10 Months Old

 Oh vey!  It is getting harder to capture his monthly picture because Cooper won't sit still...no less with a smile and eyes at the camera.  We had to take many photos and still I don't think we got the "perfect" shot....oh well!  C'est la vie.

Anyways, I can't believe my baby is now 10 months old and as I belatedly write this post, he will be 11 months in 12 days.  Where does the time go and why does it have to fly by?  Nonetheless, it has been just delightful.  I heart my baby boy and can't imagine life without him.  He brings great joy and fun to our lives.  We were blessed with the most loving, happy and precious boy.

Cooper is now standing without support for more than a few seconds.  He has even taken 2 steps by himself.  But I think he likes to crawl because it's faster.  I believe he'll be walking in a couple of months, though I'm not in a rush!  I get exhausted chasing after him crawling.  And I bet he'll get into more stuff when he's more mobile.

Oh what else has he been up to?  He likes to shake his head 'no' and nod 'yes'.  Loves to wave and say 'hi', but most of all, loves loves to point.  And just not point, but simultaneously raise his shoulder and tilt his head down.  He loves to clap, but mostly likes to do that with Lolo.  Cooper also has learned to climb up steps.  And much to the chagrin of mommy, his favorite word is 'dada'.  He occasionally says 'mum', but likes to call everything and everyone 'dada'.  Oh and his favorite book is 'Brown Bear Brown Bear'.  He especially loves the black sheep and smiles when the page is turned to the black sheep.  Though now he likes to point at all the animals when you turn the page.

I am in the midst of planning his one year birthday party.  I have started making the invitations and hope to get them out by this week.  It will be a small affair with mostly family, but will most likely invite a few friends as well.

Anyways, all is well and I just can't believe it's almost summer.  But I am ready for some warm and sunny days!!

Happy Mother's Day :)

Oh The Headache...

If we ever decide to have another child, I won't have any problem detecting my ovulation period. Pre-pregnancy, I have had abdominal pain and cramps during ovulation, but ever since I had Cooper, it has gotten worse.  And not only that, but now I also experience bloating, headaches and nausea.  Oh the fun!  Fortunately, it only lasts a few days; but then the pre-menstrual symptoms (which are pretty much the same for me) starts up and then I again suffer.  I haven't had to take Midol since I was a teenager and looks like I'll to start up again.

On The Mend...I hope!

Cooper is doing better this morning!  He ate another four ounces at 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.  I think he's making up for the lack of fluid intake yesterday.  I checked his temperature again when he awoke from his nap around 6 a.m. and it was 98.5 degrees.  I re-checked it at 9:30 a.m. and he was up to 99.4 degrees; but so much better than 102 degrees!  Yay, no Tylenol to be administered....he really doesn't like it.  He should be winding down for a nap, but he's too busy playing!

Still Sick :(

Cooper slept with us last night since he wasn't feeling too well.  I had to elevate his head up so he'd have an easier time breathing.  He wouldn't let me put him down unless I held him for awhile, but eventually was able to fall asleep in the middle of us.  We checked his temperature before we went to bed and it was 101 degrees F.  Poor baby!  Chuck has an aversion to checking his temperature since it has to be done rectally.  I bought one of those temporal artery thermometers, but they aren't as accurate.  Plus, I'm the one that usually checks it.  But since I didn't have my contacts in and my glasses are broken, Chuck had to check it early this morning.  It spiked up to 102 degrees F.  Partly, I think, is because he was covered in blankets and the bedroom was warm too.

Unfortunately, Cooper hit his head on our head board and woke up.  Thus, we checked his temperature, gave him some Tylenol and then proceeded to drink 4 ounces of milk.  That's encouraging!  Poor boy, his nose gave him a little trouble with eating; but it wasn't as bad as yesterday.  Despite having a fever and stuff, he's still feeling good to eat.

Well, I can't sleep.  It's was around 3:30 a.m. when he woke up and two hours later, here I am.  Cooper is now sleeping soundly on my chest while I am typing away.  I hope he feels better today and his temperature goes down.  I hate to worry about him and have him be sick.

Sick Baby

Cooper started with a runny nose yesterday.  Though he enjoyed himself at his first swim lesson, he seemed particularly tired and was sucking his thumb more.  I'm thinking he was a bit sick before swimming, but he wasn't symptomatic.  I stayed home from work today and with the help of my dad, as Cooper wasn't very cooperative, attempted to remedy a runny and stuffy nose.  Mostly, so Cooper could he without gagging and coughing up his milk.  Otherwise, he was pretty happy playing with toys.

Since he did have a slight fever of 100.4 deg. I did call the nurse at our doctor's office. She said we were doing all the right things, told me what to watch for and if he had a fever for 3 days or his symptoms worsen, to call the doctor.  So, I have been doing saline drops and then suctioning, the humidifier is on and have drawn up a steamy bathroom for the sake of breathing easier.  I know he isn't feeling too bad as he's been pretty happy and only gets fussy if he's getting tired or I tried to wipe his nose!  And he hasn't had any troubles napping...he's on his 3rd one now.

The biggest problem is the eating.  Poor baby can't drink his bottle and breathe very well simultaneously.   I have reverted back every two hour feedings, two ounces at a time which takes him awhile to finish because of his stuffy nose.  But he is still eating his solids, so that's good.  Just worried about him getting dehydrated.   Hope this passes quickly.  I don't like seeing him sick.

As for me, I have postponed my decision to remove my tonsils.  I'm going to follow up with my doctor soon.  My allergist called today and told me I have a higher than normal eosinophil count in my nose.  I guess I have what you call NARES, non-allergic rhinitis eosinophil syndrome.  He said if I was symptomatic again, then see my doctor.  Luckily, I am asymptomatic.  He also said I might have asthma which is news to me, but since fighting this last cold; it felt that way and still having bouts of breathing issues.  I'm hoping I'll be back to my normal self which has been way long, not since I've given birth!!

9 Months Old

Cooper has been learning a lot of new skills, mostly towards the end of the 8th month and mastering them as he turned 9 months just a week ago.  Now a proficient crawler, he is maneuvering fast around the house.  Fortunately, he stays away from the kitchen and hallway so I haven't been putting up the gates...yet.

He knows 'no' though doesn't necessarily obey and usually cries (not actually crying) in protest when I don't want him to touch the humidifier or the laptops' cords.  Chuck and I haven't totally baby-proofed the house, but have plugged unused outlets and bought a power strip cover so he wouldn't pull the plugs out.  We bought a outlet cover for his room, but he doesn't play in there much.  So we have much yet to do with proofing the house, but he is not alone and we keep a watchful eye on him.  But still, we'll have to do it soon because you just never know.

Cooper also has been pulling himself up to stand and has tentatively been letting go and able to stand without support for a max of 10 seconds.  He knows how to sit himself down with great eccentric control and is getting a good workout by stooping and squatting.  Cooper is also cruising furniture.  We have a very strong baby boy here!

He is also such a babbler and loves to babble.  He just said 'mum' a few days ago.  A week ago, it was all about 'dada' and then 'nana' and now 'mum'!  He also loves to wave, clap his hands as well as point with his index finger.

The doctor said he is doing great.  He is in the 75-90th percentile for height and head circumference and in the 50th percentile for weight.  Doctor said that was normal as he is more active and burning more calories.  He isn't losing any weight and has gain over 2 lbs. since his last check-up. He's a hefty 20 lbs. 7.5 ounces and boy, do my arms feel it!!!

Anyways, Cooper is doing so well and just can't believe that he'll be one in 3 months!!

I was thinking that if we ever wanted another child (and Chuck does, I'm still on the fence) and wanted them to be 2 years apart, then we'd have to start trying in October!!  Ummmm, no!!!  "I'm just not ready", I told Chuck; to which Chuck said "We can wait until December".  Oh really!!!!

Feeling Blah

I hate being sick.  But I don't know if I'm sick or if it's because of my congestion issues.  I'm hoping the allergist tomorrow will shed light on my nasal and sinus congestion.  I have a good ENT who referred me to an allergist as I have no clue if specific allergens in my environment are causing my poor sinuses and nasal passages to be congested.

Fortunately, the CT scan of my neck showed no abnormal masses and my lymph nodes are normal.  I guess the lymph nodes on my left neck is more palpable and prominent than on my right side.  It's always bothered me and all the doctors assured me they were normal, but I'm glad that a diagnostic test confirmed it.

He did say that removing my tonsils would be a good idea.  I have cryptic tonsils and they, especially my left one, gives me problems.  I have a follow up appointment in April and I'm pretty sure I'll go ahead with the surgery.  I'm not looking forward to it at all as I heard it's really painful and the down time is a couple of weeks.  But if it helps, then I'm willing to go through with it.  My wonderful mom said she'd take time off from work to help me at home with Cooper.  Thanks Mom!!

And Happy Birthday Mom!