tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63065755555869325232024-03-13T15:21:41.794-05:00Travels with JacksonTHE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-12101956056791320052013-09-20T11:26:00.002-05:002013-09-20T11:26:40.315-05:00Preauricular Sinus Surgery Yeah, it's been awhile. Life has been busy, to say the least. For those of you that don't know, Daniel has a new job, and I'm in the midst of getting my Texas teaching certificate. Between that, and having two active boys, I just haven't taken the time to just sit and write. <br />
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Last summer, Jackson had two surgeries. On June 15, 2012, he had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, in the hopes of curing him of his fever syndrome, PFAPA. Since that surgery, Jackson hasn't had a fever episode. While we have been thrilled with the success of the surgery, it can be hard to celebrate as the fevers can return at a later time. But for now, we are grateful that he has had a fever-free year! His dental surgery last July also went well. We now just wait to see how his permanent teeth come in.<br />
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Jackson just started kindergarten! He's currently adjusting to the longer days... The first day at pick-up, he told Daniel, "I love school! But I think they accidentally kept us too long." Sweet boy. :)<br />
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In other news, Jackson was born with a preauricular pit (or sinus) in his right ear. Up until the past few months, he hasn't had any issues. However, recently he has had two severe infections. We've reached the point where we needed to schedule surgery to remove the sinus. This surgery is scheduled with his ENT for October 16th at Dell Childrens Hospital. <br />
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Sometimes I feel like it's one thing after another with Jackson, and I feel for him, but he's such a trooper and amazingly resilient. It is truly remarkable how far we've come! And for that, I am grateful. We'll keep you updated.<br />
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<br />THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-51228108387949976692012-06-06T12:20:00.000-05:002012-06-06T12:20:34.535-05:00Not For NothingPeople often like to remind me that pain has a purpose. That we can't always see it in the present moment, but that one day we will look back and it will make a bit more sense. I have a hard time jumping completely onto that bandwagon. I've seen and experienced so much of life, watched people face things they should never have to go through, and held a little boy's hand while in excruciating pain. No, it doesn't make sense. And I don't think it should. At least, not all the time.<br />
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But there are moments, albeit brief moments, where we can at times catch a glimpse of purpose in the pain. I had one of those moments recently. <br />
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When I was pregnant with Jackson, we discovered at the 20 week ultrasound that he had a bilateral cleft lip and palate. As you can imagine, the shock and pain of this discovery was almost more than my heart could take at that time. But then I kicked into gear, researching and learning and gleaning as much information as I could, to try to be the best, most informed mom I could for this little boy. My boy just got dealt a hand in life that was completely out of his control. I researched bottles and what the best ones were for cleft babies. When he arrived, I had every possible option available. I researched surgeons and found one of the best in the country. I researched. And one of the things I found was something called <a href="http://www.chla.org/site/c.ipINKTOAJsG/b.4816661/k.5049/Nasoalveolar_Molding.htm">NAM (nasal alveolar molding)</a>.<br />
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Even though NAM has been around for years, and the results substantial, it is still considered experimental, experimental meaning "not covered by insurance." To have Jackson go through NAM was going to be $4000 out of pocket. But, thanks to family and friends, over $4000 was raised to cover it, and everything over that amount was donated to <a href="http://www.operationsmile.org/">Operation Smile</a>, one of my favorite organizations.<br />
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<i> "Have a vision that pulls you through the pain of transformation."</i></div>
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NAM was rough, really rough. We began the process right after Jackson was released from the NICU at 6 weeks old (although given his prematurity, he was considered full-term). We began taking weekly trips down to CHLA. While a very difficult time, I have some of the best memories of taking the train down with my mom, my Aunt Mary picking us up and taking us to CHLA, sharing lunch, and getting much needed support.<br />
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Our sweet Jackson hated it, as you can probably imagine. And it was a hard few months while undergoing this procedure. We watched as other parents gave up on NAM, as it was too difficult to see their child in pain. But we held on. Because we knew that the results would be worth it. Not only would NAM give him a better repair, but it would (hopefully) lessen the number of surgeries he would need in the long run. So we pushed on. And week after week, we started to see results. <br />
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The NAM gear came off the day of Jackson's first surgery... May 1, 2008. We did it.<br />
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Fast forward to Jackson's recent craniofacial team appointment... Typically at his age, Jackson would undergo a lip and nose revision. When we saw his craniofacial plastic surgeon, he told us that Jackson is looking great, and at this time, doesn't need this surgery. He told us that for now, they will focus on dental work, and his next cleft surgery probably won't be until he's 7-9 years old. Incredible.<br />
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So, today I am thankful. Thankful that "experimental" procedures like NAM are available to kids like Jackson. Thankful that the pain was not for nothing, one less surgery for him to endure. And I'm thankful for this moment, the chance to glimpse a bit of purpose.<br />
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***** <br />
<b>Surgery Update</b>:<br />
Jackson was going to have to undergo three separate surgeries this summer. We're now down to two: <br />
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<b>June 15th</b>: Jackson will have a tonsillectomy, in the hopes of curing him of PFAPA. There is a 60-80% chance of a complete cure. If it doesn't cure him, at the very least, it is has been shown to reduce the number of fever episodes.<br />
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<b>July 26th</b>: Jackson's dentist is pulling his 4 top front teeth, all of which are so far up into his gum line, they are hard to get to, one having come through his palate. At the same time, she will do x-rays to see where his permanent teeth are so we have more of an idea of what we will be dealing with in the future.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-60435125599687446902012-04-27T13:20:00.000-05:002012-04-27T13:20:29.720-05:00World Give Day - Team Jackson<a href="http://www.giveforward.com/">GiveForward</a> is running a contest in honor of <a href="http://www.worldgiveday.com/">World Give Day</a> for the
video with the most views now through May 4th. GiveForward donates $250
to the <a href="http://www.giveforward.com/teamjackson">fundraiser</a> with the most views and then promotes the video for
the following week! <br />
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We wou<span class="text_exposed_show">ld
love it if you would take a moment to watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEAsoLBZAN0&feature=youtube_gdata_player">video</a> my sister created
and pass it on to your friends! Thank you for all your help and support
of Jackson. We are beyond grateful and humbled by your love for him
(and us).</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JEAsoLBZAN0" width="560"></iframe>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-57578759567848095552012-04-19T12:01:00.001-05:002012-06-14T13:53:11.246-05:00Sleep Study<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jackson had his first sleep study last night at Dell Children's Hospital. We booked this study a few months ago, not knowing at the time that Daniel would need to be in California for work. Whaddya gonna do...<br />
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Jackson, in addition to SGBS, was more recently diagnosed with a periodic fever syndrome (PFAPA). (Yes, I often wish life would cut him a break!) Ever since he was one, Jackson has been getting fevers every 2-6 weeks. At first, we thought he was just constantly getting sick. But every time, he would have no other symptoms, other than high fever and occasional aches in his legs. Sometimes his fevers would get really high. We took him to the ER when Cash was just two weeks old because his fever hit 107. And last year, while visiting family in California, Jackson's fever spiked so quickly, he had a febrile seizure. Scary, to say the least. His doctors ran every test on him, checking for flu, bacterial infections, etc. Everything came back negative. Every. Time. <br />
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Needless to say, I started researching. And what I found surprised me! There are such things as fever syndromes?! I would never have known. This article explains about more about <a href="http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/pfapa.asp">PFAPA</a>. I was certain this is what Jackson had. So, I contacted the local infectious disease department located near us at Specially for Children, next to Dell Children's, and scheduled an appointment. Since then, we've run a number of tests, the final one just last week, all confirming this PFAPA diagnosis.<br />
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Treatment options for PFAPA vary. Oftentimes, a single dose of steroids can shorten, or end, the episode. But the next attack can occur much more quickly than normal. Another option is a T&A (tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy). This has been proven to cure 60-80% of patients with PFAPA.<br />
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His ENT has also been concerned about his very large tonsils, as well as the fact that he has snored (often very loudly) since he was an infant. The nice thing about that was that I never had to guess if he was breathing... :) I can, even now, stand outside his door and breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he's still alive. <br />
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Back to the sleep study. His ENT requested this study be done to have more information about his sleep patterns, and if his snoring is indicative of any other sleep issues. He also wanted this done prior to removing his tonsils. One more piece in the puzzle...<br />
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So we arrived at Dell at 7:30pm last night and the set-up process began. Wires, wires and more wires. It took a long time... Around 9pm, Jackson began to doze, even though the nurse wasn't done setting everything up. I helped her move him around while he slept so she could finish the process. He woke up a few times during the night, trying to get the device out of his nose. I don't blame him. Honestly, I'm not sure how he slept at all with all those gadgets on him.<br />
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The nurse woke him up at 6:20am to get disconnected. Afterward, he asked me if he was done being a robot for the night... How I love this boy. Pulls at my heartstrings. Now, we await the results...<br />
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P.S. Thanks MeMe for watching this guy... <br />
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<br />THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-65395243753922572372012-04-17T09:00:00.001-05:002012-04-17T09:02:44.717-05:00How Time Changes ThingsThis boy amazes me... We just got back from his quarterly ultrasound, where they screen him for kidney tumors. I remember when we first started getting these tests done... he would scream and scream the entire time. I would dread it for days before the appointment.<br /><br />Fast forward 3 years... He's now 4 and he proves that to me. While driving to the office, he asks, "Do I have to get poked today?" To which I responded, "Nope. Not today, buddy. Today she's just going to look at your tummy, but remember? It doesn't hurt." "Oh yay! No pokes! Ok, mama."<br /><br />We head into the waiting room, and he plays quietly while I fill out paperwork, with Cash sitting in the stroller next to me. JJ calls his name. He jumps up and says, "Hi!" She tells him how much he's grown since she saw him last, remarking at how 4 months couldn't have already passed, and that he must've grown a foot in that time. He has gotten tall. Outgrown all his old clothes, now in 5T jeans and moved up into the boys XS. How is it possible that my once tiny boy is growing out of toddler sizes?!<br /><br />We all head back and Jackson follows her into the room, gets up onto the table, lies down, and lifts up his shirt for her to "put the goopy stuff" onto his tummy. He laughs. And proceeds to talk about the fish in the wall mural.<br /><br />JJ: "Okay, could you turn onto your side, Jackson?"<br />Jackson: "Sure! Wow, what's that fish? It's kind of scary looking. I like the puffer fish."<br />JJ: "Now, onto your back..."<br /><br />He follows her instructions like a pro. I stand there in amazement.<br />JJ: "All done, Jackson!"<br />Jackson: "Done? Oh, okay. I'm done, mama."<br />Me: "Yep, you're done, sunshine."<br />Jackson: "Can I get a treat now?"<br />He hasn't eaten in 6 hours. JJ gets him two CARS stickers, a lollipop, and says, "We'll see you next time!"<br /><br />At the end of the day, while eating his favorite mac n cheese, he says to me, "It was a good day, huh, mama?"<br /><br />Yeah, buddy, it was a good day.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7CJGN-1g3RansP_tlNGA-25p3fW9cFf5oIM3AavCaQtr4r7wzgRdWBM6N5NphhvcPCAJb8YxEeRPi64IC3rywRgEqbfwSpmriqfYcpCubCkbwKRH8o172G03dehnTFbErMgo2-9KalY/s1600/photo-2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7CJGN-1g3RansP_tlNGA-25p3fW9cFf5oIM3AavCaQtr4r7wzgRdWBM6N5NphhvcPCAJb8YxEeRPi64IC3rywRgEqbfwSpmriqfYcpCubCkbwKRH8o172G03dehnTFbErMgo2-9KalY/s400/photo-2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732362627578010802" border="0" /></a>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-42856212966601586792012-01-06T09:30:00.003-06:002012-01-06T09:56:31.512-06:004 Years Old<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXTElqmODWjKh38cu7NYB8KTi-7s5rcbm-ZqVBM5uSZj_xY52N0bWzSaD6rkKCa3d2ZjfeZ22v8wNK2S2gXN_KuZs6aZ_Y9aGS3Nsb9NHRsyi20m2Wt5KCM6Rk5CY2mE0vbqYPNjHt1k/s1600/jackson4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXTElqmODWjKh38cu7NYB8KTi-7s5rcbm-ZqVBM5uSZj_xY52N0bWzSaD6rkKCa3d2ZjfeZ22v8wNK2S2gXN_KuZs6aZ_Y9aGS3Nsb9NHRsyi20m2Wt5KCM6Rk5CY2mE0vbqYPNjHt1k/s400/jackson4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694546999331551154" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />One of my resolutions for 2012 is to blog again about my beautiful Jackson. Wow... has he changed our lives. Every year that goes by I am amazed at the beauty I see in my firstborn son. He loves life! He loves people! He loves... And he's not ashamed to show it! (If you've ever met Jackson, you know what I'm talking about.)<br /><br />I fight tears every time I think of how he entered this world... I watch the video we made for him and find myself sobbing by the end. What an amazing boy. What a gift. What a beautiful glimpse into this imperfect life that we live... but how so much beauty can be found in its imperfection.<br /><br />Jackson turns 4 tomorrow. And I couldn't be more thankful for the boy that made me a mother. He has changed me. Made me better. Made me stronger. And made me open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me every day if I just open my heart.<br /><br />I love you, Jackson. Happy 4th Birthday!<br /><br /><object height="253" width="449"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2747307&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2747307&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00adef&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="253" width="449"></embed></object>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-18218373569043148382010-11-30T17:45:00.000-06:002010-11-30T17:48:32.121-06:00Thanksgiving 2010Thanksgiving 2010... Our first with two kids! It has definitely been a challenging month balancing a newborn and an almost 3 year old, but we love our boys! <br /><br /><br />Whittington, Combs & Cokendolpher family Thanksgiving<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwoAUGU8QC13_h4Lj3Zg0yENKKeAVk64x4C6Oe_BhvFJQxFPUT-HBHg25SG1plNejcksDFpjD2dOxlixikXvj5pOoy5T69cp-VF5KDdZ8Gy_Raezkb08zAIJgcG6uk4K2NdXuHGB8Azk/s1600/family.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwoAUGU8QC13_h4Lj3Zg0yENKKeAVk64x4C6Oe_BhvFJQxFPUT-HBHg25SG1plNejcksDFpjD2dOxlixikXvj5pOoy5T69cp-VF5KDdZ8Gy_Raezkb08zAIJgcG6uk4K2NdXuHGB8Azk/s400/family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545492886705716018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jackson at the Christmas tree lot<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvgDkFiir3UXZkt-PxGFOqdXadKXOYcwz9cAM7D2VNQXojjj9zE29-moV0K1d_OxGWzsL2M-LvL-66VvmY6MytbYc3x0q2q6zhpItMPzfbFqcxV48w0Zan9rzARbV4h9KnMkBhvR57nI/s1600/jackson2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvgDkFiir3UXZkt-PxGFOqdXadKXOYcwz9cAM7D2VNQXojjj9zE29-moV0K1d_OxGWzsL2M-LvL-66VvmY6MytbYc3x0q2q6zhpItMPzfbFqcxV48w0Zan9rzARbV4h9KnMkBhvR57nI/s400/jackson2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545492883558922562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jackson (almost 3)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoyJnWVMQpO3Ji-82zETCi0qIuI3WfjCh99FzHA0C_y6HlDtPIvdGxf6s6GTkaYc8GOvgsbvcFC29Yx2gDAEKR_3e-mP-9_zDuObV_RDk9awlfaEOqvZAJFzkxqUR-KsZ5eluyqO8CHI/s1600/jackson.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoyJnWVMQpO3Ji-82zETCi0qIuI3WfjCh99FzHA0C_y6HlDtPIvdGxf6s6GTkaYc8GOvgsbvcFC29Yx2gDAEKR_3e-mP-9_zDuObV_RDk9awlfaEOqvZAJFzkxqUR-KsZ5eluyqO8CHI/s400/jackson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545492879207676034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jackson & Daddy rockin out!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67rO79SqV5wC2lJTRiZgAjLQg8nw01CcSJHUSZZqF0fZUtHM6O82dC7jA5LAvQU6n0NnqyhHFbtZheypv1VtWEmK7Z63pCdzqKxRtLii07vnUakRhdvUveYldHGRSNyGi3iwhYT3N-SM/s1600/danieljackson.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67rO79SqV5wC2lJTRiZgAjLQg8nw01CcSJHUSZZqF0fZUtHM6O82dC7jA5LAvQU6n0NnqyhHFbtZheypv1VtWEmK7Z63pCdzqKxRtLii07vnUakRhdvUveYldHGRSNyGi3iwhYT3N-SM/s400/danieljackson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545492877903580242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cash (1 month)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34kpt8FxYUSfRHEMu_ZjkxpgUDeu92DPycKjWrl-698efb1CBkGPNIS6vsKNjBZPYLsQwxC0utDPEY-PNUk_mUVzZN0DNJZi_WrHJDody84LbjjkmXpqX7yj9Z8wTDIpUjtJcUIMSMOY/s1600/cash.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 368px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34kpt8FxYUSfRHEMu_ZjkxpgUDeu92DPycKjWrl-698efb1CBkGPNIS6vsKNjBZPYLsQwxC0utDPEY-PNUk_mUVzZN0DNJZi_WrHJDody84LbjjkmXpqX7yj9Z8wTDIpUjtJcUIMSMOY/s400/cash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545492876426915026" border="0" /></a>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-3621394270007639972010-10-30T17:55:00.000-05:002010-11-30T18:02:49.500-06:00Cash is here!Greyson "Cash" Whittington was born on 10.25.10 at 7:42 a.m. 8 lbs. 3 oz. 19.5 inches! Jackson is officially a big brother!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4nECVudEhUERzE7Mk5Dr2_rgoETM3YWysCjOP7zDkgjkk136BCdxdpLJIUQM74sICzojHeILRYl8qvSO-VSNlvaqr0WqygGk2Kam0qJWi41vZmoOP53Z5-S-19df_FOezPYrydiukEk/s1600/cash3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4nECVudEhUERzE7Mk5Dr2_rgoETM3YWysCjOP7zDkgjkk136BCdxdpLJIUQM74sICzojHeILRYl8qvSO-VSNlvaqr0WqygGk2Kam0qJWi41vZmoOP53Z5-S-19df_FOezPYrydiukEk/s400/cash3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545496281571913826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82gk8e_o4VRcBLfNkFM29ueJfsrq4FVjHllgr4LzObTdRtj9C-wRZ8mm3xxlUuNUx6II-iHPmASsurm1bpiy-bMBeJNwNY3ADThdMr8lVJuzm_BxTX9qCtC3rmg4l-d42JYuJkkWQm1M/s1600/hallecash2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82gk8e_o4VRcBLfNkFM29ueJfsrq4FVjHllgr4LzObTdRtj9C-wRZ8mm3xxlUuNUx6II-iHPmASsurm1bpiy-bMBeJNwNY3ADThdMr8lVJuzm_BxTX9qCtC3rmg4l-d42JYuJkkWQm1M/s400/hallecash2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545496279453701314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO30HtwXJmiouzA7RAgSOMGZVRIw5q7rWDFJ8rmxAuYgybGChpqAZ3DLMhPiEkZN_nxuJNEqYI7hofzAth1Nno0baVpbDNAznMi3jGtmPo8F4Ztv1dwQ5l1hQELTH0hamLFg0GvS2BpM/s1600/hallecash.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO30HtwXJmiouzA7RAgSOMGZVRIw5q7rWDFJ8rmxAuYgybGChpqAZ3DLMhPiEkZN_nxuJNEqYI7hofzAth1Nno0baVpbDNAznMi3jGtmPo8F4Ztv1dwQ5l1hQELTH0hamLFg0GvS2BpM/s400/hallecash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545496273548765634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqfuNx-GSw7_oePHcWgS99lVSAoN8t4f93I8jBkV7CQWkCHbAWJq7YIogEdJDQkTkiX4zdGG0hErCJaotv_AjS0O1s4GbQQjdiKOApVI-fKp2dYtkBUS98NGZX7QrUYoo1-tcRrYokyo/s1600/jacksonmama.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqfuNx-GSw7_oePHcWgS99lVSAoN8t4f93I8jBkV7CQWkCHbAWJq7YIogEdJDQkTkiX4zdGG0hErCJaotv_AjS0O1s4GbQQjdiKOApVI-fKp2dYtkBUS98NGZX7QrUYoo1-tcRrYokyo/s400/jacksonmama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545496270024867074" border="0" /></a><br />The Whittington boys!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER0AeBog0TBEheVd0kh4s5RU3p19sv9b290TSrX4a9bK9Q0lAUvmPneNzMnWaupXcw1bFDG6jJ7M7VfcR5RqMiTlnADJ2l1J3wjDy3yf0ryWK7Lmn5XgpohD1GdUr0QsvKvBweTT7JUI/s1600/whittingtonboys.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER0AeBog0TBEheVd0kh4s5RU3p19sv9b290TSrX4a9bK9Q0lAUvmPneNzMnWaupXcw1bFDG6jJ7M7VfcR5RqMiTlnADJ2l1J3wjDy3yf0ryWK7Lmn5XgpohD1GdUr0QsvKvBweTT7JUI/s400/whittingtonboys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545496265971581666" border="0" /></a>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-85563868872214769272010-08-16T15:15:00.000-05:002010-08-16T15:19:04.954-05:00Jackson loves to sing...I seriously LOVE this: <br /><br /><br /><object height="360" width="640/embed/?moog_width=640"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=14186901&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=14186901&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="360" width="640/embed/?moog_width=640"></embed></object>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-50929360406199192222010-05-03T10:45:00.004-05:002012-04-19T12:20:57.151-05:00"Life doesn't always go as planned. Help others anyway."Some of you may remember <a href="http://jacksontrine.blogspot.com/2008/12/coffee-and-lemonade.html">this post</a> where I mentioned Bella and her mom, Jenny. Jenny is a mom friend I found through the blogging world, and Bella, like Jackson, was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. It's wonderful to find someone in the world who can relate to what you are walking through (mountains of surgeries, doctors appointments and therapy). It somehow makes the world not feel as completely lonely and isolating. I have been thankful for Jenny; from the occasional email to blog comments, I have found a friend, someone to vent with or to laugh with at the crazy things people can say.<br />
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I have just been introduced to <a href="http://liferearranged.com/">Life Rearranged</a>. For more about what Life Rearranged is all about, see <a href="http://liferearranged.com/f-a-q-s/">F.A.Q.'s</a>. Every 2 weeks, Jeannett from Life Rearranged hosts a guest blogger. This blogging mama will share her story and choose a charity to fundraise for. It just so happens that Jenny is <a href="http://liferearranged.com/2010/05/jenny-fugler-love-at-first-sight/">today's guest blogger</a> and Jenny has chosen <a href="http://www.giveforward.com/teamjackson">Jackson's Smile</a>! On top of that, there's a giveaway with 2 winners! I was considering posting the whole blog post here because it's just that good, but I really want ya'll to see what Life Rearranged is all about. So I'm just going to post the first bit of Jenny's post, so if you want to finish reading, you'll have to go <a href="http://liferearranged.com/2010/05/jenny-fugler-love-at-first-sight/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">HERE</span></a>. <br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">{Jenny Fugler} Love at First Sight</span></h2>
I was in college when I saw a woman whom I considered truly ugly. Her face was grotesquely deformed and discolored; her hair, unruly and frizzed out; her skin complexion was bumpy and dry. I never knew her, we just happened to be studying at the same bookshop downtown. Unable to keep from staring from a distance, I felt such deep pity, as I could only imagine what her life must be like: solitude, no prospective husband or life with children, rude stares and comments undeniably. For the first time in my life, I asked God sincerely, <i>“Why would You make someone suffer through life that way? If You could have prevented her deformities, which You could have, why didn’t You?”</i> The question burned in the back of my mind for the next couple days. What was the point in allowing deformities and sickness and diseases invade our bodies? Wouldn’t it just be easier, less hurtful, if everyone could be <i>normal</i> and beautiful, or at least simple to look at? Another rendition of the age-old question, <b>“If God is good, then why does He permit evil?”</b><br />
Fast forward three years. My husband and I sit in the doctor’s office at Maternal Fetal Medicine, waiting to hear the news if indeed our in-utero daughter has developed a cleft lip and palate, or not...<br />
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*****<br />
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Thank you Jenny and Jeannett for sharing your lives with us.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-34609734274279701362010-05-01T16:55:00.000-05:002010-05-01T16:57:05.108-05:00More PicsJust a few more pics of our boy... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhHbuEDxlJ_oiyqBRqReu_sHZEiUvYKvqX-XUFWKVr4yU1d4T1WnGjTsf-HpywAdkf8RKMXTkQXfzYENVhU1d_z6rfYarR_eDRB2ViIMEtYJDDvtjtOl2Sa_OOGu8GsyAQISR-_zGnbQ/s1600/Jackson425101.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhHbuEDxlJ_oiyqBRqReu_sHZEiUvYKvqX-XUFWKVr4yU1d4T1WnGjTsf-HpywAdkf8RKMXTkQXfzYENVhU1d_z6rfYarR_eDRB2ViIMEtYJDDvtjtOl2Sa_OOGu8GsyAQISR-_zGnbQ/s400/Jackson425101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464977535000275474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoaRhLvvJL3ysG5a_1fI3WInqDKYufC257TgbYTncXSWZVoUKuFTvmXjV83q3Nogj_Qc9EkplKlPOwtXSJqn7G7ofocGFwwRsZW-srlZepSmsgNiTAQETD7YLoZjPialIOeZhLkSNELE/s1600/Jackson425102.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoaRhLvvJL3ysG5a_1fI3WInqDKYufC257TgbYTncXSWZVoUKuFTvmXjV83q3Nogj_Qc9EkplKlPOwtXSJqn7G7ofocGFwwRsZW-srlZepSmsgNiTAQETD7YLoZjPialIOeZhLkSNELE/s400/Jackson425102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464977530940058082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqDbhXbnmQQGnr7SqdqaSZ5yZ5JERHZVOHSbGNM8oNGiezSmdUGZOGHCK1D7MtIeKmpXTIJmD8lmCU_VHupS2SY-bxdlFfSvV0RQYtU_rsqiU8hd8FFDDWxrshFbC2xw1SYS-86D3sUw/s1600/Jackson425103.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqDbhXbnmQQGnr7SqdqaSZ5yZ5JERHZVOHSbGNM8oNGiezSmdUGZOGHCK1D7MtIeKmpXTIJmD8lmCU_VHupS2SY-bxdlFfSvV0RQYtU_rsqiU8hd8FFDDWxrshFbC2xw1SYS-86D3sUw/s400/Jackson425103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464977528492811618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xQV7i5OpMNvZLYSQPuHj8ZdepiRf7WDN1xUMeJqlvygV_wqHdvqyZiNuRyimjgNo4JNJWP3w5Bl2-LzU_vU0zUEZyFpdE8meXeIANAtlvlXwKzP-AvkSzG-Pj7DdHliDG5c1BF9TrwE/s1600/Jackson425104.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xQV7i5OpMNvZLYSQPuHj8ZdepiRf7WDN1xUMeJqlvygV_wqHdvqyZiNuRyimjgNo4JNJWP3w5Bl2-LzU_vU0zUEZyFpdE8meXeIANAtlvlXwKzP-AvkSzG-Pj7DdHliDG5c1BF9TrwE/s400/Jackson425104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464977522788925042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrukIsRdT3CSuw83Icwq8YFHZzT4FpoWvsUPQPl_IsVvQwSSSypUfR3NLcbkNj8kFQ_mpPEDRtK_8hLR6HWEIGfAuDorQl0rSN77FIJiE0FsFlDJ19pp3QZg0AzcNZ773sZpfu441qVg/s1600/Jackson425105.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrukIsRdT3CSuw83Icwq8YFHZzT4FpoWvsUPQPl_IsVvQwSSSypUfR3NLcbkNj8kFQ_mpPEDRtK_8hLR6HWEIGfAuDorQl0rSN77FIJiE0FsFlDJ19pp3QZg0AzcNZ773sZpfu441qVg/s400/Jackson425105.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464977520639556210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Also, Daddy's <a href="http://danielwhittington.bandcamp.com/">albums</a> release today! Check 'em out!THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-59511696104965905532010-04-29T13:01:00.002-05:002010-04-29T13:06:08.690-05:00RecoverySo far recovery is going fairly smoothly. We are constantly amazed by our boy. He is one tough kid. We are one week down on the puree diet, one week to go. This, honestly, has been the hardest part of recovery. Jackson is an eater. He LOVES to eat. So keeping him from his favorite foods has been a chore, but we're making it through. <br /><br />And we're looking forward to the results of this surgery. His palate will be officially closed, so we're hoping his speech will begin to improve. Thanks for keeping up with us!<br /><br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11282790&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11282790&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11282790">Jackson on the Deck</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user448731">Halle Whittington</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-22777726729055029872010-04-23T21:15:00.005-05:002010-04-23T21:44:00.441-05:00Surgery Day<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oGXoaJZjyWJo8ZSZNn5e6ZEedmoUmxVEtj1EguhEprt4R7hnf-SDhI4GGWc5NCEoF6lOJ9nk26m5iyNA4n36ZIqIRLKekNCYOMamgz3CTI-712IFNk578vAm0KY6XXl2Wx0b4cjdiLM/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG"></a><div>Today was long, but we're having a great experience at Dell overall. I'm posting pictures to keep you updated on things as we go.<div><br /></div><div>The photos start right before we handed Jackson off the the surgeons and resume after he was in recovery up to when he started really getting aware again. It's absolutely incredible how fast kids adjust.</div><div><br /></div><div>He's doing good now, just really fussy and easily upset. I'm sure he's in pain, but the morphine is holding off the worst of it. We should be able to go home tomorrow or Sunday!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKTZizER6h27zlCJnOX5E8OgA0VqPabaZSItCEBNPJ-wuwSpRMtnXxYDsGpmvmYWy2G7vmP5S0C6CU3IbFvc-NHgVzj7-mxkgme0fVZ8prfSSb-YsM44iat6UTYZ9GbD0cbW7BiqytMY/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG"><br /></a></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNck5sXMiRpTMKv1QOktid0_vOadJs6S4T0LwAsZMH_zDB2Nn-iL3B598dgrB5-0j0ZaLQQZX47xoi9QhUxFl8IbYjrXl3Osm0TyB3GJ-9g9tpoyYX1A9ykurZYrnaMKxelZ_7XXtjd1s/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG"></a><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBb_qkD-WO4WcPYLcM_AtA3PrGyN4kOiXH1L92pUhwztcZ3kBofMrfewB0TROSWJ-kJfT8BT_13bq7kuWRJVkfzrrXHDL-MqzbP1NEIqACu1w4f9yziLQ-hCJUb3e5y0pZVfJReTKgvo4/s1600/IMG_1163.JPG"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKTZizER6h27zlCJnOX5E8OgA0VqPabaZSItCEBNPJ-wuwSpRMtnXxYDsGpmvmYWy2G7vmP5S0C6CU3IbFvc-NHgVzj7-mxkgme0fVZ8prfSSb-YsM44iat6UTYZ9GbD0cbW7BiqytMY/s400/IMG_1178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463523246307614658" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx7Up3vmG2F-Zc93SmO_9UbaQIWFogIFHDAcfjjxDHHB4iPmUTWRF5RlyC9OnEPFavrYO6tyoNVB2KTBEQC' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-56029109470520287302010-04-22T21:30:00.004-05:002010-04-22T22:31:05.305-05:00Jackson the Day Before Fistula SurgeryDaniel here. I'm hacking into the account to post a few pics of Jackson the night before his fistula surgery. It's going to be a rough few weeks, but at least you can see the before and after!<br /><br />Video to follow<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0yleGbS-SxZykBHcrV0wAWtKH2KYm8qyihhBt9rKVBUNtwUPSXS5OozK1flsMTUrVvEyM94cL6eBqFlXG8AFTyU-hfsca_7Wq6duduVr2YRiLGsgCP2mN7pnC8-pzpGfQ94vV4uVt-w/s1600/IMG_1131.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0yleGbS-SxZykBHcrV0wAWtKH2KYm8qyihhBt9rKVBUNtwUPSXS5OozK1flsMTUrVvEyM94cL6eBqFlXG8AFTyU-hfsca_7Wq6duduVr2YRiLGsgCP2mN7pnC8-pzpGfQ94vV4uVt-w/s400/IMG_1131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463155197411812738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JLTDCWRTeoN8uF8mwYCZ_O_fcT8uIIL_7UO9dhTuwQXQF2bUrMmFg97u1NS0hUR35dBmm2Cnk_kRaYNqhZc07woj6A2sdlAhOSv6UIj17nrWKYta0szxNEmulRD_HrYgs1IxzlNrdiw/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JLTDCWRTeoN8uF8mwYCZ_O_fcT8uIIL_7UO9dhTuwQXQF2bUrMmFg97u1NS0hUR35dBmm2Cnk_kRaYNqhZc07woj6A2sdlAhOSv6UIj17nrWKYta0szxNEmulRD_HrYgs1IxzlNrdiw/s400/IMG_1130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463155190913142610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2QksjMneKd_THpQbFkIpmaKhslGlgOV-LhCcpqCqIUMWNDHdlVhd9J4s_bcV1kxuyQnP5J32s17YAyUcXzQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-25293435360177421772009-11-12T11:30:00.004-06:002009-11-12T12:59:25.783-06:00CA Trip & Jackson's Smile Art Benefit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H0OBp-LhrXGfLkctUpqFbMFLjcOe4HBkyIelO1ThSNtum63_sa1UwqQrP1cdhGNCnTGvzIjwY_gVKPdnYBIOPivA0QUpGQ0BpDgfSlHIzH6U5kofLpYe-h2sRfKviMySu-vSzShc1mI/s1600-h/jacksonsgallery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H0OBp-LhrXGfLkctUpqFbMFLjcOe4HBkyIelO1ThSNtum63_sa1UwqQrP1cdhGNCnTGvzIjwY_gVKPdnYBIOPivA0QUpGQ0BpDgfSlHIzH6U5kofLpYe-h2sRfKviMySu-vSzShc1mI/s400/jacksonsgallery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403271906675949938" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(photo by <a href="http://www.cameroningalls.com/blog/">cameron ingalls</a>)</span><br /></div><br /><br />Jackson and I spent the past week in California visiting with friends and family. We loved seeing familiar spots and friendly faces. We were even able to make it to the gallery opening for the <a href="http://www.cameroningalls.com/jacksonsmile/">Jackson's Smile</a> Art Show Benefit. We had such a wonderful time seeing friends and making new friends! Thank you to all who came to support Jackson and for the generous donations. We are slowly trudging through Jackson's medical debt but we know we are not doing it alone. We can't thank you enough for your loving support.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Sunday night, while we were still in California, Jackson started to run a fever. We have spent the past 4 days trying to figure out what was going on since his fever has been consistently around 103.5. Yesterday, we spent 2.5 hours at the doctor's office running tests... Flu test came back negative. Blood test showed elevated white blood cell count. Following a chest x-ray and urine test, it appeared Jackson was on the onset of bacterial pneumonia coupled with conjunctivitis. So he's now on antibiotics and eye drops and we're hanging low.<br /><br />To end on a happier note... Just wanted to reiterate how lovely it was to see good friends...<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLW5l4MV1yYErHjr_06As7vyENIt9fANNkgXRXOZwMSj2lCGJ8Q68611Ahv9hz6ZkR5aI5ElEFcHOEQUycm2mHKC-SaK2pLlbijZbgJ4xIn8bYsddxBwstCn__SseI9HnhEvyqlO9t-s/s1600-h/jacksonandreu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLW5l4MV1yYErHjr_06As7vyENIt9fANNkgXRXOZwMSj2lCGJ8Q68611Ahv9hz6ZkR5aI5ElEFcHOEQUycm2mHKC-SaK2pLlbijZbgJ4xIn8bYsddxBwstCn__SseI9HnhEvyqlO9t-s/s400/jacksonandreu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403293374151162402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(photo by jessie clarke)<br /></span></div>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-72371283184426259922009-10-31T16:00:00.004-05:002009-10-31T17:15:46.781-05:00Halloween 2009Our little firefighter... <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVsTWUlmmplPYV5CXUxp-1tu4NQXIRRemJLUiJ7NPQMUo_n5iCIhmDY2w3TmoKiAKZb925u_quG8kVEtgS-siSzp86mwUohxpZGGI2oUoSaj0A6PRnA7ZwC7zU6t0AxfKmHd2JtRXBd4/s1600-h/4056214931_a0dc487b3c_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVsTWUlmmplPYV5CXUxp-1tu4NQXIRRemJLUiJ7NPQMUo_n5iCIhmDY2w3TmoKiAKZb925u_quG8kVEtgS-siSzp86mwUohxpZGGI2oUoSaj0A6PRnA7ZwC7zU6t0AxfKmHd2JtRXBd4/s320/4056214931_a0dc487b3c_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398888794652223906" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeD_Ax9iWO5NeMEw4Qz-HN-Xi0ExUnaTNEMP0Hc2jseBTN9vI_hP3Mtwg-zzFz91ZlgVc_ReiohrBaBOLwRBoPd11qE_8jQ5u_wsqEo0vH0ZBXieFxu_Qf8NxOA_spNU_rrZOU9OR3BqA/s1600-h/4056957744_fa3b0652b1_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeD_Ax9iWO5NeMEw4Qz-HN-Xi0ExUnaTNEMP0Hc2jseBTN9vI_hP3Mtwg-zzFz91ZlgVc_ReiohrBaBOLwRBoPd11qE_8jQ5u_wsqEo0vH0ZBXieFxu_Qf8NxOA_spNU_rrZOU9OR3BqA/s320/4056957744_fa3b0652b1_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398888601646120770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFKkQ-U60x6bsrPtxjXdDCAPc771G8aHsrMVU4wKGkTlohv4SKMMM9-0kMT8n1GuvhqiCvvgCBHS6f-zk26wqpQaOE-aAt4WjHNaHfPQ6ku0GlvuhWNTyx8Tdpb1N7fI-TzQjjQDbMVM/s1600-h/4056219021_a157010c05_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFKkQ-U60x6bsrPtxjXdDCAPc771G8aHsrMVU4wKGkTlohv4SKMMM9-0kMT8n1GuvhqiCvvgCBHS6f-zk26wqpQaOE-aAt4WjHNaHfPQ6ku0GlvuhWNTyx8Tdpb1N7fI-TzQjjQDbMVM/s320/4056219021_a157010c05_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398888600686368802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We're getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating, enjoying the company of new friends, then catching the end of the UT game as they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys! Happy Halloween!THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-74197265382388695012009-10-23T11:45:00.001-05:002009-10-23T11:59:13.060-05:00Little AdventurerOur little man is a little adventurer. He loves the outdoors, loves exploring things, and would go off discovering things on his own if it weren't for the careful watch of his exhausted Mama. <br /><br />Today I asked if he wanted to come along to drop off the Netflix in the mailbox. Of course he did! He's pretty good about holding my hand until I let him run on his own for a bit. And he's pretty good about knowing not to go into the street on his own. Today, however, his curiosity got the better of him. When we got back from the mailbox, Jackson decided he didn't want to come back inside. So, thinking that if I said goodbye and started closing the door, he would (as usual) start crying and bang on the door until I opened it. Not today. I quietly opened the door up to see what he was doing. He had already run out into the middle of the street off on his own adventure (thankfully, we have a pretty safe street)! I have no idea what was going on in his mind as he wandered into the great unknown... Where did he think he was going? When would he have stopped? Or would he? I often wonder what goes on in the mind of my little adventurer.<br /><br />Needless to say, I scooped him up and brought him right inside, put him in time out and then gave him a good talking to. Don't know if it worked. I'm pretty sure it'll happen again. Probably many more times before he learns to listen to his Mama. I, on the other hand, will not be quite so trusting of him in the meantime.<br /><br />A glimpse of the laughter and life Jackson brings to our house:<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7210653&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7210653&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7210653">Tickling Jackson</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user448731">Halle Whittington</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-24159659308584047102009-10-01T10:40:00.001-05:002009-10-01T11:11:16.543-05:00We're back!Sorry it has been so long... 3 months to be more exact! Sheesh. Sometimes life just gets the better of me. And with so much going on, tons of things that I'm sorting through, I just haven't had the energy or focus to write about our life as of late. <br /><br />So many changes... The best news is that Jackson got his G-tube removed today! Yay! This has been a long time coming. He's finally drinking on his own and loving it! We put Daniel on a flight to California then headed over to the surgery center at 9 a.m. this morning. The doctor took it out, put an enormous bandage on it and gave us a follow-up appointment for October 29th. I guess they give it some time to see if the hole will heal up on its own prior to repairing it surgically. So we'll see how it goes. Supposedly, it'll leak a lot for the first couple days then gradually get better. We're just so happy to be done with this season and ready to move on to new things. <br /><br />Daniel will be in San Luis Obispo for the next 12 days, playing <a href="http://www.danielwhittington.com/">lots of shows</a> and celebrating the wedding of one of our good friends! Congrats Tim and Annie! <br /><br />I'll be here with my boy. News on my end is that I just took a part-time job working for <a href="http://www.westelm.com/">West Elm</a> in downtown Austin. It's been a lot of fun so far and I'm making some good friends! It's been good for me to get out and we could really use the bit of extra cash flow, if you know what I mean. <br /><br />Jackson just gets more and more fun... He has the biggest appetite that I've ever seen in a kid his age! For example, one morning he ate two pancakes, a half banana, handful of blueberries, a kolache and a cup of milk. Goodness. He most definitely eats more than me! He constantly has a couple cars in his hands and drives them all over our house. He is still extremely social! He just can't get enough of people. But he's also VERY independent and focused. I am loving seeing more and more of his personality. He is such a happy kid... always has a smile on his face! I just adore him. <br /><br />As far as me, I've been on quite a journey the past few months. I can talk about that more later, but I am making some good and necessary changes. Jackson and I will be in California to visit from November 3-10. I'm looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces and spending time in some of my favorite coastal spots. <br /><br />Our camera is still out of commission, so hopefully we'll have some pics to post soon! Till then...THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-2664800295158649542009-07-06T10:15:00.004-05:002009-07-06T11:41:21.119-05:004th of July/Other NewsWe had a great 4th! It started out with the annual Maple Run Neighborhood Parade... We joined in the festivities along with family and friends.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXeA8jEibu5dsMU2wmUwUXdJm3q-tInAVoPO4GaaBZdKITlUuBsag3wkxE7MdEcu3gyBSItPehXm1TRrtB1M3ado4nDpVhDDq8-RhEFm3n_NLQLqBs1oA6K_YD4_XaBJ0yUa5cfMcZZA/s1600-h/Jackson1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXeA8jEibu5dsMU2wmUwUXdJm3q-tInAVoPO4GaaBZdKITlUuBsag3wkxE7MdEcu3gyBSItPehXm1TRrtB1M3ado4nDpVhDDq8-RhEFm3n_NLQLqBs1oA6K_YD4_XaBJ0yUa5cfMcZZA/s320/Jackson1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366579148037458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt79vZ8vxJfqUGeudMvaOUh1CXNP_etGhvU-i_2irrwY0ii6xkJn53hSrIsiexGPIv1XcexO0OHXjEiiMKr2X4cqPoNRT1VuP3fekzLPNymDX7UcxaoQrfVl2SggOF1hVgcjSaIbWHfk/s1600-h/Blowin+in+the+wagon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt79vZ8vxJfqUGeudMvaOUh1CXNP_etGhvU-i_2irrwY0ii6xkJn53hSrIsiexGPIv1XcexO0OHXjEiiMKr2X4cqPoNRT1VuP3fekzLPNymDX7UcxaoQrfVl2SggOF1hVgcjSaIbWHfk/s320/Blowin+in+the+wagon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366582565283506" border="0" /></a><br />A fire truck led the parade and stuck around afterward so the kiddos could check it out. Jackson LOVED it! He's a big fan of any type of truck - here's the evidence!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrQk95aOupCiIP2AVc2May0f5PwQUODuGFuYLTSqDewsIUUH-PX3y7rbyJpfzL7d_87udEpj9C91Qy5o1BAQo1KxI8BlG4adpAnMy-DLZkQQvUGHMqIj9aSmXqRfCHAq_uBx2Akb6ZWY/s1600-h/Fire+Department.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrQk95aOupCiIP2AVc2May0f5PwQUODuGFuYLTSqDewsIUUH-PX3y7rbyJpfzL7d_87udEpj9C91Qy5o1BAQo1KxI8BlG4adpAnMy-DLZkQQvUGHMqIj9aSmXqRfCHAq_uBx2Akb6ZWY/s320/Fire+Department.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355366588520539762" border="0" /></a><br />We then had a great BBQ with Daniel's family, complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, fruit salad... you get the idea. We were going to end the day with fireworks, however, Daniel wasn't feeling great and yesterday found out he has bronchitis - sweet. Oh well. We'll try again next year.<br /><br />----------<br />We got a call this morning from Jackson's geneticist. As you may remember, Jackson has routine abdomen ultrasounds done every 3 months. He had the first one at the end of March, then he had one recently in June. This recent one showed unusual growth in a few places, including his lymph nodes and spleen. We are going in to see the oncologist this afternoon, since tumor growth is highly associated with SGBS. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-81443552904175918802009-07-03T21:35:00.000-05:002009-07-03T21:38:07.622-05:00ProgressWe almost have a walker on our hands...<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5440978&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5440978&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5440978">Jackson Walking</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user448731">Halle Whittington</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-75058935327464666922009-06-26T17:30:00.000-05:002009-06-26T17:34:41.879-05:00Genetics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnY1NSCV7IVJQNAbkg5oFnZtYcC032iMJ9DNeDK1uLC4iaeA7vObaG767xesNoZMrJY5iLmfwBag1gANiL4Pe8-7tJgveGn24pOtQ8KZx5R_8T8eseLvVbHl4k_uaMKNfcsnfwgJJark/s1600-h/jacksonbath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnY1NSCV7IVJQNAbkg5oFnZtYcC032iMJ9DNeDK1uLC4iaeA7vObaG767xesNoZMrJY5iLmfwBag1gANiL4Pe8-7tJgveGn24pOtQ8KZx5R_8T8eseLvVbHl4k_uaMKNfcsnfwgJJark/s320/jacksonbath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351768244252242418" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="im">Daniel and I have been wanting to update you on recent news. We have been undergoing many different types of tests related to Jackson's syndrome. If you have been following our blog, you may have noticed the numerous tests that have been run in the past few months. Here's just a few of those tests:<br /></div><div class="im"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abdomen Ultrasound</span> - to check for kidney tumors and/or <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wilms-tumor/DS00436" target="_blank">Wilms' Tumor</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chest X-Ray</span> - to check for heart abnormalities associated with SGBS<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Spine X-Ray</span> - to determine the level of scoliosis Jackson has<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Urine Sample</span> - to check for neuroblastoma<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blood Sample</span> - t<span style="font-size:100%;">o check for gonadoblastoma or hepatocellular carcinoma</span><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Carrier Testing (Halle)</span> - SGBS is X-linked recessive inherited with a slight possibility of what's called <span style="font-style: italic;">de novo</span> mutation. This will help us determine exactly how Jackson got this syndrome.<br /> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chromosome Microarray Testing</span> - There was a slight deletion of chromosome 2 in Jackson's DNA. Daniel and I are now being tested to see if this deletion was inherited or not.<br /><br />(If any of you are interested in more information specifically related to SGBS, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=gene&part=sgbs" target="_blank">this article</a> has been the most helpful to us thus far.)<br /><br />On Monday, June 22nd, we went in to see Jackson's geneticist to go over the results of these tests. Here are the significant results that were found:<br /><br /><b>Abdomen Ultrasound</b> - Jackson has a <a href="http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/childrenshealth/203115.html" target="_blank">duplex left kidney</a>. His geneticist has referred him to a local children's urologist.<br /> <b>Spine X-Ray</b> - Jackson has what is called <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kyphosis/ds00681/dsection=causes" target="_blank">lumbar kyphosis</a>. He is being referred to a local pediatric orthopedics doctor.<br /><br />There were some other elevated results in the blood and urine samples, including the AFP, or Tumor Marker. He will be tested regularly (every 3-4 months) in order to monitor and track these levels, and catch any possible tumor growth early.<br /><br />We also ran a couple of other tests involving genetics. Daniel and I both had the <b>Chromosome Microarray</b> testing done because Jackson showed a slight deletion on chromosome 2. Neither of us had this same deletion.<br /><br />Finally, I went through <b>Carrier testing</b> for Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS). As previously stated, SGBS is X-linked recessive inherited with a slight possibility of what's called <span style="font-style: italic;">de novo</span> mutation. Ever since we found out about Jackson's diagnosis, we have believed that I was most likely a carrier for this syndrome, as that made the most sense to us. If you remember, on Jackson's 1st birthday I wrote:<br /><br /><i><span style="font-size:100%;">Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) is an X-recessive syndrome. While I'm not entirely sure what this means, I know I'm the carrier of it. And this carries with it a heavy weight. I live each day knowing I gave my son a syndrome he has to live with the rest of his life, however short or long that life is. And I also live knowing he may be all I get, my one chance at biological children. I have a 25% chance of giving any other children this syndrome. I don't know if I can logically make that decision. We're not at that point yet, and honestly, it's too much for me to bear at this time.</span></i><br /><br /></div>On Monday, the geneticist went over my carrier testing results. She practically said it in passing. Daniel completely missed it, and I was staring at the piece of paper in disbelief: SUMMARY OF RESULTS: <b>NEGATIVE</b>. "Daniel," I said, "I'm not a carrier."<br /><div class="im"><br />This began a week of trying to process this news, and reverse our thinking. I'm not entirely sure where we're at now. We're still a bit mind boggled.<br /><br />I remember when I heard the news, I wanted to break down crying. The odds of us having a baby with SGBS are rare, extremely rare even. SGBS is classified as a very rare syndrome, with only 120 known cases in the world. But having a baby with SGBS as a result of a <i>de novo</i> mutation, even more rare. In that moment, I remember thinking what an incredible gift we have been given. What a beautiful, remarkable little boy. We have as much chance of having a child with SGBS as anyone in the world (without the gene). And for some reason, Jackson was given to us.<br /><br /></div>This also opens up the possibility of having other children. For nearly 15 months, we have been wondering at our ability to have other children, and other children with SGBS. We have considered IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) coupled with <a href="http://www.genesisgenetics.org/" target="_blank">PGD</a> (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis). SGBS is on the list of diseases that can be tested. That is no longer an issue.<br /><div class="im"><br />As far as where we are now... We're, honestly, still attempting to wrap our heads around this news. For so long, we have believed one thing. We're not quite sure what to do with a completely different thing.<br /><br /></div>Jackson is an incredible little boy. So sweet. So fun. So happy. So loving. He's adventurous and smart and makes friends easier than I do. Yesterday I found myself, sitting with my hands covering my face, crying. In a few moments, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and there was Jackson, standing in front of me. I said, "Jackson, Mommy's sad." He then wrapped me in a bear hug. That's the perfectly wonderful little boy we have.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing life with us.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-37226919614389019852009-06-21T21:30:00.006-05:002009-06-21T22:02:42.912-05:00Happy Father's Day!To the best possible Dad there could ever be for Jackson...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v8YOd0QGzwIwXdTCcjwtAPFJ48asnopaskXZHyZizDTZeZMVNEWfbpo6-Ld5EMkk6byXIWMceOxyfrFOWwrFoWFWm9HaYUzdmgtYIRyFUuCsMbj1G4kMRIp5I5nLXzxxFZDK7adkXOk/s1600-h/oneweekwithdad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v8YOd0QGzwIwXdTCcjwtAPFJ48asnopaskXZHyZizDTZeZMVNEWfbpo6-Ld5EMkk6byXIWMceOxyfrFOWwrFoWFWm9HaYUzdmgtYIRyFUuCsMbj1G4kMRIp5I5nLXzxxFZDK7adkXOk/s320/oneweekwithdad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349974546721163874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMX8QDDVretVeYgWXKt6Nj28P1JZ-StKBxNrqwLac5zQDxGZ32sKR6I_mPf_QoUjgiZ4MDFWznEnV0HcMNBKWydotxS5zDHhlXihgu41mwdo6JlzZdJl8Aw4enviY0uJF3xGMwUNti6M/s1600-h/dadjackson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMX8QDDVretVeYgWXKt6Nj28P1JZ-StKBxNrqwLac5zQDxGZ32sKR6I_mPf_QoUjgiZ4MDFWznEnV0HcMNBKWydotxS5zDHhlXihgu41mwdo6JlzZdJl8Aw4enviY0uJF3xGMwUNti6M/s320/dadjackson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349975648716643810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicutb2z3YUXfFkz_1AYHKRQ0XhtbEkb_E69d87Fp7tHh8VdyvmgMn6Zhbkpj6ENsA74CmhqyWOjYqvFW4G671DOGonVk3Sx8SlvcyWghBax0sDpSdQn-q6q1IJerYlP3SgsgubSsLyQMo/s1600-h/aftersurgery1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicutb2z3YUXfFkz_1AYHKRQ0XhtbEkb_E69d87Fp7tHh8VdyvmgMn6Zhbkpj6ENsA74CmhqyWOjYqvFW4G671DOGonVk3Sx8SlvcyWghBax0sDpSdQn-q6q1IJerYlP3SgsgubSsLyQMo/s320/aftersurgery1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349976766448517634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4HgiV3YsjUYekCdWNPt3Jpx_XCRuigNjVYu9nmDZ4FXQOsozhT4j2DhAsXEjjcd1jhVBSPisQVvxW5txGAG1qO-lV6_EqJdoJqLSFK8hHk0ZNxhSpOEMbgkBhqjQHz-qrL9XbujzCWQ/s1600-h/sweet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4HgiV3YsjUYekCdWNPt3Jpx_XCRuigNjVYu9nmDZ4FXQOsozhT4j2DhAsXEjjcd1jhVBSPisQVvxW5txGAG1qO-lV6_EqJdoJqLSFK8hHk0ZNxhSpOEMbgkBhqjQHz-qrL9XbujzCWQ/s320/sweet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978697166927522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XJVxWl9zccEA7xtw7doevTnxK1nahA7lrlRPNKHv3uRafmNo0vlaE-NzI3V64s3PecgFEdINAdy_r_XggfSIh8_D22JGbDDueCl6ktENpHdrxs1JjK3NiEthZCC-tqfFqx-okwvG2vs/s1600-h/motorcycle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XJVxWl9zccEA7xtw7doevTnxK1nahA7lrlRPNKHv3uRafmNo0vlaE-NzI3V64s3PecgFEdINAdy_r_XggfSIh8_D22JGbDDueCl6ktENpHdrxs1JjK3NiEthZCC-tqfFqx-okwvG2vs/s320/motorcycle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978690573892834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrduT1s6BvExxJ8SL_v8lQu6MtrhFVfhWHvn2uEn5dUpXqo5m0BL339fasfFUUkAaHURk9ERbqO9xA6R9crqEakBqKvV5IbKaq46LWCrqz5Qyr9bOCpE_f1-e4OE-0wavVYNqxAwtLu1M/s1600-h/dadjackson1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrduT1s6BvExxJ8SL_v8lQu6MtrhFVfhWHvn2uEn5dUpXqo5m0BL339fasfFUUkAaHURk9ERbqO9xA6R9crqEakBqKvV5IbKaq46LWCrqz5Qyr9bOCpE_f1-e4OE-0wavVYNqxAwtLu1M/s320/dadjackson1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349975661431889170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhM4R0pmsTL_WV6GrQjLOCpDXBWg8W2TNetcziDdjV06qAen3IhsfSeaGwYPWuBjkBy3PKot3o6kebKue4451GTI90aOk-snqRa8eBN5amwrzGJtsSbH8RbdGXBD12LrRA81AhSeKshU/s1600-h/snuggle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhM4R0pmsTL_WV6GrQjLOCpDXBWg8W2TNetcziDdjV06qAen3IhsfSeaGwYPWuBjkBy3PKot3o6kebKue4451GTI90aOk-snqRa8eBN5amwrzGJtsSbH8RbdGXBD12LrRA81AhSeKshU/s320/snuggle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978702497083282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql39wLpiStYSsKgWp0lhOZetByQjY8m8LmWrVno855bVQJV6qaWHSkoyOPVYeoqHGo3MGWy3s4FlAT4BB6dO3iHBf3GRDMoopLLI4VClrlKmp44-OQxRFU5I2Kg1Mq5BLE8WJW7tZqOc/s1600-h/yellowhat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjql39wLpiStYSsKgWp0lhOZetByQjY8m8LmWrVno855bVQJV6qaWHSkoyOPVYeoqHGo3MGWy3s4FlAT4BB6dO3iHBf3GRDMoopLLI4VClrlKmp44-OQxRFU5I2Kg1Mq5BLE8WJW7tZqOc/s320/yellowhat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349975653630444322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv14jlDisMs7b1is2KFAG5CpbYfnOrAJLTIXEXbZ4-wPYFy2DySdWQPLcfhEojexAaCMCr9qHDDgIx1d710Rl02OP0yqk_3yEnncUIL9AIo7Y3yxvy2bDARCxRDPDrA4c5p5vUqYNE68/s1600-h/tiredofwaiting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv14jlDisMs7b1is2KFAG5CpbYfnOrAJLTIXEXbZ4-wPYFy2DySdWQPLcfhEojexAaCMCr9qHDDgIx1d710Rl02OP0yqk_3yEnncUIL9AIo7Y3yxvy2bDARCxRDPDrA4c5p5vUqYNE68/s320/tiredofwaiting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349975651923037714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKB6tbAAhvSpFocN3hSIoauIcCVSiTfZoibqSiKHqAOFxbL9YMkydNLB8THE9k9m-pOzgwNJb1egYlYByyqPRoJ6b7ejud04CWrH3GdimmD0kwh6EUUiL2Gk4fL1L9ewOQ2Ur8YERygQ/s1600-h/stroller+ride.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKB6tbAAhvSpFocN3hSIoauIcCVSiTfZoibqSiKHqAOFxbL9YMkydNLB8THE9k9m-pOzgwNJb1egYlYByyqPRoJ6b7ejud04CWrH3GdimmD0kwh6EUUiL2Gk4fL1L9ewOQ2Ur8YERygQ/s320/stroller+ride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349975657061334530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr70lFIyeibJPMoGulBciDj_70s1nWYgOTc4L6Zj8V5Rqry-NnWZsumPsJnmYsfPJpW1cnCVv2aeTjEhLo9fMwsL7V6EuttEpNlse4tbwi2ZEhuZJU0Rxcn-fIIQPL9om407XklDrVM4g/s1600-h/newtruck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr70lFIyeibJPMoGulBciDj_70s1nWYgOTc4L6Zj8V5Rqry-NnWZsumPsJnmYsfPJpW1cnCVv2aeTjEhLo9fMwsL7V6EuttEpNlse4tbwi2ZEhuZJU0Rxcn-fIIQPL9om407XklDrVM4g/s320/newtruck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349976148086751874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSWo3WLU5ye9iWBjnMH1GAqnb6OWVhavTRPG09j5G7hRz5SzJsoGwbmDHYM51IZTlHRdIxW2uxyjLjArBVq2zgRtQpjgniMWUH6nsaRQbFpc2B3zZa25bOvBWrvCqX-doxtljzp2NIC8/s1600-h/cowboy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSWo3WLU5ye9iWBjnMH1GAqnb6OWVhavTRPG09j5G7hRz5SzJsoGwbmDHYM51IZTlHRdIxW2uxyjLjArBVq2zgRtQpjgniMWUH6nsaRQbFpc2B3zZa25bOvBWrvCqX-doxtljzp2NIC8/s320/cowboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349978689048106994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We love you forever.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-27382769829767207422009-06-12T13:05:00.004-05:002009-06-12T13:42:22.689-05:00Mr. Social<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UQK0kGIcihTo8v4vYQx5tDz_qe_Z7nzc9GAr1NIzXZSNgMRX00OQn1p4M5vA-vSFjrxSO_PZvV3Vcb9IXByf671Klji5oOLQs03IgspSFXNaQIObhyphenhyphenrsO1D2skL1alEs5GjiETEDPbQ/s1600-h/gansta+boy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UQK0kGIcihTo8v4vYQx5tDz_qe_Z7nzc9GAr1NIzXZSNgMRX00OQn1p4M5vA-vSFjrxSO_PZvV3Vcb9IXByf671Klji5oOLQs03IgspSFXNaQIObhyphenhyphenrsO1D2skL1alEs5GjiETEDPbQ/s320/gansta+boy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346512821520176242" border="0" /></a><br />There's really no better way to describe him. Jackson could eat, sleep and breathe people. It makes it easy on us when we want to go out because he never gets fussy. He is constantly entertained by all the people; people walking their dogs, people talking, people eating. It doesn't matter. I have a really hard time keeping him entertained during the day since it's just me and him at home. But when we're out, he's in heaven. He loves his stroller. He loves his car seat. I have to be careful not to say "bye bye" too early, or he will start heading for the door and pound on it until we leave. I have to have everything in hand before I even think of uttering the words.<br /><br />So, yes, he is wildly social. Combine that with his explorer spirit, and quirky personality; he definitely keeps us on our toes!<br /><br />The other day while I was sitting in the waiting room of <a href="http://www.kidtherapyaustin.com/">Kid Therapy</a>, Jackson's speech therapist approached me saying just how social he is; he waves and says hi to all the kids, is always smiling, and is the highlight of her day. I can't tell you how much I love to hear things like that! Then later, his occupational therapist told me the same thing, and shared a story with me of when Jackson was playing in the gym there. Another little boy climbed up a ramp and Jackson clapped for him when he got to the top, then climbed up the ramp himself! She said how much the other kids and therapists just love him and what a fun, sweet boy he is.<br /><br />It has been such a rough road so far, hearing these things about Jackson bring the life back to me. It's as if every time I hear it, my lungs fill with air, my heart beats a little bit faster and my eyes see a little more clearly. The clouds break and life feels worth living again.<br /><br />I love that he loves people. I love that he lights up when other kids come into the room. I love that he makes me laugh about a hundred times a day. I love that he makes himself laugh just as much. I love my boy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFrKK6dlFktmoreSdKYvDcrsBgqncKibZkV74rvEyEzT4MYCdjPY8GyW7CB3x_9u-358oXoUJ2Bv_ZcJD3LJ7xlDwP1ZItr9ou-Im7yr3rTOakB4_ODDvrciqxoAqIEOltYVVirxRjCA/s1600-h/gangsta+boy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFrKK6dlFktmoreSdKYvDcrsBgqncKibZkV74rvEyEzT4MYCdjPY8GyW7CB3x_9u-358oXoUJ2Bv_ZcJD3LJ7xlDwP1ZItr9ou-Im7yr3rTOakB4_ODDvrciqxoAqIEOltYVVirxRjCA/s320/gangsta+boy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346513114387641074" border="0" /></a>THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-50611440406429955182009-06-07T18:10:00.000-05:002009-06-07T18:12:56.490-05:0017 MonthsJackson went in for surgery on Wednesday and today you wouldn't even know it! We seriously can't believe how fast he bounces back... The surgeries were successful and we are now on the road to recovery. Phew. One more down.<br /><br />Today Jackson is 17 months and I just can't believe it! Time feels so slow in some ways and then vanishes so quickly in others. We are loving this season with our boy - he is so fun and his personality so vibrant! He absolutely LOVES people and he cracks us up! I find myself laughing regularly at his crazy antics.<br /><br />The other day when I got him up, this is what I found:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc0WUK4EANgx8BDZ3UxCIjJ_yHFq9dymMtCbppLEMf5zCJN9gBkFdY9vcpDtwfn04Lxf630JUtKt8RvnL6UOE5MkBWdGJe34_C_fh3Bzks3abvhqhAjMjRvf_u4IAw9S5-hgWOGqd2gA/s1600-h/bedhead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXc0WUK4EANgx8BDZ3UxCIjJ_yHFq9dymMtCbppLEMf5zCJN9gBkFdY9vcpDtwfn04Lxf630JUtKt8RvnL6UOE5MkBWdGJe34_C_fh3Bzks3abvhqhAjMjRvf_u4IAw9S5-hgWOGqd2gA/s320/bedhead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344713897118360866" border="0" /></a><br />Talk about bedhead! I still find myself laughing when I see it!<br /><br />I also wanted to take the time to thank a couple amazing people who have given us incredible gifts. Gifts, not only thoughtful, but unbelievably personal and creative! These people are seriously talented!<br /><br />First, I want to thank Vanessa of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5955101">Beloved Jane</a> - an incredibly talented artist and friend! She made me this gorgeous sterling silver necklace stamped with the following:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaBd__vsO0V8ky40wtjbO-vKdEoKRdHwo1QgaFkr0ZHAO3kIcXlPnfMmLzjdxeDYiM42hkXcnGTJ0DhZdthiY_tshI0aXx6PPOXa3KtmxppexLbybpJLU8gztwVc5_yCB2iEm4f_M6D4/s1600-h/necklace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaBd__vsO0V8ky40wtjbO-vKdEoKRdHwo1QgaFkr0ZHAO3kIcXlPnfMmLzjdxeDYiM42hkXcnGTJ0DhZdthiY_tshI0aXx6PPOXa3KtmxppexLbybpJLU8gztwVc5_yCB2iEm4f_M6D4/s320/necklace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344716105485763570" border="0" /></a><br />I can't even tell you how much I adore this necklace! Vanessa, I am amazed by the heart and creativity of your work. Thank you for giving me such a priceless gift. You can also find her <a href="http://www.belovedjane.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />And it doesn't end there! Awhile back, I was reading my friend <a href="http://emeryjo.blogspot.com/">Emery</a>'s blog - <a href="http://emeryjo.blogspot.com/2009/03/gifts-of-hands-gifts-of-heart.html">this</a> post to be exact. While reading I noticed an adorable blanket given to her sweet boy Myer. I loved it! So I looked up the company that made it - <a href="http://www.admiralroad.com/index.html">Admiral Road</a>. I felt inspired by their sweet and creative designs and so I emailed them to let them know. A few weeks later I received this in the mail:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAWMLQmqD03ioXArhyphenhyphenAjL-ZCbI2hcH30nZKyeikm-S_FZGLMJjQItb-7W_QIOGH7gkXYXXgbodi047cHk4wB9aV3Qy3ykrSCnbsv25PD7fuFQk0qUJekdpLkhZNyO0n4JIv7cMWxF8C0/s1600-h/blanket.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAWMLQmqD03ioXArhyphenhyphenAjL-ZCbI2hcH30nZKyeikm-S_FZGLMJjQItb-7W_QIOGH7gkXYXXgbodi047cHk4wB9aV3Qy3ykrSCnbsv25PD7fuFQk0qUJekdpLkhZNyO0n4JIv7cMWxF8C0/s320/blanket.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344721636852620674" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.admiralroad.com/index.html">Admiral Road</a> read our story and were touched by it and put a personalized blanket in the mail for Jackson. And it couldn't have been a more perfect choice! Jackson's favorite stuffed animal is his Curious George (he sleeps with it every night) and he absolutely ADORES monkeys! I put it up on his wall over his crib for now as he loves to look at it... What a beautiful, thoughtful gift. This blanket will be treasured for years to come. <br /><br />I am constantly amazed by the generosity and grace displayed by people I come across. You inspire me. You move me. You overwhelm me. I want to be more like you.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6306575555586932523.post-89717828755292995942009-06-02T20:20:00.000-05:002009-06-02T20:20:01.018-05:00A Month of FirstsI have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Between being sick, once with the stomach flu, then with a nasty respiratory virus, the words have just been sucked out of me.<br /><br />We enjoyed our time in California - spent some quality time with family and good friends, hung out in some of our favorite Central Coast spots, celebrated my cousin's wedding, and even had our first overnight since Jackson was born (much needed)! We had a gift certificate for a night at the Cottage Inn in Pismo Beach and we were finally able to use it. We thoroughly enjoyed a mellow night away from our little man and were able to reconnect a bit (thanks Nana and Granddad)!<br /><br />Someone takes after his Daddy a bit...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHfMsmWe7Pl-gJ5d8jlLO0-iDIjH81Y5vdLwELMjU_MKCDcrhduaJugkxTEBhdsCw-GVcbMEUn7iYK07zxfhyphenhyphenzdq2_S2jd1tOZHWs-xxpNtFDVNWA2GVawQesDp21Aj4sPc7-aWCEaJs/s1600-h/jacksondrums.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHfMsmWe7Pl-gJ5d8jlLO0-iDIjH81Y5vdLwELMjU_MKCDcrhduaJugkxTEBhdsCw-GVcbMEUn7iYK07zxfhyphenhyphenzdq2_S2jd1tOZHWs-xxpNtFDVNWA2GVawQesDp21Aj4sPc7-aWCEaJs/s320/jacksondrums.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342897481092754162" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jackson and Stew...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_7Sq2O18VmHJGCui5y5cdKwEGWe9Th3OxoXNg0V844E9UnFdE7kv4WSjx2S4wTU7n-sPnbAM8sNRx6Qc6sU54VcYOAINbofASP_GAh0nAETYo4NfwMujtTDwXP97WFpwM2b7cnHQCCM/s1600-h/jacksonstew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_7Sq2O18VmHJGCui5y5cdKwEGWe9Th3OxoXNg0V844E9UnFdE7kv4WSjx2S4wTU7n-sPnbAM8sNRx6Qc6sU54VcYOAINbofASP_GAh0nAETYo4NfwMujtTDwXP97WFpwM2b7cnHQCCM/s320/jacksonstew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342897128165918818" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We've been settling back into our schedule since we got back to Austin and are enjoying getting to explore our new home a bit. Jackson is doing so well in therapy that he may only need occupational therapy and physical therapy for a couple more months! He is progressing rapidly and learning so much these days. Speech therapy will be ongoing till he is much older, due to being born with a cleft. But he is learning to sign and even has a couple words under his belt ("more" and "go"). He nods in response to questions, waves "goodbye", blows kisses and gives hugs upon request. He is getting more and more fun these days - he is so social and independent.<br /><br />Jackson's most recent thing is that he is standing up by himself and learning to walk. In fact, he did both for the first time on the same day! Crazy enough we were able to catch it all on video...<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4967354&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4967354&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/4967354">Jackson's First Time Standing and First Steps</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user448731">Halle Whittington</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />And yes, I am a tiny bit embarrassed about my laugh in this video... Oh well. <br /><br />Tomorrow, Jackson is scheduled for another surgery. Originally he was scheduled for surgery on May 18th, but he woke up with a fever of 102.7 and a nasty cough. We called in and they said to bring him in anyway, and they would determine what to do. Because of the cough, the anesthesiologist decided to postpone surgery. He was able to get his new Mic-Key button G-tube in (because it didn't require anesthesia), and we're loving the convenience of it. He is also now able to wear two-piece outfits instead of onesies all the time - a total luxury. Because the Mic-Key has already been put in, Jackson will be getting his inguinal hernias repaired and will be getting circumcised. We aren't entirely sure what the recovery will be like, but we have been told to expect a rough first week. This little guy has been through so many surgeries for his age, he's pretty tough, but it's still hard every time to hand him over... and then get him back in a totally different condition. It's hard not being able to explain to him what is about to happen and prepare him for how he'll feel when he gets out. <br /><br />We have so appreciated the loving support we have received from so many of you. And we are so grateful to those of you who have supported us through <a href="http://www.cameroningalls.com/jacksonsmile/">Jackson's Smile</a> - you are truly making a difference in our life and in the lives of other children like Jackson.THE WHITTINGTONShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03622306845136779496noreply@blogger.com6