The Sky Was the Limit...

When Ed and I were dating - and then married before kids - we would often go to Dim Sum in Philadelphia's Chinatown.  But then Gavin came along and we stopped going places for quite a long time.  It was just too complicated for various reasons.  Gavin had severe reflux and car rides were torturous for all... for a while he was overstimulated by noisy places... we couldn't go anywhere for too long because he needed his own food prepared a certain way... and sometimes, it was just too much work.  So we stayed home.  The last couple years of his life, though, Gavin became more independent... more laid back... and he needed less coddling in noisy places.  We were enjoying taking him to new places... going on adventures as a family... and it was starting to seem like the sky was the limit.  Ed and I talked often about how we couldn't wait to take the boys to Disney World.

And then he died.

This past Sunday morning, we decided to go to Dim Sum with Brian and Hope.  

Brian tried several new dishes (we were so proud!) and got chopstick lessons from his Daddy!

Hope was a breeze.  We packed some extra diapers, an extra outfit and that was that.  

Back in the day, Ed and I would meander around Chinatown after Dim Sum.  We'd stop at the grocery store... we'd walk the streets leisurely... and we'd always make a trip to the bakery to bring home some treats.  We did all of those things with Brian and Hope.

It was such an easy day.  Brian is amused and entertained by everything.  And Hope is so portable.  I could feed her anywhere - and it wasn't hard to find places to change her diapers.  Everything was so easy...

...and it broke my heart.

Gavin should have been there with us.  The sky was the limit for him...