Jackson's Updates

You have found the site for Jackson.
He was our little angel!

Jackson Lee Graves

Born: 10/12/04 12:38 AM

Weight: 3 lbs 13 oz Length: 15 inches

Jackson was 8 weeks early, with a
giant omphalocele, but as adorable as he could be!
We thank God for bringing him to us.
This is his story.

Journal

Monday, August 13, 2007 3:36 PM CDT

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
John 14:27

Hello. We are back from our 9 day excursion. We took Charlie to go see his grandpa down in Orlando, Florida and then on a cruise to the Bahamas. Charlie's first cruise, and also the first one for his parents. We wish we could report that Charlie and his dad experienced no seasickness, but that would not be true. Dad was nauseous the fist night and took Dramamine and went to bed, and Charlie puked twice. However, both were fine for the other 4 days of the cruise.

Charlie was able to swim in the ocean with us at the beach at Coco Cay, and we took him to a wonderful underground aquarium where the fish are above you and all around you in Nassau. He had a great time, and we were with other family members and we just traded off watching Charlie after bedtime while we got to go out and do a few adult activities. Like our previous traveling with him, it wasn't necessarily restful, but it was very enjoyable.

Charlie is 19 pounds and 6 ounces now, and about 28 inches long. He can crawl at super speed all over now, and is getting into EVERYTHING. He is also not just pulling up, but he is letting go and standing quite a bit now. It definitely looks like he may walk by 10-11 months. He did just turn 9 months on Friday. We think he is over thrush, but we'll still keep an eye on it. We are going to work harder at getting him off the bottle and on a sippy cup so that thrush is less of an issue.

Still no teeth. He still has two little whitish bumps on the bottom front, but no breakthroughs yet.

This site has slowly evolved over time. What was originally a site meant to keep folks updated about Jack and his condition in late 2004 and early 2005 became one that was more about our recovery from losing Jack and the beginnings of the Foundation named after him. It then morphed again into one that was about the prognosis of other folks going through difficult medical or life situations including our own miscarriage in November of 2005, and now it seems to have changed again into a site about Charlie. One can read the history of this site and literally see the dramatic changes in our lives in just a short 3 year span. It has been a journey, and we're not sure every three year sliver of time in life captures as many lifechanging events. To our eternal gratefulness, you have walked alongside us every step of the way, and let us lean on you when we were too tired or too despairing to go further on our own, and as we searched for some truth and meaning in all of it.

As we continue our lives going forward with Charlie, and as we approach the 3 year anniversary of the creation of this site in November, 2004, the time seems right to wrap up here and call it a day. This site, after all, is really for those who are updating on family members who are ill. We just kept posting here really out of a sense of connection to Jack and to those who had been praying for him when he was alive. For a while now, the focus here had changed enough where it seemed like the time might be right to let it go. After much prayer, that is the conclusion -- it is time to let Jack's site go, much like we had to let Jack himself go to his place with our Lord. It is hard to let this connection to Jack go, but it is right. This site will always be here, and we can always read these pages and find Jack alive and kicking and fighting. Transforming this site anymore away from that original reason just isn't right. This is Jack's site, and we want to leave it that way.

If any of you are still reading out there, we will keep posting over on Charlie's blog about Charlie and also about the little ones who obviously will always capture our hearts and attentions and prayers. You can keep up with all of those babies over there, and continue to look in on us from time to time if you'd like and see what we are doing and what Charlie is up to. Thank you for staying with us for so long, because we have made many new friends and we needed you every step of the way. We are thankful to know so many of you were willing to give us a little bit of your day each day and to let us lean on you.

Take care and God bless,

James, Angie, Charlie and Angels Jackson and Cidney

Read Journal History

Hospital Information:

Patient Room: NICU 24

Arkansas Children's Hospital
800 Marshall St
Little Rock, AR 72202
501-364-1100

Links:

E-mail Author: jmgrav@hotmail.com

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