For those of you who celebrate Christmas, Happy Christmas from the House of Gort. We want to send everyone positive vibes, no matter what you are celebrating this time of year, and know that we miss you from afar.
We are enjoying our days in the north country where the snow continues to fall in very large, slowly drifting flakes, adding fluff to the 14 inches of snow that we already have. Having the ability to cross-country ski out our front door is a nice respite for Gina or I when it's needed most.
Yesterday everything was chugging along as we were preparing to head to Grandma's house for Christmas Eve festivities.
But, unfortunately, Gwen had other plans by having a seizure. It really caught us off guard because she hasn't had one in quite some time.
She caught some sort of bug but instead of getting a runny nose or cough, her neurological system is the first alert us that she's not feeling well. Seizures are so scary because they can cause Gwen to stop breathing, or even worse.
While the holidays always put our lives into perspective, a seizure triples the impact of just how precious and vulnerable we are.
Life is tricky sometimes because I don't feel like we were complacent about the kids' health but it only takes one second for the life of a caregiver to suddenly change. It's like a switch is flicked and we're thrown into a flight or fight mode.
I'm thankful for the knowledge and teamwork that Gina and I have acquired in the 10 years of parenting Gwen.
Needless to point out, we stayed home while Grandpa and Grandma Papaleo were able to easily come over with dinner and presents. Violet and Eliza were ecstatic and we still had a celebration, sans Gwen, who was confined to her room to recover.
The coincidence of this event, of a health-related micro-crisis, is a bit profound.
I'd just written and published my A Dad's View column for the Grand Rapids Press. I wrote about the need for flexibility when it came to the holidays and having medically fragile children.
Yesterday could have easily turned into a trip to the hospital, and we're not out of the woods yet. This is the second time in a row this kind of thing has happened with my articles, which is perplexing to me.
From now on, I'm only going to write about things that I want to happen instead of challenging the world with something that I'd prefer not to happen.
Despite Gwen's seizure, Santa did come. He ate the cookies Violet left for him. Rudolph at the carrots. We question which one of them drank the milk. Violet loves all of her gifts and was a great sister in helping open gifts for Gwen and Eliza.
All in all, we're thankful for health, happiness and love in our new surroundings, where peace is primary part of our lives.
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We are enjoying our days in the north country where the snow continues to fall in very large, slowly drifting flakes, adding fluff to the 14 inches of snow that we already have. Having the ability to cross-country ski out our front door is a nice respite for Gina or I when it's needed most.
Yesterday everything was chugging along as we were preparing to head to Grandma's house for Christmas Eve festivities.
But, unfortunately, Gwen had other plans by having a seizure. It really caught us off guard because she hasn't had one in quite some time.
She caught some sort of bug but instead of getting a runny nose or cough, her neurological system is the first alert us that she's not feeling well. Seizures are so scary because they can cause Gwen to stop breathing, or even worse.While the holidays always put our lives into perspective, a seizure triples the impact of just how precious and vulnerable we are.
Life is tricky sometimes because I don't feel like we were complacent about the kids' health but it only takes one second for the life of a caregiver to suddenly change. It's like a switch is flicked and we're thrown into a flight or fight mode.
I'm thankful for the knowledge and teamwork that Gina and I have acquired in the 10 years of parenting Gwen.
Needless to point out, we stayed home while Grandpa and Grandma Papaleo were able to easily come over with dinner and presents. Violet and Eliza were ecstatic and we still had a celebration, sans Gwen, who was confined to her room to recover.
The coincidence of this event, of a health-related micro-crisis, is a bit profound.
I'd just written and published my A Dad's View column for the Grand Rapids Press. I wrote about the need for flexibility when it came to the holidays and having medically fragile children.
Yesterday could have easily turned into a trip to the hospital, and we're not out of the woods yet. This is the second time in a row this kind of thing has happened with my articles, which is perplexing to me.From now on, I'm only going to write about things that I want to happen instead of challenging the world with something that I'd prefer not to happen.
Despite Gwen's seizure, Santa did come. He ate the cookies Violet left for him. Rudolph at the carrots. We question which one of them drank the milk. Violet loves all of her gifts and was a great sister in helping open gifts for Gwen and Eliza.
All in all, we're thankful for health, happiness and love in our new surroundings, where peace is primary part of our lives.
From the House of Gort to yours, Happy Christmas everyone!
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2 comments:
Oh Tim and Gina. I'm so sorry to hear about Gwen's seizure. I hope she is okay! No one ever gets used to those shocks!! I love the pic of the three at the bottom together -- and the one of Eliza and Violet in jammies with Eliza on the floor and Violet opening a prezzie is precious!! Sending you all big hugs. So glad you wrote! xo
I'm glad Gwen's seizure didn't ruin Christmas for the rest of the family! They never get easy, but it sounds like a good Christmas despite the scare. Anyway, just writing to say you have an adorable bunch of kids, and if you ever are interested in any cerebral palsy resources, check out our site! Keep blogging!
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