Update on the Coopers!

Hi there!
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying FALL!
Just wanted to share an update on our little family. Life is still a little like Groundhog Day (the movie). We are still having a time with Addison's reflux/colic. It does seem that the colic is gradually going away but, we still don't have the reflux under control. It seemed like the zantac was helping but, we noticed that she recently had the same symptoms that she had quite a few weeks back. It was almost like the medicine was no longer effective. Last week she was crying 30-45 min after her feeding and fussy and upset. She was also spitting up more. It was like she was regressing! Just when we thought things were getting better for her. Pretty frustrating! So, I called the gastro dr and pressed her to see if we could change her medicine to prevacid as we have heard/read that many parents say it works wonderfully for their reflux babies. So, we started that on Friday evening. At this point it is helping a little but, seems to wear off by late afternoon. We will see how it goes...we might need to have the Gastroenterologist change the dosage or it may take some time to start working. I plan to contact the Gastro dr to find out today. We just want to see our sweet girl "content" so please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are still trying to get to happy-land. Fingers crossed...it is soon! Addison will be 3 months old this week so it should be soon. Once she gets on solid foods colic/reflux should be much improved.

Kirk has been traveling quite a bit lately. My Dad has been helping us in the mornings which has been wonderful. Also Kirk's Mom traveled here for a couple weeks to help us which was fantastic. It meant a lot to us! My Dad just retired from the school system....yay!!! So happy for Dad...such a well deserved accomplishment for someone so hard-working. My Dad will be coming more often to help with Addison during the day while I get my recruiting calls/work completed. It will be awesome to have the help! ;o) We plan to go on a family cruise to celebrate my Dad's retirement sometime this spring/summer 2011.

We are happy Kirk is home for a week. He is off again next week. We are hoping the travel slows down soon but, we are hanging in there! We are looking forward to our Stetson family being together for the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be a fun time and great to see everyone. Also we are looking forward to enjoying the Christmas holidays with our families. Blain and Loretta will be here for a visit. Also, the Coopers from South Carolina and Colorado will be visiting as well. It will be a wonderful time being with family especially during Addison's 1st Christmas.

We have the annual "Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes" that we do in my Mom's memory next weekend (Nov 6th). We are looking forward to the event and our team, Paula's Sous Chefs will be walking for the 3rd year. It will be Addison's first walk for her Grandma Kramer. We hope we will be successful and beneficial for such a wonderful cause! The following Saturday (Nov 13) will be the "Great Day in the Country" arts & craft show. Our family have been participating in this show for quite a few years now. Fingers crossed for a successful craft show. It is always a lot of fun. Our November is going to be quite busy already!

We will continue to keep you posted on our Addee. Feel free to enjoy the smilebox below of the latest pictures of our sweet Addison and our little family.
Much Love & Happy Fall! xoxo
Love, The Cooper Fam

Make a free slideshow design

Our life is still a crazy rollercoaster ride!

Hi there -
Just wanted to share a quick update on our Addison. One would think that taking care of acid reflux would be easy since all we do as adults is take med and we feel better. Well, it is not that way at all with babies. We are still dealing with Addee's reflux issue. We have her on zantac twice/day. For feeding she is on breast-milk supplemented with a special hypoallergenic formula. She has been on zantac for 2 weeks and it just doesn't seem like there is much improvement. Also, she doesn't sleep much during day and still seems so uncomfortable. She does sleep wonderfully at night though except waking up for a feeding. Anyway, we went back to Dr Chaban this week. He gave us a special drops to help her with gas/stomach discomfort. He also suggested that we thicken her feeds with a little oat cereal to help with the acid. Dr Chaban also referred us to a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr Bhargava. I quickly made the appt and got in this morning.

Kirk and I took Addee to the gastroenterologist and the Dr feels she does have reflux and also colic. She added an additional dose of zantac so now 3 x's/day. She asked that we continue everything else we have been doing. I am also to stop eating all dairy foods to see if that helps. It seems Addee may have a difficult time digesting milk proteins which is what happens often in reflux/colic babies. Also, we need to get her blood tested and take her for an GI x-ray next week. We go back to the gastroenterologist in 3 weeks for a follow-up.

We absolutely love our little munchkin to pieces but, this has been a VERY rocky start to parenthood. The crying sessions throughout the entire day, fussy times, and upset tummy are really hard to take sometimes. Taking care of our sweet one has pretty much taken over our days so we will do our best to be more in touch with you all soon.

We are really hoping we turn a corner soon so our sweet baby feels better and also so her parents continue to keep sane. :o) If you have dealt with reflux and/or colic then you know what I mean...you really can't explain it unless you live it. Supposedly colic can improve around 3 months so we are keeping our fingers crossed and hopefully reflux will follow after that. Just hoping for even some relief for now until it goes away for good. We know with time it will get better...please keep us all in your prayers. We really appreciate your love and support.

Here is a link to ALL the pictures from Addison's newborn photo session :o)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/givealittletlc/sets/72157624877365902/

I will post some updated photos soon!
Love, Kirk, Katee, and Addison :o)

Update and a few sneak peek photos! ;o)

Hi there! Sorry, we have been out of touch. Life has been a little crazy this past month. We have had our ups and downs with loss of our sweet Jasmine and caring for our sweet newborn, Addison. Thank you all for your support and love during our loss. We miss our Jazzy everyday.

Addison was just diagnosed with GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease). Silent Reflux is very common in babies and similar to acid reflux in adults. We realize now that this has been something that has been happening from the start but, her symptoms recently got worse and noticed a real problem especially when she wouldn't eat. So, our doctor has her on a new formula for acid reflux and baby zantac. We have not seen a big change yet but, hoping it will get better soon. She is eating better now. As with all medicine...it takes time. We just want some relief for our little one. We hate to see her upset and would love to see her content! ;o) The symptoms not only include acid reflux but, also similar to colic and include crying, gas, and irritability quite often. We do love our pediatrician, Dr Chaban so we are really hoping his plan helps us. Please keep our Addee in your prayers. We are trying to do everything we can to help her feel better. This has taken a lot of our time so we apologize for being a little out of touch. We love every little bit of our sweet girl and just want to see her feel better soon!

Here are a few sneak peek photos from Addison's newborn photo shoot. We were really pleased with our photographer. I will add more soon....

We will update more soon!
love,
Cooper Fam

Addison Paula Cooper is here! ;o)

Hi there!
Sorry for the delay! Our beautiful baby girl has been keeping us busy for the past two weeks. Addison was born on August 3, 2010 at Winter Park Memorial Hospital at 5:05 pm. She weighed 8lbs. 0 oz., and was 20 inches long. She didn't give her Mommy much time so there was no time for medication/epidural. It was a pretty quick labor as Addison was ready to meet the world! :o)

Addison is truly a dream come true and we are loving every minute with her. We are adjusting and learning more about each other every day. We just adore our baby girl. It has been wonderful that Kirk and I have both been able to be home together with Addison and enjoying special family time. Also, we have enjoyed having our family and friends visit. Addison has really enjoyed getting to meet everyone.

Addee had a great 2 week doctor's appt this past Tuesday. We just love our pediatrician Dr. Chaban...he is fantastic! He feels that Addison is doing great and exactly where she should be. We are so happy to hear that. She now weighs 8 lbs and 12 oz. Overall she is a very happy and sweet baby but, does have her fussy moments here and there. She loves to be held, to be read to, her lamb swing, her rock n play sleeper, loves Mommy singing (even though Mommy can't sing), loves dancing with her Daddy, and LOVES to be swaddled. However, she doesn't like baths, diaper changes, or clothing changes but, I am sure over time that will change. She is sure a cutie pie and we are absolutely blessed to have her.

Here are a few pictures that we have taken lately. I have also posted some on facebook as well.
More updates to come soon! xoxo
Love, The Cooper Fam

Latest Appt...

Well, we are still waiting for our little one. I am a full 3 cm dilated. Dr Snook thinks that baby will come this week but, only time will tell. I am still scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, Aug 10th...that is the latest we can go. Fingers crossed that our baby will come before next Tuesday.
I am having some mild pre-labor contractions so trying to take it easy today and rest.

Apparently, Baby Cooper would like to be fashionably late to the party! Keep you posted ;o)

Love, Cooper Fam

40 weeks...still waiting! ;o)

Well, Baby C's due date was yesterday and yes we are still waiting for our peanut! We are working on our patience. I suppose baby has a right to take his/her time and make a grand entrance. I will update the blog after our doctor's appt tomorrow. Just thought I would share a few pictures we took over the weekend ;o).

A very happy b-day to my amazing husband today. We had some yummy barbecue from a new place in winter park called 4-Rivers to celebrate early on Saturday and cheesecake for dessert (one of kirk's favs). It was yummy! To my Kirk - the love we share is the best part of my life! I love you and cannot wait for the next amazing adventure together.

Lots of love to our friends & family! Thank you for your love and support! xoxo
K, K, Baby C, and J

One day at a time! ;o)

We had a check up this AM and we are almost 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced and in stage 1. Baby's heartbeat is about 134-137. So, we are still waiting on our little one to decide his/her birthday. Dr Snook is pleased with our progress. Hopefully baby will come by due date. You never know Baby C and Kirk may end up sharing the same b-day. At the latest Dr Snook will schedule us to be induced on Aug 10th if baby doesn't make an appearance by then. Fingers crossed that is not the case but, we will go with the flow. Patience is a virture and I think we are doing pretty well waiting for our little peanut. I had a contraction this past Saturday night but, it subsided and that was it.

I am actually feeling pretty good. We are getting even more excited by the minute. I am still working up until this Friday unless baby comes sooner. It helps to stay busy. Kirk is taking 2-3 weeks off after baby is born which is a blessing. We have gotten a lot accomplished and feel as prepared as we are going to be. I know...one can never be prepared enough but, we are trying to be ready.

I will have Kirk take an updated picture today of my big belly and post later. Hope you are having a great week. We will keep you posted!!! :o)

Love, Cooper Fam

We are getting closer! ;o)

Hi there!!
Just thought I would send a quick update. We had our weekly check up this morning and things are good. I am 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced so Baby C may be making an early appearance. I can tell baby is dropping some too. Only Baby C knows really....so, time will tell. We have another appt scheduled next Tuesday AM so we will let you know an update then. I am still feeling pretty good. Not sleeping as well as it is tough to get comfortable but, overall I still feel pretty well and can't complain. Very blessed.

We have been working on errands and getting things prepared. We feel like we would like more time in the day. I know that is something we all wish for, right? We stocked up on food supplies from costco so we have been busy preparing some dinner meals ahead of time to freeze and have ready as we know we won't feel like cooking for a while. So, we are still working on that. Also, Kirk plans to steam clean the carpets this weekend. That is a project we want to check off our list. Its all coming together. ;o)

It has been wonderful having my Kirk home...I know he is happy to be home too. We are so looking forward to our big day. So excited to meet our little one! We will keep you posted.

Hope you have a great week! xoxo

Lots of Love,
The Cooper Fam

26 days to go! ;o)

Hi there -
Just wanted to touch base. Things are going great. Can you believe we only have 4 more weeks to go? We are 36 weeks. I had an appt today with Dr. Snook and I am still measuring on schedule. I am going in weekly now. Still feeling good. I am continuing my am/pm walks w/Jazzy which is good for baby/me. There is not much room for baby to move but, I am still feeling and also seeing all kinds of movement. My feet are a little swollen at end of day but, not too bad after I elevate them. I have to say I don't have too much to complain about...it really has been a wonderful pregnancy.

This is how baby is growing right now...here's the update from BabyCenter.com...Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He/She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He/She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his/her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his/her skin during his/her nine-month amniotic bath. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he/she's in a head-down position. But if he/she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

We have had a fabulous June...my girlfriends/sisters hosted a fantastic circus-themed baby shower. In my opinion it was the best baby shower ever! I am biased of course. Honestly, from the food, decor, games, invites, and all the little details...it was FABULOUS. Our little family and baby Cooper were showered with just amazing and wonderful gifts. It was so wonderful to have our family and friends celebrate. We can't wait for him or her to get here so we can use all the fun gifts. Here is a link to Facebook for you to see all the fun pictures if you have not seen them already. We were truly blessed with this wonderful party in honor of our sweet baby. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=178643&id=672634301

Also, the baby's nursery is complete. We are pleased with how it turned out. It was a work of love. Here is a link to the pictures in case you have not seen them yet. We enjoyed working on it! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=179826&id=672634301

We had a nice 4th of July weekend. Kirk got in on Friday night from a 9 day trip. God Bless him...my sweet traveling love. Right away he was ready to go and we headed to babies r us and target and picked up just a few more baby essentials. We spent the weekend working on our "to-do" list of things we have been wanting to accomplish at the house. Our list is getting smaller so that is progress. Just more nesting I guess one would say...re-organizing closets and making shelf space in areas of the house for our sweet little family member's items. We enjoyed dinner at my Dad's w/my Grandmom too on the 4th. Kirk had to leave again yesterday for his last trip before baby...he returns home this Friday evening. I will finally have my hubby/birthing coach officially here ready for Baby Cooper. We have missed each other so much. He is also very tired of this travel business. I must admit we really are truly blessed with our marriage and now it will be even more blessed with our little peanut! ;o)

By the way, I did start a new job recently for a company based out of Denver, CO called AlpineCRS. It is a recruiting/consulting firm for executive positions in financial and healthcare field. I am a recruiter and I really like it so far. I was a corporate recruiter for 6 of my almost 12 years at Kirchman/Metavante so it is not too tough to pick up again. The best part is I can work from home. This is the type of position I have been looking for so I can be home more with our little one. So far so good!

Not much else new to report. Just very anxious and excited to meet our cutie pie and can't wait to find out if we will have a son or daughter. We will be happy either way! I will keep you posted.

Much Love xoxo
K, K, Baby C, and Jazzy ;o)

Memorial Weekend 2010 - Stetson Family

Just thought I would share some pics from our Memorial Day weekend. We had a great time! It was fun to catch up with our buds and see all the kiddos. What started as 6 girls is now 18...soon to be 19 of us. We enjoyed chatting, eating, swimming and just being together. The guys even managed to get in a couple of poker and ping pong games.

Also, our buds were super sweet and planned a mini-shower for Kirk and I (they are too much since they are already helping with the June 19th shower). We really have amazing friends. They made us a delicious rice krispy cake and gave us our Pack N Play (we tried it out when we came home and it is awesome). We were so surprised! Also, it has been tradition that our friends Howie and Whitebread give this cute little t-shirt that is called Mysterio and it predicts your child's future (it comes in a sealed bag so no one knows what it says on shirt until we open it). Ours was "Dog Show Judge" which is too funny! It is actually appropriate for the Yallaly's to have this shirt since Katie's mom shows cocker spaniels in dog shows. Everyone got a kick out of that.

Here are some pics during mini shower...

Here is the latest pic of the Stetson 6.















Here is a picture of the "little" Stetson 6...soon to be 7! ;o)













Have a great day...I will add photos of St Augustine next week! ;o)
xoxo

Almost 31 Weeks! 65 days to go! ;o)

Hi there!
Hope you all are doing great and getting excited for your memorial day weekend. Things are going well. Our last dr appt went well. We met with Dr K and everything is going great. My weight gain is on target and things with baby C are going very well. We enjoyed meeting Dr K. He is very nice and has a great beside manner. I have to complete my standard glucose test before our next appt. We will meet with Dr Snook on June 9th for next appt then we start going every 2 weeks and then eventually weekly. We finished our 5 birthing classes this past Wednesday plus a breastfeeding and anesthesia class. It was very informative but, also scary and exciting at the same time. Also, Kirk and I did our pre-registration at the hospital the other day. It was nice to see everything again and discuss birth plan with the hospital's birth designer, Vicki. She was fantastic! Walking through the hospital again sure did make things more real. Now, we will actually be going to the hospital again sooner than we think so we can finally meet our little peanut! Again, super-excited and a little nervous too. ;o)

The baby's room is coming a long. Just have a few more wall decor items to finish. It should be complete by the baby shower. We are very pretty pleased with how it is turning out. We will probably even pat ourselves on the back once its finished. :o)

We are excited about this memorial day weekend. We are having our annual get-together with the Stetson Buds and families. If you can believe it there are 18 (soon to be 19) of us that will be there. Our little group of 6 stetson girlfriends has certainly expanded. Looking forward to hanging out with everyone and the kids. We are each covering a meal for the group during the weekend. Should be a lot of fun! We always enjoy pool fun, games, eating/drinking, hanging out, and catching up! It will be virgin drinks for me this time.

So, Kirk and I have been planning a little baby-moon for a while now...a little weekend getaway before baby because we know it will be quite a while before we travel without the little one. We are going for a couple nights to St Augustine next weekend. We have really only gone there for a couple hours in the past so it will be fun to take time to explore and relax together. We are looking forward to it!

I will post some pictures of our Stetson weekend and my belly next week. Have a fantastic memorial day weekend!!! xoxo

27 Weeks - Only 13 more until we meet Baby Cooper!

Hi Family & Friends -

We just wanted to send a little update. Things are going great - only 1 more week until we kick off the 3rd Trimester. Time is flying! I am still feeling good and Baby C is definitely moving all the time. Kirk and I have been walking Jazzy twice a day and going the gym a few times a week. It is good for baby and I to stay active. Kirk has been traveling here and there but, that should slow down very soon (fingers crossed). He has some new hires that have started over the last couple weeks so hoping they get trained and ready to take on the projects soon. I have been keeping busy still searching for employment...would love to find one where I can work from home. I have lots of resumes out. It is a pretty tough market. Please keep me in mind if you hear of anything full or even part time. I have a few brides that sent me e-mails stating they are interested in calligraphy services so hoping to get some business soon. Please remember to pass on my Etsy store link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kmkramer50

We are still working on the baby's room. We have almost all furniture in...just need to get a couple more things, hang curtains and work on wall decor that we have planned. Sorry, no pics of room until we are finished. We are hoping to have it complete by the baby shower. We are very excited about the baby shower on June 19th...the invitations are just adorable. Thanks to all of you that are planning/helping with the shower. We have the best family/friends ever! We are very excited to see everyone and share in the excitement of meeting our little bundle of joy.

This week, Baby C likely weighs about 2 lbs. and is about 14 1/2 inches long (head to toe). He/She is sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his/her eyes, and maybe even sucking his/her thumb. Since more brain tissue is developing, his/her brain is more active now. While his/her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if he/she were born now. The rhythmic movements I sometimes feel are baby hiccups, and they may be common from now on. This is what Baby Cooper looks like this week:
http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-27-weeks

We went to the to the Grand Opening Celebration of The Dr. P. Phillips Baby Place at Winter Park Memorial Hospital this past Sunday 5/2. It was amazing. We are so impressed...the Baby Place is completely new and the rooms are very nice. We enjoyed touring everything and we got to see Dr Snook which is always a treat. It was a great opportunity to see everything before the Baby Place is in use. Starting on May 8th the Baby Place will be open in time for babies to be born on Mother's Day. They had all kinds of fun things for us during tour - information, food (mini-cupcakes from Sweets were yummy), pictures, and even chair massages which Kirk and I both enjoyed. We have our birthing classes this Wednesday and we are looking forward to that. We have our next check-up appt on 5/14 with Dr. Krishingner and this is our first time meeting him.

Thank you all your support and love! Here is a picture of me at now at 27 weeks...I did self timer so its not the best but, gives you an idea that Baby C is growing! ;o)
XOXO

24 Weeks :o)

Hi there!
Just wanted to share a few updates. We only have 4 months left until we get to meet our little munchkin! Very Exciting. Things are going well. I had my 24 week check-up today. Dr. Snook says I am measuring right on track for 24 weeks. Dr S had a tough time getting a good heartbeat because the baby was moving and shaking while she was checking the heartbeat but, we finally got to around 136-139. I guess we have a busy mover on our hands...just like his/her Mommy and Daddy! Kirk and I are not sitters that is for sure. So, everything is great! I just love our OB/Gyn Dr Snook...she is so professional but, also so down to earth. I could see myself being friends with her which is so great in a doctor! I am so glad we found her. Our next appt is in 4 weeks to meet another one of the doctors (Dr K) in the practice. We need to meet everyone just in case Dr Snook isnt "on call" when Baby C arrives. Kirk and I are scheduled for our Birthing Classes at Winter Park Hospital starting on April 28th for 5 weeks every Wed. Our friends Stacy & Jeff are expecting their little baby boy just 1 week before us so we will be taking our birthing classes with friends which is great! ;o) The Baby Place at WP Florida Hospital is completely brand new and is considered the "boutique" obstetric hospital of Central Florida. We are very excited to take a tour and we are going to the Grand Opening on May 2nd! Here is a link to learn more about the hospital where Baby Cooper will be welcomed: http://www.winterparkhospital.com/en/services/the-dr-p-phillips-baby-place

By the way...Dad K and Kirk painted the baby's room last week and here are the new hues...we really like how it turned out. They did a fantastic job! A BIG thank you to my Dad and Hubby! :)

Also, the baby furniture has been ordered and should be here soon. Things are coming together. Lastly we registered over the weekend at: Babies R Us and Target. Who knew there was so much baby stuff in these stores? We did our research ahead of time so we had a list ready but, there are still decisions to make while you register. It was tons of fun...Kirk and I both had a good time! You know...we have that can't wait to be parents grin on our faces all the time. I know those of you that have kids are saying beware but, we are just so excited. We cannot wait to meet our little one! What a blessing for our families! Hope you have a fantastic week...talk to you soon! Lots of love from the Coopers 4 of FL (K, K, Baby C & Jazz) xoxo

Here is a pic of me at 24 weeks:

Welcome to our little Blog! :o)

Hi there!
Kirk and I thought this would be a great way to keep everyone posted on our little family happenings especially Baby Cooper. Things are going great here. We have been keeping busy with spring cleaning/organizing. We have reorganized the office and Baby C's room is ready for paint/furniture. Also, the baby closet is all ready! I guess one would call this nesting. We will be painting the room in April and ordering the baby furniture. We are very excited to get things ready for baby. Things went very well at our last dr appt. All tests were good from the integrated screen and the doctor is pleased with how baby and mommy are doing ;o). Kirk has been traveling and he is in Boston right now but, returns home on Friday. This will be the last trip for now (fingers crossed).

I have been feeling great! I am still on the job search and have had some phone interviews here and there. Keeping my fingers crossed and staying positive. Jazzy has been great at keeping me company and she enjoys me being home too! I am feeling Baby C much more now and I can't wait until Kirk can actually feel the baby kick. I think that will be in a week or two. It is quite an amazing feeling. I am also starting to show more and feel much more comfy in maternity clothes. Here is a little video that we got from the last ultrasound (only 24 secs). Just had to share...very cool! We will continue to send updates soon so keep checking back! Feel free to share comments!
Love You! xoxo

This is Baby C at 20 weeks:

Also, here is a picture of me right now at 22 weeks with my little bump ;o)