Cooper's first ER visit.

Yep that is right. We went to the ER yesterday.

Let me start from the beginning...
About 3 weeks ago, we started noticing some wheezing. Mostly, just when Coop was upset or excited. As the days went by we started noticing it more and more.
Two weeks ago, we went to the doctor. They checked Coop out and concluded it was probably a condition called Tracheomalacia aka floppy trachea.
There are ridges throughout your trachea that keep it in a cylinder shape (similar to a corrugated tube that you might use in your yard). With this condition, the cartilage hasn't finished forming so between 2 of the ridges it is floppy causing an occasionally obstruction in the airway is the person inhales.
This means laying down, eating, etc. Are more difficult because the trachea has to fight gravity.

So back to the story...
A week ago Cooper has his 2 month check-up. They said everything looked great and the wheezing sounded okay but most importantly wasn't interfering in anything.
So Thursday night Cooper started sounding really congested. Over the night it got way worse. We took him to the pediatrician and the nurse practitioner we saw said it sounded like croup. He got 2 nebeulizer treatments and seemed to be sounding better. We fed him before we packed up to leave (with our very own at-home neb).
Then, he started sounding worse and worse and as we made an appointment to come back for a follow-up a doctor pulled us aside to re-exam him. She concluded that because his chest was retracting for him to inhale and it seemed like he was using his own body to breathe it would be best if we went to the ER.

We headed to St. Mary's where they did a bunch more tests, 2 chest x-rays, 2 more neb treatments with a stronger medicine and an oral steroid. He didn't sound as good as they would like so they had us spend the night for more observations.
He started eating normally over night and seems to be sleeping a little better. At times he even breathes quietly. (At his worst, he sounded like a grown man snoring.)
They have concluded that he does in fact have tracheomalacia. They are still unsure if this particular episode is actual croup or a tracheomalacia flair-up caused by a respiratory infection.

What does this mean in the future? It means every little cold he catches is going to hit him harder, or at least sound like it.
It is my understanding 99% of children grow out of this and they go on to being healthy children. In very rare, severe cases they will refer children to see an ear, nose and throat specialist to officially diagnose and treat the condition.
We were being discharged today but Coop has since starting using his body to breathe again. They are keeping him today, possibly tonight just to be sure he is ready to go home.
Thanks for the love, prayers and support. We are so blessed to have an amazing support system.