My whole world can be summed up in three letters... Son
My son… who's eyes give me the will to fight back,
even when everything goes off-track. The tenderness in your hugs give me
a reason to smile, even when our problems pile. Your love is the fuel
that keeps me going, and my heart beating. The happiest 8th birthday my
sweet boy.
Noah had a Buddy the Elf themed Birthday party. Very suiting given
he starts watching Christmas movies in July. He's never been one for
much of a break from Christmas. It brings him pleasure for a big part
of the year. We ordered his Elf decorated cheesecake from the same
bakery that has been doing his cheesecakes since his first birthday. I
think both the bakery and us feel this sense of mutual celebration each
year. They always do such a sweet and detailed job. And a crust-less
cheesecake just for Noah. I also splurged on two large balloons for
Noah - an elf and a candy cane. Noah adores balloons and these two are
likely as big as he is. I suppose that is the only good thing about
having unnecessary eighteen foot ceilings in a ranch home.
We planned Noah's favorite dinner Chick-Fil-A. And when Chick-Fil-A
heard it was Noah's birthday they were so kind and dinner was
accompanied by a Santa Cow. Noah really enjoyed having dinner side by
side with his stuffed cow. It made him feel very special. Noah rather purposefully
rushed through dinner - because we told him that Santa was coming
afterwards to say Happy Birthday. I could tell Noah couldn't think of
anything else the entire day except that Santa was coming. He adores
Santa. Santa is everything.
Noah had another commitment on the day he was originally scheduled to
see Santa, but was blessed that North Metro Fire & Rescue
rescheduled for him and offered to come on his birthday. I can't even
really put into to words how incredible it is to hear those sirens down
the street and seeing Santa is arriving and watching the joy not only
in Noah's face, but Luke's as well. I wish I could box that magic -
that beautiful magic into a box and just open that feeling up each and
every single day. A reminder of the pure bliss that exists in tiny
precious moments.
Santa and his fire crew elves are so special to us. Since the moment
Noah moved into this home, they've always been there for him and our
family. They've given us four years of treasured holiday memories.
Their love so genuine, tender and filled with understanding for Noah's
unique situation and fragile medical needs. Santa brought Noah some
birthday gifts and remembered his little brother too, which was the
ultimate finale to Noah's birthday celebration. Noah just lights up
when he sees Santa. It's his most cherished yearly experience.
Eight years has gone by so fast. Like a blink. Each night I look at
the framed collection of pictures that we thought would be our last
pictures of Noah in the NICU as I snuggle with him in our bed after his
evening juice. Noah looks at them often too as I tell him that's "Baby
Noah." And he laughs and arches out of my arms as if he's itching to
physically get up and touch those photos. Those pictures speak to Noah
perhaps more than they do us. It is as if he remembers that exact
moment in time and wishes to show us the excitement over the miracle of
his life. His daily exuberance certainly lessens the pain of what once
could have been for his life. He does us very best to remind us of what
is important and where to maintain our focus.
Noah laughed into the late night hours. I'm not sure where that
child gets his energy from or his ability to sleep only a handful of
hours. But secretly even though I'm often very exhausted I adore the
sound of his laughter and squeals and even the sound of him kicking his
side rails of his bed and me needing to flip him over multiple times
because he gets stuck, it is just so mushy and joyful to listen to him
even if he goes on and on for hours on end. And tending to him all
night in some way makes me feel needed and loved. He will always need
me, and I will always need him.
May year eight be filled with great things to come.
Love,
Noah's Miracle by
Stacy Warden is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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