18 Months and Counting

So this month Gavin turned 18 months old. It is crazy how time flies by. I mean he is a full fledged active toddler and I feel like it was just yesterday I was nursing my little infant. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with this age. There are SO many great things but he is SUCH a handful. Here is how far we've come....


1) Gavin measured in at 26 pounds and 35 cm tall (I think).


2) He is generally happy...especially when wrestling. He still loves to wrestle, jump on you, hit his head on you...anything that is a "contact sport."


3) He is basically down to one afternoon nap a day which is generally about 2 hours but is going on 3 as I type. This dropping of the morning nap has been tricky and if I am anywhere in the car btwn 12:30 and 1:00, you will often find me racing like a maniac to get home before he conks out in the car.


4) Obviously, we have no words. I pretend like I hear mama and I go with it but really....its probably a stretch.


5) He has picked up some signing and a few animal noises. He can now do an elephant and lion religiously and I have gotten him to do a monkey, alligator, bee, duck and cow but that's it. He has taken to this roaring business though and often times he'll just walk around roaring. Or for example, roar at EVERYONE we pass in Target, the grocery store, you name it. This leads me to continually say to him, "wow, are you a lion" or "good lion gavin" loud enough so the people around me don't think he's strange.


6) He climbs...on everything. The couch, chairs, tables, stairs, stair rails, Maddie's cage, me, his toys, stools. He is a little monkey in this area. I noticed how adept he had gotten when a few weeks ago I turned for a second in the kitchen and saw him sitting nicely on the kitchen chair. About a week later, it was the kitchen table. I kid you not.


7) He loves to give kisses and hugs. It is his favorite part of his bedtime routine especially if we have company over and he can give kisses and hugs to at least 5 people. We've also added eskimo kisses where we rub noses and this always makes him break out into a huge grin.


8) His favorite toys right now are this big slide toy from his Grandma and Grandpa Harris as well as trucks, cars, anything he can climb on, Maddie's food and his Little People barn.


9) He still loves Maddie. He will find any toy and try to play with her. He is constantly trying to feed her and most of the time he just runs around trying to chase her or get her to chase him. He just laughs the whole time.


10) He sleeps with a blankie and paci and gets crazy until he finds the tag on the blankie to rub between his fingers. We've already had to sew a tag back on one of his blankies.

11) He is going through a Mommy attachment phase and it is so annoying. He cries and hangs onto me like a monkey (you know, in front with his legs wrapped around each side and arms around your neck) whenever I try to put him in nursery, take him to the chiropractor or any other time there is a stranger or he's just in the mood.

12) He loves to walk on his own. Hates being strapped in the stroller but loves to walk hand in hand...ok my finger in his little paw and I love it. He just loves holding hands and walking along.

12) Outside. This has lead to many a tantrum b/c good old Midwest weather is ever deceiving. One day it is sunny and he is chasing Maddie in the grass and loving the freedom and a day later it is snowing. So he will stand by the back door and cry and fall over b/c I say we can't go outside. However, when we are outside, he just loves to be in the grass..can't walk on the sidewalk or the driveway...has to be the grass...the muddy dirty grass.

13) He is just a fun crazy little boy and whoever he is with, can't help but enjoy his fun little personality.

Maddie

So many of you know, for the last few months Maddie hasn't been quite herself. At the end of November she suddenly stopped eating and lost about 4 pounds in the course of a few weeks. We have done lots of testing over the months and the vet has now determined that he thinks she has chronic hepatitis.


Chronich hepatitis causes the liver to not function properly and the dog will eventually die of liver failure. It is not curable. Treatable temporarily with predinizone (a steriod) but eventually her liver will fail. We aren't sure when...she could hang on for a few years or she could deteriorate within the year.


Obviously, this is really sad for Chad and I (and would be for Gavin if he understood). She was our "first baby" and just turned 7 years old last week. For those of you that have a pet, you totally understand how they are 100% a part of your family. I can't bear to think about it all.


Anyway, we are hoping to meet with the vet to get some more information and find out other ways to help her...changing her diet, natural remedies (compliments of my mom ha ha) or other things. We also have to consider doing a liver biopsy to rule out ANY other possibility even though the vet is pretty convinced this is what we are dealing with.

So...when it comes to Maddie, it is tough right now. She will be on meds the rest of her life and she just isn't the same.


Not sure why God is throwing this at our very full plate but we are just trying to take each thing as it comes. . . .

Speech Therapy - Round 2

Ok, so I am not going to post every week after speech but so far each week I have learned so much, that I want/need to jot a few things down.


This week Gavin just played and of course, loved the attention. We decided a few things though. He definitely needs to get an OT/PT evaluation done due to that darn left foot that keeps turning inward. We are hoping that maybe it can be easily solved with a brace...and not a long time in therapy but it is definitely possible that more therapy is on the agenda. Also, in combination with the foot, the W sitting, the drooling...she thinks he may have something called "low tone." Not sure what that is all about but I'm sure I'll learn.


Well, since this is a belated post...this past week, we've had some major progress in the signing department. He has signed both eat and more a couple of times and loves to do elephant, duck, monkey and alligator.


Next week the therapist will be doing something called the Beckman on him...some sort of massage technique on his gums and cheeks I think. She is going to show me how to do it as well so we'll see how that goes.

Naples/Ft Lauderdale 09

We just recently got back from a great trip down to Florida to visit both sets of Grandparents (Great-Grandparents for Gavin). We went to Naples for a few days to visit Gram and Gramp Yonker and then to Ft Lauderdale for a few days to visit Gram and Gramp Evenhouse. Per usual, Gavin was sufficiently spoiled the entire vacation. The weather was SO nice though and such a welcome break from the cold weather at home. It was yet again a very fun vacation!

Gavin loved playing in the bubbles in the hot tub.

Especially with his Daddy.
Just love that face.
He helped Gram fill the watering cans... and water the flowers.
Playing in the pool with Uncle Kyle and Auntie Heather.
Sweet Hang Time.
Watching the fountains with Grandma...
...and the random girl he wouldn't stop flirting with.
Playing at a nearby park.
Gavin was in heaven with all the fun slides.
Riding some twisty thing.
Of course, he could have stayed here all day--playing in the Alaskan river pebble "sand" box.
Pool time with Momma.
Hide and Seek with Grandma.
Playing dr and listening to Grandpa's hearbeat!
Grandma and Gavin were often staking out lizards, birds and turtles.
On our way to Ft Laudy...texting Daddy to let him know! Enjoying his very first Push-Up with Auntie Heather.

He obviously wanted to maximize each bite.
Our trip to the beach.
Playing in the surf with the big waves!

Gram, Gavin and Auntie Heather watching the boats.

We often took walks on the docks to look for fish and boats which Gavin was quite enthralled with. Lizard-hunting of course.

Grandma and Gavin.
Looking for fish.

Reading a story with Grandma.

Speech Therapy...Round One

So on Monday we had our very first speech therapy session. Overall, it went well. I filled the therapist and her student in on all kinds of information while they just played with Gavin. He loved the attention and was very attentive to all they were teaching and saying to him. As of now, she left us with a few signs to start working on with him. She also said we need to "up the level of frustration"...basically let him get frustrated b/c grunting and pointing can't always get him what he wants. She commented MULTIPLE times on his compensatory knowledge (i think that is the term she used)-which basically referred to how well he did communicate without speaking. He will take multiple steps to show you what he wants. She said he was very smart with what he wants and understands everything and that she feels he's "right there." So hopefully "there" comes soon.

She also commented on some other things like his drooling - this may or may not be an issue. I think it is teeth and she said it could be related to muscle control in the mouth or lack thereof. Also, he turns one foot inward, sits on his legs in the W position and walks on his tiptoes. She said after a few weeks of observation she MAY get him a physical and/or occupational therapy evaluation.

So...really, ALOT of info and I was a bit overwhelmed. I do feel like we are doing the right thing for Gavin but it is hard not to struggle a little bit with it. I found myself at times being defensive of my parenting skills and at other times doubting them...I guess that is normal. Its hard to see your baby "behind" in anything and hearing about things that could be wrong, evoke a whole lot of emotions in a parent. Regardless, I am just trying to remember that God has a plan and He made Gavin perfectly in His image.