Welcome to the World of Gabby Goo
It was June 19th 1996 when Gabby was born.
She was born exactly 28 minutes from the time I walked into the hospital and asked in a jokingly fashion. "Have room for one more"?
The nurses smiled and showed me to our room.
The pregnancy was as normal as any other.
Had my regular checkups, blood pressure, tests were all fine.
Labor pains continued quite fast and when the nurse yelled - "She's already 8 centimeters"!
I thought to myself, "Well, this is going to go by fast."
Wasn't my first child and all were born without any complications and I took extremely great care of myself. Wouldn't even take an aspirin while pregnant.
The doctor walked in thinking I was going to give birth any minute and he joked with the nurses how he traveled so fast that he had to pass up a Hostess Truck!
There she was.. all plump and healthy.
Birth was perfect and everyone smiled and did the final cleanups and so forth.
The nurse handed my little girl to my eldest daughter who drove me to the hospital.
Upon giving her first drink of water little Gabby turned blue.
Wasn't for the quick thinking of the nurse who happened to be in the room at that moment.
Grabbed that baby like a Quarter back for the Chicago Bears!
Sirens were going off and drapes to the nursery were all shut.
WHERE'S MY BABY? I frantically asked another nurse.
That's when they saw the signs of her having Down Syndrome.
Her heart valve was pumping opposite and they had to put her on oxygen.
They called an emergency ambulance to the larger hospital because they just weren't equipped for her complications.
Oh, they prepared me to everything to her needing open heart surgery to preparing me they might need a artery from her leg to use for her heart.
I spent only 2 hours in the hospital which I gave birth in and found myself in the car chasing the ambulance 40 miles to another hospital.
With the support of my children, family and friends we made it through the turmoils and after 10 days in the hospital.
Gabby was given a clean bill of health and sent home.
So what does one do with a Down Syndrome child one might ask?
I did as much reading as possible and found everything that I read was either extremely depressing and I knew this wasn't going to be MY child!
I wasn't going to allow her to be heavy and God forbid anyone make fun of her!
I imagined myself literally throwing the neighborhood children who made fun of her or calling her retarded into the air and hanging them in the giant elm tree I have in the front.
I knew that with proper diet, attention and tons of love.
She would be different.
I couldn't take her extra chromosome away which causes this Down Syndrome.
But I could do as they say... "When god gives you lemons.. you just have to make Lemonade!"
So That's what we did.
I hope this story is of inspiration and please look at the pictures.
You can see that out of something that could of crumbled a family, we took her condition and made so much Joy with her.
We not only took her condition with acceptance and made the very best out of it.
But I was even able to incorporate Gabby's disabilities and found through my art profession.
I was able to help other children with such of an array of disabilities to syndromes and developed a wonderful art in puppet building through www.puppetsbycher.homestead.com
Puppets aren't just for church's, Ventriloquists and comedians.
Puppets are a wonderful teaching aid as well!
Come on in!
Click on the upper tabs and come through our Journey........................
Imagine 10 days in the hospital........traveling back and forth 6 times a day to feed & be with her.
While others were enjoying their complimentary meal with their new baby in the hospital, we were checked out of our local hospital in 2 hours racing on our way to the larger city hospital.
I remember standing next to her for hours in the intensive care nursery & the doctor looked at me and said, How old is she?
I replied, "I just gave birth to her a few hours ago."
His face turned white and yelled to a nurse, "Oh god... get her a chair to sit down on!"
Funny how I didn't even feel like I just gave birth since my mind was concentrating so much on Gabby.
But as you can see through this website, she is well worth it.
I created this website for those who are contemplating whether or not to end your pregnancy because you just found out that your having a child with Down Syndrome.
I'm so grateful that we trusted in our God and in ourselves, that no matter what life seems to hand you.
There's always a reason for these things.
It was as if she handed me a special key to a door to life that I would of normally walked right by.
I'm sure if this didn't happen, I would be still working for Interior decorators to creating my own art for galleries and Specialty stores in the Downtown Chicago area.
But instead, she helped me to see.
There is so much more to our lives then just working to aquire things in our lives.
She opened my eyes to hundreds of others which has humbled me & taught me so much.
Thank you Gabby.
It wasn't what you ever needed from me.
But it's what you've given to me & others that you touch with your laughter and gentle smiles.
Even her eyes smile & no matter how bad I may think my life is going at the time.
She somehow makes all this go away and I feel so recharged with her spirit and I regain my faith each day as she touches my heart.
Down Syndrome isn't a birth defect in my eyes as I once thought.
How could it be?
She's never depressed but always finds life happy and content with her surroundings.
Something we should all take a lesson at.
To take time and smell the roses and appreciate no matter what we're given.
Cher
