Quarantine: Day 7

Day 7 has been a good one! I was able to go to church this morning -- alone, unfortunately, due to our quarantine status -- and thoroughly enjoyed what was my last Sunday singing in the choir for some time. The Pastor's message was wonderful and left me with a new way to look at our current circumstances.

The verses below (emphasis added) reminded me that I am in no way, shape or form responsible for the outcome of the hardships I am experiencing in my life. What a relief, right? This is all in God's hands. How foolish of me to ever think that I had some level of control or say in what happens to me or my family. He knows we are weak. It is only in Him that we find the strength we need to overcome the trials of life.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Of course! I can vividly recall the helpless feeling I had as we handed over our 7-day-old son to the surgeon and his team for Chase's first life-saving open heart surgery on November 2, 2009. I've never felt more weak in my entire life than at that very moment. And yet, He was faithful! He sustained me, and He brought Chase through that difficult time. And as if that weren't enough, He did it all again 4 months later for his second heart surgery! God is faithful. His sustaining grace comes to us as we need it.

"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." - Psalms 16:7-11

Wow. Just what I needed, right when I needed it. Thanks be to God! I am so grateful for a renewed focus and filling of His spirit as we prepare for Chase's Fontan in just over a week.

So of course church was great this morning, but I also enjoyed some family fun times, too! After lunch, the kids and I went outside to wash hubs' Jeep as this was something I knew we needed to do. The kids were actually super helpful! Give LO a bottle of Armor All and a cloth, then watch out! She knocked out the cleaning while I did the vacuuming. It wasn't long before the kids gave up on our chore and hit the playground across the street. But once I busted out the hose and bucket, they came running back! They were very "helpful" with the washing and rinsing, but Chase was a wizard with the drying! See? Please note the fact that his shorts are wet, heavy and falling down slightly. You'll understand why in a moment.

My smiley, happy helper!

Still helping---uh... wait. Something seems wrong here.

Yes, that's a Minion you see peeking out beneath Chase's shirt. Silly boy! He sure was committed to his job! Haha!

E joined us outside for a bit as well and enjoyed the fresh (albeit hot) air!

I was able to work on more sewing during nap time, and Chase approved the change to the length of his Super Mario hospital gown. He tried it on over his t-shirt and wore it for hours. Too cute! I'm also almost finished with his Mickey Mouse one, and have the materials for Toy Story and Despicable Me gowns if I find the time.

We ended the day with a family movie and pizza, followed by homemade chocolate chunk cookies! It was a wonderful day! I'm so very thankful for God's message to me today and am so very blessed by my amazing family!

Thanks a bunch to those of you who are following along with us. I figure some of the details may not be the most exciting blogging material, but I'm thankful to have this time in our lives documented to look back on in the future. I'm so glad I have this blog to share Chase's journey with him when he's old enough to understand all of these details. He's been through so much and I couldn't be more blessed to walk this road by his side!

Quarantine: Day 6 (The One with HUGE NEWS from MUSC!)

Day 6 of quarantine was a pretty good day! I was up early with the kids and managed to get a lot of housework done, which was a huge relief. Then it was on to LO's last soccer game of the season, ThankYouJesus! She was excited to see Gramma & PaPa as well as her 1st grade teacher! And of course Chase was happy to be out of the house. But my goodness was it ever a hot day today! Temps in the 80s and this mama didn't even grab the sunscreen! #momfail

LO with her teacher

We also had the joy of watching a little entertainment in our backyard. Previously there was a huge dip in the yard for drainage purposes, so hubs put in a drain and some piping and the builders put down some top soil to level out our yard.

Today they came out to put the sod down. It looks so much better! Well, except that they ran out of sod, so we have a lovely little "dirt island" right in the middle! LOL! I think they're supposed to have that taken care of next Tuesday or so? Too funny.

I also managed to squeeze in tiny little moments of sewing here and there, which was super great since I'm desperate to make a few hospital gowns for Chase. I finished my very first one a few days ago, but really want to knock out the Super Mario and Despicable Me gowns before we leave... especially since I told him the Super Mario gown has super powers! He tried it on for me and we agreed it was a tad too long (an easy fix!), but he was happy to wear it (over his pj's) and "play Mario" for a while before bed. It was too cute!

I've saved the best for last... the HUGE NEWS from MUSC!

I received an exciting email from one of the Pediatric Cardiologists on staff at MUSC. He's been my go-to resource to email for questions about Chase, especially when it comes to a hospital stay, and he responded to my latest bout of inquiries today. We were concerned about having to leave Chase's side when a new case rolls into the PCICU and also from 7:00 - 8:30 AM and PM every day for rounds/shift change. This wasn't critical when Chase was an infant following his first two heart surgeries, but it's a pretty big deal this time around now that he's old enough to know when we're there and when we're not. Seriously, hubs and I were having slight panic attacks at the very thought of dealing with this frustrating policy during Chase's post-op period. But we were very pleased to hear that MUSC has worked hard on family-centered care over the last year or so and no longer routinely make families leave for cases and always welcomes families on rounds! This is a huge answer to prayer!!! We were also happy to hear the typical ICU stay following the Fontan is 2-3 days (before moving to the step-down floor on 8D), with an average total hospital stay of approximately 2 weeks. Of course there are a zillion variables and possible complications that could come into play, but we're so very hopeful that we just might be able to experience a 2 week admission!

One of the other GINORMOUS reliefs I experienced today happened when I took a quick peek at the Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery operative results from MUSC. The last time (a month or so ago) when I checked, the results were from 2007. Obviously that wasn't very helpful, right? So I was pleasantly surprised to see the results were now posted for patients from 2009-2013 -- this even includes Chase! I'm so pleased that we are already through the Norwood (Stage I) and Bi-Directional Glenn (Stage II), but would you take a look at the operative results for the Fontan (Stage III) that Chase will be undergoing in just under 2 weeks at MUSC?! Seriously! Take a look!

Source: Operative Results for the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Program

I cannot tell you what a relief and answer to prayer finding these updated operative results has been for me. One of the posts I've been avoiding writing is the one where I share the real thoughts, feelings and fears in my heart and mind heading into this surgery. I can't bring myself to put those thoughts out there for all of the world to read, so let's just sum it up by saying I've been afraid. So very afraid for the life of my son. So very afraid for the successful outcome of this surgery.

But to see that 100% of the patients at MUSC who underwent the Fontan survived???

THIS. IS. HUGE!!!!!

We continue to covet your prayers in the weeks ahead as we prepare for Chase's surgery, for LO's adjustment to homeschooling, and to balancing life between Chase in the hospital and LO and E at the rental house. I cannot say Thank You enough to those of you who have reached out to us to ask how you can help us through this journey. It's so comforting to know we have a community of loved ones rallying around us, willing to help us and constantly lifting us up in prayer. We are so very blessed!

Quarantine: Day 5

Day 5 of quarantine is in the books! Things have really started looking up for me. Well, I mean, nothing has really changed from my massive To Do list, but I definitely feel as though God has brought His peace into my heart and mind with everything going on now and in the weeks ahead.

Friday was a rather quiet, slow day, but it was also quite productive! Lots of laundry, a little cleaning, but the biggest/best thing is that I was able to run out and pick up some little toys, games, puzzles, etc. to put into the "Treasure Box" for Chase that we'll be bringing to the hospital. It's a combination of entertainment options and rewards for the many uncomfortable procedures he will be going through. Having all of that purchased and ready to wrap was a big relief to me.

I also spent a good deal of time on the packing lists and shopping lists. There is So. Much. Stuff. to bring when you're basically relocating a family of 5 for an unknown duration of time! But now I have my lists and it's just a matter of thinking through what we're forgetting. Thankfully there are plenty of stores near our rental home, so I'm not terribly worried.

Turns out I didn't take any pictures yesterday, so I guess I don't have anything else to share! It was a productive day with plenty of family time... perfect!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the new Chase-approved blog theme! ;)

Blog Theme

I figured that since the blog will be focused on Chase for at least the next month, I ought to update it to some of Chase's favorites! He's big into all things Super Mario plus a wee bit of Despicable Me minions, so hope this doesn't get too overwhelming to everyone! It's Chase-approved, and that's all that matters to me!

:)

Quarantine: Day 4

Well, wouldn't ya know it? Brain dumping the poo-poo platter of my life on the blog yesterday was somewhat refreshing and liberating! I've felt a sense of relief as if I was finally able to let all of that junk just "go" (Frozen reference not intended) and start moving forward with refocused priorities and an action plan for my next steps to get my sweet boy through surgery.

Chase and I enjoyed playing some games on the computer together while LO was at school and E was napping. It was wonderful to spend time with him rather than run around working on my To Do list.


LO had her last soccer practice last night ((insert collective sigh of relief here)) with her last game coming up this Saturday. Yes, she dresses herself and obviously decided to do her hair herself as well.


The boys and I had a blast watching her from the temperature-controlled comfort of the car.


And this is super random, but in the process of locating mine and hubs' bachelors degrees for our bout of homeschooling next month, some priceless gems from my childhood were discovered. I couldn't help but find the irony in a pic of my at 2 years old playing with a Fisher-Price Children's Hospital of all things.


So on to Day 5 we go!

Quarantine: Day 3 (The One Where I Complain... a lot!)

Hmmph! Day 3 didn't go as planned... not by a long shot! I gotta tell ya, for some reason, I feel like I have a ginormous target on my back and everyone is coming out of the woodwork to shoot at me. It's stuff from the mundane annoyances to the "oh crap this is a really big deal" kind of stuff. It's extra frustrating because I've been doing everything in my power since we learned of Chase's Fontan surgery date to ensure by this time... about 2 weeks out from surgery (but preferably a month out)... my focus would be on my son, and ONLY my son.

But alas, the world won't have it be so! Let's recap -- in no particular order -- some of the drama, so I can remember all of the battles I had to get through before I could focus on being the mom I need to be for my son as he prepares for his third heart surgery:

1. I was in a car accident on April 7th. It was not in ANY way my fault. A woman pulled out making an illegal turn, right into the side of my Sienna. I obtained her insurance info and we had an amicable discussion after it took place. I filed a claim with her insurance about an hour later. Fast-forward 2 1/2 weeks later... she will not respond to the calls from her insurance company. They cannot locate her or get into contact with her. This means they can't assume liability for the accident. They will continue to try for 30 days. At that point?? I HAVE TO FILE IT WITH MY OWN INSURANCE, and am subject to an$200-$500 deductible for the repairs to my vehicle caused by someone else. Plus the joy of arranging a rental (x3 car seats) for upwards of a week while they replace the sliding passenger door on my Sienna. I don't get it! It frustrates me that this happened TO me and yet I'm the one who has to pay -- in every sense of the word. Of course this one will be on the docket for after we return from Chase's surgery. I'm praying the door doesn't completely fail or fall off before then!

2. Ugh. This one doesn't warrant an explanation, but let's just say you have someone such as myself with an earnest, genuine desire to HELP someone with a situation, only to be blindsided by the most inappropriate and insensitive response I've ever seen. I learned a valuable, eye-opening lesson on why people choose not to volunteer, so I consider that a win!

3. Geez. LO's school plan. We're taking her with us when we travel for Chase's surgery next month. Therefore she'll miss several days of school. I first approached the Vice Principal at her school in AUGUST 2013 and was told it "wouldn't be an issue" since it's for medical reasons. Then, beginning in February, I attempted to confirm with the Principal what we need to do to ensure the situation is handled appropriately according to the school's administrative guidelines. I don't have any desire to get into the details (emails we've sent with no response, multiple face-to-face meetings, my contacting the Director of Attendance and the Superintendent of the entire school district and much, much more!) only to be told YESTERDAY that they want to meet with us on FRIDAY to discuss our "requests." As in, one week before her absences are slated to begin. I've been in contact with this school for EIGHT MONTHS and they wait until ONE WEEK before her leave begins to discuss it with us.

Not happening.

Long story short? We now have the privilege of withdrawing her from public school, paying for an annual membership with a homeschool association (that we will use for one month), purchasing curriculum for her to complete one month of her 1st grade year, then placing the added burden of ensuring she does her "homeschooling" on her unsuspecting grandparents who will be keeping her and E while we're at the hospital with Chase. All this so we have a paper trail that confirms she successfully completed the 1st grade ((sorry, Gramma, if you're reading this as we haven't gotten to the point of letting you in on all of the latest developments in this drama!)). So wow. This is all dumped on my plate after I've been trying for months to get a simple resolution from her school. I am so overwhelmed with this I can't even tell you.

4. Preparing a family of 5 to relocate 4 hours away from home for a month. You'd think not much would be involved in that, huh? Lol! Packing lists, shopping, packing, putting a hold on the mail, ensuring we have everything we need for a baby, a now homeschooled 6-year-old, and an undetermined length of a hospital stay for our son. Oh, and stuff for me as well (thankfully hubs manages his own packing). Everything from 1st grade curriculum books, to a pack n' play to a treat box of toys for our son to have while dealing with the recovery from heart surgery and all of the pokes, prods, echos, x-rays, chest tubes, pacing wires, IVs, fluid, medications and everything else that consists of.

5. Chase's 3rd heart surgery. Does this one really require any elaboration or discussion? Obviously unless you've been in my shoes, you have no idea whatsoever how to prepare for this... how to live with this. It's too much to put into words.

6. My baby officially turns ONE in 6 days. For all intents and purposes, he will be our LAST baby. As you can imagine, there are a lot of emotions that come along with this milestone for a mommy. My baby will no longer be a baby. This is a big deal! Throw some added hormones into the mix and this alone is enough to turn a mama into a basket case!

7. Related to #6 above... I'm still nursing E in the morning and at night. Essentially 8AM and 8PM everyday. I've never been this successful with breastfeeding the other two, so this is a HUGE deal to me. Now, imagine I'm at the hospital with Chase and not at the rental house with E. How will that work exactly? My only option is to pump at the hospital and have hubs courier it to the house. That means spending time away from Chase to ensure I can keep up with nursing for E. I'm afraid I won't be able to make the necessary commitment to pumping with everything else that will be going on, and the decision to stop nursing will be made for me. I don't like being in this situation! On the one hand, I'm happy we made it through his first year. On the other hand, had we not had a heart surgery to contend with, I would've wanted to continue with how things are and continue nursing E until I made the choice to stop. Again, imagine all of the hormones and emotions in play here. Then add #s 1-6 above to the mix! Can you see why I'm having such a hard time right now with all of this coming at me at once?

Sigh. I'm not really trying to vent with a "woe is me" kind of vibe here. I'm just sharing my heart with my trusted blog readers while also documenting this time in my life so I can read through it later and see how God brought me through it all. Those of you who have followed my writings for any length of time know I keep it pretty real on here. I'm lucky to have this outlet, it makes a great "journal" for me to refer back to and I'm so thankful for the prayerful support and love of both my family & friends who know us personally, as well as those of you who I've never met but still support us through your thoughts and prayers.

On a brighter note, we did have a few moments of fun yesterday!



E's last bottle from my frozen stash. It was a bittersweet moment for sure!


This one is technically from Day 4 (today), but LO looked so cute I couldn't help but share!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quarantine: Day 2

Well, Day 2 in the bubble didn't go as I had planned. I ended up with what was either a stomach bug or food poisoning, but either way, I was not in any shape to care for my boys, so hubs ended up coming home from work to take over. I needed to be especially conservative around Chase and limit my exposure to him just in case it was a bug of some sort. I spent most of my day in bed while hubs entertained the boys. I think it's safe to say Chase played his fair share of Wii U today. ;)

Speaking of Chase, hubs and I were talking last night that he seems to be getting tired more quickly and more frequently than before. You know how a 4-year-old that's way overdue for a nap would behave? Yes, that's been Chase lately by 6:30pm or 7:00pm, even after a good 2-hour nap. He's been much more grouchy and moody than we've seen in the past. And he definitely is getting winded quicker than before. It's a big effort for him just to go upstairs to his room now. And he starts breathing heavy when walking across the street to our neighborhood playground. Thankfully his oxygen saturation hasn't decreased (he's still in the low to mid 80s), but we know that it is most definitely time for him to have this third surgery, the Fontan.

We have to discontinue his nightly aspirin 2 weeks prior to his surgery, and I can't decide if I'm happy or needing to vomit now that we have almost hit the 2 week mark. I've said it before, I definitely want to get this behind us and have a healthier, pinker, post-Fontan 4-year-old. But ohmygoodness is my mommy self so very afraid of what it's going to be like this time -- handing over our son for his 3rd heart surgery after we've been privileged to know and love him and raise him for almost 5 years. I'm human, and therefore I'm fearful of the "what-ifs" an operation like this brings. But I'm so thankful for the promise my Lord has given me in my heart. I'm grateful that He has a plan that is much better than anything I could come up with myself. And while I will still be afraid, my trust is in Him and I can rest in that.

Sorry I don't have any pics or fun anecdotes from our day today... But there's always tomorrow!

As always, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers along this journey. We are so grateful for each of you who care enough to read along and lift us up in prayer during this time! God bless you!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quarantine: Day 1

Day 1 in the quarantine bubble is underway, and it's been a good one so far! I did venture outside with the boys for a little wagon ride and some solo fun on our neighborhood playground. I felt bad, though, because one of our neighbors was out walking his dog and came near the playground, so I packed up and hurried us outta there like the poor man had the plague! I don't think he noticed necessarily, but it cracked me up a bit and made me wonder how I can better handle these situations in the future. Can I put Chase in an actual bubble when we venture outside? Should I carry a large poster board sign with us that says, "Stay Back 100 Feet" or something? I guess the good thing is it's only for a short time...

Here are my sweet boys... and E's first wagon ride! He did great and really loved the fresh air and new scenery.

I'm finding some fun and exciting ways to pass the time inside, with one of my most favorite things ever: SHOPPING! I'm on the hunt for some summer shoes for E and I found some sweet gems that I can't wait to get on his chubby toes!

These are Salt Water Sandals Sea Wees and I'm just smitten! Excellent reviews everywhere I've looked, very reasonably priced, and ridiculously cute! I can't wait to see E's chubby toes stuffed in these! It's hard to believe he'll be walking around in these over the summer months.

I saw a little neighborhood boy at our playground over the weekend in these burlap bimini Tiny TOMS and totally imagined them on E. In fact, I'd love to get a pair for Chase, too. They're so darling and are the perfect summer shoe to pair with shorts or even to dress up with khakis for church. Much to my dismay, they come in a variety of other fabrics as well (including chambray and mixed denim... adorbs!), so I figure I'll try my best to start with one pair to be sure they work for us before starting a little collection. ;)

Another favorite way of mine to pass time seems to be venturing onto some sort of newfangled diet or exercise program. I thoroughly enjoyed how I felt at the beginning of the year when I tried the 21DSD and Paleo. Unfortunately, I've fallen off that wagon and gained back some of the weight I had lost, and of course have been feeling miserable with that added weight around my middle. Much to hubs' relief, I'm not jumping on any new bandwagons these days, but I am going to make an improved effort in making better choices for myself and my family. I cannot tell you how much we (I) have been hitting the drive-thru or nearby restaurant for meals lately. It's ridiculous and totally out of hand. My plan is to focus on making healthy meals that steer clear of grains, gluten and sugar (so mostly meat, veggies and fruit). I mean, really, I have nothing but time on my hands these days, so surely it will be a win-win for all of us!

Prior to quarantine, I've had an unusually large volume of "stuff" on my plate: obligations at LO's school (as PTA Communications Chair, 1st grade class Room Parent and volunteer), obligations at Chase's school (class volunteer/helper), singing in our church choir and on our Praise Team for 3 Holy Week services, E's 1st birthday party, Team Manager for LO's soccer team, hubs with the flu, then myself with the flu, both boys with ear infections, my Sienna getting hit by a woman making an illegal left turn directly into the side of my vehicle (who, by the way, refuses to respond to her insurance company's attempts to contact her, so they are unable to "complete their investigation" and assume liability for the accident, so we're looking at possibly having to use our own insurance to replace the sliding rear passenger door---grrrrrrr!), and I'm certain there were several other things that have demanded my attention over the past several weeks. All of that to say that I am ECSTATIC I can finally put my focus where it belongs -- on Chase's upcoming heart surgery -- and enjoy the extra time we have together during our quarantine.

One thing I've really wanted to do to prep for Chase's Fontan has been to make him fun hospital gowns to wear while inpatient. I finally had some time to work on a CARS one over the weekend, and I'm excited at how it's turning out! It's not finished yet, but almost! Check it out:

I also picked up some Mickey Mouse and Toy Story fabric:

I really really really wanted to find Super Mario fabric and Despicable Me (minions) fabric but both of these proved IMPOSSIBLE to locate locally or online (such a shocker!). But in a rare moment of brilliance, I was able to find both Super Mario and Despicable Me twin sheet sets at K-Mart of all places! Win-Win!!! Now I have two fun pillowcases to use at the hospital, and plenty of fabric to make him hospital gowns of his current favorites! I'm excited to see what he thinks when I get them finished.

Whew! Guess that's enough for a Day 1 Quarantine update, huh? Kudos to those of you who stuck around and made it this far into this post!

Oh -- wait -- one last thing. I shared a pic yesterday of Chase with his pink and blue fingernails but failed to mention what a huge kick LO got out of seeing her brother with painted fingernails! She posted a note on their whiteboard and it was just too cute! She's so crazy!!!

Quarantine

It's hard to believe the countdown is on... Chase's third (and last planned) heart surgery is just about three weeks away. We've known since June 2009 that our son would be born with a Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Essentially, the left side of his heart didn't develop properly and we were told he would need a series of three operations on his half-heart to allow him to survive.

While I am obviously anxious about this upcoming surgery, I will be happy to finally have it behind us. It will provide Chase with an improved oxygen saturation (he is currently in the low 80s rather than at 100% like those of us with healthy hearts), less cyanosis (in other words, his fingers, toes and lips will be more pink than blue) and increased energy/endurance levels. As if I don't already have my hands full, right? ;)

Hubs and I finally had "the talk" with the kids last week. LO and Chase are now aware of Chase's upcoming heart surgery. Chase knows he had surgeries on his heart when he was a baby (he's seen pictures), but he has a very limited understanding of his current anatomy and physiology, mostly because we've been blessed with his incredible health through all of this, but also because we know he will live his entire life with this condition and we've been happy to give him as long as possible without having any concern over it. Plus, he's only 4, and there's only so much a 4-year-old can understand.

We've been reading an excellent book with him that was recommended by a fellow "heart mom" called Franklin Goes to the Hospital. It talks about going to the hospital, having surgery, X-rays, etc. and has been really easy for Chase to understand. It's nice because it's prompted some questions from him and random discussions about our upcoming trip. We've been able to start helping him understand what to expect. I'm so grateful we can talk about it now so our entire family can begin to prepare!

So of course quarantine starts tomorrow. LO will still attend school, hubs will attend work (sporadically and only as necessary) and I will still attend church, but we won't be having ANY visitors in our house nor taking Chase ANYWHERE in public. It's imperative that he stay healthy for the weeks leading up to his surgery because if he gets so much as a cold, we are looking at the possibility of rescheduling his Fontan. Let's not even talk about the arrangements already in place (rental home in Charleston, removing Chase from his 2x/week private school, grandparents lined up to help with the kids, preparing Chase for surgery, etc.). So yes, it's extremely important that all of us -- especially Chase -- stay healthy!!!

I'm sure we'll find plenty of ways to have fun, stay busy and keep our minds occupied in the weeks leading up to surgery. If tonight is any indication, Chase is gonna be a riot! LO picked out pink and blue nail polish for she and I to use for our manicures tonight, and Chase insisted on getting in on the action, so he now has pink and blue fingernails, too! LOL!

Love this boy!!!!!

A Tooth! Finally!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Little E's very first tooth finally popped through and made an appearance! His bottom left tooth! I'm so thrilled for him!!!

E's 1st Birthday Party!

Last night was the big celebration of E's 1st birthday, but I will be very forthcoming by mentioning my sweet baby boy is still a mere 11 months old! We needed to celebrate his big milestone birthday a little over 2 weeks early due to the pending quarantine bubble my family will be entering after Easter Sunday in preparation for Chase's Fontan (3rd heart surgery) at the beginning of May. This is a happy post though, so let's dwell on the fun times!

I made a "Happy Birthday!" banner for E just as I had done previously for LO and Chase. I reuse these every year and simply modify the graphics to fit the theme of each party. This year's elephants may turn into next year's Elmo!

I also made a photo garland using pics of baby E from birth through 11 months. I'm okay that there isn't a 12 month shot on here because, again, my baby isn't 1 yet! ;)

Side note: Sorry for the terrible photos. It seems I've lost a big chunk of my "perfectionist" personality once I found myself with 3 little youngsters at home to contend with. No worries, though! I'm mostly okay with it.

Here are some (poor) shots of the individual pics...

A few pics of the foodstuffs...

The big birthday cake! This bad boy is much larger than it appears! Again, I'd like to note that I'm no longer a perfectionist and there are several little things I would've liked to do differently, but overall I was happy with the outcome. It's a 4-layer cake alternating chocolate and vanilla bean layers, filled with white chocolate chip buttercream and frosted with vanilla buttercream. It was quite delish! I did have to purchase actual dinner plates for the cake as it was very evident that a dessert plate just wouldn't do!

A little smash cake for my little guy! I kept his simple with just vanilla bean cake with vanilla buttercream. He was a BIG fan. More on that below...

I made elephant cookies and chocolate covered Oreo cookies as little Thank You gifts for our partygoers.

The cookies were super cute! I had fun making them and look forward to doing other designs for future parties.

Oh, yes. The big boy (baby) of the hour! This is the only shot of him where you can see the outfit I made for him. It's a blue and white seersucker jon jon (short all) with an adorable birthday elephant appliqué.

This is a post-party pic of the much-loved outfit. It's a hot mess but you can see how adorable it was!

Time for spaghetti! E was a big fan!

Let's not forget big sister and big brother enjoying dinner, too!

Cake time! We had no way of preparing for the destruction that was about to ensue. Boy loves him some cake! It didn't take long at all for him to get his fingers into that frosting once his cake landed on his high chair...

Moments later... he's tearing into the cake!

The happy times were over when Daddy tried to take his cake away. He was terribly upset until Daddy decided to give it back.

So, just in case you missed it...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We had a super fun time celebrating with our closest family and dearest friends. E did great all night and didn't seem the slightest bit uncomfortable with all of the attention all night long. He was up way past his usual bedtime but didn't seem phased a bit! It was a fantastic party, but I'm looking forward to his actual birthday on April 30th when we can start his day off right with birthday pancakes, a few more gifts and lots more love and attention from his adoring family.