What is it about Elmo?!

So what is it about Elmo that makes kiddos fall in love? I have to preface this post by saying that we really don't watch THAT much television in our house during the day. But, Elmo and his friends usually make AT LEAST one appearance (by popular 15-month-old demand) each day.




Cooper has pretty much ALWAYS loved Elmo, but it's the furry monster's goofy pal Mr. Noodle that Coop truly adores! In all honesty, Cooper no longer asks for Elmo, he enthusiastically says "Neewda" while grasping for the DVD player on our entertainment center. He's really started to figure out how things work around the house...he even knows how to get the Wii Fit board on and ready to go for mommy's workout!


Anyway, several months ago, when Coop first started to notice Mr. Noodle, he called him "Diddy." Guess he saw some resemblance between Elmo's buddy and his uncle (maybe the reddish hair or scruffy face?).

That always made me giggle. But now, he's very certain that his name is, in fact, Mr. Noodle, because he shouts it out everytime he appears on screen and whimpers it each time he's been off screen for a bit. That whimper is the cue for mommy or daddy to rewind or fast-forward to Mr. Noodle's cameo again and again...

Man I wish Mr. Noodle had his own feature films. That would make it a tad bit easier to prepare dinner some nights. Until then, I guess I'll keep the remote close at hand, even if that means getting it sticky or salty just to keep Coop entertained for 3 more minutes!

Grateful Heart

Hard to believe it's been 10 days since my last post, but boy have we had a whirlwind of a time around here! Most of you know that we spent one night in the ER and 2.5 days at Dell Children's Medical Center this past week because Cooper had croup and RSV. It was the most awful thing I've ever experienced.

It all started with a runny nose and slight cough on Tuesday evening, and by Wednesday morning at 3 a.m. he was having real difficulty breathing and we were frantically (ok, maybe I was frantic) headed to the ER. Initially the diagnosis was croup and he was treated accordingly. However, after 4 hours of observation and a chest x-ray, his oxygen levels weren't improving and his breathing continued to be compromised -- even after two intense breathing treatments, a steroid shot, and a couple of hours on oxygen. So, our pediatrician admitted him to Dell Children's (DCMC) for observation and to keep him on oxygen until his levels improved. Now, this is where the real scary part happened.

So, DCMC sent their own transport team to pick us up and move us from RR Hospital to DCMC. Initially, I thought this would be no big deal...just a fairly simple ride in an ambulance so Coop could remain on oxygen while in route to the hospital. Well, when the EMS crew showed up and they analyzed Cooper and his situation, they kicked it into REALLY high gear. They began questioning us about Cooper's respiratory history, hooking him up to monitors, taking his vitals and strapping him in -- all without explaining a thing to me and Chad. Turns out his retractions were quite severe and there just wasn't time for explanations at that point -- they had to act fast. As I'm sure you can imagine, I slightly panicked as I watched this team of professionals take our son's case VERY seriously. Imagine this...I'm hurling over a trash can out of shear fear and anxiety while they're asking me who is riding with Cooper because "we have to get moving." Chad and I both couldn't go and I REALLY wanted to be with him, so I grabbed a few of those blue barf bags they have on the walls in hospitals and off we went. Nothing like a little drama, right?! Praise God, my stomach calmed down the second we got on the ambulance and I saw that I had to be strong for my frightened little guy. Didn't need the blue bags after all!

The ride to DCMC went very well...Cooper eventually calmed down and said "WEEE" each time the ambulance sped up to move a little faster through traffic. He did remarkably well with the breathing treatment they gave him on the way AND when the paramedic put the oxygen tubes in his nose. He didn't even put up a fight! His chest was still retracting quite a bit when we arrived, but he seemed to be stable and I was encouraged by the AMAZING way that EMS team worked with the Cooper. They were wonderful. And I can say the same for just about everyone who treated/saw/worked with Cooper the entire time we were there.

We began our stay on the Intermediate Care floor, but we moved up to a room by the end of our first night. And that's where we stayed for two more days. Cooper remained on oxygen until 6 p.m. Thursday night and didn't require any additional breathing treatments. He seemed to be improving, but the doctors wanted to watch his levels OFF of oxygen for at least 6 hours before we could go home. That's why we stayed overnight again. He did amazingly well without the oxygen all throughout the night. He didn't sleep much, but who can sleep in a hospital anyway?! And praise God, he got a good report from the docs Friday morning and we were cleared to head home! I don't know who was happier about that -- me, Chad or Cooper! We were all a little giddy in the car. :)

So, thank you to everyone for your prayers, encouragement, love and sweet visits. We are so grateful for Cooper's health and wonderful care while in the hospital. I pray he continues to heal and we stay far, far away from hospitals for a good while.

Before I go, here are a few pics of Coop in his hospital gown. Notice all the wires coming out from under his gown. Pathetic, I know.

And everyone loves a bootie shot in a hospital gown, right?

Sleepless in Norman

Chad had a business trip planned to Oklahoma City this past week, so Coop and I joined him for a fun road trip to see Matty and Jess! Since they live in Norman, which is right outside of OKC, we stayed with them for two nights and Coop had some big fun hanging out with his Uncle Diddy and Aunt Jess. The drive there went great (all 6 hours of it!) -- the truck was loaded up with lots of snacks, a couple of Elmo movies and one very chatty toddler!

We had a really great time visiting with Matt and Jess, but I will say that we didn't get much sleep! Those of you who know Cooper, understand that he's not exactly a super sleeper...especially in unfamilar places. So, let's just say that this pack-n-play...

Got more "play" time...

than it did "sleep" time! Some portion of both nights Coop was in bed with me while Chad slept on the couch so he could get some decent sleep before having to work the next day. And nap times were questionable...sometimes he would fall asleep without a peep, and others he would protest for over an hour! I guess that's part of traveling with a little guy who'd rather socialize than sleep.

And speaking of socializing, here's Coop with his Uncle Diddy and Aunt Jess before heading out to eat one night.

And Matt's good friend Tyrone paid us a visit, as well. Coop has been around him SEVERAL times, but for some reason, he was a bit nervous this time. The proof is in this picture. Despite the look on his face, Coop really does love his Uncle Ty Ty!


The silliest part of the whole trip was Coop's obsession with Matt and Jess' dogs. Somehow I managed NOT to get any pictures of them while we were there, but I'll do my best to explain. Cooper loves animals. He pretty much calls all animals Emmitt (our Boston Terrier's name) or says that they "MOO" like a cow (thanks to the herd of black cows living behind our house that he's grown so fond of). One of their dogs is a dark brindle Bull Mastiff named Nico. She's a very big girl, so I can see how it was easy for Cooper to mistake her for one of his favorite cows! He would stand at the bottom of the gated steps looking up at the dogs and say "MOO" while pointing at Nico, then get a big grin on his face when she would return the attention with a little whine that sounded a bit like an actual moo!

Thanks for allowing us to interrupt your busy week, Matt and Jess. We were thrilled to spend some time with you. Coop adores his Uncle Diddy and Aunt Jess...oh, and Nico, too!

Officially a little boy!

Cooper is currently learning to walk -- taking a few wobbly steps between Chad and I before lunging toward one of us or tumbling to the ground -- all while giggling and squealing with excitement! Just yesterday I witnessed him acting a bit more independent by cruising the furniture as usual, but letting go and attempting to take a few unprompted steps toward me on his own. Well, at one point he got a little over-excited about things and let go too quickly, completely lost his balance and crashed face-first into the TV cabinet. Let's just say that the impact was met with brutal screams and LOTS and LOTS of tears. And yes, he has a battle scar to prove it...a lovely shiner on the outside of his left eye! Praise God, he's perfectly fine now, but this right here signifies that my baby boy is officially growing into a little boy. This is the first of MANY bumps and bruises on that precious face, I'm sure.

Let's talk some Smith Smack!

Boy am I excited to be joining the wonderful world of blogging! I must say that I've always wanted to start my own blog, but was hesitant to for various reasons. I guess it just took enough pressure from my blogging friends and a desire to share some silly stories about raising Cooper to get me to take the plunge. So, here I am! Now, let's talk some Smith Smack...