Christmas

All the presents under the balsam branch this year were for Gabe. There were two kinds, the ones we gave to him and the ones he gave to himself.  

We celebrated a little early so Kierie could watch him open his presents before she left for a long planned visit to Mom and Dad.  Her big present to Gabe was Duplos and Legos. With the help of Kentfield maintenance I made him a mini skateboard for his left arm to ride on in PT.   I must say the Duplos were the more fun for Gabe. He snaps them together one handed for now.  A bright red sweatshirt from Aunt Laura and Uncle Randy and snazzy Adidas PT pants for those cold days ahead in Boston rounded out the gifts.  A pack of cards and dominoes were in his Christmas stocking along with a card holder and a chocolate bar.  

On Christmas day the weather in Kentfield was balmy and hit 55 degrees.  First dinner and then a walk. Speech Therapy had approved pureed foods for Gabe so I set up a banquet in his room.  I gathered my roast beef dinner from the cafeteria and placed it on the pillowcase/tablecloth draped tray table. Fancy gold rimmed serving dishes from our apartment made it quite festive.  Then on Gabe’s side of the table I arranged his meal in three little bowls and a china teacup–pear apple sauce, some hummus, mashed potatoes, and of course for the special day—eggnog.  He loved the variety and especially the after dinner drink, a few tiny spoon tips of ice water his first in 4 months.   

Next it was into his new clothes for a walk outside. Thanks Laura and Randy for such a cheery, festive sweatshirt.  We left Gabe’s restrictive feeding apparatus behind at the hospital and hit out for the town of Ross a quarter of a mile away.  The park path was lined with leafy trees and the green grass was vibrant. Flowers and berries are still accenting the path and nearby stream. Head centered and upright, body erect, Gabe was enjoying the day. The few passersby, bicyclists and walkers, all smiled and offered a “Merry Christmas”. Tiny Ross offered some good window shopping especially the bicycle store and also some beautiful distant views of tree and grass covered hills.  Finally in the gathering dusk it was time for the ride back to Kentfield.   

The simple dinner and stroll had shown me many of the hard won gifts Gabe had given himself. How many hours of swallowing exercises in Speech Therapy and countless frozen lemon swab swallows with Kierie had resulted in the ability to enjoy the eggnog and the slippery, easy to choke on water. Two days ago he had laid on his stomach in PT, shoulders hunched, propped up on his elbows and with great effort had kept his head erect and centered for three minutes while he stared intently at the sweep second hand of a watch.  Then in the same session he had sat unsupported by PT helpers leaning on one elbow for more than two minutes, shoulders twitching with the effort. Last week two PT staff cinched him into a light gait apparatus and suspended him over a slow moving treadmill. With a therapist at each foot they helped him walk for 6 minutes, step by laborious step, until the right leg actually started to respond. Gabe you never stop trying. You are always up to the challenge.    It was a great Christmas.