The Belle of the Ball

We celebrated two special birthdays this weekend - the birth of Conner and the birth of Lucy!  I'm probably crazy for doing two parties back-to-back, but I had a lot of help (esp with Lucy's).  In no way am I superwoman.  Conner's party was at the Dodge Ball Dugout, where the boys could play and run and throw and sweat to their hearts' desire.  This is the second year we've used this venue because it's just so perfect!  Conner was able to invite a lot of his friends which really made him happy.  I'm so grateful that the Father made everything fall into place on what was a very chaotic and stressful day. 

We had a princess birthday party for Ellie Kate when she was three, so naturally I wanted to do one for Lucy Belle.  And since we are heading to Disney through Make-a-Wish, we have costumes ready for our Halloween events in Orlando.  So why not have a princess dress-up party?! 

 

Thanks to some very thoughtful and generous giving, Lucy wore a Cinderella gown, and she just loved it.  She is still covered in glitter, despite the bath.  And I dressed up as Snow White, thanks to my friend Marcy!  I had a birthday party as a child where Snow White was a guest, so it was fun to do this with Lucy and with the other little girls. 

Every little princess that came was beaming, all dressed up and excited for Lucy's party.  It meant the world to me that they would be there for OUR daughter.  We did special crafts, ate and opened presents - all of the "normal" stuff you do at birthday parties.  The Frozen soundtrack was playing in the background thanks to Julie Haller (who helped me a TON), and I just engulfed myself in the girly-ness of it all.  It was just so sweet and fun and I was able to experience it with my daughter. 

 

The cake was done by Daniel with "Baked" in Moore.  He donated his time, energy and resources to do Lucy's cake through Icing Smiles, a wonderful organization which takes care of the cake so the parents don't have to (financially, logistically, etc).  We were honored that a person we didn't even know, who didn't even know our story, would take the time to do this for Lucy Belle.  Visit that place if you get the chance, ya'll!  Lucy just loved her cake.

 

 

 

Everyone was exhausted after all the excitement but we realized that Lucy had slept through 99% of her party.  That wasn't typical for her, and when we thought about it, she had been sleeping more than usual the last few days.  Worse than that though is that Lucy was screaming non-stop from the time the party ended until the evening, with only a few breaks.  While we knew she wasn't critical by ANY stretch of the imagination, we did want to get her checked out so Mike and I took her to the ER and my Mom came and got the boys for us. 

It was an uneventful ER trip, and we at least had confidence in the resident taking care of us, so that's a step up from our last visit.  Nothing showed up in the immediate tests, but it could in the next few days.  They asked us if we wanted to be admitted (Lucy was still screaming at this point).  We did NOT want that, especially since we can take care of her at home at this point.  She slept hard and long and has really slept most of the day.  When she is awake, she's completely herself, full of energy - those moments just don't last long. 

We think Lucy's crying may be because of gastritis, which she and Ellie Kate have suffered from.  It's obviously not life-threatening, but it certainly is uncomfortable, especially when you can't voice the pain and make it better.  At the NKH Conference, I learned that Sodium Benzoate, one of the expensive experimental meds, can cause constant gastritis.  This makes perfect sense in the case of Lu Lu and EK, but it also makes me sad to think that they have to hurt and suffer in that way.

Here's the thing . . . we all need to be well because, in just a few short days, we will be leaving for Lucy's Make-a-Wish trip!  A once-in-a-lifetime, incredible, breath-taking trip that has been provided for us. It's a one-time deal, folks so we need to be well enough to enjoy it!  I'm being so protective of this trip because I know how much Ellie's MAW meant to her and to our family, and how absolutely magical it was. 

Here's how to pray:

• Pray for Lucy to be healed and for her to feel well before and during our trip
• Pray for Henry to be healed and for him to feel well before and during our trip
• Pray for Conner to feel well before and during the trip
• Pray for Mike to feel well before and during the trip
• Pray for me to be healed and to feel well before and during our trip
• Pray that things go smoothly this week and that they all easily and seamlessly fall into place

Mike and I so want this to be an unbelievable experience for our children.  We are so very humbled and grateful for this opportunity; I truly just can't say it enough! And thank you for continually keeping up with us, praying for us and supporting us in every possible way.