Diaper changing drama and such

What is it that is so awful about getting you diaper changed? Today has been a pretty good day. Cooper seems to be feeling ok and he hasn't had the long stints of crying like yesterday. His reflux is still bothering him, but he doesn't seem to be in near as much pain as he was in yesterday and over the weekend. The worst part of his day, however, has been during those pesky diaper changes. He just screams and holds his breath; he doesn't seem to understand that me wiping the poop off his hiney is a nice thing, not torture. One day I am sure he will thank me, NOT! Oh well. The pumping and feeding a bottle daily is becoming a nightmare. I haven't the time to pump a bottle these days as he is eating constantly. I wish he could just be a rolly polly baby and we wouldn't have to worry with all this. He has finally gained his first pound at two months old. He weighs 8lbs15oz; I believe that is what Kelsey weighed when she was born. Tracey, how did you do it my dear? There is no way I could pass this boy! We go to Cooks on Friday to see the pulminologist. He will have a swallow study that day too. I am desperately hoping for answers. If he is still aspirating, I am not sure what we will do. Well, it is that time of night and the crying has begun.

The Photo Shoot

These are some of my favorite pictures of Cooper. Emily has become quite the photog these days, so I must give all the credit to her.

Pictures Galore

So here are some much requested pictures of our little man. The top one was his first smile; it happened to be at Cook Children's during his pH probe. He's covered in tubes, but he still looks so happy. The rest are just lounging around capturing that precious smile. Enjoy!

Let's give it a try...

Well, I have decided to give blogging a much deserved try. I suppose I should give a little intro before gushing about the dramas of my day to day life. Curtis and I were high school sweethearts, so sweet, I know. We got married on May 21, 2005. Our wedding was beautiful and all I had ever dreamed it would be. We started our lives together in Austin, TX in a tiny little one bedroom apartment. We continued going to school, I at Texas State and he at Austin Community College. In the spring of 2006, Curtis transfered to Texas State to pursue a psychology degree. We moved to San Marcos that April, this time adding a bedroom; we quickly realized how much that extra space was needed. Things were going great; I was enjoying school and substitute teaching and Curtis loved school and endured UPS. We were following our plan to finish school and then start a family someday. Funny how those plans go. We knew I had endometriosis and it was always a problem, but little did we know what it might do to our "plan". I had been seeing an excellent doctor, Dr. Siverberg, for a little over a year and after a third surgery for the endo, he gave it to me straight. This might be my only chance to get pregnant. So much for the "plan". In October 2006, Curtis and I decided to try and have a baby. We had scheduled a consultation with Dr. Silverberg at which we got a new "plan", the "have a baby plan". I was shocked at all it would entail. I figured, "I'm young, how hard could this be?" Oh how I was wrong. He sat us down and introduced us to a list of abbreviations we would endure over the next few months, SA, HSG, FSH, IUI... and the list goes on. He explained that with my history, while I would most likely get pregnant, it wouldn't be the old fashioned way. I would give myself daily injections and when the eggs were nice and ripe they would inseminate me. So Sexy! My sister, Emily, explained it to her husband in this way, "you know, like the do cows". If this was the way it had to be, OK, I was on board, and Curtis held on for dear life. In November 2006, we started our first cycle. I just knew it would work. I got up every morning and went for blood work and then ultrasounds in the afternoon and injections at six. I had my routine and I was embracing it. After all, I was doing it for my baby. We watched the follicles grow; it was an amazing thing, knowing one of them might become my future child. By mid December I had three ripe follicles, three! Of course this would work; there were three eggs and perfect sperm and perfect timing. People get pregnant everyday with out the perfection; it was bound to work with it! Tracey had just found out she was having Andrew; how perfect would this be, cousins only a couple of weeks apart. December 31 came and there was no need for the blood test; it didn't work; I wasn't pregnant. How doomed it all seemed that day. I stared at the lab request and cried; you see they give everyone the paperwork just in case, but I just threw mine away. We went back to the doctor, ready to try again, but those lovely fertility drugs had left my ovaries with cysts, no injections this time. This month would not be doomed. Dr. S let me try clomid, but we wouldn't do the IUI because I only had one follicle and it didn't seem worth it. Yet again it was another failed cycle. I wasn't giving up; we were doing it again. There were no cyst this time so we were pulling out the big guns, back to injections. Things went so slow this time around; I barely had one good follicle, so we got more aggressive and bumped up my dosage. Then one day, boom, there were five mature follicles, that's right 5! So, the cycle was canceled; all the time, money and emotions for nothing. I didn't even have a chance; I actually had to go on the pill. I didn't know how I could do it again; go through that pain. Dr. S thought it was time we considered IVF, but I was not ready to go there. He agreed that we should try one more IUI, so we did. Things went ok, not great, but it was good enough. I had three follicles once again; we accepted the risk of triplets and went forward. On April 4, 2007 we had our first of two IUIs. As I lay on the table, Curtis holds my hand and I pray that God would open my womb. Eleven days later I find out my prayers were answered. There were two lines, on two different tests, and the digital one clearly read "PREGNANT". I can honestly say I got pregnant holding hands! On that day we started a new plan, the "we're going to be parents" plan. We quickly learned that we were just having one and soon after learned it was a boy. We moved back home to Vernon that June and started life as a family. After a difficult pregnancy, Cooper Jack Schiwart arrived on December 19,2007 weighing 7lbs10oz. His life has brought about many challenges as well. He struggles to gain weight and has laryngomalacia and GERD. This is the journey we're on now; feel free to jump on and enjoy the ride.