6th month, 11/11 - 12/11

   This month has been pretty busy with lots of growing, appointments, traveling for Thanksgiving, and getting ready for Christmas.  Kim will be taking Jackson's 6 month pictures  on the 18th, so I'll add it on here once I get them back.

   On the 15th, the three of us went to get Christmas pictures taken with Matt's sister.  Jackson did a great job until the last 30 minutes or so.  He got pretty cranky because he was tired and hungry.  Kim got some great pictures and our Christmas cards look great!

   Jackson finally got his AFO's (ankle, foot orthosis).  Originally I thought he was going to be getting KAFO's (knee, ankle, foot orthosis) so it was a good surprise to see the AFO's.  They are so cute and tiny.  The guy that did the fitting for them left some room in the front for Jackson's feet to grow some. The plan is for him to not need another pair too soon, so we shall see.  He seems to be very intrigued by them and keeps trying to play with them.

 

   AFO's aren't the easiest thing to get onto a baby's foot.  When we first got them I was struggling to get them on correctly.  Jackson's ankles are very tight and it's hard to get them to stretch to the neutral (90 degree) angle that the AFO's require his feet to be in.  Thankfully I'm part of several spina bifida groups on Facebook and got some great tips when I asked for help.  Now that I've had some practice, I'm feeling more comfortable with them.  However, his feet still slip a little which is very aggravating especially when they do it as soon as I think I got them on right.

   Let's talk fighting naps.  Jackson has become a pro at taking 30 minute power naps.  He has some kind of internal clock that only he can hear and without a doubt he wakes up at exactly 30 minutes. Every once in a while he'll add an extra 5 minutes, but that's it.  Any words of wisdom?  There are days that I feel like pulling my hair out because I can't accomplish anything.  Momma needs a nap too!  Then other days (most days), I love that he's awake for so long and is active.

 

   Tummy time is going so much better now that he isn't wearing the casts.  With the casts he would cry and complain the entire time that he was on his tummy.  Now, with the AFO's he easily goes to his tummy and immediately gets his head up.  He's reaching for his toys and pulls them close to him. He still hasn't rolled unassisted from back to belly, but he's getting pretty good at rolling from belly to back.  So good in fact that if he doesn't want to be on his belly, he immediately rolls back over.  I don't think I've said it in a while... Jackson is quite the stinker.  :)

    




   Jackson loves to sit up!  He is still pretty wobbly, but we're working on it.  He's able to sit up unassisted for quite some time before falling over.  He has a major lean to the right still so I'm working on getting him straight.  There are some days that he won't let me put him in any other position than up.  Thankfully we have a few different ways for him to sit up on his own.  He has his sit me up chair, using the boppy pillow to support him, and if he starts out in a certain leaning forward position he does pretty well.  Along with his chair Jackson has started to really enjoy sitting in his high chair.  I love that he likes it because I'm able to cook or put dishes away while he is sitting up and playing close to me.  It's a win-win!

 

 




   Jackson is starting to hold his bottle better.  Matt bought a handy-dandy bottle holder thing from Amazon.  It's made of silicone and fits fairly well over our bottles.  Jackson is able to get his fingers into the holes and hold on.  While he has gotten pretty good at holding the bottle taking the bottle up to his mouth is a whole other story.  Sometimes it ends up in his ear, sometimes in his nose, and sometimes on his forehead.  Haha!

 

   We have started practicing using a spoon.  It's been so much fun!  He has done a lot better than I was expecting.  I was expecting a total fail on both of our parts, but he's a champ.  We haven't started solids yet (waiting until his 6 month check up) so I've been feeding him the fat that rises to the top of his milk and he loves it!

 

   We had our 2nd spina bifida clinic on 11/23.  Jackson had to have a renal ultrasound to check his kidneys and bladder and then he had his 1st MRI.  I had an MRI done when I was pregnant with Jackson and it was rough.  He really seemed to hate the sound and moved the entire time making it take longer than normal.  It appears that he hates the MRI outside of the womb as well.  It was an interesting process to go through, but it was difficult to watch.  They swaddled him in two blankets and then put a strap over him to keep him in place.  Then they put two small pillows on top of his forehead and two on each side before putting the helmet thing over his head.  I was able to stay in there the entire time, but all I could do was rub his belly to try and calm him.  He cried and screamed the entire time.  It was heartbreaking.  Thankfully it only lasted about 5 minutes, but it definitely felt like a lot longer.

   After the ultrasound and MRI we headed over to Vanderbilt for clinic.  I felt like we were more prepared this time than our first time.  I had questions ready to go and brought everything that we would need.  I love how clinic is set up.  It's so convenient that we stay in the same room and the doctors are the ones that come and go.

   According to the urologist, Jackson's kidneys and bladder look great.  They are the size that they should be and there isn't any sign of kidney disease or damage.  She didn't have any concerns and just told us to keep doing what we're doing.

   Dr. Wellons, the neurosurgeon, came in to discuss the MRI results.  According to him, Jackson's ventricles have increased some along with his head circumference, but both are still within the limits. Prior to this clinic, Jackson was getting head ultrasounds and I know that MRIs are more accurate so I guess what his ventricles are measuring from the MRI are what they truly are in size.  When we got home I started to wonder if maybe the ultrasound measurements were off and that maybe his ventricles had actually stayed the same.  I guess we'll find out when we go to our next clinic in February.  No need to worry about it now.  :)  However, we were instructed by Dr. Wellons to continue to watch for signs of hydrocephalus.

   Physical therapy and occupational therapy were very happy with all of the "tests" that they did to check on Jackson's development.  They want us to continue working on tummy time and encouraging him to lift his head to a 90 degree angle, reach for items in front on him, and rolling.  According to them, he is right on track for his development.

 


 






   Dr. Martus, the orthopedic, came in to talk about Jackson's feet and spine.  He was pleased with everything including the AFO's.  Matt and I expressed our concerns with the AFO's in regards to his feet sweating and it seeming like they weren't fitting correctly.  He gave us some pointers on how to put the AFO's on and told us to take them off a couple of times a day to let his feet air out.  When his feet are out of the AFO's I was instructed to stretch his feet to keep them loose.  According to Dr. Martus the purpose of the AFO's right now is just to maintain the stretch/length of the foot.    

Yummy toes!

    The three of us went to IL for Thanksgiving to visit with my side of the family.  Jackson did great on the car ride like usual.  I'm glad that he seems to enjoy riding in the car.  He did really well at the get together for a while and then he had a meltdown.  There were just so many people there, it was really loud, and I think he got overwhelmed by everyone wanting to hold him.  Matt and I ended up taking him to a quiet spot and just giving him some time to relax and calm down.  I always feel so bad when he starts to cry with someone.  I would hate for someone to take it personally.

   Physical therapy is still going great!  She's working really hard with him and he seems to enjoy it.  However, there have been a few fights when she comes and he decides that he doesn't want to work that day.  Stinker! :)  I love that she's helping him and making him stronger.  I also love that I'm learning right along side her and applying what she does with him throughout the week.

 

   Jackson's personality is really starting to shine through.  He is so funny, sweet, loving, has quite the temper at times, but overall amazing!  He has figured out the pouty face and uses it pretty often.  My heart melts every time that he smiles at me.  His laugh is contagious and he loves to make mouth farts.  He's doing great with blowing raspberries and makes a huge mess with all of his slobber.  He lights up a room and "talks" to everyone he meets.  

 

   Overall, it was a great month!  I can't believe that he is 6 months old.  It honestly feels like it was just the other day that I was in the hospital on bedrest telling Jackson that he had to stay in and keep growing.  How can time be moving so quickly?  Doesn't Father Time understand that we as parents need time to slow down so we can savor each and every moment?  Matt and I are so excited for Christmas.  With him grabbing for things it should be highly entertaining.

Crystal

5th month, 10/11 - 11/11

   We had a pretty busy month that was full of running to different places, taking a road trip to Atlanta, and his 4 month checkup.  I'm still struggling with how fast time is moving.  It's going so fast that I'm having a hard time keeping up with what day it is.  It's a good thing that I put all of his appointments into my calendar on my phone.  Without it reminding me of everything, there's no telling how many things I would accidentally miss.

   Jackson weighed in at 15lbs and is 25 inches long at his check up.  He fights naps and really only takes 30 minute power naps a couple of times throughout the day.  We've reached the point of him having what I would call separation anxiety.  Anytime I leave his sight he starts to fuss and if I don't check in quick enough he breaks down completely.  From what I read it is normal, anyone have any suggestions?  I've tried a couple of times to have his arms out at night when he sleeps, but he flops around like a fish and I end up not being able to sleep.  From the times of having his arms out, Matt and I learned that he is a side sleeper.  After learning that, we decided to not swaddle him completely and we leave one of his arms out just in case he flips himself over.  Scary thought!          

   Jackson made his first trip to America’s Mart in Atlanta with my mom, dad, and I.  My mom and I go every year to buy things for her small business and always have a great time.  The market wasn’t actually happening, but they were having cash and carry to sell their samples and anything that they were not going to carry anymore.  Normally we don’t find very much, but there was tons of stuff this time.  I took the Boba wrap and the Lillebaby carrier that I borrowed from the lending library and used them often.  However, we are both very hot natured so I would have to take him out for both of us to cool down.  He’s gotten to the point of wanting to look around so he got fussy some while in the carrier because he couldn’t see much.  Whenever that happened or if he was too hot the three of us took turns carrying him which wasn’t easy since he’s becoming quite the chunk and we had suitcases full of stuff that we bought, but we made it work.

My dad playing with Jackson in the hotel room before we headed over to Atlanta Mart

   Jackson has done a great job each time that he’s been on a long car ride.  So far we haven’t had to stop simply because he was crying.  Hopefully that will be the same when we make a trip back to IL for Thanksgiving.  

   We get a visit from an educational therapist once a month.  She comes to provide me ideas of things that I can do with Jackson to keep him on track in regards to his development.  This month we talked about things I could do to encourage more tummy time.  I also asked for a developmental checklist.  I know that he has more time than what the checklist says, but I just want something that I can look at and compare.  I think that’s the teacher in me.  I want to make sure that I know the things I need to look for so that if a concern should arise I can get it figured out in a timely manner.
 
   Physical therapy is still coming once a week to work with Jackson.  She agrees that there's a big difference in his rotation from when we first started PT... Yay!  Jackson will now turn his head completely to the left and will actually sleep on both sides.  He tracks objects fairly well unless he just wants to stare at the person that is moving the object.  Have I mentioned lately how much of a stinker he can be?  He was a stinker in utero and not much has changed in 5 months!  :)

   Jackson is starting to hold and pull on his bottle and toys.  We're working on getting his hands to flatten out and to keep his thumbs from tucking in, but he's starting to get the hang of it.  He has a toy lion that he loves to pull/push up to his mouth so that he can slobber all over it.

   We're starting to think that Jackson may be teething.  He constantly has his hands and fingers in his mouth.  On top of that, he's become the biggest drool monster.  Matt and I think we may see a white spot on his lower gums, but we aren't positive.  It's hard to get a good look because he keeps sticking his tongue out.  Haha!

Chewing on Nana's finger... Yummy!

   Matt went to a friend’s wedding (10/24) and was gone from Friday until late Monday (congratulations Ryan and Katy!), so it was just Jackson and I until my parents came on Sunday.  We didn’t do anything exciting since I was still trying to get over a stomach bug, but it was definitely different knowing that no one was going to be coming home for a couple of days.  I was actually kind of nervous, but I have no idea why.  I’m with him all day every day, why did it matter that Matt wasn’t going to be home for a few days?  Weird!

   Jackson went for his follow up appointment with Dr. Martus on 10/30.  Jackson had the same set of casts on for 3 weeks!  Before the tenotomy, he would get his casts changed out weekly so it was different not having to go to the doctor each week.  According to Dr. Martus everything looked great and he was very pleased.  Jackson was suppose to go into KAFO's the day that his casts came off.  However, there was a miscommunication between the doctor and the brace guy.  The doctor feels that Jackson would benefit more from KAFO's than going down the "normal" route of the ponseti boots and bar which is what the brace guy brought for Jackson to leave with.  Jackson was molded for his KAFO's, but they will take 10-15 days to get here.  Because of the miscommunication, Jackson left with naked legs and I was given clear instructions on how to stretch his feet.  I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't nervous.  I scared that his feet would turn back in or that something would happen and erase what the surgery corrected.  Unfortunately, Jackson had to go back into his casts the following Tuesday because his feet turned in slightly.  However, they didn't turn in nearly as much as they would have before the surgery, so I would say that surgery was successful.

Removing the casts

Naked legs!

Cute little feet - Getting ready to go back into the casts for hopefully the last time

   Jackson has started to notice the fur babies more and more.  He will stare at Aubie when she jumps up on the back of the couch.  Chevelle is starting to come around more around Jackson, but he’s still pretty standoffish with him.  He is very protective of me and will lie in between either Matt and I or Jackson and I (the bassinet and I) depending on which way I decide to sleep.

   Unfortunately it was time for Jackson to get his 4 month checkup which means it was also time for his next round of shots.  I did the same thing that I did with his 2 month shots, I spread them out over a couple of weeks.  I just have an issue with him getting so many at one time.  **Note – If you are anti immunizations, that's great, but please be respectful that we are not.  You do what’s best for your family and I will do what’s best for mine.**

   I don't know if you remember or not, but after him getting the rotavirus vaccine at his 2 month checkup we ended up in the hospital because he had a reaction to it.  The fear was that he ended up with intussusception, but everything checked out fine on that end thankfully.  Spina bifida kiddos are labeled as latex precaution when they are born because they have a higher risk of developing the allergy.  After talking with the doctor and looking at the pamphlet for the rotavirus vaccine we figured out that one of the warnings to the vaccine is a latex allergy due to the tip cap and the plunger being made of latex.  So, we've gone from a latex precaution to now being labeled as him having a latex allergy.

   Jackson always sounds congested and it's gotten to the point of waking him up in the middle of night because he starts to cough.  I spoke with his pediatrician again about it and she suggested we try Zantac for his reflux.  It is very pepperminty smelling and Jackson doesn't seem to mind it until the last little bit.  He takes it all like a champ except for the last few squirts and those always come back out with a very disgusted look.  :)  

   Jackson's 1st Halloween was great!  However, we didn't get to take him out since it was raining and just plain yucky.  My mom and I found him an outfit when we were at Atlanta Mart and it was perfect.  It was a little big on him, but he didn't seem to mind especially since he liked to slobber on it.  :)

Our sweet little owl

   In my previous post I wrote about wanting to buy Jackson either a Sit-me-up or a Bumbo seat since he wants to sit up all the time now.  I broke down and bought him the Fisher Price Sit-me-up seat and it was the best purchase I have made recently.  He LOVES sitting in it.  However, when he got his casts back on, they were a little thicker since all of his fat rolls migrated down over the weekend.  Because they are thicker we can't get him in the seat now.  Thankfully his braces should be in soon and he'll be able to bend his knees.    

   Since we can't put Jackson in the Sit-me-up he does everything possible to get himself up.  He has figured out how to dig his elbows in and push himself up.  It's very interesting to watch him push himself up because he grunts until he is finally up.  He hasn't figured out how to get his arms out from behind him so he starts whining when he wants to lay back down.  However, shortly after laying back down, he'll push himself back up and the process starts all over.  :)

 

   I hate to admit it, but then I again I don't, Jackson LOVES to watch cartoons.  His favorite seems to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Now, please don't think that all he does is sit in front of the tv all day long, that is the farthest from the truth.  However, there are times when I just need a minute to do something and that keeps him entertained for a little bit.

   I am so excited for the holidays!  Kim, Matt's sister, will be taking Jackson's pictures with Santa.  I can't wait!  He has a perfect outfit and I know that she is going to do a great job.  Matt and I are going to IL for Thanksgiving to spend time with my side of the family and then we will be spending time with his side of the family shortly after we get back into town.  As far as I know we will be spending Christmas at home.  We're trying to figure out how to have a Christmas tree with the fur babies.  Last year we tried to put up a small tree and they attacked it pretty consistently.  Any suggestions?  I don't know what we're going to do, but I do know that Jackson WILL have a tree for his 1st Christmas.

   I don't know how I found the time, but I got a little crafty and made a wreath for Thanksgiving.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  My next project is an ornament garland for our mantle and a Christmas wreath.  I also started working on my embroidery machine.  My dad helped me get started and I made Jackson a bib and burp cloth.  I still need to practice a lot more, but my plan is to try and sell my creations.  I'm also looking into selling toys or books to try and make money to supplement my missing income since I became a stay at home mom.  Fingers crossed that it works.  I really want to be able to stay home with Jackson, but I am also realistic and realize that going from two incomes down to one may become a struggle and I don't want that.  

   I almost forgot, a wonderful lady put together a video about all the mothers and their children that underwent fetal surgery.  It's a great video and I encourage you to watch it.  The video can be found here:Faces of Fetal Surgery 2015.  I've watched it several times and each time I've cried.  It's amazing the things that can be done now to improve the quality of life of a child even before they are born. I am proud to be a face of fetal surgery and I hope that Jackson will proud as well.  Until next time, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!  

Crystal 

My favorite picture to date.  Jackson at 22 weeks in utero and now

4th month, 9/11 - 10/11

     Better late than never, right?  Here we go, another month has come and passed.  We've had a relatively quiet month, but Jackson has done a lot of growing in the sense of size, personality, and abilities.  He is currently weighing in at 13lbs 5oz and has become quite the talker.  I even like to think that he sings in his own Jackson way at night when gets his bath.  I know I've said it before and I know that this won't be the last time that I say it, but he amazes Matt and I more and more each and every day.  He is so strong, alert, and just outright cute.

   If you didn't see my post on Facebook, I am officially a stay at home mom.  I am so thankful that we are financially able for me to be able to stay home with Jackson.  Matt and I discussed it a lot and tried to really get things in order before making the decision.  I want to say that the decision wasn't easy to make, but that isn't completely true.  Making the decision to stay home with Jackson was the easiest decision I've ever made.  He is my number one priority.  The decision of going back to work was going to be the hard one to make.  I know that a lot of mommies struggle with going back to work, but for me it was even worse.  We've been through so much and it took so much to get him here safely that I just couldn't fathom leaving him.  While I may not be able to stay home for an extended amount of time, I'm going to enjoy each and every moment that I have.  Our days are full of playing, talking, reading, singing, and dancing.  I can't imagine anything better!

 

















   Jackson has officially found both of his hands and is loving them at every moment possible.  I'm trying to get him to still take a paci since that will be easier to take away down the road, but he prefers his hands.  Hopefully when the time comes we won't struggle to get him to stop sucking on his fingers/thumb.  The sound he makes when he sucks on his fingers/thumb is priceless and he gets so excited about it.  His newest thing is sticking his fingers far enough in his mouth to where he will gag.  Yuck!

 
















   If looks could melt someone into a puddle of love, his smile totally melts me and make my heart grow bigger and bigger.  I can be half asleep and ready to cry for one reason or another, but the second I look at him and he gives me one of his sly, toothless grins, it changes my mood completely and perks me up.  He's my reason for everything.  He's my everything.  Becoming his mom was the best thing that has ever happened to me and I know that Matt would agree that becoming his dad was the best thing to ever happen to him.  Who knew you could love someone so much that it literally hurts, but in a good way?

   Anyone else's kiddo extremely snotty (congested) sounding all of the time?  I've taken Jackson to the doctor on several occasions because of him sounding congested, but the doctor keeps contributing it to reflux.  It's gotten so bad that it's starting to keep him up and/or waking him up due to coughing. I'm starting to think that I need to take him to a specialist and try to get to the bottom of this.  If it is just reflux then there has to be a solution for it, right?

   Jackson had his urodynamic test done on September 17th and I of course was a nervous wreck.  Children with spina bifida or other neurologic abnormalities often have problems with the urinary system.  Some have trouble controlling urination (incontinence) where the bladder is unable to empty when it is full while others may empty only partially.  Besides causing urine leakage, bladder problems can also cause urine infections and potential kidney damage.  The urodynamics test is used to assess how well the bladder and urethral sphincter are doing their jobs of collecting, holding and releasing urine.

   A CMG test is used to assess how the bladder behaves while urine is stored and while urine is passed. The test includes measurement of bladder pressure and muscle activity. A VCMG is similar to a CMG, but incorporates an x-ray of the bladder to provide a state-of-the-art diagnostic test.  One electrode was placed on the hip and two electrodes in the buttocks area.  The electrodes measured abdominal muscle activity while Jackson was voiding.   A small catheter was placed in the rectum
to measure the pressure in the abdomen and then a small catheter was placed in the bladder to measure the pressure in the bladder.  Any urine in the bladder was drained and a urine specimen was done to check if there was any bacteria in the urine which came back clean.  The bladder was then filled with a blue-colored saline solution and bladder pressures and muscle activity were measured and watched closely until Jackson needed to void again.

   After the test the urologist came in to discuss the findings.  As far as she was concerned, the test couldn't have gone any better.  His bladder is holding pressure and releasing urine like it should.  There is no sign of pressure being put on the kidneys which is great news!  Overall she was very pleased with the results and told us that she would conduct the test again in a year.  However, we will see her again in November when we go for our second spina bifida clinic should any concerns arise.

   Jackson had his tenotomy done on the 9th.  The Achilles tenotomy is an integral part of Ponseti management of clubfoot. Tenotomy is necessary because the Achilles tendon, unlike the ligaments of the foot, is made up of thick, non-stretchable fibres. After the tenotomy the foot is placed in a final cast in an over-corrected position of maximal abduction and dorsiflexion. The tendon re-grows in this lengthened position, allowing the range of motion needed at the ankle joint.  The procedure is very minor and rarely requires anything more than just a small line of surgical glue. After the procedure Jackson was put into soft casts for hopefully the last time. He will wear this set of casts for 3 weeks straight. After 3 weeks, Dr. Martus will check his healing and Jackson will be fitted for his first set of knee, ankle, foot orthosis (KAFOs).

   I took Jackson to the Zoo for the first time and Matt's mom, our niece, and Matt's stepbrother joined us.  It was a beautiful day, but I think we went at a bad time because most of the animals were not out.  I'm not sure if they were put up for lunch or what was going on, but it was kind of disappointing.  Jackson didn't seem to mind though because he slept most of the time.  Haha!  My plan is to buy a membership so we can go whenever we would like.  It gives me a reason to get us out of the house and who doesn't love the zoo?  :)  I look forward to when he is older and I can take him to the Discovery Center and other similar places for him to play and learn.  Poor kid doesn't stand a chance with having a teacher as a mommy.

 

 















   We have finally started sleeping through the night!  Whoo hoo!  Jackson will sleep for about 7-8 hours before waking up and wanting to eat again.  We'll get up and I'll change him and feed him and then he'll go back to sleep for another 3-4 hours.  It's been awesome!  However, the first week or so was pretty rough on me since he was skipping meals.  I would wake up in pretty serious pain, but thankfully that has pretty much worked itself out - sorta!  When does the milk factory get the memo that they can slow down production?

   I don't know where he learned it from, but Jackson has become the biggest flirt.  I first noticed him flirting with the lady that changes his casts each week.  He would start “talking” to her and anytime she would respond he would turn his head to the side to try and hide it and then he would let out a little giggle and start “talking” again.  He is quite the ladies man already… Boy oh boy am I in trouble!

   Speaking of “talking,” Jackson always has something to say.  We’ve gone from short little “ah boo” sounds to him getting really excited about something and getting very loud.  He tries to imitate sounds and has even started blowing air through his lips to make them move.  Every once in a while he will make the mouth fart noise and it always cracks us up.

   We officially have a kiddo that wants to sit up all the time.  The only time he wants to lay back is when he’s eating, otherwise he wants to be up and looking around.  The only problem is that he still doesn’t have great head control so we have to make sure that we have a hand resting on his chest to catch his head in case it falls forward.  He’s gotten really good at not letting it fall backwards.  He is so inquisitive that he even wants to face outward when being worn, but I’m not ready for that since he doesn’t have great head control.  One day soon though!  Since he likes to sit up so much I guess it’s time to get him a Sit-me-up or a Bumbo seat.    

   We're still working on tummy time and getting him to not prefer one side to the other.  I work with him every day and physical therapy comes once a week to work with him.  He is scheduled for an hour a week, but he gets pretty tired 30 – 45 minutes in so she’s working on stamina as well.  He’s gotten much better at not staying on his right side for too long, but PT said that she can still see a difference in his range of motion and feel that the left side is tighter.  She gave me a few more exercises to work with him and get him stretched out more.  The good news is that it’s getting better!  One day at a time, one stretch at a time.  Once Jackson gets his casts off, then she’ll start incorporating his legs into the PT sessions!  

   PT thinks that once Jackson gets his casts off that he should start rolling fairly quickly.  We practice rolling with him each day by holding his hand and gently pulling him to whichever side we want him to roll to.  When we first started working on rolling he let us do all of the work, but now he does the work and lets the weight of the casts help – stinker!  Next thing is to work on getting him to roll from tummy to back, but for now we’re going to focus on just back to tummy until he can get that mastered.  We’re on his schedule and he’ll let us know when he’s ready.  

   I apologize for it taking me so long to post this months update.  With it having been a slow/quiet month I'm not sure how I fell so far behind.  I'm already up to date for month 5, so hopefully I won't be late. :)

Crystal