Time for another update

While it seems like not much has happened over the last month, I suppose it has.  Jax got his helmet and has been in it for about two weeks now.  We (Jax and I) made a week long trip to Montana with my mom and little sister.  And we got to celebrate Easter with Jax for the first time.  We also had to say goodbye to our dog, Ozzy.  This last month has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, for sure.

So, first off, Jax got his helmet at the end of March and on our way up to Montana.  He has done great in it, and it doesn't seem to bother him all that much.  I think him wearing it is harder on me than it is on him.  We are already noticing a bit of improvement, but it should continue to get better as he grows.  The major downfall to him wearing this helmet is how hot it makes him; the poor guy sweats so bad in it, so needless-to-say, we'll have the a/c cranked this summer.  I keep hoping he'll get the helmet off earlier than they expect, but I'm also trying not to get my hopes up. 

Our trip to Montana was really nice.  We got to spend a lot of time with family; we spent a few days in both Butte and Missoula, so we got to see [almost] everyone.  Jax got to hang out with his cousins Ellie and Madison a little bit, which I'm sure he enjoyed, since he is virtually never around kids his own age.  I can tell they motivated him to try moving on his own now, too, because he seems pretty determined to get up and go.  He still isn't crawling, but he's very antsy to do so. 

Easter was a lot of fun with him, too.  We got his first Easter bunny picture while in Missoula.  (I'll post it as soon as I get it scanned.)  Easter morning, Randy and Jax got up before I did and apparently he stared at his Easter basket until we finally gave it to him when I got up.  We spent most of the day at home just hanging out, and then had dinner at my mom's house.

Lastly, Ozzy.  A couple days before we left for Montana, I got up that morning and let the dogs out.  When I let them in, I noticed that Ozzy was walking around very carefully and he wasn't scarfing down food and water like normal.  I gave him a few hours, thinking that maybe he just ate something that wasn't agreeing with him, but when he didn't seem to improve and after him just laying around all day (completely unlike him), we decided to get him into the vet.  They got him back for x-rays and he had hurt his back and there was a lot of swelling.  They kept him for the next two days and gave him pain meds and steroids to try to get the swelling to go down.  Friday morning we left for Salt Lake (and then Montana).  On our way to Salt Lake, I got a phone call from the vet saying that Ozzy needed back surgery within the next 24-48 hours and that it wasn't one they could do here.  We would have to take him up to Sun Valley, ID and it would cost anywhere from $1200 - $2000+.  After trying to get a hold of Randy, I finally heard back from him a couple hours later.  He talked to the vet, too, and after weighing our options, we decided the best option was to put Ozzy down.  The vet had told us since he was already losing mobility in his hind legs, that the surgery might not even improve it that much, and might not help for long.  We just couldn't imagine taking away things he loved (running, jumping, playing, etc.)  Ozzy was such a spunky, playful and happy dog, and we didn't think he'd be happy living a life with limited mobility.  I think it's the hardest decision Randy and I have had to make, and there have been a lot of tears over it.  It's just not the same without him, but we're glad he's in a better place.

Now for some photos from the last month.  8 month pics will come a bit later...I've been slacking on taking them.  :)

[Helping Dad and Grandpa Gary work on the Buick.]

[Ooooh!]

[Really, Mom?]

[Check out my teeth!]

[Playing in the laundry basket.]

[With cousin Madison.]

 [With cousin Ellie.]

[What did the Easter Bunny bring me?]

[What on earth is this hat that Grandma got me?]

[Checking out my Easter book.]

[Hanging out outside with Mom.]

[Let's see what Grandma Barb got me...]

[Sleeping on our way to SLC.]

[Crashed out while grocery shopping.]

[So this is the thing you put on my head.]

[Heeheehee - Dad was getting me!]

[I am so interested in Bella!]

[Family picture on Easter.]

 Ozzy --- August 18, 2007 - March 31, 2012

And I'll end this blog post on a happier note with a video of Jax dancing to Michael Jackson's "Bad."  His taste in music has grown immensely in the last month; I've actually started compiling a playlist of his favorite songs to dance to.  I even downloaded Poison's "Nothing But a Good Time" last night. He cracks us up.  :)