HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!!
It's been a year - 365 days, 12 very, very short months since Jackson made his entrance into the world. There have been countless diapers, many sleepless nights, miles worth of smiles, a lot of tears of happiness and tears of fear and the unknown, and so much more. Jackson's first year was amazing, but I would be lying if I said that it was easy, it definitely was not. However, it was worth it and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.
Since the 11th fell on a Saturday, we were able to celebrate his birthday on the actual day. Being crafty, I started making the decorations for the party about two months prior and was so excited about the party. Since Jackson had shown interest in Mickey Mouse pretty early on, I decided that the party theme would be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Pinterest is a great thing to find ideas for anything and everything, but it definitely is amazing for finding ideas for birthday parties.
Jackson LOVED his cake! He did such a great job with everyone around, but was so tired due to not taking his nap. I felt like a crazy lady as soon as I woke up the morning of his birthday and until the last person left. Once everyone left, I realized that I didn't take any pictures, and I started kicking myself. So, if you're reading this and took pictures, send them my way, please!
Along with his birthday, Jackson also had his latest clinic at the end of May. As with all of his other clinics, he had to get an ultrasound done to check his kidneys and bladder and a MRI of his brain to check his ventricles. Matt went with Jackson for the ultrasound and said that he did great. I went with him during the MRI and it was so hard, as usual. I don't think I'll ever be alright with seeing Jackson strapped down and crying.
The neurosurgeon told us that Jackson's ventricles haven't increased since his last clinic, yay! He mentioned that we aren't still out of the woods for Jackson possibly needing an ETV, but made it sound like we are in the clear for him needing a shunt, double yay! He didn't have any concerns and told us that Jackson will need to have a sedated MRI for his next clinic in August. I knew that he would need a sedated MRI at some point, but I didn't think it would be so soon. The reason why he will have to be sedated is so that they can do a full blown MRI and not just a quick one. The neurosurgeon wants to get an in depth look at Jackson's brain. So, instead of a quick 10 minutes, Jackson will be in the MRI machine for 45 minutes, if not longer.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy were very impressed with what all Jackson is doing, working on, and has accomplished. They are very proud and stated that they feel he will do great since he's always doing so well now. I told them that we have started the process of getting Jackson his stander and they were really glad to hear that. I have my moments of getting sad that Jackson isn't crawling and/or walking yet, especially when I see pictures/videos of other kiddos doing so. PT/OT help bring me back to reality and remind me that technically Jackson is 2 months behind, plus he has a condition in which he's going to have to work harder to reach those milestones.
Ortho looked at Jackson's feet and back and didn't express any concerns. We talked about Jackson's AFO's and he agreed that it was time for him to get new ones, so he wrote us a new prescription. TEIS (TN Early Intervention) will pay for the new AFO's, but there is a process that we have to go through for that to happen. Because of the process, we're in standstill waiting for whatever needs to be done on their end, orthos end, and PT's end. Once everything is good to go, I'll take him to get fitted for his new AFO's. The company that we will be going through supposedly doesn't take as long as the first one, so hopefully it will be a quick process once rolling.
We are still working on standing, kneeling, and crawling. Jackson has gotten really good at army crawling and is starting to get up on to his knees. However, once he starts trying to crawl, he flattens himself out and proceeds to use his arms and drag himself. Jackson's PT thinks it's only a matter of time for him to figure out how much easier crawling is by using his knees. He is quite fast when he's trying to be sneaky, but he's not very quiet about it. Every time that he tries to sneak around the corner of the couch, he crawls, stops to look at me, laughs, crawls again, and the process starts over. :) We haven't heard anything about his stander, but we should soon. The last thing I found out about it was that his pediatrician signed off on it, so it should be in the hands of the insurance company.
Jackson officially says "mama" and "dada." It melts my heart every time that he says "mama" and "dada." Who knew that something so small would melt you into a puddle. We are still working on sign language and he has started signing "milk." I'm still focusing on signs that deal mainly with eating, but I've also started teaching him the sign for "change" and "I love you."
Jackson is such a great eater! There is very little that he doesn't like and that makes me happy. I'm so glad that he isn't picky. However, he does go in spurts. One day he may eat his weight in watermelon and then the next decide that he doesn't want any. I've introduced a spoon and fork to Jackson, but he doesn't have any interest in using them yet.
Jackson finally cut a tooth! He has done everything else so far on his own terms and cutting teeth is exactly the same. So far he isn't following the typical pattern of which his teeth should come in since the first tooth he cut is his upper left "vampire" tooth. That thing is sharp! Poor thing has been running a fever, runny nose, super fussy, and just outright doesn't feel well. I have a feeling that he's going to be one that cuts a whole bunch of teeth at one time.
We have reached toddler meltdowns when he doesn't get what he wants or something doesn't go like he wants it to. For example, at Walmart while visiting my parents, my dad picked up a small ball for him to play with. We wanted to wipe it down before he played with it, but he threw a huge fit! He didn't get the ball until it was wiped down in the car. He accidentally dropped it in the car and threw another fit until I got it for him. Oh boy!
Jackson truly has the best personality! He is so funny, such a flirt, and the biggest ham when it comes to pictures. He laughs all the time and it's very much contagious. I already know that I'm going to have my hands full when it comes time for him to start school. I fully accept that I'm going to be getting letters from his teachers about him being clown.
Jackson got to go swimming for the first time! I wasn't sure if he would like it or if he would be afraid. He loves playing in the tub, so I was really hoping that he would have a blast and he DID! He LOVES the water and loves playing in his pool. I'm planning on getting him into a swim class soon. There is a company close to us that offers classes for little ones with special needs, so I think that's the one that I'm going to try and get him in at first. He got an awesome pool for his birthday that is much bigger than the one pictured and I can't wait to get it set up and invite all his "girlfriends" over for a playdate!
I think both fur babies have decided that Jackson isn't so bad and actually like him. They are always around Jackson, sniffing him, letting him pet them, laying with him, etc. They love when he shares his food, especially the kind that they can bat around on the floor.
After Jackson's birthday, we went on a vacation and spent some time with my parents at their lake house. It was the first time that Jackson was on a boat and he even got to ride on my dad's tractor. Dad found a lizard and showed it to Jackson, he was very intrigued by it. :)
Since he liked his pool so much, I was excited to see how he did in the lake. He seemed to really like it, but struggled with the sun in his eyes. He was a true boat baby and fell asleep while riding around on the lake. Since it was so hot, we only got to go out on the lake one day during our visit, but he got to play in his pool several times.
I knew that I wanted to make something for Matt for Father's Day and decided on doing a picture for him. I think it came out great and I can't wait to get the pictures printed out, framed, and hung up.
Well, I guess that's it. I apologize for posting this so late, but we've been pretty busy. :)
Crystal
