Jonathan's First Birthday

Someone wishes it was his birthday.
Jonathan crawling.
Jonathan standing.
Jackson showing Jonathan how to ride his airplane.
Nana, Pops, and Jonathan.
Jackson decorated a cake for Jonathan.
This cake had lower case "j's" on the side for our "Little J."
Brothers.
Jackson led us in singing "Happy Birthday" to Jonathan.
Jack "helped" Jonathan blow out his candle.
Jonathan's first handful.
Jonathan's first bite.
Good.
Excellent.
Need a thumb break.
All over the face.
Family photo opp with the birthday boy.
Not so sure.
So good.
Jonathan sits with Granny as Jackson opens his gifts for him.
Jonathan is allowed to play with the giraffe.
Jackson pictured here taking command of the gift situation.
Yeah, Jonathan gets to play with a present!

Daddy and Jonathan

Jonathan driving his totwheels with Jackson trying to hitch a ride.
Jonathan and Jackson sitting on the loveseat on Jackson's third day of school and Jonathan's first day.
This is Jackson's signature entertainment face.
Jackson enjoying his cheetos.
Jonathan trying out cheetos for the first time and loving them!

It has been three weeks since my last update! Here we go...

Jackson started Mothers' Morning Out for the third year at Noah's Nook the Tuesday after Labor Day. Jonathan was supposed to go that day as well. I signed them up last year thinking I signed Jack up for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and Jonathan on Monday so he could do therapy on Tuesday and Thursday. Alas, I was confused. Needless to say, I showed up with Jonathan the wrong day last Monday and was so embarrassed!

Jonathan is up to between 16.5 and 17 pounds. He is eating baby food along with yogurt, banana, grapes, peaches, hamburger meat, spaghetti, muffins, rolls, eggs, etc. He is doing a great job of feeding himself. He is drinking out of a cup with a straw very well and is still nursing some.

Jonathan has three teeth and is working on a fourth one. We had heard that he would get teeth late, out of order, and they might be turned in crazy ways. He got his bottom two, a front tooth, and is working on his other front tooth. He turned ten months old last Thursday so we are thrilled with three teeth coming in, with a fourth on the way!

Jonathan is crawling, in a sense. He gets up on all fours and then lunges. He pulls himself around with his arms so we are having to tuck his legs under him and show him how to move one knee forward and the alternate hand and then switch. He is going from his tummy to a sitting position on his own. He is sitting nicely and handling rough-housing with his brother well. He loves it, in fact. When Jackson puts his little brother in a headlock, Jonathan just grins.

Standing is something Jonathan loves as well. He is so thrilled when he can stand on his own. He leans up against the couch or holds our hands and grins from ear to ear.

Jackson is quoting story lines from books and incorporating them into everyday conversation. One day last week he said, "Mommy, I woke up in a cold sweat last night and ran downstairs." I started laughing and asked him where he got that. He grinned and said, "Papa Bear, when he had a bad dream." He loves to help me cook - he cracks eggs, stirs, and pours in ingredients I have measured. He tries to help feed Jonathan, wants to hold his baby brother, and gives Jonathan toys to play with when he is in a sharing mood.

Kids are like sponges where their memory is concerned - whether they quote you (not always good:)), a story, a movie, or scripture. Jamie and Jackson are watching Star Wars a lot these days (the non-violent parts) and Jackson tells me about R2D2, adats, "Darf" Vader, "Wuke" Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess "Wea," etc. We have a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game and Jackson loves the pieces in it - four pewter game pieces in the images of Luke, Lea, Han, and Darth Vader. There is another counting device in the form of R2D2. He sleeps with this. He quotes Star Wars lines to me and then wants to talk about different things - like the planet he calls "Hoff" (Hoth). He tells me that it is made of snow and ice and that "Earf" is not like that. When he is not quoting stories or movie lines, he is learning scripture at church. It has been very convicting watching a three year old turn out scripture like a champ when I don't make it a priority in my life. I have begun to do it myself. Our church has a website with a section called "Know the Word" where you can sign up to receive a weekly passage to memorize. I am trying to keep up!

That is all for now.

Have a great day,

Julie:)

juliewarren@mindspring.com

Tubes, Growling, No more bed rails

Jackson and I took Jonathan to see his ENT today. We went six weeks ago. At that time, Jonathan had a tympanogram done that showed a graph of ear activity. His right ear revealed negative pressure. That means it could act as a vacuum and suck in fluid. There was no fluid at the time but we were supposed to come back for a check up. We came back today.

I got there at 8am. The receptionist looks at me questioningly and says, "What do you need?" I am thinking, "What the heck does she mean by that?" I say, "We are here for an appointment." Duh. Then she says, "Oh, we deleted today's schedule and were not sure who was coming in. The doctor had surgery this morning and won't be in for an hour. You can wait." Yeah, sure. I will wait in the waiting room all morning because I have nothing to do. I stay at home so time is not precious. We just watch TV and eat a lot of cheetos so hanging out here will be a change. Yeah, thanks. I do say, "No, we won't wait. This is inconvenient for me and I won't come another day. We have plans this morning. I will come back." So, I came home and stubbornly found things to do for 20 minutes before going back.

We went back at 9am, waited for a while, and then got called back. The nurse did a tympanogram on each of Jonathan's ears. The doctor explained that now there is fluid in the right ear, something he was hoping would not be there. He explained that in kids with DS, he would rather be aggressive than wait. He wants to do tubes. He talked about how kids with DS are going to have speech issues and how they need their ears to be working - I can agree with that. Jonathan's speech and language will suffer if he cannot hear properly. He cannot afford that.

So, I left the office with plans for Jonathan to have tubes put in his ears next Wednesday. Jackson had his adenoids removed and tubes put in over a year ago so Jonathan's news does not really scare me like it did when it was time for Jackson to "go under the knife." Now I am thankful it happened to prepare me for today. However, now that I think about it, even this would pale in comparison to the heart surgery. Everything does. No sweat.

The surgery will be performed at Children's hospital. The doctor says that kids with DS don't always react to the anesthesia in a positive way. He just likes to be extra careful.

On a different note, Jonathan is attempting to communicate quite a bit with growling. If he is working hard, he growls. If something happens he does not care for, he growls differently. He used to cough at me, I would imitate it, and he would do it back to me. It seemed to be our little joke. He is our little bear.

Jackson slept in his big boy bed last night without the assistance of the bed rail. Jamie coated the floor with pillows in the event of a fall. However, Jackson was fine and has reached another milestone!

Thank you for keeping up with us!

Love,
Julie

juliewarren@mindspring.com

Betsy, Check Up, Evaluation

Aunt Betsy came this weekend with her friend, Claire. Their mission in coming was to try out for American Idol. Betsy thought that she would make a spectacle of herself so she could be on TV. Alas, the cameras weren't here. She tried out anyway, singing a Christina Aguilera (sp?) song. She purposely sung off-key and acted as if she was really good. Then she sang "I Saw the Sign" and did hand motions. I wish cameras had been running!

Today I took Jonathan for his nine-month check up. He got his thyroid checked because his head circumference and length had not increased significantly since last we were there. He has very little veins so he howled while they took blood from his arm. I must confess I shed a few tears as well. There is something mean about holding your child down and whispering, "It's going to be okay" while a needle is inserted in their arm, and they cry out in pain. Jonathan weighed 16 pounds at the doctor's office.

After that, we went to the Bell Center for Jonathan's fall evaluation. Jamie was there already and watched Jackson while I answered questions by Jonathan's team of therapists. They were impressed with him and kept saying how fabulous he looked. Jamie and I swapped about halfway through and he continued answering the questions while I entertained Jackson.

Towards the end of the evaluation, the nutritionist talked to me. I am usually a little unnerved by her because her advice is often not the same as Jonathan's pediatrician. She wants Jonathan taking vitamins, me taking vitamins, and us giving him 24 ounces of breastmilk or formula a day. Well, Jonathan's pediatrician says he is getting all the vitamins he needs through his food and me. I should be taking a vitamin and I do (not every day because I am lazy). I am no longer putting out that much milk so we will have to supplement with formula if we feel it is necessary to do what she says. Ugh! However, we want to do what is best for him and what can it hurt? Nothing. She also weighed and measured him. She got slightly different numbers than the pediatrician's office (weighs 15 pounds, 13.25 ounces). But, she said she thought that he looked good in terms of his measurements.

With all that behind us, we are ready to get into the groove of a schedule. We are ready for Mothers' Morning Out to kick in soon. It starts after Labor Day. Jack will go three days and Jonathan will go on one day.

We head to the beach this weekend with the Bishops - one last trip in the sun!

Take care,
Julie

juliewarren@mindspring.com

Crawling and more highlights...

We went to the Jacks' lake house for our annual Sunday School party - Jonathan's first time. Jackson and Jamie rode the sea doo and mambo.

Jonathan was dedicated to the Lord July 23rd. My parents, Jamie's parents, Jamie's godparents, Emily, Ryan, Eric, Emma, and Granny all came. It was a neat celebration.

Last weekend we went to Greenville to hang out with the Voelkerts - Ryan, Em, Eric, and Emma. We went to the pool on Saturday and it was drizzling so no one was really there. Jackson loves Bible stories right now. He and Jamie will re-enact some of them - his favorite is David and Goliath. Jackson will be David, select his stones, hurl them at Jamie (Goliath) with his imaginary slingshot, etc. Jackson began using his action figures to play out Jesus being nailed to the cross and we had to explain that we don't do that... kind of hard to explain you can act out David and Goliath but Jesus dying on the cross for our sin is serious... I say all that to tell you about the pool. We were in the pool and I hear Jackson say, "Daddy, I want to walk on the water like Jesus." Jamie lifts Jack up, pool vest and all, and carries Jackson mid-air, making it look like Jackson is gliding across the water as Jackson yells, "Hey, everyone! I'm Jesus walking on the water!" He gets out, runs up to his aunt and uncle and says, "Aunt Emmy, Uncle Ryan! Did you see me? I walked on the water like Jesus!" Then to Jamie, "Daddy, I want to do it again!" Let's just say that is probably Jack's one and only time to do Jesus walking on the water.

Jim came and picked Jamie up to go back to Birmingham on Sunday. I went to see my friend, Bronwen, from college. Her girls, Rachel and Elizabeth, played with Jackson while Bronwen and I visited. After that, I headed to Columbia and spent a week with my family.

My mom and sister gave me a break by helping me tremendously with the boys. Jack and I went to a nearby park with my friend, Lori, and her son, Noah. Betsy, Jack, and I went to Fayetteville, NC, to see my brother before he went to Iraq on his second tour. We swam in the neighbor's pool. We jumped on my parents' trampoline. I watched some movies and had a few naps. One or both of the boys got up each night so I had a few naps while I was there. My dad was gone during the week and came back so we got to see him, too. It was a great visit for all of us.

Jonathan has been congested since May. His doctor says that is common and he is too little to be able to cough up what is in his chest and it will go away. This last week at Mom and Dad's at night, his breathing got barky, like a seal. I would listen to the monitor and pace over his crib, making sure each breath wasn't his last. After what we have been through with him, I am probably more nervous than I should be. He seemed to get better as the week progressed.

Jim and Betty babysat for us on the evening of our anniversary a few weeks ago and noticed his congestion and how it became more croupy. I had heard it before. I thought he was looking at me and coughing on purpose to get my attention. As it turns out, he was. He now looks at me, does this repeated croupy cough as he bobs his head up and down with a smile on his face. I respond in kind and he does it back. It is our little joke.

On Wednesday of last week, my mom watched Jonathan while I was out. She thought Jonathan crawled. I thought he had been doing it but thought perhaps I was being overly positive. He was! He is doing it himself! We are so excited! He is eating three meals a day, napping regularly twice a day, rolling all over the place, crawling, sitting up, sleeping through the night, and continues to wow us!

We got home last night after a smooth trip and a stop to see my college roommate, Rozalinde and her husband, Chris. Chris watched Jack so Roz and I could catch up. It was good to see them.

Thanks for keeping up with our story - I will post pictures later!

Julie:)
juliewarren@mindspring.com

Catch Up

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:)

juliewarren@mindspring.com

Pictures, Roaches, and Raspberries

Jackson, Airborne Bear, Uncle Stephen, and Jonathan
Uncle Stephen and Jonathan
(Sorry, if I turn it around it cuts off Jonathan's head.)

Daddy multitasking with Jackson and Jonathan.
Jonathan in his jammies.
Jonathan's first bath with Jackson.

Last night Jackson had a rough night. He came to the top of the stairs calling. I was so disoriented that I asked Jamie to go get him. I had this blanket balled up next to my face and thought it was Jonathan. So, I thought I had one kid and wanted Jamie to take care of the other. By the time I realized the blanket was not our younger son, Jamie had already left to tend to Jackson and I had trouble going back to sleep myself. Jackson came out again and I stood at the bottom of the stairs and asked him what was wrong. He said a roach was in his blanket. I told him to shake it out and hop back in bed (I am so understanding). He hung his head and slunk (is that a word?) back to bed. I went back to bed and could not sleep. I got up some time later to check on him. He was still awake - his eyes were wide open but he was still. We went to the bathroom, got water, and I rubbed his back. I had difficulty sleeping myself and heard him some time later. I let him come down and get in bed with us. I realized this morning that he had quite a bit of dessert last night and must have had a sugar high well into the night!

Jonathan woke up around 4am. I got him, nursed him, and put him back in bed. I stayed upstairs so I could hear him (and also to avoid being kicked by Jackson if I stayed in my bed). Jamie left for work and let us sleep. I got up late, Jackson got up, and then he and I ate breakfast. The baby monitor was on in the kitchen and we heard this noise. I turned up the monitor and it was Jonathan doing raspberries! He is so pleasant in the mornings.

My brother, Stephen, came to visit the weekend of June 10. He brought Jackson an Airborne Bear and Jack loves it! Stephen loves kids and held Jonathan a lot. He played hide and go seek quite a bit with Jackson, too. Jack could not find him at one point. I came into the foyer and Jack was on the stairs yelling for Uncle Stephen. Stephen was on the landing overlooking the foyer. He had climbed over the railing and was standing on the edge. I sternly told Jack never to try that and what Uncle Stephen was doing was not to be repeated. Stephen then confessed to having hidden in the crow's nest above our front door (he had to leap across the chandelier). That is what happens when you let your kids play with an uncle who is a Ranger. Our life is a bit slow and boring compared to what he does. He is supposed to head back to Iraq in July so we appreciated him taking some leave to visit us.

Last week was Jackson's first week back to his Mothers' Morning Out program. I had to stay to fill out paperwork the day that I took him so our parting was not swift and sweet. He was also in a class with younger children who cried a lot. He was upset most of the day. I came home and called other programs, thinking we might try them out in anticipation of the fall. Thursday we tried his program again and he had been moved to a different class. He got in the car and was a changed man. Thank goodness!

The day Jackson started back to MMO, Jonathan began therapy after a three-week hiatus. This program is where I do the therapy while a therapist looks on and helps me. Jonathan has not really cried before and he is crying in earnest now. I am helping him learn to sit up by prop sitting, twisting, and I am rotating his body to come to a sitting position from being on his back. We are also learning to crawl. I put his knees underneath him. He does this on his own but he has difficulty pushing up his arms. Tuesday was tough because his PT from the state agency worked him out in the morning and he was tired by the time we started therapy up again at the Bell Center that afternoon. I would put him up on his knees and he would just cry. It was tough for me, too! Please pray he develops more upper body strength and I take the time to work on this with him.

Jonathan seems to have gotten a lot of hair in recently. Keep it coming! He took his first bath last night with his big brother. I had to hold onto him because he can't quite sit up on his own and because the jets were going. Jackson was thrilled that Jonathan could be in there with him.

That is all for now! If you pray for us, please pray I have the discipline to work Jonathan out on the days we are not doing therapy, for our overall health, that Jonathan continues to gain weight (we think he is around 14 pounds now) and grow proportionally, and we continue to stay on track spiritually to find our peace in Christ and not our circumstances.

Please also pray for a little boy named Joshua. He is the grandson of a former co-worker of mine. Tomorrow (Wednesday, 11 June 2006) in Cleveland he will undergo the same surgery Jonathan had - pray he comes through smoothly and for his family to have peace.

Love,
Julie:)

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:)

Pictures, Six-Month Visit

This is Jonathan at bathtime. Look at his scar - it is healing so nicely!
This is Jackson with Noah. Noah is the son of my best friend growing up. Her mom and my mom were friends while they were pregnant with us, too!
Jackson out on the beach with his "cheese" smile.
Daddy and Jack at the beach.
Jackson and Jonathan with their cousins, Emma and Eric, wearing Nana-designed outfits.
Jonathan and Jackson at the beach.
Jackson put a "hat" on Jonathan this morning at breakfast. When Jackson was little, his first joke was in the car. One day I looked in the back seat and he had a cup on his head and he said, "Hat" and just grinned! He is now passing the joke on to Jonathan.

At Jonathan's six-month visit today, he weighed in at 13 pounds, three ounces and is now 25 inches long. He is still in the third and fifth percentiles in regard to typcial weight and length. However, he is in the 25th and 90th percentiles on the Down Syndrome growth chart. So, he is doing just fine!

Yesterday was Jonathan's last day at the Bell Center for this school year. The therapists again raved about his development. One therapist had not seen him before and asked, "Is he really only six months old?" She told me, from her perspective, that he was doing great. We'll take it!

Have a great Memorial Day,
Julie:)

juliewarren@mindspring.com