Gabrielle at 21 months, the Day Before Surgery, and Getting So Social

It's amazing how much Gabrielle has grown up in her own little way. She cries when she can't see her brothers or when Mommy walks into the room and doesn't pick her up. She kicks her feet and screams when Daddy stops wrestling with her. She gets shy around new people sometimes.

Tomorrow Gabrielle gets her central line removed and a VAD button put in (as well as tubes in her ears so she can hear better). This is huge for us. It means, with her hour-long periods of zero oxygen, we'll be able to carry her around like a normal 21 month old (well, not quite a normal 21 month old, ha ha), and I can take her down to the beach and let her roll around in the sand without worrying about line infections (and a host of other things) and then come home and get in trouble for letting her get so dirty.

Here's Gabrielle playing around with me the other day. If you read this in time, wish her luck tomorrow. I can honestly say that I never thought she would be with us this long or be this strong. Gabrielle, you are the best!