New Toy

You got this new toy that let's you walk around the room and you love it! You are not one to sit on the floor and play with your toys for any extended amount of time. You prefer to be on the move! Our house is on the small side but you don't seem to mind going from the kitchen to the living room and back to the kitchen again. As long as you are walking you are smiling! Here is a picture of you with your new toy...

"That's A No-No"

You are such a smart boy! It is fun to watch you learn about your world and you are starting to show an understanding that language and words have meaning. We have entered into the world of discipline. Now life gets interesting! Now that you are so mobile you are into anything and everything that you can get your hands on. We have baby-proofed the house but there are still some things that you try to get into that you shouldn't. Daddy and I have decided to use the phrase, "that's a no-no", and you are catching on quick. We could say "no-no" all day long but we try to only use this phrase if you attempt something that is dangerous or harmful or very important. For example: You are not satisfied to pull up or cruise around the same things day after day. You want something new! So when you attempted to pull up on the brick fire place we told you "that's a no-no". At first we had to tell you several times and redirect you to play with something appropriate. But like I said you have caught on fast and now most of the time all I have to say is, "Jackson" in my serious tone and you stop and move on to something else. We are trying to be consistent and pick the most important things to correct. We also praise you when you make a good choice (like obeying "no") and you really like that.
This is a picture we took to celebrate PawPaw's birthday (Kevin's dad). You pulled up on your big basket and are standing up and balancing with only one hand. A couple of different times you have found your balance and stood up without holding on to anything, but it was only for half a second.

Also, a few days ago your two top teeth cut through the gums. It definitely wasn't as bad as when the bottom two cut through but you had some discomfort. The two on the top seemed to cut through at the same time while the two on the bottom cut through one at a time. Anyway, now you have four teeth!

Tubes

Your bilateral tubes are officially in place. Yesterday I wasn't so sure that it was going to happen because you started running a fever and you can't have surgery with a fever. Yesterday morning you had a temp of 100.2 and by the afternoon it had gone down some and by the evening it was back to normal. I talked to a nurse who told me that we would still go along as planned for the surgery but if you had a temperature this morning that we could not do the surgery. I prayed all night and all morning that your temp would be normal so that we could go ahead with the surgery. We arrived at Children's Hospital at 6:15 this morning. You were called back after waiting less than 5 minutes. All of your vitals were taken including your temp which was 99.3. The nurse told me that 99.3 was not considered a fever and we could go ahead as planned. Thank you Lord for that answer to prayer! By 6:50 we were all prepped and you were taken back by the nurse. By 7:00 Dr. Woolley was in our room to inform us that the surgery was over and that you had done great! By 7:10 you were back in my arms. WOW! It was definitely quick and easy. You did so great. You didn't cry when you were taken back and you weren't crying when you were brought back. You were a little fussy and cranky and tired but you did great and I was so proud of you! We were home by 7:45 and you were back asleep by 8:00. You are still asleep and I am guessing that you will sleep most of the day. We are not expecting instant results as you currently have your 5th ear infection. But as the antibiotics and ear drops start to take affect I am hoping to have a happier, healthier boy with lots of babbling! :)

New Trick

You have learned a new trick! Yesterday you were pulling up all over the place just like you always do, but this time you gradually lowered yourself back down and sat down on the floor. You did this over and over again like you were showing off your new trick. Before now you have either just been stuck standing up or you fall over and land on your back, but now you can get up and down very easily! Every day you get better and better at crawling and at pulling up and cruising.

Update: Your surgery to get tubes has been moved up to this coming Wednesday, February 18. We are praying everything goes smoothly and you will not have any more pain caused by your ears.

The ENT

This morning we saw the ENT. Dr. Woolley is very highly recommended and from what I am told he is the "best of the best." I was told that I should trust whatever he recommends because he knows ears better than anyone. I actually already knew this about him because I spent a little bit of time with him during my internship at Children's Hospital. I heard others at the hospital speak highly of him and I was actually able to observe one of his surgeries during my time there. I feel fairly familiar with him and very confident in him. He did recommend that you get tubes and you are scheduled for March 4.

Without going into detail, I did not enjoy my internship at Children's Hospital. During the 5 months that I was there I often wondered why God had put me there and why it had turned out to be so miserable. I know that God always has a plan and since my internship God has shown me two different reasons why he had me there. And now, three years later, I am still seeing God work through that internship as he is showing me reason number three. Once again I find myself thankful for the experience and the time that I spent there. I know for a fact that without having the Children's Hospital background, without seeing the behind the scenes, and without knowing a little more about Dr. Woolley than the average person I would be much more anxious about this surgery. God has faithfully given me a peace and a reminder that once again you are in his hands...and who knew that three years ago God was preparing me for this moment. God is good.

Eight Months

Last Thursday you were officially eight months old. You are such a big boy! You are crawling everywhere and your new favorite thing to do is walk. No you aren't walking on your own but you love to hold on to daddy's or my hands and walk around the house. You are also getting good at cruising around by yourself using the furniture for support. Daddy is predicting that you will be an early walker. I guess we will have to wait and see...

This past weekend you started babbling again. It's been almost a month since I have heard any real babble from you. It is so sweet! You mostly just say 'dadada' but this weekend we heard a few m's, n's, d's, and g's. You really haven't babbled in the past month because of all your ear infections. I am taking you to an ENT tomorrow and hopefully we can get some answers and some help!

Below is a picture of you at eight months....standing up like a pro!