Cooper Almost 18 Months

We have been trying for months and months to get Cooper to walk... well it looks like our hard work might finally be paying off. My goal was 18 months, and he will be 18 months on March 23. His doctor agreed with my statement that "he is taking steps, but not walking yet." However, she was very pleased with his progress. She said we should continue with ECI until he is walking well... which is pretty much what ECI said too. Hopefully he will decide that since he can walk, that he should walk more often, and just give up the crawling all together. But, just like everything else has been with Cooper, he will do it when on his time and not anyone else's!

Other 18 month stats...
Height 33.75 (90%)
Weight 23.12 (25%)

Drew - Getting Ready for Tball

The same night the pictures from the last post were taken, I snapped these shots of Drew practicing for Tball. He was suppose to have his first real practice with his team this night, but because of all the rain on Monday the field was still too wet. So, this was a great way to keep him from being too disappointed. He is suppose to have another practice on Sunday, and he told me that even if it rains he is still going to practice with his team, even if he has to go by himself. His first game is the 25th , so I am sure I will have a lot more pictures to post then. Our lives are about to get a lot busier.

I just love the pictures of Andy helping Drew with the bat. So sweet.

He is running the bases.

Cooper - 17 Months

The weather this week as been a mix of absolutely beautiful and rain. On Tuesdays night the weather was near perfect so we took the boys outside for a little fresh air. Here are a few shots of Cooper loving being outside. I wish he would just realize how much MORE fun he could have if he would stand up and walk! He is getting closer everyday, but he just won't do it on his own, YET.

Playing in the Snow

Thursdays in our house is known and Grandpa and Grandma day. My kids go to my parents house every Thursday night so that Andy and I can have a date night (yes, I know we are spoiled). This week I thought we might stay home because of the snow, but Drew really wanted to see his grandparents. So when Andy got home (early) we loaded up and headed over to their house. We had so much fun having a snowball fight, and building a snowman.

Drew getting ready to get me with a snowball.

Drew and Grandpa fighting it out.

Since Cooper doesn't walk we just put him in a trash bag and sat him in the snow.
He didn't last long, he liked watching from the porch better.

Our snowman. He fell down not long after this, which broke Drew's heart.

It makes me sad to think that we may never get this much snow again. Cooper will never remember this, and didn't even get to play in it. It was beautiful, and so much fun to play in. I hope we will get snow like this again while my boys are still young. I would love to see them playing in the snow together.

Snow Days

By now you all know about the snowfall from this last week. While the official total is 12.5 inches (at DFW), our house got about 7.5 inches. here are just a few pictures from Friday. I will post a few more later of us playing in the snow.

The Park with Allison

Last week the weather here was so nice that the boys and I decided to meet some dear friends at the park. Kristin and Allison met us there for a lovely morning of play and food. My boys both adore Allison. Drew has always loved her, he called her "baby Allison" for the longest time. Once Cooper was born, Allison was torn between the Milliorn boys. I am afraid Cooper may win the affections of sweet Allison in the end, purely because of the age difference. Allison is only 7 months older than Cooper, but Drew is nearly 3 years older than Allison. We will worry about that heart break later, right now it is just sweet to see them playing together, and it gives Kristin and I time chance to talk.

Cooper is trying to share a pretzel with Allison.

Drew helping Allison down the slide.

Drew, just walking.

Cooper loved swinging.

Memory Lane

In December of 1990, I had surgery at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas to treat scoliosis (curvature of the spine). It was 2 weeks before my 17th birthday, and I was a junior in high school. I remember my 5 days in the hospital very well (except the part when I was still pretty drugged up.) So imagine my surprise when I was asked to take part in a medical research study, following up on patents who have had scoliosis surgery 20-30 years ago. Really... was it really 19 years ago? Yep, I am that old. In talking to the surgeon who called to ask me to participate, I found out that 4 of the 5 doctors who treated me are still on staff at TSRH. How cool is that? So at the end of December I dropped the boys off at my parents house and drove to Dallas to have some Xrays taken, and have an exam done as part of the study. I didn't realize what a trip down memory lane it would be, how excited I would be about going back, or how little things had changed in the years since I had been there. While I was there they tried to get my main doctor to come down to say hello, but he was in a meeting so they couldn't get in touch with him. I really wish I could have seen him... he was the one I remembered.

I saw that sign every time we drove there for appointments... about 4 years total.

This hangs in the lobby. It is the same one that was there when I was a patient. They also have always had popcorn in the lobby. That smell brought back all the memories of being there 19 years ago.

All the sections of exam rooms have a theme. These have not changed a bit.

I spent a lot of time napping in rooms just this when I was a teenager, waiting to see the doctor. I remember the appointment when they decided I needed surgery was the longest we ever waited.

Even though at 17 I hated having surgery, and all that went with it, I always new that TSRH was a great place for kids, and I actually remember my time there fondly. I was one of the lucky ones that was only there for a few days and was able to see my family everyday. There were girls in my recovery room who had been there for months, who hadn't seen their families in weeks. There was something going on everyday to get these kids out of the rooms and allow them to have some fun. Instead of sterile white walls, everything is brightly colored and geared for kids.

Hopefully I don't ever need the services of TSRH for Drew or Cooper, but if I do, I know they will be in great hands.