Speech Update

Jimmie is doing well! There is not a lot new or exciting as Rachael and Justin are keeping him isolated to protect him from the winter colds and flu.

His 3 therapists came for a visit this week. His speech therapist (and the rest of us) continue to be highly suspicious that Jimmie has Apraxia. Especially in light of the raving review coming from his cognitive therapist. She is just super impressed with Jimmie. Anything she would give Rachael for him to work on is at the 2 year old level. As you know it will be a couple of weeks before his birthday and he is not actually considered 2 years old until his due date May 28th. In other words- Jimmie is one smart little cookie!!! (-:

However those cognitive abilities being so advanced sheds light on the huge gap between that and his speech. He does not say much. He is becoming very advanced with signing, even signing 2 or 3 things in a row to make a sentence. This shows advanced language skills. All the while he is struggling with basic vowel sounds much less full words. He is often accurate with one vowel sound, but as soon as he tries to put another sound with it they both break down. This is all very much deja vu for us as my daughter McKenna has Apraxia.

Jimmie is so sweet. I did get to see him last week as Rachael agreed to bring him by my house for a rare visit. He was so cute! He's developed these adorable little shy mannerisms. When I say, "HI Jimmie!! Auntie is so happy to see YOOOOU!" He stands there and covers his face with his hands, but you can see his huge dimples peeking out between his fingers. Of course there is always the possibility that my over the top excitement to see him freaks him out. (-:

I can't help myself I love my Jimmie SO VERY MUCH!

Love,

Amber

P.S. Jimmie has been pretty hit or miss the past 2 weeks with his eating. He has been cutting his 2 year old molars. Rachael has done very well staying calm and not freaking out when he doesn't eat. This is a big victory for Rachael so give her virtual pat on the back! (-:

Snow Day

We have had 5 snow days here in the last 2 weeks! Jimmie went out to help shovel this morning. (-:

The snow went up to his thighs so he couldn't really move around very well.

Plus it's COLD!!!

He did have fun walking up and down the shoveled sidewalk though.

Jimmie is doing well. He's had a few grumpy days this week where he was not eating or sleeping well. At first Rach thought he was getting sick again. )-: But as it turns out he was cutting teeth. They've finally broken through so he seems to be feeling better.

We love the snow, but cabin fever is starting to set in. 0-:

Love,

Amber

Dear Jimmie- Happy 23 Month Birthday!

Dear Jimmie,

Happy 23 Month Birthday!!

This you right after you were born.

And 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!

Here is your special "Watch Me Grow Montage"!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You have gained 15 oz this month! You are 18 lb 13 oz. This is so awesome because you gained even though you got sick again and didn't eat well.

Your height has increased almost another inch. You are 33 inches long!

Your head has increased to 18 & 1/2 inches around!

You have 123 followers on your blog Jimmie!

Your "Faithfulness" Video Montage has been viewed 14,897 times. That's 394 times this month!

Your "Jimmie's Wonderful World" Montage has been viewed 996 times. And your "High Places" Video Montage has been viewed 728 times!

Your blog has been viewed 2,290 times this month for a total of 120,501 hits! You have a lot of very cool people who love to check on your progress Jimmie.

Physically you are doing well. You are now doing a very good job eating with a spoon! You have most of your teeth and when you are healthy you eat very well.

Sleeping is still an issue. You still wake up in the night, wake up early (4:30am) wanting to eat and you will not sleep at all unless you are in the big bed with mom or dad.

Communication wise you are now putting 2 signs together which is excellent for language development. However speaking is just not happening for you. You worked hard on saying "all done" the other day. You would say "ahhh" and then "dnnn" separately with prompting, but when you tried to put both sounds together it came out, "dnnahh". We are still highly suspicious that you may be dealing with Apraxia.

Christmas was wonderful and you got to come to Ma and Pa's and celebrate with us. You are so sweet and so much fun.

Our new thing that we do together is play "hide and seek". When ever you see me now you manage to communicate by acting it out and signing "more" that you want to play. You were so happy Christmas morning with the gifts, the people and the food! You are truly precious.

New Year's Eve was very low key. You were still getting through the latest virus and your daddy was working. So you and your momma rang in the new year together- sleeping. (-:

Dearest Jimmie, I can't believe it, but in a few short weeks you will be two years old. At this time 2 years ago your mommy was in the fight for your life! Today (Jan 14th) is actually the day 2 years ago that your mommy had the surgery to put in the cerclage that helped to save your life. Jan. 12th 2009 was the date it was discovered that you were in extreme danger. So amazingly and against all the odds you stayed in your mommy's tummy almost a month to the day we were told you were lost. That was an amazing time. While it was one of the darkest times in our lives it was also one of the most miraculous.

By the time your mommy was in the operating room she had almost no cervix left. She was mostly effaced and dilated to a 3. The situation was so dire that the surgeon could hardly do the stitch. Your bag of water was bulging out the opening. There were so many things that could have happened to end your life. The bag of water was eased back up where it should have been without breaking and the amazing surgeon was able to create a sort of a stitch that was better than nothing. However we were told things did not look good. Your mom was labeled the "sub-optimal cerclage patient". We were told almost everyday how little hope there really was for a good outcome. It was horrifying and exhausting, but we fought through. We fought for hope. We, who loved you, truly were "Much Afraid" (from the book Hinds Feet On High Places) Our companions were "Sorrow and Suffering". We climbed up the "Precipice Injury" stumbling and bleeding along the way, attacked by "Craven Fear". I will never forget how terrifying and hopeless that time was. How utterly impossible it seemed that your mommy would make it 3 weeks with you still safe inside her, when every few hours storms of symptoms would come crashing in.

I will also never forget how we were lifted up.

The Shepherd was faithful to us, he gave us his cordial of "Grace and Comfort" while Sorrow and Suffering tied their bodies to ours and helped us up the Precipice.

We were lifted up by the prayers and good wishes of family, friends and strangers. We did everything we knew to do to help you grow strong and healthy. TKM and electrolytes around the clock. The amazing doctors and nurses did everything medically they could, and they did so excellently. People brought meals, cards and words of encouragement. Friends and strangers sent prayers and support. People shared with me how they were up in the night led to pray, I was told about churches all over the country lifting us up in prayer. This blog started as a way to get updates to friends and family also brought us encouragement from strangers who became friends as they sent words of prayer and encouragement.

All of that was our cordial of "Grace and Comfort".

In the end we did make it to the top of the precipice. You were still born tragically early, but your life has been anything, but tragic. Right away you were special! You worked hard through your NICU days Jimmie. The nurses and doctors called you , "small, but mighty"! You only had one really rough patch that you fought through amazingly. We who love you had a new name, instead of "Much Afraid" we were now "Grace and Glory"!

I often think about how you are now and the little struggles of day to day life that sometimes bring us down. I think about how if back then, 2 years ago, before you were born, when all of the doctors were telling us how very grim your future was- if back then we had one blog post to look at- with perhaps a picture of you how you are now, beautiful, strong and healthy...

How stunned and awe struck we would have been at that peek into the future! It seemed impossible that your situation would be ok and yet it is.

It's much much more than ok . . .

You are here living life!

You are truly a miracle Jimmie and I will be forever grateful for you- my little hero!

Love,

Auntie Amber

Over The Worst

Jimmie seems to be over the worst of this latest virus. Although he did start a runny nose yesterday. This virus consisted of off and on fevers and runny stools for about a week. He did not eat well during that time, but thankfully the last couple days he has started eating well again. We are also thankful that he didn't lose much. Yesterday he was about 18lb 11oz. I swear we are going to want to have a party when our skinny little Jim Jim hits 20lb!! The poor kid is so scrunched up in his rear facing car seat. He is tall so his long legs are smashed up against the seat back. He has to be 20lb to face forward.

Remember when we used to pray "fat prayers" for Jimmie when he was in the NICU? Lets pray him to 20lb!! Here's a hint- staying healthy is KEY! He gains slowly, but steadily when he is healthy.

Lord help us keep Jimmie healthy so that he can gain weight!

He's in for more house arrest I guess. Rachael is pretty sure this latest virus was a result of mingling for Christmas.

Guess what??? Jimmie POOPED in the potty yesterday! It was more of a- mom noticing some signs and rushing him to the toilet- type of thing, but still... Jimmie is very interested in the big toilet and he knows what it is all about so he was proud of himself!

Go Jimmie go!

Thank you for your prayers!

Love,
Amber

A Very Merry Christmas- By Jimmie Gravitt

Hi guys!

Remember last Christmas how I puked while mom was taking pictures of me in my new toy? You don't remember... Well- here, let me jog your memory! That puke involved a rogue piece of tissue paper...

HA HA HA!!!

Okay so puking is not nearly as common of an occurrence for me now as it was last year, but I managed to keep this tradition going! I found some yummy chocolate in my stocking. I got a little choked up and- BLEH!

HA HA HA!!! Ewwwww gross!

Ahhhh Christmas traditions... Gotta love them.

So after I fulfilled my duties in "our" Christmas tradition I got to open gifts from Santa!

That yellow dish is part of a set that is mine! I'm very serious about those dishes because it's a grown up gift. I feel so big.

After gifts at my house I got dressed and we went to Ma and Pa's house!

Yes I'm wearing a sweater vest. And yes I know I make that look GOOD!

While we waited for the food to be served Daddy helped me fly. Warning- if you have a weak stomach for dare devil stunts don't watch!

If you are brave enough to watch me fly notice how I sign "more" every time I land.



After flying. . . I ate . . .

After eating.. (I ate good too!) We opened more gifts!

Pa took a video of me opening my gift from Uncle Eric and Aunt Rachel. There are no dare devil stunts in this video so all of you chickens can watch this one. Notice how I sign "open" when I get the box out of the bag.



My loud cousins were subdued for over an hour by my mommy's gift for them. Eggs with baby dinosaurs inside. They had to excavate them out. Things were peaceful for a LONG time! That was a stroke of genius mom!

Then good friends Ted and Pam sang Christmas carols just for little ole me! They have a long standing tradition of caroling the family, but we live kinda far. So I got my caroling on Christmas morning!

I LOVED it!

Here is a video of me enjoying the music.



I signed "more" . . . .

and "more" . . . I LOVE listening to music. Especially when it's live.

After that I took a nap and then went to a Christmas party with Grandma Gravitt's family.

Then the next day I opened gifts at Grandpa and Grandma's (Gravitt) house.

I got my own table and chairs to go with my own dishes!

AND I got a rocking horse!! Yee haw!! I make the cutest little ole cowboy!

Momma had more pictures from Christmas at Grandpa and Grandmas, but her computer and camera are not being friends right now and are in "time out".

I ended up missing Christmas at a couple of extended family get togethers because my momma and dad are trying to keep me healthy. I was doing good until about 5 days ago and then I came down with something. )-: ARG! I know you will pray for me to get better and start eating and gaining weight again.

My Christmas was awesome!

God has blessed me with so much love.

Love,

Jimmie Jim Jim