Gavin "Hearts" the Tram

For Matt's birthday this year, I decided to surprise him with a family trip to the Palm Spring Aerial Tramway. We have always wanted to go and I figured it would be a fun, inexpensive way to spend the day. So, the day before his birthday, we bundled up in warm clothes (the weather report showed 23˚F) and headed to Palm Springs. We didn't know how Gavin would react to the tram or the snow since he has never been in it before. I was worried that we would end up with a freaked-out child half-way up the mountain with no way to get out and calm him down. However, that was definitely NOT the case. Gavin loved the tramway so much that he didn't want to get off! The ride up went smoothly and then we headed over to the restaurant to enjoy lunch before playing in the snow.

The view from the top

It was absolutely beautiful at the top and it was so much fun to see Gavin playing in the snow. There is a long, windy sidewalk leading to the snow and Gavin insisted on carrying a small clump of it in his glove the whole way down. In fact, every time the little clump would melt or fall apart, he would have to pick up another little clump before we could continue on. And, each time people would pass us on the trail, our polite little man would say, "Hiiii," which naturally earned him many friends along the way.

Once we reached the snow, Gavin was excited to see a little snowman that was just his size. He piled some extra snow on the top before exploring other areas. We had such a wonderful time just enjoying the outdoors and being together as a family. Matt and I loved watching Gavin play in the snow with his poor little red nose.

After awhile, we returned to the station for the ride back down. Gavin was very excited to be getting on the "cam" again. In fact, once we reached the bottom, he burst into tears and yelled, "Cam, cam!!" We told him that we would return to the Tram another day, but trying to reason with a very upset 22-month-old is nearly impossible. So, we just walked as quickly as we could to the car to keep from disturbing the other guests with our screaming child. Good times.

Overall, it was a wonderful day and we would definitely do it again.

22 Months Old

My sweet boy,

You are growing up so fast and becoming such an independent little guy! You want to do things yourself and you seem to know exactly what you want at any given moment. You are so very smart and sometimes I don't even know where you have learned some of the things you know. You are talking up a storm lately and your vocabulary seems to be growing faster than you are! You also have several interests and skills, so it makes Daddy and I wonder just what you are going to be when you grow up - an athlete? a musician? an artist? a race car driver? The possibilities are endless. We are excited to see what the future has in store for you. Here are some new things about you this month:

• You love wearing your rain boots that Grandpa C got you. You want to wear them every day, even if it's just around the house.



• You love the guitar Grandpa and Grandma S got you for Christmas and you look absolutely adorable when you play it!




• You told me one day that you needed to go poop and I set you on the potty and you went! Then, you did the same thing later that day. Daddy and I were so proud of you for using the potty twice in one day all on your own!
• I came home from work one day to find that you had learned how to do "push-ups." You lay on your tummy with your arms pushing yourself straight up and you bob your head up and down. It's too cute!!
• You love to use your new tools that Grandpa and Grandma S got you to work on your new car.







• You decided that you love "Choo-choo's." So now, we TiVo Thomas the Tank Engine for you to watch every now and then. I even bought you a little Thomas toy that you love.
• When you pick things up, you will sometimes say, "heavy!" with a lot of strain in your voice. It is so funny!
• In addition to the guitar, you also love playing Grandpa S's keyboard!





• When I made a casserole for dinner one night, you were curious about what I was making and I told you that I was cutting an onion. After that, you kept saying "onion, onion" until I gave you some from dinner. Surprisingly, you loved them and only wanted to eat the onions in the casserole.
• You make the funniest faces and really crack me up!

• You got three more teeth this month so you now have eight! I'm hoping that, with more teeth, you won't be such a picky eater because you'll have an easier time eating. (Ha! A little wishful thinking can't hurt, right?)

Each new month with you brings new joys (and a few challenges). You are growing up so fast and I just adore seeing you become an independent little guy who wants to do things all by himself. You amaze me everyday with how smart you are and how fast you learn new things. You are such a sweet and loving kid and I am so thankful to be your mommy! I love you so very much, Gav!!

A Growing Team of Angels

Shortly after Christmas, we received the devastating news that Matt's Mamaw had passed away. Since Papaw passed in early October, Mamaw just wasn't the same. Some say she grieved herself to death. The two of them shared a love that was so strong and wonderful that they had truly become one. It was almost impossible to say one of their names without the other - they were always "Papaw and Mamaw." They adored each other and spent every waking moment together. Visiting them was always so much fun because they had great stories to share and were just such a joy to be around. They absolutely loved spending time with their great-grandchildren and cherished every moment with them. I remember our last visit with Mamaw, she was just watching Gavin with such love in her eyes and she laughed as she said that she just loves how he walks. She said that he looks like such a little man when he walks rather than a toddler. But it was still clear from the look in her eyes that there was a great sadness within her because Papaw wasn't there to enjoy Gavin with her.

Mamaw was a strong and beautiful woman. She stood by Papaw's side over the years and was a devoted wife, great homemaker, loving mother and grandmother. She was so beautiful - her hair and make-up was always just so (a quality I wish I could pick up!). When we were over to visit, she made sure a good meal or snacks were available and her house was always tidy. She had many qualities that I find so admirable. The world has truly lost an amazing woman, but Heaven has gained a remarkable angel. I am comforted knowing that Gavin now has another guardian angel to watch over him. We love you, Mamaw!

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*

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!