And I Wonder Why...

We Can't Get Rid of the STREP THROAT!!

Ethen Goes To School!

Well - it's happened...both boys are now officially in "school" -- it's a moment I can't believe has come -- I actually cried today just realizing how far Ethen has come in the last year...I'm so guarded with him, but today was truly a day to be proud!

Jackson is in a public school now, in a Pre-K program which every 4 year old in Georgia has access to.

Today, Ethen started going to the same church pre-school program that Jackson went to for the 2 years before this. I had planned on having Ethen start in September with all of the other kids, but he had such a rough summer -- in and out of the hospital roughly 4x, and was very unstable from a neurological perspective. But, he's done so well over the last 3 months, it was time to let him go!

So he eased into it today, staying for about 1.5 hours (the program is about 4 hours daily), and did great! He rejected the idea of having his hand painted for an art project, but seemed to do well with the other kids, and being away from us.

So, he'll go Monday and Wednesday morning until the end of March when he will transition to the public school program as part of the No Child Left Behind act which allows for children 3 and up with special needs to begin getting public education as opposed to waiting until Pre-K.

Here's a pic at school today -- Ethen very much enjoyed emptying the book shelf !!

Jackson Meets A Wiggle

Jackson and I made our 3rd annual trip to see The Wiggle's LIVE yesterday! He had a blast - more so than any of the past years - he rocked out the whole time. I'm pretty sure if the guy next to him could have move, he would have ;-) He sang every song at the top of his lungs, and danced and stomped for 1.5 hours straight -- it was great, and according to his teachers, he did not stop talking about it all day at school -- unfortunately, this weeks letter is "M", so "Wiggle's" didn't quite fit ;-)

He also got to have a close encounter with The Wiggle named "Jeff" -- he walked right up to Jackson while they were working the audience -- you should have seen Jackson's face once he turned around to me -- it was priceless.

Introducing the very, very, very, very early Christmas present -- Jorgie!

We went on a caper this Saturday to pick up Jackson's early Christmas present -- little Miss Jorgie! Jackson was VERY surprise, and is still (as of this moment) very much in love :-)

She's a sweetie! Katie has somewhat decided she can stay, Maggie on the other hand -- is terrified of her -- go figure. Maggie does seem to be warming up to her though after she figured out the puppy came with liverwurst treats.

Once we were almost there (the puppy was in Jackson, GA -- about 1.5 hours away), I gave Jackson 3 small "clues" (yes, he's a Blue's Clue's fanatic) to help him figure out what his gift was. It was priceless -- take a look!

Clue #1

Clue #2

Clue #3

Get Out & VOTE!!

Everyone has the right to choose their own candidate -- here's a plug for my own...

Whoever your candidate is, get out there & VOTE!!

Halloween 2008

little dog, and a little lion...

Seizures? NOPE!

Today is

seizure free day 85

for Mr. Ethen T. Metz!

So proud!!

Surprise! It's A Girl!!

Insanity has officially set in....we are about to add a beautiful 6 week old baby girl to the clan! Take a look...

Her name will be Jorgie, and she's a complete SURPRISE for Jackson (so DON"T SAY ANYTHING if you should talk to him) -- an early Xmas present from his Mama. We'll pick her up on November 8th when she'll turn 6 weeks (she was born end of September). She's a dapple Dachshund - just like our little Katy.

I can't wait to see his face!!

Do You Believe In Miracles?

I wasn't sure that I did, but I'm thinking I might just start....


Ethen's 5 day stint at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital for his extended EEG with video started on September 22, and ended September 26th. The idea was to capture seizure activity, and to try to get an MRI done during an actual seizure.


Well....he didn't have any. Not only that, he was taken off all of his medication by Tuesday, and his EEG was NORMAL the entire time!! He has never had a normal EEG in his life! So now what?....Well, he was discharged Friday night, put back on all of his meds, and basically now we wait. If he has no more seizures over the next 2 years, then he can be taken off his meds.


Never in a million years did I expect a normal EEG - never, never, never. So maybe, just maybe, we're witnessing a miracle....

Summer of 2008

And what a summer it's been!

It seems to have gone on forever ;-)...

My baby Jackson turned 4 in June (I know - HOW did that happen!). There are a couple of pictures below of his big birthday bash at Gymboree - he had a blast, and so did his friends, and Mimi, Pop, and Nana also joined us -- it was great!

We spent the 4th of July in Ohio visiting family...

O-H-I-O is a long way from Georgia!!



Visiting Great Grandma & Grandpa Cook

Jackson has been taking swimming lessons all summer and will continue through the Fall. He also began karate lessons a few weeks ago (which he LOVES). AND on August 11th, he started Pre-K! That's real school folks! Here in Georgia all 4 year olds are able to attend Pre-K for 5 days a week (6 hours a day) compliments of the great GA Lottery -- it's awesome, and he loves it as well!

The Karate Kid :-) 1st day of Pre-K

Ethen has been doing better over the last month or so, but is on a new "temporary" drug (Dilantin) which we hope will get him through to September 22 seizure free. On that date, he will be admitted at Childrens Healthcare at Scottish Rite for something called a VEEG (extended EEG with video monitoring) which will give us a much more thorough picture of his seizure activity, and if we're very lucky, may qualify him as a surgical candidate. Sounds scary -- but it's good -- trust me.

Nope - that's n0t medication, it's a green soap crayon-- he's clearly well enough to get into trouble!

We went up to visit the Keiffer's over Labor Day - always a good time! I went to take a shower, and when I came out, LeAnne had dressed all of the boys up as fairies (literally) -- FABULOUS!!

One of the fairies.... Ethen refused to be a fairy-- he wanted to be a warior

Jackson is thrilled to be with Rhys....Rhys? Well, not so much...

Where Does The Time Go?

It seems like we've been together forever, and yet days like today I can't believe how fast the last 3 weeks have gone! Three weeks ago today we were still in Kazakhstan!! It really does seem like we've been together much longer.

Jackson continues to amaze us (and yes, challange us ;-))!

He now has interactive "conversations" with anyone who will participate (cat, dog, human) by yelling at the top of his lungs and then waiting for the other particpant to "respond". Yesterday he and I were "talking"...you know, Jack says "AAAHHHH", and Mommy says "AAAHHHH" -- only yesterday, after I would respond to him, he would lean over and look at Grammy like -- "your turn!!" and wait for her to yell too!-- absolutely hysterical!!

I returned to work this last Monday, but will continue to work from hom part of the time until the end of the month. That was a tuffy -- I WANT TO TAKE HIM WITH ME!!

But Mimi gets the honors. Jackson stays home with Mimi, the dogs, and the cat, and Elmo, while Mommy goes to work and misses him.

Yesterday, the ellusive 2nd tooth showed up -- and it now appears we are moving right into the top teeth (oh boy!).

First Doctors Appointment

Did I say I was only going to post once a week? Hmmm....Today was Jacksons first doctors appointment, and despite the 5 shots, and 2 blood draws (1 which was aborted and will be repeated again TOMORROW), he handled like a trooper!!!Dr. Glisson was wonderful, and gave Jack a clean bill of health (pending blood work)! Jackson even smiled at the poor nurse who had to stick him 5 times!

1. He's telling Grammy -- "This is fun -- what do you mean be brave?"

2. Hmm....two people holding me down....uh oh....3. BIG Uh oh!! 5 shots later...

4. and finally....he's had enough. I left him with Mimi and ran to the bathroom -- this is what I found when I got back... Jackson fought the law, and the law won ;-)

More Than I Ever Imagined

As I sit here writing this, Jack is downstairs with Mimi, telling her how much he wishes his second tooth would come. Despite the fact that he's teething like a mad man, and has a cold the size of Texas, he is still the happiest little boy I know. Less than 5 weeks ago, he had seen nothing but the inside of 1-2 rooms, and known the faces of less than a dozen people -- but today you'd never know it. He smiles at anyone who'll look his way (including Maggie the dog), and rarely shys away from going to anyone.He's mastered sitting (yes, at 7.5 months), and tosses toys from hand to hand like he's been doing it for years. He's hugely infatuated with dancing Elmo , and Maggie (the dog) -- in that order. He's eating anything that comes within reach (including napkins), and "talks" for hours on end.This is the part of being a parent that I never knew about. Being happier than you've ever been despite the fact that you're covered in spit up (or worse). I've also discovered that poop doesn't smell quite as bad if you breath through your mouth....Today's pictures are dedicated to all of the wonderful people who have taken the time to leave us a message on our guest book. Those entries will be saved for when Jackson gets older -- I'd like him to know how many people were happy about his coming here. Thank you again, for your kind words and wishes -- we both are grateful them.

For Aunt Judy

Things continue to go well here in Atlanta, Georgia! Jackson has now been out to dinner about a half dozen times, and has been perfect each time! Dad, Nan, and Aunt MaryLou leave for Ohio tomorrow, so this will be our last day with them. Jackson has really had fun with all of them, but he seems to be very attached to Grandpa Vern.Today's entry is especially for Aunt Judy in Ohio -- she called this morning and said "put more pictures up of that baby!!" -- so, here they are!

The dog that I thought would be terrified of Jackson, Maggie, is absolutely in love with him! She goes everywhere he goes, and when he cries, she won't leave his side. She's also very fond of the way he tastes!!

Things continue to go well here in Atlanta, Georgia! Jackson has now been out to dinner about a half dozen times, and has been perfect each time! Dad, Nan, and Aunt MaryLou leave for Ohio tomorrow, so this will be our last day with them. Jackson has really had fun with all of them, but he seems to be very attached to Grandpa Vern.Today's entry is especially for Aunt Judy in Ohio -- she called this morning and said "put more pictures up of that baby!!" -- so, here they are!

Doing Great!

I know he's mine, and I'm probably a little bit biased, but this kid is amazing!! Yesterday he traveled for 22 hours to go from Kazakhstan to Atlanta, Georgia, and today he went to the mall!Jack was exhausted when we got home yesterday, but he slept fairly well considering the time change, and today he was his regular happy self!We went to the Mall of Georgia, did some shopping, and ate lunch at the food court. We also stopped in Carrie's Canine cuts to introduce the newest member of the Metz family -- the loved him!Here are a few pictures of Jackson today -- he is adjusting amazingly well, and has even gone from not being sure of the dogs to holding his hand out so they can lick it!

Jackson and Maggie (see the dog on the right?!) are reading a new book.

Mimi got Jackson a dancing Elmo doll -- he is completely enthralled with it!!
About done!