With the start of the new year, I decided that it was time to get a website up and running for Gabriel. I hope it will help keep our family and friends updated on our journey through blindness towards sight!! In April it will have been two years since we learned about Gabriel's condition. He is now a confident, happy toddler, doing things that seemed impossible for him just a year ago. We meet the challenges head-on, and know that Gabe will find his own ways of doing things. We have learned that it isn't always the bigger issue of blindness that become a challenge, but the secondary problems that arise because of it.
I could describe the ups and downs of the last two years, but I would much rather write about how Gabriel is right now. He amazes us! He walks, jumps, and climbs around the house fearlessly. As a baby we struggled to get him to move, but now he excitedly explores most places that we go to. He has a signature "double-tap" that he uses as he trails walls, discovers furniture, or floors. It is interesting watching him walk when we are out. Every so often he stoops down to touch the floors or grass, or to finger the grout in between tiles. He also likes to lick all of these surfaces, a habit which we are trying to break! Gabriel's TVI (teacher for the visually impaired) wants to begin mobility training with him. She actually measured him last week, and ordered his first cane. I am excited because I know that a cane will bring more independence, but I know it will be a challenge getting Gabriel to undersand this. He wasn't too keen on using any sort of "pre-cane",
One of Gabe's favorite things in the world is music! We play a lot of music in the house, and he hums to all of it, whether it is a CD playing, us singing/playing, or one of the tunes playing from his various toys. He knows them all, and hums on pitch!! Gabe is also very rythmical. At the age of one, he started walking around the house singing rythms, especially the dotted quarter note, eighth note, quarter note, quarter note rythm! He even sang it in his sleep! We sit at the piano together, and he hits the various keys, humming the notes as he plays them. Being a musician, all of this has me stoked about his future musical abilities! I guess if you have to be blind, you might as well have a mommy that can teach you music!
Sometimes it is easy to forget that Gabe is blind, as he has his own clever way of doing things, It becomes more obvious when we are around other children. At the playground I see kids, younger than Gabe, running around, chasing each other. Gabriel is two, and I have never seen him run. He walks fast sometimes, but never runs. He has learned at such a young age, through many bumps and falls, that he needs to be cautious. Although Gabe has become very social, it is also difficult for him to play with children his own age. I am hoping that this will get better as he gets older. It is a blessing that Gabe has a big brother to play with at home.
I could describe the ups and downs of the last two years, but I would much rather write about how Gabriel is right now. He amazes us! He walks, jumps, and climbs around the house fearlessly. As a baby we struggled to get him to move, but now he excitedly explores most places that we go to. He has a signature "double-tap" that he uses as he trails walls, discovers furniture, or floors. It is interesting watching him walk when we are out. Every so often he stoops down to touch the floors or grass, or to finger the grout in between tiles. He also likes to lick all of these surfaces, a habit which we are trying to break! Gabriel's TVI (teacher for the visually impaired) wants to begin mobility training with him. She actually measured him last week, and ordered his first cane. I am excited because I know that a cane will bring more independence, but I know it will be a challenge getting Gabriel to undersand this. He wasn't too keen on using any sort of "pre-cane",
One of Gabe's favorite things in the world is music! We play a lot of music in the house, and he hums to all of it, whether it is a CD playing, us singing/playing, or one of the tunes playing from his various toys. He knows them all, and hums on pitch!! Gabe is also very rythmical. At the age of one, he started walking around the house singing rythms, especially the dotted quarter note, eighth note, quarter note, quarter note rythm! He even sang it in his sleep! We sit at the piano together, and he hits the various keys, humming the notes as he plays them. Being a musician, all of this has me stoked about his future musical abilities! I guess if you have to be blind, you might as well have a mommy that can teach you music!
Sometimes it is easy to forget that Gabe is blind, as he has his own clever way of doing things, It becomes more obvious when we are around other children. At the playground I see kids, younger than Gabe, running around, chasing each other. Gabriel is two, and I have never seen him run. He walks fast sometimes, but never runs. He has learned at such a young age, through many bumps and falls, that he needs to be cautious. Although Gabe has become very social, it is also difficult for him to play with children his own age. I am hoping that this will get better as he gets older. It is a blessing that Gabe has a big brother to play with at home.
I am convinced that part of the reason that Gabriel is doing so well is because of Oliver. When Gabe was still a baby, we struggled to get him to roll over or sit up. He screamed and cried. One day Ollie went to Gabe, roughly rolled him over , and basically told him how it's done!. Gabe giggled profusely, and so began the sweetest of relationships. Ollie brings craziness and wild fun into Gabe's life. Bert and I try hard not to intervene when they play, praying that nobody gets hurt! They have their own made-up games. I like the one where Gabe holds on to Ollie's hips, as Ollie chugga-chugga-choo-choos around the house, yelling "Gabe is a caboose"! Of course, there have been times when Ollie runs Gabe straight into a wall!
It is a unique relationship in that they never fight. Ollie doesn't pout when Gabe pulls his hair or bites him, He is very forgiving towards his little brother, and protective of him. At Christmas, Oliver observed that Gabe had less packages than him under the tree. Gabriel is difficult to shop for, as many toys are geared toward a child's vision. Ollie made me drive to Target, and HE picked out extra toys for Gabe's Christmas. I was dumbfounded, but also very proud of Oliver. Even though we talk often of how amazing Gabriel is, we are reminded on a daily basis how special Oliver is too!
I have learned to gage Gabe's quality of life by how happy he is. So far I think we are doing well, since Gabriel is an extremely happy, silly little boy. I, of course, still think about what he misses out on, or the things he struggles with because of his lack of vision.
About 80% of what babies learn is through vision. They observe, mimic, and learn without much effort from their parents. But what about a blind child? When we first received Gabe's diagnosis, I kept wondering what his perception of the world was. Did he even realize that there was a world beyond his playpen, beyond his carseat, or stroller? I know that he learns every day about the world, but what does he really know? It wasn't until recently that Gabriel learned that there are ceilings in our house. Bert lifted him up for fun to touch the ceiling, and it was followed by a very intense laughing fit. He always reacts in the sweetest ways when he discovers new things, yet those little moments can also bring about an over-whelming sadness. I had never considered showing him the ceiling, because to me it is trivial, something I know is there because I see it. A few days ago at the playground I spotted two manatees in the water. There they were for everyone to see, but there was no way for Gabe to experience them. These are the moments that still bring tears to my eyes, as there is so much to be experienced through sight. I try not to dwell on it, but how many other things that we take for granted, is he not even aware of?
It is a unique relationship in that they never fight. Ollie doesn't pout when Gabe pulls his hair or bites him, He is very forgiving towards his little brother, and protective of him. At Christmas, Oliver observed that Gabe had less packages than him under the tree. Gabriel is difficult to shop for, as many toys are geared toward a child's vision. Ollie made me drive to Target, and HE picked out extra toys for Gabe's Christmas. I was dumbfounded, but also very proud of Oliver. Even though we talk often of how amazing Gabriel is, we are reminded on a daily basis how special Oliver is too!
I have learned to gage Gabe's quality of life by how happy he is. So far I think we are doing well, since Gabriel is an extremely happy, silly little boy. I, of course, still think about what he misses out on, or the things he struggles with because of his lack of vision.
About 80% of what babies learn is through vision. They observe, mimic, and learn without much effort from their parents. But what about a blind child? When we first received Gabe's diagnosis, I kept wondering what his perception of the world was. Did he even realize that there was a world beyond his playpen, beyond his carseat, or stroller? I know that he learns every day about the world, but what does he really know? It wasn't until recently that Gabriel learned that there are ceilings in our house. Bert lifted him up for fun to touch the ceiling, and it was followed by a very intense laughing fit. He always reacts in the sweetest ways when he discovers new things, yet those little moments can also bring about an over-whelming sadness. I had never considered showing him the ceiling, because to me it is trivial, something I know is there because I see it. A few days ago at the playground I spotted two manatees in the water. There they were for everyone to see, but there was no way for Gabe to experience them. These are the moments that still bring tears to my eyes, as there is so much to be experienced through sight. I try not to dwell on it, but how many other things that we take for granted, is he not even aware of?
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