More Details...

Good morning. I realized after my last post that I omitted some details over the last few weeks...

Jonathan had his four month check up two weeks ago. He weighed in at 11 pounds! He got his shots and had his next to last synagis shot two days after his check up. The synagis shot protects him from contracting RSV.

Jackson is using the potty on a regular basis now. About a month ago or so, we had a "Come to Jesus" talk. I told him he could use the bathroom and it was time he started. We spent one day where we went every hour, then every 30 minutes, and then every 15 minutes. When he would go in his pants immediately after an attempt, I knew it was an issue of control. Once he had success, he started wanting to go and now accidents happen only on occasion. I think a big part of his success is tied to Jonathan. I kept making a big show of telling Jonathan how big his brother was, using the potty and wearing underwear. Each time Jack went, I would show Jonathan and make a big deal. Once I forgot to praise Jackson in front of Jonathan and after using the bathroom, Jack said, "Mommy, tell him what I did!" I think he enjoyed impressing his little brother.

Jackson is still stuttering so I am taking him to a speech pathologist on Monday. Hopefully the stutter will still be there so she can tell us if it is a big deal or not. I don't think it is, since it comes and goes. However, we want to be sure and not ignore something that might be significant.

I am so grateful for how loving Jackson is with Jonathan. He wants to lie down by Jonathan constantly, help feed him (when I use a bottle:)), give him toys, kiss him, and show him how to do things. Jonathan reciprocates by smiling, laughing, and talking. It is so neat to watch.

We are rarely feeding Jonathan breastmilk with bottles. There is no need to document how much milk he is getting now that he is gaining weight. He is only nursing unless we are out running errands, at church, etc. The pediatrician and dietician are impressed with his weight gain on breastmilk alone. He is developing well considering he had open heart surgery less than two months ago.

Jonathan's scar continues to heal beautifully. Before I went to Columbia last week, Jamie kept insisting one place was not healing correctly. There was a white scab - it looked like a thick piece of skin that was not fully healed. I said it was a scab and not to worry about it. The pediatrician agreed with me. Jamie was bathing Jonathan one night and kept playing with that piece of skin. Finally, something popped through - it looked like fishing line. It was a souture that was irritating the skin just below the scab. Jamie had been right all along - the souture was irritating the skin and needed to be clipped. I called the cardiologist's office and spoke with a nurse. She walked me through the process and said I could do it. I opted not to. I figured if I could, the pediatrician could. I did not want to take chances on causing some kind of infection because I didn't sterilize something enough. I took Jonathan in and the pediatrician pulled the souture as tightly as she could and clipped it as closely to the skin as possible. Jackson saw what was going to happen, heard Jonathan whine, and said, "I'm worried!" The doctor said, "Do you want a sucker?" That calmed him down.:) The child is definitely my son - he finds immediate comfort in food! Since Jamie freed up the souture, it looked less red. It looks even better now that it has been clipped.

Yesterday we went to the Bell Center. Jonathan is rolling from his tummy to his back. With very little help, he rolled from his back to his tummy. He is holding his head up high while on his tummy - great considering all the work done on his chest. He is chattering like crazy, batting his arms, kicking his legs, scooting across the floor in an attempt to crawl, and so much more. I am simply grateful for these things! They give me hope.

We are functioning - we have bad days and good days. For the most part, we are faring well. We love our boys. We still would not have picked this situation. Please pray for us. Pray for Jackson's stutter, Jonathan's weight gain and development, and our outlook on the future. I want to be the parent that is positive and that the DS is a component of our family but is not who we are.

I will post pictures later!

Julie