Day 4: Slow and Steady

We knew the road to recovery would be up and down and today seems to be sending us back up the hill.  The new i.v. that took 5 people to hold him down...just yesterday...blew out today!  Which meant they had to switch to the left arm...definitely not fun the second time around!  After yet, another traumatic episode, Coop conked out for a little rest to gear up for the remainder of a busy day. 

Today, he as tried crushed up pain medicine...instead of all of the i.v. medications he has been getting.  Earlier in this journey, the oral pain medicine never stayed down because of the persistent nausea...but today...so far, so good.  Let's pray we can transition slowly to oral meds...our Cooper can't come home until off all of the i.v. medications and tolerating the oral ones!  The first step to tolerating oral medications is keeping down food!  With scheduled nausea medication, Cooper has had his first day of eating a little food; a plain pancake for breakfast, crackers, a few bite hot dog with shredded cheese (Do you think he's a Cincinnati kid...anyone thinking Skyline?) and chicken noodle soup.  Hooray, this is a HUGE step!  We still have a few steps to go...but ist seems His grace came today!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Cooper has grown totally attached to the wagon...it's the only place he will sleep...and asks,ok, demands to "walk for 40 minutes" over and over...(what does HeadStrong mean again)? However HeadStrong this boy may be, it's a breathe of fresh air to hear Cooper ask for things and start to show a bit of his persistent personality.  He's constantly asking to take a wagon ride, raises his hand when he hears the word "food," and is asking to see his siblings! 

Cooper (and Mommy & Daddy too) have been missing the other kids like crazy and FaceTime is just not good enough!  Connor, Megan and Cole got to visit the hospital today...and Cooper had presents waiting for them!  Thanks to a great friend, Cooper got to pick a stuffed  animal for himself , a brave lion, and then picked one to give to each of his siblings!  Connor got a green frog, Megan got a blue hippo, and Cole got a brown dog!  What an amazing idea to help the rest of the Miranda crew adapt to this new schedule and feel extra special today!

The day was filled with gifts and gift giving.  A nurse on the neurosurgery unit delivered this blanket today...her sister makes these AMAZING super soft animal blankets.  For every blanket she sells, she makes an extra and donates it to a patient at Children's Hospital. So check out this website and see if any of your loved ones need a soft, silky blanket!  Help us pay it forward and give someone else just a token of all the amazing support Cooper has gotten!  www.everythinghappy.com

I apologize in advance for the layout of the pictures! For some reason, technology is fighting me and winning. So after almost an hour of fighting, I forfeit my battle and have decided the message is much more important than the delivery!!

"Yet those who wait for The Lord will gain new strength; they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31