RHIANNA GELHART

Gavin enjoys riding in the car, especially when his older sister, McKenna, is in the back seat with him. He dances along to the music and tries to go through his moms purse. His current favorite song is "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars.

Gavin's mother, Lori, carries Gavin every day. He does have an adapted stroller that he rides in during outings with the family but for smaller trips like this one from the house to the car, he relies on Lori for transportation. 

One of Gavin's favorite things to eat is mashed potatoes and gravy. For Gavin, food is limited due to his esophagus being on the very small side. He can only take liquids and very soft foods by mouth. Some of his other favorites include whipped cream, ranch, and yogurt. 

McKenna, one of Gavin's older sisters, helps her mom when she can to feed Gavin, change diapers or carry him to the bath when Gavin's mom's back needs a break. Since Gavin has a very limited selection for food by mouth, he had a feeding tube put in when he was just three years old in order to ensure that he gets proper nutrition and stays healthy.  

Moments like these are when Gavin is most quiet and pensive. He becomes absorbed in thought as his family continues to talk and move about the house. He keeps an item in his hand at most times when he is at home. The items vary and change with time. Sometimes they are DVD cases of Dora the Explorer, sometimes stickers of Paw Patrol characters, and sometimes the wrapper to the gauze his mother keeps around his feeding tube. 

Gavin's artwork is displayed throughout the house along with his other two siblings' work. Gavin's mom has kept every piece of art that he has created over the years since he started homebound schooling. 

One of Gavin's favorite things to do is play with his toys in the bath. He holds his fish in his hands and dips them in the water, then watches the water drip back into the tub. He continues this for the entirety of his bath. 

McKenna and Gavin have a very close relationship. Gavin is treated like any other little brother, meaning when he takes some of McKenna's things she gets irritated with him, and Gavin thinks it is extremely funny. He likes to joke around and take things that are not his to get a reaction out of his mom and sister. 

There is not a time that Gavin does not have his mother's attention. She is constantly checking on him, fixing his hair, straightening his clothes, putting his socks back on after he takes them off, and making sure he is feeling okay. She can tell by the way he holds his arms whether or not he is feeling sick. 

Here Gavin is pretending to make a phone call with a cell phone, he does this every time he can get a hold of someones phone when they are not paying attention.

Gavin attends multiple therapies both inside and outside the home. Here he is at physical therapy with his therapist El and mom. He works hard to complete the tasks that he really wants to, especially towards the beginning of therapy, and stays focused. However, when he has had enough and is tired from working so hard he becomes uninterested and doesn't want to finish the task properly.