Pics, update

The cousins at the beach - Jackson, Jonathan, Emma, and Eric.
Jonathan prefers to feed himself. Nice!
Jackson's imitation of Jonathan's new eating habits.
Jonathan learning to sit up!

Next Tuesday Jackson starts Mothers' Morning Out and we begin going to the Bell Center. We have had a three week break.

Jonathan is on his way to sitting up. He can prop sit for a couple seconds here and there. When I do his sit ups with him, he braces his feet. As he comes up from the sit up, he keeps coming up to a standing position. He gets a huge grin on his face and is so proud of himself!

Jackson still naps once a day. Last week Jonathan started napping when Jackson does in the afternoon. After Jonathan went down for a nap on Friday, I simply sat there, realizing that was the first time in six months that had happened! I didn't know what to do.

Jamie and I had a lengthy discussion last night about our journey the last six months. After talking, our conclusion was that we are both in better places since Jonathan's birth. Our faiths have grown in ways they might never have and we have learned things that might have taken much longer or simply never developed. We have experienced God's hands at work in our lives.

So many people say that people with Down syndrome (I found out last week that the "s" in Down syndrome is not supposed to be capitalized) are blessings. We are finding that to be so true. However, Jackson is just as much a blessing as Jonathan. He teaches us so much. He loves Jonathan unconditionally, has a sweet and tender heart, and sees no difference in Jonathan. We feel so blessed with both our kids. We are so grateful for our children and the unique way God created each of them.

Thank you for your prayers and for your encouragement.

Julie:)