Making Friends (with Justin Bieber!)...

I have some great news about Brian!!  

At home, Brian is outgoing and funny and talkative and talkative and talkative and opinionated and engaging.  At home.

At school, he's a little more (okay, a lot more) reserved.  One of the things they've been working on is trying to get him to come out of his shell.  Slowly, he's emerging and I get reports here and there that he's talking more or asking for things or answering questions when asked - with his teachers.  It's so wonderful to hear!  He is still needing some prompting, though, when interacting with his peers.

But the other day when I dropped Brian off I stood at the car chatting with his teacher, Miss Laura.  For the first time, Brian ran off away from both of us to join his classmates who were playing outside the door to the school.  Later, I learned that he approached one of his friends and asked him if he wanted to play.  All by himself - with no prompting!!  Miss Laura and Miss Morgan said they made a big fuss over Brian and made sure that he knew that they had noticed.  And when I brought it up at home and told him how proud I was, he stood there and beamed.  Clearly he was proud, too, and loved being acknowledged for it!!

Gavin continues to do SO well in school.  He has been participating in craft activities with help, loving the music portion of the morning and handling all that is asked of him with minimal fussing.

He's been making friends, too!  Sara told me the other day that Gavin was sitting next to one of his classmates the other day and she was crying.  He reached over and started stroking her shoulder.  My sweet little guy - he's so sensitive.

Every morning when we wait for the bus, he's smiling.

It's all so much easier knowing that he leaves on that bus with his best buddy, Sara.  She's doing such a great job with him at school.  I get *insider information* that they love having her there.  And not just because she helps with Gavin.

Gavin loves getting on the bus!  The time it takes to get him on and get his chair strapped down is less and less - they're really getting into a groove.  Bruce and Marie, the bus driver and bus aide, are so kind and such a friendly face in the morning.  It makes it a little easier for me to walk away down our long driveway without Gavin knowing he's in such good hands!

The past few days have been very busy getting ready for the big Just Between Friend's Sale!  On Monday, I volunteered as an "Inspector" for four hours.  Because I was volunteering that day, I was able to drop off all of my sale items too.  When I got there, the place looked like this...

For the next four hours as I inspected every inch of the clothing items people brought in (they are VERY strict about stains, rips, wear and tear and will reject items from the sale!) and making a few people pretty mad at me as I tied together their rejected clothes...

...I watched the room fill up.  Quickly.

As if my day hadn't been exciting enough, I got to meet Justin Bieber!  It's a little known fact (even to me) that I totally have the Bieber Fever.

Today at noon, I will be able to shop at the pre-sale.  I've eyed up a few things that the boys would like for Christmas and birthdays...and a few things I want to get for Brian's classroom.  But mostly, I'm hoping that I sell everything to add to Gavin's equipment fund.  I've been scouring the internet for anyone selling a foldable special needs stroller.  No luck yet.  I've also been writing to professional sports organizations to see if they would be interested in purchasing our Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber. If any of you hear of someone in the market for a chamber, let me know!  (I know the chances of that are small...but stranger things have happened, right??)

This sale is beyond incredible.  If you are in the market for anything baby/toddler or even older kids - this is the place to go.  Check out some of these pictures I snapped with  my phone last night...

I love being involved with this sale twice a year - and I adore the two women who run it.  Tracy and Beth work so hard for all of us.  Last year they allowed me to take as many shoes marked for donation as I could fit in my car at the end of the sale.  My niece, Hannah, was collecting shoes to bring to Haiti on a mission trip.  This year, I will be pulling donations of toys and books for DuPont Hospital's Child Life Center.  They have a HUGE playroom for patients at the hospital that we've used when Gavin was inpatient.  And if the kids can't leave their room - Child Life comes to them.  When Gavin was in the ICU, they came to our door.  They gave Gavin a singing teddy bear to bring home...and also lent us some DVDs to help pass the time.

There are some nice, nice people in this world.

The Rainbow Connection...

Happy New Year!!

I'm probably one of the happier people around that was thrilled to say goodbye to 2011. I know that is pretty negative coming from me - but I dare anyone to blame me. It was quite a year. But let's not dwell on it anymore. 2012 has exciting things in store - I just know it.

Ed and I have had the same New Year's Eve plans for a few years now. Our friends, Elayne and Geoff (the couple who took our dog, Lucy, when we found out Gavin was allergic!) have an early, kid-friendly party every year. It's always a lot of fun. But this year - I just wasn't up to it. Between my black eyes and my blue mood - I kind of wanted to lay low and wallow. Well...I ended up doing neither. I decided to go out on a date...with Brian. Right after lunch on New Year's Eve I took Brian to his very first movie. The Muppets!

The entire experience thrilled him from beginning to end. Walking through the parking lot holding my hand...looking at all the movie posters in the lobby...going to the concession stand for pretzel bites...handing the ticket to the man behind the podium...and sitting in his own seat (and nearly getting swallowed up in it!).

In a classic rookie move, I didn't know until after the show that the movie theater gives out booster seats for kids so they don't get folded up in the seat. But in a classic move, dare I say GENIUS, I improvised with the diaper bag and my purse and my knee holding Brian in place. Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, he spent more than half of the movie on my lap. But I still say - diaper bag/knee/purse combination was genius. Thank you.

Brian was mesmerized. And, quite honestly, so was I! It's such an adorable movie - and it brought back so many childhood Muppet memories for me! I will admit I got a little choked up during the Rainbow Connection. The best part of the movie for me? The completely random and unsolicited kisses and hugs from Brian as we sat together. He would just turn around and kiss me!

(Oh, and as you can see - even a little photo editing can't cover my under eye bruises!)

When we got home I had another special surprise for him. I had bought him a "New Year's Eve cupcake" - complete with a countdown cookie clock! But in the biggest shock of 2011, he turned it down for a nap. I think the movie did him in and he slept for over two hours.

I put the cupcake away for New Year's Day...

Happy New Year to Brian!! Starting off the year with a cupcake - he was in heaven.

Gavin spent New Year's Eve with his Daddy and they had fun at home. Gavin has changed so much over the past several weeks. He's wanting more and more to be independent and has definite ideas and opinions about how he wants things to be!! We've been having a little issue with him lately. He's been gagging himself in his crib. It's mainly during nap time - and likely because he is bored. We've been through this before with him - so we're hoping it is just a phase like it was last time. It can be quite an ordeal. Twice it was right before we were leaving for a holiday event. This is what happens when we find him... he has to get in the bath - the crib has to be stripped and completely washed (trust me - it's so stinky!) - the crib tent has to come out and get taken apart and also washed - the mattress has to be wiped down well - his books (hard plastic, thank God!) have to be wiped down - the windows open - the fan on - the carpet sometimes cleaned - get the picture?

You might be thinking - well, he's four! He's probably outgrown the need for naps! Well, that might be true. But Gavin has always benefitted from having some "down time" where he can be alone. And lately all Gavin wants to do is wander the house and bang his teeth on hard surfaces - the furniture, the granite counter, the glass windows, etc. Sometimes, quite frankly, an hour that I'm not chasing him and pulling him away from cracking a tooth is important for everyone's sanity.

Gavin started back with his regular therapy schedule today after a Christmas break. Miss Janna, his teacher, was here after lunch. Janna has been bringing something each week to use with Gavin to start off their therapy. We were all surprised when he liked it! It's called "Play Foam." It's squishy and moldable and she'll have Gavin push his hands into it or roll it out. Her thinking is that working with that first warms him up and makes him more agreeable to hand over hand activities. Gavin typically hates when anyone forces him to hold or do anything with his hands. Using this play foam has actually cut down on his defensiveness!! Over the break I bought some on Amazon so Gavin could use it all the time at home. He loves it! (And it's super cheap!)

I can't wait until Friday when his Physical Therapist, Miss Wendy, comes for her session. She's going to be AMAZED at all the new things Gavin is doing. He now wants to WALK up the stairs - holding my hands pretty lightly, he'll bring his foot up to each step and lift himself up! And he's become quite the climber - almost to the point that it's scary. I'll let these pictures tell the story. I caught him in the act and wanted to capture the entire event - praying with each click of my lens that he wouldn't fall. See what I do for you people? *wink*

Finally... Ed and I have made a big decision. We are ending the great run we've had of Gavin's Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Over the weekend I went in the chamber with him and it was pointless. He refuses to keep the mask on...and we always said we'd never force it. So it is now on the market. The reason we bought the home chamber was for convenience...and to save money. We were originally going to take him to a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center in another town. It required a big time commitment - rearranging Gavin's therapy schedule to make these appointments would have been a feat. And driving to the center, doing the therapy and driving home would have taken a huge chunk out of our day. Not to mention the exorbitant cost. Believe it or not, buying our own chamber was cheaper. And then we had the added benefit of it being right there in our living room - we could fit it in whenever we wanted. Or skip a day if we wanted.

A lot of people ask if the Oxygen therapy helped Gavin. To know for sure, we would have had to stop everything else we were doing with him and JUST do Hyperbarics. We obviously weren't willing to do that. But what we can say is this: Gavin has made steady progress since starting with the chamber. Progress that was remarkable. Was it just the chamber? Who knows? It could have been all of his therapy...it could have been his diet...it could have been Dr. Trish...it could have been all of the above. We weren't willing to stop anything that we were doing to find out!!

The chamber we have is called the Vitaeris 320 made by Oxyhealth. It's the largest one they make and comfortably fit Gavin and one adult. We're selling the chamber with the chamber cover, the mattress and mattress cover, the compressor with a remote to take in the chamber with you, the tubing and even the oxygen compressor. If you are seriously interested - or know a family who might benefit from this healing piece of equipment - please contact me for more information.

Revolving Door...

Today was a whirlwind of people, activities and "to-do list" check offs. The first person to arrive was a landscaper who worked on the front of our house last year. When water was pouring into our basement during Hurricane Irene - and even recently during a week's worth of rain - we thought it might be possible that the landscapers didn't grade the mulch away from the house. Or something like that. We really don't get water in the basement like this so we needed some kind of explanation. As I suspected - we're just one of MANY people who were shocked to find water in their basements. We've received well over 16 inches of water in our area, he told me. It's no surprise that water seeped in.

After meeting with him, I got Gavin and Anna into the chamber and worked to finish up my tagging for tomorrow's consignment sale. I am participating in the Just Between Friend's Sale in my area - which I do twice a year. Halfway through there was a knock on the door. It was Miss Katja and her boyfriend, Franco! Franco was here to touch up some paint for me...and Katja came to visit. Before they left, Anna called me from the chamber because Gavin's O2 mask stopped working. She turned off the compressor to talk to me about it - I fixed the issue - and then, for some reason, the compressor wouldn't go back on. This could be bad. I had to get them out of the chamber since it wouldn't go back on. Please pray that it's not broken. That would be really bad. Really bad.

After getting them out of the chamber, I tried to finish up the tagging while Anna put Gavin in his walker. She's doing a great job with him! Soon it was time for lunch - and a visit from Granny!! My Mom stopped by for a short visit to see the boys. Brian was so happy - he is very attached to his Granny.

Granny was happy to see how well Gavin was doing - he showed her how fast he crawls up the stairs and how he does his "spin art".

Miss Janna arrived for Gavin's therapy as my Mom was on her way out. Brian was intrigued by Janna's cool toys and she was nice enough to let him join in the fun.

After a few minutes I went and hid so Miss Anna could try to take Brian up for a nap. He's a bit of a Mommy's boy and typically only wants ME to put him to bed. But I may not be here sometimes so I had to start letting go and getting him used to other people reading to him and tucking him in. As I stood in the laundry room and heard him cry, my heart hurt. But, thankfully, it didn't last for long. And the little manipulator convinced Anna to read him FIVE books (we usually read one!) before putting him in his crib. I might have just lost my job.

When I rejoined Gavin and Miss Janna, they were working on colors and created a cute piece of art! It's now hanging in the kitchen. One of Gavin's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) goals is to identify or match colors. It's something Janna does with him every time she's here.

After therapy was over and the boys were in bed, I ran out to get bloodwork. In order to be ready for IVF (p.s. - still waiting to see if we were successful this month, but need to be "ready" just in case) I needed to have about 8-9 vials of blood drawn to check for all kinds of issues.

I really, really, really hope that we are successful this month. Unfortunately, I'm not hopeful about that at the moment. Ugh.

And now, it's close to the end of the day. Somedays I feel like the door to our house is revolving - with people constantly in and out. Some days I love it. Some days I don't like it. It often feels like I rarely have a moment to myself. But know this - every day I'm grateful for the help that comes through the door. And I don't take that gift for granted.

The Real Housewife of Valley Forge...

Ed's first day at his new job went really well. He came home with a new iPhone (lucky guy!), a new computer and optimism for his future. He also came home to a wife who had slaved in the kitchen, had every hair in place, lipstick on perfectly, pearls and heels on, and a hot meal ready to come out of the oven. The children were dressed and sitting politely at the kitchen table, ready for our first family meal. He dined on Spinach and Cheese Ravioli in a Blush Sauce.

I was a regular June Cleaver.

We made sure to take a picture...because this will never happen again.

Ever.

*wink*

I'm actually not feeling so great today. There are times when I have a flare of my Rheumatoid Arthritis and it actually feels like I have the flu. I feel totally worn out, tired and my whole body hurts. Believe it or not, I am writing this from my bed while the boys are napping. I'm just "off" today.

This morning Gavin and I went on an excursion! He accompanied me to Babies r Us to look at a potential double stroller. The one we have is a Graco DuoGlider front to back. It's nice, but it's pretty tough to push - especially when I'm having a day like today. I am wanting something lighter - and I'm also wanting something where Gavin doesn't have anything to bite on. In our current stroller, he is constantly wanting to mouth the tray and I don't want to encourage that.

So...Gavin tested out the Baby Jogger City Mini Double stroller. He liked how comfortable it was - and loved when I put the enormous sun shade down over him. It made him laugh out loud!

I liked how roomy it was - it would give Gavin plenty of room when he gets taller. I also liked that it wasn't too wide. I strolled through aisles and in between clothing racks easily. And, it folds down really flat for a double - another plus. Best of all, it was light and easy to push. If anyone has this, I'd love to hear your reviews!

Here's my free tip of the day. If you're buying a big ticket item at Babies r Us - like a stroller or a swing or a high chair - get the Buyer Protection Plan. It's the best thing going. I bought a double stroller two years ago. Ended up not liking it. Called the Buyer Protection number and they said, "No problem! Go buy the stroller you want - send us the receipt for the new and the original one - and we'll send you a check for what you paid for the original stroller!" They don't even ask why you don't like it...and they don't ask for it back! We ended up buying our current double and selling the original on Craig's List! Following me so far?

So, of course I got the Buyer Protection again for the second double. I've had it for almost a year. Used it a lot. I just think it's getting hard to push - and it's bulky in the car. So, I call today to the Buyer Protection place. I strike up a conversation with the nice woman on the phone. I'm expecting a business as usual conversation, but we somehow start talking about Gavin. She's intrigued by his story. I tell her I don't want to put him in a stroller that encourages him to mouth anything. Then she suddenly says, "Can you hold on a minute?" When she comes back on the phone she informs me that she re-did my plan. While we paid $249 for the double we have now - she refigured it so it looks like we paid $349. So when I go to buy a new stroller - I have up to $349 coming to me if I use all of that. I have no idea why she decided to do that...no idea at all...but it sure was nice of her!!! Now I can upgrade our double stroller with the extra hundred bucks without feeling bad about it! And we can either sell or keep our current double! Not a bad deal, eh?

When we got home, Gavin and I went into the Hyperbaric Chamber. He hasn't done it in a while. It turned out that the first time Miss Katja went in with him it hurt her ears too much so she doesn't want to go in again. Since then it's been tough for me to fit in in - there was always something going on. I decided to take him in as much as I can - when I'm sure I couldn't be pregnant - until we come up with a better plan. I don't mind going in with him at all - but my arthritis does. I may or may not get benefit from being in there with him - only he gets the oxygen through his mask and it's the oxygen that is so healing. It's okay, though, since I know how good it is for Gavin. As usual, he was such a good boy while we were in there.

Well, I better get out of bed. The boys are awake and there are leftovers to prepare. Now, where did I put my pearls...