Six months ago I arrived home with Jackson. Some days it feels much longer than that, and yet I am reminded daily that we have a long road of bonding and trust building ahead of us. He says "I love you", when we say it first. He has wiggled his way into our hearts and he is deeply loved and adored by all of us. He makes us laugh and warms our hearts daily! In some ways it feels as though Jackson has always been a part of our family.
Jackson has grown in leaps and bounds. He weighs 30 lbs and measures 36 inches. He eats on his own...sometimes with his left hand...and sometimes with his right hand. He is equally skilled with both hands, so we'll wait and see which one will be the dominant one.
Jackson is on par with his gross motor skills and has great fine motor skills. He loves playing with his trucks and cars; especially the ones that hook together. When he can't get them hitched up he has a temper tantrum, crying and kicking his feet. He has a very clear understanding of the time out chair (actually it's a "time in" chair). Jackson loves to color and paint anytime the other kids are coloring/painting.
Jackson is not a huge fan of our cold outdoors, although he loves going for snowmobile rides and sledding. I think he's a bit confused on what he is suppose to do outside in the snow. If the kids are playing with him in their play fort, he's content.
Jackson LOVES to cuddle! (And so do I!) He usually does not like sharing my lap with his big sister and is known to kick her when disgruntled.
We are waiting for a referral to a specialist regarding Jackson's hearing. He has profound hearing loss in one ear and moderate hearing loss in the other. We don't notice the hearing loss a lot. He understands what we are saying and can follow instructions. However, his speech is delayed. He speaks in 2-3 word sentences that are usually impossible to understand unless one knows what he is talking about based on the situation and/or his gestures. I know this may be, in part, due to his cleft lip/palate. However, I do think it has a lot to do with his lack of hearing certain pitches. He has no problem saying "Willow", but then struggles to say words like "car" or "outside".
Jackson loves playing with Raina and imitates EVERYTHING she does. If she talks, he talks. If she "ums and ahs" about the food, so does he. It's actually kinda cute, but also very irritating when the 2 of them get going at the supper table or while driving. They can be very loud and obnoxious!
Jackson still favors his Daddy. Daddy was the first person he asked for a hug. Daddy is the one who gets the most hugs, the most smiles...the boy adores his Daddy! It irritates his daddy that Jackson calls him "Mom" most of the time. I happen to love what he calls me..."MomMom". Too cute! This picture was taken one morning before Martin left for work. These two had him walking around as they clung to his legs. :)
Jackson is still somewhat shy around other kids his age. However, he does enjoy playing with his cousin Lyndon, and is slowly gaining confidence.
We recently sold our snowmobile and purchased this older, less powerful machine. It's a much better fit for all of us...in every aspect. The boys love riding it and we use it a lot more than we used the big machine. Jackson is pretty pleased every time he gets to sit on it.
We are at the place where we feel like a family. Where having 5 kids feels good and normal and right. All the older kids have adjusted amazingly well. It normally takes about 6 months for us to feel like a family...where we feel like everyone fits in and loves each other. With this adoption it hasn't taken quite that long and I thank God for that!
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