Help for Christian!

I know many of you have been following baby Christian's story, and for that I thank you. He is making amazing progress, and I know that is partly because of all the positive healing thoughts coming his way. Well, you know I'm not generally the type to ask, but Christian needs a bit more than that right now. He needs funds.

Christian will soon be starting Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments, which have been proven to help children with brain injury to recover at least some function. They are truly amazing, and right now, are Christian's best hope for walking, talking, and playing again. Of course these treatments are expensive, costing about $100 per session. They are not covered by insurance.

It is also possible for Christian to receive at-home treatments in between visits to the official HBOT center, but he needs a special chamber to do that, of course. Amazingly, one of the August moms found one on craigslist for $4000. After sharing Christian's story with the owner, she agreed to part with the chamber for $2500. Now, that's a spectacular deal, but it's still out of reach for Christian's family right now.

This is where you come in. If 250 people donated as little as $10 each, it would be paid for! If 100 people donated $25, we'd have it! I KNOW we can do this. Please, if you can spare anything, it will be put to good use. After we have enough for the at-home HBOT chamber, the remainder of donations will go toward the HBOT Center treatments.

Like I said, I don't normally ask for much. But Christian needs your help. Please keep him in your thoughts, as always. But please also consider donating to help him get this much-needed piece of equipment. THANK YOU! The link to Chip In is on the right!

If you want to read about Christian's Journey check out his mom's blog. Today she wrote a very sweet and true post about our online mommy group, where I know Christian and his family from, which she called Internet Aunties. It very succinctly explains how close we are and what this group has meant to each of us, and obviously especially to her right now. I invite you to read the comments at the bottom from the other August Mamas to truly get a feel for how many of us there are and how close we have become as a group. :)

The Nutrition Deficit Disorder Book

"The N.D.D. Book" by Dr. Sears. N.D.D., or Nutrition Deficit Disorder, as coined by Dr. Bill Sears, is based on the idea that if "you put junk food into a child's brain, you get back junk behavior and learning." He emphasizes a whole foods approach to eating (or "Real Food" as he calls it) and shows scientifically why foods made in a factory (or that are processed) cause havoc in a young child's body and mind (actually in adults too). Basically you should feed your child (and your self) foods that are found in nature (fruits, veggies, eggs, lean meats, nuts, whole grains, etc.) vs. food that has been processed in a factory (think any thing in a package or container for the most part).


I bought it as a parent trying to figure how to feed my child in this over processed world plus I wasn't sure what to feed Jaxon now that he is moving off of baby food. I found, as a teacher, that I want all parents to read this book. It seems like, from the title, that it is geared toward only kids with a disorder (ADD, OCD, etc.) but when you read it it is actually for all parents of all kids in attempt to prevent the rising occurrences of these disorders. I am already a firm believer in nutrition being a vital element in wellness and health, as well as a huge factor in helping the environment but this book made an even stronger argument for being vigilant about what is put into your child's body as "food" for the sake of their mental and physical well-being.

I thought it had great information, research in an easily readable format, and recipes, as well as ways to teach and help your kids learn about food in fun ways. My favorite bit that I learned from this book was the concept of "traffic light eating".



One of the best books I have bought in awhile. Just thought I would share.

I am also considering taking the L.E.A.N. Training with my family (i.e. anyone who is feeding Jaxon) and possibly becoming a coach to help others learn to do the same. I think it would be a good thing for my family, my profession, and it could be a side job. Just a thought at this point though. We will see.

Wordless Wednesday #25: Fun with Photobooth Effects

Hope for Christian

Hope by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.


It has taken me a week to post about this as I was waiting to see Christian's progress and also to give myself some time to process. The news about Christian weighed on me (and still does) heavier than I would have expected for someone I have never met. Christian, an 11 month old the same age as Jaxon from my August Online Mommy Group, nearly drowned a week ago and has been fighting hard in the hospital to get back to health. It was a tragic accident. Just looking at my super busy and tremendously curious baby, I can easily see any number of "accidents" happening in the blink of an eye. It is so sad that one actually had to happen to Christian. I have spent the last week checking in on Facebook and my mommy group several times a day to check for updates on his progress and to see how his mommy, Shauna, is doing. Recently she started a blog about Christian's journey to getting well and that has been such a nice resource to have for those wanting to know how both mommy and baby are doing. Like baby Maggie, who left us far to early, Christian reminds me how fragile life is and how amazing my little man is. What a blessing it is to have the chance to be a mother. To know that kind of love. Incidents like this make you slow down and evaluate all of the "things" that seemed to bother you. It is too bad we have such a hard time doing this daily without a significant reminder. I just think of Christian and I hold Jaxon a little tighter and longer, and feel a tremendous weight for Shauna who just wants to do the same to her son.

Shauna and Christian need all the positive vibes and support they can get coming their way. Check out Shauna's blog and pray/hope for Christian to go home with his family soon the happy and healthy little guy he was before. Hope is an amazing thing.

Hope is the thing with feathers...

30 Day Countdown!

Yep, my baby Jax is 11 months old! Can you believe it? Seems like last week we were bringing him home for the first time and here we are almost a year later. It is crazy how fast time flies with a baby. Watching all of the milestones pass and seeing your little baby turn into a little boy. I can't believe that in a short 30 days we will celebrate his 1st birthday. It really just blows my mind. It seems he has hit a learning curve right now as every day he is changing and accomplishing more new things. It amazes me how rapidly the human brain grows and acquires new information at this point. It is like he is downloading everything he encounters and is processing it right back out at the world. He is signing to us often now as well as trying many words verbally. He can sign "milk", "all done", and "eat". He is attempting many words and sounds...too many to list. He is still crawling at lightning pace and cruises the furniture like he has done it for years. He is still not walking yet but does attempt to stand/balance for increasingly more extended periods of time. I swear he has grown about 2-3 inches and 3-5 pounds in the last month or so and his appetite has grown to match that increased growth. I am thinking it is time to move Jaxon to bigger people food soon. He eats a lot of what we eat off of our plates but still does a lot of purees which I think he has outgrown. I think it is time for me to start researching toddler diets since he can chew food very well and seems ready. He is also attempting to self feed using silverware but isn't very good at it at this point. I still do most of the feeding when a utensil is required but try to give him chances here and there to try it for himself.

Today I signed him up for daycare for the Fall when I return to work. He will be going 3 days a week to a Kindercare around the corner. I think I will have a harder time than him with this change. Jaxon has been taken care of by family since the day he was born. It seems strange to me that he will now be in the hands of strangers for his daytime care. I worry, as I am sure most mommies do, about putting him in daycare. Will they take good care of him? Will they understand his needs and wants? Will they care for him and show him a loving touch? It is so hard for me to even think about. I did my research and visited several places before I decided. I was looking for a safe, secure, and clean environment where his cognitive and social development would be nurtured with a caring approach. I think I found a good place but it still isn't me or our family. I just hope he adjusts well. I know we have some things to work towards to get him ready for the youngest toddler room. If he were going now he would be in the infant room but once they hit 12 months and are walking they are moved up to the 12-18 months room. I assume that he will be in this room at 13 months and he has a few things to learn by then. He needs to be able to sit at a table and eat big kid food, he needs to be able to sleep on a cot at nap time, and he needs to be able to drink from a sippy cup (no bottles). He can do some of this some of the time but not on a consistent basis yet. I am most worried about the napping on a cot as he is in a crib now and I think it will be a big adjustment for him. Also he is on a 2 nap a day schedule, which is very needed, and they will have him on a 1 nap a day in the afternoon schedule. Maybe he will be so tired by nap time that he won't try to crawl off of his cot at naptime, which is my biggest concern about him going into that room. I know that everything will be fine and he will adjust (and so will I) once we get used to the routine. I am just happy I found a place that makes me feel a little bit ok with this new change. :)

Ok...now for some 11 month photos courtesy of Grandma Shirley:

Wordless Wednesday #24: Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall.

Jaxon's First Fourth of July

Jaxon and Mason meet again!


Last year we were here...but in our mommies' tummies.


You're my friend!


Mommy! What are you doing? Is that a camera?


I look like my daddy, don't I?


Mommy and me at the Kirkland Parade.


My mommy loves me!


Andrea with Mason and Jax.


Watching the parade go by with mommy.


Mmmm...American Flag.


Andrew and Jaxon munch on the flag!


Drew and Conner


The ride home after a fun day. Technically...2 minutes into the ride.

First Birthday Luau Invitation Photo

We are having a luau for Jaxon's first birthday in August. Last night I sent out the evites to everyone. We included this photo of Jaxon on the evite to get everyone in the mood for the party. It should be a lot of fun. :)

Summer Rocks!

Jaxon had his first real summer fun day today complete with great sunny weather, an awesome blow up pool, and a new friend! We decked him out in his swim gear: a diaper bathing suit, wet suit shirt with SPF 50 blockage, and swim hat with same SPF material. He was day-glo but well protected from the sun. Jaxon took to the water like I hoped and knew he would. He loves the water and has no fear (for better or worse). This pool had two slides (one straight and one curvy), a wading pool, two water cannons, a tube to crawl through, and a rock wall. It was DELUXE to say the least. Jaxon jumped right in and showed no fear going up and down the slides and through the tube. He crawled all around the pool part and loved when the guns were aimed at him. He played for an hour at least with Caleb, the son of one of Drew's friends from growing up and one of Shirley's best friend's grandson. The two boys had a blast. Of course Shirley took pictures of the adventure.