Last Post

This will be my last post until after Gavin's surgery. Last night was hard, I couldn't sleep. I don't know if this is what the rest of the week will be like but I held Gavin most of the night. I have so many mixed emotions right now and I want to share something I wrote in my journal during one of the days that Gavin was in PICU during his first surgery. It describes how Adam and I feel right now.

10/20/06

Gavin:

As I sit in this room watching you and staring at all of the machines your are hooked up to, it makes me scared. I realize though that I have to have strength because you do. You have been so strong through this. You have inspired me to be a better and stronger person. I will always be here for you, I will never leave you. I am proud to say "I am his mother". The love I felt the day you were born is indescribable and it only becomes more and more intense everyday. I just wish I could walk in this room and not cry. It's not just that I am sad, I am ecstatic that you are alive and that I can watch your precious heart beat through your open chest. Your daddy loves you so much. He keeps mommy strong. He is so upbeat and positive about everything. He will always love you and take care of you. He will always be there for you. I cant wait for the years to come, I cant wait to see you crawl, hear your first word, see you walk, laugh, play, cry and be a child of God. I love you Gavin and no one can take that away. I cant wait for your first day of kindergarten and the day you graduate from high school, why? because that will be another milestone in your life and I will be so proud of all you have accomplished. You amaze me, oh how I love you more than life itself. Stay strong for momma and I promise to stay strong for you.

I love you buddy!

xoxo, Mommy

½ OF AN ANGELS HEART
It's a beautiful day up in heaven. Jesus is rounding up his tiniest angels, to go live on earth, and be born. One of the sweetest angels says to Jesus "I don't want to leave, I like it here, and I will miss you". He reassures the scared little angel that everything will be okay, and that the angel is just going for a visit. The little angel is still not swayed on this idea. So Jesus kneels down, and says, "How about if you leave half of your heart here with me and take the other half with you, will that be okay?" The angel smiles and says, "I guess that will work". But the little angel is still a little scared. He asks, "Will I be okay with only half of my heart?" Jesus replies, "Of course you will, I have other angels there that will help out, and you will be fine." Then Jesus gives the angel more details about his plan. He says "When you are born, your mommy will be scared, so you have to be strong, and when you feel weak just remember that I have the other half of your heart." "Enjoy your time with your family, play and laugh everyday." "And when its time to come back to heaven, I will make your heart whole again. Always remember that you are not broken, just torn between two loves."

-Author Unknown

The Swing

This post is especially for those who bought Gavin the swing, Aunt Tara and Aunt Erin included. When we first brought Gavin home he disliked the swing. It made his eyes big and his heart race so we didn't put him in it for a while. I felt bad because I didn't know he would not like it and I was worried that it would hurt the ladies feelings who bought it for him. When Gavin was about 2 months old we decided to try it out again. This time he loved it! It put him to sleep. Now at almost 4 months we have another issue. Gavin is a lot more alert now and he stares at the mobile. He screams and cries and throws his hands up to try to reach it. So we started taking him out of it when he cried, then we realized that he wanted that mobile in his hands! So we took it off and put it in his hands and he just cooed, held on to it and licked it. I think we have the problem solved and the nurses were right at the hospital "he knows what he wants!!"

BEFORE:













AFTER:

Home Sweet Home

Thanks to Aunt Tara for updating the blog since we had an unplanned stay at the hospital. Gavin is doing much better today. We were discharged after noon today. We got to stay in the new Children's Hospital. It has only been open for the past three days. We enjoyed it, it was nice. Gavin is now on Soy formula, Erika you knew it all along! ;) He has had so many tummy issues since we brought him home they decided to try the Soy formula. So far, so good! Gavin did not sleep at all last night, after coming out of anesthesia he thought it was time to play instead of sleep. So we are all pretty exhausted today. Like Aunt Tara said the docs think he is definitely ready for the next surgery. His shunt was very narrow and he had some gradient in his heart. We are still on to report to OKC on Sunday, February 4th. Here are some recent pictures of Gavin. Thank you again for the prayers and support!

"Mom enough with the camera!"

Getting ready to leave for Edmond, Gavin was hungry so he didn't want his picture taken

Daddy making him happy!

I am ready to go!

"Look I can stand"

Hanging out with Papa Ron

"Hey Papa I got this"

"See I am a pro"

Cuddling with Mimi

Daddy fixed my hair for me before bedtime

The latest hair style

Heart Cath Procedure Done

Gavin's procedure went great and the doctors say he is ready for the next surgery. The doctors were pleased with how "everything" looked on the inside from the first surgery. Gavin will be staying overnight in the hospital because he is having a little trouble with his oxygen levels; the doctors say this is normal for heart patients and especially so during the first 24 hours following surgery. Keep praying that all continues to go well! God is good!
-Aunt Tara

We are Here!

We arrived in Edmond tonight to stay with our "family" Larry and Suzanne. We received a call from the cardiologist this morning and they wanted us to have Gavin at the hospital at 630am instead of 10! They had an emergency heart cath. to do and since Gavin is the smallest baby they are doing they wanted him to be first so he didn't have to go all day hungry. Thank you for the prayers, please remember Gavin in the morning. We will update as soon as possible!

Date for Heart Cath and Tentative date for Surgery...

We have a date for the heart cath. Next Thursday at 10am. Gavin will have to be put under anesthesia and it can be risky because of his bleeding issues. If Gavin's lung arteries are big enough they will do the surgery on February 5th, we have to be there February 4th for admittance. Thank you for your prayers.

BaThTiMe

Here are some pictures of Gavin during our bathtime routine. He loves getting lotion put on him! I spoke with some people at the cardiologist office today about Gavins surgery. She said as of right now they are planning to do the heart cath within the next couple of weeks. She had me leave a message for the nurse practioner about the surgery because she was unsure of the date for that. So hopefully we will hear something soon.

THREE MONTHS and Ice Storm

"MUG SHOT" inmate # 003 KUYKENDALL PRISON by Warden Adam

Sticking out his tongue

Frowning

In his star outfit his Uncle Scott and Aunt Karen sent him

In his coat that his Uncle Scott and Aunt Karen sent him

SMILING! ;)

Today Gavin is three months old! Time flies! We are stuck at my parents house due to an ice storm.We haven't heard anything from the cardiologist yet, they closed early yesterday because of the ice storm so we may not hear anything until next week. We will update as soon as we hear. Here are some pictures we took today. Happy 3 months Gavin!

OKC Cardiologist Appointment

Today we went to OKC for Gavin's appointment. The docs did an echo on him and they are going to have a conference with the surgeon tomorrow morning about Gavin. Gavin's echo looked normal however they think his shunt is narrowing because he is getting bigger. They will call us tomorrow and let us know if the surgeon wants to bump the surgery up to February. If that is the case then next week we will go in and Gavin will have a heart cath done. Please pray that we get some sort of decision tomorrow so we can have more peace about the whole ordeal. Gavin is smiling a lot lately and seems to be happier but he is having trouble breathing and he has began to sweat a lot. He is also becoming very jittery, the docs say he is getting irritable which is common for some heart patients. We will update as soon as we get a decision. Thank you for the prayers.

Beautiful Boy

Gavin at 12 weeks

I cant believe Gavin is already 12 weeks old!

Here are some things Gavin is doing right now:

*He can roll over completely

*He smiles a lot

*He "coos" when you talk to him

*He sleeps more at night- last couple of nights 8 hours straight!!!!

*He loves getting his bedtime routine, bath and massage from Daddy, complete with Johnson and Johnson bedtime lotion and music, he really starts "talking" then

*He holds his head up

*He likes being on his tummy more, but not to much, he gets upset after a couple of minutes

*He is starting to grab toys that we hold in front of him

*He really focuses on people, objects

*He loves TV, bad habit, but it seems to really calm him down if he is upset

*He loves it when we sing to him

*He likes to be read to, he tries to grab at the book

*He likes to lick things, such as his blanket or his clothes, it is pretty funny to watch him

*He is so strong!

As we get closer to his second surgery it is getting a lot harder, we just love his little "BIG" personality, he is such a beautiful baby, having him in my life has completely changed me as a person. I don't remember what life was like without him. He has made me a stronger person, he amazes me more and more everyday! I love you Gavin!

Gavin passed out on the couch, pacifier barley hanging on

Mommy and Gavin hanging out

More Photos...

Adams Aunt and Uncle sent us some more pictures...

Back Row L to R: Uncle Jon, Aunt Erin, Mimi, Papa, Brady, Ryan, Great Aunt LeAnn, Great Uncle Vic, Daddy Front Row L to R: Uncle Ryan, Aunt Tara, Great Grandma Dorothy, Great Grandpa Belton, Mommy, Gavin Floor: Camryn, Carson and Tyler

The OSU Gang: Cousin Ryan, his girlfriend Kati, Bentley and Aunt Erin

One day Gavin will be wrestling with this group

Dreaming away...

New Sling

Gavins First Christmas Continued....

One on One Time with Auntie Erin


Gavin hanging out in his Overalls


Crazy Hair


Another one of those Famous Facial Expressions


Gavin's Great Grandpa Sam, showing off their matching overalls


Opening Gavin's presents


Yeah for diapers!!!


More presents...


Playing the gift card game, Adam got a Chili's card and a hatchet.... scary


Gavin resting and holding his nose in between festivities



Laying back in a daze


Gavin's cousin Camryn opening her gifts


Gavin's other cousins, Tyler and Carson opening their gifts


More presents for Gavin...


Daddy making a face.... Now we know where Gavin gets it from!


Mommy and Gavin hanging out...


4 Generations: Daddy, Gavin, Great Grandpa Belton and Papa Ron


Say Cheese!


Family Pic Gavin throwing his hands up


Gavin looking at his new toy

We had a great Christmas with Adams family, Gavin met family members and he received lots of love. Aunt Erin and Uncle Jon came all the way from Tennessee, they took lots of pictures at Mimi and Papas house, so we will post more pics soon!

Happy New Year!