Jelly Beans and Stickers

Yesterday was a good day. Good is relative these days, but Cooper got disconnected from his "IV leash" and got to run around the unit and be a kid. If we have learned anything, it is that you have to try really hard to look for the good. If you don't it can take you under.

After 2 chemo treatments and blood transfusions, he already looks better, and seems to have more energy and better color. He was back to his old tricks and keeping the nurses on their toes. When the nurses ask Cooper how he is feeling he says "I'm better than the grown-ups."

Cooper got to do a jelly bean activity with the child life specialist to help him understand what is going on in his body. He ate most of the jelly beans and sprinkles during the lesson, but still learned a lot. The lesson helped mommy too.




Cooper has been a CHAMP through everything and oddly enough our biggest struggle through all of the needles, OR visits, and treatments has been the darn EKG stickers. He HATES taking them off. Handled an IV PICC like a boss but taking off an EKG sticker literally sends him through the roof. Yesterday he had 11 of them on and also started a very strong steroid regimen...one day we will laugh about this part. We are also quickly learning that his steroids either turn him into the Hulk or a grumpy old crazy grandpa at Christmas dinner. 

After a 2 hour meltdown and negotiation, Cooper decided he "might" take the EKG stickers off if he could stick them all over dad and yank them off. The nurses thought that was comical. So we tried...

Eventually Cooper decided he would get them off but ONLY if he took all of them off himself. Good grief! Believe me, his stubbornness will get him through this! After he was done he said to us, "well that wasn't very hard for me, but it was pretty complicated for you." One of the few times in my life I have been so thankful to see my kid's sass and attitude. 
Little stinker! 

Comments

  1. jillianwvuAugust 23, 2018 at 6:37 AM

    Jason- I literally can hear Cooper saying each and every quote you put down. His personality just cracks me up. Love you all. Give him a smooch from me.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beginning of the Road

18 Aug 2018 So it begins... There are certain days in your life that you will always remember - wedding day, birth of a child, the day you bought your first home, graduations - you get the idea. Unfortunately not all these dates are remembered for a positive reason... It is with absolute heartbreak that Kristy and I want to let our family, friends and loved ones know that on Aug 18 2018, our son, Cooper was diagnosed with child leukemia.  I cannot put into words how we are feeling or even if we have fully comprehended what this means for us as a family.  As most of you readers probably know, Kristy and I were blessed to welcome Evyn Wylde Trueblood into the word on 15 Jul 2018. So adjusting our lives to a newborn and a family of 4, to now have this news is more than we ever thought we would be able to handle. I am opening this page mainly for three reasons.  First and foremost to remember Cooper in your thoughts and prayers.  Our God is the creator, great healer and more impo
Read more

Snacks, Hair, and a Dose of 5 Year Old Perspective

Everyone thinks their own kids are the best. That's every parent's right as their guardian.  We are obviously bias but we can't help but look at our kid in absolute awe with how he is dealing with this situation. Nothing like your 5 year old setting the record straight with a bunch of grownups who feel like they're trying to get their act together. From the beginning we have done our best to be completely honest with Cooper about what is happening to him. Granted, this is a tall order to try to make sure to explain a life threatening disease in a developmentally appropriate way. Those of you who know Cooper well, know that he is a very literal kid, a straight shooter. You'd better be honest with him or he will be the first one to call your bluff if you aren't. It is this wonderful quality that Cooper has that will most likely earn all of his classroom teachers a nice bottle of merlot for Christmas. Cooper is also a very observant kiddo, he's a watcher...he
Read more

Last big intensification push: It has begun

Image
So on Friday we did not make counts to start the second part of intensification, so we went in Wednesday and Coop made counts like a boss! It was such a long clinic day, but we were thankful to go home. We were the first ones there and the last ones to leave. We barely got out before they would have had to admit us to inpatient. Luckily this week, Kristy was able to attend clinic with Coop too. Last week she was getting over the shingles and couldn't go to clinic as a precaution to the other patients there. Good old stress induced shingles...Ugh....just what every parent with a baby and an immunocompromised kid needs, right?  Cooper actually got out on his bike during the few days we had after he didn't make counts. We figured if he was asking to go outside, he was feeling much better and we had a pretty good feeling he would get going on Wednesday.  Cooper had the choice to leave clinic and keep his port accessed at home for the home care nurse to come out and admin
Read more