You've Come A Long Way, Baby!!

I was cleaning out some files on my computer today and came across these old pictures from when Jackson was first born. Jackson was born 9 weeks early weighing in at 2 lbs 5 1/2 ounces. Now, eight years later, he is 45 lbs, which is still quite small by most 8 year old standards, but wow, has he ever come along way!!

Wordless Wednesday!!

Cuddle Time!!

Jackson's New School

Well, it's official. Jackson has been approved for a spot at his new school in the fall. This school is a school for children with special needs. It has taken me quite some time to realise that this is the right place for Jackson.
For so long i have fought and pushed for full inclusion(this was what i was told was the right thing for me to do for my child . I have since realised that each child is an individual and that what is right for one child isn't necessarily right for another.) and for his preschool days, this worked well. Even junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten went okay with Jackson being fully included with his peers, but by grade one,things had just gotten so out of control.
Jackson still has difficulty sitting for long periods of time. And when i say long, i really mean longer than 10 minutes at a time. He still has issues with holding pencils, crayons and paintbrushes. These are things he really doesn't like to do. I can't help but wonder if his vision is a part of why he doesn't like to sit and do desk work.....would you want to do something you really couldn't see?? (and this is totally off topic here, but i hear so much from people who think that because Jackson uses a seeing eye cane, and that he is classed legally blind, that he can't see anything at all. Well, that is just not true, Jackson's vision is 20/380 in both eyes. He can see, probably to the end of his arm. Which is why he holds everything right up to his nose..lol I just wanted to add that 95% of people that are labeled "blind" are not 100% blind. Most have some vision)
He has also spent much of this year training to use his seeing eye cane but can't be swinging a cane while everyone is in the hallways, so he has spent most of this training time, walking the hallways with his EA while his peers are in class. And when i say peers, i mean the children in his class, because Jackson is at a point right now, where he really doesn't have any "real" friends. It has taken me ages to really admit this. Jackson is popular. Very popular. Everywhere we go, people know who he is. Everyone in his school knows him.....but it's not really the same as having a friend, is it?
So with this new school, he will be with other children who have disabilities. He will have the chance to make some "real" friends. He won't be in a "grade". The children are in classes according to where they are in their development. They go swimming once a week, they have a snoezelen room, the playground is fully assessable, and they are fully staffed with OT's, PT's, and SLP's.
I am sure that i will receive comments from both sides of the board for this post, but you have to understand that Jackson doesn't just have Down syndrome. Being blind is another disability that we have had to come to terms with over the years. He is quite behind where his peers with Ds are, because of his vision, so this is my way of finding him a place where i think he will grow to be the very best person he can be, learning at his own rate, in his own unique way, with friendships that i can only hope will last throughout his lifetime!!

Wordless Wednesday!!

Loving Jackson!!

Prayers for Gabe!!

Sending lots of prayers out today for little baby Gabe as he undergoes his second open heart surgery. Please keep this precious little boy and his family in your thoughts and prayers today.
You can use the photo to link to Gabes blog to read updates on how he is doing.
((thoughts and prayers))

Blogs

I have added the photos for both Gabe and Parkers websites, but being new to the blogging world cannot for the life of me figure out how to turn them into links. I mean, i have a website, and i have turned photos into links there, but just can't figure it out on here. HELP!!! If anyone can help me, please please do........i'm so lost...LOL
Thanks

Mother's Day!

Hope that All the mom's out in "cyber land" had a GREAT Mother's Day!!

(((hugs)))

Jo and Jackson

My funny, beautiful, baby girl!!!

May 8th was my daughter Jennifer's, 16th birthday. My beautiful, witty, smart, funny, awesome, baby girl is sweet sixteen!! God I feel old...LMAO

Happy sweet sixteen baby!!!

Balanced school day

Jeremy called me today, wanting to come home for second lunch because he was hungry. He was hungry because he had eaten everything i had packed him at first lunch. (1 sandwich, 1 apple, 1 juice box, and 2 school snacks) First lunch, second lunch?? Yep, that's right, you read correctly. For the last few years the school that my children go to has decided that instead of doing the morning recess, lunch, then the afternoon recess, that they would do what they call "the balanced school day."
This means that at 10:30 am the children go out for their first lunch. They get 1/2 hour to eat and then 1/2 hour to play outside. Then comes 12:50pm. That is when second lunch starts. Again they have 1/2 to eat and 20Min's outside. The big problem with this is that the kids are expected to bring in two lunches. Now hold on....never mind the fact that i have 3 children in school and all these lunches add up, ignore the fact that allot of families are struggling to send in enough for one child, (with one lunch), but what about the same school sending home newsletters about our obese children?? Hello??? You want us to send in an extra meal and your complaining that the kids are obese?/ WHAT??
Now call me crazy, but when the weekend is here, i am NOT feeding my children 4 meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks in between, sure, but not extra meals.
Am i the only one who completely hates this new schedual? They say it is a way of preparing our children for the REAL world.
Well, i have yet to see two lunches in the REAL world. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Geeeessh. It amazes me how "they" can change the whole day.
It's almost as bad as the letter J losing it's top at schools nowadays. Yup. My children (whose names all happen to begin with a J) have gotten into trouble for topping their J's. It is no longer done. What?? Changing the alphabet, changing the way we eat meals each day..........what is our school system coming to?

Funny Friday!!

What?? You said get in the highchair!!!......LOL

AARRGGG!! Venting today

Well, i caved under the peer pressure and joined facebook recently. I had joined myspace a few months ago and was quite happy with that expierence, but i still had a few friends who wanted me to join facebook. So, i joined, and after i join somewhere the first thing i do is check out their groups. I searched and added myself to some of the Down syndrome groups. But as i am doing this, i run across all of these groups that people have set up to make fun of people wth disabilites, mainly Down syndrome. I couldn't believe it. The things some of these people were saying. I am so appalled!!. I have reported a bunch of these groups (so has a friend who i was talking to on msn while looking through these groups) but wonder if one voice alone is going to be enough. Should i fight the fight here, or walk away? Everything in me wants to freak out about this!! This is uncalled for! I can't believe that there are people out there who have nothing better to do with their time than to make fun of those who can't defend themselves.
For those of you who have facebook accounts, click groups, search Down syndrome and read away.........let me know what you think. Am i upset for nothing? Should i let it go as there is always someone, somewhere who is completely ignorant? or should i keep on fighting?

Sick, sick, sick

Last friday i had a bit of a sore throat. By Saturday it was really sore, and my right ear was killing me. I was barely sleeping. By Sunday morning, i woke my hubby up and asked him to drive me to the clinic. I had hardly slept, my head was pounding, my ear was really hurting and my throat was just raw. Turns out that i have Tonsellitis. (the other option is Mono) neither one is really appealing at my age. sooooooooooo, after 3 days on antibiotics, and no body rash, i am assuming that it is not mono, and seeing as i am beginning to feel a bit better, it must be tonsellitis. Oh joy, oh fun. Now Jen says her throat hurts......aarrggggg........so to make a long story short....sorry for the lack of new posts....i just haven't had the energy. Maybe in the next day or so.