This is Davis and Jackson driving Davis' jeep. They uncovered a dead bunny moments before. Jackson jumped out and picked it up. We thought they ran over it at first but later discovered it was already dead. Yuck!
David, Jackson, Kate, and Jonathan outside of an aquarium restaurant in Nashville, TN.
Our best friends, Chris and Jayne, holding their daughter, Kate, and Jonathan. When Jonathan was born, even though she was nine months pregnant, Chris and Jayne hopped in the car and came to the NICU to be with us. Then, shortly after Kate's birth, they drove to be with us during Jonathan's surgery. What great friends!
I was trying to take photos of Jonathan for his dedication picture that was to be printed in our bulletin. This is one of the photos that I got of him smiling. He will be dedicated the evening of July 23.Things have been crazy around here for us as I am sure they have been for you. I took a trip to Disneyworld to see my sister the last weekend in June. She is working there this summer in conjunction with a campus ministry with which she is involved at the College of Charleston. It was parents' weekend and Mom and Dad weren't going so I thought I would go see her. That was the first time that Jamie was alone overnight with the kids since Jonathan's birth. The day before I left, our downstairs fridge quit working and 175 mL of frozen milk I had stored for just such a trip melted and soured. Amazingly, I didn't cry! Jonathan survived on formula while I was gone and it was no big deal.
Jonathan started cereal, fruits, and veggies in May. We started with two "meals" a day and quickly went to three. He went through a period where he woke up at night until I figured out what he needed in order to be full through the night. Now he is sleeping soundly again.
Jonathan began sitting up the first week of July. He has been trying to crawl for some time and I am learning how to help him do so.
I experimented with taking Jackson with me to the Bell Center. The problem is he remained in a foyer that had doors that opened out to the street. He figured how to get out and screamed for me (I have to be in a separate room with Jonathan while Jackson entertains himself with toys in an adjacent room) when he caught his arm in the door. While he was in pain, I was thankful it stopped him from getting out. Needless to say, Jamie is picking him up from his Mothers' Morning Out program again so I don't have to worry about Jackson's safety. This summer is different because I am doing the therapy while a therapist directs me. It is good because I am forced to learn. Sometimes it is nice just to sit and watch, to have a mental break. This has been much better for me so I know how to direct Jonathan at home and model what I learned for Jamie.
Jonathan is sitting up and trying to push up to sit from a prone position. Last week a therapist worked with him that had not worked with him since he was a month or two old. She told me that she "wasn't just saying this"... he looked great and was very strong. She just oohhed and aahhed over him. He was leaning in one direction playing with a toy. She took the toy away and he continued to hover to the left, not flopping down from fatigue. She was amazed.:)
Jackson is full of energy and talking up a storm with no stuttering. What a relief and very freeing for him as well. He tells us stories he makes up and has a wild imagination. He loves to help me cook by mixing and cracking eggs. We still watch him like a hawk with Jonathan - he is very rough, trying to play with Jonathan. However, I think he will prove to be Jonathan's strongest asset.
To update you on us, we got a new pastor on June 11. He is 28 years old and is incredible. He has five degrees and is impressive - you can see the hand of God on him as he speaks. We are so excited to have him. If you are interested, you can view video on this site or hear his sermons: http://www.brookhills.org/media/page_videocast.htm. You will love it! The thing about him is that he continuously references the Word of God and operates completely from that. Anything he says is based on that. I could go on and on...
We went to Jamie's church he grew up in over the weekend preceding the fourth for an outdoor singing event. Jamie's parents still attend there and we went so we could see their friends who have not yet seen Jonathan and who have not seen Jackson for a while. We got to see one of Jonathan's therapists and her newborn son. She is one of his favorites and we had missed her since she left to have her baby!
That night, Jonathan was croupy so I took both boys into the doctor the next day. Jonathan had been congested for six weeks or so. Jackson had a cold for over a week so I asked the doctor to check him out as well, just in case. It turned out that Jackson had strep - I thought he had nothing other than a cold! I felt badly that I had misjudged him! Both boys finished up their antibiotics last week.
We visited our friends, Chris and Jayne, in Nashville the weekend after the fourth. We had fun - the kids got along better than ever which was nice for the adults! Chris and Jayne used to live here in Birmingham. We were sad to see them go. As I mentioned next to their picture, they have been such wonderful friends to us. They came to be with us when Jonathan was born and again when he had his open heart surgery. Friends for life!
I took Jonathan to an ENT who has a child with DS last week to get his ears checked out. His left ear was fine and his right ear showed negative pressure, meaning it can act as a vacuum and suck in fluid. I am going to go back in six weeks to make sure all is well. JOnathan is supposed to have speech issues for sure but if his ear canals are blocked so he can't hear, that will cause unnecessary speech problems. We have to stay on top of his ears, eyes, and thyroid.
We are learning so much. My faith took a beating for at least three solid months - it is slowly being built back up. When all this first happened, I was sure I would never be the same or recover. I will never be the same, but that is not bad. I am certainly, and always will be, a work in progress. I pray every day for the Holy Spirit to permeate my life and I am beginning to pray through scripture for Jamie and the boys on a daily basis. I am seeing the need to saturate myself with the Word of God and I experience Its power daily. I see that I cannot live this life on my own. I am hardheaded so I often forget this lesson and am re-reminded. Eventually, I will get it, I am sure!
Julie:)
