Jack's Grand Slam Party!

I opened this up to get my writing on and noticed that this is my 250th post! Oh my wow! It's a sweet coincidence

that this post is about Jack's 3rd birthday party, considering I started a blog to share what was on my heart and mind as  we learned more about Jack's genetic condition.

You know that old saying "It never takes up as much space on paper as it does in your head".....well, I started writing here to test that theory. And almost 2 and a half year laters, all I can say is- WORD.

Back to the here and now.

Jack's birthday party was on his actual birthday this year, which was a Friday evening. I was worried because we had rain and thunder in our forecast, and Jack's party was at Kavanaugh Park on the base. I didn't really have a back-up plan, except maybe huddling under the covered area and stuffing our faces with cake. Which, now that I think about it, it's too bad it didn't sprinkle for at least a little bit.


This was one of my favorite birthday parties. It was pretty low key, we had great company, there was room for the kids to run and play and get their crazies out, but most importantly- my husband was right by my side! Yippy for husband's being home!

Jack wanted his party to be about baseball and firetrucks. We flipped a coin and baseball won. Except not. I chose baseball because I thought I could get away with buying the least amount of things. We had a bouncy house, which has nothing to do with baseball at all. But he is three and he really, really, really wanted a "bou-see hass".

To all who came out to celebrate our little guy-- thank you!!! We had a blast and we love how our friends love on our kiddos. I am blessed with friends who come early to set up, arrange gummy cups in the shape of a "J", and stay well into mosquito witching hour to help us clean up. Thank you friends-- y'all are the BEST!

The lowdown on the party stuff is below all the pictures!



His big birthday present was his big boy set of wheels! He loves his bike! I think it's the first big thing he has gotten that is all his own! He put on his big brother's old Tow Mater helmet but decided he needs a new one because it messes up his 'do.



Evie was a little ticked that she was the only one without a ride. So she let me know it.



See. This is her "Not impressed, people" face. (Sidenote: do you know how thrilled I was that I gathered enough hair to hold a clip AND she left it in for more than three minutes?!?!)



This was what we served all the babies. And those straws just make me so happy.



Guess what was in these bags? I'll give you 3 chances.



These adorable striped bags had peanuts. They were perfect!



Oh gosh, could you just die from the cute? Those little striped cups!! OH gosh!! And one of my sweet friends took it upon herself to arrange these in a "J". I love having friends that think of things like that!



Cracker JACKs (hehehe) for everyone and paper sack goodie bags. You can read below where I downloaded the template for the baseball circles from.



The boy bags had Cracker JACKs (am I the only one getting a kick out of that?), a pack of Topps baseball cards, Fun Dip, and some other little goodies. The girls had Cracker JACKs, Lip Smackers, mini nail polish, and other goodies. And for the babies, it was Teddy Grahams and Buddy Fruits.



The cake, from Publix, adorned with a Braves baseball, of course, because that is his big brother's team!



I don't know who those hooligans are up on top of that little bus. Another child, that will remain anonymous, was at least wise enough to jump when he saw the lady with the camera coming.



This is so them. Tyler, carefully making his way down one step at a time and asking if he was good. And then Kaiti, who, in her flimsy little flip flops, just jumped right off when I told them to get down.



A bou-see hass, A BOU-SEE HASS!!!



Lexy went in to jump with Jack so he wouldn't be alone.



Sweet girl!



And where Lexy went, Kaiti followed!



Okay, so I may have put my camera down for the bulk of the party. Meaning all of it. And then I remembered it when it was time to open presents. It was also pretty dark by then, so the pictures I got are a little ehhhhhh.



He had so much fun!!!!



Look at the curls! Love these kiddos!

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Straws, striped bags, and striped cups from Shop Sweet Lulu!

Bounce House reserved from MWR Mayport.

Popcorn Bags, table cloths, cups from The Dollar Tree.

Baseball Birthday Circles on Treat Bags can be found HERE!

I used the Lomo and Vivid 2 actions for photos from The Coffee Shop Blog (awesome site!!!!)




Needless to say, this little boy had a Grand Slam Birthday. (it ain't easy being cheesy folks.)

Thanks to all who came out and loved on our Jack! We had a wonderful time and realized driving away how much we are going to miss this place!

Elyse, Sarah, and Wendy-- you girls are awesome for helping me get everything going! And Dan and Al are pretty awesome for staying to help us take everything down, too!

And for anyone who thinks I am a have-it-together mom, here you go......



What kind of woman forgets candles for her son's birthday cake?!?!?

NOT ME!!!!

Three Years

It's 11:31pm  and I am sitting in bed holding back the tears.

Three years ago, at this exact time, I was a mess of stress and worry, uncertain of what would happen the following day. October 28th. The day when the doctors were to take my sweet baby boy from my belly. 

I was scared.

I know as Christians we ought not fear. I know that fear comes when my face is not pointed towards Him. I know, I know, I know that His plans are perfect, as is His timing.

But my human heart was being dragged down by the what-if's. My head was filled with the images and facts google returned when I searched my son's genetic condition. 

What should have been an exciting, anxious, and amazing night was not. I was terrified of not having a baby to hold in my arms the next afternoon.

The anxiety seemed to swirl around and build intensity within me through the night and the next morning. I tried to be normal and act normal. We dropped Tyler and Kaiti off at school. We saw friends who told us they were praying for our boy, who wished us luck, and who hugged us away. We held hands and prayed in the church parking lot before we drove to the hospital.

Then we arrived. More out loud praying, more silent praying. Praying when the nurses came to get the IV, praying when Jeremiah left to get suited up, praying when they went through what would happen when he was born. Praying when the NICU team came in to introduce themselves and tell me how it would go.

I prayed. I bit my bottom lip, I willed the tears away, and I prayed.

And then they wheeled me in, my husband gripped my hand tight and I closed my eyes. I silently spoke to my mom because I knew her angel wings had carried her into that room.  And then I asked God to protect my baby boy.

And He did. 

The doctors announced that he was close. Then he was born.

I asked Jeremiah if he was okay, and choking on joy, Jeremiah said "He is Perfect!"

I have never breathed so heavy in my entire life.

He still had to go to the NICU. He still had complications. His insides were all jumbled and it made things difficult. His heart still did it's own thing. 

But really, he was perfect.

And now this sweet boy is going to be THREE!

Every birthday, my heart goes back to that place. And then I fast forward to now. I remember each and every worry, and then I think about something ridiculous Jack did today. Today at the commissary, Jack went up to an older lady who was putting some bread in her shopping cart and Jack cocked his head and did that thing with his eyes where he can melt a grumpy grown man in 2.4 seconds. He pointed to her loaf of bread and said "I haff summa dat?"

I remember the fear, but I KNOW the laughter. I feel the joy he brings and I have the smile marks to prove I'm his mama. 

I am so thankful that God gave me this boy. The boy we were warned might not take a breath on earth is so bubbling with life, it spills over on to those around him.

 I tell you what, this boy is one of a kind! (inside and out) 

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! I am so thankful that God gave me you!

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If you're new around these parts, you can read about Jack HERE.

just about fwee

This rough and tumble, chubby-cheeked, wild-haired, full-of-bounce, irresistibly adorable (I'm allowed)

silly little boy

will soon be three.

Tell me, please, how can that be?

I just want to eat those freckles with a spoon. So thankful to be this kid's mama!

today, with a hint of sarcasm

Today.......

.....Jack spilled an entire box of Cheerios on the kitchen floor. I heard the smattering of little things hitting the tile and walked in to see Jack with a hand over his mouth open in the O position. He looked up at me and says "Uh oh, Mama, Tubble (our dog Trouble) spilled. You got dat, mama. You got dat." Not a question, but a statement. So my kid makes a big ol' mess, blames it on someone else, and then expects me to pick it up. I think he's got a career in politics in his future.

wearing my glasses that he later stepped on

.....I cracked up at a random misuse of words when iChatting with my sister. We were type chatting and I wanted to video chat because Evie kept hitting the keyboard. But I goofed. See...

I said eye chat

....I am missing my husband a bunch. You guys, I really really love that man!

.....I laughed out loud at a stranger when I wasn't supposed to. I was at the Dollar General picking up dog food after I dropped my big kids off at school, and this lady starts cooing at Evie. Then she says "Oh, don't you worry, Mom. She'll grow hair eventually." (That's when I laughed) For starters, am I constantly walking around with a look of worry over my daughter's adorable baby baldness? Are my brows furrowed as I stare at her scalp? No. And also, I kinda figured about it growing in eventually. I DID go to college and all.......

....I have left my husband three voice messages via K7. Military wives, do you know about this? You can send your husbands voicemails that get delivered to their email addresses, and it is free! My husband's loving it. Just click on 'dis here LINK to be taken to the site, and then click on SIGN UP at the top center. 

....Tyler started calling his baby sister Ever. Still trying to figure out how I feel about that.

....I woke up to an email from my husband with the subject reading "Pirate Sightings". This is what I got......

I need to find out wrote my husband a No Shave chit. I've got an email in the works. That fuzz has gots to go! (except maybe the goatee)

what did I expect him to do with the pirate stuff we sent him

And about these pirate pictures....I showed them to the kids right after I woke them this morning. This is how the conversation went with Kaiti.

K: Oh my guh-ness, Daddy found a real pirate ship. (she actually clapped)

Me: uh, well...

K: Tyler, Tyler!!! Look it!!! Daddy found a real pirate ship. He musta seen that flag and jumped outta his helicopter and got their ship!!! Yea Daddy!!!

Me: Well, actua---

K: Yea!!! Daddy did it!! He got some pirates. He prolly took their pirate stuff and is showing us in the picture. Tyler!!! Aren't you so proud of Daddy??

T: (shaking his head) That's totally not what happened.

I didn't have the heart to tell her right then because she was so darn proud of her Daddy. Ironically, she is the one who picked out the pirate kit from Target's dollar bins and put it in his care package.

Happy Monday friends!!

"what's your emergency"

What went down tonight.

Phone rings, baby on hip, rushing to find a phone, I grab one, check caller ID and see that it is a city number.

The caller: "This is Jacksonville Fire and Rescue, what is your emergency?"
Me: "What? What emergency?" (for a moment I'm confused and thinking she is calling to tell me something happened)
The caller: "Ma'am, this is Jacksonville Fire and Rescue. Is there an emergency?"
Me: "Uh, an emergency? No, no, I don't think there is. Why? Is there?" (Still confused, and kinda freaked out)
The caller: "Ma'am, we just received a 911 call from your residence, heard some noise and the line was disconnected. Is everyone okay?"
Me: "What? From my phone number? I don't think anyo------"
**I look up and see Jack coming down the hall with the other phone in his hand**
Me: "I am so sorry, I think my 2-year-old must have dialed. I am really sorry."
The caller: "That's okay, just glad to know you don't need our help. Have a nice night."

Three children in, and he is my FIRST to call 911. At the tender age of 2. So the call from Jacksonville Fire and Rescue- that was a first for me.

Also, on our lists of firsts today.... Jack spilled a brand new full bottle of Tide all over my laundry room floor. I was standing right next to him during the Tide mishap.

Just a little bit before that, while I was emailing with my husband, he mashed up my deodorant, mixed it with water and put it all over his Daddy's nightstand, making a weird white mold that I had to use a scraper to peel off.

Sooooooooooo.........how was your day?????

Jack William

Our jolly little guy just turned 2!!! This boy, let me tell ya'...........he is SOMETHING!! If you know our Jack you know that is the only way to describe him.

He cracks us up. We have to turn away often when trying to discipline him because he does something funny or unexpected.

For example, today I was I was kneeling down in front of him and explaining that we do not climb on the coffee table (after he JUMPED off of it) and as I was telling him that is not allowed at all he interrupted mid-sentence and says, "What? WHATTTTTT? (head cocked now, like he doesn't get it) WHAAAT MAMA???" HIs sweet, inquisitive tone and puzzled expression.....like he was trying to understand my reasoning and just needed me to explain it again. Oh! This boy.

His curls have gotten wilder, his freckles have spread across his nose and atop his shoulders. He is HUGE! He is in a size 9 shoe (Kaiti is almost 6 and wears a size 11) and wears a size 3T. He is rough and tumble to the extreme. He loves to play with balls and he has pretty good aim when playing catch throw with his siblings. He loves helicopters (obviously!!!), trains, and airplanes. He is really the prototypical boy-- with a wild sense of humor and a melt-my-heart smile! You can't know Jack and not love him. Just. Not Possible.

As far as the health stuff goes, he is doing wonderfully. There are still some things we of course follow up on and he should be paying another visit the geneticist, cardiologist, and urologist soon. Ironically, all of these follow ups, and I think we are good as far as gastroenterology goes. We know we may encounter problems as he grows-- it is most common to see secondary symptoms of his genetic condition present around adolescence- we feel incredibly thankful that he has come this far without a single surgery. Hard to believe the place we were at emotionally a couple years ago, and where we are now.

Here are some Jack Jack pictures from our recent family session with Angie!

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**If you have not yet entered the giveaway, click over and enter your name---- just a few days left before we announce the winner!!

419

Rule #419

When crafting with candy 

do NOT 

leave unfinished craft 

unattended.

I got up to change a diaper and came back to this.......yeah, *he ate the hot-glued marshmallows right off my tree. 

*I am guessing I probably don't need to tell you who he is, but in the off chance you're uncertain, his name rhymes with snack :)
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If you have not checked out my fun little giveaway, CLICK HERE to enter your name!!!

Do you see him now?

My babies are growing up. At what seems like an alarming rate, especially when a new milestone is reached. Like when Jack started forming sentences, it felt like one minute he was fussing something incoherent from his carseat, and the very next moment he was saying 'Mama, Ja go hooooome'. I remember turning into our neighborhood, hearing it for the first time, taking my foot off the gas, and shaking my head in wonder. Obviously, this is not new to me, but it catches me off-guard just the same. Of course, as parents, we are blessed to get to watch them grow, change, and learn. It is a joy and a beautiful gift to see them go from teenie little beings to walking, talking, opinion-having, personality-driven people. But this loud, crackly-voiced reminder that he is growing causes me to take pause, get a little misty over the fact that he is no longer a baby, and look back at how he's changed.

Jack turning two is another occasion that left me shaking my head in wonder. It didn't quite hit me on his actual birthday. Jeremiah was gone and set to come home the very next day, and the kids had Halloween celebrations at school I was busy preparing for. We did have a mini-party for Jack at the park with just our family. Cupcakes, play, and a little present, and Jack was just giddy. This boy really loves to be celebrated, something he didn't show us as much last year. Then Jeremiah came home- I am pretty sure Jack considered that his 'big present'. This boy absolutely loves his daddy!

But now a week after his birthday, and I sit here this morning in awe of the fact that my son is the boy that he is. 'He is going to be a giant' is what our pediatrician told us yesterday. The boy who had a very questionable future, whose growth and development was up in the air, and who seemed dependent upon surgery and constant medication before birth in order to just live......and now we are told he'll be a giant! Yesterday, as I juggled the 4 kids into the doctor's office and was trying to keep the 2 little ones content, I slumped in the chair exhausted after Jack walked up to a family, rifled through THEIR diaper bag, and pulled out a toy. I apologized when I saw what he was doing and grabbed his hand and led him back to where I was sitting, tired and a little spent. And then they called us back and did their measurements- which put him around the 85th percentile for weight and 97th for height. It was like God lovingly put his hands on my cheeks, turned my face towards my son, and whispered "Look at this boy now. Do you see him? Do you remember the worry? And look at him now."

We were at a corn maze this weekend and I met a lovely family. The dad used to be in the Navy, and the mom stayed at home with her 4 children. What I first noticed was that their youngest was not in a regular ol' Graco stroller, but a specially designed stroller that was more like a wheelchair. After talking to her for a while, she introduced me to her daughter Eva. Eva was 2 years old, like Jack, and has been diagnosed with Trisomy 13. We learned that Jack and Eva see the same cardiologist and geneticist...small world in North FL! This beautiful little girl was a living, breathing, smiling miracle. She was not expected to survive more than a day or so after birth due to neurological malformation and severe heart defects. But she did. And she is almost 2. She is blind and deaf but was smiling a beautiful smile for her mama as she lay cradled in her arms. She has 3 older siblings that love on her and, I am sure, learn about compassion, love, and miracles, every day that they spend with their little sister. I was talking to this mom, who was clearly exhausted physically, mentally and spiritually, and I could not keep the tears from spilling onto my cheeks. I am sure this family has days that they think will break them. I cannot imagine the angusih that mother suffers, knowing that each day might be her last with her baby girl. But all I saw in front of me was love. It was amazing. And it reminded me of the first days of Jack's life and where he was.

Each day is a gift. A gift He uses to show us love and beauty, to teach our hearts a thing or two. We don't know the kind of path we will walk, but we know there will be bumps, there will be turns, and there will be falls that cause us heartache. And I also know that I won't walk it alone. And I need to revel in all of the beauty that I see, whenever I see it. It is worth stopping for. It is worth celebrating. And when all we can see is despair, we need to look harder, because somewhere in it all is His beauty. Beauty and love. I am sure that Eva's mom has gained so much from her little's girls life. I know I have from Jack's. He is my little reminder that He will surprise us, He will see us through it, and He wants us to to stop and breathe in the beauty while it is right here in front of us. And He wants our hearts to be changed from the challenges.

The next time my little boy decides to color on the walls, or I catch him shoveling oreos into his mouth while hiding in his room, I will remember the whisper I heard yesterday.

"Look at this boy now. Do you see him? Do you remember the worry? And look at him now."

Jack talks about daddy

Fear the silence

Rule #1 of parenting a toddler: toddlers are NOT quiet. If they are quiet for more than a minute, it's not good. 

Not good at all.

Yes, that is vaseline in his hands.

Notice the gobs of it on the top of his head.

He was running away from me, but since even his feet were coated with the stuff, he didn't have much luck.

This was brand new and full.

It's not anymore.

Now I'm off to google humane ways to remove 378 oz of vaseline from a child's hair. Have a nice day.

**UPDATE-- After an extensive google search, I found that corn starch is the safest way to remove vaseline-gunk from baby hair. After about a dozen corn starch shampoos, Jack's hair is almost back to normal.