Ride The Horse

Sticky

No parenting experience is complete without a drive to the ER through the pouring rain in the middle of the night. We had ours last weekend at 2:00 Saturday morning. Benjamin was wheezing horribly and struggling to breathe; at one point his pulse was over 200 beats per minute. That was enough for us so we drove across town to St. John and had an all too familiar evening in the hospital. Thankfully, Ben was only diagnosed with acute bronchitis and nothing more serious. By the end of the weekend, Adrienne and I had come down with our own colds. It has been a very sticky week in the Gatewood house.

It's been quite amusing to watch how kids respond to Benjamin and his trach. Awhile back, Benjamin made his first trip to Wal-Mart. A few minutes into it, Ben was gurgling pretty loudly and needed to be suctioned. A five year-old in the produce section took note of this and watched as Adrienne suctioned Ben. When she was finished, the kid turned to his mom and said, "Look mom, that lady has a baby vacuum!"

Kids also have some funny questions. Unfortunately, the most common question that I've fielded about Ben is, "Is that a boy or a girl?" This is one of those "where have I gone wrong as a parent" questions. The only logical conclusion is to reinstate the fauxhawk as soon as possible. If that doesn't work, I may have to resort to temporary tattoos.

We also have some new developments in Ben's trach care. I've been working with our HMO and Ben's pediatrician, and it looks like we're going to be able to get a second opinion at the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, which has been rated as the #1 respiratory hospital in the country for the last ten years by U.S. News and World Report. It's not a done deal yet, but things are looking good. By the way, several people have asked if Ben is enrolled in the Sooner Start program, and I just wanted to let you know that he is.

Thanks as always for your prayers and thoughtfulness,
Whit, Adrienne, and Mr. Benjamin

OU Tryout

I'll have another blog entry coming soon, but while you're waiting, here's a clip to get you ready for football season.

Show Me A Sign

On Friday, Benjamin had another bronchoscopy and also had more excess tissue removed around his trach. After the doctor had a look, he told us that Ben's trachea is constricted due to the scar tissue that formed after his cyst was taken out. He said that it could be years before Ben is ready to have the trach removed.

In my mind, I had been building this image that the trach would be out by the end of the year, and Ben would just be a few months behind developmentally. Now that this looks less likely, we have to prepare more seriously for raising a child who may have little or no speaking abilities for several years. As a first step, we picked up a sign language book this weekend and will start working a few signs into our daily routine. Whether God continues to bless Ben with quick healing or gives us the challenge of dealing with the trach, we'll try to see it as an opportunity for God to do great things through Ben.

And now it's time for some professional photos taken by Jenny Connell.

The Hajj

It's that time of year again; the time when I drag Adrienne off to some place without sufficient air conditioning in celebration of our anniversary. In keeping with our theme of tourist destinations long past their prime (Eureka Springs, Galveston, Keokuk, Lawrence, and Hot Springs were our stops the previous five years) we topped them all by heading on up to Bartlesville, Oklahoma for a weekend getaway.

Those of you who have been brushing up on your Oklahoma Christian University history will know that Bartlesville is the university's birthplace back when it was Central Christian College. No one can be a true alumnus without making at least one pilgrimage to the site during their lifetime. The school is now Oklahoma Wesleyan University, but Adrienne and I think it has more of a Casa Bonita feel to it. Just think about the business model OC missed out on - "Oklahoma Christian, the place for a quality Christian education and low-budget-all-you-can-eat-Mexican food all in a small-town-faux-Spanish-villa setting."



After the hajj was completed, we swung by Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper. We'll save the discussion on why Bartlesville would need skyscrapers for another day.


And last but not least, we stopped by the Woolaroc ranch and museum where we snapped a few pictures that I think Hal would be proud of.


I know most of you who stop by the blog are looking for the kiddo so here is his latest video. Since Ben can't use his vocal cords yet, his oupa is teaching him to speak "duck". You'll probably need to listen closely.