Jackson turned 2 this week on October 1. When I thought about his birthday, I thought about what we’ve been through and accomplished over the past year.

We got rid of the helmet! Yay!!! We were also putting splints on Jackson’s hands when he slept to keep his hands open. We were able to stop splinting in the winter. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but I was relieved when we were told we didn’t have to do it anymore.

We got through a few months of eye patching! His right eye was visually stronger than his left eye. We patched the right eye to get the left eye stronger.

One year ago, Jackson rated a 2 on the Cortical Vision Impairment scale. His vision was best when looking at bright solid-colored toys. Last year I was at Babies R Us buying Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster because those were the only solid-colored toys in the entire store. Now, he rates about 6-7! His vision is so much better! He likes to watch cartoons. He focuses better on toys.

We (i.e. my dad) learned how to make homemade toys and medical equipment for Jackson. Side note: If you’re going to throw out an old forward facing car seat, please let me know. The forward facing car seat provides good support for Jackson because he can’t sit up. We have a few ideas for new contraptions, but they require a forward facing car seat.

We got to meet Andy Dalton!

Jackson went to the beach and got in the ocean! He didn’t particularly like the ocean (too cold), but he did enjoy walking on the beach.

Jackson got glasses, a wheelchair and a stander. It was hard to have the medical equipment in the house. However, when we saw how much everything helped Jackson, it was easy to accept and now it’s a normal part of our lives.

It’s almost unbelievable when I think about what we’ve been through the past twelve months. Most of it was great, some of it was really stressful. I’m so greatful that I have a happy, healthy little munchkin, who loves to play, make noises and hang out with his family. I can’t wait to see what this next year will bring.