{Major} Jaxen Update

Wow, seems like a long time since the last time I updated.  Just goes to show you how busy my life has become!  No one very said that raising kids was easy, and now I know why!  It's the most difficult yet rewarding job there is.  But I think I'm doing a pretty good job at it.  Although some days, my children would tell you differently!

Jaxen has gone through all his testing and we've had our meeting with the school district.  I finally have all the paperwork and results in hand so I can share with you all.  Sorry ahead of time if this is long, but they tested so many areas!

First off, I got the official diagnosis for Jaxen's sensory testing.  Jaxen does demonstrate sensory concerns. The tests showed that Jax is not overly sensitive to input from his environment.  He scored in the probable difference level in the low registration and sensation seeking areas.  Which indicate that he seeks sensations MORE than other children his age.  Children who are sensation seekers are active and continuously engage in their environment.  The often make noise all the time, fidget, rub or explore objects with their skin, chew on things, and wrap their body around furniture and people as away to increase input during tasks.  They may appear excitable or seem to lack consideration for safety while playing.  The low registration score indicates that Jaxen may be missing cues in his environment, especially in the auditory area.  This could be due to his constant need for movement and sensation seeking behaviors which do not allow him to notice more subtle things.  He scored in the probable difference levels in four out of nine areas overall.  These scores indicate that he is a definite sensory seeker. 

This means that once he starts school, Jaxen would be provided a sensory 'diet',  This 'diet' would provide him with scheduled, regular times when Jaxen would be guided to play in ways that would meet his sensory needs.  For example, his teacher could not take away recess for bad behavior.  And there could be times when Jaxen becomes a distraction in the classroom that a para would come and take Jaxen on a walk or engage him in an activity that would meet his sensory needs and enable him to return to class ready to focus on classwork.

Even though we did not report any hearing or vision concern, Jaxen was tested in both areas.  He passed a functional vision screening in both eyes.  He also passed both the Puretone Hearing Screening and Typanogram screening for hearing loss. 

For Speech and Language, our main area of concern, Jaxen was tested with three different tests:

The first test, Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2, assesses the child's ability to produce consonant sounds.  With an average score being 100, Jaxen scored a 69 with 63 errors.  This scores him at BELOW expectations for his age.  He could not produce all age appropriate sounds in at least one word context.  The errors that he made, should be correctly produced by the majority of 3-year-old children.  Jaxen's errors were substitutions and omissions of sounds.

The second test, Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale-3, is a 132-item checklist that uses observational information reported by the parents to identify any major receptive or expressive language problems in infants and toddlers up to three years of age.  {This is the test that Jaxen took at 20-months old that scored him with an age equivalent of 10-months}  Again, with an average score of 100, Jaxen scored a Receptive Language Score of 83 with a Below Average Rating and an Expressive Language Score of 76 with a Poor Rating.  The total Language Ability Score for this test was a 75, putting him at an age equivalent of 21-months.  {He was 34-month-old at the time of testing.}

Receptively, Jaxen understands just about everything {it's not uncommon for this score to be below average} but expressively, Jaxen has some work to do.  He is unable to use a least 50 words, say at least two new words each week, use real words when something has happened to him, use words ending in with -ing, have definite beginning and ending sounds, use words when needing help with personal needs, tell you where something might be (in, by, on), and refer to more than one by adding (S) on the end of words.

The last speech and language test, was a Speech Sample.  This test identifies his sound errors.  A 3 year old should be about 75% intelligible to an unfamiliar listener.  Jaxen was judged to be about 50% intelligible.  This test also inspected Jaxen's oral structures and revealed no abnormalities that hinder speech production.  His mouth, tongue, lips were intact and symmetrical.  Jaxen demonstrated appropriate strength, range of motion, and accuracy of his oral musculature.  Which verifies his burn injuries are not the cause of his speech delay.  His scar tissue is not limiting his ability to produce sounds!

With a score of 100 being average, Jaxen scored a 108 for Cognitive and Intellectual Skills.  Which means even with the speech delay, Jaxen's IQ is ABOVE expectation for a 3 year old.  {We NEVER doubted his intelligence!  He is TOO smart for his own good!}

Academically, Jaxen was given a test called the DAYC (Developmental Assessment of Young Children), which is five sub-tests that measure cognitive, communication, social-emotional development, physical development, and adaptive behavior.  With an average score of 100, Jaxen scored an 84 with a below average rating. 

And finally, Jaxen scored a 120 in the area of social-emotional skills.

SO, after reviewing ALL this information, Jaxen meets criteria for Sound Systems Disorder - Articulation and/or Phonology.  The evaluation report documents the extent to which Jaxen's sound production is outside the limits of State designated normative data and addresses the adverse education impact of the child's sound system disorder.  The student is unintelligible to the unfamiliar listener and the team has determined that as a result of the disability the student requires special education.

So the good news is Jaxen will start speech classes at Cass-Midway in December.  He did not qualify for preschool services.  He is super smart and the ONLY thing is lacks is the speech and language.  Once his speech is caught up, all his other scores will improve also.  At this point there is no need to doubt that Jaxen won't be a caught up and ready to enter kindergarten on time.  He's got plenty of time and a lot of people in his corner.  We meet with Jaxen's 'Team' next week to put on paper a plan of action.  His team not only includes Jerry and I, but also the Elementary School Principal, Speech Teacher, Director of Special Services, and the Parents As Teachers Director. 

Parents As Teachers

Because of budget cuts last year, we were unable to get the boys (Jaxen & Tyler) into parents as teachers (PAT)- even with Jaxen's speech delay.  The school district got cut down to providing services for only 10 families.  You can imagine how super excited I was during back to school night when the PAT coordinator found us and told us that they were able to offer services to more families and we were on her list.

Yesterday, was the first time Mrs.R came out to the house.  It was nice to finally have a program that Tyler could participate in to.  He was so excited that he got to play with the toys and be included.  The PAT coordinator, Mrs. R, is part of the team helping with Jaxen's transition into the school district. So we took this opportunity to try and give Jaxen a few tests that he needs done as party off the transition process.  Jaxen just wasn't having it.  Mrs. R was new and Jax just wouldn't cooperate.  Both his hearing and vision screening were scored as inconclusive.

Tyler's screening showed was I'm beginning to suspect and have plans in place to deal with -- he too is delayed in the speech and language area.  I am not jumping to get him enrolled in services as of now (he is only 15 months old) but I do have everything documented and ready to go when we feel we need to.  The screening showed that Tyler has no concern with his gross motor skills - climbing, throwing, walking.  He is on the boarder with fine motor skills - coloring, recognizing and pointing to objects in a book.  He is definitely behind "average" in speech and language.  So now it's all about timing and when we want to get Tyler into services -- and again, I'd really like to wait until I know he just not a late talker. 

Tyler - 15 month checkup

Tyler weighed in at 25.5 pound and is 30.5 inches tall.  He is in the 60th percentile verses other kids his age. 
Only concern for him is that one again, he is not saying any words.  I take that back, he will say Chloe.  He will copy me when I call for her, it's very cute.  So I guess they say he's not saying any functional words yet.  Which he should be saying new words daily... and have a vocabulary of 15-20 commonly used words by 18 months (which is 3 months away).

Our doctor seemed ready to refer him to Children's Mercy for a speech and language evaluation but I asked to make note of it and refer us at 18 months if there is not improvement.  Lee from first steps said I didn't need the referral from CMH and that we can get Tyler tested with them simply as a parent referral. I'm not sure which route we are going to take but I do know if he still hasn't spoken in 3 months we are starting early intervention.

Tyler also need to have his blood drawn for a lead/iron screening.  So I had to take him over to the lab in the hospital for them to draw blood.  Poor little dude did not enjoy that and was completely ready to go home after all his shots and pokes!

Jacob - 6 year physical

Jacob's checkup this afternoon proved that he is 100% healthy and a small fry!

He is 3 foot, 6 inches tall and 40 pounds.  However, he is only it's the 5th percentile in weight and the 15th percentile in height!  Which by itself can be alarming, but he's been on a constant growth all his life.  His chart shows he's gaining weight and getting taller every year.  Plus, his momma was a pretty small kid growing up.  :-)

Jaxen's Transition Meeting

This morning was our transition meeting with the school district about Jaxen transferring into the their early childhood education program.  It was an easy meeting.  The meeting consisted of Jerry, myself, Jaxen, our Missouri first steps coordinator, the head of Midway's Special Education Department, Midway's parents as teachers cordinator and head of Belton School Districts Special Education Department.  We all sat around the table and discussed our concerns for Jaxen and the difficulty he is having with speech, language and concentration.

We were there for quite a while because Jaxen has quite the file started!  The professionals were very nice and answered all our questions and concerns.  Our next step is our RED Meeting on the 27th, which means we go over all the information that is documented and decide what tests Jaxen should receive.  But between now and the 27th, Jaxen is having a sensory screening (to determine if he can feel pain - where at and to what extent).  {Jerry and I are not sure if he feels pain like the rest of us, most of the time he gets hurt he only reacts for our benefit.  So this will be an interesting test!} And we have a hearing and vision screening that Jaxen will have to complete next week before our RED Meeting.

After our RED Meeting, and his testing, we will get back together to discuss what services Jaxen will be offered.  Our choices are:

1) Continue as is with Speech and Language Therapy but through our school district.  Probably twice a week.

2) If Jaxen is developmentally and behaviorally behind we will have the option to send him to an early childhood education preschool in Belton. The school will provide a bus or van to transport Jaxen from our home to school and back, Monday through Friday. (Not sure how I feel about this... my baby on a bus!)

3) Or our last option is to discontinue services until Jaxen enters Kindergarten.

The next month or so will determine what we can do for Jaxen once he turns three.  Because at three, Missouri First Steps ends their services with him.  The process of transitioning will be extradited because Jax turns three in just 3 short months and if he qualifies for services he can potentially start them on his 3rd birthday.  Normally, this process of transitioning it's started 6 months out, but because that was June and no one was at school then, we are getting a late start.

Please wish it's luck, this is uncharted waters for us! Once again, Jaxen has to do things differently! Lol

I hope I haven't last or confused anyone. If you have questions please ask! Most people are quite about the delays their children have but I feel the need to share it all with you.  You are apart of Jaxen's life and can see the difficulties he faces.  And I think it's important for other parents to see that, delays happen in all types of children. You can't ignore it and I won't.  There is no evidence that Jaxen's burn accident caused this delay, while I am sure it didn't help anything- Jaxen might have been delayed regardless.  With the information and resources we have, Jerry and I are doing everything we can to give Jaxen the best start on life and in education.

Words

Jaxen's vocabulary lists:

1. Understandable words

• Go! (aka Doh!)
• Hello
• Bye
• Milk (aka Mock)
• Dog
• Moon
• Daddy
• Mom
• Uh-Oh
• Eww!
• Vvvroom! (sound of a car)

**************************************************
     2. Un-understandable words (sounds that he makes for these words are ALWAYS the same - thus, he *thinks* he is saying the right word.)

• Chloe
• Jake
• Ty
• Out

It's taken a while, but I think we are finally starting to understand and communicate better with Jaxen.  After his diagnosis, we were given a lot of advice and opened a lot of doors and different ways of thinking for Jerry and I.  Jaxen's been trying to communicate with us all along, Mom and Dad just had to *learn* to understand him.  It seems that Jaxen is starting to say more words and communicate better non-verbally with us. . . it just proves he's known everything all along.  Mom and Dad were the problem and have finally figured out how to show Jax how to communicate with us better.  Things are only going up from here, with the help of Missouri First Steps, we plan on catching Jaxen up in the language department.  Hopefully, by his 3rd birthday he will be caught up completely and not need speech therapy through the school district.  However, failing to meet this goal isn't negative -- we already had in place a retesting date with the school district for a re-evaluation next school year (August/September - after school starts up).  And at that time, if more speech therapy is needed Jaxen will begin speech classes at the school. 

So ultimately, I could have 3 kids in Cass-Midway next year!  :-)
Though only 2 get to ride the school bus.

**This list will update as I think of other words Jaxen says OR if he starts to say more words.**

Jaxen's Speech :-(

Speech and Language of the 18-Month-Old

*Bold/Italic are the things that Jaxen CAN do @ 20-months*

 

Uses 10 to 20 different words

Recognizes pictures of familiar persons and objects

Starts to combine 2 words, such as "all gone", "Daddy bye-bye"

Uses words to make wants known, such as "more", "up"

Imitates words and sounds more precisely

Points and gestures to call attention to an event or to show wants

Points to own toes, eyes, and nose

Brings familiar object from another room when asked

Turns pages of a book a few at a time

Follow simple commands

Makes a tower of 3 to 4 cubes

Knows and says the names of 5 things

Hums and may sing simple tunes

Mixes real words with jargon, on occasion

Develops a play routine

Practices words and word combinations

 



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As you can see, we have some work to do.  Jaxen's speech evaluation appointment at Children's Mercy was a few days ago because he wasn't talking.  And Jaxen was diagnosed with what Jerry and I already knew. . . his lack of talking is NOT normal and it's NOT because Chloe and Jacob do all the talking for him.  Jaxen was diagnosed with a learning disability.  {Man, that is hard to say out loud!}  Jaxen's Receptive language is completely average for his age group.  He understands and comprehends language as well as any other 20-month-old.  However, Jaxen does not have the ability to express himself.  Scoring only a 75, he was diagnosed with Expressive Language Disorder with Articulation Impairment.  Age Equivalent: 10 months.

As hard as it had been to get an official diagnosis and to have to say, "Jaxen has a learning disorder", I now know that we can do something for him.  He's not alone anymore, we are all on the same path.  As our family, I think it's important to keep you all up to date.  We have to push him to say something and at this point a sound is as good as a word.  But we can't push too hard, he NEEDS to have a positive experience with talking or we won't get anywhere. 

A learning disability.  That is a hard pill to swallow for me, somehow I feel responsible.  Where did we go wrong?  I feel like we've failed him in someway.  Of course, it's only a personal feeling because I know in my heart that Jerry and I have done and are doing everything we can for Jaxen.  We've had him tested early, and from what we are told, NOW is the best time to get him back on track. 

With starting so early, Jax will have an easier start in school.  There is a HUGE possibility that by the time Jax starts kindergarten, he will have caught up with his peers and be "cured" of his disability.  With that being said, no disability is curable, just manageable.  He most likely will need extra attention for a while, and not necessarily Special Education classes or Speech and Language Therapy.  With intervening early, Jaxen should progress well in school.  It will be the responsibility of his teachers and Jerry and I to make sure that he doesn't fall behind and to get him the resources he needs to be successful in school.

I know school is a long ways away for Jaxen, but that is the goal that we have set for him.  Ideally, we want him ready to enter kindergarten.  Of course, his speech and language will still be developing so the use of a speech class may be needed.  However, the doctor said that Jaxen's burn to his mouth and tongue could have just set him back.  They have seen cases where when the child has experienced a trauma in his life, there speech/language is affected.  But with speech therapy he should catch up pretty quickly.

Now for our game plan.  Because Jaxen is 50% behind in two categories - Expressive Language and Articulation he should qualify for Missouri First Steps.  Which is like a "Head Start" Program; however, Head Start doesn't start until age 3.  I have called Missouri First Steps to see if he qualifies for speech/language therapy but I'm still waiting to hear back from them (Holiday Weekend).  Children's Mercy Hospital put him on their speech therapy waiting list but we are looking at at least a 4 to 5 month wait.  And I am looking into Parents As Teachers through the school district for help.  

I've made a million calls for help and advise.  We are really wanting to get him on track before he falls too far behind.   Yet another hurdle that we will climb with Jaxen!!  It's a good thing we love him!!  Keep him in your prayers.

35 weeks. . . J & T

Last side-by-side to compare Jaxen & Tyler.

On the left, 35 weeks was the last pregnant picture I have of Jaxen. . . he was delivered 7 days later via emergency c-section and spent 6 days in the NICU.

I took the picture on the right tonight. . . which officially marks the 35 week mark with Tyler.  Let's just hope I have longer than 7 days before he is delivered.

I'm trying really hard not to get nervous -- and I'm trying not to compare the two pregnancies -- but it's hard.  SO many things on my to-do list before Tyler arrives. . . and my personal deadline is 7 days!  In 7 days, I hope to be all packed and ready -- something I wasn't with Jaxen.

Hopes & Fears

Here I am.  Today officially marks exactly four weeks until the beginning of the third trimester.  I've been in the position 3 times before, each pregnancy different - but yet the same.  I should be used to this.  I am used to this.  But this time, it's so very different.  Milestones are sad, knowing that this is the last.  Milestones are sweeter, knowing I'm one step closer without complication.  Milestones are difficult - feeling my body giving out faster.  Heck it should be tired, it's done it 3 times before!
I do find myself wishing this pregnancy would go faster or be over already.  Which is sad.  I'm going to miss this chapter in my life.  I know I am.  It's a miracle each time it happens.  It's lovely, it's fun.  I should enjoy it.  But the truth is, as much as I want to sit back and enjoy everything like I did before - I can't.  My life doesn't stand still. . . I have a super active schedule that revolves around the kids.  And truth is, I LOVE THAT!  This baby is just going to have to come out and go with the punches!!

Right now, I am in full swing with school activities - Cass-Midway Elementary & Kinder Kastle Preschool, Girl Scouts - Daisy Troop, Brownie Troop, Junior Troop, & Cadette Troop, Parents As Teachers with Jaxen, and Library Story & Craft Time with the boys.  Not to mention all the fun things we get to do this month - such as, Disney On Ice, Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Celebration and Field Trips!  Summer should calm some things down but then we start up with Summer Ball with Chloe.

The milestones of this pregnancy are coming and going faster than I can slow down and enjoy it.  And I think that's the way I am suppose to enjoy pregnancy #4.  Right now, milestones are the greatest joy and time to pause and reflect on this journey. 

My biggest fears are associated with complications.  And milestones are getting me through this. . . a few "milestones" that I would like to reach before any complications arise and baby is born would be:

• Getting to the 3rd Trimester (April 1st!)
• Getting through my Girl Scout Camp Out (April 27th, 28th, & 29th)
• Getting out of school for the summer.  (Jacob - May 11th, Chloe - May 15th)
• Just getting to JUNE.  The 1st will make 36 weeks, 5 days -- Meaning I would be pregnant 5 days longer than I was with Jaxen.
• Every day I stay pregnant in June will be a milestone and blessing by itself!!
• Getting to June 17th -- Father's Day -- 39 weeks pregnant, baby can officially come out!!

My mind thinks crazy things sometimes.  But this is what's getting me through. . . I celebrate little milestones rather than sit back and worry non-stop about what could go wrong.  {I think I think about the bad things enough.  Who wouldn't in my shoes!}

Next biggest stress factor -- finding a NAME for baby boy!!  :-)

1st Visit to the Dentist

Chloe, Jacob and Jaxen all had their first visit to the Dentist this afternoon!  I know, most of you are thinking I should have taken Chloe years ago, but really my own insecurities have held me back.  I hate the dentist and when i go, I go alone so that my fears don't rub onto the kids.  However, it was time.  Chloe and Jacob are both old enough and what better time to start them down the right path than now.

Chloe was first.  She was scared and nervous but she didn't let that stop her.  She walked right in, sat down and asked the hygienist to go slow and nice and to please tell her everything she was going to do first.  =)  I couldn't help but think, "That's my girl!"  She laid it all on the line and the lady was really nice and did everything Chloe asked her to do.  Chloe even asked some pretty good questions about all the tools and gadgets.  The hygienist was very impressed with her. 

Chloe started out by getting her very first set of dental xrays taken.  The film hurt her mouth but she was big and brave enough to hold it long enough to get a decent picture.  She loved looking at the xrays!  She was even brave enough to sit through the entire cleaning of her teeth and the fluoride rinse (yuck!).  She did amazing with all the sounds and gadgets that they were putting in her mouth.

Once the dentist came in to check everything out, we got to discuss Chloe's Class 3 - Under bite.

UNDER BITE - This occurs when the lower teeth protrude past the front teeth. It’s usually caused by undergrowth of the upper jaw, overgrowth of the lower jaw, or both. It can also be caused by missing upper teeth. This can prevent the normal function of front teeth or molars, which can lead to tooth wear. It can also cause painful jaw and joint problems.

This is something that she's had for as long as I can remember and it doesn't bother her.  However, I learned today that if we don't fix it now while the baby teeth are falling out and the new teeth are coming in, as an adult it would require extensive surgery to re-align her jaw and then braces to bring the teeth into the correct placement.  *Gulp!*  Our dentist has seen a number of kids with this problem, including one of his own.  And he has an easy fix for it.  Over the next 6-months, Chloe will loose both of the top front teeth.  They are both currently loose.  Hopefully, when the adult teeth come in, they will automatically be the teeth out in front.  However, if they look like they are going to sit behind the bottom row of teeth, Chloe will get crowns glued on to the front set of teeth and over a 2-week period, during normal eating and talking, her teeth will move that direction and her bite will align naturally.  After 2-weeks, the crowns get removed and Chloe goes on like normal.  Of course, the dentist did say that it could take a couple tries with the crowns before the "correct" alignment is achieved and the crowns are a little bigger than normal teeth - so she might look a little funny or off, but they have seen very good results and it's a whole lot cheaper and less invasive than surgery.  And the dentist did say that Chloe could force the teeth forward with her tongue or fingers while they are growing in if she messed with pushing them forward.  So we will see, everything will take course once we see how her adult teeth are coming in!

Other thing that was surprising because she's still a little young, Chloe has her first set of adult molars coming in.  In fact, most of them are a good chunk of the way in.  These molars will need to be capped once they are in all the way to protect them from decay.

Next up was Jacob!  I wasn't so sure about him sitting still through the whole thing, but he did better than I expected.  He was really leery about the tools and gadget that they wanted to stick in his mouth, but they put him in charge of the air sucker and he was in heaven.  While they brushed and cleaned his teeth, Jacob got to hold the air tube sucking out the yuck.  It was so funny to watch him in action.  He even tried to suck up the hygienist's hand while she was cleaning his teeth. 

Jacob didn't get xrays done because he was so antsy, they are going to try next time since he will know what he's there for.  He did however get the fluoride rinse, but because they were worried about him swallowing it, it was a very diluted rinse.  He surprised us all and did great - I told him if he swallowed it I would know because his belly would turn purple!

The dentist checked in Jacob's mouth and said he had a great set of teeth, all his baby teeth are nicely spaced for his adult teeth to come in perfectly.  In fact, his teeth were ideal.  He isn't going to have any of the problems that Chloe might have.  Which is nice to know that we might only have to pay an arm and a leg for one child!  Just Kidding.

Overall, older two did great.  They both got awesome spinning tooth brushes - I always got the old cheap kind!  Chloe's is Cinderella and Jacob has a Red Power Ranger.  Jaxen also got his teeth looked at, but at this point it's more just to have interaction with the dentist and office staff.  His teeth are looking nice and he will get his first "attempt" at cleaning them around 18-24 months, once he has molars. 

Jerry got his stitched taken out.  He's all finished with the dentist until he goes back with the kids in 6-months!  I've already got the appointment scheduled so that he can't back out on me!!  Of course, the dentist did say that if he had any issues before then to just give them a call and they will get him seen asap.  Outside anything crazy, Wednesday, August 6th everyone goes back for another cleaning just before school starts.

Once we got home, Jerry got some of the dog fence posts put up.  After fighting over where to put the dogs, I gave up.  The fence isn't where I would like it, but it will do. . . I just want them out of my house.  Chloe and I also took full advantage of the nice weather and took a ton of boxes and trash to the burn pit and set her ablaze!  It was beautiful outside today - a year ago we had blizzard like conditions and 10.5 inches of snow on the ground! 

So we went from this in 2011:

To this in 2012:

And last but not least.  Here are the pictures of the curtains I made the kids, just as I promised.

Jacob and Jaxen's Room

Chloe's Room

And if you haven't lately, check out the Picasa web albums, I've added a bunch of pictures from my camera and my cell phone!

Crawler Extraordinaire!

Crawler Extraordinaire!

Wowza.  I can't believe it's been a while since I last updated!  A lot has been happening around here and before the month is up, a lot more will happen.

First and for most, we have a crawler in the family!  Jaxen has been cruisin' for a week now but he's finally got it down.  With this accomplishment, Jaxen has become my earliest crawler.  {According to the baby books. . . Chloe - 7months, 11days ~ Jacob - 7months, 23days ~ Jaxen - 6months, 24days} I think it's time to start baby-proofing the living room!! 

Other than crawling, Jaxen has been adding a lot of other "firsts" to the baby book.  He's diet finally consists of more food than formula.  Which is a major pain some days when we are on the go-go-go, no longer will just packing a bottle do.  I am lucky that he is such a good eater.  I don't think I've found anything he refuses to eat. 

We've also started him on snackie stuff that teaches him how to chew.  These Graduate Puffs are awesome because they dissolve in his mouth, so if for some chance he swallows it before chewing it completely he doesn't get choked up.  And they are by far, Jaxen's favorite food.

So here he is, the man of the hour.  Tomorrow he will be 7 months old. . . Doesn't. seem. possible. at. all.

The Shaggy Dog No More!

Jerry and I finally came to an agreement to give Jaxen his first haircut.  And it wasn't him holding us back it was me.  But I think he's loosing some of his hair on the back of his head, so the extra long hair on the top made it look like he had a comb-over.  Enough with the small talk - on to the pictures! 

Jaxen Before. . .

The Pile of Hair Afterwards. . .

 Jaxen After a little Trim!

Now he looks like a handsome little boy!

Okay, it might take some getting used to, but I think I like it!  I think it might make him look a little older.  Please let me know what you think!!!!

Oh, so close!

Well we all knew it was getting closer, especially after I posted those pictures of Jaxen sitting up or reaching for his toys.  The littlest man is determined!!  I have a video for you to watch. . .

I love how in the video, it look slike he has a bald spot. . . he really doesn't.  It's thinner back there but because his hairs a mess along with the horrible lighting - makes him look bald!  LOL
How's that for the first update in JUNE!  (I can't believe it's already June!!)

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! ♥ ♥ ♥  Today we had beautiful weather!  Chloe and I lined our driveway with small American Flags.  I served as a great remember that today was not about BBQ's and a day off of work.  It's about our service men and women who keep us safe and make this a beautiful country!  My kids are still a little young to grasp the entire meaning of Memorial Day but they do know that we are all about the good ol' USA.  Freedom is definitely not free - Do not forget the past and the sacrifices that have brought us here today.  Thank you troops for serving this country and keeping us safe!   

A Memorial Day nap for Jaxen!

 Today was a wonderful day for my family.  Jerry slept the morning away - having worked all night - but he did get up and spend some time with me and the kids before he had to go to work this evening.  This morning, while Jerry was sleeping, the kids and I went grocery shopping.  I had to get some lunch and snack foods in the house now that Chloe is home during the day!  I had a great time with the kids and after about 2 hours in Walmart, we left with most of my sanity intact!

I can't believe how big he's getting. . . it feels like he should start crawling any day now.

Everything goes into his mouth!

 The best part about today was spending it at home with the kids.  I got a few things done around the house, but mainly I just played with my babies. . .

Then to top the day off, look what I caught Jaxen doing this evening while I was folding laundry. . .

Yet another milestone reached for Mr. Jaxen.  I am so proud of him but it feels like he is growing up twice as fast as the other two!  I would give anything to have him slow down a little bit!

Sitting Up!

 I hope your Memorial Day was as good as mine!  Tomorrow it's back to the grown up world for me. . . Boo!  ♥ Love to all of you! 

Good-bye Kindergarten!

It's all a little bittersweet, Chloe finished her kindergarten year!  Somebody slow my little girl down!!  So here's a post dedicated to my little girl and the accomplishments that she made during the 4th Quarter of Kindergarten.  Click on the pictures below to make them bigger, then hit the back arrow to return back to this post.

Chloe's report card, dang kid still hasn't mastered rhyming words!

 *tear* Why do they have to make it so official?

 I have a smarty pants!!

 Chloe's reading award...

 Perfect Attendance for the 4th Quarter

 Did you notice on her report card, "Placement for Next Year  Grade 1"? 
Check out my Midway Viking First Grader.....

Tooth Fairy's 1st visit...

Friday evening, Chloe reluctantly let Daddy and Uncle Bob pull her super loose tooth out while we were at Alex's house decorating Easter Eggs.  Of course, she was really scared so I started to bribe.  If you know my daughter, you know her weakness is Squinkies.  And that's what she wanted the Tooth Fairy to bring her, enough money to buy a set of Squinkies.

Of course, she's been warned that only the first tooth is worth $10!  The following teeth are only worth a dollar or two.  Besides the money, Chloe got an official certificate from the Tooth Fairy.  She was very proud of the certificate and it's already in her baby book!

While putting her certificate in her baby book, she and I both learn that the first tooth that she lost was in fact the first tooth that came in!  She loved finding out little facts about herself when she was a baby.

Now will someone please tell me what I am suppose to do with the tooth I collected from under her pillow?  I'm I suppose to save it or just toss it in the trash?!