So much to say & share.....

.....not enough time, energy, or brain power to say it or share it!

So, here I go.....prepare for a long post!

Lots going on with Gavin, and our family the last couple of months. Mostly good and exciting things.....along with a little bit of a scary thing. And of course, the dreaded sickness that invades a family of six!

The dreaded cold has made it's way through our family, sparing only Jacob so far. Gavin and I have it right now. I have felt miserable the last few days, especially in my head....it feels like it's going to explode! Gavin seems to be tolerating it better than I am, but he does sound horrible! (Very stuffy and a deep cough) Hopefully he continues to tolerate it so well....he's such a trooper, still giving smiles even though he must feel lousy! He's obviously more tough than his Momma is! I guess when your chest is cut open a few times, it takes more than a simple cold to put you down!

Some great news we got a few weeks ago is that Gavin's 2nd degree heart block has GONE AWAY! Some time between, 4 1/2 years ago when his pacemaker was put in, and now, his electical activity between the upper chambers of his heart started to communicate again with the lower chambers of his heart! This amazes me! ONLY GOD! Praising Him for this miracle!

The scary part of this is that because he no longer has this block, the cardiologist tinkered with Gavin's pacemaker settings and decided to have his heart do all the work, instead of the pacemaker helping out. His pacemaker used to do 99% of the heart's firing, but now it will do close to 0%! This means we have to really watch Gavin for symptoms of heart block.....and this scares the Momma! I am used to relying on that pacemaker, knowing it would take over if Gavin's heart went crazy! Yikes! It will still kick in if Gavin's heart rate goes below 60 beats per minute, but it will only beat at 60 beats per minute continuously. This means that Gavin could feel really dizzy, and even lose consciousness if it stays beating at this rate. So, we have to watch for signs that his heart isn't beating as fast as it should be....which is around 100 beats per minute on average, for Gavin.

But, this is definitely promising news! It is so much better for the heart to beat on it's own, like it does in most of us. Gavin's heart muscle will benefit from doing the work, instead of the pacemaker doing it!

Here are some other things that our family has been up to:

I'll start with a few pictures from Gavin's 5th birthday. (Yes, I realize it was a month and a half ago....I told you I haven't been sharing much on the blog!)





Did you notice his "cake"?



Since Gavin doesn't eat by mouth, and he doesn't really like it when we give him tastes of anything anyway, I "made" Gavin a Compleat Pediatric "cake". That's all he eats anyway! :) And, I'm quite sure Gavin enjoyed this better than having to taste the frosting like we usually have him do....he's not a fan of anything in his mouth! Plus, it sure was an easy "cake" for me to make!

Another thing our family did was to walk in the Make-A-Wish walk. We wanted to give back just a tiny bit of what they gave to us! I still can't believe the trip our family was able to take, due to this charity's efforts! They are such a blessing to so many families!





Gavin also started school again. This year he is having school at home. A teacher and therapist come once a week, and he and I go for a group class once a week at the school. We are hoping he stays healthier with this change. He was sick so often last year!

Here is Gavin doing some therapy at home:




This is tiring for him!



But, isn't he just precious?!

We also walked in the Step Up For Down Syndrome walk this month. Our state changed the name to this, instead of calling it the original, "Buddy Walk". The name may have changed, but the fun we had, and the cuties we got to see stayed the same!





So, as you can see, we've been keeping busy.....especially when you add in doctor's appointments, school, sports for our older boys, and homework, etc. Life sure is busy! But, we are doing well and so very blessed!

One more thing, please consider donating to help an orphan get home to a wonderful family waiting for her!



This is Olga. She lives in Russia and has been in an orphange all of her life! She will soon be transfered to an institution where she will no longer be able to be adopted. Some countries do this when children turn about 6 years of age, especially if the child has special needs, because they consider them "unadoptable". It breaks my heart knowing that children may never have a family to call their own!

But, the good news is Olga has a family here in the states waiting to be able to go get her! They are so close! They just need about $1200 more to reach the amount they need to go get their daughter! They have worked so hard to raise money, but they can't do it all on their own! Please consider helping them get to Olga before it's too late! Even $1 helps, if that's all you can give! Their adoption paper work expires in November, so time is running out! Please help this sweet girl get to her family! Go here to donate something to their cause. And, most importantly....PRAY!


"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Hebrews 13:15-16