Pitter Patter

Shutterfly

2010-11-13T09:01:00.009-06:00

Christmas is right around the corner! Time to start preparing with decorations, parties, and Christmas cards!

Shutterfly is a great place to find Christmas cards and party invitations! While I was browsing I found the With Glee photo card that would work well for our family this year. It's different than anything we've ever done and so bright! I'm also a huge fan of the Premium Card Stock cards because of their high quality and durability. The card stock makes them stand out from other photo cards. One of my favorite designs in this line is the Full of Love.

If you'd like to browse Shutterfly's cards for yourself, you can follow this link to their holiday cards. They even have great Christmas invitations here.

We recently created a Photo Book with Shutterfly to capture our year as a family. It turned out so perfectly! Photo Books are a great way to organize your memories and have them stay in great condition for years to come.

Calendars are also a great product from Shutterfly and would make a great gift for grandparents this year!

If you're a Blogger you could get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly too at http://bit.ly/sfly2010.
If you aren't a blogger, Shutterfly has many cards to choose from on sale for 20% off right now!!! You can go to the Shutterfly website and view all their beautiful Christmas cards. It really is a great and easy way to send out a one-of-a-kind card this year!

An answer...

2010-11-13T09:01:00.008-06:00

And so, after three and a half years, we have a diagnosis for our sweet Cooper.

About a month ago he was officially diagnosed with Sotos Syndrome, a rare overgrowth syndrome that is characterized by excessive growth typically within the first 3-5 years of life, a tall forehead, big hands, big feet, hypotonia, delayed speech, and several other things.

At Cooper's 3-year checkup our pediatrician recommended we be reevaluated by a geneticist because she had noticed some features that were characteristic of some known syndromes. I can assure you that I questioned her repeatedly on the necessity of having him evaluated again. I didn't want the reason to be solely so he would have a label. I wasn't about to let him be put through so much again for a reason that did not completely benefit Cooper. She explained that because he had characteristics of some known syndromes, there could be other major issues related to those syndromes that would affect his major organs and she wanted to be sure he was followed appropriately by specialists if needed. In her words, "I don't want him to be running down the street at four years old and collapse from a heart attack because we didn't know we needed to be watching him." And of course, at that, I was in.

On August 18th Cooper was evaluated by a geneticist from Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center. Again, we went through all of our family medical history, all of Cooper's health history, discussed every procedure he had ever had done, reviewed all of his developmental milestones and the ages at which he had accomplished them - I even brought my book with my baby pictures and family pictures for help. When the geneticist came in he did a brief physical evaluation and then just watched him, silently, for what seemed like hours. It was so unnerving...I hated not knowing what he was thinking. When he finally started talking to me about what he felt needed to be done, he said that we would do another round of DNA testing and a Bone Age Study. (The doctor also gave Cooper some medicine to help his muscles build up because with hypotonia the enzymes break down faster than they can be replenished and this medicine helps keep the enzymes from breaking down so that the muscles can gain tone and strength. We have seen amazing improvement in Cooper since he started taking it. He runs everywhere and is constantly moving! Such a distinct turn around from just a couple of months ago!) He had a syndrome in mind, but wouldn't name it because I "looked like someone who would go home and search it on the internet." (I know some of you are smiling right now at the intuitiveness of the doctor.) He and his assistant kept saying that this was a ruling out process and just because they were doing the tests didn't mean that it would absolutely come back positive.

Toward the end of the appointment the doctor looked at my face and said, "you look worried." At once I began crying and explained to him what our family had been through and how we had been told that Cooper would never walk or talk and would probably die at an early age. I had feared this appointment because I was worried that they would take us back to that day. I knew he had only had amazing improvement, but "what if" they told me that Cooper had a degenerative disease/syndrome and that he would start regressing in his abilities and die as a child? We had finally just gotten past all the foreseeable appointments and tests and I had just started feeling like Cooper was finally going to be able to just be. I had always contributed Cooper's height and head shape to family genes and his delays were just "random" and he would one day catch up. But "what if!" The doctor looked me in the eyes and said, "What that doctor told you then was out of line and inappropriate and that IS NOT what I am telling you now. Cooper is not going to die from this and he will not regress." I cannot explain the relief that came in hearing that! I then had to ask, "Will he be a giant? Will he stop growing?" The answer: he will not be a giant and he will stop growing. He will just grow faster than his peers and probably stop growing at an earlier age. So we left and headed straight for the hospital to have his tests done. And then we waited...

On Monday, October 4th we received a letter in the mail from our geneticist (one we have received many times before) that reviewed everything that we talked about at our initial appointment six weeks prior. What I was surprised to find on the last page was a noted suspected syndrome, Sotos Syndrome. I guess it was called for in such a letter, but like I said, the doctor hadn't told me what syndrome he was leaning toward. So, because I had not searched A THING about overgrowth syndromes for six weeks, I googled it. And as I started reading about it I could help but giggle. This was Cooper! Almost word for word! It was amazing! This was my sweet baby who had all these characteristics but they had never been put together under one heading before. Soon after giggling, I found myself tearing up. I couldn't believe how mixed my emotions were. I had already decided that if we got a diagnosis or not, I wouldn't be emotionally affected because we were still going to be doing what we have been doing and a "label" wasn't going to change that - I was NOT going to be affected by a label! But through the flood of emotions I felt relief and peace. Not at all what I had expected. I hadn't ever considered "needing" or wanting a diagnosis for Cooper - he is just Cooper and our "normal" is normal. The Lord had answered so many prayers for this little boy and had already given so much peace about his life and future. But as the night wore on, I found myself feeling physically lighter and could breathe better! What?! I realized that for 3 and half years I had been worried, sometimes without realizing it, 24-hours a day. Any time Cooper got sick, "What is this? Could it lead to something more dangerous? Will his body respond appropriately to this sickness?" Any time Cooper bled, "Will his blood clot? Is he more prone to infection?" And especially any time Cooper hit his head, "Is is skull fractured? Will he get a brain bleed and then go into a comma? Will he have seizures from this?" And on and on. It has been my natural reaction to go into defense mode with him to try to keep him safe, when all along I've not had one ounce of control over this. I had (wrongly) been in survival mode since the second day of his life.

The next day the phone call came with confirmation that the DNA test had come back positive. With an answer came relief through knowledge in understanding more about how Cooper's body works and what to expect for him as he grows. We now know that his body will respond normally to illness and injury, and that one day Cooper will be within normal ranges for height AND intellect! How amazing is that!?

This has made me realize that I've been holding him back in some areas. When Cooper runs or plays really hard, he gets flushed quickly and my thoughts have always gone to, "Is his heart okay? Maybe I should make him slow down and take a break." I have been reluctant to enroll him in any strenuous activities because of this fear too. But, come to find out, kids with Sotos Syndrome characteristically flush easily! A week later we signed Cooper up for a two week trial at ty kwon do and took him to a Special Olympics sports night! He loved the sports night, but it seems as though the ty kwon do is not for him right now. :) But that's okay! He tried it and finished strong!

We are so thankful for everyone who has prayed for Cooper and supported us for the past three years! And we are most thankful for a heavenly Father who created Cooper perfectly to be an amazing child who is caring, thoughtful, hilarious, and so imaginative. We are so thankful that He chose us to be Cooper's parents and that He has equipped us and trusts us to take care of him on this earth. What a gift and a blessing beyond measure! I LOVE our normal and I'm so thankful that is it our normal!

Makes me cry every time...

2009-09-12T12:46:00.001-05:00

"Here is another sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss;
here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery.
Here is a soul to train for God,
and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost,
since it is the abode of a kingly tenant.

I may see less of friends,
but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom,
while I minister in Christ's name,
I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure
for my own recreation my other darlings have left me.
Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart,
welcome to her time, her strength, her health,
her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers!
Oh, how rich I am, how truly,
how wonderfully blest!"

(Stepping Heavenward,
Elizabeth Prentiss, 1800)

Test Slide Show

2009-09-06T22:23:00.001-05:00

My son the flirt

2009-07-11T09:16:00.004-05:00

Two days ago my son met a new little friend named Elizabeth. She's not quite two yet and much shorter than him, but such a ball of energy! She and her family are only here for about 4 days for camp. They met in the worship center while the band was setting up and definitely hit it off! They played so well together!

Later that night we all sat in the back together during worship and those two were some kind of entertainment! They were dancing around like crazy! They both tried to do the motions that went with one of the songs. Cooper lifted his hands when he saw other people lifting their hands. They danced the entire time.

Well, once it was time to calm down Cooper and Elizabeth both sat down in my lap. He immediately put his arm around her and laid his head on her shoulder. They went back and forth with that for a couple of minutes and then he made his move! HE TOTALLY LEANED IN AND KISSED HER ON THE CHEEK!!! This slick move was immediately followed by rejection and Elizabeth retreated to her own mothers lap! HILARIOUS!!!! It was too funny and he was too cute!

New Pictures

2009-03-27T09:29:00.005-05:00

And we're off at the zoo...

Cooper on the turtle...
This is what Quinn did most of the time we were there...

Cooper and the tiger...

Chicken legs!!! :)

Big boy...

3 and a half months...

Why I love Cooper...

2009-02-24T17:27:00.005-06:00

There are many, many reasons why I love this precious boy. He has an amazingly joyful spirit. His personality is beautiful, sweet and considerate. He has faced a lot of challenges in his little life, and he's always been a trooper and has always prevailed. He works hard at everything he does. He shows love in such special ways, even though he can't tell us he loves us yet.

I love Cooper because he loves to play in the water at the bathroom sink. He loves to get the paper cups and go through the endless process of filling them up and dumping them out. If he hears the water running in any sink, he runs to get his stool so he can reach the water to play. More often than not, he is too late so he puts his stool down and waits for his next chance.

I love Cooper because he pretends to feed us with food out of a book, and he pretends to feed the people on TV with his "food" too.

I love Cooper because he says please so sweetly. Every time he says it he seems to have a sense of accomplishment.

I love Cooper because he is sympathetic towards people and things that get hurt, fall down, make messes, etc. When Robin Hood gets captured he always points to the TV and says, "Oh no."

I love Cooper because he gets excited for people when good things happen to them. Another Robin Hood example would be...when Robin Hood hits the bulls eye in the archery tournament he always claps and gets really excited.

I love Cooper because he laughs when other people laugh and seems genuinely happy that they are happy.

I love Cooper because he smiles, even when he is sick.

I love Cooper because his first experience with REAL whipped cream was seemingly the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him. He squealed with delight and was amazed at how good it was. Again, he was so grateful.

I love Cooper because he loves to put Quinn's onesies on his head...like they are supposed to be there.

I love Cooper because he still wants me to come along. He waits for me. He's eager to share things with me. He wants to be around me.

I love Cooper because he loves milkshakes. Every time he sees this picture he gets pumped and pretends to take it off the screen and eat it.

I love Cooper because...he's Cooper. He was crafted by God to be exactly the way he is. He's beautiful and I am so honored to be his mother.

White Spinach and Chicken Pizza

2009-02-21T17:00:00.004-06:00

I don't usually put recipes up on our blog, but my husband so loved this one, it makes me want to share it. The "base recipe" started with something from Paula Deen, but I altered it quite a bit. (I should have taken a picture, but didn't even think about it.)

White Spinach and Chicken Pizza
1 thin pizza crust (packaged and found in the bread aisle usually)
2 cooked chicken breasts seasoned with pepper and salt and chopped (if you're making chicken earlier in the week, make a little more and use the leftovers for this)
1/2 jar of artichoke hearts chopped
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach
1 (16-ounce) jar Alfredo Sauce
1 package slice Provolone Cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Dash of basil

Preheat oven by following directions on back of pizza crust for oven temps and crust preparation. (Usually it tells you to brush it with olive oil.)

In a large bowl combine chopped chicken, chopped artichoke hearts. garlic, Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 bag spinach, 1/2 jar Alfredo Sauce, salt and pepper. Set mixture aside.

Put desired amount of Alfredo Sauce on crust. Top with slices of Provolone Cheese to cover sauce. Cover sauce with desired amount of leftover spinach. Spread mixture on top of spinach leaves. Sprinkle with basil and cook as directed by pizza crust directions.

Trip to Baton Rouge

2009-02-11T08:45:00.007-06:00

We were able to make a trip to Baton Rouge last week due to the nice little ice storm Louisville was hit with. We lost power and it quickly became too cold to keep the boys in a house with no heat. So we threw some stuff together and headed south. It was so awesome to be there! It had been 7 months since Cooper and I were there, and almost a year for T. It was a great time of rest and we were so blessed to see family and friends.

Here are a couple of pictures of the ice that drove us south...

This was on the Dogwood tree in our front yard.

That limb is usually about 15 feet off the ground.

And here are some pictures from our trip...

Quinn and his Bink.

Me and Joe.

The Girls.

Cooper and his Nana making his first cake!

This is what he looked like after his nap one day. How does this happen!?

Cooper and Addy having lunch.

Quinn and his BFF Joe. They are 10 days apart.

Cooper and his BFF Jack. They are 2 months apart.

Pictures

2009-01-22T10:35:00.003-06:00

He's just too cute! Loves to wear daddy's hats!

Big smile!

Completely in charge of the remote...daddy doesn't even know!

Look at that strong boy! (7 weeks old!)

Oh Goodness...

2009-01-13T09:28:00.003-06:00

Life with kids is always interesting, fun, entertaining, and most often exciting. But with all that there also comes the inevitable carousel of sickness. Cooper was well for about 3 months, and we were pumped! We literally put him to bed a couple of weeks ago talking about it, and he most definitely came down with croup the next day! He was able to get a big dose of medicine from the doctor after the weekend, and only had a moderate cough for a few days after that. Well, in the meantime, Quinn came down with an upper respiratory infection and had a cough and snot issues. He's still dealing with a little snot, but most of the cough is gone. The next week (this past weekend) Cooper woke up again with a fever and drainage coming out of his ears. The next day he had a rash and we took him to the doctor on Saturday. He ended up with a double ear infection and strep throat!!! Poor baby! He was absolutely miserable for a couple of days, but has been fever free for two days now and is back to his old self.

Now it's mommy's turn...I started with a sore throat last night and woke up with one pretty swollen tonsil and I'm off to the doctor today. (All this in trying to keep little man from getting anything serious.) We'll see what he has to say. Hopefully we'll be able to kick it in the butt before it gets full blown. (And on my birthday! Boo!)

We are headed to Gatlinburg this weekend providing all are well. Hopefully that will be a nice, restful time.

Cool man!

6 Weeks Old

One Month Old!

2008-12-31T12:25:00.005-06:00

I can't believe it. Quinn is one month old already! He is doing great...with the exception of the very frequent crying and screaming he partakes in (sometimes around the clock). But that's getting better and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so we're thankful for that.

He had his one month check up on Monday and weighed in at 10 pounds 13 ounces and was 22 inches long, so he's growing pretty fast.

Cooper is still doing a fantastic job at being a big brother. He loves Quinn and is super sweet to him.

T. has been at home since Christmas Eve and will be off until the 5th, so I am thankful for that help with the transition. He's been amazing and has taken on so much around here.

I'm still trying to figure out how to make it out of sweats each day, but I'm sure that will get easier as the days pass. :)

Here are some pictures of the big boys...

Cooper thinking he owns the kitchen. :)

Quinn frequently has this look on his face...either he's confused or just irritated.

Introducing...

2008-11-29T17:39:00.007-06:00

Thomas Quinn
9 pounds 2 ounces
20 inches long
Arrived at 3:07 pm

Week 38 Dr. Appointment

2008-11-21T08:45:00.002-06:00

I went to the doctor again on Wednesday and there's a little progress. I'm about a centimeter dilated, which is something at least. He feels like my body is now starting to do what it needs to to get ready to have the body and that by next week things will be good to go. He seemed to think that I'll go to the induction date of next Saturday the 29th. (We'll see!)

Halloween Pictures (late)

2008-11-15T22:04:00.003-06:00

I just realized that I didn't put any pictures of Cooper up from Halloween! Here are a few...

Week 37 Dr. Appointment

2008-11-12T12:33:00.004-06:00

Just had my check up for this week...still no change.

He did schedule my induction, however. If the baby doesn't come earlier, I'll get induced on November 29th. So at least we know that now!

I've tried to get myself prepared in case baby does come early. We've got the car seat in the car, the nursery primed, neutral clothes washed and put away, a bag packed for me and a bag packed for the baby, arrangements for Cooper for middle-of-the-night and daytime runs to the hospital, and a double stroller ordered.

I would honestly love for baby to come before the 29th because I'm just hurting and I don't see how my belly can get any bigger. BUT! I know God's plan is perfect and definitely better than mine, so that's what I'll pray for.

Week 36 Dr. Appointment

2008-11-06T13:30:00.002-06:00

I'm actually close to being in week 37. I saw the doctor today and all is well. Baby sounds great and there is "no change" so he said he would see me next week. No induction date is scheduled right now. He said we'd talk about it next week.

I felt like baby was coming Monday, so I'm a little surprised that nothing is going on.

I'll keep you posted in the days to come.

Cooper's Birthday Party

2008-10-26T21:10:00.004-05:00

Cooper's party was a lot of fun! He absolutely loved all the people being here to celebrate him. It was the cutest thing ever! When they sang "Happy Birthday" he got the biggest smile and put his head down like he was embarrassed to be the center of attention. Too funny! Here are a few pictures...

The Birthday Cake

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Opening presents

Playing "Ring around the Rosey"

The Party Table

Ultrasound - 34 Weeks

2008-10-22T18:10:00.007-05:00

Baby weighed in at 6 pounds 5 ounces Tuesday! That's one ounce less than Cooper was when he was born - and his birthday is still a week and a half away! He said the ultrasound was very reassuring and looked great. As of right now the doctor is still talking about inducing at week 39 if the baby hasn't come by then (that will be the week before Thanksgiving).

I'm scheduled to go back to the doctor next Tuesday. I'm feeling generally uncomfortable with a lot of back pain and pressure. But I'm able to get quite a bit done with a lot of breaks during the day for sure. Cooper has been such a great little boy lately and that helps sooo much. I've also had help from family visiting the past few weeks and that has been great as well.

Right now I'm praying for a labor and delivery that includes T being here from start to finish. I'm nervous about calling him on the way to the hospital while he's away on a recruiting trip. Please pray with me about this...I don't want to have to beat anyone up if he's not there! :)

Cooper's Glasses

2008-10-08T19:00:00.007-05:00

PREGNANCY UPDATE: They have put me on bed rest for at least a week as of today. I was having severe pains in the center of my belly accompanied by a tremendous amount of pressure. They did a non-stress test on the baby and verified that it is a very active baby and all looked well through the test. There were no concerns of being in preterm labor or anything; she just wants me to take it easy so as to not push it I guess. I think there is also added concern because I delivered Cooper preterm. I go back next Thursday to find out if another week is needed. This will be interesting because T is traveling and I don't exactly know how to do bed rest with a 2 year old by myself. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Glasses

2008-10-04T19:35:00.005-05:00

So little buddy has to get glasses! He finally had his appointment with the ophthalmologist Tuesday and he determined that Cooper is farsighted. He said that because Cooper has been having to focus so hard on everything that is close up, he is now over correcting and that is why his eyes are crossing. He did say that he has improved a great deal from the lazy eye issues he had when he was a baby, which is very encouraging.

He had a fitting for some glasses on Tuesday and they should be in this coming Tuesday. Now we'll just have to wait and see if he'll tolerate them. (Please pray on our behalf for this.) He's not the biggest fan of having anything on his head or face, so needless to say, the fitting didn't go that well and makes me have little hope in a quick adjustment. I just pray that he'll soon realize he can see better with them on and decide to leave them on.

I'll post some pictures of him as soon as I can catch him with them on for any duration.

Dr. Visit - 30 Weeks

2008-09-26T12:37:00.003-05:00

I went to the doctor for a check up on Tuesday. All went well. My belly is measuring right on track and the baby's heartbeat sounded great. I did sadly gain 8 pounds, but I didn't get in trouble this time since I haven't been able to walk like I had been. :)

I'll start going to see him every 2 weeks now! Crazy! We're in the home stretch. He said that we will do another ultrasound in a month to check on the baby. He seems to also be concerned about me trying to deliver a big baby. That was the concern last time too, so evidently it could pose a problem.

Hopefully I can figure out how to post the ultrasound pictures when we get them.

Jackson's Birthday Party

2008-09-22T07:59:00.004-05:00

Cooper went to a big ol' birthday part this past Saturday. It was a ton of fun and so impressive! It was a firehouse theme with a pretend fire in the front yard, a visit from a friendly fireman and a little ride-through firehouse. The kids also got to go on a hay ride! Cooper was a little unhappy about that at first, but quickly decided he loved it! Jenn made two cakes that were impressive also. One was a fire truck...3-D and all! And the other was a sheet cake with a fire hydrant on it. (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them.)

Cooper absolutely loved being around all the kids. At one point he walked up to the arm of the couch and rested his head on it, looked around at all the kids playing, smiled really big and just sighed. It was like he was so thankful to be there with everyone and was soaking it up. Too cute! He did a really good job of keeping up with the kids and would have done better if mom hadn't had to be a foot from him at all times while he was on the concrete. I had to watch for any scary falls, but I know I looked like a crazy mom.

The evening was so much fun and we are so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know the Sullivan's!

Hay ride!

Looking out the fire house window!

Mommy and Cooper on the hay ride.

What's been going on...

2008-09-19T14:18:00.005-05:00

So I just thought I'd put a little post up to fill y'all in on what's been going on around our home the past few weeks.

My poor son has been in and out of the doctor 6-7 times in the past 6 weeks, the ER twice, and now has three doctor appointments lined up in the near future. First he had a viral sore throat that ended up clearing up pretty quickly. The week after that we had to take him to the ER with what we thought were severe abdominal pains - there ended up being no official diagnosis with that one, but they did give him a big dose of an antibiotic. He quickly recovered and then relapsed two days later, which put us at the doctor's office again. Still no diagnosis, but they decided to give him a big antibiotic for 10 days since he responded so well to the one he received in the hospital. Again, he quickly returned to his normal self; finished his 10 days; and on day 11 started to get sick again. This time it led to very labored breathing and another trip to the doctor to receive a nebulizer and a 30-day prescription of breathing medication. This medicine again quickly benefited him, and he quickly learned that he would be allowed to watch cartoons if he sat still and let the nebulizer do it's thing (picture in a previous post).

Then last week he fell and hit his head pretty hard. He had a normal "good" reaction and no signs of a concussion or anything, but the next morning I noticed his eyes were crossing (mainly the right one). So I had a small moment of panic and then called the doctor who referred us to the ER, yet again. They were worried that he had injured his brain and wanted to verify that there wasn't any swelling. We went to the ER where they did a CATSCAN and found a small skull fracture on the back of his head. They admitted him for observation and a repeat scan the next morning. No changes were found in the second scan and they determined that his brain was not causing his eyes to cross. So we left with no explanation for his eye situation and the very valuable knowledge of a skull fracture. The fracture will heal on it's own, but we have to be very careful with him for three months. He is seeing an opthamologist at the end of the month about his eyes and has a follow up with the neurosurgeon in two weeks.

And then, on Wednesday he woke up with a runny nose and a fever! I feel so bad for the little dude. Today his fever is down, but he's still very snotty and his eyes are so puffy.

In between the ER and the new fever, I found out that I have a stress fracture in my right foot. They put me in a soft cast and a "post op" shoe for at least a week. (I had been walking around in pain for like 12 days, so this little injury is taking up a lot of time.) This pregnancy is becoming more and more uncomfortable and with my little hobble it's hard to get things done and be very active.

Amazingly, and by grace, the mood is still very joyful and peaceful around here. I'm thankful for the pains this little baby is causing in my belly because that just tells me how strong "he" is. T has yet again proven his "amazing-ness" and is constantly helping me here at home and is doing such a good job at work. He doesn't complain about how much more I need his help, but instead constantly offers support with love and encouragement and understanding. Cooper is continuing to make amazing improvements in all areas of his therapy and we are so encouraged and proud of that. He is walking better and better every day with more strength and balance. He loves to go up and down the slides at the park and is in love with walking in the grass now. He's also filling the shoes of a two year old little boy very quickly. He's constantly climbing on things and testing his physical limits...and his parent's limits. We are looking forward to his big birthday party coming up and can't wait to celebrate another year of his sweet, joyful, precious, exciting and amazing life. And most of all, we are so honored and thankful that we get to be his parents.

The Lord has blessed us in so many ways and has done such great things in our family!

Glucose Test Update

2008-09-04T20:32:00.004-05:00

The doctor called today about my 3-hour glucose test...

They said my numbers were NORMAL! I passed! Woo Hoo! It's amazing and a miracle. Thank you for the prayers. I'm so pumped about this situation!

Dr. Visit - 26 Weeks

2008-08-26T12:17:00.007-05:00

Update: I got the call today that I did in fact fail my glucose test. Boo!!! Anything over 139 is considered high, and my number was 148, so it wasn't too bad. I go back for the big bad 3-hour test next Wednesday. I'll let you know what happens. I'm going to keep hoping and praying for a passing score.

Today I had a check-up at the doctor, which included my 1-hour glucose test. I am happy to report that I did not gain any weight this past month, the baby's heart rate sounded great at about 143 bpm, and my belly measured right on track at about 26 cm. The glucose test was very bearable. I must say the drink seemed way bigger than it did last time, but it didn't taste horrible at all. Cooper was at a friend's house, so he didn't have to sit through the wait...and I didn't have to chase him during the wait - so that was nice. I have high hopes for this test to come back with good results. I've been working really hard to eat well (and in moderation) and exercise every day to try and get around the diabetes this time. I'm praying for good news.

On another note, Cooper and I are currently both sick. I think mine is mainly allergy related. His started as allergies I think, and then turned into breathing issues. I took him to the doctor yesterday and they sent us home with a nebulizer and two different breathing medications for it. They also gave him an oral steroid to help him heal faster. It was a slightly stressful day yesterday since I'm sick as well (and hormonal and pregnant) and T. is at camp evaluations. So, prayers would be welcomed.

And I'm including a picture of Cooper on the potty...we aren't really trying to do the potty training right now. We're just trying to make him aware of it and let him get use to it.

Cooper getting familiar with the potty.

Cooper having one of his breathing treatments.

BBQ Pizza

2008-08-06T20:52:00.009-05:00

Okay, I'm stealing the recipe posting idea from my friend Megan, but it's such a good idea and we so loved this recipe that I had to share it.

BBQ Pizza
1 store bought refrigerated pizza crust
6 tablespoons BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup cooked BBQ pork, diced or shredded
- (The day before I cooked 2 pounds of ribs in the slow cooker and used the rib meat on the pizza. We also used way more than one cup and loaded it down!)
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno rings
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (we just used Fiesta Blend Cheese)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Roll out the pizza dough and place on a pizza pan or large baking sheet. Spread the BBQ sauce all over crust. Top with the pork, corn, jalapenos and cheese. (We sprinkled the top with Italian Seasoning.)

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is golden. Top with fresh cilantro.

Quick and easy if you plan and prepare ahead of time. We were pleasantly surprised!

*Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com; italics my additions.

Dr. Visit - Week 22

2008-07-28T21:21:00.006-05:00

I went to the doctor today for a check-up and all was well! Belly measured well, heartbeat sounded great, baby was moving all over the place. This baby is so low! She said that the baby may have a growth spurt soon and move up, but it's very different from how Cooper carried. I have all new pains with this baby for sure. One amazing thing was that I had only gained 2 pounds this month! Last month I gained 6 pounds, which he wasn't too happy about. I worked really hard to eat better and exercise this month and it seems to have paid off! Yay! They were much happier this time.

Cooper and Mommy at camp on pizza night!

Slideshow

2008-07-22T22:17:00.001-05:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Week 18 - Dr. Visit

2008-07-08T15:08:00.005-05:00

So I had a check up last Tuesday for the baby. All went well...he measured my belly (don't know the measurement) and listened to the heartbeat, which sounded great! I was kindly told to start eating better because I've gained 17 pounds so far and I think that he's worried about the gestational diabetes. We're trying to get around it this time. So hopefully in a month when I go back he will have better things to say.

I'm feeling the baby kick a lot...real kicks I can finally feel on the outside of my belly! It's exciting!

Camp is almost over...two more weeks! It's crazy that it went so fast. It's been great, but it's also exciting to know that some normalcy is just around the corner.

Cooper driving the golf cart with his daddy.

Ultrasound with Fetal Medicine Doctor

2008-06-24T14:24:00.003-05:00

We went to the Fetal Medicine doctor last Friday to check the measurements of the baby. All went perfectly well! His brain looked good and all the other "checks for abnormalities" came back good. The baby is even measuring a little bigger than our due date, which is November 29th for sure. We shall call the baby "he" since we don't know the gender and I just can't stand calling the baby "it." So, he was squirming everywhere! It was amazing how much he was moving around. We got to see almost every part of him...both hands and feet, long legs, cute little nose like T's. And he yawned sooo big one time! It was just adorable! Here are a few pictures!

His profile, with a little stretch and a view of his spine and belly.

Another profile view and you can see his brain.

His face, arm and hand...and then his feet at the bottom.

The back of his head, his back, his right arm and leg...and a little booty shot.

Camp Has Started

2008-05-24T22:13:00.005-05:00

So T is about to start his last week of training with the staffers for camp. Cooper and I have moved out to "Casa de FEMA" (as T calls it) Monday through Friday. We are coming home on the weekends to have some normalcy and room for Cooper to do his own thing. It also gives me a bit of a break because I'm not having to tell him "no" all the time and keep him from getting into stuff. So far so good...some adjusting is happening for all of us, but we'll make it.

Some big news is...when we got out to camp on Monday, Cooper literally took off walking all around the worship center! Out of nowhere! He wouldn't do a thing for his PT that morning and then all the sudden he was walking, stopping, turning, and clapping while walking. It definitely brought tears to my eyes. It was amazing! He's not walking everywhere yet. I think if he sees there's not a lot of room for him to walk, he'll get back on his knees and crawl. But he can do it. He wasn't even using a "high stance" the other day! (That's where he keeps his hands up by his head and kinda guards himself.)

So that's it for now. We have another doctor appointment on the 2nd. I'll update after that with news on the baby. I will say I've been feeling the baby move a lot lately. And there are those definite pregnancy pains now. Crazy!!

Cooper and his new swing!

2nd Check-Up

2008-04-30T21:07:00.002-05:00

I had my second check up yesterday and it was quick and easy. I gained a couple of pounds, which he liked, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was crazy! He said it's the earliest heartbeat he's heard in a while and he was very happy to hear it.

We go back in early June for another check up, and then we'll have an ultrasound at the next appointment in July. But...we are planning on not finding out the sex of this baby. We are both pretty sure we can do it. We really want to experience that side of finding out.

Camp is starting soon for T. and for us as a family. I would have to ask that y'all be praying for us in this big first summer for us at camp. We'll post soon!

Here's a recent picture of Cooper at 17 months old going on 16...

And so...

2008-04-12T10:50:00.002-05:00

We are pregnant again! We are on about the same schedule as we were with Cooper - the end of November.

We found out on Easter Sunday and it was quite unexpected. We are totally pumped and Cooper couldn't be happier.

We'll keep you posted throughout this pregnancy too! Love you all!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2007-05-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

Papa loves to put things on my head!!!

What a cool bike - he fits on it and it's for 1 and a half year olds!

Family picture after a hard day's work in the yard.

A few more pictures of our beautiful boy...

2007-05-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

This is Cooper with his Aunt and Uncle "D."

Family picture after baby dedication at church.

Family pictures at the park.

This is Reaux holding Cooper (L) and his best friend Jack (R).

Cooper in his airplane

2007-04-30T11:55:00.000-05:00

"A thorn to pin back the veil..."

2007-04-12T11:21:00.004-05:00

The Thorn

I stood a mendicant of God before his royal throne

And begged Him for one priceless gift that I could call my own.

He placed it in my outstretched hand, but as I would depart I cried, "But, Lord, it is a thorn! And it has pierced my heart!

"This is a strange, a hurtful gift, that Thou hast given me."

He said, "My child, I give good gifts and gave my best to thee."

I took it home, and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore

As long years passed, I learned at last To love it more and more.

I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace.

He takes the thorn to lay aside the veil that hides his face.

-Martha Snell Nicholson

I just listened to a sermon by John Piper entitled, "To Be a Mother is a Call to Suffer," which my dear friend gave to me yesterday. Now don't assume, like I did, that this sermon is directed only to mothers, or that it addresses all the areas in their lives that they worry and fret over - it doesn't. It actually focuses on the "great reality of God's sovereign goodness in the bitter providences of our lives." The poem above sums up the sermon pretty well.

He begins with talking about a recent approach to teaching theology, which claims that "God doesn't know the future precisely because the future does not yet exist. Thus, while God is very good at calculating the odds, he still takes risks – especially in dealing with his free creatures."

As he continues through his sermon, he expresses his sadness that this approach is being taken and is being taught in seminary. He goes on to say, "And what makes the matter relevant this morning is that Christianity Today is exactly right to say, 'These theological debates have enormous implications for piety and pastoral care – especially for how we respond to the tragedies that invade our lives' (Christianity Today, vol. 45, no. 7, May 21, 2001, pp. 39-40)."

Throughout the rest of his sermon he refers to various stories of "tragedies," one in particular about a mother who was killed, with her baby, while sitting with her husband in a single-engine Cessna 185 floatplane over the jungles of Peru. The Peruvian Air Force mistook the missionary plane for a drug plane and opened fire. Missionary Veronica Bowers, age 35, was holding her seven-month-old daughter Charity in her lap behind MAF pilot Kevin Donaldson. With them were Veronica's husband Jim and six-year-old son Cory. The pilot's legs were shot and he put the plane into an emergency dive and amazingly landed it on a river where it sank just after they all got out. One bullet had passed by Jim's head and made a hole in the windshield. Another bullet passed through Veronica's back and stopped inside her baby, killing them both. At Veronica and Charity's memorial service, Jim was quoted as saying that the bullet that hit his wife and little girl was a "sovereign bullet." He was criticised for this comment in the media, but his grace and forgiveness are incomparable to anything I've ever heard. His entire testimony was filled with understanding, forgiveness....joy. He noted that the bullet stayed in Charity and didn't reach the pilot, who was seated directly in front of her. "A sovereign bullet..." A bullet that took the lives of his wife and child...yet he calls it sovereign, not stray.

John Piper continues to point out truths of why God does know the future precisely. Really I cannot summarize his entire sermon here. But, what got to me most were a couple of things: The poem quoted above and something Steve Saint said in his testimony at the Bower's memorial service: that to the unbelieving world PAIN is FUNDAMENTAL and JOY is SUPERFICIAL. But to followers of Jesus, JOY is FUNDAMENTAL and PAIN is SUPERFICIAL. It's just so comforting to hear that - so reassuring.

The period of time that we went through with Cooper recently, when we felt like "our world was crashing down on us," seemed so hopeless to begin with. But I just thank the Lord that He didn't let us stay there...in that state of mind. The doctors were trying to tell us that Cooper was going to have a pretty big thorn to deal with his entire, and potentially shorten, life. Thank God that he is okay. Thank God that he will walk and talk and play. But I really feel like the Lord prepared us to be able to say "Thank God!" if things would have turned out the way the doctors said they would.

I was in a state of struggle for a while - I felt like I was running from the Lord, trying to avoid Him for fear of what he may tell me - for fear of the "not necessarily good truths" about myself I was afraid He would reveal. I didn't want to give up control - control only I thought I had. I had a vision of how I thought our lives would be, and I lived like I could make them be that way. I desired control over every situation in my life. I believe now that that is where my struggle with fear and worry comes from. It's all intertwined - insecurity, worry, fear, control. I didn't want to let it all go. I thought that if I let the Lord take control, that I would be opened up to tragedy. A very confused way of thinking I know, but not knowing was and still is terrifying to me. Not being in control - it's so hard. But the ironic thing is that I never was and never will be in control of what I may think I'm in control of. The Lord was just waiting on me to fall on my knees and let him take the weight.

When we got the prognosis for Cooper, I knew for sure that there was nothing I could do to protect him or make him better. There was a huge potential for my child to have a thorn - a thorn I would not be able to remove. It was an initial feeling of helplessness. This child, that the Lord has so graciously blessed us with, might have something "wrong" - he may never walk, talk, and may have a shortened life expectancy. My worst fear was forming before my eyes and my "tragedy" was taking shape. I just PRAISE THE LORD for his sovereignty, for his grace, his goodness, and his enormous healing and comforting hands. We asked the Lord to heal our son, and that's what we believe He did. And every time I see Cooper smile, I know that he will be okay - that everything will be okay. His smiles are confirmation that the Lord is good and sweet and in control. It is in all of this that I understand what Steve Saint meant when he said that "Pain is superficial and Joy is fundamental." The Lord used the potential of this thorn to "pin back the veil" so I, so we, could see His sweet, beautiful face.

*If you want to listen to John Piper's sermon, here's the link.

Video of Cooper at Easter

2007-04-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

Easter Pictures!

2007-04-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

A couple links to watch a Cooper eat his chocolate bunny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_BiYkjJ-U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja-Glwhe6Bs

Some New Pictures

2007-04-02T16:54:00.000-05:00

Some Encouragement

2007-03-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

Well, Cooper went to the Eye Doctor today for a check-up on his lazy eyes. A month ago she had instructed us to make him wear a patch, alternating eyes, for an hour a day for a month. Well, as you know, life got a little crazy, T. and I got sick, etc., etc. Therefore, he only wore it for 2 weeks or so. Now, the doctor was very understanding about this and was very pleased with his progress even though. She wants us to make him wear it as much as possible for a while longer to continue to strengthen his eye muscles. The main thing about this visit was this, she said he made "tremendous progress" and she knew he would only get stronger. How amazing to hear that from a doctor! Not that I rest in what they say, but there have been so many negative attitudes lately - it was just nice to hear one say "good job."

I told her that I appreciated her encouragement and her response was, "Well, not only do I know you need to hear it, but his improvements warrant it." That was nice too...thanks doc! She definitely has a wonderful bedside manner and understands that we have feelings and needs too.

Cooper also got his picture taken with the Easter Bunny today...of course he was all smiles right up to the point that I put him in the Bunny's arms...little stinker. Here's the final picture.

Update on Cooper

2007-03-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

hey all! i wanted to try and fill everyone in on cooper and let y'all know what we learned friday at his neurology appointment.

his blood work came back normal, (the blood work was checking for the metabolic and mitochondrial diseases/disorders) with the exception of one test called CPK, which was slightly elevated. this level is elevated in people with cerebral palsy - those levels are elevated into the 1,000s. cooper's was 420. the doctor likes for them to be less than 200. she's not too concerned about it, but will recheck again in a couple of months to make sure it's not elevating. his lactic acid levels were slightly elevated as well. she didn't seemed to be too concerned about this either. she said many things could cause this increase, including mishandling of the blood, which is what happened with another test that ended up completely botched. had some other test come back abnormal, she would have been concerned; but everything else looked good.

she is now leaning away from the metabolic and mitochondrial diseases/disorders.

cooper's EEG came back normal and showed no signs of seizure activity. praise the Lord! this was never a concern for me and t., but i suppose she wanted to cover all of her bases.

his MRI revealed a couple of brain abnormalities. his corpus collosum, which communicates between the left and right sides of the brain, is either not there, or is very small. now, this is the part of the brain that is sometimes removed from people who have severe seizures. the doctor said that many times, people who don't have it, would never know unless they just happen to have an MRI one day because of a stroke or something and just accidentally find out. they lead perfectly normal functioning lives. however, it can cause developmental delays. there is also another part of the brain (i don't know what it's technical name is or what it really does) that the doctor referred to as a "curtain." normally there is one curtain, cooper has two and there is fluid between them. this is the same situation as the corpus collosum - people don't even know they have this until they accidentally find it one day. they function normally; again, however, it can cause developmental delays. the solution for this...physical therapy, which he has been in for 6 weeks now.

the neurologist is going to be sending us to a neurosurgeon to evaluate the plates in cooper's skull to make sure they are not fusing together too soon. she also wants us to see a geneticist to further investigate stuff (that i don't completely understand).

we have been very encouraged by our physical therapist. she is very pleased with his improvements over the last 6 weeks and is confident that he will only continue to improve.

t and i consider this appointment to have been a good appointment. even though he has these "abnormalities" there is no doubt in our minds that he will be successful with his development. i know that he will walk and talk and run and play. i feel very confident and at peace with those truths. cooper is going to have to work harder than most babies to get off the ground (literally), but i'm so pumped to see what these trials will do for him as a person...as a man. i love knowing that he will be able to look back one day and have a testimony about how he overcame adversity and accomplished what doctor's thought he wouldn't. i'm encouraged every time i hear a story about a child doing just that. the faith, the strength, the will and determination of a child is amazing and like nothing else. what a pure and perfect image of God. how exciting to know that he was created in His image...that he was perfectly put together and has a perfect purpose. how exciting to know that he will touch so many lives with his life and his story and his strength. he has already blown me out of the water with his strength and his continued happiness. he has been such a trooper the past few weeks as he has gone through all these test, and i am inspired by him. this time has been a blessing to walk through, especially being able to walk through them with my amazing husband. it has made us stronger as individuals and as one. we have learned and better understand how to truly walk in faith. what joy i get out of this. i rejoice in what the Lord has done. our son is perfect and the Lord didn't forget anything when he formed him. i'm just pumped about the days to come and about all the times i know this little man will blow us away with his victories! i'm honored and thankful and blessed to be his mother.

1 chronicles 22 was a chapter i've found a lot of peace in, especially verses 9, 11-13, and 18. i just wanted to share that...

thank you all for your prayers and support. we truly appreciate all of you and are blessed to have you in our lives. we will keep you posted on what is going on with cooper. thank you again!

"WOO HOO!!"

**See 1 Chronicles 22 below...

1 Chronicles 22

2007-03-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

1 Then David said, "The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel." 2 So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. 3 He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. 4 He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

5 David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it." So David made extensive preparations before his death.

6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. 8 But this word of the LORD came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

11 "Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. 12 May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14 "I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. 15 You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the LORD be with you."

17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has handed the inhabitants of the land over to me, and the land is subject to the LORD and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD."

Our Perfect Little Baby Boy

2007-03-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

I wanted to attempt to fill everyone in on what is going on with our little Cooper of late...I'm attaching an email that T sent out the other day. It pretty much sums up the situation with Cooper. Please read and I'll update at the end...

i guess some of you know already thursday (march 1st) was a bad day in the lusk home. if you don't, let me give you the run down quickly. thursday, we went to the neurologist at the request of our pediatrician. the visit was horrible to say the least. she basically told us cooper was going to be mentally handicapped, and even went so far as to say it could shorten his life span. all of this came as a great surprise to us because, in the past couple of weeks, he has taken great leaps in his development. (there is plenty of back story here that i am not adding so as to not bore you.) there is still a great deal of processing going on around here at what we heard at that visit yesterday. today (friday) we had our four month check up at the doctor and a physical therapy visit and a cardiologist appointment (at the request of the neurologist). the pediatrician agreed with the neurologist's assessments. the physical therapist was a little shocked being that she has seen the improvements i mentioned earlier and the cardiologist told us there is no problem what so ever with his heart - thank the Lord! so not a lot has changed, but there is a very unusual (Jesus) peace in this house today. rebecca and i are confident that the Lord has made no mistakes with cooper. we are also sure that, though they are educated, the doctors did not form cooper in rebecca's womb and they don't know the number of hairs on his head as the bible tells us God does. all in all there have been many tears and i suspect there will be more. but there has been one prayer rebecca and i have prayed from the day we found out she was pregnant to this day - that God would be glorified in the life of this little man. that prayer has not changed, the only thing that we have added is that God would be glorified in our response to all of this.
we are praying for a miracle and i ask that you would join us in that. thank you all for your prayers.

abide, T.

We have no new news - it's just a waiting game for now. He will have an EEG on his brain activity on the 15th and an MRI on the 14th. Then we will go back to the Neurologist on the 16th. He gave a lot of blood for tests last Thursday (March 1st) and it will take a couple of weeks for everything to come back. It is absolutely not for sure that something is "wrong" with Cooper. A drastic "prognosis" was made the other day, but we are confident and sure that the Lord is bigger than all of this and we know, that no matter where he chooses to take this situation, Cooper will be a testimony of his grace and his goodness. We know that he will astound us in his life - as he already has. I really just want the doctor's, our family, our friends, and anyone who hears of this to be amazed. We want there to be no other explanation for his life and his healing other than the Lord.

Again, we ask that you would pray with us and for our perfect little baby boy...for his healing and for God's glory and will.

Thank you all again. We love you and cherish you deeply.

Cooper Smiles!

2007-02-27T09:24:00.000-06:00

Look at this beautiful little boy with a beautiful little smile!

Cooper at 3 Months

2007-02-14T13:56:00.000-06:00

Here's our little darlin' at 3 months. Oh goodness; he's too cute!

He has a perfect little mouth doesn't he? And, as I promised back in November, here is one with his eyes open...

Another picture...

2006-11-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

Well here is Cooper and his beautiful nose right before he came home last Wednesday. We were able to take advantage of a "rooming in" option at the hospital, so for 3 days we stayed in a hospital room with him to give him some consistency. Before, he had many different nurses; therefore, he had many different opinions, different levels of patience, and different ways of doing things. So we finally got a doctor who had some "parent sense" about him and gave us the go ahead to go home! What an exciting day! Since then he's been doing great! He's eating very well and has actually gained 7 oz. in less than a week. He gets more and more beautiful every day. I have some great pictures of him with his eyes open, but I don't have the cable to load them onto the computer so you'll have to wait for those. Thanks again for the prayers and support through all of this. We love you all.

He's Here...a wee bit early

2006-11-04T22:54:00.000-06:00

Well, Cooper decided to make his grand entrance early on October 31st at 3:25 pm. He was 6 pounds 6 oz and was 21 inches long. I must say that he in fact does have the longest legs ever and for his age at birth (36 weeks) he measured off the charts! I knew it! He also has very long feet and fingers! Absolutely adorable. He came into the world by pushing through only 5 contractions...pretty fast. But, he is so long and skinny. He stayed in the room for most of the first night, but was having problems feeding and his glucose levels were very low, so they had to put him in the NICU the next morning. He is still there and will remain there until he is able to eat well. He also got a little yellow, so he's been under the blue lights for 2 days now. His levels are going down so that's great and hopefully they'll be able to take the lights off soon. We can't hold him right now and that makes things a lot harder.

He opened his eyes yesterday and it was the first time we were able to see them! Absolutely beautiful! That made things a lot better too. I will say that he is doing a lot better today and his feedings are improving. I just pray that he will be able to come home sooner rather than later. Please keep our family in your prayers. We love you and thank you for your support.

Cooper's Nursery, Stage 5 - Almost Finished!

2006-10-23T08:29:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Cooper's Nursery! I just love the way it is coming together...

Here is Cooper's Crib and his adorable bedding

(made by my mother-in-law!)...

Just another shot of his crib and wall decor...

Here is Cooper's Changing Station/Hutch...

This is a close up of Cooper's bedding...

Here's Cooper's Diaper Bag...

We could still use a couple of things, but for the most part it's pretty situated! We got a new vacuum cleaner on Saturday too, so his room is super clean!

Baby Check-up, 34 Weeks

2006-10-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

I have had a couple of ultrasounds in the past couple of weeks to check on the size of Cooper. On the 5th he was 4 pounds 11 oz., and this Monday he was 5 pounds 13 oz.! He gained a tad over a pound in 11 days, which is a little more than "normal" babies, but not a problem. The ultrasound tech said that he is in the 6oth percentile, where "normal" babies are in the 50th percentile at this point of the pregnancy. Again, not bad. She said that a lot of mothers with gestational diabetes will come in at this point and be at the 90th percentile; so we're good.

Everything looked great during the ultrasound. He was actually sleeping through most of it and his hands weren't covering his face. He gave us a full view of his face, but the equipment at my OB's office isn't as high tech as the equipment at the Fetal Medicine doctor's office, so it was hard to see any good characteristics. His heart and brain and legs and feet and all that looked good she said. And there is a good amount of amniotic fluid and he is moving very well. So things look great! Thank you Lord! I have to have an ultrasound every week from here on out, so hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures. But before too long you'll have real baby pictures to look at!!!! YEA! My next appointment with my OB is Monday (I have to go every week now) and hopefully she'll get an idea of how far away we are. And then I go to the Fetal Medicine doctor next Thursday for another ultrasound.

I am sick...I think I'm trying to get a sinus infection or something. Whatever it is, I feel like crap and would rather be home with my "cankles" propped up resting. I truly am swelling a lot lately...hands and feet. Can't wear any rings now. I have so much to do too! The nursery is still not what I would call "ready." I really wonder how it will all get done.

I'll keep y'all posted. Hopefully I can get some updated pictures of the nursery posted soon. My awesome mother-in-law finished the bedding for Cooper and it's beautiful! Everyone must see.

Diaper Shower!

2006-10-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

Our sweet Community Group threw a Diaper Shower for us and this was the "cake!" How cute! We love y'all! Thank you so much!

Cooper's Nursery, Stage 4

2006-10-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Cooper's room! We almost have all of his furniture put together. I just wanted to give y'all a visual update.

Gestational Diabetes

2006-09-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

And so, I found out yesterday that I have gestational diabetes. I had to go in for a 3 hour glucose tolerance test last Friday where they took my blood four times over that period. The first test, which was my "fasting test," came back normal. After they took that, I had to drink 100 grams of a pure sugar drink and they drew my blood on the hour for the next three. The results from the first and second hour came back high, and the third came back normal. They consider you to be a gestational diabetic if 2 or more of the tests come back abnormal. The good thing about this is that my fasting levels (the most critical) were normal, so that gives me some relief.

I will be going to see a dietitian and nutritionist tomorrow to get on a diet plan to keep my blood sugar stable, and to learn how to check my levels (prick my finger) four times a day. And then next Thursday I will be going to see a fetal medicine doctor to have an extensive ultrasound to check out Cooper. They are going to be monitoring him very closely until the delivery. So far what they've told me is that the concern is that he could get too big, which could lead to other health problems. That is usually only an issue when the levels are not under control.

I just wanted to give that update. I let myself worry when I shouldn't, so any prayers would be nice. I just don't want to hurt Cooper. And right now I feel like I can't eat because I don't know what's good and what's not. Be assured that I will eat; it just scares me.

I'll keep y'all updated. Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Cooper's Nursery, Stage 3

2006-09-19T08:14:00.000-05:00

Here is the verse and the white trim...

She will be back today to finish up - all she has are touch ups. Yea! I'm so excited! Soon we will have some furniture in the room!

Cooper's Nursery, Stage 2

2006-09-12T15:02:00.000-05:00

Stage 2: Some of the "fancy" stuff. If you click on the picture you may be able to see the glazed stripes going throughout the purple. Maybe not though because it's kinda hard to make out. It's cute though.

She is going to come tomorrow to write a verse at the top of of the wall around the room. By Thursday, everything should be done and I'll post a final picture! Woo Hoo!

Cooper's Nursery, Stage 1

2006-09-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

I've decided to keep y'all posted with the gradual progress being made on Cooper's Nursery. Stage 1 - Base Coat of paint on the walls.

Stage 2 soon to come...

Oh, and here is one of my favorite gifts thus far from our friends Ernie and Ashley...

Baby Check-up, 29 Weeks

2006-09-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

So I had another check-up yesterday. Everything went very well...

Weight at 26 weeks: 145 pounds
Weight at 29 Weeks: 150 pounds
Belly Measurement: 29 cm (still on track)
Baby's Heart Rate: 153 bpm

Other news...

I went to the cardiologist to have a precautionary check-up. I've been having some pounding in my chest when I lay down, and Dr. Harris wanted to clear everything with my cardiologist. He said that everything seems to be just fine. My EKG was good, my blood pressure was good. He said that everything should be okay as long as I am not experiencing the same racing that I had when I had SVT, which I am not. He diagnosed me as "normal" and said that I should be okay through delivery. He said that a lot of pregnant women experience the same symptoms due to the increase in blood and blood flow, and the fact that everything is just smushed up in there.

My back has been feeling A LOT better this week. I don't really know what happened. I literally woke up last Saturday and could walk just fine, sit just fine, lay down, etc. It's been nice and a blessing. We went to Natchez last weekend for an early anniversary get away, and I felt great the entire time. In fact, T took this picture of my belly while we were in Natchez waiting on a house tour. It's kinda funny looking I think.

I had my glucose test yesterday as well. I will probably not have any results on that for about a week. I'll let you know when I find out. The drink wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It really did taste a lot like Fanta.

T and I are scheduled to go to a labor and delivery class on the 19th and 20th. I'm really excited about it. Mainly because I have no clue what to expect. The only knowledge I have comes from A Baby Story on TLC.

I am now on the 2-week check-up rotation! That is crazy to me because it means we are very close!!! Goodness. Our nursery isn't even finished being painted yet! (I am learning a lot on patience and chilling out with all of this. It will be okay...) The paint should be done next week, so I'll post some pictures when it is.

Well, that's about it for now. Thank you for your prayers and support. I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to meet this little man!!!

Something New

2006-08-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that Cooper's kicks have become jabs! It happened for the first time Sunday night after a little fried chicken from Canes. On our way home, out of nowhere, he just dug some sharp part of his body into my side. Whooo! It hurt! I was so surprised. I really didn't ever imagine that feeling him move would hurt. Until now I had just been feeling some rolling, and softer movements. But goodness gracious - he either doesn't like Canes, or was completely satisfied and stretching out for his nap. It's kinda shocking when he does that out of no where. Amazing, but shocking. He's just getting so big! I can't wait to meet this little man. I kinda think that as we get closer to November 25th, we may be able to see some hand/footprints pushing on my belly. That will be cool!

I just wanted to give an update. Like I said, he'll do what becomes the norm, and then out of nowhere he'll surprise me with a new little trick. What a joy!

Some Belly Pictures

2006-08-23T09:16:00.000-05:00

These are from Friday, August 18th - 26 weeks pregnant.

"A Good Hurt"

2006-08-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

Well here is another picture of our precious little baby boy. We had the 4D ultrasound done on Friday and came away with several pictures and a DVD video of the session. In case you can't tell, this is Cooper's face. You can see his eyes, nose, mouth and little chubby cheeks. (The tech said they were really chubby.) I think he looks to have T's nose! Yea!

Anyway, I just wanted to share this picture with y'all. It's amazing that this little baby is growing in my belly with only a few more months before he will be introduced to the world.

I wanted to make one more comment. The title of this blog is "A Good Hurt" and I can thank our worship leader for this. Last night at church I evidently had a look of "I'm in pain" when Cody walked in the door. He laughed at my posture and facial expression and I said, "I hurt." He directly followed with, "It's a good hurt though." For some reason that really made me stop and think. It's not just a good hurt; it's an amazing, wonderful, exciting, blessing of a hurt. I am thankful for these pregnancy pains because it means that we have a baby on the way. A baby that the Lord has graciously blessed us with. A baby that He is knitting daily. A baby only He knows everything about. Even if I have to endure some irritating back pain and what not, it's all worth it. The Lord is teaching me and growing me through this and that makes me excited and honored. I'm just excited about the three months to come and I'm so ready for November to be here so we can meet our long-legged son. The Lord is amazing and I am so incredibly thankful for how He works and for what he's doing in our lives and within our family.

Baby Check-up, Month 6

2006-08-18T08:53:00.000-05:00

I had my 6 month check up yesterday! Everything went very well. I'll post the stats like last month.

Weight at 5 months: 142 lbs.
Weight at 6 months: 145 lbs.
Belly Measurement: 26.5 cm (right on track)
Baby's Heart Rate: 133 bpm (a lot lower than last month, but she said it was just fine. I also had been watching my sugar intake for a couple of days because I thought I was going to have to have my gestational diabetes test and I didn't want anything to "skew" it.)

Other updates would be...

I am having my gestational diabetes test in 3 weeks, so pray that goes well. I have to drink a really big sugar loaded drink - yuck!

I stopped going to the physical therapist because it's just too expensive. Goodness! The back problems I was having then have gotten a lot better, but I have since acquired a nice sciatica pinch that is managing to impair my every move. I'm going to go have a cheaper prenatal massage to see if it helps.

I will be going to the cardiologist next week on the 24th...so no news on that yet.

Other than that everything has been absolutely wonderful. I'm enjoying every kick and movement. It amazes me how stinkin' active he is throughout most of the day. He was on a "move around like crazy for a couple of days, take a day off, move around like crazy for a couple of days, take a day off" routine, but now he just moves around like crazy. It makes me happy.

Y'all, I may be the only one who gets a kick out of it, but I seriously can't wait to see the legs on this child. My mom and grandma are here visiting and we watched the ultrasound video again and there is a point where the tech just sat in one spot on my belly and we watched him for a bit. My mom even says that those are some long legs. I told T that the doctors are going to say, "Good grief! Look at those legs!" when he comes out.

Amazing

2006-08-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

I just want to say that it really does amaze me how this baby is changing. He will go along for a week or two just doing the normal stuff - kicking at the predicted times, rollin' around when he and I are both hungry, etc. And then, literally, one day I will wake up and he's decided to do something new. Until now, little Cooper has stayed very low in my belly. I hadn't felt his body or felt him kick anywhere above my belly button. But for the past couple of days I've been noticing him kick in completely different spots. I just knew that he had obviously changed positions and didn't think too much of it. But last night, right before we went to sleep, I was laying on my side and I felt him completely shift his body forward, so I rolled over on my back and goodness! There was an enormous lump where he was on the left side of my belly, pretty high up, above my belly button. It really was amazing - and slightly uncomfortable; not bad, just felt strange. I grabbed T to show him and he, of course, was in awe. He started talking to him and rubbed my belly and Cooper slowly moved back. It was pretty cool how the baby responded to him.

Anyway, all that to say that the baby has totally moved up in my belly! He's obviously growing and definitely getting stronger (he's a wiggle worm through most of the day now). I keep telling T that he's going to come out with the longest legs ever! He thinks I'm silly because I also keep insisting that you can totally tell on the ultrasound video that he's got looooong legs. I mean, think about it. Does this child have any other option since his parents are both 80% legs? I don't think so.

Baby Check-up, month 5

2006-07-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I spent a good 15 minutes typing a post earlier, and my computer decided to become unresponsive and my post is now lost in cyber space. So, I'm just going to quickly give you the stats:

Beginning Weight: 120 pounds (10 pounds underweight. That's what the doctor said!)
Weight at 5 months: 142 pounds
Weight gained: Depends on how you look at it. The doctor said my body had to "catch up" so she said I've only really gained 12 pounds. But on the other hand, 142-120=22 pounds. You can decide. People are saying that it's all belly (unless they are biting their lips). So for everyone in AR, I promise I'm not just fat. :)
Belly Measurement: 22 cm - right on track
Baby's Heart Rate: 160 bpm - a little higher that day because I had had a little too much sugar I suppose.

I had to go have an ultrasound on my gall bladder because I was having a "twinge" in the 'vicinity of my gall bladder.' Everything looked clear, so she said it is probably intestinal, but I really don't know what that means. She didn't seem too concerned.

My heart's been racing/beating irregularly a lot lately, so she wants me to go see my cardiologist to check that out.

And I'm going to physical therapy to learn some strengthening exercises for my back.

Evidently I'm a baby myself. I'll try to remember to give an update on all that when I find out.

Baby Blue...and Purple & Gold

2006-07-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

So on Friday I took back all the pink I had previously purchased, and attempted to buy blue. However, this was much harder than I thought it would be. First of all, there are just more girl clothes to choose from than boy clothes. And then there's that question of, "Do we want him to look 'preppie' or 'jocky' or 'all in to bugs'?" I mean, there are mainly dinosaurs, bugs, and boats on the boy clothes I saw the other day. Not a whole lot of "just blue" or "just red." I ended up buying Cooper a cute little light blue jump suit with some socks to match, a GAP beanie, some white pants, and a couple of bundlers for when he first comes home. I left feeling like I had cheated him out of something. I have a pretty good idea that once he out grows all the initial clothes he gets, thrift stores will be the shopping trip of choice - only because I envision that child being into everything. A lot like his dad maybe. :)

We decided on an LSU nursery. (I believe I mentioned this little desire of my husbands earlier.) Now, for all you people from my native sate yes, I did say, "Well what about the Razorbacks? Why do we have to do purple and gold and not red?" Unfortunately that did not hold up in his court. (I wouldn't say that I've gone to the other side, but I do own a couple of LSU shirts, so I had no defense. Shhhhh.) T did give me the back of the door to Razorback up though. :)

No, I really do think this is going to be good. I think we will put a chair rail up and paint the bottom a really deep purple broken up with a lighter purple in wide stripes; and then paint the top a pale yellow. I want to make sure it's not too intense so the poor baby won't be crying out of terror every day when he opens his eyes and sees nothing but screaming purple and gold and tigers everywhere.

It's a BOY!!!!

2006-07-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

Allow me to introduce you to Andrew Cooper Lusk, our beautiful baby boy!

Well wouldn't you know...it is a boy after all. How exciting and hilarious at the same time! T was trying to bum $15 off his parents in the ultrasound room once she made the declaration. Everything went very well. The tech said that brain, spine, heart, legs, neck, bladder, stomach, face, etc. all looked very good. PRAISE THE LORD! He was wigglin' around everywhere! It was pretty cool to be able to see him kicking me while I was feeling it.

I am very thankful for all of this! A boy! I've got a lot to learn about what to do with a boy. Heehee. It still hasn't completely sunk in yet. YEA! I'm so excited! I can't wait to truly meet this little child of ours. God is so good!

$15/154

2006-06-23T07:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday T and I had another monthly check up for the baby. Everything went really well. She said my tummy is growing at a good rate and that I'm gaining the proper amount of weight. They did come in to check the baby's heart rate before we left...she quickly found it, and this time she let us listen for a while. Now, let me say that when we had our first ultrasound when I was 10 weeks along, the baby's heart rate was 189. Nice and high. EVERYONE we told how high the heart rate was immediately said, "It's a girl! Girls have higher heart rates than boys." Now, I've had in my head for some time (probably since before I even got pregnant) that we would have a girl. I mean, that's all I know about. It was just me and my sister growing up...no boys. "I have no idea how to handle a boy," has been my thought process. And it didn't take long for T to get on the Girl Bandwagon either; and he's been soooo positive. I've always trusted his intuition and "positivism" in everything else, so I've been pretty sure we are having a girl. (I will admit, and as most of you know, pink has been purchased.) So to continue - the heart rate yesterday was 154! That is in no way a bad thing...it is still very strong and doesn't warrant concern. However, it sure ain't 189=GIRL. It's more 154=BOY. Now, I totally know that in the end, the heart rate does not matter in determining the sex of the baby...but a bandwagon sure is hard to get off of.

Please don't hear me say that "I WANT a girl." I will be completely full of joy and happiness no matter what the baby is. I just pray for a healthy baby. It all really just makes me laugh because my sweet, sweet husband was shocked yesterday to hear 154 bpm. I mean, he has $15 riding on this and all. :) Seriously, I just can't stop giggling about it. But for all of you who know my husband, you know that he will have to be completely proven wrong before he'll let up on his "opinion." And that is one of the reasons I love him, one of the reasons I laugh most days with him, and one of the reasons he irritates me to the extreme.

So to conclude, the "temporary proof" is scheduled to occur July 6th. So I'll definitely let you know the call...pink or blue. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement through this process. We love you all very much.

OH! Big P.S. T and I felt the baby kick for the first time Sunday night, and then again last night! How amazing! This whole "knitting" thing is cool.

Here's the baby!!!

2006-04-26T12:07:00.000-05:00

So here is our baby!!!!! (If you click on the second picture, you can see the little nose!) The quality might not be too good, but how exciting! We are 10 weeks along and everything looks good they say! We'll be able to find out what the gender is in about 8 more weeks...

We were able to see and hear the baby's heart beating, and we saw the little thing moving around everywhere! It was so funny! She/he was just wiggling everywhere!

What a relief! I'm just so thankful that everything went so well. What a joy and and honor! A huge blessing! I can't wait!

(PS-They changed my due date to November 25th, so the picture below is updated.)

More Baby Clothes

2006-04-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

My mom and sister visited T and I this weekend! We had a great time shopping for the baby. Even though we have no idea what the gender is yet, we ended up buying a few little items. Mainly pink stuff...50/50 chance right? (I'm keeping the receipts.) Baby GAP is so cute!!!

We also bought a baby book, a pregnancy journal, and an organizational book for "preparing for the baby." I'm a bit of an organizer in case some of you didn't know. It's been pretty helpful. Many, many details about stuff I didn't even know to think about! I'm pumped to get started!

Food, Food, Food

2006-04-12T09:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, I just want to let everyone know how much stinkin' food I ate yesterday.

2 packs of peanut butter and cheese crackers
grapes
peanut butter and jelly sandwich
6" sub from subway
A lot of BUGLES
2 trays of crawfish at an All You Can Eat crawfish night
1 slice of cake with ice cream

I feel like that's a lot. I'm just so hungry all the time. I guess that would contribute to my "Baby Snug." Eating, sleeping and random pains are the only issues I have right now. No morning sickness or anything, so that's good.

Sorry some of these posts are a bit pointless. They'll get more exciting once I go to the doctor I'm sure.

Baby Snug

2006-04-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know if this is normal at 7 weeks, but my pants are definitely fitting a little differently. Oh, I guess one would say they are a wee bit snug! This is sometimes disheartening because I have no real baby evidence. I need a sign that says, "I'm pregnant. I promise! I'm really not gaining an abnormal amount of weight in an abnormally short period of time!" But, I guess if someone were to be documenting my every move, they would be able to testify that my food intake has increased significantly; thereby justifying the snug. I'm just hungry all the stinkin' time! And when I'm not hungry, I'm tired. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep...not a good combination for a fit pregnant body. Oh well, I guess I have 9 months to get "fit."

But, to continue on the topic of my snug clothes...Tonight I must grace the mall with my presence...to look for a suit! Yes, a suit. Now, suits are not cheap; and it puts me in great distress to even think about spening money on a suit for a single occasion (for work) and only be able to wear it once. Now, hopefully my post-baby body will return to my pre-baby body size, but who really knows!? Anyway. I own two suits currently, both of which are too big - noticeably; so I'm basically stuck in the middle of this suit dilemma.

I just thought I'd share that with y'all on the first day of week 7 for the Lusk baby. Love y'all!

Baby Bump

2006-03-28T12:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Kellie, of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, debuted her latest single, "My Bump." It's a song she wrote about her pregnancy and "baby bump" that is beginning to appear. It is both adorable and hilarious, and since I'm in the same "delicate" position she is in, I thought I should post it for all to hear. Enjoy...

http://www.kiddlive.com/KelliesHumpEDIT.mp3

Baby Clothes

2006-03-24T10:39:00.000-06:00

My father-in-law's birthday was Wednesday (Happy Birthday again Lusk dad!) and we, as a family, went to PF Chang's for dinner. Well, T and I happened to get there a little early, which really isn't normal, so we went over to GAP. Oh yes, there is definitely a Baby GAP attached to the big people GAP. And for anyone who knows me, you probably know that I couldn't resist checking out the baby clothes. I tried really hard to go to the big people GAP first with T, but found myself scanning and making my way through the hole in the wall to the baby section. Oh my goodness! I can't wait for this baby to get here so I can dress him/her up! They seriously have the cutest clothes. One of my favorites was this little "onesie" that was white and just had the red and blue GAP logo on the front...it definitely had a little dark blue sporty jacket with it that said "Baby GAP" on the front! I made my way to the clearance section where I found this adorable light blue shirt that said "bright" on it. It was only $0.97 so we got it. We also got the softest onesie that was cream with really faint green monkeys on it!!! How stinkin' adorable! But the best of all happened when we got to PF Chang's. Dianna had a present for us!!! Our first! She had gotten us a LSU pacifier and a LSU little baby beanie! Even more adorable! I went home and laid everything out on the chair and just smiled! It makes me so happy!

How amazing is it that the Lord is knitting together a child in my belly? What an amazing responsibility He has given us. I pray that He will grow and prepare us daily for this adventure before us. I can't wait. Every bit of it makes me excited! How thankful I am!

Baby, Baby, Baby

2006-03-20T15:00:00.000-06:00

Soooooo...We're pregnant! Today I am 5 weeks along with many, many more to go. I just can't believe it! What a blessing. The Lord truly is AMAZING. How thankful I am for His faithfulness...for the fact that His ways are bigger than ours...that His timing is perfect!

We found out Thursday night, in quite an unexpected way. I had taken a pregnancy test the Saturday prior and only one line appeared. So, after a week of "confusion" I casually took another one, totally not expecting anything to happen. And what do you know!? Two lines instead of one! First time mom here didn't know that you cannot get a false positive, so I took two more that night, and two more of a different brand the next morning. Yep, 5 total...and they all said YES! (We took a picture. I'll post it soon.)

I just wanted to let everyone know. Check out this cool chart below that tells you the progression month to month!