8 months old!

Cooper turned 8 months old on March 7th!

Size: He finally had a little growth spurt and is now about 16 pounds! We just moved him into size 3 diapers, and he's wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes but some 6-12 month sizes, too.

His hair is getting longer and it's so cute! It's a dirty blonde color right now, but I think it will lighten as it gets thicker.

Eating: Poor little Cooper is having a rough time eating these days. His reflux seemed to be getting better and he was having waaaay less projectile puking episodes, but after talking with an occupational therapist we've determined that Cooper hasn't outgrown the reflux, and instead it's all sitting in his throat and his esophagus is inflamed. It's super sad, and makes Cooper not want to take a bottle very easily. Taylor and I have mastered tricks to get Cooper to eat, but it's often an exhausting process. We're hoping he grows out of his reflux quickly!

Milestones: Cooper is doing really well! He is getting better at sitting up (with his hands resting on the floor) and hopefully anytime now he will be sitting up on his own. Cooper is very vocal, and loves to squeal and talk to us all day. Last week an occupational therapist with the early intervention program in our school district came to our home and worked with Cooper for an hour, and it went well. Cooper is meeting all of his milestones for his adjusted age (5 months) but not quite there for an 8 month old. The therapist didn't have any huge concerns, but felt like it would be beneficial for Cooper to work with an occupational therapist every few weeks to make sure his development stays on track. Next week the therapist that will work with Cooper indefinitely is coming to meet/assess him, and then she will continue to help us for the foreseeable future.

Happy March!

I can hardly believe that March is here! I have been looking forward to March for a loooong time... it's the last month of RSV season in Utah, and hopefully soon we'll be able to kick our cabin fever and Cooper will be able to be out in public. We have been so blessed that Cooper has remained healthy (no colds or anything!) since coming home from the NICU. We have done our part to keep him mostly home and not exposed to any crowds or sick people, and I know that Heavenly Father has blessed Cooper tremendously and kept him healthy. Just a few more weeks and then Cooper can finally go to places like church and be around other children. :)

I just wanted to give a quick update on Cooper... his weight gain has slowed down from where we would like it to be. Recently Cooper had two weeks where it was very difficult to get him to take his bottle to eat. Usually after distracting him or walking around with him he would take it and be fine, but there were two days where it was nearly impossible to get him to eat, and I was ready to take him in to get an NG tube again. Miraculously (I mean that literally), Cooper woke up after those two days and has taken his bottle fine since then, so no tube feedings! Taylor and I are doing our best to not push Cooper to eat more than he wants to or make eating a negative experience, because that can cause oral aversions (which I was sure was happening when he was refusing to eat). Cooper is definitely hydrated and eating enough to grow at a slower rate, but we're hoping to see him want to eat more so he will grow faster/better. :)

Despite these two difficult weeks, Cooper is doing so well and continues to impress us developmentally! At our Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic appointment a few weeks ago, two moms/babies that were in the NICU with Cooper were also at the clinic. One of the babies was actually briefly in the bed space next to Cooper and was also a 26 weeker. Both of these babies are still on oxygen, and I was again reminded of how lucky and blessed Cooper is to be doing so well respiratory wise. Many babies born at his gestational age can be on oxygen until their first birthday, but Cooper has been so fortunate to not need oxygen since before he was discharged from the NICU!  Cooper faced many difficult obstacles in the first 3 months of his life, but with his fighting spirit, blessings from a loving Heavenly Father, and the faith and prayers of so many people he has overcome many challenges and Taylor and I feel so abundantly blessed.

We are looking forward to conquering RSV season and moving into a more "normal" chapter with Cooper. Happy March!!