Happy Birthday, Piper baby!

Yesterday we all had our birthday party/ies. We all celebrate our birthdays within a week of each other, so we've decided to toss them all together into one big party.

This year for Piper, I decided to have a little more special party, just for her, in the morning with some of her friends. Yes, that meant we had tow parties in one day, but I figured it was going to be a crazy day, might as well get it all done at one shot! She had some of her bestest buddies over, all in their cutest outfits, and they played, coloured and ate little shapes of fruit and cheese. And then the cupcakes came out! Oooo-la-la! Big hit. I don't even want to try to know how many of those cupcakes got eaten by those little girls, but they certainly did some damage. Good damage, that tasted amazing on the way down ;)

I was so happy Piper could play with her friends all together in one day. They are all so sweet together. Even though, there could never be enough toys for them all to share, it was a really sweet time, and some of us moms even got a chance to visit a little bit.

There was a steady flow of friends and family throughout the day, and we really felt loved and really special :) The weather was so-so, with on and off rain, but we survived just fine.

Piper really enjoyed herself. She ate everything she could reach off the table (which meant a lot of cupcakes got sneaked!) and then some. We didn't monitor anything and just let her munch on whatever. It was her party after all. We tried to do the same, but ended up chatting with lots of the people who were over. Really, that was the best part. I was so happy to catch up and talk with some dear friends. I did manage to eat a decent number of cupcakes (thank goodness some of them were minis!) and even sat down from time to time. It did take me about an hour and half to finally eat my dinner, as I kept getting up to talk to people, but again, all worth while.

Now we are done with all the party festivities, we are slowly coming out of the muck of wrapping paper, dirty plates and toys and realizing that this upcoming week is going to be pretty intense. I am actually really glad we still had this party, as it was a perfect distraction and something to really focus on. And it was such a happy occasion. At some point during our party, Matt's dad lead a bunch of friends and family in prayer for Piper and for us in these next coming days. We continue to feel blessed and at peace with everything that is going on, and are really trusting that God's got the best plan in mind here, regardless of how crazy this all seems sometimes. And it really does feel crazy sometimes.

True, I do feel a little better this time around, knowing what to expect a little more, but I am still bracing myself for some hard times. This could be completely different than 14 months ago. Piper is so much older, for one. I am a little terrified of trying to keep her busy during recovery, as she tried to pull out her IV or oxygen or anything like that. Or wonder why it hurts when she wants to get up or why her throat is sore. I'm not looking forward to that time.

Otherwise, in these next few days, we don't have to do too much. Just a little more hospital prep, and mostly just cleaning our house up. And no, this isn't just party related, but in general. I am almost getting that nesting feeling of just wanting my house neat and tidy and CLEAN for when we are all home and recovering. I don't want to think about chores when we're home and I don't want to worry about how clean the floors are or when our bedsheets were last washed. It's those sorts of things I want to accomplish in the next little bit. We'll see how much I can manage. I still do want to wrap a few projects up for work, too, so that I don't have to think of them while we're getting Piper better. That might require me working Tuesday, which I don't feel great about, but it might need to happen so I can be a little more free during our hospital time and during recovery.

One never feels great asking for things, which is really too bad sometimes, but I totally feel that way. I do feel like most of the time I can handle all of this on my own just fine, and I probably could. But I know I have a great bunch of people who just want to help out, and so why would I try to carry this all on my own and possibly cause more damage than good? I might as well be specific and get help with exactly what our situation dictates.

This week, things that would be much appreciated would be:

• prayer: for Piper, for us, for the hospital staff (surgeon, anaesthetist, cardiologist, nurses etc).
• some yummy food: home-cooked comfort food is what feels best. Either things for when we get home or things we can heat up in the microwave at the hospital. The food selection at BCCH isn't stellar (Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Safeway), and all packaged food ends up tasting the same. Even just snacks would be so helpful for those ICU days.
• possibly some house help, either pre or post surgery. I know that is a lot to ask, but I know some people really want to do something, and this would make my heart feel a lot more at rest, just knowing the house will be welcoming and clean when we're all back together as a family.
• possibly help with childcare on Tuesday (May 17). That's either coming over to play with Piper while I work in the office, or keeping her at your place for a morning/afternoon. Any help would be great. I would only ask that you are feeling healthy and haven't had a fever/flu in the last few days (or been in close contact with somebody like that).

Again, it's kinda odd asking for help, but I can honestly say that any one of those things would be extremely helpful. Really.

Thank you all for coming out to our party this weekend! or for sending your love from afar. We so appreciated seeing all of you and had such a great time. What a way to celebrate!