Change..........Otherwise titled: The Longest Post on Record!

The month of June has flown by! I can't believe it's already July! Where did the month go? Summer is a third of the way over and we haven't even began to start it! I guess this is what happens.....time flies by, with lots going on and we forget to just be in the moment.

I do this blog for several reasons.

1) I like to "capture" our life, since it seems to fly by. I want to share what is going on in our life with family and friends, because since life continues to fly by and unfortunately I don't have the time or don't make the time to call them and chat about things, this is a great way to share our experiences with them.

2) I appreciate the support we receive from, and the support we can give to, other families walking a similiar road. We have "met" some wonderful people on this blessed road!

3) I want to give Gavin a voice and show others that even though he isn't capable of doing much....his just being here and alive actually brings us a WHOLE LOT!

Like I said, this month has flown by and I haven't been able to share or capture things that have been going on with the VW family. So, here I go!

Joel started a new job a few weeks ago. He had been at his previous job for 11 years and felt it was time to move on. We were really quite anxious about this change. I was worried because we have 4 children, one with special needs, and I do not work outside the home. So, insurance and a paycheck are a very important thing around here! And, Joel was nervous about trying something new.

I'm happy to say that so far, everything is going great! Joel is enjoying the change and the better hours and I can see that he appears happier. Plus, even though I'm not great with change, I am seeing that this change has been a great one! We are thanking God for this opportunity and hoping that all continues to go well.

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We had a very significant loss in our family last month as well. Joel's Grandpa passed away. He was 88 years old and quite the guy! Up until about 8 months ago, you never would have thought he was as old as he was! He was wrestling on the floor with our boys not too long ago and he used to drive them to school for me when Gavin was not doing very well a couple of years ago. He had so many great stories to share and he was a huge presence in our family! We miss him dearly! We miss his stories and we miss hearing him say to Gavin; "You're Grandpa's Boy!"

Here is a picture of Grandpa, Grandma and our boys:



We are very blessed to still have Grandma around though! She is quite the lady as well! Unfortunately, she is in the hospital right now and we are hoping she is able to get home soon again! We love you Grandma!!!

Here is a picture of her and the boys at Grandpa's funeral:



Here are a few more pictures from the funeral:



Here are most of the great-grandchildren singing "Jesus Loves Me" at the funeral:



Here are my handsome boys after the funeral:



And, here is Caleb being goofy with a rose from one of Grandpa's flower arrangements. Caleb is always good for a little humor!




Happy Gavin:



We sure will miss Grandpa!

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While I am so very thankful for the wonderful opportunity that Make-A-Wish is giving to Gavin and our family, I can't help but feel sad about it as well. Make-A-Wish is an organization that grants wishes to children who have a life threatening illness and who's life expectancy might not be too long. I know in my mind that Gavin might not live a long life, due to his heart defects, seizure disorder, lung disease and just the fact that those with Down syndrome have a shorter life expectancy.....but in my heart I can't accept this. Having a doctor fill out paperwork for Make-A-Wish, saying that Gavin qualifies for this organization is heartbreaking to this Momma! I am thankful for this opportunity, but not at the expense of maybe having to say goodbye to Gavin too soon!

While I am sad about this truth, deep down I know that all will work out just fine! Gavin shouldn't be here today! He was written off several times by doctors and has gone though many scares.....but he is here today! According to doctors, Gavin should have died at 3 months of age, 4 months of age, 5 months of age, 6 months of age and 7 months of age! HMMM.....he's still here! And, he is doing fantastically for Gavin! So, I'm going to try hard to dismiss these sad thoughts from my mind and trust that God knows more than doctors do and that He has the future already planned for Gavin and I. Only He knows the future and He will carry us through whatever the future holds!

As for making a wish....this is a difficult thing to decide! Gavin can't tell us what he would want. In fact, Gavin probably has all that he wants and needs! He is a happy boy, who loves to be held, talked to, sung to and played with.....his needs are met! But, I can think of a couple of things that might make him happy. He loves music, so a trip to Disney would be nice because there is a lot of music played there!

I was really hoping that we could have a 3 season porch added to our house, because Gavin doesn't tolerate heat like most of us can, plus he burns easily, etc......but he loves to be by his brothers and listening to them play and have fun outside....so this would have been great for him....but they do not do home renovations, so this wish is out.

Another thought that I had was an RV trip across America to visit some of our blogging buddies! I think that Gavin would love this and I know that I would too! So, who knows? Maybe we'll really get to meet some of you some day! :)

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FINALLY!

We went to the pulmonologist this week and Gavin and I might be seeing less of a "friend" of ours very soon!

This is his nebulizer machine:



This machine has been a "friend" of ours for so long! He and I, and sometimes Daddy, used to spend 3 times a day together with this machine. The last several months we have only had to spend 2 times a day together, but now......we only have to spend one time a day together! (As long as Gavin does well with this change!) This is great news! This means that Gavin's lungs are healing and that he is doing really well! YAY!

The crazy thing is, he and I have spent so much time doing nebs the last 3 years, that I don't know what to do with this extra time and I keep thinking that I have to do nebs with Gavin all day long! I'm not complaining though! This is one change that I will surely embrace!


"My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?" Proverbs 24:21-22