She is Here!

She is here! Born on Oct 5th at 11:37pm. This is an email Mom sent.

Hi all,

Evelyn Claire Eames is here! She weighs 7lbs 7oz and is 19.5 inches long. She was born last night on 10-5-11 at

11:37. Amber was in active labor for 1 and half hours. It was crazy fast, Love you all Ma

Baby is doing great she seems very observant. Passed the hearing screening. The drugs that Amber was on can cause hearing loss , so we are pleased about that. Amber lost too much blood and was on the edge of needing a transfusion. But is recovering. They arrived at the hospital 20 mins before Evelyn was born.

Cole and McKenna are over the Moon. They are so proud of their baby sister. Cole asked if her breathing was OK and if she was healthy. The nurses in the room looked at him and said" how old is he?" Jimmie and I went to the hospital in the afternoon. He knew exactly who the baby was and said eaea (Evey) He wanted to hold her and feed her.

She is a mix between Cole and McKenna, But beautiful.

Love, Rachael

A boy and his dog

I know this is not the post you were all looking forward to. That one is still in drafts at this moment. Instead you get this little story.

It has turned colder here. So that means not as much time outside. Jimmie would spend all day outside if I let him. I did this summer, you should see his tan. When Jimmie is outside he is playing with his dog Mack, they are inseparable.

I know where Jimmie is because Mack lets me know. I have witnessed Mack gently taking Jimmie's arm in his mouth and lead him away from places he is not supposed to be. If I ever lose track of Jimmie I call Mack and say where’s baby? He takes me to him. Did I mention Mack is an outside only dog? Jimmie has never really seemed to want him inside. Until today, well really it all started yesterday. I was folding laundry in our room, I knew Jimmie was in the living room playing. I came out to put some towels away and Mack was in the house, not just in the house, but with his paws on my kitchen table licking Jimmie’s tray. I quickly shooed him out told Jimmie not to let the dog in.

Fast forward to today. I was cleaning the kitchen listening to music. I knew Jimmie was in his room playing with toys. I went to check on him, he had shut the door and the light was off I could hear he was playing with a light up toy in the dark. I left him alone, I checked again same thing, I did not open the door. Then he comes out with you guessed it- the DOG! He was in his room for at least 20 min? Now his room smells like dog. I might be fighting this battle all winter long.

Blessings, Rachael

Dear Jimmie- Happy 2nd Developmental Birthday!

Dear Jimmie,

On May, 28th you officially turned 2 years old.

This is you the right after you were born!

This is you today!

Look at how you have grown next to your Rottweiler Puppy!

Look at how you've grown in your father's hands!

You weigh 20 lb 3 oz.

You are 33 1/4 inches tall.

Your head 18 1/2 inches around.

You have 131 followers on your blog Jimmie!

Physically you are continuing to progress very well. You are jumping with both feet coming off the ground. You are running and climbing everywhere. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with you and keep you safe. You absolutely love the water and now that the weather is warm your momma takes you swimming and you've visited Table Rock Lake twice. You will just charge right into the water- NO FEAR. You don't really mind when your face goes in the water. Your momma keeps floaty devices on you and you maneuver around like a fish!

You are finally done cutting all of your teeth! Yeah!

You are sleeping very well. You sleep in your own room all through the night and you go down without a fit. You love to put your doggie and your other stuffed animals to bed yourself.

You recently had a visit with your Developmental Pediatrician who is now pretty convinced that you have Apraxia of Speech. You are doing very well though. You are trying to talk a lot. You pretty much says the 1st consonant of a word but you have a hard time with vowels. Your speech therapist says your speech pattern is very "different". For example you say "thun" for "all gone". It seems that you make up words for things but you stay consistent with that word. You have about 25 words, but only maybe 5 or 6 are understandable. You are continuing to sign very well, and are not getting frustrated.

You eat very well overall! You do have good days and bad days, but no hunger strikes for long stretches. You are drinking a lot more now that it is hot. You are such a big boy Jimmie, that you are drinking water from an open cup sometimes!

Now that you are 2, your doctors and therapists will no longer be adjusting your age. Your real birthday of Feb. 11th will now be the only date considered in your development. This is a huge milestone for you. 2 years old is also a huge milestone in your history of "house arrest". Your doctors and therapists are now encouraging your mom and dad to socialize you more and relax a bit in the quest to protect you from viruses. It is now time to allow your immune system to grow and develop and being exposed to the normal colds and flu's is part of that.

So you have started going to Sunday school! Your momma stays in the room with you and helps when you need direction. You are also having play dates with friends and cousins! You are very apprehensive to join in the play on your own. You have to be taught how to play with other kids. You have had hardly any opportunity to socialize with children so it is very new and overwhelming for you. But you will get used to it and be the life of the party soon- I'm sure!!

Jimmie- I am so excited about this next season of life for you! Your world is opening up and you are now living life as a "normal" child. I am overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving that this time is now here for you. Jimmie, you have conquered the crucial 2 years after a traumatic early birth. You have conquered those 2 years in a glorious fashion. There have been trials and tribulations, but you, our "small but mighty warrior" are victorious!! Your momma and daddy have fought beside you and for you every step of the way, so the victory is also theirs!

Our Holy Father has held us up, given us strength and wisdom in your care. He is faithful!

Your scripture- the theme of your journey is so true that I can't help but quote it again and again!

"For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places."

Jimmie in a couple of weeks we will celebrate this milestone with family and friends! We are running, jumping, dancing, singing and playing with you on our "high places" on "your high places" Jimmie! It is good to be here..

I thought I'd repost your montage I made for you this year. You love it and you watch it all the time. I also linked it for you on the side of the blog. (-:

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Love you forever,

Auntie Amber

P.S. The pictures and Jimmie's stats were taken at the end of May. (-:

My Easter And Other Things- By Jimmie Gravitt

Well guys- It's been a while since Auntie let me write a post.

My new baby girl cousin who's growing in her belly has made her really sick. But Auntie is feeling much much better now, FINALLY!!

I'm going to tell you about my Easter, but first I want to let you know what I've been up to lately. I'm a hard worker. I'm also very big. I have my own tractor and I've been hauling a lot of gravel lately. Here is a video of me hard at work:

Okay so Easter was fun. I got to dress up cute and go to church and then I went over to Great Grandma Paula's to hunt Easter eggs. My Grandpa and Grandma Gravitt were there too. I got the hang of "the huntin Easter egg thing" pretty quick and boy did I find a lot of eggs! Here is a video of me right in the thick of the hunt:

Later we went to my Great Uncle Kevin (My Pa's brother) and Aunt Nadine's house for more egg huntin. Uncle Kevin has the best digital camera IN THE WORLD and he took some great pictures of little ole me.

I like hangin with my Pa!

I like pullin silly faces with him too.

I also love ridin things with wheels!

Look mom! I'm awesome!

Ok, now I know this is starting to look bad . . .

Real bad!

Real real bad . . .

But it's cool, I'm tough, no biggie...

What's a little spill when you were born so early you have to fight to breathe and eat?? (-:

Well that was my Easter.

I have a few other things to tell ya'll. I started Sunday School yesterday! Mom is finally letting me out of seclusion. AND my developmental birthday was Saturday, May 28th. I am now OFFICIALLY 2 years old! This is apparently a very big deal and mommy is plannin me a big ole party and working with Auntie on a new "developmental post" coming soon.

Thanks for prayin and carin about little ole me!

Love,

Jimmie Jim Jim

better

Things in both houses are going better.

Amber went to the hospital on Monday. They tested for the flu and gave her an IV for fluid. She was negative for the two flu strains they tested for. She was relived to not need to be medicated. She is feeling better, still sick but better. David has been very sick too, He is feeling better, McKenna seems to be getting over it. Cole still had a high fever today. He should start feeling better by tomorrow.

Amber had her regular OB appointment today. She has not lost weight! They want her to eat iron rich foods and not supplement right now. This was the first Doc. visit that her urine was clean yea! She is basically back to where she was before she got pregnant. The Doc. was happy about that. They are going to start weaning her off the zofran pump when she is feeling better. (getting over the flu) Her BIG ultrasound is next week. Please pray with us that the baby looks great.

My household seems to be better. I am feeling better. Jimmie still has a ton of snot, his cough seems to be better. I do not hear any crackling in his chest but he is still congested.

Lets pray Mom and Justin stay well.

Jimmie was playing outside yesterday in the shed. I caught him in the old firebird. If you look closely you can see the snot. He is sporting a nice farmers tan these days.

Love, Rachael

Sick :(

We could really use prayers right now. First and foremost Amber is sick, she is trying to stay out of the hospital. She has had trace to moderate keytones in her urine. She is in communication with the nurse and they are monitoring her closely from home. Well from my Mom's house. She has a fever that she has to take Tylenol every 4 hours to keep down, it is still 99.7. She has given herself two bolus of Zofran to keep her food down as well. She feels horrific. She really hates taking meds so she is really sick to be taking them like this. The baby is moving around a lot and even kicked Cole's hand. He was delighted.

McKenna has a fever of 102.7 and is lethargic and has the chills

I have a fever of 100 and a very full head and sore throat

Jimmie still has a lot of snot, he has been kinda gaggy, and a few coughs here and there. I am listening to his lungs with my stethoscope (yes I do that) I don't hear any crackling but I do worry about his lungs.

Andrea (my Mom) she is trying to tend to everyone. Mom is not sick but lets pray that she stays that way. Thankfully Justin is home today and I think Rod and Kathy will come out tomorrow to help me.

I know this is not the end of the world but it feels like it. Can I just keep Jimmie in a bubble please!

Love, Rachael

Developmental Peadiatrician visit

Jimmie Recently had a visit with his developmental Peadiatrician Dr. H. I was expecting him to not be pleased with how skinny Jimmie is. Dr. H was not happy about his weight but was very pleased with his variety of diet and how much he eats. He was also pleased at how much he has grown in head circumference and height, He felt like he had made a huge cognitive jump and is not worried about Jimmie getting enough nutrition to feed his brain. He also said he seems to be "caught up" (minus his weight and speech) A huge relief for me. I went in to the appointment feeling like it was D-day.

However he is very concerned with his lack of speech. His language is very good, i.e. he understands pretty much everything we say. It is looking very much like apraxia (the same diagnoses that Amber's daughter McKenna has) Interestingly enough it is not something related to his prematurity. He communicates very well using signs, he has about 50 . He has about 20 words/sounds. but the average person could understand maybe 2 of them. We are moving to speech therapy two times a week. We have 1 hour session, he is not yet two adjusted so his attention span is short, he concentrates and works hard for 10 min out of the hour. I work all day with him on sounds and words. It is just really hard to see him struggle for every sound. He wants to communicate and has a lot to say. In the long run will be OK, but part of me wants to say "give him a break breathing, eating, and talking should not be this hard" I know that we are so blessed at how well he is doing and how much worse it could be.

The big change: Dr. H. wants me to have him involved with peer groups. Jimmie's therapists have been pushing me to do this for a few months now. They think it would really help his verbal skills. I am really trying to let go and not worry about him getting sick. Dr. H said he needs to get sick and build up his immune system. I know this but I really hate it when he is sick ugh. So he will start Sunday School at the end of May (two adjusted) I will try and do play dates with cousins and such. I could really use prayer to let go.

So all and all very good, Dr. H wants to see him in December to start talking about when he turns 3 (gulp) we will lose all of our in home therapist and have to transition to the school district, or private therapy.
Love, Rachael

PS Amber has managed to stay out of the hospital for 3 weeks. She is on the Zofran pump 24 hrs a day (with a few min off to change the site) She is having some anxiety for the next few weeks. They will try weaning her from the pump. If that doesn't work it is assumed she will stay on it for the whole pregnancy. She also has the anatomical ultra sound in a few weeks. Given my history with it she is anxious about that as well. She is having pain in the needle sites around her belly button she is now changing them every 12 hours and it is helping. She is gaining weight just very slowly (sounds like someone else?) She is doing better at staying hydrated and able to eat but is still experiencing extreme fatigue. Her Iron levels are low but they don't want to supplement right now. The supplements can cause stomach upset, she had this side effect from them in the past. The low levels are contributing to the fatigue. Over all she is better.

PPS Jimmie and Amber and her kids are sick fever colds etc.. Pray for them.

4 year anniversary

April 7th is our (Justin and I's) anniversary. This year was the first year nothing horrible was happening. Our first year we had just found out about Gracie and were waiting for our level 2 ultra sound. Needless to say we did not feel like celebrating. Our 2nd year Jimmie was in the NICU. I had no idea what day it was much less the actual date. I was exhausted from pumping around the clock. I don't even remember if I knew when it came. Our 3rd year Jimmie had gotten the G-Tube and was vomiting around the clock. I vaguely remember thinking about it.

This year we were not in crises. Two days before "the day" I asked Justin if he wanted to do a 24 hour get away. He said sure, he did NOT think I would make it happen. He had no idea how much I wanted to celebrate. I called Grandma Kathy, "yep she and Grandpa would love to have Jimmie for a "sleep over" I called the Elms

a beautiful historic hotel about 30 min north of us. Booked a room and told Justin we were leaving tomorrow. He was very surprised.

After Speech Therapy. I took Jimmie over to Grandma and Grandpa Gravitts, and away we went. Boy did it feel weird, we went to Red Lobster for lunch, the whole 24 hours we ate way way to much. We visited a museum and the homestead of Jesse James. (yes the outlaw) We have always wanted to do that.

We saw a movie, and swam in the pool and had a wonderful relaxing time in the hot tub. Oh and did I mention sleeping in? I woke up at 7am not much sleeping in but still an hour longer than what Jimmie will let me do. I then WENT BACK TO SLEEP. We did a little shopping. I should say looking, we didn't buy anything. Took a walk over the grounds of the Elms.

Then went back to pick up Jimmie. I do want to let y'all know I only called twice to check on him, I give my self a pat on the back. I do have to say I was not worried about him, I love my in-laws. Jimmie was napping when we got back. Grandpa said he slept through the night in bed with them. He ate good, and only asked for me once right before bed. He woke up from his nap in a foul mood. I was picturing this wonderful snugly reunion. After all I had been gone ALL NIGHT. Ummm no he was mad, I don't think at me. It took him a bit to come out of the mood. But he was fine. It was a wonderful anniversary.

Love,
Rachael

P.S. Amber is doing better. She has been set up with home health and is on a Zofran Pump. This works by pumping the Zofran in under her skin through a small catheter. She has to stick herself every 24 hours to change the site. However she has started developing painful lumps under her skin so now she has been advised to stick herself and change the site every 12 hours. It's all worth it though because this pump is keeping her from needing iv hydration. She is finally able to eat and drink enough to stay out of the hospital and gain just a little bit of weight. She still suffers from nausea when she moves around too much and when she drives so she still could use your prayers. We are so grateful to have you all praying for us!

Gracie's Day

Today is the day Gracie was born. It's been 3 years! My heart aches with joy and sadness over her life.

I wrote the following on her 1st birthday:

Gracie's foot prints

This video is about the song! The images were just stock images.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Gracie Anne Gravitt passed away in her mother’s womb Thursday, April 17th 2008. She was born Saturday, April 19th 2008 -- and spent 90 precious minutes in the loving arms of her parents Rachael and Justin, her Grandparents Rod, Kathy, Jay and Andrea, and her Auntie Amber. She was 1 pound 8 ounces and 10 and a half inches long.

Gracie Anne Gravitt is buried at the foot of her Great-Grandpa Gravitt. Her Grandpa Rod said his dad (who had 5 boys) always wanted a little girl. It seemed very fitting to lay Gracie to rest there.

Rachael wrote the following in September 2008:

When we found out how very sick Gracie was I knew inducing labor while her heart was still beating was not an option for me and I received the grace to continue on with my pregnancy. I decided not to go to work and try and be thankful for the time I did have with her. I received a vision from God of a white robe that was the garment of grace and the Lord was holding it out to me all I had to do was take it and put it on. I did, once I had it on it disappeared like water and I was wrapped in grace. I had to keep putting it on. He also told me to name her Grace because that is what he gave me.

“It has now been five months since Gracie passed away and I have good days and bad days. I am comforted to know that I will be with Gracie in eternity and this time apart is so short. I am looking forward to the day I get to see Gracie's face as God created it. I know I will never be the same. My little girl took a part of my heart and I feel her absence every day. What I can hope is that this experience will make me a better stronger person. That is what Gracie would have wanted. She lived so short a time but taught me so much.

Through Gracie God has given me this: that all we have to do is chose to love in all situations. Love our selves, love others, love and know we are loved. If we love, we don't fear, hate, have bitterness, self pity, anger, or envy. The by products of love are Joy and Peace! And I realized that I need to love. I did love Gracie and still do and it is beautiful that God gave me that. If we love in all situations only good will come of it. Nothing evil ever came out of love. When I start to have the negative emotions I remember that I love(ed) her. Just LOVE. This was the verse I used at our wedding it means so much more to me now.

“Love bears all things

believes all things

hopes all things

endures all things

Love never ends”

Much Love in our Fathers Name,

Rachael” Sept. 2008

Grandma Andrea wrote the following for Gracie's funeral:

“Rachael knew that Gracie was a girl because God told her so and He named the babe Grace. Her middle name is Anne. Guess what? That means grace, too. It comforts me that we have received a double portion of grace! She was God’s Grace! God only gives grace to the humble. Thank you, Rachael and Justin for being humble servants of God.

The apostle Paul spoke about grace often. In 1 Cor. 15:10, Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me did not prove vain…”

Grace is God’s presence in our lives empowering us to be who He created us to be and to do what He has called us to do.

Thank you for sending us this message through little Gracie Anne. And I give thanks for the hope that our Father will make all things work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. I have hope that we will be better people because of Gracie’s life. And while Gracie did not get be all that she was made to be in this life, I have the hope that she will continue to become all God intended her to become. And for now, she has made a deep impact on us in a very good way.

Because Gracie’s tissues were so fragile and swollen, the nurse was not able to make the little clay molds of Gracie’s hands and feet. But it didn’t matter to me. I have the impression of her feet deeply set in my heart. And her little footprints have walked all over me and I have changed forever! It is good.

Jesus said, “Let the little ones come to me.” So Gracie Anne lept into Jesus’ arms. And He blessed her saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

Written by Gracie’s Grandma, Andrea EuDaly.

April 22, 2008”

Grandma Kathy arranged the above with Gracie's little foot prints at the bottom.

I remember driving home from the hospital that Saturday afternoon after Rachael had Gracie. I remember trying to not cry so I could see the road. I had been gone over night. When I got home I hugged and kissed my children and looked up into my husbands face and as the tears welled up I just shook my head and said, “I have no words…” I didn’t and I still don’t truly have words that come close to the reality of Gracie and my experience of her birth, but words are all I have that I can share. Rachael and Justin have a box of little keepsakes from the hospital, they have her ink foot prints and yes- they have pictures that we have decided will remain private. They also have a few ultrasound pictures which we will always treasure as those are pictures of her alive. And we have her spot in the cemetery. Obviously we hurt because we do not have her. We do not have Gracie. Not now . . . We have the hope and belief that some day we will be together. But until then all we have are memories and words.

There are a many memories that stand out for me from the day Gracie was born. Here are the ones I'd like to share:

I remember the picture of a faded leaf they put by Rachael’s door at the birthing center.

I remember waiting in the waiting room surrounded by strangers excited about babies who were being born that day. I remember trying to hide my pain from them.

I remember the ultrasound confirming Gracie’s heart was no longer beating. Seeing the stillness on the screen and seeing Justin’s shoulders slump as he shook his head. And then Rachael looked up and smiled at me through her tears and said, “it’s okay.”

I remember looking around at Mom, Dad, Kathy and Rod and thinking how joyful and exciting this day would have been. And hoping desperately for that experience with Rachael and Justin in the future.

I remember the disappointment that Gracie and McKenna- who were supposed to be only a year apart- would never play together.

This one is hard to explain, but I remember being happy for Rachael that she got to spend the time she did with Gracie while pregnant with her. But sad that the rest of us missed out. I wish I could have gotten to know Gracie even that much.

During the weeks we knew Gracie was dying and after we buried her I remember I didn’t want to leave my house. I remember feeling sick with anxiety about being in public and going to the dance studio alone (without Rachael). And then I remember being so surprised and grateful to God by the strength and grace I received right when I needed it.

I remember the pain and love in the eyes of the people in my life when they looked at me.

I remember the words of prayer, love and encouragement spoken and written by the wonderful people in our lives.

Most of all I remember Gracie. I remember how sad and how wrong it felt that there was no medical focus or concern on Gracie during delivery. I remember the moment she was born wishing that the Doctor or someone would have caught her instead of letting her slide into that big plastic container. I remember how she landed gracefully on her side and how beautiful and peaceful she looked.

I remember being filled with awe at the miracle of life in the moment of her birth. The feeling was much more intense and real then at the birth of my own live children.

I remember thinking how much bigger she was than I thought she’d be and how beautiful and precious she was. (She looked so much like Jimmie.)

I remember going out into the hall with Mom and Kathy after her birth where Rod and Dad were pacing and waiting. I remember their faces searching ours for any response or news. I remember Kathy walking into Rod’s arms, Mom walking into Dad’s arms while I slid down to the floor with my head in my hands and wished David were there with me.

I remember Rod and Dad going in to see Gracie.

I remember my Dad’s face as he held her.

I remember Justin’s face right after she was born.

I remember tears, everywhere, continually.

I remember Justin and Rachael giving her up and watching the Nurse walk out of the room holding her.

I remember the blanket they wrapped her in and the hat they put on her head.

I remember thinking that my cousin’s (Camilla) bridal shower was starting right when Gracie was born.

I remember that evening taking a walk with Dave and feeling that there was a wide chasm in between us of this thing I had just experienced while he was home taking care of our kids. I remember trying to use words to bridge the gap.

I remember the world looked, felt, smelled and sounded different.

I remember not being able to fathom that I would have to cook dinner that evening and clean the kitchen. I couldn’t wrap my brain around how life would go on.

I remember my son asking me why.

I remember knowing I would never be the same and being grateful and sad at the same time.

I remember Gracie’s tiny coffin.

I remember everyone’s faces at the funeral.

I remember walking into what would have been Gracie’s room.

I remember feeling close to God, in touch with the Eternal and knowing without a doubt that the Lord does draw near to the brokenhearted.

“My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9

We are sad today Gracie. We miss you so much. But there is also joy in remembering you today on your birthday. I will never ever forget being with you that day you were born. I will never be the same for looking at your beautiful face and being touched by your life. You will be in my heart forever. We miss you and we love you and we will see you again.

God is good.

Love,

Amber

trucking along

Sorry about the MIA again. This is Rachael writing (I know gasp) I just wanted to update.

Amber is still very sick. She finally saw an OB today. She needed fluid and had an elevated heart rate because of dehydration. Last I talked to her they had her hooked up to IVs They found the baby on the ultrasound. It looks great. She will be going back to the Doctor on Monday to set up a long term care plan. She will be 12 weeks at the end of the week. Please continue to pray for her. She sounded upbeat and relived that the Doctors would be watching her closely. My Mom has been taking care of her and the kids. Amber’s good days are laying on the couch not feeling nauseated. Bad days are laying on the couch feeling nauseated and vomiting.

Last week We (Amber and I) were supposed to visit out dear friend Amy in Vancouver Canada. Jimmie ended up getting sick along with Ambers two children. Vomiting, fever, that kind of thing. We cancelled the trip. We were very disappointed but knew with the kids being sick it would be no fun. Turns out Ambers health went way down hill (see above).

Jimmie came though the sickness very well. He is 100% better now. I don’t think he lost much weight. We are going though a little rough patch with the sleeping, He decided to do the behavioral puke thing again. It only happens when I put him down. So Daddy gets to take a turn with the bed time routine. He is still sleeping about 11 hours at night in his crib and about two hour naps. This morning he was looking outside doing his unh? unh? I look over at him in his high chair he was making the sign for sun! He wanted me to talk about how the sun was coming up. I love that kid! He is still having a hard time speaking but is trying to say more things. I will leave you this this recent picture. It really captures Jimmie's need for movment!

Blessings, Rachael

MIA

So sorry! I've been missing in action the last few weeks. My life has consisted of dry heaving, ER visits for iv and then dry heaving and more dry heaving. I'm very excited to be 8 1/2 weeks pregnant, but not very excited AT ALL to have been diagnosed with "Hyperemesis Gravidarum". That big fancy name basically means- severe morning sickness. UGH!

Anyway-- Jimmie is truckin along doing great! Rachael texted me this hilarious picture of the goofy smile he's pulling lately.



Jimmie is still sleeping really well through the night in his own bed in his own room. He's eating pretty consistently and gaining weight (just slowly) as always. He's working hard in speech therapy. All signs still point towards Apraxia. It's a little early yet to know for sure though...

Tomorrow Jimmie will be 25 months old! Rach and I have decided that we will do 4 developmental birthday letters this year instead of 1 every month. So the next big developmental letter I will write to Jimmie will be May 11th. My plan for the blog this year is to post once a week with a picture and an update for the week. If I'm unable to do that perhaps I can talk Rachael into doing it. (-:

Thank you for your care and prayers for Jimmie!

Love,
Amber

Video Montage

Here is the tribute I did for Jimmie's birthday!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are singing it from the rooftops! Our precious Jimmie is 2 years old!

Love,

Amber

My 2nd Birthday- By Jimmie Gravitt

Hi Everybody,

I had the best birthday party the other day! I'm 2 years old. That's big...

I was so happy when I got to Grandpa and Grandma Gravitt's and saw everybody there to help me celebrate.

I looked around and saw my cousins Cole & Micky!

My Grandpa & Grandma Gravitt.

My Auntie Amber, GG Paula and Pa!

I saw my Ma!!

And of course my momma and daddy were there too.

As soon as I got down I made a beeline for the laundry room. I love the buttons on the washer and dryer. I love to watch them spin. But I'm not supposed to touch those buttons...

So I got scolded... That made me sad.

I got over it quickly though. There were other things to do. Presents to open.

Wow! I'm so big now I got my own computer!

Momma's probably hoping this will stop me from messing with her laptop.

This is pretty cool, but momma's hopes better not be up about that.

I needed help getting some of my new toys out of their packages. I told momma, "open" with my hands.

This new train . . .

. . . is totally cool!!

Sometimes you just need a break from unwrapping. I chose to recharge by riding my horse I got for Christmas.

I rode so fast the camera could hardly catch me for a picture.

Everybody cheered for me!

I wore that horse plumb out. So while the horse had a nap- I opened more presents.

I love books! So does my cousin Cole.

I made sure he knew this ladybug book was mine too.

After the books I opened a barn full of farm animals!!

And then colors and a coloring book.

Grandma helped me color. . .

I decided to taste the pretty yellow crayon.

It wasn't very yummy.

Then I went back to my horse to work on him with a tool Grandpa used to put him together at Christmas. I love tools and working on stuff.

Speaking of tools I got a hammer and something to pound!

I am wild when I hammer. My cousin Cole almost got hammered cause he was too close to the construction zone.

After the hammer fun I opened . . .

A whole tool set!!

I even have my own safety goggles.

These will keep my baby blues safe while I'm sawing and drilling and stuff.

Everybody made a big deal about how cute I looked and I got a little shy.

After that I surveyed my loot. I got so much stuff there is not time for me to tell you about all of it. But lets just say- I heard momma say she was putting up all of my toys at home to make room for my new ones. Don't worry- she rotates my toys so I'll see my old ones again soon. Momma is smart like that.

The presents kept coming! You guys will not believe what I got next!

A John Deere Tractor of my very own!

It has a pedal that makes it go.

And a steering wheel.

And shovels on the front and the back that I can control with levers.

Man I'm big!!!

I even took my cousin Micky for a ride.

She may have been nervous.

I told her not to worry. I'm a good driver.

Micky also liked riding my horse.

I was worried about her being up there by herself so GG Paula helped me up with her.

Yee haw!!!

Riding double was fun!

My daddy and I showed off our matching tractor t-shirts.

My momma put fire in front of me.

Which I thought was a bit foolhardy.

Then I was supposed to blow out the fire after everybody sang.

But I couldn't make a big enough breeze. Ma helped.

I was so grateful about that I fed her cake.

I think she liked it!

I sure did!

All in all that was a pretty awesome birthday party.

Life is good!

Love,

Jimmie Jim Jim

P.S. Make sure you read my 24 month birthday letter!