Healthy Heart Celebration

Tomorrow, April 12, marks one year since Kade received open heart surgery. It's incredibly humbling to think about- where would we be now if things hadn't worked out the way that they did? I can't bear the thought that things might have turned down a tragic road but have to remind myself always of the truth. We could have lost him. But the fantastic reality of this sad beginning is the incredibly happy new beginning. Tomorrow, we celebrate one year with a healthy heart. One year of progress, growth, strength. Last year, I found it hard to show any emotion toward the situation. I didn't shed a tear until they actually took him back to the operating room and that wasn't because of the surgery, but because he was so frightened and confused. I was holding my ground, showing a tough but nurturing exterior so that those around me, Kade especially, would feel confident in the procedure. The truth is, I was a nervous wreck, mulling over different outcomes in my head, wringing the statistics in my hands until they were raw. So today, a year later, it seems all the emotions I had bottled were released- like the cork of a wine bottle on a cruise ship. Meaning, there are tears, but they are such happy, warm, celebratory tears. They are tears of gratefulness,  tears of humility. There is a sadness there, but only a dull pang, over cast dramatically by the relief and encouragement I feel. Through Kade, I think all of us learned a little bit about courage. I expected him to be brave; he's a brave little soul. But I didn't expect him to be quite as brave as he was and continues to be. He's a little flame of hope, a blinding light of courage.

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Of course, Easter happened since the last time I updated my blog. A time of reflection, faith, gratefulness for the incredible sacrifice given so that we could live-  Easter is life. It was beautiful, sunny and filled to the overflowing brim with family, hugs, and church services.
The way an Easter should be.

My little niece seriously just melts me. I call her Lou Lou. 

 

These cupcakes will forever go down in family history. My sisser and I, we're a hoot. 

 

 

Note: Kade was extremely cranky on Easter, hence the sparsity of his smiley face in this pictures.

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I knew the day would come when Kade would have to move into a toddler bed. I just never guessed the time would be so soon. But it happened- he climbed from his crib and bumped his head. It didn't only happen once, but three times. I couldn't figure out how he was doing it- so toddler bed it was. I'm so impressed with how well he sleeps in it! With the exeption of a few rough nights, he stays tucked in snug and doesn't wander out in the wee hours. Also, that quilt on his bed is one I recently made. It's got an old vintage look to it that I love and is my inspiration to his new room decor.