just for amelia

we apologize the near-picture only post last night. to be honest, we were both exhausted & i was very very sore. it's hard to explain, this muscle soreness. a friend who i met through an online group for folks with this tumor (shout out to paige *smile*) warned me about this muscle soreness before the surgery...i had no idea it would feel *THIS* bad. so on days some days (i still can't tell what brings this on, if anything) i can barely move my head b/c my neck, shoulders & sometimes back muscles feel to be paralyzed with pain. i think it was the hub-bub of amelia's party & then a night of constant waking up, who knows; but last night & even this morning, i just feel like the aforementioned muscles have totally given up on trying to be useful. so i'm alternating ibuprofen & acetaminophen today (in addition to 'biofreeze') in hopes that my muscles become a bit more limber. i mean, sneezing hurts.

also last night was my first night of individual soaking prayer at our church. i have 3 women who pray for my healing for 40 minutes straight. i know some folks who read this blog may not like religion & others may like religion, but scoff at the thought of god healing someone in the present. well, as the women started to pray for healing & one woman prayed to the numbness to go away, up until that point, half of my tongue & half of my lips (the left sides) were numb. the second she prayed for the numbness to go away, SUDDENLY my tongue, lips, & inner cheek were no longer numb. it lasted for about 30 seconds & then the numbness returned. i don't think god is playing mind tricks on me or even my own mind playing tricks. i think that is god telling me that i will be healed, that he is here.
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SO. amelia's party!

it was a butterfly theme b/c amelia sort of flutters around at this moment in her life. she's not a focused baby. more the type who wants to know everything there is to know about everything (if you-ahem-your child watches sid the science kid, you probably have that song in your head now. sorry) she goes from thing to thing to person to thing, all in a matter of 1 minute. anyway, she flutters about like a butterfly; thus, the theme.

i then force my girls to wear a tutu to their 1st birthday party. i love it, so...they can deal with it. my mother in law kindly makes them. so a butterfly with a tutu? it's something they will ask me about in their adolescent years, i'm sure. who cares? most people think it's cute, especially me!

amelia was in a great mood for the entire party. i was shocked, no serious meltdowns or protests. she even grabbed some wrapping paper & tore it off a gift. the cake was probably the most disturbing part of the party...she checked it out for some time, looking at the icing, patting it a bit, sticking her fingers in it. finally addy was hoisted up beside her sister to show her how to *eat some cake* & shoved some icing in her mouth. THEN amelia started to taste it. she seems to have more of a sweet tooth than adeline did at this age (addy didn't even like sweets until this past year! what kid?!) so to see a nearly 1 year old gobbling up her cake was a treat.

i just have to say...it was wonderful to be able to still have a party for amelia so soon after my surgery. the fact that i have a sister & mom who are willing to totally plan & implement a birthday party for a wee one year old...that makes me feel blessed. i know if they hadn't been able to do it, that others would have stepped up to throw the party as well...but i do know that i am in no shape to be doing a party!

i just really like the idea of celebrating birthdays. it's sort of a day to celebrate that specific person's life & relationships & every thing about that person. wes & i are adamant: birthdays will be a fun day. i'm sure the parties filled with family & our friends are going away, replaced with parties filled with shrieking little girls (or boys, if they choose to have boy friends!). either way, we want the birthday girl to know that we think she's cool enough to throw a big bash in her honor. & amelia really seemed to revel in this thought! little does she know that she will again get a cupcake or something on her actual birthday next week, including a meal that is full of her favorite foods (peas! ICK! but i will do it, just for her, lol).

it seems that the guests had fun as well. adeline loved the butterfly suckers, her cousins chloe & zoe were sooo excited to be there, & even some older crawford boys seemed to enjoy themselves. we had amelia's cousins & great grandparents & grandparents & aunts & uncles & 2nd cousins & then the set of 'fake aunties' (two of my friends who don't have kids of their own)...like i said, a 1st birthday bash, just for our amelia.

did i mention it was HOT & HUMID? i think it reached around 93 degrees that day...but everyone was a good sport about the hotness of the day (which is why we booked the shaded park...we did that last april! planners, we are *smile*).
anyway, thanks to everyone who joined us & even those who wished they could have joined us. thanks to those who helped put on the party (amelia would've had a sad candle stuck in a sad cookie if it weren't for you).

so yep, folks, next week the 24th, you'll get another round of amelia pictures or a video if i'm feeling feisty. feel free to skip it if you're tired of hearing about amelia's birthday, lol. i do know that grandparents & parents never tire of hearing about these girls (at least that i know of), so i will indulge as much as possible.