Jairus

This is Jairus.....he was born eight years ago today. When he was born he couldn't breathe properly because his tongue kept falling back in his throat and cutting off his airway. It's because he was born with something called Pierre Robin Sequence. In regular words, his chin did not fully develop out and he looked like he was born with a receded chin.....also a cleft palate, and since there wasn't room for the tongue to lay properly, then the palate didn't close in his gestational development.

The first 5 weeks he spent in the NICU....every day my daughter and I would go to the hospital,...I would stay til the middle of the afternoon and then I had to be home for my kids getting home from school...but Les would stay til 10 pm...then he was transferred to the ward for another 3 weeks. When he cam home he had a breathing tube, an NG tube and hooked up to an Oxygen Sat monitor.

It was a rocky start...especially for your first child or your first grandchild.

Today, Jairus is such a sweet boy...that hasn't changed from the time he was born. We're not quite sure why but he's had difficulty with his speech and communication. This past week he started school for the first time...up until now Leslie has been homeschooling but now he goes to school to hopefully benefit from having a full time Educational Assistant.

We had Birthday Cake here at our house for him yesterday and he was so excited at all his presents....Lauren gave him a pair of sunglasses and I wish I had a pic to show you...he thought he was soooooooo cool!

The best part though is ...for about a year now Jairus has been able to say nana....that's me.....I waited 7 long years to hear him say 'nana'....it was and is music to my ears!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!