Exciting, but Scary

Jordan is finally moving toward having the trach removed. Today, August 13, the ENT Specialist placed a scope down the back of Jordan's throat to get a better idea about Jordan's healing progress. The ENT was encouraged enough to replace his trach with a much smaller one. If all goes well, the trach will soon be capped and he will begin the process of moving toward trach removal. This is both exciting and scary at the same time. This is something that we have prayed for diligently. At the same time, if we have it removed too soon, he could require having another tracheostomy. We do not want that. We pray for huge success for Jordan in this area. He greatly needs an increased amount of succesful swallowing and a greater ability to handle his own secretions. He has a strong gag reflex and a good cough. He can sneeze and sigh. He can swallow somewhat, but not enough for complete removal yet. We will be doing a lot more aggressive swallowing therapy in the days to come. We will be doing the VitalStim therapy if all goes well, among other things. We are hoping for Jordan to be able to have the trach removed as early as Spring 2008. Please pray for Jordan's success

Back to School!!!

Jordan met all his goals for summer break, according to his summer school teacher. She was very proud of Jordan's accomplishments. He worked on making eye contact with people who are speaking to him and acknowledging his understanding of their words. For a child who perpetually looked upwards to the point of rolling his eyes almost completely back into his head, these are huge accomplishments. Answering "yes" and "no" questions with switches is a recent addition to his previous method of clucking his tongue and/or using body language to communicate. Relearning communication skills has been an ongoing process during the last several months. Jordan has done amazingly well to learn to communicate as well as he had done. Remember he only turned three years old in April 2007. Following directions is also an area in which he is continuing to make progress. Jordan can understand a series of commands and often make his body follow the commands. He also worked on his fine motor skills by playing with small toys. He continues to perfect these skills by grasping and releasing objects upon command. Jordan's hands were continually locked into a a tight fist only a few months ago. Being able to play with a toy without a switch is a huge feat for him. Little movements that we took for granted prior to Jordan's acident take on a miraculous air after seeing how hard he has to work to regain that control. Over and over again, we see Jordan start to develop a new skill in painstakingly small increments. He steadily works on his new skills at what seems like a snail's pace until he is able to really put it to use. We are so proud of him.

Trip to the Creation Museum and Cracker Barrel

Jordan had such a wonderful time at the Science Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, near our home in Hendersonville that we decided to venture out and see if we could go on another "field trip". We all love Ken Hamm's creation vs. evolution series and books about dinosaurs and Noah's ark. I had even read the one about Noah's ark to Jordan before his accident. It was one of his favorite stories. Brandon, Jordan's twin is absolutely crazy about dinosaurs. All the children in our home absolutely love Bible stories, even the so-called adults. My husband, Bobby, got on the internet and discovered that the Creation Museum had just opened near us in Kentucky. We were all thrilled but unsure of taking Jordan that far for a "day trip". Bobby was excited about it and began to make plans anyway. He even worked overtime to save the money so that it didn't come out of our already strained budget. With that kind of determination, we could not say"no". So we set out for the Creation Museum.
Pictures could say so much more than I could ever say about it. Everyone had a fantastic time. It was absolutely wonderful. If you get a chance, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. There is something for everyone there.
On the way home, we stopped to eat at Cracker Barrel. We don't often get to eat out anymore. Bobby had also planned for the family to get a treat on the way home... a lovely dinner for the whole family. I was hesitant about taking Jordan into a restaurant. With the wheelchair and loud suction machine, I worry about the reception that Jordan might get in some places. Sometimes people just aren't very thoughtful of handicapped people. He is a very sensitive little boy and we try to protect him from any unkindness. Boy, was I in for a shock! Not only were they kind and thoughtful of Jordan, but they rolled out the red carpet for our family. They made us all feel special and even loved. I will never forget that day or their compassion for Jordan. No one could have treated us any better. It warmed our hearts. If you all are reading this update, I want to thank you so much very for making that day so special for all of our family, especially Jordan. May God bless you greatly. Hopefully we get to stop by and see you all again sometime.

Blisters on My Toes

I am continually amazed at Jordan's tenacity. Most adults do not display the bravery that I have seen little Jordan display. As we mentioned in an earlier update, Jordan has a Bronco Walker which he is using to take his first steps toward walking. He is also been able to tolerate being outside with his friends and twin brother for up to an hour at a time, so we moved his Bronco outside last weekend. He and Brandon, his twin, were going to play outside with Mommie(Jeannie) and Ashton and Kayleigh(Jordan's other brother and sister). It was a beautiful, warm day so Jeannie took Jordan's socks and shoes off to enjoy the cool concrete against his little feet as he stood in his Bronco. She thought he would be able to feel the movements of his feet better against the smooth surface. Jordan was able to take about six or seven steps across the patio, the most that he has ever done. He did seem to feel the movement of his feet much easier without the shoes and socks. He actually was able to use the walker to get from one end of the porch to the other. He seemed very pleased with himself. Jeannie was also very excited about his steps until she picked him up and noticed that he had rubbed three little blisters on his feet. He never revealed that anything was amiss during the walking session - no tears, no facial expression of pain, no noises, nothing. There was no indication of pain at all. Jeannie felt so bad that she had not known. Jordan wanted to walk so very much that it didn't seem to matter to him whether it was painful or not. He was determined to just do it anyway. What an amazing child! I believe that he will be able to walk again. With God's blessing and that much determination, the sky is the limit!!!

Lots of New Things

Just see how strong I am! Aunt Erin and I can lift a whole car!!!

Jordan seems to do new things almost daily, but I was so thrilled when he decided to really "show off" at therapy during my Dad's visit during the second week of July. My Dad lives in Texas so he doesn't often get to see Jordan at therapy. It was a thrill to see Jordan work so hard to impress his "Daddy Rip" as the grandchildren and great-grandchildren call my Dad. Jordan was determined to double his record from the previous week. He had just recently developed enough head control to hold his head in an upright position for up to five minutes at a time while in the "ring sitting" position. He managed to hold his head upright in this position for about 10 1/2 minutes for Daddy Rip. Jordan has developed enough head and upper body control to accomplish this with only someone's hand against his spine for support. Just two weeks ago he needed the support of someone's hands on his shoulders to accomplish any head control in this sitting position. Prior to that he needed his arms to be in a position to provide balance, such as on the tray of his wheel chair or stander. Now he is able to exhibit enough trunk and head control to accomplish this with only a little back support. Now that is progress! The therapist says that Jordan is now ready for a new level of accomplishment. He needs to work on muscle strength, now that he is finally gaining more muscle control and more ability to act on verbal commands. We are all so pleased that Jordan is continually making new strides toward a more normal life.

Blessings!!!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
This one certainly is: Jordan playing doctor at the Science Museum -- one year AFTER his near-drowning experience.

As we review all that has happened, we have to count our many blessings. And there are so many, despite all that we have been through during the past year. The first and most important is that Jordan is HERE with us today to share a great big hug. Jordan has not had to be hospitalized since the accident. He has no contractures , no scoliosis, and no obvious progressive health issues. His ankles are the only really stuborn area that has even required botox. Now they are also doing much better. Yes, he does still have a trach and a feeding tube, as well as many physical limitations. But he also takes new steps toward his goals every day. We thank God continually for that. This year has been filled with recovery and victory. He continually makes progress toward restoration and healing. Even his pediatrician remarks on his being amazingly healthy. He has not even had so much as a cold or virus. Praise God!!!
We attribute Jordan's health first to God, the Great Physician. Secondly, we have been blessed to have wonderful doctors, nurses and therapists who have been blessed by Him with the knowledge of how to help Jordan and us. As Jordan's grandmother, I would like to say how blessed Jordan is to have a mother who is so loving and diligent in his care. She exemplifies Christ-like behavior in her unselfish care not only for Jordan, but for all her children. I am so proud of her. Only someone who has witnessed how much self-sacrifice is involved in the care of a "special child" can imagine all that is required of their cargivers. How blessed Jordan is to be surrounded by so much love and how blessed we are to still have our precious Jordan!!!

One Year Today

June 17, 2007, was the one year anniversary of Jordan's near-drowning accident. This year has been an extremely emotional year for our family. We have had many unanswered questions to which we have endlessly searched for answers. Why? is the question that consumed us in the beginning. I guess every family that has a traumatic event like this is plagued by that question. It is so difficult to find an answer. We second-guessed ourselves first and ask "What could we have done differently?" Maybe if we had had stronger locks or higher gates and fences, this would not have happened. Maybe if we had had no pool, that would have prevented it. After you have exhausted the "What if's?" and realize that sometimes accidents just happen no matter how many precautions have been taken. (That is not to say that we should not take every single safety measure possible, just realize that we cannot live in a bubble and things just happen sometimes no matter what.) Next we turned to God with our pain and questions, and sometimes even our anger. We were shaken to the very core and it was difficult to find peace anywhere. We wanted to ask God "How could You have let this happen to my precious little one?"
Even when we humans fail, we assume that God will be there as our infinite safety net. We felt betrayed, as wrong as that may seem. After much prayer and soul-searching, we have come to the conclusion that we just don't live in a perfect world. We live in a fallen world where "bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people", as well as the other way around. God is still God even when things happen that we don't understand and yes ultimately God still is in control even when we don't see the big picture. Sometimes it boils down to a matter of simple trust.
The next questions and the next can all be answered in the same way..."Trust God". That is the only answer that we have found.