2 Brothers Layne

So Mamaw and Gaga are sitting in the Baltimore airport twiddling their thumbs and waiting to board their plane. So far they have a 45 minute delay (I say so far because they tell me that other flights are being delayed 3+ hours). Tomorrow is bound to be a blast!

So today Dave and I met with the school district people to discuss the results of the testing that was done on Jonah last month. Here's how it looks on paper. Daily living skills - significantly delayed (the whole, not eating by mouth was a big factor here) Motor (both fine and gross) - significantly delayed Socialization - moderately delayed Cognitive (thinking and reasoning) - moderate delay Communication (expressive and receptive) - average range This is pretty well what Dave and I figured we'd see. Jonah has made amazing progress since arriving home and we've been so blessed with wonderful therapists who have helped us along the way! GO JONAH GO!!!

HOORAY! Finally today we got the termite problem addressed! Tomorrow I need to put Jonah's room back together so that I can get the guest room ready for Gaga and Grandma to come Thursday night. Tomorrow I meet with the School District to see if Jonah qualifies for Preschool. It should be an interesting morning!

So our latest excitement with Jonah is that we have watched him on 3 separate occasions today pulling to stand independently. (At least I think Ms. Erin would count it) We are so excited to see Jonah get stronger each day! As for Daddy... we found out that he will be returning to the squadron on nights. This will be an adjustment for all three of us.

Yesterday was filled with "Hunny Dos" One such project was to construct a box to plant a very small veggie garden in. Dave did a fantastic job! This picture was taken last thursday during speech therapy. Jonah asked Mis Jacqui to read him "Spider Lady" (There was an old woman who swallowed a fly). She agreed and Jonah was a happy camper! Enjoy the video from last week. Just a bit of silliness from Daddy and Jonah!

Negotiating with Jonah can be quite comical at times. For me it is pretty easy. When it is time for him to do something, like take a nap, it is quick to come up with activities to do so he will not have to take a nap. I say, you can do that but first you have to take a nap. He says ok and does a nose dive onto my chest to pretend to sleep. Then he gets up and asks if he can do some activities. It is pretty entertaining. Tanya had a very difficult time getting Jonah down for a nap this afternoon. I showed her how easy it was, I was holding Jonah at the time and said, "Jonah it is time for night night." He nose dives onto my chest to go to sleep. It was great!!!!! We decided to have a box garden this year and grow: peas, beans, and beets. In pots we are going to try for tomatoes, squash, and zucchini.

Today was a fairly laid back and easy going day. Due to some administrative difficulties, I did not graduate today, but should on Monday. Jonah had another great day. The little turkey didn't take a nap during mid-day, and when he finally went down, we only let him sleep for 30 minutes. Which seemed to be enough to get him through the remaining 3 hours before bed time. In a little over a week Jonah gets tubes in his ears, in just a few days grandparents come for a visit. And tonight, a blessed girls night out was had by some of the ladies in the ward. Tanya is not home yet, so I hope she is enjoying herself. She needs it.

The termite treatment was a bit of a conundrum!!! At 3:30 I called the company that came a couple days ago to see if they were coming. Apparently, the front office called and canceled them, but no one bothered to tell us. GRRRR!! When I called them up to see what was going on, they said they had made other arrangements, and we should see people today or tomorrow. A few minutes later, some people showed up. They commented on our tape job. Tanya had the bright idea of putting tape over the holes where the termites were coming into the house. They said it is the best thing some one can do. They filled between the studs with foam, and said if the treatment gets approved they will be back on Tuesday, and to leave the tape on the baseboard for about 2 weeks. So her we are, waiting. Other news, The speed therapist suggested we get a special cup with a pressurized straw to help Jonah learn how to drink from a straw, and we were happy to oblige. Jonah had a 6 word sentence today, ...

So I find myself counting down the hours until the Termite people arrive to rid us of the infestation! Luck for me they moved the appointment from Friday to tomorrow. The nasty little critters are getting hard to hold off with plastic and tape. Jonah's new AFOs (ankle braces) arrived today with his PT. She did some trimming here at the house but ultimately decided that a few more adjustments needed to be made at the office before they were ready for Jonah to use. If all goes as planned Erin may have them for Jonah before the weeked! They are really cute (a little darker than I thought they'd be but cute)!

not much different happened today in the daily grind of the Layne family. Our tax return showed up today, HURRAY!!!!! Tanya was able to enjoy some needed visiting time with the ladies in our ward at a Relief Society get together. And Jonah is doing well. All-in-all; happy, calm, and content.

First of all may I say, "I Can't Stand TERMITES!" I spent the day fight with the little varmints who decided to invade Jonah's room! We've temporarily moved him into the spare room until the termite people come and treat the room on Friday. I walked into Jonah's room during his nap and suddenly his floor was moving!!! I yelled to Daddy to come get Jonah and I got the Dyson. 30 minutes later I had them all vacuumed up and all the holes plugged. My skin has been crawling all day.

While Mommy was at church today Daddy and Jonah played with the pictures the speech therapist left for him on Thursday. I was delighted to hear Jonah repeat his favorite one all evening long... Sunny Day. It would always remind me of the opening line to the Sesame Street Theme song! Jonah has found a curios streak tonight and he took to unloading the "tupperware" drawer with all it's lids and plastic containers. Looks like we may have a "typical" 2 year old after all.

Boy, if the weather was like this year round we would be in HEAVEN!!! Today was 65 degrees. What a beautiful day. With everything in bloom, it is hard not to stay outside. Jonah was a joy today. many laughs and much fun. Today while we were cooking, Jonah would crawl over to Tanya, kiss her knee and say, "Hold me please." It was very funny. We also had Jonah's favorite: Little tatoes and bok, that is how jonah says chicken. Funny Funny. We love it!!!!

Today's appointment with the Cardiologist, Dr. Zintz went very well. Jonah is almost always well behaved at the Dr. and today was no exception. After doing another ultrasound of Jonah's heart and finding his pressures were down to 31 from last times 34 it was decided to not make any changes to his medications. Dr. Zintz said that his heart looks good and doesn't show any signs that the heart is having to work extra hard. So overall there was slight improvement over the last 4 months and we are hopeful that this positive trend will continue! Today the weather has been BEAUTIFUL. It was near 80 degrees and very little wind! We're hoping for another similar day tomorrow so we can make get outdoors again! As you can see by the pictures spring has arrived arrived at our house and boy, is it lovely! There are trees in bloom everywhere you look! While I was making a treat in the kitchen Jonah wondered into the laundry room and found a stash of bubble wrap.

So... Today was the big day. Dave says that he was very relieved to recognize much of what was on the test and to be able to confidently select the correct answer. It pays to study!!! Now comes the 6 weeks of waiting to see if he will be advanced to E4 or not. As for Jonah's day, well he is spitting out 3, 4, and 5 word sentences completely unprompted! We are astounded! It is so fun to see him making up lost ground in his development. Jonah's speech therapist was especially impressed with the way Jonah introduced himself when she shook his hand:) I'll try to get it on tape tomorrow. It's going to be an early morning tomorrow as we have to fight traffic to get Jonah to the Cardiologist bright and early!

not much to say about today. Jonah is a terd, and that is a good thing!!! I take my advancement exam tomorrow. So, I will get a good night sleep, and bring my A game.

Jonah is learning the correct terminology for things. When his feet shake, he can identify his clonus and say it. He knows what and where is stoma, g-tube, is. He is a moving machine, ta boot!!! We can reason with him and help him make good choices, and he even cleans up after himself willingly!! What a little angel boy we have!!!

It has been a long time coming for Jonah to tolerate stuff going in his mouth, especially to brush his teeth. It is fun to watch him mimic us as we do our daily routines like brush our teeth. He opens wide as we get the molars in our mouth. On to the pr-op for today. Everything, hopefully, will go as planned for Jonah to get tubes put in his ears in April. The doc's told Tanya to be prepared to spend the night, as with all of Jonah's complications in his past medical history. So we will. We are very grateful for Chris and Loraine who are coming out to help with everything. Jonah is a lot of fun to play with, he continues to learn and grow. What an amazing little guy!

Today was a fairly long day. Jonah took his nap first thing this morning. Which meant that he went with out a nap this afternoon. He was so tired this evening he had a very difficult time going to bed. However, Jonah was very fun to play with. He is at a stage now that he is very enjoyable to play with and watch. He is a proficient crawler and talker!! What an amazing little guy.

Today was a good day for dad, but not so hot for mom. I went fishing today with a friend from work. It was very enjoyable for me to go fishing, We had catfish for dinner. My first time cleaning, skinning, and filleting them. Not very pleasant but the dinner was tasty. Tanya and Jonah enjoyed the sunshine on the porch, while Jonah told mommy stories about all the leaves on the trees. We were able to skype with our families today!! Happy early birthday to my dad! For his b-day party, they had a carnival (even cotton candy and popcorn!)

Today has been pretty run-of-the-mill here at our house. Jonah has made us laugh a lot and he is constantly picking up new words. We'll try to get some picts or videos tomorrow!

Today was a pretty rainy day. Rainy in the morning, cleared up for the rest of the day, and then again in the evening. Things ar e going on a steady pace for us, as of today. As we march closer to the 5th of April, as this is when Jonah is scheduled to have tubes put in his ears, things may get a little stressful for us with anticipation. Thankfully, Chris and Lorraine will be out here during this procedure. I have been given a graduation date, 25 March. Then on the 28th I go back to the squadron for a month or so. Jonah is progressing more and more each day. He learns things very quickly. I now understand what it meant when people say little children are like sponges, Jonah picks up everything. Tanya taught him about the Tricky Tongue. Jonah needs to strengthen his tongue, we help him by making tiny bar bells that fit on the tongue and increase weight as needed. No, not really. Tanya put yogurt on the sides of her mouth and showed Jonah how to lick it off. Then on her to...

So today when nurse Kristen arrived Jonah looked at us both then immediately started to go through the motions of the physical assessment Kristen does every morning she's here. Jonah pinched the tips of each thumb and watched as the color came back then he straightened out one arm and used the other hand to feel for his pulse. Kristen and I were shocked, amazed, and highly entertained through out all of this! Jonah is constantly showing us just how observant and smart he really is! LOVE IT!

Jonah got to go to visit our PT, Erin today at her office. Initially he seemed a little confused that Erin would be at this strange building and not at our house. The casting went well and Jonah held still for the most part. These new braces will not only help his ankles from allowing his feet to roll to the inside but they will also help keep him from hyper-extending his knees. Mom and Dad got to choose the color of Jonah's first two pairs of braces so this time Jonah got to have a say. He choose the galaxy print for the plastic parts and Mom choose coordinating colors for the Velcro and padding. We should have the finished product in 2 week or so!

Today Jonah and Tanya met with the school district to do some preliminary testing on Jonah. To see where he is developmentally so they can accommodate him this coming September when he will go to school. As usual, Jonah astounded the observers, and wooed them with his charm. They were very impressed with his abilities, and a five word sentence, and his willingness to work. They played for about 90 minutes. To say the least. Jonah was one wore out little boy. This afternoon all he wanted to do was cuddle. "See Me," he would say. We are trying to correct this to, "hold me."

Not much to say about today. Some of the more exciting things that have happened/ing: we were able to skype with family, had some friends over for dinner, and are in a tornado warning until 11 pm. Jonah has been amazing today. He has helped me cook dinner, clean up several times today. we did have an episode of him vomiting, but nothing new. Jonah was over come with the thought of blowing the red train whistle loudly. That caused another vomiting session. Oh yeah, with our friends over, they just moved in yesterday. Right as we were getting dished up and starting to eat, Jonah had another coughing fit and vomited again. I bet that was attractive. Nothing new. It's all good!!! Ever since we watched the sun come up Jonah has been saying, "Peek-a-boo Sun." We love it. He will help us say hello to him. Jonah says, "Hello Momma," or "Hello Dadda," then he quickly says to us, "Hello Son!" Great fun. Today he also gave the appropr...

Today has been pretty uneventful...just the way we like it! Jonah's crawling continues to improve in form as well as speed and accuracy. The second video is Jonah crawling. The first video is our funny moment of the day!

So about today. Jonah and Tanya spent two hours waiting for me to come out of the pharmacy. I was very sorry for them. Jonah was tired enough of sitting in the car that he pointed to the keys and said, "Start, go home!" He was done sitting in the car! We had a lot of fun on our drive home. Jonah learned to say, "Bummer." We had a lot of fun with him. Tonight for dinner we tried our hand at home made gluten free tortillas for out tacos this evening.

Jonah saw the ENT again today and it was determined that he doesn't need his tonsils out (at least for now). However, it was decided that Tubes in his ears is definitely warranted. So tomorrow we should get a phone call to schedule his surgery. The doc said it would be around the first week in April. Other than that it has been a pretty low key day.

Today was a lot of fun for our little family. Jonah had two therapy visits today. the latter of the two is what you will see, physical therapy. Jonah is all but standing. He leans against someone or some thing for support, but is almost there. Standing and then next comes walking!!! We had fun playing the guitar, and then Jonah was trying to navigate his way under a chair to get a bottle of water. Jonah playing the guitar. Jonah being himself, CUTE!!! Standing with only a little bit of help. playing the guitar.

Today Tanya took Kara to the airport. She said it was very difficult for her! In just a few words. Tanya and I were invited to a birthday party this evening. It was so very much fun!!! Jonah enjoyed the evening with his nurse. Gratefully she pulled a 12 hour shift so that we were able to have a great night.