Prebble Family Tales

One blustery day we headed out to Tudek Park for some kite flying. Trav was excited to pass on yet another of his hobbies to Gareth, so we packed up Trav’s huge kite bag filled with kites and a new Star Wars kite for Gareth and we set out to catch some wind. Gareth had a fantastic time holding on to the strings to fly his Star Wars kite. <%popup(20050424-solo.jpg|640|481|A little low)%>| <%popup(20050424-flying.jpg|500|500|Up in the air)%>| <%popup(20050424-travgarkite.jpg|640|476|Two Happy Boys! )%> Trav then got out one of his big stunt kites and kept Gareth entertained. Gareth laughed and tried to keep an eye on the kite the whole time, and eventually Trav let Gareth give him a hand with the strings. <%popup(20050424-skite.jpg|640|505|Trav's kite)%>| <%popup(20050424-strings.jpg|640|518|Hold on tight)%> What a fun afternoon!

I usually try to keep these updates as happy and upbeat as possible, but given our last month or two that’s a bit difficult. Gareth’s button is still leaking. We went to Hershey for a second opinion, only to be turned away because Hershey does not accept Geisinger Insurance unless there is no one in the Geisinger system who can treat Gareth (we could’ve paid cash out of pocket if we wanted to commit to a couple hundred dollars for each visit/test.) Gareth’s pediatrician consulted with a new surgeon at Geisinger Danville and has set up an appointment for us to see this guy in the next week. Maybe we’ll finally get this taken care of. Because Gareth’s button is leaking, his seizure medication levels have been fluctuating greatly and he has had four seizures in five weeks. Gareth also came down with a nasty cold last week that created some breathing problems and left him with a very stuffy nose and a fever that just won’t seem to go away. He’s starting his second round of antibiotics and hopefully will kick this bug soon! He’s been bummed to miss so much school lately due to his cold and his seizures, but when he has been there he still is having a wonderful time. Aside from Gareth’s troubles, we’ve had other challenges in the last month. I underwent surgery and had a bunch of tests done (see “Answers” entry) and Trav has been super stressed out by some things going on at his work. We had to get rid of our cat Finn because he was terrorizing our other cat and because he kept trying to run away. This month has just stunk! Here’s hoping that the rest of Spring and the upcoming Summer bring some calmer, happier times!!

Gareth has wanted to spend all of his time in his pony walker these days and this made Easter even more fun for him this year! He had a great time walking around the house in his pony looking for Easter eggs. <%popup(20050423-easter.jpg|368|640|Going on an Egg Hunt)%> He also enjoyed getting a workbench for Easter as he can stand right at it in his walker to fix and build anything within reach. <%popup(20050423-builder1.jpg|600|501|Gareth the Builder)%> Gareth also got a keyboard from the Easter Bunny and has been entertaining us with his compositions every since! <%popup(20050424-keyboard.jpg|640|482|Making music)%>

Travis and I have been trying for over a year now to get pregnant. Unfortunately we’ve had no luck. So in March we underwent a series of tests to see if we could figure out what was going on (thanks a million to everyone who provided help during our doctor’s visits and my surgery!) After the doctor looked over the test results and after I had laproscopic surgery, it was determined that I have a “unicornate uterus.” This means I only have half of the uterus I should have, that only one tube/ovary is functional, and that my uterus is small. Women who have this abnormality (which is actually a birth defect) often have a tough time getting pregnant, have a higher risk of miscarriage and preterm labor and can have difficulty during labor. Our doctor now feels that this is the reason that Gareth was born early, was a bit on the small size, and had a prolapsed cord during labor. Our doctor has stated that if we were eventually able to get pregnant again it would be a high risk preganancy; I would have to undergo frequent ultrasounds and bedrest and/or preterm delivery (and a NICU stay) would be possibilities. Many women with this abnormality have indeed had healthy children, but many have suffered multiple miscarriages first or have had some difficulty during the pregnancy. Given Gareth’s high level of need and our already stressful life, going through a high risk pregnancy would be a big challenge for us. So, we have made the very difficult decision to not continue trying for a second child. Eventually, when life calms down a bit and once we get over the sadness of this decision we may look into adoption. But for now, Gareth will remain a very, very loved and extremely spoiled only child.