Our Cooper is a beautiful, happy 7 year old boy. He loves his family; especially his big brother Cole. He is very content at school and enjoys taking daily walks around the building to visit all the staff and students. He is welcomed in all the classrooms and is adored by everyone who comes in contact with him. Cooper's teacher has commented many times that he leaves everyone with a smile on their face. 

Cooper is incredibly curious and is constantly into things. He is only completely still when he is asleep which is sporadic at best. It is a rare occurrence for Cooper to sleep through the night. He has always been extremely orally fixated and mouths everything he gets his hands on. Above all else, Cooper loves to climb and the higher the better. He could climb quite well before he finally began to walk at 31 months.

Cooper was born premature at 34 weeks gestation. Due to feeding issues from birth, he was diagnosed with failure to thrive and global developmental delay. At 10 months old, Cooper underwent a nissen fundoplacation to correct severe gastric reflux. It was around this time that Cooper was referred to a neurologist for microcephaly and he noticed Cooper had a simeon crease. This discovery prompted our first of many genetic tests, which all came back normal. At around 3 years old, Cooper was tested for Angelman Syndrome. He had begun having epileptic seizures, had the happy demeanor and several other AS characteristics. Although he clinically fit AS, the testing also came back normal.  In addition to seizures, Cooper has a pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, low vision, and severe pronation of the feet for which he wears orthotic braces. In October 2011, Cooper was tested for a syndrome referred to as X Link Angelman Syndrome. On November 23, 2011 we were informed that a mutation had been found on the SLC9A6 gene and Cooper's diagnosis had finally been identified as Christianson Syndrome.

We are a Christian family who strongly believe that God has blessed us with this very special little boy for a reason. He has taught us patience, humility, and to never take anything for granted. Being Cooper's parents is incredibly demanding but also incredibly rewarding. He brings us so much joy with his sweet smile and his special pats and kisses. For though he has no words, his love for us shines through. We consider it an honor and a privilege that God chose us to be the family and caretakers of such a precious little angel.