Christmas is Coming

I can't believe it is already Christmas Eve, we are busy preparing food for tomorrow's lunch with my mom. Daddy is still in the hospital, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers; it is a sad moment in such joyful season, but I know that we will get thru it. Jackson is excited to see what Santa brings as is mommy. We got letter from Old St. Nick himself yesterday, it says the elves are working on a choo-choo table for Jackson, I bet if he gets it he will be so excited! I have said it before, and I will say it again, I LOVE CHRISTMAS, always have but to see it thru the eyes of a child makes it even more special. And to see it thru the eyes of a child with different abilities is truly a miracle in and of itself. I can't wait to see him rip thru the paper on all his gifts, to put baby Jesus in the manger at church this even and not even need my help (well maybe to make sure baby Jesus gets in the cresh, but not to help him hold it). As I write this he is rolling on our living room floor and I am making sure he doesn't take ornaments (or as he calls them balls) off my tree, last year it was even a thought, I am simply in awe of how far he has come. And really if he takes an ornament off the tree I will be so happy I won't know what to do!

In other news, we went to therapy on Monday and he is so close to walking, with a shopping cart---doesn't like the walker, but loves the shopping cart---once he figures out his center of gravity and balance he will be off in no time!

Enjoy this wonderful season with your family, friends, and neighbors; I know we will. Remember the true reason for the season and see Christmas thru the eyes of your little ones, it will AMAZE you.

RGOs

A few weeks ago we got RGOs (reciprocating gait orthotics). It was a very trying and the hardest fitting I have ever had. I knew that and have always known that there was no such thing as a "miracle brace or treatment", the only true miracle we will EVER know in this journey is Jackson himself. But for some reason, I just thought we'd put them on and he would take off--I knew in my mind he wouldn't, but for some reason I thought he would. So, needless to say when we put them on, he didn't take off and in fact he cried and I cried, it was really hard. We brought the braces home and I put them on him the next day, it was a battle again, trying to help him figure them out, trying to figure them out myself; it was a tough therapy session to say the least. On Monday, I e-mailed another mom (who's daughter wears RGOs) from the AMC support group, my true life line since our diagnosis. I talked to another AMC mom and even though her son has never worn RGOs and she offered support, a just a sympathetic ear and encouragement. The mom who's daughter wears RGOs told me she had the same wild idea about the braces, she offered suggestions and when I got home from work and put them on, we put the RGOs again using her suggestions and Jackson's ability to truly know his mommy and he rocked and kicked through the whole house, I cried again, tears of shear joy!

We did have to go back to get them adjusted as Nick our orthotist made the butt piece a little too short. We got the new piece on Friday and are doing very well rocking and kicking our way around the house.

It's Been a Couple of Weeks

We have had a hard couple of weeks. Some of you may or may not know that Jon's mom has been in a long, hard, and courageous fought battle with cancer for about a year now, on the morning of November 11 that battle ended. No more drugs, no more pain, just the sweet reward of Heaven. It was tough to say the least, but Jon and his brother, dad and sister were with her when she went to her final resting place. Since she was in Oklahoma, they were all there, leaving me here to try to explain to Jackson why mommy was sad and daddy was gone. I know you may think I am crazy because Jackson is so young, you may not think he "gets it", but trust me I know my kiddo and he was just not himself, even his therapist commented that he was acting differently. So, the night after his maw-maw passed, I came home, we ate dinner and I sat Jackson on my lap showed him pictures of her; there was one picture where she was helping him hold his sippy cup (not that he needed it, but that's just how maw-maws are). I explained to him that maw-maw was helping us and that she would always be right above us in the sky with all the other angels who help us. But that me and daddy miss her and we are sad and it is okay to be sad. He immediately began looking at our front door; which has two small windows at the top and saying "Mama, Mama"; so we walked out on the porch and he looked directly at the sky. I told him, we can't see her but I promise she is up there, we blew her a kiss and came back inside. He totally got it---or at least I think so.

I know she is truly up there smiling down and watching over all of us, especially Jackson. In less than a month of her passing, we have seen Jackson making leaps and bounds of accomplishments. He has more words than ever; including "where"--he wants to know "Where ball?, where choo-choo?, where boat?, where water?, where, where, where?" He has started scooting more and more and can even do it on carpet! And my mom and I believe he is trying to figure out how to push his body up into standing, I think before long he will be there.

We have put up our Christmas tree and are making the Christmas party rounds, with therapy and our orthopedic clinic. Today was the therapy party and I truly can't believe how far he has come since our last party there. Today, he fed himself goldfish and scooted all around the room. Last year we were still having to hold him or at least sit behind him so he wouldn't fall over...this year the kid was hanging with the big kids and holding his own! One thing hasn't changed though, he is still not very fond of Santa, but I guess that plays into my plan of making him truly know what this holiday is about---the birth of our Savior and the promise that gives to all of us.

We are heading to a neighborhood Christmas parade with The Wilson's (Braden and mommy and daddy) on Sunday and then exchanging gifts with them. We can't wait.

I want to start posting more here, but I have to find the time, maybe a word of the day or Jackson's funny quote of the day (trust me he has many)---we'll see...but for now I leave you with my favorite word year round, but especially at Christmas---BELIEVE. Believe in Santa, but more importantly, believe in the promise that this Season holds, the promise of our salvation. It has taken alot of Believing over these past 22 months, but every time I see Jackson kick that foot in the RGOs or scoot to a toy or even to our Christmas tree, I know that I just gotta keep Believing.

xo,

the Heckerts