacher. So we have soccer camp on Monday, practice on Weds for rec, practice on Fridays (that last from 1-1 1/2 hours) for club, and games on Saturday. He says he loves it! Every other night, he and Daddy play soccer in the house. (grrr)

Lu is still loving dance! It is her favorite activity. She is going to be a princess in her recital so she is pumped about that.

Only 2 more months before we begin all the heart stuff again. Ugh. Pulmonology appointment in mid-May. Heart appt in early June. Heart cath on June 22. Pre-op on June 27. Big surgery day is June 28. She tells us all the time that she "is going to be able to run fast after she gets her heart fixed." She definitely gets tired and out of breath easily. She has started showing anyone who will look her zipper. And she loved the fact that Nana had 2 zippers on her knees! (she had double knee replacement) She even showed her zipper to the nurse at the hospital!

Thanks for checking in on us. Drop a line to let us know that you were here!

Big News

Surprise, surprise.....the Cooper Empire is expanding by one. 

Once we got over the shock, we are quickly getting excited about the prospect that we are going to have a new baby at our house.  We went to the doctor in February and saw the little alien's heartbeat.  I was not quite as far along as I initially thought.  I am due October 2.  I go back to the doctor next week and hopefully we will get to hear the heartbeat chugging along.

Dr. Thomas and his office just ordered a fancy, schmancy new machine.  They will take a peek at the little one's heart sometime past my 12 week mark. 

I already have a little belly popped out - but just look fatter than I already did.

Bennett and Gracie are so excited!!!  B wants a brother.  He wants to name him Thor or Steve (Steve being Captain America's real name)  G wants a sister named Foofa (from Yo Gabba Gabba) or Cinderella. 

Here is how we told people....

And the little alien.....

My boy

My boy is growing up....sigh.  He had his Valentine Cotillion at school a couple of weeks ago.  Just look at how handsome he is.....

Super Heroes Gone Wrong

Picture this......

B comes home complaining of kids at school.  Grandpa asks him why he doesn't use his super-hero moves on these kids.  B jumped out of the chair and proceeds to make super-hero sounds and show off his super incredible super-hero moves....which include kicking.  At which point he kicked the wall.....  and then he yells and goes to grab his foot......and bangs his head on the table.....

It's tough being a super hero!!

CHD Awareness Week - Day 3

7 BITS OF ADVICE FOR CHD PARENTS
1.  Ask for help.  This was a hard one for me and Craig.  It is hard to ask people to help you, but necessary.

2.  Accept help that is offered.  This was even harder for both of us.  People want to help and it is okay to take them up on the offer.

3.  Join a support group.  You have to do this when you are ready.  Some are ready before others. 

4.  Ask questions!  Ask lots and lots of questions.  Make sure that you understand what is happening with your child.

5.  Speak up!  You know your child best.  Sometimes you have to follow your gut and speak up. 

6.  Appreciate your doctors, nurses, etc.  They are taking good care of your kids.

7.  Appreciate each and every day with your little one.  Some parents are not as lucky and don't get to have their kids with them.  Even when Gracie is driving me nuts, I really try to remember this. 

More CHD fun tomorrow!!

CHD Awareness Week - Day 2

7 WAYS YOU CAN HELP!

1.  Donate blood!!  This is so important.  All of our kiddos receive blood during their surgeries.  If you want your donation to be directly credited to Gracie, contact me and I will give you our account info.  If not, come out to Medical City on February 12.  Our support group is having a blood drive from 10-4.

2.  Donate money to your favorite cause.  Amazing Little Hearts is finally a non-profit.  Contact me for info on how to donate.

3.  Support a group.  If you don't want to donate money, donate some of your time to a group.  Offer to help them.

4.  Become an organ donor!!  I am on....and everyone in my family knows it.

5.  Find a cause that is important to you.  For me, it is CHD Awareness.  Find your passion.

6.  Educate people about CHD. 

7.  Support a family.  Just be a shoulder to lean on with they need someone to be there for them.

CHD Awareness Week - Day 1

Today is the first day of Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week! Look for lots of posts about CHD's this week and help us spread the word to raise awareness!!


7 FAQ’s

1. What is a congenital heart defect? CHD’s are structural problems with the heart present at birth. They result when a mishap occurs during heart development soon after conception and often before the mother is aware she is pregnant. Defects range in severity from simple to problems, such as “holes” between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, such as complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.

2. Who is at risk to have a child with a congenital heart defect? Anyone can have a child with a congenital heart defect. Out of 1000 births, 8 babies will have some form of CHD, most of which are mild. If you or other family members have already had a baby with a heart defect, your risk of having a baby with heart disease may be higher.

3. How many people in the United States have a congenital heart defect? Estimates suggest that about 1,000,000 Americans have a congenital heart defect. Approximately 35,000 babies are born with a defect each year.

4. Why do congenital heart defects occur? Most of the time we do not know. Although the reason defects occur is presumed to be genetic, only a few genes have been discovered that have been linked to the presence of heart defects. Rarely the ingestion of some drugs and the occurrence of some infections during pregnancy can cause defects.

5. How can I tell if my baby or child has a congenital heart defect? Severe heart disease generally becomes evident during the first few months after birth. Some babies are blue or have very low blood pressure shortly after birth. Other defects cause breathing difficulties, feeding problems, or poor weight gain. Minor defects rarely cause symptoms. While most heart murmurs in children are normal, some may be due to defects.

6. How serious is the problem? CHD’s are the most common birth defect and are the number one cause of death from birth defects during the first year of life. Nearly twice as many children die from CHD in the United States each year as die from all forms of childhood cancers combined. (author's note....Can you believe this statistic?? Another fact is that 5 times the amount of money spent on CHD research is spent on childhood cancer research!!) Over 91,000 life years are lost each year in the US due to congenital heart disease. Charges for care exceed 2.2 billion dollars, for inpatient surgery alone.

7. Are things improving? Definitely. Overall mortality has significantly declined over the past few decades. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s the risk of dying following congenital heart surgery was about 30% and today it is around 5%.

One of the things that I feel VERY strongly about is raising awareness about CHD's. They are everywhere. It is amazing how many people I have met and when they find out about Gracie....they know someone who had a CHD or had a CHD themselves. Why do you not hear about CHD's the way that you hear about other childhood diseases??

Do your part to help raise awareness!!

Snow Day!!

This crazy Texas weather!!  We were wearing short sleeves this weekend.  It was beautiful outside.  Today the temp has been in the low 20's.  There is snow and ice on the ground.  Since we don't really know how to handle it, everything is pretty much shut down!  The kids have been begging to go outside all morning.

And some videos for your entertainment.....

Bike Riders

So, the boy has been super scared to try riding a bike with no training wheels.  We are mean parents who were determined that our kid was going to know how to ride a bike.  Mommy, the more patient parent, worked with him this past weekend.

We present to you.....the bike rider!!

And, not to be outdone by the attention that her brother was getting.....  She insisted that I video her too.  She is funny because she doesn't weigh enough to really get the bike moving.  She gets stuck quite a bit which causes me to have to do a lot of pushing.

Sick, sick, sick

Doesn't my poor baby look like she has been on a 4-day bender??


It has been a LONG week. Gracie started running fever Sunday evening. The poor thing was burning up!! It was so sad. We went to see Dr. Prestidge on Monday afternoon. He said that her left ear looked a little dull and red so he gave her an antibiotic in case the ear was causing the fever. She weighed 24.6 fully clothed and her sats were around 82. He heard her cough and said "well, it definitely sounds like she has a virus."

Monday night, Bennett started running fever. He has a horrible cough. Needless to say, no one in the Cooper household was getting much sleep. Grandpa and Nana were off work on Tuesday so they were able to keep the kids for me - which was a huge help because I am quickly running out of days that I can take off. B's fever broke pretty early on but you could tell that he still didn't feel good.

Wednesday brought more of the same. Grace was still running fever. Grandpa got to use another one of his days off to keep a cutie pie! (However, I don't think that he was too sad to get some one-on-one with her!! She is in a pretty snuggly mood.) In fact, when I got to his house to pick her up, they were "resting" in the recliner together!

I talked to Dr. Prestidge yesterday morning and told him that I found out that the flu had been going like wildfire through the kids school. He told me to bring her by and he would run a flu test on her. Lo and behold....it was positive. No wonder the poor baby isn't feeling good!! So, even though it has been 4 days, he put her on Tamiflu because "this is Gracie we are talking about." Yes, she had a flu shot. But, she is just so susecptible to things. He felt like that was what Bennett was fighting off with his fever. Of course, Daddy hasn't gotten a flu shot yet! So, he gets to take some Tamiflu too! Bennett's cough still sounds horrible and he is so pale. But, he is hanging in there and going to school. The girl is with her D-Daddy for the next two days...and I am pretty sure that he would have taken B in a heartbeat....especially since he told me several times that he would.

A couple of funny things that have come out of her mouth lately....

"Mommy, Bennett hit me and I had heart surgery." (milk it sister. Homegirl is going to do her best to get out of PE!!)

"Mommy, after today is it going to be tomorrow?"

"Look Daddy! (pointing to her chest) This is where I lost my heart." Daddy tells her that she still has a heart. "No, I have a zipper now!"

We would appreciate prayers for quick healing. And, that Daddy doesn't get sick.

PS - February 7-14 is CHD Awareness Week. We are having a blood drive on February 12 at Medical City Hospital. Details to come soon......

Smarty Pants

Bennett - in all of his infinite wisdom - decided that he and Gracie were going to race while getting dressed this morning.  Daddy gave Grace a little hand to help her speed the process along.  Mommy asks the girl how many ponytails that she wants today.  The girl answers one.  Bennett - upon seeing that he is now losing the getting dressed race - says "Don't you want two ponytails?  That would look so cute!"  And, of course she wants 2 ponytails because she does everything her brother says.

And Bennett wins the race.....

That kid is always thinking.....

The Girl

Homegirl has some serious morning hair!!

Poor baby got her mommy's curly hair.  But, it isn't long enough to do anything with.  But, that smile melts my heart!!

One funny from her from this weekend.....  Bennett was told no about something.  He proceeded to throw a fit and cry.  (ahhh....I love being a parent)  He was told to stop being a crybaby.  Lu responds "I am not a crybaby!  I have a happy spirit!"

Man, I love that kid.....

Snow

Poor Bennett.....he was so excited about the possibility of snow.  He must have looked out the window 100 times yesterday.  Finally, some huge flakes started falling down from the sky.  He was so excited to get all of his snow clothes on and go outside!  He scraped the snow from the top of the cars so he could throw snowballs.

We got the shaft and nothing stuck on the ground.  Many of the cities north of us didn't have school today because of the amount of snow/ice on the ground. 

I still think that they are pretty darn cute.....snow clothes and all.

Star of the Week

Miss Grace is the Star of the Week at school this week.  She is SO excited.  She has probably told me a million times "I am the stawr of the week, Mommy." 

She was supposed to take a posted to school yesterday...but being the mom of the year that I am...I forgot.  In my defense, I didn't take them to school while we were out on break.  So, we whipped up her poster last night.  She was so excited to show all of her pictures to Miss Niecey this morning. 

She gets to bring something special every day to share with her class.  Yesterday was movie day.  Can you guess what movie she picked??  That's right...Yo Gabba Gabba!  Today she took a book to share.  It is a book that she got for Christmas.  The main characters name is Gracie and she dreams of being a famous dancer.  It has hologram pictures that change when you move the book around.  It shows hula dancing, tap dancing, Rockettes, etc.  It is very cute. 

I wanted to share her poster on the blog because I thought it turned out pretty darn cute!!

Love,
Jennifer