Today was a very special day - for so many reasons.
After dropping Brian off at school I came back home to collect Gavin and Miss Sara. Gavin had an appointment with his Orthopedic doctor at DuPont. He sees him every six months - just to keep an eye on his hips, his spine and his tone. I wanted to bring Miss Sara along with us for two reasons. First, I thought it would be interesting for her - she is planning on working in the health care field (public health) and I'm happy to give her as many opportunities as I can to learn something new. I also love showing off that hospital...and telling the many stories of our experiences there. This hospital holds a special place in my heart...in Ed's...and even in Gavin's. Gavin is always a happy boy when we're there.
The doctor was running behind so we took a quick trip to the chapel. Every corner of that hospital holds a memory for me and the chapel is no exception. It was on that very altar that Gavin sat up unassisted for the first time (remember that, Miss Kara?). A moment I will never forget - and one I get teary remembering as I open the chapel doors to walk in. It was also there that Ed and I brought Gavin immediately following the "Your son has cerebral palsy" diagnosis. And when I lived at that hospital for 8 weeks with an infant Gavin - we would steal away in the middle of the night to that chapel. Gavin loved looking at that stained glass.
Some things never change...
Telling the stories to Miss Sara brought so much back. It is just incredible how far Gavin has come since those harrowing days and nights at the hospital. I was glad to share more of Gavin's history - and what makes me the overprotective Mom I am - with Sara.
Once they were ready for us, we brought Gavin in for an X-Ray of his hips. There has never been a problem with his hips, but it's important that we keep an eye on them due to his Cerebral Palsy - and his low tone. The X-Ray came back fine, as expected.
We were brought back to a room and waited for the doctor. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Sara remarked that Gavin was so patient - we had no toys, no movie and only a very grown up children's book that was in the room. I told Sara that Gavin has always been like this. He's such a patient, sweet child and rarely asks for more than a song, a cuddle or room to roll around. He really is such a joy...our "Buddha Baby".
Dr. Gabos came in and examined Gavin - checking his hips and his tone, his ankles and feet and his spine. He thought he looked great and told his assistant things like, "It's rare to see a child that had such low tone go on to do this well" and more 'he's defied the odds' type of statements that always make me stand a little taller. I'm so ridiculously proud of Gavin and all the hard work he's done over these four years. The most exciting news from our visit, though, was Gavin's WEIGHT!! He has crossed over into the thirties and now weighs in at 31lbs! I've been trying to get him out of the 20s for quite some time so I am THRILLED!!!!
If you are new to this blog and are wondering what in the world I'm talking about when I mention Gavin's infancy...you can check out my first online journal for the backstory. I started something called "CaringBridge" when we were at the hospital. It was really just to keep our family and friends informed of Gavin's condition. He was very, very sick. Once I realized how therapeutic writing was each day - I never stopped! And here I am. You can find the CaringBridge here...and if you click "journal" and then click "sort oldest to newest" it will take you back to the very beginning. Just a warning - bring tissues.
While we were at the hospital, Ed had the pleasure of picking Brian up from school! He delivered him home to a waiting Granny and the report was that they had a great time together. When we got home, Brian was asleep and we quickly fed Gavin before his speech therapist arrived.
We were so happy to see Miss Maggie who just got back from her honeymoon! Today we worked on some oral motor exercises with Gavin, using bubbles to encourage him to make a 'kissy face'. Then we used the iPad for the last half of the session.
Tomorrow is Miss Sara's birthday!! I've given her the day off to celebrate (everyone should have the day off on their birthday, don't you think?!?) But today was also the day I wanted to do her formal review. I told her yesterday to be prepared for this - that I wrote it all out and would sit down with her today. I told her I have this benchmark for myself - I like to do a review after the person has been here a month. So today was her review...
...otherwise known as "Sara Day"!!!!
And this...is her formal review. There is nothing else I could possibly add.
Happy Birthday, Miss Sara! We love you!
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