speech therapy/cardiology appt

This past Tuesday Coy had his Speech Therapy evaluation and a Cardiology follow up appointment. It was a busy day, but a good one! We were at Speech therapy bright and early (for us anyway!) at 9 am. The therapist was very kind, reassuring, and helpful. After I explained our daily routine and struggles, she watched Coy eat some goldfish, graham crackers, and Gerber puffs. She said he's not really "chewing" food, however, allowing the food to dissolve, then swallowing it. I have no idea why it took me going to ST to figure that one out! It makes sense why he isn't interested in all table food...he simply can't handle it in his mouth. We are going to return once per week to work on his oral motor control, language, etc. I left feeling SO encouraged and hopeful. She said she thinks Coy will work through this and she doesn't see eating being a long term issue for us. Thank you God! If you could all pray for Coy to progress and for his oral motor control to strengthen, that would be greatly appreciated! Also, for my patience & endurance, I can never get enough of that! :)

Then it was off to his Cardiology appointment. Oh, how I will never understand why doctors schedule you for 12:30 when they actually don't see you until 3pm! Yes, we waited for 2.5 hours for the doctor to come in and tell me he looks great. Thanks! He had an EKG that didn't show his usual WPW (this doesn't mean he doesn't have it, WPW sometimes doesn't show up). We stopped his beta blocker back in December and the doctor wants him to wear a 24 hour holter monitor to make sure all is well. I tried to explain that the chances of him actually keeping it on for 24 hrs was slim to none! He is so strong now and it took 4 of us to hold him down just to get the EKG! We will attempt the holter and do the best we can! If all looks good on the holter report, we don't have to return for 1 year! :)

Chris and I have allowed our little man to sleep in our bed the past few months. The reason being because he was not wanting to sleep in his crib and out of exhaustion, we threw him in our bed. I know for some this is a big 'no-no' and I was one of those people who said I'd never put my kid in our bed. However, it is nice to snuggle with him and wake up to his smiling face. I didn't get to breastfeed him and all that, so it is a sweet way to bond. However, I have been growing more and more resistant to it, simply because I want to get Coy in a good routine where he goes to sleep early, gets up earlier, and we have time to get all his meals and bottles in during the day. Also, when the new baby comes, I want him in a solid routine where he feels comfortable. Chris is out of town this weekend, so I decided to give it a try last night. It only took an hour of crying/shushing/reassuring/patting to get him asleep in his bed! He woke up a few times during the night, however fell back asleep easily. I woke feeling so encouraged! Yeah! So if you could pray for continued progress in the sleeping department, that would be awesome!

Coy will see the Pulmonologist on Monday, then will have his repeat sleep study next Tuesday, Feb 10th! Please pray this goes smoothly and he passes with flying colors!

As far as my pregnancy goes, I am feeling much better the past week or so. I had a rough 3 weeks with the all day sickness/ vomiting. I am not sure why they call it 'morning sickness', it sure doesn't discriminate to the morning hours. Other than being tired and trying to rest when Coy does, I am feeling good. After my last appt, my doctor said I didn't need to come back for 3 weeks. So, I return a week from Tuesday and will be about 12 weeks. Next Thursday, I will see a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor for another ultrasound. If all looks well, I will have cerclage placed the following week (they will stitch my cervix shut, sounds fun huh?!). Thanks for all your prayers and support! I am keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus and not being consumed with all the worries pregnancy can bring. I cannot even tell you how much better my heart feels this time around. :)

My bat & I

FYI, the bat is soft!

He caught me!

Here he comes!

therapy/eye update

Coy had his monthly PT evaluation this morning with Sara. I'm so thankful we have her to go to. She really answers all my questions and puts my mind to ease. I have been growing more concerned in regards to Coy's transition to table food. He seems to have days where he is just not interested. He loves a food one day, then the next, he refuses it. Needless to say, it can become very frustrating and helpless feeling! Sara suggested a speech therapy consult to see if there is something causing the refusal, i.e. sensory issues, coordination issues, etc. She said there are "picky eaters" then there are "problem eaters". I am hoping we have a "picky" eater, but if not, want to fix the problem ASAP! I am all for it and we have it scheduled for next Tuesday. He loves his bottles, loves purees, puffs and stuff like that, but isn't really consisently taking to solid table food yet. We are hoping by his March adjusted age birthday that he will be weaned off formula and eating like a champ!

Coy continues to do wonderfully with this gross motor skills. He is pulling up on everything, becoming more stable when standing, and cruising down furniture. Sara thinks he will be standing independently within the next month,and hopefully walking by his adjusted age 1 year birthday of March 28th. This month, we are going to work on his fine motor skills (picking up blocks, putting them in a bucket, taking them out again, etc). Looking at our full term niece & nephews, I could tell that Coy is struggling in this area a bit. This I hear is not uncommon for a preemie. We will be working on it and hopefully see progress soon! =)

Last week, he had a 3 month eye check up with Dr. Hittner. After waiting for 2 hours with a very energetic 1 year old (trying to not let him touch the floor or the toys other kids were playing with!), we got a great report! She said his eyes look excellent, he has no need for glasses at this time, and doesn't need to return for 6 months! Woo hoo, thank you God!

Coy is so very active these days! He really goes 100 mph until he literally passes out! Thank goodness for daytime naps! He is still obsessed with his UT bat and takes it everywhere he goes. He crawls around the entire house holding on to it. He even snuggles with it in bed; I know most kids have a bear or something, not Coy, he snuggles to a bat. Do they have Tball for 1 year olds? =)

Thanks for all your continued love and support! We are so blessed!

Surprise!

Chris, Coy, and I are thrilled to announce that in late July/early August, we will be adding another member to our family! We found out that we were pregnant a week before Christmas and couldn't be more excited. Long before we discovered we were expecting, Chris & I were in prayer over this pregnancy, praying for God's perfecting timing and His will to be done. I feel that God's given me this indescribable peace that this pregnancy will be healthy, long, and uneventful!

While we still do not have an answer for Coy's very early arrival, we are being VERY cautious this time around. We have a new doctor, had a "game plan" set many months ago, and will be doing all we can to prevent another early delivery. I have been seen 3 times already and will be followed every week! I am a little over 8 weeks along and my due date is August 27th. However, due to the classical incision I had with my first c-section, I will have a scheduled c-section at 36 weeks (which is around July 30th). The reason for this is because the chances of uterine rupture are higher with a previous classical (vertical) incision after 36 weeks.

We are so thankful for all your love and support. I will keep you updated on how things are progressing. We really are so overjoyed to give Coy a sibling. He is going to be the best big brother!

picture update

Here are a few of the latest pictures of our little man. He is so much fun these days and is keeping us very busy! =)


"The Naked Cowboy"



Standing under the kitchen table

Colby Michael Taylor

We are so excited to announce the birth of our nephew, Colby Michael Taylor. He was born today at 1:44pm weighing in at 8 lbs 2 oz! Big boy! My sister is doing great and had a pretty quick labor! We are so thankful!

Bath time fun!