I LOVE YOU!!!!

That's how Garrett wakes me each morning now.......tip-toeing in too early to wake Mommy, but how can I be mad when I hear the door open and feel him bump into my side of our bed and with the sweetest little raspy man-cub voice just say, "I love you."

Last week Garrett had a hearing exam, and ENT appointment to review the screening results and our first appointment with our new pediatric cardiologist and my new VARY FAVORITE doctor!!!

First, Garrett passed most of his hearing tests easily, but one he flunked, but the ENT wasn't worried at all. WHEW!!! What was most amazing is that he allowed the audiologist to stick all sorts of things in his ears and was pretty okay with it!! He would get mad or frustrated with the process and would just tell the sweet audiologist that he loved her!!!! We will return to her office December 5 to re-do the part he failed just to be sure.

Cardiology was simply amazing. This lady was the best ever as far as bedside manor with Garrett, and that's saying tons as we have been fortunate to have seen some of the most wonderful, passionate, kind doctors. She was even able to get his blood pressure, and NO ONE has EVER been able to do that while he is awake!!! She tapped into his love of music very quickly and sang a little song in correlation with inflating the cuff. He joined in by beating his chest like a drum along with her song!! CLEVER!!!!! He was so proud of himself!! Garrett had a PDA or a vessel left above his heart that was necessary in the womb but should have closed shortly after birth but did not. He had is closed with a metal coil placed during a heart catheter procedure at TX Children's when he was just under two years old. We are now being followed annually for that and just watching his heart since it is a muscle and his muscles are affected by Mito. The cardiologist had him do an ECHO and an EKG, and he did fantastic for both of those....soooo amazing how he is tolerating more now. It makes these appointments so much better!!!! Given Garrett's Mito, his PDA and a couple of episodes he had as a sleeping infant with a very high heart rate, the doctor ordered a Holter monitor to be put on him for 24 hours. He did great, so well in fact, that he didn't want to take it off!! He said it was what made him a real baby robot...thanks Andrea!! But we had to take it off at 2 pm the following day, and then today I dropped it off at the FedEx/sign shop/ice cream shop in our little town to be sent back to the office for retrieval of info. Addie will be going to see this same cardiologist on December 9 for some tests as a previous ECHO she had showed some slight abnormalities in function that are not alarming but should be followed annually. At that appointment, we will get the results of the the monitor Garrett wore.

As for the appointment I mentioned in my last post......it went well, but it was a business opportunity that looked great, but then upon further thought and time, Grouch and I realized that it was not that great of a deal. WHEW!! I love it when our intuition matches. It makes it seem like a more solid decision. However this still leaves us pondering what is next for our personal lives as far as business and/or work. Grouchy will have to go to work for 2 to 3 weeks sometime this week for his consulting job. We hate it when he has to go, but we are also very thankful in this economy that he has a job that is solid and that supplies for our family's needs and allows us to have time home together. Long term we dream of having our own business again and being under the same roof every night.....wherever that may be!!!

Addie and Ainslee are such amazing troopers!! Home school is going very well. Next week we will celebrate being 1/3 finished with the school year by having two scoops of ice cream at our favorite ice cream shop/sign shop/Fed-Ex store!! We usually have one little scoop each week we complete. SO the 1/3 mark is big!!! The girls are so committed to their work and make it more fun for me and for Grouchy when he helps us with school!! One of my favorite times is when he is working at home in our office/school/play room and is there with us and offering his help. The girls love Daddy's help!!

And that leads me to the daily realization that I am married to such an angel of a man. I am so incredibly blessed, and I know I am always taking him for granted!! So many things had to line up just right for us to even meet.......so it was not by chance. It was a Plan. I am praying for him more than ever and hoping I can do better showing my appreciation, love and support. I can never do enough to show him, but I commit to trying my best!!!!

Tomorrow will come soon. I will sign off as Garrett always does now....

I love you!!!

Clara-Leigh