Silent Prayers

The silent prayers of others heard only by God are among the greatest of gifts. Over the last year I have written about our grandchildren who have Fragile X Syndrome.
I have no doubt that many of you that have visited this site offered those silent prayers for our grandchildren. In doing so you have done the same for the thousands of other children and adults with Fragile X and their families.

Well prayers are answered. Maybe not in the miraculous cure we all hope for but certainly in small and unforeseen ways. In that way I have come to realize there are angels among us. No wings nor wearing celestial robes, but everyday people doing extrordinary work.

Our grandson Cole who I have tried to introduce to you seems to be the most effected by FX. Cole who began kindergarten this year has made great progress in the eyes of Marcia and I. This progress is largely due to the the earthly angels who teach him every school day. It is obvious that Cole loves his Angels, he smiles and his eyes light up when you ask him about Ms. D, Ms. W and Ms. L.

The task of bring out the capabilities of a child with FX and other develpmental disorders absolutely takes dedication, caring and a lot of love. We are so thankful that our prayers, yours and mine, have given us these angels.

Cole's progress and achievements may seem small in comparison to other five year olds but it has been in leaps and bounds to us in the last 4 months. He recognizes his written name, his brothers, his sisters, Mommy and Daddy. He can name basics colors as they are presented to him. He communicates more and more in sentences instead on a couple of stacked words.

Erin seems to be coming out her shell also. She is playing basketball, well she is practicing basketball. We wondered if she would go back after being hit in the face with the ball in the first practice. But she did and she has made two more practices.
She received the most improved student award for the second grade.

Cole was give a "Karactor Kid" award because he expresses such caring to the Special Needs children in his class. He made his Granny and Mommy proud as he marched to his seat and accepted his award.

Cale is talking although his speech is still somethimes difficult to understand. He is asking questions and giving answers. He seems to be improving in his cogniative skills. He has such a smile and he loves to sing along with the DVDs of Barney and Thomas.

Cole and Cale both recieved small motorized tractors from Santa Claus. Cole mastered manuevering and steering his in short order. He turns in and out of obstacles steering like and old pro. Cale has only learned to turn right.

When Cole finds himself hemmed in he gets off and pulls it around and climbs back on.
He hasn't quiet got backing up down yet. Cale on the other hand jumps off and runs to get help. He getting better at steering. Cale had really just as soon ride as a passenger in Erin's two seater Jeep.

December was a good month and January has had a good beginning for the Baker Fraggles.

What is going on with the Baker Fraggles?

The boys Cale and Cole are pretty much growing up as all brothers do. Moments of camaraderie and moments of intense rivalry. Meaning Cole tells Cale what to do and Cale most times ingnores him.

When you let the notion of Fragile X go and ignore the speech and the little ticks they are quite normal little boys. They play, watch tv and have boundless energy. They have moments when they behave and do as they are told and moments which strain the limits of your patience. The are curious and plunder and pillage at times but also bring you books to read and songs to sing. Laying their little heads on your shoulder and giving the cure all for a grandparents impatience and frustration.

That tender and well placed little kiss on the cheek. Followed with a "luv you". Generally those will melt away any angst and resets the patience button.

Cale's vocabulary continues to grow and his speech is better. He is absolutely the cutest little boy when you ask him a question and he answers, hands in the air, "I don't know". Then smiles with an impishness that demands you give him a big hug.

They had their picture along with Erin taken with "
Sir Topham Hat" at the day out with Thomas. Marcia made a print and put it on our Bathroom mirror. Now the first place they go is to the BR to see "Top Hat". Cale points and calls "top hat, top hat, Cole-man, Erin. When you point to him in the picture and ask who is that, he replies, "me".

That is a difference between Cole and Cale. For a long time when you pointed out Cole to himself in a picture and ask who is that, he replied Cole. Now Cole answers me, but I wonder if he did not learn that from Cale.

Cole has learned to dribble and shoot the basketball and to kick the soccer ball. He learned to propel and steer his trike. Not by pedaling but putting one foot on the the rear axle and pushing with the other. He learned this on his own with no coacing, just watching Erin.

Cale has pedaled his trike a little but still prefers the Fred Flintstone method. Cale has almost mastered self propulsion in the swing. He can keep himself going for more than a few minutes.

Funny how things our kids learned, the swinging, riding trikes, throwing and catching a ball are readly available from our memory banks. Sure we remember the first big fall off the bike or the first catch with a glove or a football. But not all the attempts before they were successful. I do not think I will forget this weekend when Cole held up the basket ball and said Pappy you "catsh" it. Then the throw and then the response, "throw it, Jim, throw it".

Then there was the shot from 10 feet in to the basket. Of course the basket is on 3 feet high but still nothing but net. Go Cole. All the while Cale is swing the golf club at the plastic golf ball. Boys being boys and kids being kids.

Not to leave Erin out. She and Granny cooked and made pizza. She played ever so gently with the "china head" doll that Marcia has preserved for so many years. Ever threatening anyone who held it not to drop it. And Erin didn't, she gently wrapped in a blanket and put it down for nap before shifting in tomboy mode and playing ball with the boys.

Thanksgiving dinner at Thomas and Betty Rozier's was great as usual. They have such a great family.

All that said it was a great Thanksgiving weekend.

But it does not end there, Marcia picked up Erin and Cole from school. Cale had a doctor's appointment. When I got home they were all having a go at the stairs when I turned the corner from the den. Then it was come upstairs Pappy from Cole and outstretched arms from Cale wanting his hug. So I oblidged both. Those stairs have gotten steeper and larger in number.

Cole brought his "Thomas tunnel" book down and pulled me to my chair all the while saying "sit in chair, read Jim". So we did. Soon Brandi was calling for them to load up for the ride home.

Then he did it again. Pulled the strings loose from my heart. In perfect enunciation "I want to stay here with Pappy".

That's all from the doting grandpa for today.

Thanks for stopping by!

THURSDAY, who knew?

Who knew that the Thursday would turn out to be so great. The word much more than the day of the week.

Brandi posted this on her facebook page.

"As I'm sitting in line at Cole and Erin's school waiting for them to be let out when I spotted one of Cole's teachers bringing him to me early, probably so her arm wouldn't go limp today trying to hold on to him. Before he reaches the van he says "Hello". I open the door and he says "Hello, How are you?" I look forward to hearing those words everyday. After he got into the van his teacher ask him what today is. He holds his head down with the biggest grin on his face while his arms are going 90 to nothing and says "Thursday "! Can't explain the excitement going through my body. Then she asked him what day is tomorrow. She said "today is Thursday and tomorrow is".......and he said Friday! How awesome is that! He has only been in school for about 2 1/2 months and has learned so much. Couldn't be more proud of my Cole-man! :)"

How could just the words Thursday and Friday be so powerful in the life of a young mother and her young son? The answer is simple if you know what Fragile X Syndrome is. The emotions stirred are only understandable when you have seen the range of effects FXS has on the children and adults that have FXS.

Putting two days together and answering the questions correctly by this little 5 1/2 year old boy is a milestone to be remembered like a 18 month old uttering "mamma" for the first time. Cole has come so far from where he was just year ago. It gives us hope as to how far he may go.

Cole, Cale and Erin are loading up as I type to see their favorite character in person. Thomas the Tank engine at Veterans State Park in Cordele.

Cole loves Thomas, Erin did also when she was 3 and 4. Cale watches Thomas and seems to be more interested lately, but he is more of a Toy Story fan.

Erin knew the 4 or 5 DVDs we had by heart by age 3. You could turn the sound down and she could repeat every word of everyone. She would sing along with the captions.

Cole knew the DVDs by heart at that age as well even though he did not repeat the words. He would be playing with a toy while the DVD played. Just before their was a crash he would turn to the TV then say "uh oh", then turn and play with his toy again. The same when a song was sung on the DVD. Cole would jump up just before the song began, stand in front of the TV and wave his arms and dance to the tune in perfect rythym.

Cale will stop and dance and even sing a few words but he is just not as enamored with Thomas as Cole and Erin. That may change. We will have to wait and see. He is making great progress with his speech and vocabulary. He seems to have a broader
range of interests than Cole.

The only other thing to report is Cole pooped in the potty. While in his swing last week, he told me he wanted down. His words were, "want down Pappy. Have to stink".

I unbuckled him, he jumped down, ran inside, pulled his pants down, sat on the potty and pooped. Marcia had to help with the clean up. He pulled his pants and came back out to the swing where I was with Cale. Marcia came out and announce what had occurred. I told Cole-man good job and as usual he clapped and gave a big smile then told me to push him in the swing. Marcia called Brandi to tell her the news. She was as excited and proud as we were if not more so.

This is the strangeness of FXS. Don't know that he has done it again. Prior to this time he would go to the potty if you ask him, but would not do anything other than pull off the TP and flush the toliet. But at least you know he knows how and we can hope he will decide to make it a regular habit.

I will let yall know how the Train ride went when I get a report.


I wouldlike to thank again everyone who participated, donated or attended the "team up for a cure" golf tournment.

Prayers, Pennies and Perseverance will one day provide a cure, please support research at http://fraxa.org/

One Year

One year ago I started this chronicle. We found out that our second oldest grandson was a Fragile X child. Now a year later we have two more grandchildren with Fragile X Syndrome. They have had it all along we just did not know for sure, I guess.

Erin, our granddaughter, was tested and she has a full mutation. We are blessed in that she is extremely smart and does well in school except for math. She is shy and vivacious at the same time. She has her moments which we now understand more.
She is such a joy to all us, especially Marcia who always wanted a daughter.

Then this week after being told over a year and half ago that the youngest, Cale, had PDD-NOS but that was all we now know that he has the mutation as well.

My Granny Baker, had six children. She out lived all but one. A still born at 16, lost her fourth son when he was 4, her first and fifth sons in their fifties, her third son when he was sixty.

She told me during a time of great heartache in my life there was never a day without heartache and never a day without joy, just some days the heartache would crawl over the joy. My children and all parents of Fragile X children or parents of any child with a seriously debilitating condition have days when the heartache crawls over the joy. Days when it is hard to hold your chin up and be positive for their children and their spouse. Days when the question is "why me, why my child?"

I once read that you are only as happy as your unhappiest child. This is so true and is one the heaviest burdens of parenthood. When you have a child that is in pain and you cannot ease it the pain manifests itself within you also.

The anxiety of the unknown for our Fragile X kids brings on the heartache. Seeing their happy and loving faces, getting big hugs and seeing them progress in the smallest of ways brings on the joy.

Then I look at parents with children who have other conditions. Cerebral Palsy, MS, Muscular Dystrophy or even worse terminal illnesses. Things could always be worse.

I have said this before but Brandi is a wonderful mother but even more a special person. She has to deal with the imbalance between heartache and joy everyday. She has to overcome the frustration and temper her expectations in an never ending tug of war.

Brandi and Chris have and continue to take the issues before them head on. While it is a heartache for us watch the frustration and anxiety in their lives, the joy crawls over that heartache in witnessing the strength of their character and their resolve to make life as good as possible for their special children.

Hey Pappy!

Marcia and I were blown off the the beach so we came home early. Monday morning we rode to Walmart to get the pictures from the "Team up for a Cure" golf tournament. We had just entered the store when I saw old freind, Larry Jarvis. I waited for him to finish at the pharmacy window so I could speak to him. Small turns of fate are what makes life grand.
If I had not waited to speak to Larry I would have missed what happened next.

While waiting a small hand patted me on the rear and a small voice said, "hey Pappy". I knew immediately it was Cole. I turned to find him reaching for me to pick him up for a big hug. I spoke to Larry and then Cole and I were off for a Walmart adventure.

Cole was there with Brandi to pick up some medicine for his cough. So why Brandi waited at the pharmacy Cole and I left her and Marcia for a tour of the Walmart.

We went to the hunting section where Cole spied the gloves. He loves gloves and picked out a pair of camoflauged ones. We looked at the Camo shirts but there were no small ones.

From there we went through the toy section. Cole pickup and looked at all the Thomas,Cars, Spongebob and Toystory toys and books. He named off the characters and put them back on the shelf. He was not in a purchasing mood I guess. Then we went on a search for Granny.

Granny can almost always be found in the children's clothing section. So that is where we went. She was not there but Cole wanted out of the buggy to inspect the racks, looking for Thomas.

He first went to the rack with the rugby stripe shirts. He has several "Thomas" shirts with those
stripes. There was not any with Thomas on the front. He turned to me and ask,"where's Thomas". Then he found the toy story shirts and the spongebob and cars but no Thomas. He made his way from rack to rack plundering through them just like he was an old shopping pro.

Alas he hollered, "Thomas, Pappy". There was a set of Thomas pajamas much like the ones he sleeps in at home. He was excited for a moment but then continued his search for more "Thomas".

Then you know who showed up. Granny joined the search but I guess neither found exactly what they were looking for.

Brandi found us and she had Halloween costumes for the kids, was still waiting for the prescription. We gathered up the rest of our needs and went to the check out.

Cole and I checked out first. Then Brandi and Granny. Cole came home with us as Brandi waited for the prescription.

We read the Thomas stories and he repeated the parts he knows. We took apart and reassembled the animal puzzles. Of course we went up and down the stairs a few times as well.

Marcia picked up Erin from school and soon there after Cale came running through the back door. They all got a dose of medicine.

Erin watch TV while Cale, Cole and I played with the puzzles. Cole and I read a Thomas story to Brandi and Marcia. Then we went to my chair where Cole went to sleep in my lap as we read the book.

We had to wake him when they headed for home. Cale climed right into his car seat for a change and waved goodbye. Cole got in his chair but was still in a slumber induced semi coma.

All in all it was a nice ending to Marcia and my wet, windy anniversary weekend.

Just a quick note tonight.

Last Saturday Chris and Brandi, my childrenm and Charlie and Patty Cosey their friends and the son and daughter in law of former Quitmanite, Charles Cosey organized and held a golf outing to raise funds for Fraxa.

Due to their efforts and determination and the good will of their friends and community over $14,000 was raised. They sold t-shirts, cookies, cakes and pies as well as holding raffles and silent auctions.

92 golfers participated and they all said they had the best time ever at a golf scramble and were looking forward to next year.

Several other families and children affected by Fragile X were in attendance as well.
Jan Hinkley and her son Steven and June Lawson and her son Clay Daub were there and were an uplifting force for those of us with younger FX kids.

Of course Charlie and Patty's son, Colten, was there along with our grandchildren, Erin, Cole and Cale. Erin has just be diagnosed as having a full mutation.

Cole and Cale were my shadows all day as we visited with people attending and rode the golf cart on the course with their Nana, Barbara Rozier. Mema and Grandaddy Rozier were there as well and took in most of the gold at the first hole from under the Oak Trees.

We were provided with a perfect golf day from above and much love and happiness from the golfers and volunteers. A special thanks to Aunt Becky who along with Brandi photographed each golf team.

I would love to name every volunteer and golfer but alas and thankfully their were to many for me to remember them all.

Thanks to all that participated in person and in spirits. Prayers and Pennies are needed and in that order to make the cure a reallity. Thanks for both.

More to come, but Marcia and I are off for mini aniversary honeymoon. Number 41.

I want to go home in Daddy's truck

Sometimes the smallest of moments give the greatest amount of hope. Friday night produced one of those moments. Cole, Cale and Erin came to the house while their Mommy and Daddy went out to celebrate Brandi's Mima's birthday.

Of course we went through the normal session on the swings with Cale and Cole and then went in to have supper. Supper was followed by Cole carrying his new Thomas book and "demanding" it be read to him as he holds like his teacher would. Cale was playing with the cutout puzzles and watching "teebee".

Cole showed Marcia how he exercised at school. He got on the floor and said "exercise" then laid no his back and made like he was pedaling a bike.

Cole and Cale could no doubt solve the nation's energy crisis as the expend their's and ours nonstop.

But to the small moment. Brandi and Chris return around 8 and soon after one or the other said it was time to go. Saying something like get ready to go. Well Cole had arrive at 5 or so with his mom in her van and his Dad had arrives at 6 or so in his truck. Chris's truck is parked outside the privacy fence. Cole has not seen the truck.

When someone said, "lets go", Cole spoke up clearly and concisely,"I wanna go home in Daddy's truck. Don't sound like much of a moment much less great until taken in the context of Cole's Fragile X.

For Cole to want to go home in daddy's truck, he had to remember that he came in Mommy's van an hour earlier and Daddy arrived later. He then made and assumption.

That Daddy came in his truck.

Brandi and Chris got the test back on Erin and it was positive for fragile X. Erin has not shown any signs of developmental disabilities, but she is shy and has high anxiety in some situations. Now that we know some of the reason we all can approach situations differently with her.

She is still sweet and my Pill as I call her.

Pride is not a word I often use nor an emotion that I often display. But I am so proud of my children, Brandi and Chris. They have given a huge responsibility and challenge. They are meeting it head on.