One Year Anniversary

Oh, what a weekend! Friday night was a tough one. The school carnival was scheduled for the same Friday night as last year and oddly enough we didn't make it this year either. This time it was due to pending thunderstorms thankfully instead of an emergency trip to the ER. With the carnival being canceled, we were at home and I found myself remembering what was happening last year as different times passed during the evening and it hit me pretty hard. As we were putting the kids to bed, it was literally the same time a year ago that Jake was being taken in for emergency brain surgery. It was a pretty emotional at times going back to that day, but I'm glad I had the chance to be at home with just the family and process everything.

Saturday, Jake's actual one year anniversary, was a day for celebration! We had decided about a month ago that we wanted to celebrate his anniversary and include family/friends that have been there for us in so many ways this past year. The weather once again was threatening to be an obstacle with 40% chance of rain, but I kept telling myself all morning that we had a 60% chance it wouldn't rain. With the exception of a few sprinkles right as the party started and the occasional gust of wind, the big storm moved past leaving us with a little bit of cloud cover that made things very pleasant.

 Almost 100 people joined us in celebrating Jake while eating cake and ice cream sundaes. We were so appreciative to have so many people take time out of their busy schedules to join us. I was thinking when I got up yesterday about all the progress Jake has made this past year and it really is a reason to celebrate. He started off in August going to school two hours a day having to ride the adaptive bike to get down the hallway which wiped him out.

He's now there full days, walking everywhere and doing really well. He is getting more and more independent, his walking has improved and appears to finally be consistent (fingers crossed on that one!), he hasn't had to have botox since January, his stamina has improved, his fine motor skills are getting better, his processing speed is increasing, and so many other little things. It really is remarkable how far he has come in a year. He truly is a miracle.

We wanted to do something at the party that was a visual symbol of joy and looking towards the future. We got a couple of large appliance boxes and filled them with balloons (minus the strings that are harmful to wildlife and power lines). The boys didn't have any 
idea we were doing this (thanks to the help from my Dad getting the boxes loaded and keeping them in hiding until the party) and were very curious when we carried the big blue boxes into the park. We ended up having to cover the boxes with a sheet to keep them from peeking. I knew I'd start crying if I tried to say anything the minute I looked at everyone, so let Todd have the honors and he barely kept it together. It's been an emotional year to say the least and at times hard to talk about. We were also very unprepared for the tremendous outpouring of love and support that was sent out our way this past year which has been very emotional  as well. We had two boxes to open, one for Jake and one for Luke. We all know this has been an impactful journey for Luke too and wanted to make sure he was recognized. Up until they untied the the ribbons, they had no idea what was inside. It was pretty cool to see all the kids (and adults) reactions as the balloons were released. Thank you again to everyone who joined us either in person or in thoughts. It was a good day and one that left us with very full hearts.