The day came and went and now, almost two days later, I realize what I missed. Saturday, September 1 was the one year anniversary of Eli's second open heart surgery. Just like anything in life, it seems like it was a long time ago and like it was just yesterday. I remember so many details about the day that keep it so vivid in my mind. Sometimes I still can't believe how easily some phrases like "his second open heart surgery" roll off my tongue. That's our baby and he's had two heart surgeries with more on the horizon. But I think that it's a positive thing too. It means we're coming to terms with our situation and it's what our norm is. I think that's partly why I didn't realize this anniversary was approaching. I had thought of it early in August, but not since then.
As it turned out, we had a good family day Saturday that can be thought of as a celebration of sorts. Zachary desperately needed some winter clothes. He has only one pair of pants from last winter that still fit so we decided to go to Evansville and get some shopping started for him. Eli has grown a lot this summer but he still has a lot of hand-me-downs from Z and, since his butt hasn't grown any, he can still wear a lot from last winter. The four of us shopped at the mall, ate at Hacienda, shopped at Target and finished up at Kohl's. It was a great day and we had a lot of fun. Both boys were tired when we got home. Even though it was 11:30 when we finally pulled in the driveway, Zachary wanted a bedtime snack. His choice? A ham and cheese sandwich. Maybe that's partially why he needs new clothes twice a season! And just in case anyone is wondering, yes, we do shop at consignment stores for clothes too. We have a good mix of new & used clothes in this house.
It was a great day. The boys were as good as we could expect, maybe even better. They have such a good time with each other and make each other laugh so much that Bryan and I are really just around to pay for things and drive them. They really do take care of each other. I expected they'd get along, but I never dreamed they would be this close at this young age. Zachary often asks me not to put Eli down for his nap because he doesn't want them to stop playing. Eli can't stand to be without his big brother for more than a couple hours. Zachary recently spent the night with Bryan's parents. The next morning Eli was toddling around and he started yelling "Bubba!" like he does every morning. That morning Zachary didn't appear. Eli started getting frustrated and kept looking for him while calling to him. I told him where Zachary was, but it didn't click with him. He walked into Zachary's room and checked his bed. While leaning on the bed he surveyed the room and found a couple other places in the room to check. I slipped out before he found me watching him. He came out of the room with his hands out, palms up, and asking "Bubba? Bubba? BUBBA?" He was clearly upset with me for not providing his playmate upon request. I told him (for the 15th time) that Bubba was at Mamaw & Papaw's house. The only progress we made was that he started yelling for Papaw instead of Bubba. I don't think we can let Zachary start kindergarten next year because Eli won't be able to handle the separation.
Back to my original point with this post, it's been a year since Eli's last surgery. I missed the significance of the day on that day, but I'm so glad it was just another day for us. Eli has made such progress in the past year. He's walking everywhere and is very stable on his feet. His speed is increasing (which leads to an increase in his falls as well!). He's using more words but prefers to grunt like Tim the Toolman. We know he understands a lot though. He's really smart and you never know what the little creature will do next. He loves to help me load the dryer. He actually follows instructions pretty well....unless we're trying to get him to quiet down, quit throwing things, or leave the dog alone. Other than that, he's great!
Keep checking in because I'll be posting about birthdays soon. Zachary starts his second year of preschool in two days and then next week celebrates his fifth birthday! Eli's birthday follows at the end of October. We decided to celebrate with one party for both of them this year so I'll have lots of pics to post.
Again, thank you for all your prayers and support since this journey started.
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