In our last post, I mentioned that Jackson had finally rolled over from his stomach to his back, and it was only a matter of time till he would start going the other way - well, it was 2 days. Tuesday night, he rolled over a few times, and we can't stop him now!
Other firsts...
- Saturday, July 3 - the boys had their first vegetables! They ate peas for the first time! They also had their first fruit (bananas) on July 14th.
- Monday, July 5th the boys made their first trip to the neighborhood pool. They LOVED it. Jackson is right at home in the water...splashing and just relaxing and enjoying the refreshing cool water.
- Sunday, July 11th the boys took a little dip in the kiddie pool at Aunt Lyn's. They didn't even mind cousin Lylah splashing them!
June 30 we took Jackson to Children's to have his head evaluated. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with severe plagiocephaly and torticollis. What does this mean? Well, it means a lot of appointments! Seriously. Jackson will need to wear a helmet for the next 3-4 months to help control his head growth, which will result in a more rounded head (he currently has a bad flat spot on his left back side). Jackson was fitted for his helmet on July 12th, and the next week we spent building up his tolerance for wearing it. He's now up to wearing it 23 out of 24 hours a day, and he is doing really great with it. He doesn't mind wearing it, which is a big relief. We will have to take him back to the helmet shop every 2-3 weeks so that they can cut the foam out and adjust the fit for him. (I told you it meant lots of appointments).
Jackson is also going to be going to physical therapy every other week to treat his torticollis. Torticollis is when there is a muscle in the neck that is tight, which then restricts his range of motion. The therapy will help to stretch the tight muscle, and strengthen all of his other muscles. We had our first session yesterday, and things went really well. The therapist showed us other ways to do his therapy at home each day, and we are very excited about working with him and seeing his progress in the coming weeks. We expect that we'll be going to therapy every other week up through Thanksgiving. (see...lots of appointments).
Lincoln will be having surgery on Tuesday, July 27 (his 6 month birthday). He was born with an undecended testicle, and they are going to do surgery to fix it. Please say lots of prayers for mommy - she is going to need it!
Grandma Hart was moved to the Drake Center after the Fourth of July holiday. We took the boys to visit her on July 17th - she just smiled the whole time. However, since their visit, her therapy has been progressing greatly! We pray she continues to recover quickly and can go back home soon.
Pawpaw Muehlfeld was the healthy grandparent here, but he decided to join the Grandmothers last week, looking for a bit of sympathy. :-) Dad went to the emergency room on Saturday and found out he has a bit of pneumonia, gall stones, and an ear infection. Unfortunately, he is still having a lot of pain in his side and is undergoing some additional testing this morning to see if he needs to have his gallbladder out. He's worried he might be having twins...they were hoping to confirm or deny with an ultrasound this morning. We are awaiting the results. (hehehe)
General
In between appointments, feedings, and changing diapers, we have found some time to visit with family. Fourth of July weekend we visited with the Hart's at Stefani's graduation party on Saturday. It was a beautiful day for being outside and enjoying the sunshine, yet cool enough to enjoy it. Later that week, Lisa and Andrea stayed with us for a few nights. Andrea was visiting colleges in the area. The second weekend in July we went to visit Lyn, RJ, Lylah and Knox. Their neighborhood had a get together where they roasted a hog, and did a potluck. It was a great day of eating, drinking, and relaxing all while visiting. Last weekend, Rachelle and the kids were passing through town on their way home from Gatlinburg, and met us at Graeter's for an ice cream treat. It was Addison's birthday, and it was so nice to get to wish her happy birthday in person.
We are really looking forward to our trip to Hocking Hills next weekend for a relaxing get-a-way with mom and dad, the whole Willinger clan, and of course, Aaron. I'm sure more food, drinks, fun and sun are in order!
Nicknames
We have dubbed the boys with new nicknames.
Lincoln is now "Flipper".
Jackson is now "Scooter" or "Crash".
Anyone want to venture a guess as to how they got their names? We'll explain in our next post!
Please pray that all of our loved ones recover and get healthy in the near future!
We'll send another update soon (hopefully).
Love,
Kate, Brian, Lincoln and Jackson
Special celebrations:
- Brian turned 40 on June 23
- Brian and Kate celebrated the eighth anniversary of their first date on July 5
- Addison turned 12 on July 17
- Andrea turned 17 on July 20
- Kate turned 36 on July 21
