Noah's awesome swim teacher had Noah do some "Duck Surfing" during his last lesson. Bubs had such a blast standing on the yellow duck and trying to keep his balance.
My Little Man with balance and depth perception issues is seriously standing.
Mr. Nick created waves so Noah would have a true surfing experience.
I love the surfing arms...keeping balance.
Bubs is also learning to dive into the pool rather than jump. His form needs a bit of work, but Daddy says he's got time before he joins the dive team in high school {following in his Daddy's footsteps}.
We are so thankful for a fun and creative teacher. Noah just LOVES Mr. Nick!!!
If you remember, last year, Kc and Noah secretly worked to create a fantastic Mother's Day present for me. They had set the bar high for themselves and established a precedent that would be hard to follow.
I think, however, that they succeeded.
Kc distressed a frame and wrapped the backing in burlap. He then traced Noah's hand to create the "ILY" {I Love You}. Because Noah's first language was ASL, this has so much significance.
Noah then wrote "MAMA" on the individual squares.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love my two boys and how loved I feel in return.
Most days, eating is a struggle for Noah {as well as for us}. Let's be honest...Bubs just doesn't like it. He finds little or no pleasure in how things taste and struggles with texture, volume, and an ever-present gag reflux.
During meal time, we encourage Noah to eat graham crackers {in fun shapes that he can tolerate} or yogurt {which he has easily mastered} before we give him his blended food through his g-tube. Let me tell you...all meals involve bribes with the iPad or iPhone. Seriously, where would we be without those?!? Noah LOVES to play games and will typically do just about anything for some "technology time". That's not to say, however, that there still isn't usually a struggle to eat.
On occasion, Noah happily eats his food...and dare I say enjoys it. Other times, however, meals look like this...
I just keep repeating to myself, "One step at a time..."
Noah has started swimming lessons this year and has taken to it like a fish to water {pun intended}. His very first lesson did not have any crying or screaming or kicking or fighting. He ran into the pool and met his new teacher, Nick. Bubs seemed to remember most of what he learned last year and Nick has taken him so much farther than I could have imagined.
Yesterday, Noah swam across the pool all by himself, rolling over to get a breath when he needed to. We are so proud of him!
Our son, Noah Stone Jackson, was born with a very rare genetic disorder called Fraser syndrome. Among his many challenges are one “hidden eye”, a narrow trachea (which required him to have a tracheotomy), an imperforate anus (which required a colostomy), difficulty swallowing (which required a G-Tube for feedings), the fusing of his vocal chords (which means he may never speak), and club feet (which are being corrected with braces). Our family is on an amazing journey together. We are learning to walk along this path that God has planned for us, trusting in His infinite love and wisdom. We are taking each day (or each moment) as it comes and relying on each other, our friends and family, and our God for strength. We have a long road ahead of us filled with several more surgeries, lots of recovery, countless hours of therapy, and many trips to specialists around the state. Every day brings us challenges but they pale in comparison to the smiles and cuddles from our little man. Noah is our son, a true gift from God, and we cannot wait to see where this adventure leads.
