Monday, January 17, 2011

Huh?


Before Gavin's next craniofacial team visit in April, the pediatrician requested that we get a dental check-up and hearing screening. The dentist visit was taken care of (which was described in this post) and everything looked good. We also went in for a hearing screening, but Gavin wanted nothing to do with the little ear phones in his ears. He screamed and cried anytime the audiologist got near his ears with them. So, the doctor requested that we reschedule the appointment and try again, but this time with Gavin asleep. He said I could try to bring Gavin in during his regular nap-time and we would do as much as we can with him asleep. He said that if we couldn't complete the test with Gavin asleep, our next step would be to sedate him and do the test that way. However, as parents of a cleft child, we felt that Gavin had been through enough sedation and Matt and I believe that he hears just fine, therefore, we agreed that if it came to that, we would decline the test. We didn't want Gavin to have to be put under and traumatized again.

So, we made a second appointment near the end of December and I kept Gavin busy all day to ensure that he would be sleepy for the appointment. He fell asleep on the car ride over and when we arrived, I carefully got him out of the car. He was wearing his new rain boots (Grandpa C bought them for him and he wore them every day since!) and after I had made the long journey across the parking lot, a woman kindly told me that I had dropped one of his boots. I turned back and saw the boot laying by the car, which looked miles away from where I was standing, holding my sweet little boy sound asleep in my arms. Luckily, I only had to walk half of the way back before a gentleman was kind enough to retrieve the boot for me. Then, I quickly went to the second floor for the appointment. However, having only been there once before, I wasn't certain if I was on the right floor. So, I checked the wall directory, which of course, did not list audiology. I then sat down on a bench to check my planner. So there I was, holding Gavin's dead-weight in one arm, while I frantically pulled items from my purse with the other arm in an attempt to locate my planner: his boots, diapers, wipes, my wallet, random receipts, and finally.... my planner, in which I DID NOT list the floor number. Just wonderful. It was then that I realized that I am one of those poor moms that just seem like a total mess. Frantic, frazzled, and stressed-out looking, yep, that was me in a nutshell. Luckily, I saw a nurse and she confirmed that I was on the right floor.

Once we were in the room, I was so thankful that Gavin stayed asleep and that I finally got to sit down and relax. The audiologist was able to run several tests and then we went into the soundproof room for a few more. He was standing over us with the ear phones in his hands and the nurse was holding the read-out machine when Gavin opened his eyes. Can you imagine falling asleep in the car and then waking up in a dark room with two strangers standing over you with a funny looking machine?? I can only imagine how scary that would be. Naturally, he started crying and I told the doctor that the chances of Gavin allowing the test to be done was slim-to-none. In an attempt to show Gavin that the test is harmless, he put the ear phones in my ears and ran some tests, but I noticed that he had a funny look on his face and showed the results to the nurse who gave him a knowing look and nodded. Uh-oh, I knew something was up.

The audiologist stated that we could put Gavin under sedation to complete the rest of the test, which I declined. We made another appointment for about six months from now and we will just try again at that time. At this point, the results of Gavin's test were inconclusive. He showed a possible hearing loss in the left ear only, but it couldn't be confirmed or denied without the second test. I guess we'll find out at the next appointment.

Later, the audiologist confirmed my suspicions by informing me that I showed some hearing loss and should get a hearing screening as well. This does not come as a big surprise since I have noticed that in recent years, I prefer to have captions on the TV so I don't miss anything and I have come to realize that I sometimes hear things incorrectly. So, the very next day I went to see my doctor and she ran a basic hearing test. The results showed that I heard two out of four sounds on the left and one out of four on the right! That's terrible! I immediately began thinking the worst and imagining that I was going to lose all hearing soon and wouldn't be able to hear Gavin's sweet voice. I think I'm struggling more with it because my mom was very hard of hearing and wore hearing aids from her early 40's due to nerve damage caused by her cleft palate. I cried all the way home from the doctor because I just wished she would have been there to talk to about it because she definitely would have understood.

I have an appointment with an audiologist on January 14, so I guess I'll find out my fate then. *Sigh*

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Christmas 2010

Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning now that Gavin is old enough to really enjoy the festivities and, of course, the presents. We anticipated a smaller Christmas this year due to the economy and some recent pay reductions I had to endure at work. However, it didn't seem that small when we got all the gifts under the tree (and a majority of them were for Gavin!).


It has always been my family's tradition to open gifts and celebrate on Christmas Eve, while Matt's family does a delicious Christmas breakfast on Christmas Day, followed by gift opening. This works out well for us because it gives Gavin two days of gifts and holiday fun! So, Christmas Eve, my Dad, two sisters, and one sister's boyfriend, came over to open gifts. Gavin made out like a bandit and received tons of Disney's Cars stuff, cute clothes, books, and other fun things. He was especially fond of the Chuck My Talking Truck that he got from Grandpa C.






The next morning was Christmas and Gavin must have been really good this year, because Santa brought him the Power Wheels Lightning McQueen. He was so cute when he came down the stairs and saw Lightning McQueen in the living room. He couldn't wait to jump in! So, we all went outside for Gavin to take an early morning cruise. He figured out where the throttle was pretty quickly, but as for turning, reversing, or taking his foot off the throttle, well, that's a whole different thing. So Matt was running alongside Gavin on the patio trying to keep him from running into things and turning the car around when he ran out of room. It was quite the early morning workout for him!








Later, we went to Matt's mom's house for a delightful Christmas breakfast, followed by more gift opening! Once again, Gavin got lots of great things! He even got his own guitar and tool box from Grandpa and Grandma S and those have also quickly become a couple of his favorite things. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures over there because we were so busy eating and opening gifts!

From there, we headed back home to join my family once again, this time with my brother and his friend since he couldn't make it out the day before. It was a very enjoyable day and I was so thankful for the time with both Matt's family and my family. It was a little difficult at times because we all missed my mom so much. I know she would have loved seeing Gavin open all of his gifts and it would have been so fun having her there. I don't think that pain will ever go away. I just have to hold onto the hope that one day we will be together again.

Gavin and Uncle Jason



The next day, Gavin wanted to spend some more time in his new wheels, so back outside we went. He looked so cute in his car and I loved seeing the joy on his face!









Date Night

It is so rare that Matt and I get to go out on a date night, so it was particularly special to do dinner and a movie a few days after the 9-year anniversary of our first date. I always enjoy looking back at pictures of our life together and seeing all the fun times we've had and how much we have changed and grown together as a couple. Here we are on our recent date night:



And here we are about 8 years ago. It's one of the earliest pictures I have (I was never really a picture-taker until I became a mom - now, I'm a mama-razzi!). I love this picture because we look like kids!

Here's to 9 years together! I love you, Honey!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

21 Months Old


My sweet Gav,

Wow! 21 months already! I still can't believe that in just three short months you will be two years old! The time really continues to fly by. You are doing so many new things this month and we can see you turning into a big kid right before our eyes. Here are some new things you are doing this month:
  • You peed on the potty for the first time! Now that means you have done both duties on the potty and we are so proud of you.
  • You still just have five teeth. You've had your four front teeth since you were right around a year old and then your fifth one popped through (your lower right molar) at about 19 1/2 months. Since then, you haven't gotten any more teeth.


  • Since you last craniofacial team visit, we have started working on two-word phrases like your speech pathologist suggested. This month, you have achieved that feat with flying colors. You surprised us one morning by saying "Uh oh, goggie" (Uh oh, doggie). Then, that afternoon you requested some "bapple juish" (apple juice). Finally, our favorite one of all, you were able to say "of oo" (which is love you, of course!). It melts my heart every time!
  • You like to work on your car. We noticed you had flipped your car upside-down one day and were "working" on the undercarriage. You are definitely just like Daddy!



  • One of Daddy's favorite things that you say now is "woo hoo, Dada!" or "woo hoo, Mama!" It is so cute because you say it with such enthusiasm and we don't even know where you learned it from.
  • You tried fat-free chocolate pudding for the first time and you were a big fan.


  • You point out bugs when you notice them in the house by pointing and saying "uh-oh." I really appreciate this new habit because you know how much I dislike bugs.
  • You love animals and had so much fun on a recent trip to Petco. You were fascinated by the turtles and loved watching them move sloooowly around their tank.




  • You still love keys and have recently discovered Grandpa C's belt-loop hook for his keys and you think it is so cool. Grandpa let you wear it around the car show one night and you looked adorable!


  • You smile on request and it is the biggest, cutest smile ever!



  • You play very well with other kids.
  • Due to some heavy rain, you now know how to sign "rain."
  • Some new words this month are: pay (play), evy (heavy), reening (raining), and ee-up (clean-up).
I love you so very much, Gav! You are my sunshine. I adore spending time with you and am so thankful that Daddy and I can work our schedules so that we both get to spend part of the day with you. You are so much fun and you make me laugh everyday. I love you, Gav!


Happy Birthday, Kristy!

We celebrated my younger sister, Kristy's, 24th birthday on December 14 at Pepito's Mexican Restaurant. She arrived in typical Kristy fashion - 1-1/2 hours late! But, we still had a great time and enjoyed being together as a family. Happy Birthday, Kris!

Decorating the Tree

We decorated our Christmas tree on December 12 (a little later than we hoped). But we had so much fun! Gavin loved putting the "balls" on the tree and helping with the star. It's fun looking at all the special ornaments that we have gotten from friends and family over the years as well.






Gavin's 1st Christmas ornament from Grandpa C (and Grandma in Heaven)

The Little Gym

We attended a 2nd birthday party for Gavin's friend, Vincent, in December at The Little Gym. He had so much fun! He loved playing with the other kids and running all over the gym. It is such a fun place for kids and we're hoping we can go back there again soon!