2 Brothers Layne

So Jonah has been extra clingy this week and I'm starting to think that his teeth may the root of the problem. I've given him some Tylenol today and he seems to really appreciate it. Now I'm feeling bad that I didn't think of it sooner! Poor guy. Jonah also seems to be going through a phase... he may be on the verge of rearranging his nap schedule. Previous to this week you could set a watch by Jonah's naps. His morning one at 11 and the afternoon at 2. This week he has hardly had a nap. Today he wanted to nap at 8:30 then again at 3:30. I'm wondering if he is trying to transition to a one nap a day schedule. What ever his plan is I hope we get it figured out soon. This no nap thing has made for a long week. None the less I'm grateful to have a "long week" than to not have my kiddo. He is truly a blessing (even if he's cranky)

Check out this little cutie! Mamaw has opened up an Etsy shop to sell some of her sewing projects. The first items in the shop are hooded baby towels. Mamaw needed some models to demonstrate how large the towels actually are and how well they work. The grand kids got the job. We did a photo shoot last night at the Pali house and this morning it was Jonah's turn. He was supposed to model 4 different towels but during the third he decided he'd had enough. Sure hope the Etsy adventure turns out well for Mamaw!

Today was pretty uneventful. Jonah and I spent the day playing and napping. It's always nice to have a nice slow day. Dave reports that school is very fast paced! He is really enjoying the classes but is totally exhausted after learning for 8 hours straight. Dave told me that they are cramming 2 semesters worth of classes into 23 days. Wow! Sure glad it isn't me.

Today we were scheduled to train a new nurse. 8:00 (her arrival time) came and went, No nurse. I figured that she might be having trouble finding us out here in the sticks so I decided to wait until 9:00. 9:00 came and went, No nurse. I then called the office to make sure I had written this week's schedule correctly. They discovered that there had a breakdown in communication and the new nurse had not been notified that she'd be playing with Jonah today and Thursday. As a result she was no longer available. OOPS! Not a problem! I told the girls in the office not to worry about covering the shift today, yet, 5 minutes later they called back and said that Claire was on her way. Sweet! Help that already knows our routine and has already made friends with Jonah! That mistake definitely ended in my favor. It's just too bad that Jonah was a Velcro baby today. He was pretty gassy and as a result very cranky. Poor kiddo. Claire was very patient and when Jonah wanted ...

Check out this cutie out! Can you spot whats different? Yep! It was high time Jonah got his hair cut! He was pretty patient with the hair cut and for the photo shoot as well! I am truly the luckiest/most blessed Mommy in the world! What an incredible little boy! Look who LOVES his Shades! He was so appreciative of having his sunglasses while out in the sun that he never even attempted to take them off! Jonah's first try in Nanny and Papa's awesome tire swing. It is the one that put all of us as children right to sleep. Jonah made some major progress today in his gait trainer (adaptive walker). Previous to today he was only able to push backward. Yet, today, he figured out how to move himself forward! Hooray for Jonah! Jonah loves it when Mommy is silly... especially when he feels that he caused the act!

Today was a day of firsts for Jonah. We drove to a little town called Holbrook Idaho to hear my cousin speak in church. He just arrived home from serving a 2 year mission in England. It was the first time Jonah has ever been over the state line! It was also Jonah's first time attending church. Now realize that we were able to sneak in a back door and into a classroom where we got to listen to the meeting through a speaker. This was the only way for me to attend while keeping Jonah at a safe distance from the crowd... and I LOVED it. It was so great to be at church again, even if we were secluded. It was a first for Mommy having to entertain her kiddo through Sacrament Meeting. The HAPPY MOMMY! This poor kiddo refused to nap while on our new adventure today so he fell asleep on the ride home and didn't wake up until 7:30! Yep, he was one sleepy boy! Hopefully he'll still sleep well tonight!

A very uneventful morning gave way to a busy afternoon! My grandparents have a catering business and today they had scheduled the largest banquet they had yet served... nearly 500! As such, they were in need of all the help they could get. Jonah and I volunteered to take the early shift so we could avoid the crowd. Our job was to help set the table (for 500 people)! Jonah was a real trooper being all tied up in my new mock Moby Wrap. Jonah and I are getting really good at multitasking. In this picture Jonah is eating while I place the utensils. It was quite a load to pack, Jonah on front and his feeding pump and oxygen on back. Don't believe the look on my face, it was very enjoyable being out and about with my kiddo in tow. It's just that this isn't the best picture. When the people started showing up at the dinner Jonah and I vanished! We went home and got Jonah ready for bed then went to play with the Pali cousins for an hour before bedtime. Hooray for Uncle Mi...

This is Dave. The internet in Tremonton is being pretty fickle so I have the privilege of writing tonight. Tan reported that Jonah had a pretty slow morning. When he fussed around 8 he was pretty laxidayzical (not sure if that 0ne is spelled correctly). he half way jumped in his jumper, just enough to have a rocking sensation. Head reclined on the back of the jumper, and just chilling. Until about 10 and then he was good to go for about 30 minutes and wanted to take a nap. A lot of visitors came by today. Tanya was feeling lonely, Gaga and Mamaw were at a special dinner recieving a reward, as a result cousin Matt was feeling lonely also so the Pali family and the Layne family had a special dinner of their own. Nana and Papa came by for a visit during dinner. It was a lot of fun. Nanny and Papa stopped by also. It was fun to see them. I was able to skype while most of the afore mentioned poeple were in the house. I am doing well here. I have classed up. I should, crossing ...

One of Jonah's therapists suggested a really cool website to help us find some sunglasses that would help Jonah better tolerate the bright sunshine. These fancy little shades are equipped with a handy little headband for stability and comfort. It's too bad that my little sweetie isn't as excited about them as Mommy is. It seems that it is going to take some work in order for Jonah to decide to leave them on!

Jonah had three therapy appointments today. At 9:00 this morning the PT came and we worked on Jonah's gross motor skills, ie standing, pushing up to a sitting position from lying on the floor, and sitting independently. Jonah worked hard and is showing little bits of improvement. This afternoon the OT stopped by and we worked on helping Jonah sign "More" to indicate when he wants an activity to continue. By the end of the session he was clearly communicating to us when he wanted to continue the activity. Hooray! Then this evening our feeding therapist came over and we brainstormed ideas of what to do next to help Jonah in our quest for him to eat by mouth. There are a few things we're going to try... I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

I spent a few hours today going through Jonah's clothes. I removed the clothes he's outgrown from his drawers and replaced them with his summer clothes. It was a good project to get out of the way while we had Claire (Jonah's nurse) with us today. There were a bunch of shorts that I was sure would be too big so after he woke up from his nap I tried on all his shorts as I put them in his drawer. He is bigger than I was giving him credit for.

Jonah seems to be getting more comfortable with his nurses. Today he allowed me to be out of the room for short periods of time. This allowed me to clean the floors and the kitchen! He even reached out for Amy when Mamaw was holding him. Thats pretty impressive. I can hardly believe the difference having some help a few days each week has made in my demeanor. I am a much better Mommy when I've had a bit of a break. The time Jonah and I spend together is far more productive as far as therapy goes. It is yet another reason to be grateful for Tricare (Military Insurance).

This afternoon we took Jonah out for a stroll in his walker. He has become quite proficient at pushing himself backward. Nanny and Papa's new concrete driveway is the ideal place to walk because it is smooth with a bit of a slope. This helps Jonah to get maximum movement with minimal effort. This video was taken after he'd been walking for nealy 30 minutes. Jonah was tired and glad to have some help! Thanks Maddy!

Today was had first visit from "Amy". She caught on quickly to our schedule and was very helpful even though Jonah was being "Velcro Boy" today. My focus today was training Amy and showing her where to find everything. This evening Jonah and I found ourselves home alone so we drove out to Bothwell to see my grandparents. It was a short visit but a good one! We realized tonight that this is the first time Papa has ever held Jonah. Up until tonight he would get anxious around Papa and as result Jonah has never been held by Papa. They obviously had a good time!

It has been such a crazy today. We started the morning our with a phone call letting us know the canal company was going to burn the canal across the road from us. That meant we had to vacate the house for the day. First we had a therapy appointment, which went well, then it was time to head to nanna and papa Layne's house for the determent of the burning of canal. We arrived in time to do a therapy visit we recieved a call we couldn't do it because of technical difficulties, which meant we could just enjoy our visit with papa. After his morning nap Jonah had a blood draw which he did NOT like!!! Back to nanna a papa's for a brief visit then we could return back home because they had finished burning the fields. The rest of the afternoon was pretty calm. Our yellow lab had an appointment with the vet for a wellness check up, routine shots and what not which went well. He is always a hit when he goes in for his check-ups. We are awfully grateful for an extra set of...

There was a 4.9 earth quake at 6:00 this evening in Randolph Utah. It was felt as far away as Provo. Did Jonah and I notice it? Nope! We were happily oblivious chillin' at home. Today was supposed to be a big day for us. We were supposed to go over to Logan at 10:00 for Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center. We however chose not to attend. Jonah was soooo tired and his allergies were crazy so we had a low key day.

What a great day it has been! We had the opportunity to go and visit a dear friend. This beautiful little girl was one of my students last year. We'll call her Jessie. Jessie has been very fragile all her life. Her family takes many of the same precautions that we do with Jonah. So, Jessie's mom and I decided that since we are both ultra germ conscience when it comes to our kiddos and as a result we are often shut indoors. So why not get together for a little outing. It didn't last but a couple of hours but it was so refreshing to get out of the house and to chat with another military mom who has a special kiddo. It's nice to talk with someone who really understands.

Claire was back today to play. I had big plans to do some deep cleaning in Jonah's room but Jonah had other ideas. He was more than happy to play with Claire so long as I was in the same room that they were in. The instant I was out of sight Jonah had an utter meltdown. So I quickly adjusted my plans to be able to remain in the same room. That made everyone happy. This evening Jonah's allergy symptoms seemed to be easing up a bit. Let's hope that the Zertec will do the trick! So, I am really growing to miss my family. Not only Tanya and Jonah, but also all my other family!!! I miss hanging out with Tanya. Playing with Jonah, and Jax always tossing a soggy tennis ball in my lap. When I walk around (off-base of course) I alsways slow down to watch the dogs and wish I could pet them, but keep my distance to avoid possible injury, DANG!!! I am doing well here in Pensacola. I have joined a group of sailors that go help fix stuff. We are closely supervised by Technicians,...

So today was our first day having a nurse here to help take care of Jonah. We'll call her Claire. Claire arrived at 8 and we got right to work showing her where to locate all the necessary equipment we use each day. I spent the majority of the day telling Claire about Jonah's history and current medical conditions and the medications he is on and why. It was a chance to brush up on my medical jargon. Claire seemed to be pleased with all the organization and the activity list I had prepared. For the most part I just had Claire observe while Jonah and I carried out our normal activities. Mommy enjoyed having someone to chat with and Jonah seemed unaffected having a stranger in the house. Toward the end of Claire's shift Dave called. It was so nice to chat with Dave uninterrupted, that's because Claire jumped right in to help. I'm feeling very spoiled.

It was a long night last night. Jonah required suctioning (using a little machine to suck the mucus out of his nose) a few times and the rest of the night we spent rocking in the La-Z-Boy in his room. He has had a lot of nasal drainage, sneezing, and watery eyes over the last couple of days... which leads me to believe Jonah may have allergies like Mommy. I'll be calling the Dr. tomorrow to see what she thinks and if she is willing to let us try liquid Zertec for a few days to see if it helps. From the looks of it may be another long night. It makes me all the more grateful to have a nurse coming tomorrow.

Jonah had a first today... Swinging out on the swing set! He seemed to enjoy it but he still has a hard time with the sunshine. Lots to get done in order to be ready for our first nurse on Monday. I've neglected putting up Jonah's pictures in his room until today. The tractor was drawn by my Baby Sister Brittney! The baby animals are from an awesome book of posters that my Aunt gave Jonah. The rest of these pictures display my how crazy I get when it comes to staying organized. I have labeled nearly everything including his drawers where his clothes are put away. It takes a lot of STUFF to keep this kiddo going!

Today was our big intake meeting with the pediatric nursing company that will be providing us with respite care for Jonah. Through the course of the meeting I realized how very anal I've become with how Jonah is cared for and how certain routine activities are carried out. I may just drive a few nurses crazy with my system. We'll have spotty coverage through the end of the month and next month it should be a regular schedule. Most of me is very excited for a little added help but a small part of me thinks I'm being a rotten Mommy to hand over the responsibility to someone else.

My little niece Maddy (she is 2 days older than Jonah) came over today with her Mommy and big brother. During her stay she took it upon herself to be Jonah's feeding therapist. At one point I put Jonah in his highchair and lowered his seat so that he was near Maddy's eye level. As Morgan and I worked on a project Maddy brought Jonah a special treat, Cheetos! They are one of her favorites. She handed Jonah one for each hand and when he didn't attempt to eat them she grabbed one more out of her bag and instructed Jonah, "Bite, Chew, Swallow" as she offered to feed him a third Cheeto. He quickly pushed her hand away but that didn't stop Maddy. She left for a time but kept returning to see if Jonah had changed his mind. It was soooo CUTE! What a cute little duo they make!

Look how cute this little one is! These were some just for fun photos. He is quite the camera hog. This cutie has taken an interest in these baby puffed cereal pieces. They were a recommendation from our feeding therapist. As long as Jonah is the one in charge he is happy to lick them. Today he surprised me by taking a bit of one. He panicked for a second while the puff melted on his tongue. Then I helped take his mind off having to swallow by singing and being silly. Awesome!

Jonah had two therapy appointments today. The first was the IHC PT, Ann. Ann brought a student with her and Jonah put on quite a show for the both of them. He worked for nearly an hour showing off all his latest accomplishments. Ann only comes once a month so she was astonished with all the progress he has made since she was here last. After they left Jonah was totally give out and went down for a two hour nap. I had to wake him for his next appointment with Mona, the IHC OT. Jonah again showed off his skills and she was very impressed. Here is a cute video of Jonah doing his "Big Jumps"! ENJOY!

Jonah got a treat today... a car ride with no Dr. Appointment at the end of it! Mamaw and I needed to run some errands in Logan today so we packed Jonah and all his equipment into the van and set off. We took turns shopping while the other one played with Jonah in the van. It worked out very well. We were supposed to have our IHC PT come work with Jonah this afternoon but she had to reschedule so that a student who is doing an internship can accompany her. We'll see if Jonah will show off for the new girl or if his stranger anxiety kicks into high gear!

Happy Easter to all!!!! Today was a pretty uneventful day. We spent the day watching conference. A highlight of today was when we went over to Nana and Papa's house for lunch, and some how in the middle of a plastic egg war (which Tanya started). Because of the all fun, Jonah missed out on his afternoon nap, but Jonah still was his happy self. Jonah really loves watching and interacting with his cousins!!! I think it is fun for the cousins to finally get to meet Jonah in person and not just see him on the internet.

Smile big Jonah! Hooray for family parties!!! We had a great time playing with the cousins and hanging out with the family. Jonah was very independent and really enjoyed rolling across the floor to get to the kids' toys. His new favorite past time is pulling off his socks! Rolling like crazy! We started with breakfast, then it was time to color Easter eggs. Jonah was ready for a nap about then and as a result he wasn't to thrilled about helping. I've got another dozen eggs boiled and we'll try again tomorrow. Our Newlyweds! Cousin Maddi! Cousin Matt! Cousin Garrison!