@krista88 ,
What is the make and model number of the fridge?
My first thought on your comment was that it was not defrosting properly as you said that you had to turn it off and make sure all the ice is gone.
If the food has thawed why is there still ice there? It should also have melted and drained away.
8 weeks seems to indicate a build up of ice which is interfering with the normal operation of the fridge. With auto defrost there should be no build up as any ice should have been removed during the defrost cycle which occurs once every 8-12 hours
When you say that you have to turn it off, is the fridge compressor running or is it that there is just power connected to the fridge i.e. the interior light works when you open a door, and you don’t want it to start up again?