Celebrating more than just a birthday!

After his 4th Birthday Party!

Eli's first day home from the hospital

 













Where has the time gone!? Eli turned 4 on March 3 and I can't believe how he has grown! Since I was 34 weeks pregnant, we just had a small party with family and friends at the house and Eli couldn't have had more fun. He cried when his friends left because he wanted them to all stay and play longer! Such a sweet, tender-hearted little boy.

The weather was nice enough that the kids were able to play outside on the swing set for a little while and we even had a pinata (by Eli's request). He had so much fun opening all of his gifts, but he wasn't able to say "thank you"; as he explained to me after opening each gift, "Mommy, I told you. I can't talk because I have the hiccups!". We also had a Spiderman cookie cake and Spiderman cupcakes, even though Eli is not able to eat them. He did blow out the candles though, after covering his ears as everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. (I think he was a little shy and embarrassed being the center of attention.)

Eli did give us a little surprise after the party was over and everyone had left. Out of the blue, Eli told us that he wanted to eat a cupcake!! Talk about shock! I think we all looked at each other with this, "Oh no! What do we do?" expression on our faces. We knew that the dairy and egg were things Eli simply couldn't have... but how do you tell him "No"? So, we went ahead and put a cupcake on a plate, got one of Eli's spoons and sat it all down at the table. Eli mashed around on it some with his spoon, got a tiny bit of icing on the tip of the spoon, then very carefully touched it to the tip of his tongue. He looked satisfied, set the spoon down and was done! Even though it is a scary thing, thinking that he could eat something and have a reaction, it's also so much fun to see him willing (and wanting) to try new things.

As we celebrated Eli's 4th Birthday, I was reminded of just how much we have to celebrate with his little life. From the time, over 4 years ago, when I was pregnant with him, sitting in the hospital, barely 21 weeks pregnant and in pre-term labor, scared to death and worrying about what would happen if he decided to come so early..... to the time that August 2010 when he was about 15 months old and just suddenly stopped eating with no explanation as to why..... then the countless doctors appointments, procedures, tests and ER visits leading up to March 2011 when the doctor finally said he needed a feeding tube, but he didn't have answers as to why.... and CPS showing up at our door, telling us they were there to investigate us due to our child being ill and us taking him to the doctor too much (which I'm still baffled by)..... then finally to that wonderful day in June 2012 when we went to Our Children's House at Baylor for Eli's evaluation and got that glimmer of hope that we would soon be getting answers, followed by testing that gave us a diagnosis, then Eli's admission to OCH in August 2012 when he began eating again 2 years after he had suddenly stopped. Wow. Talk about a roller coaster!!!! So many scary moments. So many times of unknown. So many nights of crying and praying. And so many times of looking at our beautiful son and thinking, "Wow. We are blessed beyond measure!"

Even though these past 4 years of Eli's life have been a whirlwind of emotions, I look at him now and think of all the wonderful things we have to celebrate. Each day is a new adventure, a new blessing. We have a little fighter in our midst!!! To see the strength in his little body and mind; to see that despite all the poking and prodding, the tests and procedures.... it never broke his spirit. He has always been such a happy, kind-hearted, loving little boy! I sit and wonder sometimes, how such a tiny little person can have so much strength!

I am so grateful and blessed to call this little boy my son! In his 4 short years so far in this world, he has impacted and changed my and my husband's life more than we could have ever imagined. We can't wait to see what the next year has to hold for our little boy. We dream of the man he will become and the wonderful things he will do with his life. Simply so much to celebrate......