They Call Me Mommy: Happy Birthday, Gavin!

Please check back for more pictures. I still need to load my camera software back on my laptop. These were some of the gems that I had saved on photobucket. I have tons of baby photos of Gavin that I really wanted to share.

It is really hard to believe that I have been a mommy for five whole years. Getting pregnant with Gavin was so exciting for me. Every day, I used to praise God and thank Him for the opportunity to become a Mommy. Every little kick, hiccup, and roll that I felt just brought out feelings of joy and absolute amazement. I was going to be a mom.

Fast forward to his birthday, January 16, 2003 at 4:03 pm. I was induced early that morning at 39+ weeks because I had high blood pressure. My labor was fine and I was comfortable after asking for the epidural after the Dr. broke my water. I was fully dilated at 2 pm and started pushing. I wasn't really sure how to push and there were about 7 people in the room with me. I had allowed students in the room to watch my labor and delivery(my first mistake) and they all were talking about four-wheeling. I wasn't feeling my contractions at all and didn't know when to push. By the time, the nurses got their acts together and told me to push each time, my contractions were just about over. After about an hour to an hour and a half of this the doctor came in(wow, where were you?) and said that Gavin had been in the birth canal too long and that he needed to get out, NOW. She got the vaccum and sucked him out. I am sure I could have pushed him out, if they had just given me better guidance, but she didn't even get me to push along with the vaccum; just pulled him out of there. He was huge, 9lbs 2oz, and wasn't breathing really good. He sounded like he was gurgling and struggling to breath. They ended up removing 14 ccs of amniotic fluid from his stomach and took him straight to the NICU. I did get to see him for a minute, but that was it. 18 hours later, I got to hold him and breastfeed him for the first time. That night ended up being the worst night of my life. He ended up staying in the hospital for a total of a week. After they finally released him from the NICU the night before we were to go home, he ended back there again with severe jaundice. It really broke my heart to see him like that and even after we were home I was a paranoid wreck. I was terrified he would end up in the hospital again. His lungs were only 80% dry when they removed him from the oxygen so I was in constant fear that he would get a deep chest cold or maybe even stop breathing(I was a young mother that loved this child more than I ever could have imagined and after his traumatic birth, kept thinking the worst could happen to him).

This is Gavin several hours old in the NICU. This picture made me cry for a long time.

Of course he ended up okay and very healthy. That first year was incredible for us...first bath, car-ride, trip to the park, tooth, food, words. Everything was just so amazing. Who knew that little babies could be so incredible and such individuals at such an early age? I ended up going back to teaching when Gavin was 9 weeks old. My mom kept him which was nice, but I wanted it to be me that kept him. I missed him so much everyday that I didn't know how I would make it through to the end of the school year. I talked Eddie into letting me quit with the promise that I would look for part-time work. I ended up being a SAHM until he was around 14 months old. Since then, I have been working part-time which is the perfect match for all of us.

When Gavin was two, we finally heard his first word: clock. I couldn't believe it! What a strange but wonderful first word. Around this age he slowly began using more and more words so that we did not just have to guess what he wanted all of the time. He loved animals, too. His favorites were all of the Little People figurines that came with his alphabet zoo. Then, Mr. Gavin became a big brother to Owen. We were thrilled that even though his speech wasn't progressing as fast as we had hoped, he could say, "Owen". At first he really didn't pay much attention to Owen at all. He basically just ignored the little guy. I think he was almost three before he really started showing love and affection towards his little brother.

Age three was a huge year for Gavin. He was potty trained that year(I really wondered if it would ever happen), he started school, and he fell in love with all things pirate. When Gavin decides he likes something, it almost becomes an obsession for him. All toys, books, clothes, and most conversations must be about that topic.

The magical age of four. This past year, Gavin really talked our heads off. When your child has a speech delay and you would give anything to hear him talk, this could be a possible result. It was like night and day compared to two years before, even one year before. His fourth birthday party was his first real party with friends instead of just family. He took gymnastics that year and the year before, so that is where I decided to hold his party since I knew that it would be cold. We went with a Pirate theme(of course) and really had a wonderful time. I heard nothing but great things about it from everyone that attended and Gavin loved it which is the most important vote anyway. Age four was even more special for Gavin than age three. He has learned how to count to 50 and recognizes numbers 1-10, he has developed a special interest in books, he learned that God is our Master and lives inside his heart, he taught himself to swim and is quite good, he has learned a lot about where babies grow and has taken a special interest in science. He is working on his temper and often complains that it is "Just so hard to be good, Mommy". Isn't that the truth!