Thank you Heidi!!!!

We received your box of "goodies" today. And are really excited for Jadon to grow into every single item!

And just in time for football season!

Our first family adventure to the Oregon Zoo was on Thursday evening. It was a nice warm day, so it made for a tolerable evening. Since we had such a short time to visit we set off with a mission because there were a couple of animals we wanted to be able to see! It is a really nice place to visit, and we only whetted our whistle, we can't wait to go back and enjoy the day with Jadon when he gets older. The nice thing about it was that it wasn't the concrete jungle's that I remembered visiting as a child, but true to Portland form you set off on a hike and feel like you are really out in nature. At least the Pacific Northwest exhibit had that nice back roads feel. That is where we set off first. Will and I had learned that they have a bald eagle and I really wanted to
see my first live eagle! And she is beautiful. She was brought to the Oregon Zoo because she was hurt as a young eagle and has never gained back enough strength to be released in the wild. We were able to see the Birds of Prey show and she flew very low right over our heads and her wing span is SEVEN FEET! Wow! Now I need to top it off by seeing one in the wild! On our search for the bald eagle, we were surprised by some black bears! And they are beautiful creatures as well. We tried to get a picture of them with Jadon for Nina, but the bears wouldn't cooperate. It was at the end of their day and I think they were tired. This exhibit also had mountain lions, but we didn't spend too much time watching them. Pretty much all the all the animals that Will
and I want to avoid on our camping trips.
Next we headed off to the monkey cages. Will had been told that monkeys get excited and 'oodles' over babies, and he wanted to see if they would react that way with Jadon. Unfortunately, we didn't get that kind of reaction out of the chimpanzee's or orangutans, but I was wearing Jadon in the wrap, and I didn't think of taking him out of the wrap. So, no
response out of them could be because they didn't even notice Jadon. Our night was topped off by watching the Birds of Prey show that I mentioned earlier. We were able to sit and watch a hawk, eagle, owl and vulture fly inches over our head. So close that the vulture's leather strap knocked me in the head! It was really amazing to see.

Nap Time

Jadon's 4 Months Old

And still growing strong. Recent stats are; 14lbs 4oz (almost double birth weight), 26 inches long. At three months Jadon’s weight was in the 30th percentile. Now, due to mom’s vigilance and God’s provision through Deanna, Jadon’s weight is up. He is still considered relatively tall and skinny. However he is now in the 50th percentile for his weight so it's more like he is tall and "healthy".








Will and I are still having a lot of fun with this little tyke. Jadon now enjoys saying the sound "ahhh" all the time, it is our job to figure out what he means by each one.













He is now grabbing and holding onto things. As you can see Jadon still prefers the upright position. In fact he only tolerates a small amount of "tummy time" if we are present to entertain him.

Jadon's current pediatrician has informed us that a study showed a correlation between a childs ability to crawl or play on their tummy and reading achievement later on. As a result, we have been encouraged to allow Jadon more time on his belly so that he will develop some upper body strength, roll over, learn to crawl and hopefully be a skillful and joyful reader.


We are both enjoying our time with him because Jadon is very interactive right now and responds to our talking, gestures and songs. We have been on the lookout for an exersaucer (and jogging stroller/bike carrier) that meets our specifications to bring a little more entertainment and independence into Jadon's life and our's. But for the time being, we are taking in every little "ahh" and facial expression.

Happy Birthday PAPA (Jim Bower)

Papa Bower turns 40 again for the 21st time today. So Jadon and I (Will) hatched a plot to give him a little gift of playful expressions. What you will see below are a little glimps of Jadon as he has a little play time with Dad (me). As you can see Jadon does not prefer to lay on his back for very long. Jadon may not be able to roll over or crawl, but we are expecting him to try to walk soon. His only problem is he will not know what to do when he falls over! I pray Jadon will never loose his desire to look up toward light and be in awe.

Jadon is now a little over 3 months old and has flourished under his Dad's daily supervision. The two of them are doing great and having a lot of fun. Dad keeps his days full with floor time, bath time, singing time and reading time. (I'm probably forgetting a few). Tummy time usually doesn't last very long and Jadon's preferred position is standing so forget the bouncy chair we have. As soon as Jadon is able to balance his torso on his own, we plan on getting him an exersaucer to help us entertain him. Jadon is also starting to reach toward things. He is not quite yet grabbing and hanging on, but that will come next. His favorite thing to say right now is "unn coo", which I have translated as 'uncle' and now every time he says it Will prays for all of Jadon's uncles!

Going back to work has been a smooth transition for me, so far. It helps knowing that Jadon is home with Dad. And it is great that both Jadon and Dad have adjusted just as well. I was offered more time, but of course have turned it down - working 6 hours a day is enough right now. Thank's to everyone who prayed for all of us during this transition.

In Loving Memory

Bear, comforter to Jadon, playmate to Rocky, ended his short battle with kidney disease. He will be missed.

November 2005 - June 2007