The Times They Are A Changin'

Our little guy is growing up too fast! We took Jonathan to meet with friends for dinner at the Crab Pot. He had a great time sitting in his highchair and seeing all the action at the table. Jonathan loves his Auntie Tina, she always gets a few smiles out of him!
We have gotten into a bedtime routine of reading books. Jonathan loves looking at the pictures and turning the pages. Our favorite is 'Goodnight Moon'.

Hard to believe that only 5 months ago we had a little infant who just wanted to be swaddled up like a burrito. Now he loves to stand up and see the world. There's no slowing this kid down. Lock up your daughters! :-)

Standing at four and a half moths old.

5 months old




Happy about bath time!



Chillin' with Mom

Hanging with the Daddy O

Fun dinner at the Crab Pot

The little guy and I will be going to my hometown in a few weeks. J.W.'s uncle Jarrod is getting a couple weeks leave from his station at a FOB in Afghanistan. It is going to be so cute seeing my brother meet his nephew. I'll be posting pictures when I get back!

I haven't gotten good sleep for 4 months now?

Hi Y'all!

We had record-breaking snowfall here in Seattle during Christmas. These storms threw our city into chaos, but we had a good time playing in the powder with Maggie. I'll always remember Jonathan's first Christmas being a white one.

Our little boy had a BAER hearing test this month and it revealed he has a mild hearing loss. It was kind of a blow to us, but not entirely unexpected. I also have a mild hearing loss, I wear tiny hearing aids. I just got mine a few years ago and what a difference it has made in my life!! I'm happy that we caught Jonathan's hearing loss so early. Did you know they make hearing aids for 6 month old babies?

On a more positive note, Jonathan just had a great visit with his pediatrician. He is now 17.1 lbs and is hitting all of his milestones, yay!!!!!!

Look at all that snow! This was during Christmas.

Waiting for Santa to come...

who needs toys when you got feet?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love being around family and/or friends. This year was a rare treat. We drove over to Twin Falls, Idaho where Wes's whole family gathered. What a blast! Jonathan really enjoyed being carried around and doted on by everyone, especially Grandpa Don & Grandma Linda (see proof below :-))

My favorite night was the last night when we all sat around the kitchen table and played Uno Attack late into the evening. Wes always ended up with so many cards, lol!

All 14 of us :-)

Jonathan with Shaley, Tyler, and Alyssa

Our Little Buddy

Hello Family and Friends!

It has been a busy year in the Big O household, filled with joy and sadness. We spent most of 2008 preparing for life with our new baby. Jonathan was born on September 6th, weighing a hearty 8lbs, 11oz!

I figured it would be good to start posting about Jonathan's condition since a lot of people have questions about our little guy. Jonathan has Craniosynostosis, which means two of his sutures (soft spots in his head) closed too early. His specific closure is called bicoronal and is along the top of his forehead.
He had genetic testing in November which revealed he has Muenke Syndrome. This non-syndromic syndrome was just discovered in 1996, and it is pretty rare- only occurring in 1 out of 30,000 births. Luckily it is a very mild syndrome and should not affect his brain development or intelligence at all.
However, he does need surgery on his skull this coming summer. This is to make sure his brain has plenty of room to grow and not get squished. The doctors at Children's Hospital are some of the best in the nation, we know our baby is in good hands.

Wes and I are holding up well. The first two months were tough, as any parent can imagine. We didn't have much information about Cranio until we went to Children's in November. Googling didn't help with our fears, either! I am so incredibly thankful I have Wes in my life. If I had to go through all this alone I would really be a mess! Our family and friends have been an awesome source of support, love, and much needed laughter. Thank you very much to everyone who has helped us cope, we love you!!!

My plan is to use this blog to keep everyone updated about how our boy is growing and thriving.
Thanks for reading Jonathan's Journey!

Maggie loves 'her' baby :-)

J.W.'s first Halloween

Those cute cheeks kill me!