Saturday, August 8, 2009

A Monkey Beach Bash

We wanted to have a big celebration for Colby's 1st birthday, because we truly have SO MUCH to celebrate! We are not only celebrating the huge benchmark of Colby turning one, but we are celebrating the fact that we made it! We have survived the stress and craziness of this last year. Hallelujah!!! We are also celebrating the fact that Colby continues to defy the odds and do so well. Before his birth, we didn't think we would be able to leave the hospital without him having his first surgery, but he made it 2 months before needing a shunt! Then, we never expected him to make it an entire year before the Glenn Operation, but he has! In fact, he will be almost 13 months old before this surgery. What a blessing! Colby continues to inspire and amaze all of us, and I am so thankful that we were able to get together with family and friends to celebrate him! Not even the rainy start was going to stop us from having a good time during this monkey beach party!

Everyone that came to Colby's party is special to us, but there were two very special guests that I want to mention...Cain and Amelia. Cain is our friend that is 6 months younger than Colby and also has Tricuspid Atresia. Cain's mom and I have become pretty close over the last few months, and I am so thankful for her friendship. We have been able to help each other through some very difficult times. Thank you Catherine, Brad, and of course Cain for sharing in Colby's big day. I am so glad you guys live close, and I look forward to watching Cain and Colby share many, many more birthdays together!
Amelia is another good friend of ours with a heart defect (Tetralogy of Fallot). She underwent open heart surgery as a baby, but it has not slowed her down one bit. She is a beautiful and smart little girl! Amelia's mom, Amy, has been a VERY good friend to me. I met Amy several years ago when her children were attending Primrose and I was working there. She was also Brody's first pediatrician. Unfortunately, Amy and Josh left Tennessee a couple of years ago. All I can say is thank goodness for phones, text messaging, and email, because I wouldn't have made it through the last year without Amy. She has been such a huge support to me, and I am extremely thankful for her friendship. She drove from Texas with her 3 kids just to be here for Colby's big day, and with the storms they had to drive through, it took her 14 hours to get here. Words cannot express how much this means to me!! It was so great to see her and to see Amelia playing with Colby. Amelia, you will never know how much of an inspiration you are to us. Thank you guys for coming to help us celebrate!

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