I guess she's ready if she's negotiating...

She had a much longer list of negotiations which included school and ballet, but this was what made the cut...

Little humor for the morning...

Ok, Jenna has been following me around for 2 days begging me to let her open a can of Cream of Chicken Soup. She has no idea what it is, she just keeps getting the can off the shelf and really hoping it is something yummy. Well, I had finally had enough. I opened the can, and gave her a big spoonful....problem solved!

Another little funny story: Gavin is not supposed to go back to school until Monday and, as I mentioned yesterday, he is going crazy. Today he was not going to take "no" for an answer. He came in completely dressed, coat on, backpack on, and a little note for Sherri (remember Sherri? ;) The note was of him and her holding hands--very cute--and on the back he even wrote his phone number, "in case her needs to call me sometime."

Well, it was too cute. I had to let him go! We were 15 minutes late by the time we got there, but I walked him into his classroom and we found everyone in a little half circle at the opposite end of the classroom. One little girl immediately said, "You had an operation on your brain!" Gavin walked over to the class and turned his back to them so they could all see the scar. His teacher said, "Gavin, we are so glad you're back!" Gavin said, "Guess what? I'm not scared of the freeway anymore." I had to laugh at that! We have been hoping the freeway paranoia was due to the balance issues he had and will go away.....PLEASE GO AWAY! Anyway, no pressure on G or anything... Then Gavin says, "Nobody can push me down!" I really had to laugh at that one because I had told him all the way to school to be very careful and no running or jumping. The teacher kind of laughed and said, "Well we have a rule that nobody touches anyone else, so I think that will be OK." And, that was that! He sat down and was so happy to be back!

What to do...what..to..do...

With Gavin not being able to go to school and still not up to a big outing, we are beginning to get very stir crazy. We are video-ed (is that a word?) out, computer gamed out, board gamed out (ok mom doesn't have the patience for hours of Candy Land), and really ready for SOMETHING exciting. I'm not sure if I was expecting excitement, but we decided to go to the Beam Museum this morning. We were done in about an hour--well maybe 45 minutes, but hey, it got us out of the house! Now if I can just get rid of the moth ball smell...

Yes, I let Kesley dress herself and even wear a little residual makeup. Today was blue eye shadow day!

Gavin had to pose in front of EVERY exhibit! This was funny because it is usually impossible to get him to smile for a picture.
This was a butterfly made out of butterflies--pretty cool! You can see Gavin's scar pretty good too.

Kesley was very into posing for any picture...and I do mean POSING. I'm pretty sure she got this pose from some old pictures of me back in Aunt Lindas photo shooting days? Remember those! From the look of admiration on Jennas face, I think we will see this pose again very soon!

So that's where my camera went!

Kesley obviously found my camera and had a little photo shoot with Jenna. Maybe it's just me, but I think she is really showing an eye for photography....good lines, artsy, spontaneous. Now if I could only keep my kitchen clean and maybe throw up some trim around the door we replaced 2 months ago...

I heard them having a tea party. I love that they won't use the cute, glass tea sets they have, they go for the plastic cups, an old Fresca bottle and the bathroom stool. I love my low maintenance girls!

Jennas first cover shot.See what I mean when I say "artsy!"

STARRING KESLEY!

Kesley has felt a little left out with all this attention being showered on Gavin. We thought she could use a little night out with dad and her own blog post. We didn't realize she was taking this so seriously, and really got a laugh when she showed up all primped and ready to go! I guess the Christmas make up isn't gone yet... Brent took one look at her and said they would most likely be heading to Payson for the evening!

Here is one more cute pic of Kesley today. She decided to get her and Jenna dressed...what a big helper!

Gavin is home!

Had to open with this funny picture of G. Remember the first day of school picture? This is anxiety Gavin trying to pose for a pre-surgery picture for his crazy mother!

Wow! What a week. We got home yesterday afternoon and as soon as we walked through the door I just started bawling and couldn't stop! It seems the stress of the whole week all came tumbling out at once. The upside is I think I got it all out and this morning I feel great!

The week really started last Sunday. Gavin had to be up in Salt Lake to do some pre-surgery tests on Sunday and had to be at Primarys by 7:00a.m. Monday morning. We weren't real excited about taking back roads 2 days in a row, so we decided to stay up in Salt Lake and make it a good day since we would be out of commission for awhile. We took Gavin and Kesley to see Walking With Dinosaurs at the Delta Center (I know, I know! It was Sunday...but we did.) Anyway, it was AMAZING! Life size, very realistic, walking, roaring, fighting, dinosaurs. I think it was almost more amazing for me and Brent than the kids, but o well. Funny story. Brent and Kesley have this little game going about how dad "eats her chicken", which started when she learned that chicken actually is part of a chicken--very weird realization for her--thank you Bonnie and Jon...:) Anyway when he tickles her he bites her calves and she says he is "eating her chicken." Anyway, it was the climax of the show and the T-Rex makes his debut chasing these other dinosaurs--very loud and scary! Kesley literally jumped 3 inches off my lap when the T-Rex turned into our section of the seating and let out this HUGE, belly rumbling ROAR!! It was SO intense. She was so scared and snuggled into me and whispers in my ear, "Do they eat people?" I said, "No, people weren't around when T-Rex's lived on the earth." She looks at me kind of funny and says, "Didn't they know that we have chicken?" I had a good laugh.

Anyway, after the show Brent took Kesley to Shannon's house where she and Jenna were going to be staying for a few days (THANK YOU SHANNON!). Gavin and I took trax up to the hospital and did all the lab work, checked into our hotel and then decided to take trax back into town for the evening.

We had such a great night walking around Temple Square, eating dinner and just hanging out. Here we are in front of the Christos...I am thinking how happy I am that I have an Eternal Family going into this surgery and Gavin is...well...

I was happy he had this huge appetite because I knew he wouldn't be eating for a couple of days...that kid was a bottomless pit!

Poor G. He was EXHAUSTED from all the walking. It wasn't a ton of walking, but he is so breathless after just a block. I ended up carrying him towards the end. I just kept hoping this surgery would help him and that his life would change for ever!

Back at the hotel. Brent and G snuggling and watching T.V.....a favorite pass time of theirs. We sure lived every moment to the fullest that night. Funny how something like this just puts things into perspective and you become your best self. I wish I could be that kind of parent all the time....I think we all know that is IMPOSSIBLE! :)

Gavin had such traumatic experience when they were trying to give him the anesthesia before his MRI two weeks ago. He wouldn't put the mask on and they ended up having to hold him down and hold the mask over his nose. It only took a couple of seconds, but they were a very scary couple of seconds that he did not forget. I was really worried about him having another bad experience this time around, but Liz had a great idea to wrap a present and tell him he could open it when he woke up. He would not let go of it the night before or the morning of. Great idea Liz!

The hospital also had a solution for this. They gave him this oral medication to relax him before they took him back to be put under. It worked REALLY fast and we had to lay him down in a wagon so he wouldn't fall over. I tried to read him a Winnie the Pooh book and knew he was going to do just fine when he started trying to "pluck" the cabbages out of Rabbits garden. Brent and I could not stop laughing!

The surgery went well and only took about 2 hours. Our Dr. came out to talk to us when it was done. He said that he has done a lot of these decompression surgeries and Gavin was "about as tight as they come" meaning things were really congested in there. He said G should see some real improvements in the next couple of weeks! Hooray! He said they would be moving him to recovery and we could go see him in about 1/2 hour when they had the breathing tube out and he was waking up and breathing on his own. Well....2 HOURS later they had still not called us back and we were beginning to loose it. Someone finally told us they were having trouble waking him up, but we could go back and see him one at a time. That was the hardest thing ever. He was moaning and his breathing sounded really raspy and slow. We tried everything to wake him up, but he was OUT! They said that because of his sleep apnea, he went into a deeper state of sleep and he was really sensitive to the anesthesia so that was also causing trouble....I don't know. Anyway, they couldn't keep his temperature or his oxygen levels up. After 5 hours in recovery the decision was finally made to send him to the NICU until he completely stabilized.

Here is G in the NICU. He finally woke up completely at about 8:00 that night--8 hours after coming out of surgery! Not a fun 8 hours for a parent!

Here is a good shot of the scar. I was happy they didn't have to shave much of his head.He did really well after he finally woke up. By morning he was ready to be moved to a regular room and ready to open his present! He became known as "the kid with the car collection." Every nurse that came in had already heard about him and knew they would get the run down on all his cars! This hospital stay was more like Christmas than brain surgery! Here he is showing uncle "Joshy Boy" his cool new cars and then a picture with all his loot from all his visitors. Thank you EVERYONE for making things so fun for him!So, this venture is officially over! He is doing great and even trying to hop on one leg---which we stopped quickly and he really paid a price for....probably won't be trying that again soon! He can't go to school for another week and is not too happy about that, but I think he is going to feel better and better everyday. Thank you all for all the prayers and well wishes.

Gavin is headed for surgery!

We met with the Neurosurgeon today. He said G has a "significant" malformation and that he is recommending surgery. I guess some people opt for medication and different therapy's if the malformation is not too bad. He also said that most of the symptoms would be gone, including the headaches and the sleep apnea!! Hooray!

We said OK to the surgery and then about DIED when he said, "I have a half a day open on Monday, will that work?" MONDAY! This is good because there is not a lot of time to worry, scary because it is only 3 days away! He will be up at Primarys for 3-4 days after the surgery and the recovery should be fairly quick after that--maybe a week or two until he is feeling great. One sad thing he said was, "This kid has probably never felt great. I think you will notice in a couple of weeks that he will be waking up and just be a whole new kid because he feels so good." I hope so!

We are very hopeful and feel at peace with this decision. Please keep him in your prayers. We Love you G-Man!

Looking back and feeling bad...

I just can't stop thinking about poor G. This diagnosis is SO GREAT! I'm so happy that we will finally get him some help, but I am feeling so bad for him as I look back at the last 6 years...

I tell ya, this kid has ALWAYS been so uncoordinated. He has never been able to hold your hand and just walk without falling over. That has driven me crazy! He has never been able to run more than a couple of steps without falling over. I remember trying to make him run across a field and just touch the fence on the other side. Kesley was to the fence and back (at 2 years old) before G was half way there. He can't kick a ball, throw a ball, swing a bat or anything else without falling over! He can't do the monkey bars or climb a tree because he is just not strong enough (you've seen the size of his arms--skin over bone!). I have always just thought, "We'll steer him towards the arts...." This kid has gotten ART SUPPLIES for every birthday and Christmas in the place of sports equipment.

This diagnosis not only explains why he is so uncoordinated, but it also explains his excessive drooling, cough because of the extra drool, sleep apnea (which could also have been causing some things in and of itself), headaches that have been getting so much worse, arm and leg aches, shortness of breath, inability to breathe if he starts crying or gets too upset, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON! It makes me so sad!

The good news is, the surgery should cure him of a lot of his symptoms! It's not an easy--in and out--surgery. He will most likely be up at Primarys for a week after, but in time he should be great.

Gavin Update

Well, this is Gavin as of 10:00a.m. this morning! His top 4 teeth have been flapping in the breeze since the "fiasco" at the Christmas party. This morning, Gavin had his MRI up at Primary Childrens Hospital. Everything went really well, especially because we drove up yesterday and spent the night at my friend, Chrissy's house (THANK YOU!!!). Well, the anesthesiologist had to pull G's teeth to make sure the breathing tube didn't knock them down his throat...or some explanation like that. In any case, he woke up to no front teeth and not feeling very well. Poor kid! But, the tooth fairy will come tonight, and Grandma Trudy is giving him one dollar for each tooth and one dollar for each Beetle Bop (Volkswagen Bug) that he saw on the freeway last night! He will get $8 out of this trip to the hospital! Not too shabby.

We did get a call from our Dr. right after we got home. She said Gavin has a Chiari Malformation. Here is a description right off the Internet...

Chiari malformations (CMs) are structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. Normally the cerebellum and parts of the brainstem sit in an indented space at the lower rear of the skull, above the foramen magnum (a funnel-like opening to the spinal canal). When part of the cerebellum is located below the foramen magnum, it is called a Chiari malformation.

Here are some of the symptoms (tell me this is not what we have been saying about G for a LONG time!)

Many persons with a Type I CM do not have symptoms and may not know they have the condition. Patients with other CM types may complain of neck pain, balance problems, muscle weakness, numbness or other abnormal feelings in the arms or legs, dizziness, vision problems, difficulty swallowing, ringing or buzzing in the ears, hearing loss, vomiting, insomnia, depression, or headache made worse by coughing or straining. Hand coordination and fine motor skills may be affected. Symptoms may change for some patients, depending on the buildup of CSF and resulting pressure on the tissues and nerves. Adolescents and adults who have CM but no symptoms initially may, later in life, develop signs of the disorder. Infants may have symptoms from any type of CM and may have difficulty swallowing, irritability when being fed, excessive drooling, a weak cry, gagging or vomiting, arm weakness, a stiff neck, breathing problems, developmental delays, and an inability to gain weight.

The pressure is also causing his sleep apnea. We are meeting with a Pediatric Neurosurgeon next week and will have a treatment and recovery plan. He will most likely be having surgery sometime in the near future. Scary thought, but I am SO RELIEVED to finally have some answers for this kid! We feel really fortunate to have caught this while he is so young. So, please keep him in your prayers and I will update you next week!

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning!

We started a new tradition this year. We decided to have our own Christmas Eve at home and it turned out to be so fun! We decorated 2 candy houses, ate pizza, watched a Christmas movie and then finished the night off with the Luke 2 video. It was perfect. Hooray for my kids who slept until 7:00a.m.! The kids love to come out to see their present from Santa waiting for them. Santa's helpers must spend HOURS wrapping their presents! All the presents from mom and dad pale in comparison--next year mom is going to wrap as she buys so that her wrapping job isn't so....thrown together at 2:00a.m.!Gavin loved his robot that Santa brought! He was extra happy when he took all his money from all the Grandparents combined and bought this extra cool remote control truck! Kesley loved her new Pet Shop, but the real "hit" was the makeup she bought with her money from the Grandparents. Mom had no problem letting her GO CRAZY for a couple of days! My philosophy: The more you use the sooner it's gone! I brought up a big mirror for them to admire themselves in. Santa brought Jenna an entire trunk of new dress ups and they had a ball for hours! Notice Kesleys supermodel pose! She felt so beautiful--I let her wear this face to the extended family Christmas party and all the relatives got a good chuckle! We had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Parties!

We had such a fun holiday season! Here are a few highlights:

The BYU Christmas party. Boy, did this bring back the memories! Grandma VanCott took us to this party every year and it was always so much fun! Remember the pine cone Christmas trees? The clothes-pin reindeer? The acorn, or some sort of nut...men?...squirrels?...what were those supposed to be anyway? Well, not much has changed in 30 years. We made fun crafts: jeweled crowns and a treasure chest, had donuts and hot wassail and I even managed to get their pictures on the same stairs we did every year! The only thing missing was the visit with Santa. My kids were way to impatient to wait in line like we used to(hooray for Brents genes), but we didn't feel too bad as the line was more than an hour long!

Kesleys Christmas ballet class. Kesley had a very cute dance class recital for Christmas. Nothing will ever compare to Aunt Tami's Nutcracker! This teacher just invited the parents to sit in on a special class session...I think I was expecting a little more? But, Kesley couldn't have been cuter and she loves the class so we go.

Family Christmas parties! We had some really great family parties where the kids enjoyed lots of cousins, an overwhelming amount of presents from the grandparents and were able to participate in 2 different Nativities in one night! Gavin was very disappointed he couldn't be the baby Jesus! Jenna and Kesley relished their roles as angels.

We are starting to get a little creative in finding parts in my side of the families Nativity. Jacob debuted as the star this year and Kevin was called, "the glitter boy!"

Quick updates for the scrapbook...

Why am I an all or nothing blogger??? Because this is my scrapbook, I am going to get in a few highlights of the last month and a half!

In November, Gavin was made SCHOLAR OF THE MONTH! We were invited to an awards assembly where Gavin was awarded a certificate in front of the entire school! We didn't know what to expect when we got there, and had taken our place on the very back row of the gym. They started the program and Gavin just happened to be the first person they called up! It took us a minute to find him and then pry him out from underneath his chair! Brent had to walk up to the front with him and the whole thing was a little overwhelming to say the least! We were so proud him! We made a stop to see his classroom on the way out of the school. Gavin has always talked about a little girl named, Shari. It's very cute and so innocent. I had to laugh when I saw the sentence he wrote for their sentence wall! He's said, in a very matter of fact tone, "I ALWAYS choose Shari to help when I'm the paper passer."

One of the better "play dates" we had this fall. Nothing can beat a fire, poking sticks and marshmallows!

Jenna sleeping! Ahhhhhh! Funny thing is, she has always slept like this. Even as a little baby, she loved to have her hands behind her head! Notice how she wraps her blanky around her neck...I love this little nugget!
The first SNOW!! It seemed to take forever coming, but once it came....WOW!