Celebrate!

Ethan's 1st birthday has come and gone, and I can't help but feel like I did after my wedding. Partly relieved, partly sad, but mostly excited for what the future holds.

We had about 100 of our closest family and friends come out this past Saturday to celebrate our little miracle. It was absolutely breathtaking to have all of those people in the same room, and I definitely cried when everyone began singing "Happy Birthday". It was surreal.

Jeramie's co-worker, Stephanie, came to take pictures of the party. That was probably one of the best decisions we made. Not only did we not have to worry about "getting the shot", but the pictures I've seen so far are 1,000,000 times better than what we could have taken! Here are a few that we did take, though:

Me & Bobby
This was one of Ethan's roommates in the PCICU. Please excuse my red, watery eyes. I got justalittle emotional when I finally got to meet this handsome little guy!

Me, Charlotte, and our boys
This girl is like a long-lost sister. She knows my heart in a way most people will never understand.

Ethan and The Cake
He did SURPRISINGLY well, considering his lack of eating skills over the past 12 months. SO proud of him!

I'll be sure to share more as we get them!

On Monday (Ethan's actual birthday), Jeramie and I took the day off of work to spend it together as a family. Of course, it involved an appointment at Duke with a 2nd orthopedic surgeon! It's only fitting that we spent part of his birthday at the place that saved his life 365 days prior.

(I promise I'll update soon about the appointment, including a whole big shebang on his hand situation, as well as details about his upcoming surgery on TUESDAY.)

After leaving Duke 3ish hours later, we were determined to find a park! By the way, for all of you Raleigh people, Pullen Park is closed until 2011, or something crazy like that, for renovations. You know, just in case you were planning to go spend your child's 1st birthday riding the train and carousel. Don't.

We got a little turned around trying to find park #2, but finally ended up at the Walnut Street park in Cary. This wasn't before we stopped at Dairy Queen to get some ice cream to share with the Birthday Boy!

We had a wonderful, joyful time celebrating our son! Thank you to everyone who made this first birthday so special. We love you guys and we look forward to many, many more days like the ones we just had.