My Jonathan

Every day I am thankful for my boys. They are both amazing! I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be their mother.

My Andrew is confident, daring, and silly. He also has a tender side that peeks through.

My Jonathan is intelligent, intuitive, and strong. Sure, he believes he's he strongest and fastest boy ever, but I'm talking about a different kind of strong.

My Jonathan has had to use an inhaler for his asthma for many years. Every night he takes two puffs. He also struggles with itchy skin. Tonight, while scratching his back, I saw little red bumps. Itchy bumps. Poor guy! Because of these two things, my heart already aches for him. But recently, my aching heart has hurt a little more. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you what he's been dealing with lately.

Jonathan has always had a cross bite and an under bite. This summer, we decided to trust the doctor and have an appliance put in his mouth. It is cemented onto his upper molars on both sides. The cemented portions are attached by a metal expander that we have to crank every night. Just today he added  head gear to the contraption. Thankfully, he does not have to wear the head gear in public, but it is recommended that he wear it for 12 - 14 hours each night.

Besides some discomfort voiced after each crank, my Jonathan does not complain about his appliance or head gear. His speech is slurred, food gets trapped, he can't eat certain things, he drools more, it's hard for him to control how much food gets on his face, and his sleeping patterns are changed. He does not complain about these inconveniences. He has such a positive outlook. He knows that his current situation is temporary and that he's enduring it for the awesome results.

I have cried while watching him sleep. While hearing him talk. While watching him eat. I fear for what he will have to face once school starts again. But my Jonathan is strong. He only focuses on the positive. I admire him. I am so proud of him.

I love you Buddy!