Normal Kids

We found out about Nevin's diagnosis 22 days ago and it has been a roller coaster of emotions since. This week we met with our newest doctor, Dr. Braddock of genetics, to go over our new diagnosis and also have testing done on Gavyn. Since finding out about Nevin's diagnosis we have been in and out of our peds office and one of our many visits was Gavyn's yearly check up. Oh my... It was a crazy day but the craziest thing was his growth. The kid grew less - LESS than an inch in an entire year. Growth problem? Ya think! I kid you not he is the size of an 18 month old. Something is amiss. Our ped wrote up the order for blood work and we went right over to Children's Hospital and had it drawn. Shockingly his thyroid levels were fine along with everything else, he is just low on Iron, bought the Flintstones and we are good to go. I have a call into Nevin's endocrinologist to set up an appt for Gav. In the meantime we saw Dr. Braddock and he didn't seem to be of the persuasion that Gav has 22q Deletion but there could be something with genetics. We are testing him and waiting our 2-4 weeks to hear results. *sigh*

It feels so strange to write all of that and have this resounding thought in the back of my head. They Are Normal Kids. They really, really are. Every kiddo has quirks, strengths and weaknesses, as parents we try our best to set them up to be successful in life. I don't treat Skyler different than I treat Nevin (just modified for age). Nevin and Gavyn happen to be the two strongest people I know and they are kids, teeny tiny kids by the way. Yet, they have already over come so many obstacles and endured so many trials, more than some people will ever face in a life time. Take walking for instance... When you have a baby you don't normally think, I hope they walk one day. You usually think things like, Oh man, when they walk I'll go crazy! When both of them were born I never thought they would not walk but as they progressed it was a thought, would they? Would they not? Nevin walked at 18 months and it was a struggle for him. At the time we still did not know there was any kind of issue, he just seemed more laid back than his hyperactive brother. But looking back, knowing what I know now, it was a struggle for him and he never gave up. Gavyn we knew at infancy that walking might be out of the question and he could be in a wheelchair. When that kid finally started to crawl I had hope. He army crawled for a long time and he would drag his body all over the house and up the stairs. Up the stairs people! Can you imagine doing an army crawl up a flight of stairs? Try it sometime, it ain't easy and he would do it over and over and over again. The day he took a step felt like more joy than the entire world could ever contain. Yes, they are my hero's and they are normal kids. They love to laugh, make jokes, sing songs, watch cartoons, harass their brothers, give hugs, get scared of the dark and would rather go to grandma's house than anywhere else in the world. They are normal kids. Normal kids with incredible strength and I love them. I'm so proud they are mine.