Two new teeth for Little Man

Jackson is currently staying with my mom during the day while I work FT. Thankfully they only live a few miles from where I work, so I can visit during the day. When I get there at lunch, my mom glows and she can't stop talking about all that she does with Jackson. She takes him swimming(gives him a bath), lets him scoot about (rides with him on her scooter), and tells him all about the Big Bad Wolf (their black cat)! He loves to hear about the Big Bad Wolf! His entire body whips around when he hears her start that phrase.
My mom has promised me that if Jackson does anything new, she won't tell us about it, she'll let me find out for ourselves. Well... Yesterday I received a voicemail, from my mom, that said I needed to call her. She said it in such an urgent voice, like always, but since I have been away from Jackson all week, I felt that maybe she was serious and it was urgent. When I called her, she said that Jackson has gone through a growth spurt and when I get home, I should watch him closer. And then she said it was oral! I'm not stupid mom!! Obviously Jackson had some teeth coming in?!
When I got to their house, I picked him up and loved on him, and then he smiled and I saw his teeth/gums. He has two teeth coming in on the bottom. They haven't broken through yet, but they will within a couple of days. Jared and I got him baby Tylenol and today... I rushed out at lunch and got Baby Orajel. He doesn't really like the taste of it, but he is SO much happier when it numbs his gums.
My little man is growing so quickly!! But man! He is so amazing and such a blessing!! I hope you will all get a chance to meet him! There are no words to explain what kind of joy Jackson is to this world! Just look at his smile and you will see what I mean!!

PPB Families of Faith

Over the past year, since the last PPB Family weekend, I have had the privilege to get to know many wonderful families and kids with PPB. Quick Catch up: PPB=Pleuropulmonaryblastoma
This is the type of cancer I had, Adam had, and Peter and David almost had... Yeah. That's a whole other blog.
Anyway, many of these families have been keeping us updated through Caringbridge and I have grown very close to all of them. I am SO excited to see them all at the PPB weekend on 8-8-08!
Recently, one of our dearest little guys has gone home to Jesus! David Michael Plattner passed away on 1-6-08 from PPB. He fought hard and gave his all! Plattner family, we want you to know that we are here for you, we pray for you, and you will forever be in our prayers and in our hearts!!
One thing we all must realize when death happens in a family: Never forget them! And never let them be forgotten!! Within the family, that is always the case - we never forget them and try hard to never let them be forgotten. But in many cases, when we try to talk about our loved ones that have passed, many people get uncomfortable and we tend to not talk about them as much. My brother, Adam, passed away 20 years ago and I love to talk about him, but the second I mention that he died, people turn the conversation and it ends within a couple of seconds. I know death is perceived to be sad and negative, but the life of that person should be celebrated! A friend of mine once said, at his daughter's funeral, "I am jealous that I cannot spend time with my Nicole, here on Earth, but my princess has gone home to her King!" Yes, we would love to grow old with our loved ones, but that may not be God's plan. His purpose for our lives may be shorter or longer, hard or easy, fast or slow... Whatever God's plan is for us, we need to accept His will for our lives and be gracious for all that we are blessed with. Easier said than done, but if we live by what we speak and what we know in our hearts, then God will provide the strength and endurance for us to get through it. Many of the PPB moms, as they have grown to be known as, have really shown me the true meaning of Faith and grace in God. They have endured some of life's most horrible battles, watched their children go through some of life's biggest challenges, and yet they still have faith in God and know that His will be done and that His purpose for us will shine-maybe not in front of us, but maybe His purpose is for our struggles and heartaches to bring others to know Him as their Personal Lord and Savior. I guess because God is so much bigger than us, we may never know. But having Faith in God will allow Him to do as He pleases and to bring others to know His love!