A Very Special Tomato...

So much has happened since I wrote on Friday!  

I made a huge batch of Veggie Stew for Gavin - and this time added a new ingredient.  Fresh Beets!  I've never had beets that weren't from a can, so this was all new to me.  Sara and I found instructions on You Tube and discovered that you could use the greens as well as the beets.  Gavin really likes beets so this should be a delicious batch for him.  The amount I make typically lasts about two months.  This time, Gavin was right in there helping me as I pureed it all.

And I'm grateful to Miss Sara, of course, for helping me peel and chop pounds of Parsnips and celery!

During stew making, I got word from the wheelchair clinic that they were going to have a Convaid Rodeo in that afternoon if I wanted to come by to see it.  This is the "adaptive stroller" that is more like an umbrella stroller that I want for Gavin.  It will grow with him for many years - and comes with tie downs that he can use on the bus!  Gavin and I jumped in the car and took the hour drive to the hospital to see if we liked this chair.  I do.  A lot.

There's only one problem.  It's highly unlikely that insurance will cover it.  They only cover one wheelchair every three years...and we just ordered his regular wheelchair.  This Convaid Rodeo starts at well over $2,000 - and that's just the BASE model.  They charge you extra for everything.  Kind of a crime.

But it sure folds down flat, doesn't it?

Brian stayed home with Sara while we went to the hospital.  He had a tough day with a bad cold, so I was really grateful to have Sara at the house so Gavin and I could do this together.  The chair was not the correct size for him, obviously, but I can tell he'd be very comfortable in there!!

I've been searching to find a used one that would fit him and meet our specifications (some have a lot of supports that he wouldn't need - some don't have enough, etc.) - but no luck yet.  That's the bad news.

Want the good news???

Remember my home Craig's List sale?  In the end, I made $406.50.  Everything I didn't sell at home, I put in the Just Between Friend's Consignment sale.  My total gross sales there came to $677.75. When they take out the consigner fees, I will get a check for $464.43.  Follow so far?  So all in all - selling my stuff brought in $870.93!!

And then - Saturday.  Saturday morning I pulled $250.00 out of my stash...picked up a box of Cheez Its and a bag of Tootsie Pops (road trip essentials, yes?)...picked up my Mom and we drove and drove and drove to Queens, New York.  I was meeting a woman to buy the other adaptive stroller I wanted for Gavin - the Special Tomato EIO Push Chair.  My Mom and I shared the box of Cheez Its and a bunch of stories during the long ride...and enjoyed the beautiful, sunny day.  When we finally arrived at their house, she was sitting outside with the stroller and her adorable daughter.

Their daughter's story is similar to Gavin's!  In the beginning they were told all the negative things and, like us, they ran out and bought everything and anything to help.  Their daughter is also mostly undiagnosed - just like Gavin.  But also, like Gavin, she surprised everyone with her progress. She is now walking and communicating!!  Seeing her walk and wave to us - and knowing she's the same age as Gavin - gave me such hope!!  I wish I had taken their picture!!

They never ended up using that Special Tomato chair for their own little special tomato because she never needed it!  The plastic was still on the chair!  Gavin looks great in it...and it will grow with him for several years.

He can even lay flat and fall asleep in here if he was that kind of kid!

And it passed Brian's inspection.  Whew!

But that wasn't the luckiest moment of our trip.

They also wanted to give us (yes, GIVE US!) a Leckey Squiggles Stander.  Gavin had this same stander way back when.  We ended up giving it to our friend, Karen, for her newly adopted daughter.  We know what a great stander it is.  I plan to give it to Gavin's classroom - there are a couple friends of his that could really benefit from using it at school.  

But even that wasn't the luckiest moment of our trip...

...because in the end, I bonded with a total stranger.  There's something about being able to talk to another special needs Mom.  We just 'got each other' without having to say much.  We stood in the driveway and chatted for some time.  And we vowed to stay in touch.  I'm actually hoping they will drive down soon to spend the day with us.  I do believe that meeting this family on Craig's List was not by chance.  I have a feeling we will be very good friends.  Life is so interesting, eh?

The rest of the weekend was low key.  Brian continued to get better while Gavin continued to get worse.  When Gavin is congested, everything is hard.  Eating...drinking...and sleeping.  He's still very pleasant, though!  There were a couple "boogie baths" to help clear out his nose and lots of suction.  Gavin won't be going to school tomorrow, which is such a bummer.

But Brian had more pep - especially today!  The two of us played "Pirates" outside on the playground.  You should see him scale that rock wall - he's so fast!

And so proud when he gets to the top!

 And I was so happy to have him "catch me" as I came down the slide.

When I came in from playing with him outside, Ed took over inside so I could snuggle with a sick Gavin.  But I couldn't resist capturing this on film.  Ed said they were playing "Drive Through" with the play kitchen... 

There is nothing more attractive than a man who plays with his children.

Oh, well...maybe one thing.  A man who cooks well.  On that note, Ed just told me that dinner is served.

I love my little family.

A Bit of Good Luck!...

A lot of fun things have happened over the last 24 hours!

Yesterday was the first day to shop at the Just Between Friends Consignment sale.  And, because I volunteer, I am one of the first to shop - which is so exciting!  I go in with a game plan and a prioritized list of things I saw the night before that I hope to still see there.

I got everything I wanted - and more.

One of the exciting finds was a beautiful wooden "restaurant style" highchair for Gavin.  He has been in his regular high chair forever.   It fits right up to the kitchen table and he loves it!!

The nice thing about the chair (besides the price and how cute he looks in there) is that it forces Gavin to sit up and work on his trunk strength.

This little boy who many thought would never sit up at all.

Ha.

I also got clothes for both boys, shoes, toys for their upcoming birthdays and Christmas (including a brand new set of Melissa and Doug Jumbo Cardboard Blocks for FIVE BUCKS!!).  I even got a few toys for both Brian and Gavin's classrooms.  A bucket of musical instruments was one of the things I got for Brian's classroom...and a set of these Imaginarium foam building blocks (check out the retail price!) for FOUR BUCKS!!

But the very best deal of the night has me giddy with excitement.  Someone was selling a Bugaboo Frog stroller.  This is the stroller we bought when I was pregnant with Gavin.  We had first child syndrome and had to have the best of everything.  And by we, I mean me.  It's a crazy expensive stroller...but, as it turned out, it was the ONLY stroller that worked for Gavin.  The seat tilts in space - instead of the seat back reclining alone.  Gavin had such low tone that he would have slumped right down in a regular stroller.  We love this stroller so much.  But I digress....

Someone - an angel, really - was selling the stroller - and by selling I mean giving away - for a hundred bucks.  I heard someone talking about it while standing in line to get in to the sale.  If I hadn't heard her mention it, I never would have ventured back to the stroller section.  Why would I have?  But once I heard - I went straight back and slapped a SOLD sign on that as fast as possible.

I've already washed all the fabric, cleaned up the frame and put it on Craig's List.  These strollers fetch $400-$500 on Craig's List and are highly coveted.  So I'll be flipping this stroller and adding more money to Gavin's equipment fund!  Woo Hoo!!

Hey!  Anyone in the market for a Bugaboo Frog?  *smile*

The other exciting news?  I found one of the special needs stroller that I want for Gavin on Craig's List!  A family in Queens, New York (about 2 1/2 hours away from us) is selling a BRAND NEW Special Tomato EIO Push Chair for $250!

The Bugaboo we have will hold Gavin up to 37 pounds.  He'll be there before we know it.  This stroller can grow with him until he's 90 pounds!!  And the stroller itself is only 22 pounds.  I'm so excited!!  I still want to get the Convaid Rodeo at some point - but this stroller buys us time.  And saves my aching joints.

So Granny and I will be going on a road trip!  My Mom is going to drive with me to Queens on Saturday morning.  We'll be like Thelma and Louise!

Why Granny and me?  Well... there is some bad news.  Both Gavin and Brian have colds.  I was up with Brian much of last night and I kept him home from school today.  Gavin seemed fine until dinner tonight - when he was hit as well.  I'm not going to make two sick little boys sit in the car all day.  They can have some bonding time with Daddy.

I'm glad that Gavin went to school today.  When I went to pick him and Sara up, two of his therapists came out.  Whitney, his speech and feeding therapist, and Erica, his new Occupational Therapist.  It was my first time meeting Erica so I was thrilled!  They both said they thought Gavin was doing so well.  And that it helped to have Sara there to help them get to know Gavin faster.  I am getting over my heartbreak from the first week - it was really very hard for me to let go.  Of Gavin...and control.  But in a way, having Gavin get all of his therapy at school takes quite a burden off of me.  I can just enjoy being his Mommy.  Something that comes very easy to me.

The Just Between Friend's Sale runs through Saturday and I hope to keep adding to my Gavin fund all weekend.  Last night's sales alone - from just the pre-sale shopping for volunteers - totalled $265.50!!

Things are looking up around the Leong house.  Whoever wished a bit of good luck on our family - thanks so much!!

Getting Into The Swing of School...

Yesterday we had a surprise visitor while we were waiting for the bus at the end of our driveway.  It was Cheryl, the Safety Coordinator from the bus company!  She came out to meet the bus and make sure that Bruce and Marie were locking Gavin's chair in efficiently.  I was so impressed by that.  Everyone at this bus company has been so sensitive and careful with Gavin.  And they've gone above and beyond to make me feel comfortable.  Cheryl hung out with us for a while as we waited for the bus to come and it was nice to get to know her a little bit.  It's funny how perfect strangers can find something in common with you in a short chat!

We're getting into the flow of our new morning routine.  I thought waking the boys a whole hour earlier (at 7am) would be hard, but turns out it's only hard for me.  *Yawn*  A few times I've had to wake Brian and deal with grumpiness for a little while, but other than that it hasn't been bad.  Sara now comes at 7:15 to help get Gavin fed and ready for the bus by 8:10.  They're still trying to work out the traffic patterns. The majority of the time they don't get to our house until well past 8:30.  As long as it gets worked out before the cold weather, we'll be patient!

Gavin loves the bus, Sara tells me.  She sits right across the aisle from him.  The only part he sometimes doesn't like is when they are strapping him in.  Between the loud clicks and people in his personal space - he often looks a little sad through the window, as you can see.

Once they are on their way, Brian and I jump in the car and I drop him off at school.  The other morning we were greeted by his teacher and a new face.  Brian had a new classmate and he was not at all happy to be there.  Practically hyperventilating!  I knelt down as I held Brian's hand and tried to talk to the poor little guy - telling him Brian would love to show him all the cool toys they had...and how fun the playground is...right, Brian?  Uh huh, he said.  Then I said (foolishly) - "Brian, do you remember your first day?"  Uh huh.  "You were scared on your first day too, right?"  NOPE!  Well, he was right.  Couldn't argue.  I looked at Miss Laura and shrugged my shoulders - I tried!!

Lately Brian has been in major question mode.  He questions everything to the point where I either have to go look things up - or make things up.  Luckily, I'm pretty good at making things up.  Like where the water goes when it goes down the drain.  Then where it goes once it's in the water pipes.  Then where the water pipes go.  Before I know it, I'm at the water treatment plant down the road!  He is so inquisitive.  My sister, who was an excellent homeschooler, gave me a great idea this morning.  She said to not be afraid to call places - like the water treatment plant - and ask for a tour!  It may be a little soon for this, age wise, but I totally plan to do this.  I've already made a list - Water treatment, the police station, fire station, recycling...it could be fun!

Gavin is still loving school.  He has met and had sessions with all of his therapists and I love getting their notes.  I really can't stand not being involved - it's not easy for me.  But I'm sure it will get better as the days and weeks go by.  Today Sara painted a hilarious picture for me about "Shaving Cream Sensory Play."  She told me that at one point Gavin had shaving cream everywhere - it looked like he was about to actually shave!  He had a ball and came home a mess.  I loaded up his iPad with all kinds of photos from home and today Sara added them to his communication app.  They plan to incorporate his iPad into many parts of his day, which excites me.  As much as I love the iPad for that - I still have a reservation with it.  My dream school for Gavin (at least at the moment!) which starts at first grade does not allow any computer equipment or electronic devices.  They use the paper "Pecs" system, if the child needs it.  Gavin isn't able, physically, to use Pecs.  And if I get him used to (and possibly proficient) using the iPad - will I screw him for a future at this school??  These are the decisions that keep me up at night.  But for now, I want him to communicate.  And I'm happy he's at school where there are lots of hands to help hold the iPad for him all day!!

I'm having a mini wheelchair crisis as well.  To get around town, I often put Gavin in our umbrella stroller.  Just a typical stroller.  Problem is - he's way too tall for it now and uses his feet as brakes.  Flinstone style.  Sometimes we use his wheelchair - but there are two problems with that.  It takes up a LOT of room in the trunk...and it's so heavy.  Sometimes it's hard for me when I'm alone to lift it in and out multiple times a day.  So I found an adaptive stroller that I fell in love with.  It's called the Special Tomato Push Chair.  I thought I had a great chance getting it covered by our insurance - but today it was denied.  Bummer.  I will appeal, of course - and probably win - but it takes time.  Everything is a fight.  The other problem is with his current wheelchair.  He is able to slip himself down in it - despite being buckled in very well.  It makes me nervous from a safety standpoint.  So we'll be headed to the wheelchair clinic at the hospital this coming Tuesday to possibly pick out a new wheelchair.  Different than the adaptive stroller - two different types of chairs.  Let's hope a new chair is covered without a hitch!!  

Nothing's easy...but everything's worth it.