8 Months...and Videos

Happy 8 Month Birthday Jacob! I can't believe that it was 8 months ago today that you were making your stamp on this world and, together with God, showing all of us what it means to be strong in the Lord. God's strength is made perfect when we are weak. You are our miracle!

Here's some videos of Jacob...enjoy!

I have been placing him on his tummy ALL THE TIME to get him to push his chest up with his arms and he finally did it on his own. I know this is a skill that is supposed to be learned at an earlier stage, but Jacob rarely tolerated tummy time, until recently. These arm skills are what we need to get him to roll over, crawl, sit up, etc. So this is HUGE progress. And we were SUPER EXCITED...as you will see in the video. Now that he is bigger, it's getting harder for him to do these things (more weight to control), but we feel like once he "gets it" he will just take off from there. He's so close to rolling over and sitting, he just lacks the arm strength/control. We would love to see him do these things VERY SOON...

Jacob has finally discovered that he can reach for the faucet. He still can't catch the water though...Hee Hee.

We absolutely LOVE hearing Jacob laugh. We try anything and everything to hear it. Jeff is the best at getting laughs out of Jacob simply by moving toys and making silly noises. Here's a video of his precious laughter.

Thanks for checking in with us. May you have a blessed day!

PB and GJ

No...that title does not mean Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly...it means....Papa Bear and Gramma Jo. That's right! Jacob had a visit from his Papa Bear and Gramma Jo and fun was had by all. Aside from having doctors appointments and therapy sessions everyday...Jacob got to show off some new skills and entertain his PB and GJ. Here's a few pictures of the week. Enjoy!

This was Jacob's Saturday attire (thanks Gran-Chap Daddy and Gramma Tuley). Whooo...Pig Sooie. Even though the Razorbacks lost the game on Saturday, Jacob had a great time "making touchdowns, passing, and running the ball" with Papa Bear.

PB helping Jacob with his sitting. He's so close. Just a few more weeks of practice. I'm sure of it!



Gramma Jo (don't hate me for posting this pic...) and Jacob in the morning. GJ was singing to Jacob and he fell fast asleep on her shoulder.

Hanging out!

So cute...lunch at Calypso Cafe in Nashville. Yummy! Also, Jacob's first time in a "Restaurant High Chair." Don't worry, it was highly sanitized!

Daddy and Jacob playing on the floor. Jacob just adores his daddy. Anytime Jeff comes home or plays with Jacob, the two of them light up. It's hard to tell, but Jacob is wearing a "Harley Davidson" onsie. Any guess who bought him that????? What a fun time!

"OH............Jacob loves papa bear, Jacob loves Gramma Jo, Jacob loves daddy, and he loves his mommy too." (A Papa Bear original song)

Thanks for checking in with us. Have a blessed day! God is able...

reaching

Jacob's newest skills include REACHING for EVERYTHING! He has finally realized that he can get anything and everything. I was wondering when this would kick in... He has been reaching for things for a while, but not like this... His curiosity has finally peaked and he's interested in everything. Yay! I guess being in the hospital for 3 months will delay alot of things. But now it looks like things are beginning to click in his little mind and he's finding out this world is kinda cool after all.



This isn't a picture of him reaching...but it was a first time in a "high chair" at a restaurant. Before, he just didn't have the trunk strength to hold himself up... What a big guy!

There will be more to come later. I've got pictures from Papa Bear and Gramma Jo's visit...stay tuned!

Thanks for checking in with us. Have a blessed day! God is faithful...

NO MORE SHOTS!

We just wanted to send out a quick post to let you know that we no longer have to give Jacob the Lovenox shots. YAY! Thank you for the prayers.

The ultrasound showed that the clot was still there, in his IVC, but that it had calcified (attached itself to the wall of the vessel and hardened) and is not in danger of breaking off and blocking blood flow. So, they saw no reason to continue the blood thinner.

Needless to say, tonight's bedtime routine was much more pleasant for Jacob (and us) now that we don't have to "shoot him," as GG would say...

Have a blessed week. Thanks for checking in with us.

One Year Ago...

It was one year ago today, that Jeff and I were sitting in the office of a specialist to confirm the CDH diagnosis of our son Jacob, given to us two days earlier. As we watched the screen of the ultrasound this was the first image that we saw. It is Jacob giving us a "thumbs up." We looked at each other and decided in that moment, God was speaking through Jacob and saying that we were going to be okay, regardless of the outcome, that God was in control.

Neither of us ever thought that we would actually get to have Jacob here with us. This picture was not our "sign" that God was going to heal Jacob. It just told us that we were going to make it through this difficult time and that God was going to take care of us and Jacob. In fact, just a week prior to Jacob's birth, we were making plans for his memorial service and picking out the outfit for him to go to Heaven. We just knew in our hearts that we weren't going to get our miracle. We knew and had faith that God could speak the word, and Jacob would be healed. But neither of us thought we'd be that blessed.

God gave us a miracle. How blessed we are! With so much sadness in the world, God chose to shine some light into it, through Jacob. God gave us our "glorious impossible" and we thank God daily for Jacob's life.

Road Trip!

Jacob went on his very FIRST road trip for the Labor Day Weekend. What an adventure for ALL of us! The Tuley Tribe all met in Pigeon Forge in the Great Smoky Mountains on Friday night and spent the weekend hanging out, shopping, eating, and having fun. Who was the center of attention...who else? Jacob! He thought it was quite alot of fun entertaining all the adults.

Here's Jackson and Jacob ready to get in the car and GO!

Here's the car...loaded up with all our stuff. Wow...kids require alot of stuff! Jeff joked that if we'd been hit that the car would explode like a bomb because of all the oxygen tanks we had to travel with...ha! I reminded him of the episode on Mythbusters where they tried to shoot a tank and did not succeed. Pretty funny! Anyways, God kept us safe!

Jackson's favorite traveling spot!

Jacob says, "Hum....I am up to no good!"

Our little family on the porch of the cabin.

Everyone had to get their hands on Jacob at different times of the weekend. It was great for Jacob to be with his Tuley family. What you may not know...is that behind every camera was a group of CRAZY family members doing anything and everything they could to make Jacob smile; Kissing sounds, clapping, smiling, making funny noises, and even flailing arms. Ha!

Gramma Tuley with Jacob at dinner (Mexican, of course)!

Gran-Chap-Daddy with Jacob. Aww... Jacob loves it!

What a special treat for us. Here Jacob sits with his GG. The last time that GG saw Jacob, he was not even a day old and very sick. This was a VERY SPECIAL time for Jacob to be with his only remaining Great Grandmother. Just precious!

Biggie and Jacob...such a great picture of both of them.

Aunt Vonnie and Jacob with "Mr Crazy Legs" the giraffe.

Jon seems to be laughing at all the adults trying to make Jacob smile. It didn't quite work this time.

Jacob fell asleep with his Aunt Jenny. How sweet!

Here's a picture of the Tuley Tribe on the last day of the trip. (Minus Aunt Vonnie). Jacob is staring at the fan...

Of course, did you expect the Tuleys to get together and NOT have Cardinal stuff??? Here's Jacob in his Cardinals outfit. Go Pujols, Go Cardinals!

It was a wonderful weekend. Jacob did great and we had no trouble at all! As nervous as we were about leaving home, it showed us just how strong Jacob really is... We are so blessed!

Thanks for checking in with us. Have a wonderful week! God is faithful...