7th month, 12/11 - 1/11

    First and foremost, Matt, Jackson, and I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas/holiday and that your new year is off to a great start.  We had three Christmas celebrations with the first one taking place at our house Christmas Eve morning with Matt's dad's side of the family.  The tradition is that PaPa cooks breakfast for all of us so he came over bright and early. Christmas Eve afternoon my parents arrived from Arkansas. We celebrated Christmas on Christmas morning and then we had an extended family Christmas with Matt's mom, step-dad, sister, and my parents. Overall it was a wonderful Christmas spent with family.

Jackson with his cousin, Abby

   Jackson was spoiled rotten of course.  He was pretty interested in all of his toys and even helped open a couple of them. However, once he got a chunk of wrapping paper, he immediately put it in his mouth.  We have definitely reached the point of everything that he gets his hands on goes directly in his mouth to try it out.  You can definitely tell that we have a little one in the house now.  His toys have taken over the living room.  The poor fur babies have been relocated to the dinning room (unused right now) where we put their sky scrapper so that we could put the tree up.  The sky scrapper hasn't been put back in its original spot yet, but I don't think they care anymore especially since they like playing in Jackson's car and getting into his toy crate.  In other news, my husband was right (did I really just admit that?) and the tree didn't last long since they decided to continually try to climb it and bite the cord.  I really hated that Jackson ended up not having a tree, but there's always next year, I hope!

 

   I decided to make ornaments with Jackson to have a keepsake of how small his hands and feet were for his 1st Christmas.  I used a pretty simple recipe for salt dough that I've used in the past with my kiddos at school.  I tried adding cinnamon to it, but it made the dough too dark and his hand and footprints didn't show up enough for my liking.  He did a great job, but it was interesting trying to get him to lay his hand flat.  The second that his hand touched the dough he tried to close his fist for what I can only assume was to bring the dough up to his mouth.

 



 


   My parents, Jackson, and I went to Opryland to look at the lights a few days after Christmas.  We were excited to see Jackson's reaction to the lights.  I remember there being a lot more lights when we went several years ago.  Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of lights, but it didn't seem to be as big from what I remembered.  However, Jackson was very interested in the lights and opened his eyes real big when he saw a few of the big displays.  Tip for you, it's worth paying for valet parking!  To park yourself it was $15 and we paid $21 (plus tip) for someone else to park it and bring it back to us - no frustation of trying to find a spot, remember where parked, walk however far to get inside, etc. Worth every penny in my opinion!

 

   We didn't do anything for New Years Eve.  I put Jackson down at his normal bedtime, did what I needed to do before I could go to bed, and I was in bed by 11.  I'm pretty sure that even Matt fell asleep before the ball dropped.  Thus is the life with a 6 month old.  I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, except maybe some extra sleep here and there, that would be fabulous!

   At Jackson's 6 month check up he weighed in at 15lbs 12oz and measured 25 1/2 inches long. According to his growth chart he's growing like he should.  He has fat little wrists, chunky little legs, and a sweet chubby belly that Matt and I have stared to love giving belly farts on.

   Jackson's pediatrician gave us the ok for him to start solids!  While it's exciting, it's also kind of nerve racking because of three simple words: cross reactive foods.  Raise your hand if you know what cross reactive foods are.  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Let me explain - The day that Jackson was born he was labeled as latex precaution as are all other SB babies.  Because of the connection between SB and a latex allergy, it is recommended to avoid cross reactive foods.  A cross reactivity occurs when the proteins in one substance are like the proteins in another. As a result, the immune system sees them as the same.  The most common, or highest degree of cross reactivity are bananas, avocados, chestnuts, and kiwis.  The moderate degree of cross reactivity are apples, carrots, celery, papaya, potato, tomato, and melon.  There is also a low level of cross reactivity, but I'll let you look those up (http://latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food).  The first time I saw the list of foods my immediate thought was that my kid wasn't going to be able to eat anything.  However, after talking with his doctors and other parents of SB kiddos, I've come to realize that we just need to focus on the high degree and not all of the food listed.  I've also realized that while we do have to be cautious, we also shouldn't deny Jackson any food since we don't have a definite "allergy."  For right now we are going to stay away from the high degree cross reactive foods, but we will trial them in the future.   

   First thing we started was rice cereal.  He was definitely not a fan at first.  Every little bit that went in promptly came back out with a look of "What did you just give me" and disgust.  Slowly, but surely he warmed up to the rice cereal so I started him on sweet potatoes.  He LOVES sweet potatoes!  So far we have trialed sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, apples, and peaches.  He is not a fan of green beans or peaches, but everything else he seems to like.  When he eats peas he does this little shake/twitch thing.  The only way I can describe it is like when I get a cold chill.  At first I thought that it meant that he didn't like them, but he kept grunting and reaching for more so I'm not real sure what to think.

 

   I decided to make my own food for him and did so with peas and mixed vegetables. I was amazed at the color difference between homemade vs. store bought peas.  It's so easy to make the purees and a lot cheaper!  I spent around $3 for both fresh/frozen peas and mixed vegetables and took about 20 minutes of my time to make 17 days worth of purees.

   I was shocked, amazed, and proud at how well Jackson picked up on using a spoon.  It was almost immediate that he knew what to do with it.  At just about every feeding he helps me feed him.  He'll grab onto the spoon and pull it up towards his mouth.  Every once in a while he'll miss and he'll end up with food on his nose, cheek, or even by his eyes, but he doesn't give up.  The boy likes to eat!

 

   Do you remember that neat little ball thing that we bought for Jackson to start practicing holding his bottle?  Yeah, that neat little bottle holder has become an expensive ball that Jackson likes to suck on and smoosh into all different shapes.  However, he has gotten better at holding his bottle without it so I guess that's a good thing.  I think that Jackson has found his favorite toy.  Our neighbor gave Jackson a Fisher Price lion that is really soft and small enough for his hands.  He plays with that lion all day long and loves to suck on its tail.  I've already given it a bath and it could use another one already.  I may need to buy a few more to be on the safe side.

 

   Jackson officially rolled from his tummy to his back!  It was so exciting and I was so lucky to have actually caught it on video!  I was so excited that he finally rolled that I kept making him do it over and over again.  He got so frustrated with me.  Poor kid doesn't stand a chance having a teacher for a mommy.  :)  We are still working on him sitting up unassisted.  He's getting better every day, but he is still pretty wobbly after a few seconds.  One day at a time!  He is so determined and loves to sit up, so much so that he hates when I try to get him to do tummy time.

   Jackson has started to listen and seem interested in books.  He has quite the library already and I'm always on the hunt for more books to add to his collection.  I love reading to him and hope that I'm able to pass down the love for the reading that I have.  If you have kiddos that are age 5 and under and haven't signed up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, you should!  It's a great program that sends out monthly books to those that have signed up.  The book that Jackson got for December is called Where's My Nose and it's super cute and has a "mirror" on the back page.  If you want to know more or sign up, go to https://imaginationlibrary.com/ 

   Well, I guess that's it!  It was a busy month of firsts for little man and I love watching him grow.  It's still hard to believe how fast time is moving.  I can't believe that Jackson is already 7 months old.  I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and can't wait to see what the future holds - I know that it's going to be bright!  I love Jackson's determination, spirit, and personality.  I even love his frustrated grunts that he does - as long as he stops quickly after starting. :)  

 

Crystal

 
















     

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