The countdown has begun......

We are entering our last week of this cast.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!!
I just don't think Jackson completely understands how exciting this Friday is going to be for him.

We have had a very busy end of November. A wedding for my friend Carrie....
she was gorgeous.and of course we had to get a pic of Adrian and I before Jackson got there from Grandma's. with some highly entertaining moments with Jackson. His charm has not left him in this cast. He still has everything it takes. plus look at the tricks we won't be able to do anymore: his balancing act (he had to show off his moves for the crowd. his daily push ups while watching cartoons during mommy's breakfast. Catching up with friends was great and we did a little dancing too...Jackson and I did.

family THanksgiving was very low key. We had a few illnesses over the holidays. that always puts a damper on the occasion. then you add in our normal therapy appointments three days a week and we are very busy. There is our update for the last two very busy weeks of NOvember. I can't believe it is December already. Where does the time go?

Even more to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving!!! If we didn't have enough already

I have been waiting a long time to share this news and it has finally come to the time when I can share. Ever since we arrived home from the NICU last September, I have been fighting to get assistance for Jackson from our wonderful government. I applied for special health care and was denied. I applied for Social Security for Jackson and got laughed at. I applied for Medicaid and was denied, with out them telling me there was more to there system that I could apply for due to Jackson's medical conditions. So last January we got ourselves a social worker that knew the system and could let us know which areas to try and which services to stay away from. She has been wonderful. I can't imagine what we would have done without her. Needless to say this has almost been a 15 month process of one denial after another. God knew what he was doing when he gave me this to deal with. He knew I had tough skin and a determination beyond words, both which have been very useful. I have to say there have been may moments of frustration where I have truely wanted to give up, and someone has stepped in to encourage me right at the exact moment it was needed. God promises that he will help you in times of need right?

We to make a long story short. we were ACCEPTED TODAY. for a medicaid waiver program that will give us regular medicaid that will pay for all of Jackson's medical bills and copays for all appointments and medications. It also pays for me to have a nurse watch him for 60 hours a month and if we would need it they would pay for private daycare for me to go back to work and know that Jackson is in great and trained care in his own home. There is more...I just don't know all the details.

I can't tell you what a relief this is with things in the future still looming over our head. I pray daily that the worst will still not happen. However now if it does we are covered finacially and won't have that additional stress during times when we will need to be worrying about other things. God is good. He has never stopped protecting us and providing for us. Isn't great that we have a Father that is so Faithful.

You can really get down about the little things like your child not sleeping through the night, not eating as much as they need to, not progressing the way they should and it is Truely a Happy moment when this news is brought to you in the midst of all of that. God knows when we need a little pick me up and I got mine today.

thanks for all the prayers during this process and all the support that you all have sent. We can know make that last a long time paying for trips to Indy. God has done wonderful things with Gas prices too...I can take my trip next week to indy for less than a hundred dollars...I can't wait. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember that their are always little things to be thankful for...and every now and again we get to Rejoice in the BIG ONES TOO.

fun with friends...

We have been working all week on trying to find ways that Jackson can play by himself. It has been funny and fun trying to see what he likes. We even tried to tie pipecleaners to his cast and have him him hit them. Too bad he isn't six months old anymore that might have worked back then. But now he just destroyed them and then we had exposed metal. We came up with the basket above and laying on his stomach on a pillow. He prefers the above. He also spend lots of time reading books to himself in his beanbag chair.

Yesterday we had a great visit with Delaney and Kara. Got some pictures...gotta say it gets harder and harder to pose them for pictures the older they get.

Happy 15 Month Birthday to my Baby Boy

I am sure someday I will stop counting by months, but come on it is way to much fun!!

Jackson is:- A Ham as you can see in the picture above.
-15 lbs 9 ounces and 25 inches long (at least he was at the end of last month before surgery)
-stuck, let me say that again, STUCK in a cast, but dealing well with the physical limitations.
-loves any toy that is cause and effect with music or balls involved
- he is starting to explore REAL FOOD...he sucks on puff cheetos, oreos, dumb dumb suckers and french fries. I never thought I would let my child eat this stuff for dinner
- loves destruction, You build it he destroys.
- still loves to have his picture taken
- LOVES BOOKS! talks to them even.- empties everything from the toy basket to my purse. We have always encouraged him to play by himself and right now in the cast it is really hard to find ways for him to do this. But it works to prop him up on the couch and let him empty a basket full of toys. He will play and unload it for hours. Thanks Grandma for the idea.
- Loves to watch his little friends run around. soon he will be running with them.

tagged....

A. Attached or single? Definitely attached!
B. Best friend? I have a few girls I trust a great deal.
C. Cake or pie? Cheese cake...come on..who doesn't like it
D. Day of choice? Thursday
E. Essential item? My faith
F. Favorite color? Green
G. Gummy bears or worms? I am not a big sugar candy fan...so neither
H. Home town? Lake Wilson, MN
I. Favorite indulgence? Scrapbooking
J. January or July? January it is way to hot in July. plus it is just beautiful when it snows and you get trapped and half to play games with your family.
K. Kids? A 15 month old - Jackson
L. Life isn’t complete without? God and my family
M. Marriage date? August 6th, 2005..
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 2 brothers
O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges
P. Phobias? Heights
Q. Quotes?
R. Reasons to smile? Great times with Friends..and anything that Jackson does
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Tag 5 people: Nichole D, Natalie, Kara, Ashley & Shelly
U. Unknown fact about me? I've never been down hill skiing!
V. Vegetable? veggies...are great...my fav would have to be broccoli
W. Worst Habit? biting finger nails
X. Xray or ultrasound? Neither unless absolutely necessary both are amazing inventions
Y. Your favorite food? Chimmies
Z. Zodiac sign? Aquarius...although depending on where you are reading I could be a Capricorn

troubling week....

on the bad side it is 6 in the morning and I can't sleep after getting up with Jackson. I am thinking I have to have him up and fed by 7:30 anyway so why not spend a little time myself. I have spent some time lately with God. I have been pondering a lot of things and have been feeling so overwhelmed. Therapy with Jackson is now up to 4 times a week. it was a little overwhelming but now that he is in the cast it is nice to have four different people come entertain him for an hour. Gloria, my mother in law has given me some needed time away the past couple of Thursdays and I have had wonderful friends come and hang out as well. As great as all this has been I still find myself in a rutt. I start counting the minutes once 4 o'clock rolls around until Adrian will be home from work and I just wish I could cuddle with my baby again when he is upset. we do our best it just isn't the same. Yesterday we reached two weeks down and only four more to go. We schduled the day so we have a date to look forward to. Friday the 5th at 8 am.

I gotta tell you I can't wait for this day. To have my happy baby back. Don't get me wrong he has been doing amazingly well in the cast. But to have this kid back....


the one that smiled and played peak a boo at the end of the couch ten times a day. the one that was constantly getting in to Macy's food and water, started to stand by himself and babbling out the window at random passerby's. It saddens me to think that all winter we will be cooped up inside trying not to get a cast wet and not seeing this little boy for a while. He smiled and played peekaboo on my shoulder last night and it brought such a huge smile to my face. It was a brief moment of happiness in our very sad day yesterday. I am not sure what is wrong but we are not happy, not sleeping and incredibly uncomfortble. All things that I am sure are normal....I just have to figure out how to console him and make him as comfortable as possible.

Some on reminded me the other day of the bible verse 1 peter 1:6-7.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

God is good, he is in control and it always helps when we have good friends that remind us frequently that we are not in this alone. We will be ok. it has just been a hard week. And we have to share with you the good and the bad right. Please pray, Jackson started digging at his right ear last night even though he is already on antibiotics for his left ear.

4:30 am blow out and Voting at the Retirement Home

So this morning...I woke up stunned at 4:30 that I hadn't heard my child all night long. (it had been a long time since I fell asleep right after him at 8:30). I frantically grabbed Adrian's arm and began shaking....while forcefully saying have you gotten up with Jackson. See usually even if he is the one to get up....i am still awake and know what he has done. He very calmly said....no.

I got up not knowing what I was going to find. We are suppose to change Jackson's diaper every four hours to avoid messes. I had visions of oozzzing poop and a wet bed and a huge cast mess that I was going to have to smell for the next 4 and 1/2 weeks. As I got out of bed I heard him start to fuss. When I got to his crib I slowly pulled back the covers and found:

NOTHING!!! Yipppeee!!! I was so excited. But then As I thought about it. I was a little worried. After 8 1/2 hours of sleeping I should have had a very full diaper. At least very wet. I picked him up and we changed the diaper and got him some food. About 2 minutes after the food the rumbling began. I sat and laughed and played with him for about 30 minutes...decided to change the diaper again and then the rumbling began again. This time for about 15 minutes...it was too funny. In the process we filled 2 diapers, very wet diapers I might add, in an hour. So I wasn't worried anymore.

We went back to sleep around 6:00am and slept til daddy got up around 7:30 we got ready and headed out to VOTE!! We vote right down the street at a retirement facility. Daddy and I decided to take turns and in the meantime Jackson entertained the locals. The old ladies were in love with him.

I gotta tell you about this funny old lady that sat right down next to me to play with Jackson. She touched Jackson's legs and was like wow those are hard...do you make him where those pants everyday. I just wanted to bust out laughing, but instead decided to change the subject. I asked her what her plans were today and she said in an exasperated voice, "nothing, we never do anything". I said that board over there says there are card and a spa day. That sounds like Heaven to me. Manicures and pedicures. She glanced down at her nails and said I don't think I need one....do you? She proceeded to inform me about the local retirement gossip and then started to play with Jackson again. By this time Adrian was finally done voting and we were off to begin our fun day at HOME... Hope your voting experiences are as exciting as ours and that you all understand that I don't purposely make him where the Hard pants everyday. LOL...

Ball Attack

I have to apologize. I totally forgot that by doing an up and down shot that I wouldn't be able to flip it when it got here.. I am trying something to see if it works. this was totally funny...this is the third or fourth time we did it. of course i was not ready the first time. Never am. Hope you enjoy the video and Thanks Grandma Corrine for the new toy. it brings much joy....at least humor to mom and dad. Despite the ball attacks I think Jackson likes it too.