Happy Birthday, Jack!

Jack is officially 5 months old today! I can't believe it ... it feels like just yesterday he was sleeping in his bassinet and now he actually "fits" in his crib! Some days I want to tell him to slow down and always stay a baby. This is probably one of the reasons we haven't started feeding him solids yet, despite our pediatrician and PT telling us to go for it. I guess I'm just in denial! I was talking to one of my girlfriends on the phone tonight whose little girl is turning 1 tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Ella!), and she was talking about how children really do grow up so fast (sometimes too fast, it seems). But, time flies when you're having fun, right?!?!

While I often wish Jack would stay a baby forever, I also often find myself wanting to rush other things. I think that because everyone tells me "he will be delayed," I work so hard at making him hit his milestones (some of which he has actually hit early, even in comparison to "typical" children). It's very interesting how I feel like I want him to stay a baby forever because no one will have momentous expectations of him until he's older. If he stays a baby then I guess I feel that he will never be subjected to ridicule or unfair comparisons to his peers. On the other hand, I know that he has to grow up so I feel myself also pushing him to develop quickly so he never gets "left behind." I hope that all these feelings are normal and that I don't come off sounding like an unrealistic mother of a child with special needs, but this is just how I feel. I guess I just want to protect him and guard his feelings.

To my sweet baby boy on his 5-month birthday:

Dear Jack,

No matter how long it takes you to walk or talk or tie your shoe, I want you to know that you are and will always be my hero. You have taught me a great deal about what is important in this tangled and confusing world we live in. I didn't know how much I could love someone until you were born, and when I look at your sweet smile, I genuinely feel as if my heart could explode. I look forward to the many adventures we will have together during this journey we call life. I will always be here for you to help you be the best you can be. Please know that I am so very proud of you already, and I will love you forever and ever!

Happy 5th Month Birthday, sweet Jack!

Love, Mommy

Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

"There is only one smartest dog in the world, and every boy has it."

-Anonymous

Our dog Forest (our four-legged first born) has become a great big brother to Jack. It's so funny to watch him look back and forth at Jack and me with this panic in his eyes when Jack's crying. I love how Forest sniffs Jack before greeting me now when I come home. I also melt when I see Forest give Jack an ever so gentle lick on his hand or foot when he's on the floor playing.

My childhood memories are filled with moments with our family mutt (get this, he was named ... Poopie! No joke!). I feel that my life was enriched because I had a dog. I loved that dog so much that my parents said I would take my dinner plate to the den and sit on the floor to eat with him so he wouldn't feel left out.

Robert also grew up with a dog, a beagle named Buddy, who actually lived to be over 17 years old. Robert was almost done with college when he passed away. Robert and his parents still talk about Buddy to this day, and I have no doubt that this special dog was Robert's absolute best friend when he was a boy.

I often wish that Forest was younger than he is (he'll be 7 in January) or that he'd live forever. I look forward to watching Jack grow up with Forest ... pulling on his tail, patting him on the head, and one day chasing him around the yard. I just know that they will be the best of friends.

More Buddy Walk Photos

My sister Kelly sent me more Buddy Walk pictures today, and they were too cute not to share with all of you! Enjoy!

Proud Parents

Meg and Ford (I just LOVE this picture!)

I have some of the best friends in the world!

Melissa (who watches Jack for us when I'm working), Chris and baby Reid

Meg was very proud of the poster she made for Jack!

Mollie getting Jack cuddles

Alice, Chris and Jack's Grandma

So sweet

Happy Jack!

Love this face

Hickling family photo

Charlotte toughing it out even though she was sick!

Ford with his goodie bag

Charlotte getting ready for the big walk

Jack with his cousins and his CiCi

Cousin love

The Chandgie clan

"Jack's Pack" Attacks!

The awesome onesie Aunt Kasey made Jack for his big day!

Thanks so much, Kasey! Miss you!

One of the posters my sister Kelly and I stayed up way too late making the night before.

Thanks SO much for all your help, Kel! Miss you!

Our awesome shirts ... thanks to Ashley Watkins and Genuity Concepts!

Getting excited for the walk!

One of the two "cousin wagons"

"My cousin has more chromosomes than yours!"

Love these (although they took FOREVER to make!)

Uncle Chris and Aunt Alice, thanks so much for coming all the way from DC for my big day!

We love you!

Some of my coworkers from 2300 came to "Back Jack's Pack!"
Thanks so much for your support, guys!

It's tough being a celebrity!

Cousin Ford and cousin Meg's posters for Jack (Meg made hers all by herself!)

Cousin Ford showing his support ... thanks, buddy! We love you!

Meg spreading the Jack love

Jack strolled in style

Jack with his new buddy Carter ... rocking their "designer genes" together

Cousin Reid seemed to enjoy herself!

Cousins Wade, Meg and Charlotte bringing up the rear

Hittin' the Road for Jack

Thanks so much for coming for my big day, Omar! I miss you!

Levi did too much partying with his cousin Jack

The walk is over but the memories will stay in our hearts forever

You guys ROCK!


This weekend was definitely the BEST weekend of my life! I can proudly announce that Jack had more than 65 friends and family members walk in his honor at the Greensboro Buddy Walk this past Saturday. It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful people walking for a beautiful cause. Having so many people celebrating your child's life is such an amazing feeling that I just simply cannot describe it. I love all of you who came out to show Jack and our family your support. We will never forget your kindness, and we hope to see you at next year's Buddy Walk and many more thereafter!

A Gift from God

The "Tour de Jack" weekend ended today with yet another party, this time to celebrate Jack's christening. John Robert Hickling was christened at Guilford Park Presbyterian Church this morning, witnessed by many family and friends. It was a beautiful moment for our whole family, and I felt so incredibly proud standing in front of the congregation as they accepted our special little boy into their family and their hearts. We are so thankful for the amazing outpouring of love and support our church family has already shown us during our journey thus far.

For the big day, Jack wore a family christening gown, which was made out of Robert's great-great-grandmother's wedding gown. Mary wore it when she was christened, just as her brother and nephew wore it as well. We look forward to Jack's name being added (embroidered) to the inside hem of the gown among their names to mark this momentous occasion.

One of the things that made this day so very special was that Jack's grandfather Bill Hickling, a former elder at our church, had the privilege of reading a blessing which he personally wrote for Jack. I want to share this blessing with you all today, as it is simply too beautiful to miss out on. You couldn't help but feel the love in the room as Bill read the following words.

Heavenly Father, today we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism of your servant, John Robert Hickling. Our hearts are filled with joy for Jack and his parents, Korey and Robert.

Today Jack has joined the body of Christ and has been touched by the Holy Spirit which flows now as it always has through Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, as it did over 24 years ago when his father and uncles were baptized together in this sanctuary.

We bow our heads in prayer to praise you and give thanks for the blessings and grace which you have bestowed on this church family.

We ask for your blessing and divine guidance as Jack begins his faith journey surrounded by his parents at the center of an ever enlarging group of intertwined circles of family, friends, co-workers, physicians, therapists, and families of children with Down Syndrome who form the fabric of love, care, and support that has enriched Jack's life and has given his parents great hope and joy.

Bless his parents. Give them patience, perseverance, judgment, and wisdom as they raise him to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Bring them closer to you within this family of faith as they continue their own journeys of faith.

We ask blessing for those who have travelled great distances to worship God and bear witness to this joyful Sacrament. Guard and protect them as they travel back to their homes.

We ask blessing for those who could not be here today. We ask special blessing to Jack's grandfather Robert Cameron Christian, Bobby to his family, Big Daddy to his grandchildren. He would have celebrated his 61st birthday this week. He joined the Communion of Saints 6 1/2 years ago. We love and miss him. We feel his presence here today. We know how happy and proud he would be of Jack and his 6 other grandchildren.

Lord of all creation, we have faith that you are with us throughout our lives in times of joy and sorrow, and in times of trial. You reach out to us through Christ with your loving hands. Through the Holy Spirit help us to lead lives that walk towards the light and reach out to you. Amen.

Thank you so much, Pops, for your moving words today. And thank you to all of you who felt the urge to be present and bear witness to this very joful occasion. It's a day we'll never, ever forget.

Buddy Walk

We had a BLAST at the Buddy Walk today and are currently celebrating with Jack at a cookout at Ci Ci's house! (I snuck into the bathroom to blog so I wasn't negligent on my "31 for 21" promise to everyone!) We're having a wonderful day full of excitement, gratitude, and emotion. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their participation today ... the Jack's Pack was HUGE!!!! I was more moved than I ever imagined to have so many friends and family there to support our Jack! We'll post Buddy Walk pictures soon, so stay tuned!

Finding my Treasure

Many of you know that my father-in-law is a pediatric neurologist here in town, so he treats special needs children on a daily basis. And, of the many, many gifts we have received since Jack's birth, a couple of them have been from his patients' mothers after he has shared our story with them. One of these such gifts is a book of devotions for parents of special children by Tracy Breland called Finding a Treasure. Now, as I have mentioned earlier, I don't necessarily consider myself a very religious person, but I have found this book to be extremely uplifting, particularly when I am having more difficult days.

In one of her devotions, the author cites the passage from 1 Samuel 16:7, which I also display on my blog dashboard: "For the Lord does not see as man sees; For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." She then writes the following devotional about her daughter Caroline who has Down Syndrome. I love how it conveys the strength of the love between any mother and her child. I like how she informs other parents like her that the books we are given to read should not be taken literally, that each child is unique in their abilities and strengths and cannot be defined by science. I enjoy that it shows how much more momentous and fulfilling even the slightest achievements are to parents of children with special needs. I also particularly love how she points out that with the proper love and determination, a child with special needs does not have to "experience life as it was dictated by a diagnosis" and how she says that these children have "what God is looking for in our hearts." I couldn't agree more with what she expresses here, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Again, this is from Tracy Breland's Finding a Treasure devotional titled "The Heart."

During the first year of Caroline's life I was given many books that tried to explain and prepare me for the hundreds of things that could and probably would go wrong with my special child. In great detail experts relayed what she would do late or maybe never do at all. Chapter after chapter laid out the medical challenges my child might endure throughout her entire life. In fact, the books outlined every conceivable negative so I might be properly informed. Needless to say, I was quite overwhelmed by all this negativity.

Yet, what all these books neglected to share are the thousands and thousands of wonderful things we would experience with this child -- the treasure we would find as we walked through this life with her.

I still remember the day I pushed her in the cart at Wal-Mart, and she put her little lips together saying "mama." It was a defining moment of pure joy, and it made my day every time it happened. I cannot even begin to count the thousands of incidents of spontaneous laughter that she has provoked or the joy of so many accomplishments that we would have taken for granted.

Caroline has brought a level of compassion to our family that is priceless. The patience, the understanding and the thousands of other things that I would gain from this one little life also were not mentioned in the books. The unselfish love that I have seen Caroline extend to others has allowed me little glimpses of what I believe God is looking for in our hearts. She truly values others and becomes as excited about someone else's accomplishments as she does her own.

Perhaps books you've been given also forget to tell you that your special child will make you feel alive, and how the most mundane things become thrilling when you watch him or her experience them.

I'm reminded of Helen Keller. It was because of a mother's love and a teacher's determination that she did not have to experience life as it was dictated by a diagnosis. She did not let a book tell her about her life; rather she wrote books and surprised the world with her endless possibilities.

Remember, dear special parents, the real treasures in life are those felt with the heart. So in this sense, I feel that my child truly is a gift from God to let me experience life with my heart.

I have found my treasure.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.

They must be felt with the heart."

- Helen Keller