Thanking God for my Family

This is Brad and me at a birthday party we went to this weekend!

Connor LOVES going to the Lowe's projects! It is so cute to watch him and Josh put together a cute project on a Saturday morning. He is always so proud of his accomplishments.

First of all, I would like to thank all the messages and emails that I received from all my friends and family. Thank you for all support, advice and words of encouragement. It means a lot to us and we are so lucky to have such great friends and family.
I am so lucky to have my healthy, amazing family. Today, I went to Carrie Tingley to get Bradley's initial scan to see if he qualified for his helmet. My doctor was a little late taking me back and I spend some extra time in the waiting room. I totally think it is God's way of making me open my eyes to see how blessed we really are with Bradley. As I was waiting, a young boy was sitting with his parents in his wheelchair with severe problems. He was actually there to get fitted for a feeding table. I felt so grateful for Bradley knowing that his condition is only temporary, where as the family sitting across from me would have extreme problems their entire lives. I don't know all their circumstances but I know they have been through so much more than we have had to go through. I think God wants me to appreciate my family more and not take them for granted. I pray for that family and hope that they find help for their son.

Bradley did qualify for his helmet. We are now just waiting on the insurance company to see what they will pay for and than we will move from there. Bradley is continuing physical therapy and he has his next appointment on Wednesday.

Connor is on his way to becoming a T-ball athlete! He will be starting his league in April. He is very excited to play and practices all the time at home. He can actually hit the ball very well! I think it will teach his some much needed skills. He really needs to work on not always winning and also having to follow rules in a game instead of just making up your own. It is going to be hilarious watching him play.

Where have I been?

It has been a long, long time since I have done anything to my blog. I apologize to all my family and friends who are out of the loop of all the new changes in the Cooper house. I am going to really, really try to do better. I am no longer sick every night from my pregnancy and my computer is working perfectly (finally)!

It has been a long and stressful year filled with happy and sad moments. We were so happy to find out that we were going to have another baby! It was fantastic news but I had a very long and tough pregnancy. I was so much bigger this time around than I was with Connor. No idea why. I was diagnosed with borderline hydramnios. At the same time, we also found out that our precious baby had fluid in his kidneys. It was very scary and stressful for the rest of my pregnancy. I was freaking myself out by reading these awful stories on the internet about these conditions. I really thought our baby could be born with down syndrome. But, on September 28th, God blessed us with an adorable, healthy baby boy! We named him Bradley Martin- Bradley, because Josh and I really liked it and agreed on it, and Martin is my mom's maiden name.

Bradley is such a sweetie pie! He is so calm and relaxed. He always just goes with the flow and is so gentle. He has such an innocence about him. He adores his big brother and lights up whenever he is around Connor. You can tell they are going to be best friends. Connor loves being a big brother and likes to help take care of Bradley. He even had to feed him a bottle in the car the other day for Josh while he was driving. I am so proud of him! Bradley did get diagnosed with torticollis a few weeks ago. He "favors" his right side due to his neck muscles being tight. He especially favors it when he sleeps. Bradley started therapy last week at Carrie Tingley and we were told that his is a minor case and he is starting to correct it on his own. We are doing extra exercises and stretches at home to help him work those muscles on the left side. He is doing much better every day. He even rolled over Thursday from his back to his belly! Since he favors his right side so much, he has caused the back of his head to flatten. He will have to get fitted for a helmet soon and will have to wear it for 23 hours a day for a few months. It is going to be really hard but I know that he needs it and I am doing what is best for my child. If he didn't get the helmet, his face would not be symmetrical and could cause other health problems. I know he will thank me later and he won't even remember wearing it a week after he gets it off. I just thank God that it can be corrected and he is going to be just fine.