Where’s Jackson at?

Lately a lot of people have been asking me how Jackson is doing so I thought I would give you all an update on the kid.  Where to begin?  Well first, Jackson is incredibly adorable (bragging mom moment), as most of you already know.  Other than that, he is still seizure free (yea!).  He hasn’t had a seizure since April 25^th at around 8 a.m.  Now that his brain has had a 5 month break, we have been able to enjoy the little boy that Jackson is.  And let me say he is a silly little boy who is happy and giggly and cuddly.  He is still making progress, although slowly.  I think I had this idea in my head that once the seizures stopped Jackson would just take off developmentally and that hasn’t really been the case.  He is making strides, but not quick enough for this impatient mom.  He is definitely more alert, focused, and active.  But he still has his moments of what I call “blah-ness”.  He’s just kind of in a blah mood and not too excited.  It’s hard to get him to do anything during these periods.  He is doing much better during his therapies though.  Whereas before when he had seizures he would fuss and complain during therapy, now he is much more patient, laughs at some of the things his therapists do with him, and actually participates.  Big improvement.  Jackson is sitting for much longer periods of time also.  He still can’t get into the sitting position by himself.  I, however, think he can get into the position he just isn’t motivated to.  That is one “problem” with Jackson - his lack of motivation.  He is just kind of a laid back kid and I think he knows that Mama or Dada will get him into the position so why bother?  Getting him motivated has always been an issue.  He can also stand very well on his own now (once we stand him up) but you have to keep a light hand on him or he will fall over.  And he is standing for longer periods of time.  His walking is a slow process.  Some days he will walk one foot in front of the other (with support), other days he just wants to jump up and down and won’t take any steps.  He tends to walk pretty well for his physical therapist but not so well for me.  Little bugger.  Sign language has been another progress for us.  He is signing “more” and “eat” and was doing “please”.  For some unknown reason has stopped signing please.  Which has left his speech therapist and I totally perplexed.  So we are working on “please” again.  One thing that has been fun is that he is learning how to drink from a straw.  Jackson is making good progress on this.  Drinking out of a straw may not seem like a big deal but it is.  Not having to carry a sippy cup in my purse when we go to a restaurant or grab some fast food on the run is definitely a bonus.  So that is where our boy Jackson is at.  Slowly, but surely, getting somewhere. 

As for where the Klim family is at, we are currently residing somewhere between overwhelming insanity and ordered chaos.  Last week Kevin and I officially became foster parents to two girls, Lillie is 9 and Vivionna is 2.  Adding two more to our little family has proved to be a tad bit challenging and rewarding.  The fact that the girls came with pretty much what was on their backs and not much else has added a sense of urgency and necessity to our daily lives.  We are finally getting them settled clothes wise and that is helping.  They both seem to be adjusting fairly well and are very sweet girls.  They’ve been through a lot and we are just glad we can provide them with a sense of security, safety, and stability.  Oh and some love.  Jackson has had a little trouble getting used to not having Mommy 24/7 but he is starting to get used to his new household life.  And for the first time since Jackson was born, chicks outnumber the dudes in my house!  Finally!  We have a long journey ahead of us as foster parents, so wish us luck!