Dear Gabe,

In years when you find this entry I want you to read it and know that while it is filled with sarcasm, I love you so much. You are such a brave young man. There is only 1 thing in the hospital or Drs office that makes you weak. It would not be the needles or shots or even surgery. Your kryptonite...TAPE! Child, I HAVE NEVER HEARD A CHILD WHO SCREAMS NOOOOOOOOOOO LIKE YOU SO WHEN THEY ARE REMOVING TAPE! One of these days you are going to learn that ripping it off more quickly makes the pain go away faster. You are such a goob. "Take it off slowly, gently....ooOOOOUUUUCCCCCHHHHH!!!!!" You do not even flinch when you get shots or an IV, but TAPE!

Sweetheart, have you not learned yet that even if a medicine tastes nasty I will hunt you down to take it. TWICE A DAY. You need to find a better place to hide. I KNOW that you pull the trundle bed out and pull it in behind you and that you hide there. Oh, btw if you are going to hide in the secret room off your playroom you need to learn to not turn on the light in either the playroom or the secret room. It is a dead give away. Yes people he is back on the Diamox. The pills that have to be crushed and added to a nasty syrup to make it the proper dosage for a child. Basically it tastes like chalk in aspartame. Or dog butt if you ask Ga be. I do not know HOW he knows it tastes like Dog butt and I do not want to know. LOL

I laugh at you when we are out and people asked you about your "boo-boo". Yesterday we were at a store and some lady asked you, "Were you one of the little monkeys jumping on the bed. You know the ones that fell off and bumped their heads. Did you need many stitches?" You loked at her, flashed her your dimple smile and said, "No ma'am. I had brain surgery." Just as non chalant had you said, "I would like a chocolate ice cream cone". She had a mortified look on her face and asked me if it was "The C word". I prompted you by saying, "Sweetie, tell her what you had done. What type of brain surgery." You were so cute, you again smiled your dimple smile and said, "Ma'am, I am too smart. My brain is too big for my head. My brain was squeezing out my formen magnent (foramen magnum). So my dr opened up my head, took out part of my skull and 1st vertebra. He opened the lining of my brain. It is called the dura. He added a graft, that is like a patch, to make the dura bigger. He separated my tonsils and put them back where they belonged. Did you know that you have tonsils in your brain? And he glued me shut. I don't have any stitches or staples. I have Chi ari Malf ormation." We then of course got the how old are you ect.

You were so cute in the hospital. One of the fellows during your neuro exam would ask you every morning what you wanted to be when you grew up. You replied, "I want to be a dr like Dr Fr im. I am going to find the cure for chi ari. I am going to be a soccer coach, daddy and a male ballet dancer." Every morning they would chuckle and finish their exam. The last day the fellow came in and asked you that question. You answered like you had every day prior. Then you said, "Are you asking me because you want me to say I want to be a dr just like you? I will if you want me to!" LOL Thursday we got to the Clinic early (imagine that) and we went to the cafeteria to get something to drink. You saw the fellow and gave him your dimple smile. He came over and you chatted a bit. We headed out for clinic and waited for a bit. When they called us back the fellow with his entourage of residents and medical students came in. He started the neuro exam and when he said, "Hey buddy what do you want to be when you grow up?" You smiled giggled and said, "When I grow up I want to be a dr JUST LIKE YOU! I am going to find the cure for chi ari. I am going to be a soccer coach, daddy and ballet dancer. Now will you stop asking me that?" Gramma had no clue what all that was about. I was laughing hysterically. The fellow was in stitches. He explained that he only asked you every day as part of your neuro exam to see how your brain was doing. You said, "OH I thought I was making you sad by saying I wanted to be a Dr just like Dr Fr im. Because you know. That is what I really want. To be a dr like him. I like wearing ties!".

You my dear little boy, I love.

XOXOXO
Mommy