17/18 months

   It's December!  First, I apologize for skipping over the November post, I'll get to the reason in a minute.  Second, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Third, who's ready for Christmas?!?

   So, things have been pretty crazy and busy in our household since the last post in October.  The biggest change is that Jackson has started speech/feeding therapy.  With adding ST, Jackson now has some sort of therapy 4 out of 5 days a week!  Another big change is that all of Jackson's therapies, except one PT session, is now at the therapy location instead of at home.  You wouldn't think that adding a new therapy and changing the location of where the therapies occur would be such a big adjustment, but it has definitely been tough.

   With the changes, I've been having a hard time with my anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and having a sense of being "off."  I finally went to the doctor and got prescribed some medicine to get me back on track.  Definitely ready to feel like myself again, especially since Christmas is right around the corner.

   Jackson seems to really enjoy going to the clinic three times a week for his various therapies.  He absolutely LOVES the big ball pit that they have in the gym!  Even though it's been a tough adjustment, I like that we are getting out of the house more, even if it is just for therapy.  I also like that Jackson is getting exposed to more children and adults.  One of my New Year's Revolutions this year is to get Jackson out and about more.  More play dates, more trips to the zoo, more out of house and interacting with others.        

 

   Speaking of play dates, Jackson and I took a trip to the pumpkin patch.  We went with another mama and her son who also has spina bifida and is only two months younger than Jackson, and met Jackson's physical therapist there.  I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in years, so I was really excited.  It was on the smaller side, but there was quite a bit to do.  I was shocked at how cheap everything was.  We were able to do a lot of the activities for under $20. Jackson seemed to enjoy the tractor ride, liked touching the pumpkins, and absolutely LOVED the corn pit.  He ended up getting mad when it was time to leave the corn pit and boy, did he let me know that he wasn't happy and wanted to go back in.  He picked out his own pumpkin and if he had his way, would have gotten twenty more.  Overall, it was a great time and I can't wait to take him next year!

 

   Jackson and I made a trip to the zoo with a teacher friend, her daughter, and a little boy that she babysits during the week.  It ended up being a beautiful day!  The zoo has been doing some renovations and this was our first trip where the entrance was completed.  The zoo looked completely different and I loved all the updates.  Jackson stayed awake the entire time and was interested in the animals.  Every once in awhile, the kids would "talk" to each other which was super cute.

   Using a push walker, Jackson walked from the couch to the TV all by himself!  I didn't have to cue him or anything.  All I did was hold on to the walker to make sure that it didn't take off on him.  It was absolutely amazing!  Many, many tears were shed and loud, loud cheers were shouted.  Jackson wants to walk so badly, it is very obvious and he is so determined.

   Jackson had wheelchair clinic to get him fitted for a wheelchair.  We got to try out three different kinds of wheelchairs to see which one fit him the best.  We ended up going with a Little Wave Clik, which is pictured, but it will be Jackson sized.  This wheelchair has an intuitive adjustment system designed to provide accurate, easy growth options and the Clik Offset frame allows more room for abducted position, AFO's and braces while facilitating proper foot positioning.  While it is exciting that Jackson is going to have more options for his mobility, it wasn't easy by any means picking out the wheelchair.  It was extremely emotional and I imagine that I'll be a mess when it's delivered at the beginning of the year.    

 

   7 months after first applying, we finally got the letter stating that insurance was going to approve Jackson's stander!  A couple of weeks after getting the letter, Jackson's stander was delivered.  It was so exciting!  The gentleman got Jackson in the stander, got all the straps and everything perfect, and unlocked the brakes... Guess what happened?!?!  Jackson started wheeling himself forward!  It was amazing!  It was like he knew exactly what to do, like no time had passed since his wheelchair evaluation.  Ever since then, he's been wheeling himself around the entire house.  He's figured out how to open the drawers and dishwasher - Watch out!  There's no stopping him now!    

 
 
   Since the weather has finally started cooling off, the leaves have started to fall, and boy do we have a ton in our yard!  Once enough leaves fell, I decided that Jackson needed to play in them.  As soon as I sat him down, he started picking up leaves and letting them fall down towards the ground.  After showing him a couple of times, he eventually picked up hands full of leaves and threw them up in the air.  He seemed to really enjoy playing in the leaves.  He is definitely an outside kiddo and loves to be outside whenever possible.

   Since it was determined that Jackson was aspirating liquids, we got him evaluated for feeding therapy.  Through TEIS, TN's early intervention program, Jackson started feeding therapy and since he has other things going on, they also agreed to go ahead and start speech therapy at the same time. So far, so good.  It took a couple of sessions, but he finally opened up to his therapist and let his true Jackson self show.  From the speech evaluation, we learned that Jackson is behind about 6 months.  Hearing that he was so far behind wasn't easy to hear, especially to a teacher.  I took it kind of hard, but after speaking with his speech therapist and his occupational therapist, I feel better and know that Jackson is just taking his time and doing things on his own term.  While he is behind in "speaking," he's advanced in "social skills."

   While Jackson isn't saying much, yet, he has started saying a couple more words!  He has mastered mama, dada, bye-bye, and nana.  He has learned several more signs and is great at communicating in his own way.  Even though he isn't "saying" what he wants, he's great at "telling" us in his own way. Don't get me wrong, it's tough some times, but for the most part, we can figure out what he wants/needs fairly quickly.

   There is a great program called United Cerebral Palsy and they have a location in Nashville.  They provide services to individuals of all ages who have a variety of disabilities with focus on disabilities that primarily affect mobility.  Through UCP, we were able to get Jackson a posterior walker!  They have a program that allows individuals to borrow equipment, such as, wheelchairs, scooters, grab bars, walkers, bath benches, toilet chairs, specialized strollers and car seats, bed rails, prone standers, gait trainers, etc at no cost to the individual!  It's absolutely amazing!  Jackson and I met Courtney (PT) at UCP one day and we lucked out and they had a posterior walker that was perfect for Jackson. Courtney stood him in the walker and he immediately started taking steps! He walked for quite some time in the UCP office before getting tired.

   Since getting the posterior walker, Jackson walks around the house all the time!  Jackson is getting better and better at walking, but he does get tired fairly quickly.  However, his determination is amazing.  He gets himself stuck in corners or against the wall, so we're working on turning which he thinks is hilarious, because it requires him to pick the walker up and it always makes a funny noise when he puts it back down.  :)

   Jackson has become a master at climbing up the stairs without his braces/cables on.  We now have to put the kiddie gate up every time that we are downstairs because if we don't, Jackson will be half way up before you even realize it.  He's super fast!  As with crawling, he struggles with going up the stairs with his braces/cables on, so that's a work in progress.

 

   The braces/cables are exactly what Jackson needed to be able to walk, but they sure have been a pain in the butt since day one!  With them, Jackson is much slower at crawling, which frustrates him, the belt is tight around his waist, which aggravates him, and he has broken all four rivets, which means that we've spent a lot of time at the orthotic place.  We have pretty much been to the orthotic place once a week since we picked the braces/cables up.  While those things are frustrating, I have to keep in mind how great they are and that without them, Jackson wouldn't be walking.

 

   We didn't do much for Halloween last year because it was cold and raining.  This year, it was hot and I wanted to take Jackson trick or treating!  Jackson was supposed to be a pumpkin this year, but he wasn't having any part of it.  Thankfully, my parents bought him a bikers costume last year for fun and it fit!  We went over to Matt's mom's and stepdad's neighborhood to go trick or treating.  Shawn, Jackson's Poppy, dressed up as Paul Stanley from Kiss.  Jackson wasn't too sure about Shawn at first because of all the makeup, but he eventually warmed up to him.  Shawn was an absolute hit in the neighborhood and he even walked around with is own personal radio blasting Kiss songs!  Jackson loaded up on candy... It's a shame he's too young to eat candy! :)

 

   We made the trip to IL to visit family for Thanksgiving.  Jackson was much more alert, awake, and made it known that he was done with sitting in the car seat compared to last year.  As always, it was a wonderful time and it was great being able to see my family.  Jackson did great with there being so many people around.  He even showed everyone his walking skills and how great his personality is.

   When we got back from IL, Matt and I put up our Christmas tree and decorated the house.  Last year, we only put up a little tree on Christmas day due to the fur babies.  This year, I was determined that Jackson was going to have a tree.  We got it set up, Matt taped the cord so that the cats wouldn't mess with it, and we stepped back to see what would happen.  So far, so good!  The cats have actually decided that they enjoy sleeping under the tree.  The only time that I have seen them mess with the tree is when they are using a branch to scratch their chins.  Jackson likes to look at the lights and found that it's fun going underneath the tree and circling around it.  I tried putting Christmas presents under the tree, but that didn't work out too well due to Jackson deciding that they were his and that he wanted to open them.  Christmas should be so much fun this year in regards to him wanting to open presents.

 

   Jackson has four teeth on top and two on the bottom.  Matt and I are really wondering when he's going to get some more teeth, but until then, he's figuring out how to use the ones that he has.  He loves to brush his teeth and gets upset when I take the tooth brush away.  He has started giving a "cheesy" smile that is absolutely hilarious and so stinking cute.

   During occupational therapy one day, his therapist let Jackson play with play-doh and his face lit up with excitement.  So, what's a mom to do?  Why, buy her son his own set of play-doh of course!  He plays with the play-doh on a daily basis and will get upset if you tell him "no" or "not right now."  My kid has quite the temper when he doesn't get his way.  Look out terrible-twos!  

   I always worried about Jackson not being a good sharer since he doesn't have any siblings or the need to share with anyone, like at daycare, but he is the best sharer!  He shares with us and the cats!  He's getting pretty good at helping with putting his toys away.  However, if he doesn't want to put his toys away, he isn't going to.  Nor will he allow anyone else to put them away.  He will take everything back out, dump the container, whatever needs to be done to get his toys back and will make it known that he wasn't done playing.  

   Well, I think that about does it for this blog post.  Matt, Jackson, and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

    

Warmest wishes, 

Crystal 

   

16 months

  How in the world is it already October?!?  I mean honestly, where did the time go that it's already time for cooler weather, the holidays, and lots of family gatherings?  Not only can I not believe that's it October, but I also can't believe that Jackson is 16 months old!

   Jackson has such a love for water and absolutely loves taking baths.  One day while I was brushing my teeth, Jackson was messing with the tub in our master bathroom.  Low and behold, he figured out how to turn the water on!  He was so proud of himself and kept turning around to look at me for approval.  He kept turning the water on and then turning it off giggling each time.  After a few times of turning the water on and off, he decided that he was going to try and get into the tub.  Now, imagine a little boy that is only 30 inches tall trying to hike his leg up to get into a tub that is almost as deep as he is tall.  Quite humorous!

   We still haven't heard from our insurance company pertaining to the stander that we are trying to get Jackson.  I feel like we're in limbo, but eventually they have to respond, right?  Waiting is certainly not one of my preferred activities.  While we are waiting on the insurance, a friend of ours got in contact with us and is graciously letting us borrow her son's stander!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  It's amazing how many people have actually reached out to us about loaning us their child's equipment, and for that, we are so very thankful.

   Jackson wasn't very fond of the stander at first.  He was actually kind of afraid of it and would cry as soon as I tried to put him in it.  Thankfully, that only lasted the first couple of times.  Now, he doesn't mind being in the stander.  We are working on adding time to each session and right now we are at 28 minutes, three times a day.  After each session, I have to take Jackson's shoes, AFO's, and socks off to make sure that his legs and feet go back to normal color and not stay bright red from where the blood was flowing through them and from bearing his weight.  So far, so good.  Both legs and feet return to normal color within the time limit that his physical therapist gave me.    

   Last month I wrote about Jackson getting his derotation straps.  I was so excited to finally have something that would keep Jackson's feet in a neutral position.  Well, those didn't last long!  I got so frustrated with them and after talking with Jackson's PT and realizing that they weren't actually working like they should have been, I made the call to Jackson's ortho to get a prescription for twister cables.  The orthotic place was able to get us in pretty quickly to get Jackson measured for the cables and they took a little over a week to come in.  When we went to pick them up, I knew what to expect, but for some reason I didn't handle it well the first that they were put on.  I immediately thought that they looked like the braces that Forest Gump had worn and had images of him growing up having to not only explain them, but having to defend himself from bullies.  It made me sad.  However, once I saw him stand up straight the first time and pick up his foot, all of the sadness and worry went away. I became proud and immediately had the biggest smile on my face.  One thing that I've come to learn through all of this is that part of my job is to make sure that Jackson is not only comfortable in his own skin, but proud and confident.  I may not succeed at everything in life, but making sure that he is proud and confident of himself is something that I will succeed at.  :)

   I don't know if it's a coincidence or what, but since getting the cables Jackson has started picking up and moving his legs when standing more.  He's showing signs of wanting to walk!  Yay!  It is so exciting to see him move his feet and legs when he standing.

   Jackson has learned a new skill, unfastening velcro.  Yay for learning a new skill... Boo for the new skill aiding in him on being able to remove his braces.  Before getting the cables I started to put socks over his braces to try and limit him from undoing the velcro and taking them off.  It worked... For a brief amount of time.  Now that the cables are attached to his braces, Jackson can no longer take them off, but he still undoes them all the time.  His newest thing is taking off his shoes.  One night he took of one of his shoes and decided to put it in the trunk of his tricycle.  When I asked him were his shoe was, he held up his hands and said "huh?"  When I asked again, he opened the trunk of his tricycle and took the shoe out.  It was so sweet.    

 

   I don't know if you're like me, but I spend a decent amount of free time on Pinterest looking for ideas for Jackson.  Things to make for him, new toys that would benefit him, food ideas, etc.  I've been eyeing busy boards and making a list of things to get so that I could make him one.  Well, while my parents were in town, my dad built Jackson this awesome busy board.  Jackson LOVES it!  It has all of his favorite things: things with buttons, magnets, things to pull on, stuff to open and close, stuff to spin, and the best thing of all, a doorstop!

   I've been working with Jackson on some fine motor skills.  One of his favorite things cost me two dollars to make: a tupperware bowl and pom poms.  I made a hole big enough for the pom poms to fit through in the top of the tupperware bowl and let him go to town.  He loves putting the pom poms in and then wants us to take them back out immediately.  The only issue is that he has decided that the pom poms would be fun to eat, so we have to watch him very closely when he's playing with them. The other thing that Jackson likes to play with to work on his fine motor was free for me to make! My dad cut a slit in the lid of a cat treat container and Jackson inserts poker chips in the top.  It's super loud when the chips fall in and even more so when he decides to pick the container up and toss it, but he loves it, so that's all that matters.      

 

   While my parents were visiting, we decided to go to the mall because I was in desperate need of pants.  While I was shopping, my mom took Jackson to the mall playground.  I always assumed that the stuff in the playground was hard because of the way it looks, but I was wrong.  Everything in the playground area was completely soft and safe for kiddos of all ages.  He got to crawl around and explore and then went down a slide for the very first time!  He LOVED it!  He had a huge smile on his face and when he got to the bottom of the slide, he immediately started to climb back up to go back down it again.    

 

   Jackson is really into cause and effect right now.  "What happens when I drop this lid on the floor?" "What happens when I bang my hands really hard on the coffee table?"  "What happens when I drop stuff through the railing of the stairs?"  The list goes on and on!  His favorite at the moment is dropping stuff down the stairs.  He will crawl all the way into the living room, grab a toy, crawl all the way back to the stairs, and push the toy through the railing and watch it fall down the stairs.  If it makes a lot of noise, he gets quite a giggle out of it.  Then, he will repeat the process.  He usually drops five to eight things down the stairs before getting bored and moving on to his next activity.

   When he isn't throwing stuff down the stairs, his next favorite activity is taking out all of his toys out of his toy bins one toy at a time!  He's such a boy - Such a mess maker!  The good thing is that we are working on picking up our toys and putting them back into the toy bins.  Sometimes he does a great job, other times he just looks at me and gives me a mischievous smile and starts taking his toys back out of the bins.  In the picture below, he's "helping" me with his laundry, another one of his favorite activities.  

   
   I've been working on transitioning Jackson from co-sleeping with me to sleeping in his crib.  At first, it was extremely rough and I gave up often.  I couldn't stand listening to him cry, get himself so upset that he would make himself sick, and yell for me.  It broke my momma heart.  I let him cry, but not to the extent of "crying it out."  I refused.  I read a blog post one night that had me bawling and made me realize that him wanting to co-sleep is just a phase.  He's only going to be little for such a short amount of time.  Him crying out for me is because he wants me, needs me - he needs my touch, my comfort, to be able to smell me, to hear my heartbeat, to tell him that everything is alright.  My job isn't to ignore his cries, my job is to be there, no matter what time of day.

   While it was tough to get him in his crib, all of a sudden, he didn't fight me getting in to his crib and he slept in it through the night!  The first night that he slept in his crib, I woke up pretty consistently to check on him.  It was like I was back to when he was a newborn, needing to check on him throughout the night to make sure that he was ok.  He's still sleeping in his crib, but does wake up once or twice during the night.  Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., he decides that he's done with the crib and that he wants to sleep with me.  Eventually, he'll sleep trough the night in his crib, but for now, I'm soaking up the cuddles that I get in the middle of the night.  There's still nothing like having your child cuddle up to you and wrap their arm around your arm and then fall asleep.

   Those of you with cats, you know how mischievous and funny they can be.  Aubie, loves to sleep in Jackson's room.  Normally, if we can't find her anywhere else in the house, we know that she's in his room under his crib or dresser snoozing away.  Since Jackson has started sleeping in his crib again, Matt hooked the video monitor back up so we can check on him.  One night, before putting Jackson to bed, I was moving the monitor around looking for Aubie and found her laying on the bed.  She got interested in the monitor since it was moving and decided to check it out.  It was hilarious!  I know that this has nothing to do with Jackson, but I couldn't resist posting the pictures of Aubie!            

 

   I've decided to start crafting again and have been having so much fun.  I've already fulfilled several orders and will hopefully continue getting orders and building up my business.  I am working with vinyl creating personalized gifts for the home, family, friends, and yourself.  I would love for you to check out my page - Custom Creations.  If you're on Facebook, make sure to click "like."  I will be holding a contest within the next couple of weeks to win a free item of the winner's choice.  :)

   Well, I think that about does it for this month!  One last picture to show you how Jackson can make me melt into a puddle. :)

Crystal 

15 months

   Hi everyone!  It's only been a month since the last post, I know I said that I was only going to post every other month, but here I am.  Why?  Well, after some soul searching, I decided that it isn't fair to only post every other month.  Matt and I have way too many friends and family that don't have Facebook, so the blog is the only way that they get updates on Jackson.  So, I'll be posting monthly again.    

   Jackson has found out that he LOVES jingle bells by playing with the fur babies' toys.  The bells on the cat's toys were so small and not put on very well that I decided to buy him his own set of jingle bells.  He has been having a blast with them!  The cats are enjoying them as well and will try to play with them while Jackson is shaking them.

   We have been waiting on word from the insurance company about Jackson's stander for what seems like a year.  Well, we finally got the letter... They denied it!  They claim that it's a comfort and convenience item.  Really?  It's comfort or convenience for a child to be able to stand?  To be able to gain the muscle strength that they will need in the future?  I was so hurt at first, but then became extremely mad.  We will be fighting the insurance company, but while that happens, Matt has a friend that has generously offered to loan us their son's stander.  We are so, so thankful!  The gentleman from NuMotion, the company that we are ordering the stander from, came over to let Jackson trial the stander that we will be fighting the insurance company for.  He wasn't really sure about it at first, in fact, he was pretty scared, but he eventually warmed up and even pushed himself forward and backwards several times.

   In preparation for Jackson's latest spina bifida clinic, he had to have a sedated MRI.  The renal ultrasound is routine, so it wasn't anything new and I knew what expect.  However, this was the first time that he a sedated MRI.  I was a nervous wreck.  I had no idea what to expect and how he was going to do.  From start to finish, the MRI took about an hour.  My mother in law went with me, so she kept me sane while we were waiting for the nurse to call us to let us know that he was done and in "recovery."  From what the nurse told me, he did great.  They did have to prick him twice because the first IV didn't go well due to his lovely, chunky wrists.  When we went back to "recovery," Jackson was just starting to wake up and when he saw me, he immediately sat up and wanted to be held.  My heart did an extra pitter-patter.

 

   The latest SB clinic went really well and none of the doctors had any concerns.  Neuro, the physician assistant, Haley, discussed the sedated MRI with us and explained that Jackson's ventricles hadn't increased any from the last MRI that he had done three months ago.  She did mention that the cyst that he has appeared to have increased very slightly, but she wasn't very concerned about it.  She just told us that it's something that they will monitor.  The cyst is something that he's had since birth, it's nothing to worry about unless it suddenly increases in size.

  Urology discussed Jackson's latest renal ultrasound and told us that everything still looks great in regards to his bladder and kidneys.  The plan is to do the urodynamic test in six months.  The urodynamic test will test how well the bladder, sphincters, and urethra are storing and releasing urine and will check on the bladder’s ability to hold urine and empty steadily and completely.  The last urodynamic test that he had done, he was itty bitty, so it should be interesting this time now that he's moving more and doesn't really care for staying still.

   Physical therapy and occupational therapy were very happy with Jackson's progress.  They each took turns checking things off of their checklists and asked questions about things that Jackson is doing at home.  Neither one had any concerns, but the physical therapist sat with me and brought up the idea of getting Jackson fitted for a wheel chair.  I was floored.  I wasn't at all prepared for that conversation.  In my mind, he's too young, he's showing signs of wanting to cruise, he's getting quick at crawling, etc.

   According to the physical therapist and the ortho, getting Jackson a wheel chair will give him the freedom that most children already have at his age.  Instead of having to sit in someone's lap while at the doctor's office, he could move around and explore.  Instead of riding in a cart at the store, he could propel himself and be given the freedom his peers have.  A wheel chair... a wheel chair... my baby is getting a wheel chair.  If I say it over and over again it will eventually be ok, right?  The ortho explained that we don't have to use the wheel chair at home.  In fact, he suggested only using it while out and about.  While it's still hard, still kind of heartbreaking in way, Jackson has an appointment to get fitted for a wheel chair on October 19th.  While he will have the wheel chair (eventually since we've been told that it's a long process), that in no form or fashion means that we won't continue pushing him and encouraging him to get up on his feet, cruise, and one day walk.

   We discussed Jackson's eating concerns with the nutritionist.  Within the last month or so, every once in a while, Jackson will be eating great and then all of a sudden get choked up and will throw up a bunch of mucus.  It was only happening at night, so we thought that maybe all of the extra mucus from him teething was sitting in his tummy all day building up and then when he tried to add food on top of it at dinner, his tummy just didn't have any more room.  We also wondered if maybe Jackson was having a rough time with whole milk.  The nutritionist wasn't sure either way, but was happy with Jackson's weight and height.  She suggested backing off on the whole milk some to see if that helped and suggested seeing a GI doctor to see if anything was going on that we didn't know about.

   When I took Jackson to the GI doctor, she ordered a swallow study and an x-ray of his tummy.  The x-ray came back normal, but the swallow study showed that Jackson was aspirating liquids.  He wasn't doing it every time, but often enough for the doctor to tell us to start thickening his liquids.  The study also showed that even though he appears to be chewing his food, he is in fact just pushing it to the roof of his mouth and breaking it apart with his tongue before swallowing.  The doctor suggested that I get him evaluated for eating therapy to help him learn how to eat properly.  I'm waiting for the referral, but once that happens, Jackson will have therapy with his physical therapist, occupational therapist, and a speech therapist.  Our weeks keep getting more and more busy.  

    Jackson finally got his new set of AFO's.  Yay!  Going through the early intervention program took longer than we thought, since the state had to approve everything before Jackson could be fitted for the AFO's, but we have them now and are so happy that they are the right size and height for him.  Matt and I are so thankful for the early intervention program.  Because of them, we didn't have to pay anything for Jackson's AFO's.  They also pick up the bill for all of Jackson's therapies, well, whatever part insurance doesn't cover.

New AFO on left

New AFO on right

    Jackson has been working really hard with Miss Courtney, his physical therapist.  He has gotten so quick with crawling and now loves to race whoever is willing to get on the floor with him and kill their knees on the hardwood floors.  :)  Courtney has been pushing Jackson with cruising along on the furniture and just recently started getting him to stand with his back against the wall.  He's doing great!  She's also been working with him with crawling up the stairs and I'm happy to report that he can now crawl up the stairs all on his own!

   Jackson's personality is coming out more and more.  He is such a happy, loving, funny little boy.  He is definitely a goofball and makes us laugh each and every day.  He has started becoming stubborn and appears to have mastered selective hearing.  His laugh lights up a room and snorts when he laughs really hard.  He loves to make mouth farts and has figured out how to make noises with his lips.  He loves his fur siblings and gets upset when they walk away from him.  He has so much determination and gets so proud of himself when he masters something.  He giggles when he tries to sneak away and gets into everything.  My heart is bursting with love for my sweet boy, but I'm sure that's obvious. :)  

   There is nothing worse than your child being sick.  Jackson ended up getting a stomach bug or something and it was awful.  He didn't want to play, wasn't really talking, nothing.  All he wanted to do was snuggle and looked like he felt absolutely horrible.  Chevelle decided to keep us company at one point and laid with Jackson while we were sitting on the couch.  Aubie kept coming around to check on him, but once she determined that Jackson was ok, she would walk away.  

 

  Well, I think that about does it for this post.  Hopefully I covered everything and didn't leave anything out.  I'll continue to update on Facebook, but be on the lookout next month for another blog post.

Crystal