CHRISTMAS FUN!!!

It has been awhile since I made a post but that is only because things have been a little hectic :) We had Christmas at our house this year since we were not able to travel to my parent's with Cooper. We tried to keep as many of the traditional events as we could and Sherri and the girls spent the night Christmas Eve so that we could all still be together Christmas Day. The excitement of Santa Claus has always been half the fun of Christmas Day and we did not want to miss out on that. As always, we had way too many presents Christmas Eve but of course none of us will complain about that. We had too much food as well but again...no complaints. Everything was perfect except for the fact that I had this incredible pain in my lower left rib area that progressively got worse throughout the day. By the time we were done opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve I was in tears. My Dad, Terry and I went to the ER that night. They did not know exactly what was going on but gave me a pain pill and some antibiotic. Thank goodness for pain pills. I had one every 4 hours on the dot and it at least made the pain tolerable. This continued throughout Christmas Day. After going to my doctor the day after Christmas I found out I had pneumonia. Just what I needed, hahaha. I had a follow up visit today and although it is still there it is getting better! Anyway, so except for that Christmas was great! Raelynn really got into this year. I would hand her a present and tell her who it was from, before she would open it she would go give them a hug and tell them "Thank you and Merry Christmas". It took forever to open gifts but it was really sweet.

My Mom finally escaped backed to Scott City and I think has worked non-stop since her return! Steph stayed another week with us and left on Saturday night. She was very bored with us and got very tired of eating left overs but I enjoyed having her here :) My house is finally back to normal with nothing out of place and I think after today I will actually finally feel like I am on maternity leave and might enjoy a day or two just playing with the kids and not cleaning or running errands or just trying to get our lives back in order.

Cooper is doing great! His is up to 6 3/4 lbs and eating more every day. We visited the cardiologist on Friday and he was quite happy with his progress. His next surgery will be in 6 to 12 months and what they will do at that time has not yet been determined. If they choose to just re-route the blood flow in Cooper's heart that will probably be the last surgery he will have for years. However, doing this is very difficult and not always the best option. The other option is to use a donor valve and vessel and actually correct things with that. The problem with this is donor parts will not grow as Cooper grows. Therefore, he would have another surgery at 5 to 7 years of age and then yet probably another later on too. The Cardiologist will continue to monitor his progress with monthly appointments and will let us know when it is time for the next surgery and what they will do.

Below are several pictures just to show you what a great family we have :) As you will see, Raelynn loves her little brother and reads him stories and sings to him often. She is also becoming very knowledgeable about his heart defect and lets all visitors and anyone else who will listen that "the doctors fixed hims heart"! Raelynn calls Cooper "Little Buddy"....neither of them could be any cuter! Also, check out the great pic of Mom and Dad. Anyone that knows Dad knows it is an act of God to get a picture of him let alone a good one!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!!!

So we have been home for a few days now. My Mom is still here and I cannot even begin to explain how helpful she has been. She has missed Christmas parties, Steph and Karli's band and music performances, Steph's 18th Birthday and much more just to be here for us. Now I understand why she has done this; now having two amazing kids of my own I know you sacrifice anything to help when they need it but I also understand that if it wasn't for her I would not be the Mom that I am. She has taught me how to love so strongly it hurts. Anyway, I owe her so much and just pray that my kids feel the same about me as I do her when they grow up.

Terry has also been pretty amazing. He is getting back in the swing of work this week and I think probably very happy to be back. Last night when he got home he jumped right into helping with Cooper's feedings. Although feedings may seem like no big deal, with Cooper's feeding tube it is a very long process and the help is greatly appreciated. Between feeding Cooper, bathing Raelynn, dinner and just keeping the chaos to a minimum, Terry had to laugh at the end of the night reminiscing about how we used to be able to at least sit long enough to watch a couple TV shows at night! I think those days are gone, hahaha. He has been great, even my Mom comments on what a great Dad he is. I am very lucky!!!!!

The past 2 days I have attempted to get up and try to get ready just as if I were going to work to see that I can manage all the morning activities and still make it to work by 8:30 am. I have realized I need a lot of practice. So far my best time is 9:05 am. I only have to shave off about an hour! Don't worry Tom, I will keep working on it!

Raelynn and Cooper are doing great. Raelynn loves him very much but did ask if I could take him back to the hospital yesterday when things just weren't going her way. It was pretty funny because I expected this would happen at some point. Within a few minutes she was again by Cooper's side with pacifier in hand assuring him that he would be ok because she was there. It is precious. Cooper is coming along very well. We see our pediatrician about every 3 days and Cooper seems to be gaining weight and doing well. If he keeps this up we should have the feeding tube out in a week or so. This morning he weighed 6lbs 2 oz. He has so many facial expressions I could watch him forever. I did not realize until we got home that I had not really just connected with Cooper yet. I think not being able to take care of him and hold him it was hard to feel that deep love. These last few days being home and caring for him I have fallen madly in love with him just as I did Raelynn. Being a Mom is GREAT!!!

IT FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME!!!

Well we finally are home and things are they way they should be. Cooper is doing great, Raelynn is a big help, Terry is back to work and I am exhausted. Everything is perfect!!!

He is adorable!!!

Raelynn is even trying to help out with the breast pumping :)

WE ARE GOING HOME!!!!!

Today is the day, we finally get to go home!!! We are so excited and maybe a little scared, but more excited than scared. We have learned all sorts of things to take care of little Cooper at home and it has been a very busy couple of days for us all! Yesterday Aunt Sherri spent a large part of the day with Cooper so that I could go home and clean. I am happy to report that the house is clean and ready for Cooper :) I know he will appreciate that, hahaha. Cooper also had visitors yesterday. Julie, Kelly and Marty came to visit and Cooper loved all the attention! Today we are just waiting on the discharge paperwork and to have Cooper's staples removed. After that we are on our way. What a great Christmas we are going to have!!

Since we will be home I will be able to post some new pictures soon as well!

GETTING CLOSER!!!!!

Well we are finally getting closer. After a few long days of no advances today they are starting to prepare us to go home towards the end of the week. We are sooooo excited. Cooper is now down to a feeding tube only....no IV's. Yeah!!! His respiratory rate has been very high but is finally going down. It is still higher than they would like but due to the size of the shunt they put in they are not surprised. We have to learn to use the NG tube (feeding tube) because he still is not eating enough by bottle but again they expect this to improve. We have not been able to feed him by mouth because of his respiratory rate so he is just learning again. We also have to learn infant CPR and do a car seat check before we go. He will be taking 4 medications so also have to learn all about these and how to administer them. Even though it sounds like there are quite a few things to do, I am very grateful that this is all we have to deal with. Cooper is awake much more now and has even smiled a couple times :) He is really cute. Sunday Raelynn, Mom, Sherri, Cassidy and Chandler came to visit. This is the first time Cassidy and Chandler were able to see Cooper and they were very excited and even shed a few tears. I think they were a little scare of what he may look like but were pleasantly surprised that he just looked like a little baby. Raelynn got to hold Cooper for the first time as well. I cannot even tell you how cute she was with him. She was so gentle and asked him how his heart was doing. It was precious. I have a feeling she is going to be a big help in his care :) We are getting very close to having our whole family together!

WHAT A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE!!!

Yesterday about 5pm they extubated Cooper. Things seemed to be going well and we were so excited to see that breathing machine gone. By 8pm they told us they were probably going to have to put him back on the breathing machine because he was not doing so well. I took this very hard because it was a step backwards and not where any of us want to go. They continued to monitor him and Terry and I spent the night at the hospital. Slowly his stats started to improve and by this morning they were great and they did not have to put the breathing tube back.

The rest of this morning was crazy. First they came in and removed both drainage tubes from his heart. This was a big step!!! Next the removed all but one IV and his catheter!!! Then the real shock was when the said we were were going to go to "the floor". This is what we had been waiting for. "The Floor" is the 4th and final floor we have to go to before we are out of here. We were so excited. By 2pm we were telling the PICU goodbye which is a big deal because Cooper was a favorite patient and we really liked our doctors and nurses there. Next we went to meet our new nurses and doctors and to see our new home away from home. Boy were we pleasantly surprised. As everywhere else here, the doctors and nurses are fabulous!!! The room is a big step up. We have a bed, bathroom, TV, DVD player, refrigerator, sink etc. It feels like a resort :) The best part is I finally get to be a Mom. I get to feed and hold Cooper and even change his diaper. I could not be happier right now. The rest of our stay is all about his recovery. The faster he learns to eat, poop and generally breath, the faster we get to go home. Imagine if we are home for Christmas!!!! It would be the best Christmas ever!!!

Raelynn is doing great as well. She came to visit us yesterday and she and Terry played and danced around the hospital. I took her in to see Cooper before his breathing tube was out and she had many questions but handled it very well. I will never be able to thank my family enough for all they have done through this all. Mom has basically put her life on hold to make sure that Raelynn's continues as normal as possible. She is amazing!!!

RECOVERY SUCKS!!!

Yesterday about 11:30 am they closed Cooper's little chest. It took about an hour. Then they started weaning him off the meds that were keeping him asleep. It was a slow day. He did not wake up much at all yesterday. The nurses and Terry thought it would be a good idea for us to go home last night and get some sleep because once he awakes we will need to be here. I left but it was very difficult. I called and checked on him often throughout the night. Raelynn was thrilled to see us though. She said she loved and missed us! She is such a sweetie.

This morning we arrived about 7:15 am and by 7:30 am I was in tears. As he is waking up he still has the breathing tube down his throat and therefore he is very uncomfortable. Because of the tube he cannot make any noise but he will grimace and give every other sign that he is crying. It breaks our heart! They have given him one dose of morphine but nothing since then. The plan today is to get him off the breathing machine and to extubate him. It will probably take most of the day but we will be thrilled when it is over. Watching him cry is much worse than hearing him cry. I will be the first parent ever to smile when their baby is screaming!!!

WAITING, WAITING AND MORE WAITING

Cooper is doing well. They did not close his chest today because they just wanted things to be a little more stable. They have increased his fluids and gave him some more blood to help get his blood count up. They all say he looks great and hopefully tomorrow they will close the chest. He has slept soundly all day. The nurses let me put sweet smelling baby lotion on him even though Dad said no girlie lotion!!! Also put a little Vaseline on his chapped lips. I know this all made him feel better :) Anyway, today was just sitting and sitting and more sitting. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to take another step forward toward his recovery!!!

Raelynn has been spending a lot of time with Grandma and Aunt Sherri. She really seems to be doing pretty well. I went home to shower and picked her up from preschool. We ate lunch together and I put her down for a nap. She begged me not to leave and that was hard on me but I think over all she is handling things well.

SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS!!!

Well Cooper made it through his first surgery perfectly. He is now in the PICU recovering. When we first were able to see him it was very hard. He is breathing by a ventilator and has many IVs and tubes in him. His chest is still open and though covered by tape and gauze, you can see his small heart beating. It is very difficult to see your baby laying there lifeless but the doctors and nurses all say he looks great. He will be kept asleep for a day or so. Once they are sure there will not be any swelling they will close his chest which could happen as early as tomorrow. I chose to stay at the hospital with him tonight so thanks to Tom letting me borrow his laptop I have been trying to keep myself busy other than just standing and staring at Cooper. Things seem to be going well. However, earlier when I touched his small foot, he moved. The nurse first said it was just a reflex but then discovered the medicine that was keeping him asleep was leaking and therefore he was not getting it all which resulted in him starting to come to. They corrected the problem right away. It was a little scary. They have also had to increase his liquids but again he seems to be doing great.

Terry went home to be with Raelynn and I called her about 8 pm and she seemed to be doing just fine. I miss her though!!! I cannot wait until I can sit comfortably in my own home and be with both of my children at the same time. It sounds so simple but to hold them both is all I could ever ask for. We have met some amazingly strong people here and realize that our situation could always be worse but I can definitely say this has been the most emotional and stressful thing I have ever been through. I just continue to think how fortunate we are though. I have 2 beautiful kids who, by the way, look exactly alike, and an incredible husband! That itself is something to be very thankful for but then we have amazing family and friends who have been there every step of the way. I do not know how we got so lucky!!!

SURGERY DAY!!!!

Yesterday Cooper had his exploratory surgery called the cardiac cath. They went inside of him and took pictures of the heart to make sure there is nothing they did not know about. They took him to surgery around 8am yesterday. By 10:30 am or so his surgery was complete and we were in a consulting room looking at the film ourselves. There were no surprises and they said they would let us know later in the day when they would schedule surgery. They told us that Cooper would be asleep all afternoon and they probably would not restart feedings until today. About 30 minutes after surgery they let us go back in to see him. He was wide awake and doing great. Everyone was surprised. By evening they were feeding him again, yet another surprise. The biggest surprise came when the cardiologist came to talk with us and said that they were taking him to surgery first thing this morning. We were a little taken back only because we had originally been told it would be 7 to 10 days yet. They thought he was doing very well and was ready. We arrived this morning at 6am and were able to spend about an hour with him before they came to take him off to surgery. Currently he is in surgery and doing well so far. The last update was that he had about another hour left in surgery but he was doing great! Letting him go this morning was very difficult but we are all holding up pretty well. After surgery, he will be sedated for 2 to 3 days. His chest will be left open until the swelling subsides. He will be on a breathing machine as well. They have prepared us that he will look a little lifeless for the next few days. From there, if all goes well, we are looking at about 10 more days at the hospital. We will then be able to return home and Cooper's next surgery will be in 6 to 12 months. I realize now that we will all be very familiar with Children's Mercy Hospital. Which by the way is an amazing place full of amazing people. Little Cooper himself is quite amazing. He is adorable and everyone here has fallen in love with him. We will keep you all posted and please keep the prayers coming!

COOPER WILLIAM KEEFER

We would like to introduce Cooper William Keefer. He was born November 28, 2007 at 12:18am. He was 5lbs 14.8 oz and 19 in. long. He is adorable!!!!!

What an adventure the last few days have been. Labor and delivery went well. We checked into the hospital a little before 5pm on Tuesday and he was here a little after midnight on Wednesday. Everything after that has been a blur. Right after delivery I was able to hold him for a few seconds before the neonatal team took him to the NIC unit. Terry was able to go and kept me posted with pictures. About 1 1/2 hours later they took me up to see him before he was transported to Children's Mercy. I thought I was prepared for how hard all of this would be but nothing can prepare you for this. They let me hold him for a short while before the put him in the transport unit. It was very hard to see him with all his IVs and to not know how long it would be before I could see him again. After he was transported Terry and my Dad went to Children's Mercy to be with him. I was able to sleep from about 4am to 6am. When my doctor around 7am I was ready to be released and to my surprise he allowed this. We were all shocked. So I was discharged and off to be with Cooper. What I did not know is this would be the longest and hardest day ever! At Children's Mercy things were hectic. It seemed as though we met a thousand people, none of who I was keeping straight. We were not allowed to hold or really touch Cooper because of his IVs and medication he was taking. He was doing very well though considering the situation. Around 8 or 9 pm we checked in to the Ronald McDonald House and this is when I lost it. Not only did I feel like there was no end to all of this but now I was sleeping in a cold room with neither of my babies and I had never felt so overwhelmed in my life. Terry was amazing, assuring me that it would all be ok we just needed rest. (Terry had not yet slept at all). I felt completely helpless and missed Raelynn terribly. The worst part was I could not figure out in my mind how we were going to deal with all of this for the length of time it seems we would be there. The next morning things were not much better. We went back to the hospital met several more doctors and nurses and then we met Megan. She was our nurse and she let me hold my baby! I had to hold him in all his bedding and didn't really get to touch him, but I held him all the same. Then she let me help change his diaper and take his temp. Since then things have gotten much better! Cooper has now had both IVs in his arms removed and one in his belly button removed also. Last night he got to eat for the first time. He was not too sure about it but I think he will catch on. He is Terry's son after all! He is schedule for an exploratory procedure on Monday where they will go inside him and take pictures of the heart. After that they will schedule his first surgery which will probably be another 7-10 days. Then there will be recovery time which they say is usually about 2 weeks and then maybe we will be able to go home. Awe....light at the end of the tunnel. We have been spending days with Cooper and nights with Raelynn. This balancing act is taking some time to get use to for all of us. Raelynn feels the change but I am hoping will fall into the routine soon.

We owe many thanks out there for all the prayers, gifts and thoughts we have received. You are all amazing.

THANKSGIVING FUN!!!

What a great Thanksgiving break! We spent Thanksgiving with the Keefer's and Raelynn had a blast playing with Nanny and Popo. Especially while Popo was trying to sleep :) Karli spent Wednesday through Sunday with us as well. We love having her around!!! Friday morning she and I got up at 4 am and braved the crowds. Karli got all her Christmas shopping done and we were home by 7:30 am. I, 0f course, already had mine done so it was kind of fun to just be part of the chaos. With Karli and Raelynn's help we got the house all decorated for Christmas too. Friday night we all headed downtown to see the arrival of Santa Claus. It was very cold but we had a great time. Raelynn and Daddy danced around the streets like crazy people. It was adorable!

Raelynn actually sat on Santa's lap and everything. We all had a great time!

So here we are exactly one week from Cooper's scheduled arrival. I have to say that I am crazy nervous and anxious. I am trying to make sure everything is done and everything is a lot of things :) I also am a little concerned as to whether we will make it to the 3rd. I started having cramps and lower back pain late this afternoon which makes me a little nervous. I did actually start packing my bag and let Terry know he should probably at least start thinking about it. I know I am probably just paranoid but who knows!!!! Anyway, whenever it happens I am definitely ready to meet our little boy!!!

RAELYNN HAS PIGTAILS!

Have you ever seen such cute pigtails?!!!! :)

DOCTOR DAY!

What a day! We started visiting doctors at 12:15pm and saw the last one at 4:30pm. It was a very long day but went well. We met with the Neonatologist and a social worker first. They helped us understand what we could expect once Cooper is born. It was a little scary but I am glad they have prepared us. They expect that within a few hours of delivery he will be transported to Children's Mercy. I will probably be able to see him briefly in the delivery room, then again about 2 hours later. I have no idea why they think it will take 2 hours for me to be able to get in a wheel chair, go up an elevator and look at my baby but apparently they feel quite sure about this. I will argue the issue much more when the time comes. I think the hardest thing will be when they transport him because then I will not get to see him again for a few days. The good news is that Terry can! Of course, I will again battle the 48 hours they think I need to stay in the hospital as I am sure 24 hours will be plenty of time. From there we will not know exactly what to expect until the time comes. They have stated that they are sure we will have a long stay at Children's Mercy and encouraged us to check out the Ronald McDonald House. This was a little hard for me b/c I think I was holding onto this idea that just maybe we would get to go home with him within a week or so and they pretty much assured us this would not happen. They also prepared us for the fact that Cooper would have several IV's and possible oxygen and that it would look worse than it actual is. Again, I am very thankful for everything they told us but know when the time comes nothing can prepare you for seeing your precious little boy lying there and nothing you can do about it. Heck, Raelynn has a cold right now and I would do anything in the world to make that better!

Next we had another sonogram and little Cooper is growing great. He is approximately 5 to 5.5 lbs and is moving like crazy. I did not need a sonogram to tell them this :)
We left there and pre-registered at the hospital and were able to tour the NIC Unit. That was all fine and was only slightly confusing because of the short amount of time that we will actually be at the hospital before he is transported. Therefore, certain things such as circumcision, Hep B Vaccine and Hearing Screening we were asked to elect not to have so that they could focus on the more immediate needs and then Children's Mercy will do these things closer to the time he is ready to come home. Of course I had to make note of everything so I can make sure they get it done! :)

Finally we met with my doctor and everything seems to be going well. Cooper has dropped and I am 50% efface and about 1 cm dilated. All this means is I am where I should be at this stage of the game and that it is no wonder I go to the bathroom 50 times a day and am never comfortable, hahaha!

I am sure that everything is going to be just fine and things will turn out just as God has planned, but it does not make this any easier. I worry every day about what is going to happen. I worry about Raelynn too. I am going to miss her so much while we are at the hospitals. I know she will visit but I will miss picking her up from pre school and listening to her funny stories and cute little voice and no one else knows just how to read her stories or play with her hair when she can't sleep. I tell her everyday how much I love her so hopefully when I am not there to tell her she will still know!

HALLOWEEN FUN!!!

Mommy's 29th Birthday for the 4th year in a row!!!

Halloween was a real treat this year! Tuesday night Raelynn and Daddy carved pumpkins. Raelynn helped....for about 10 minutes then decided it would be more fun to go take a bath. Daddy was a little disappointed but like a real Dad would, he finished carving both pumpkins and waited to impress her with the finished product. She was impressed!

Wednesday night she was so excited to go trick or treating. Sherri and the girls came over and we let the kids go up and down our street by themselves while we watched from the porch. Raelynn thought she was very big and grown up. I think they all had fun. We then took Raelynn around to see some of her friends. She was over joyed by the idea that people were giving her candy and I wasn't saying no. She was even more amazed when I actually let her have a piece! Of course it was Wednesday night so we ended up at T's for dinner. She had to show her favorite bartender Zach her cute Care Bear Costume and he loved it. She has asked to go trick or treating every night since. I am hoping she will soon forget :)

Today we had another sonogram and little Cooper is 4.5 lbs. He is almost as big as Raelynn was when she was born!!! Everything is looking great. He is very busy in there and constantly fighting. We pray every day that he fights as much outside as he has inside.

DECEMBER 3RD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met with the doctor who will be delivering Cooper yesterday. Because of the heart complications we have to deliver at a Level 3 hospital and therefore can not deliver locally with my current doctor. This has been very hard for me because I think my doctor is amazing and still feel like he saved Raelynn's life when I had her. So yesterday we met with our new doctor. He was very nice and Terry and I both liked him. They have scheduled for me to be induced on December 3rd. Yeah!!! I do not have to have a C-section which to me is fantastic. We will have a sonogram and meet with our new doctor weekly from here on out. Next week we will meet with the Neonatal doctors who will be caring for Cooper once he arrives. I hope that we will have much more information about him after that. I have to say that at this point I am truly terrified! I pray for the best every night and Raelynn does the same :)

I think we have been so fortunate to have such wonderful doctors. I also think we are so lucky to have such supportive family and friends. It seems like everyone is caring and helpful. It is amazing to me the people who have offered to help anyway they can. Not to mention, I can not say enough about Tom's patience with me at work. Between doctor visits and running Raelynn to and from Pre-School and Lisa's I definitely have used up my fair share of time off, but he has been so understanding! So I guess, if you are reading this blog....I (we) owe each of you a big THANK YOU!

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

Friday we had another sonogram. This time we had the same type of sonogram we did the day they induced me with Raelynn. They were looking primarily to see that the baby is displaying breathing motions and moving in general. There is no doubt that Cooper is moving and breathing in there. He is all over the place. The crazy thing was, now that we saw how it should look, we realize how scary it was with Raelynn because she displayed no movement at all. We remember looking at that sonogram for 30 minutes and did not see so much as a flutter. Anyway, it just seems kind strange how with Raelynn we never thought anything was wrong and yet there was something wrong going on in there and with this baby we are aware there is a problem but you would never know it by the way his is growing and moving.

This passed Weekend my Mom, Steph and Karli came down to visit. We celebrated Sherri and my birthday and then went to the pumpkin patch. We had planned to go on Saturday but with all the rain ended up not going until Sunday. We had a great time! Terry and Raelynn have not yet carved their pumpkins but I am sure that will be an experience for them both!!!

***Check out Raelynn's first school picture!!! I have also included a few links over to the right to explain exactly what heart defects we have been told Cooper has. We hope this helps you understand things a little better.***

Our First Blog

Ok, so here we go......Tom has convinced me that blogging is the way to go to keep you all informed on what is going on with the family. I think this is going to be kind of fun :) This first post will be a little experimental. As you all can see Raelynn is growing up fast and loves her brownies! She is the best part of every day and keeps us guessing as to what she will say and do next. She is anxiously awaiting her little brother as we all are. We are currently having sonograms and doctor visits weekly. He is growing wonderfully! We will be able to continue visits here in Lawrence until the first week of November at which time will we have to transfer care to a specialized hospital in Overland Park. At that time we will find out much more about delivery time and procedure. Everything is looking very well so far. As for Terry and I, we are just trying to manage our crazy schedules of work, doctor visits, pre-school and family time; just like everyone else :)

Well, I am going to stop there for now and promise the future posts will be a little more exciting!!!