I can't help myself, just a few more pics

Birthday week...the beginning

Check out my new car! Thanks Ayi!
Olivia and Taylor

Introducing the Train Cake!!!
Check out Trey in the background cheesing it!
Princess Olivia
Precious Matthew

We had Taylor's birthday party with family today. It was a joint party with his cousin Olivia who just turned 7 today. Taylor's birthday is actually on Wednesday we will have a couple more celebrations before the week is out. Today we had pizza, water guns, water balloons, a slip and slide, and a pinata!! It was a lot of fun! I have very great memories of homemade cakes for my birthday as I was growing up. Not necessarily from scratch, but made with a Mother's love. I can remember a cake in the shape of a rabbit, since my birthday was always close to Easter, and it was decorated with jelly beans. So I had always kind of daydreamed of making my kids birthday cakes. Now I have to say I have never decorated a cake, don't have the correct tools, and am alot of times lacking in creativity. Never the less I researched cakes on the internet and decided I would make a train cake. I had so much fun and I think it turned out really well. Taylor really liked it and was excited about the 'choo choo tires' and .....and eating them.

We are excited to announce there is another new baby in the family. Our great nephew was born on Saturday and his name is Matthew. Check him out, he is adorable.

Eating like a true southerner.

James' dad always has such a great garden and we get lots of good veggies this time a year but I don't think I have ever appreciated it so much as I have this year. We have been feasting on fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes, baby red potatoes, green tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. The first night we had corn on the cob (a couple of weeks ago) Taylor looked like he recognized it and wanted it but once he got it he just kind of gnawed on it and really didn't get much corn off of it. Since then we have had corn on the cob several times and he has always wanted it. Tonight however he ate his whole cob of corn. You should have heard him biting into it. Also you'll notice beside his plate a piece of fried green tomato which he ate several of and in the red bowl...yes that is grits, a true southern food. I still can't get over it but he doesn't like mashed potatoes, which is a household favorite and we've gotten him to taste it several times, but he definitely doesn't like them.

The other picture you'll notice Taylor is in a onesie, and he looks just adorable. At his age and weight it is hard to find onesies but after surgery we needed them because he is a picker. He will scratch and pick at any kind of scab or bite he can find on his body so it was a must that he couldn't get to his surgery 'boo boo'. I just think he is adorable in the onesies, I will miss them when he outgrows them.

Feeding the ducks

We decided to go to a state park that is close to where we live this morning. Taylor had the pleasure of having his cousin Trey go with him. We fed the ducks, and played in a creek. Taylor is not allowed to get wet and oh how he would've loved to jump in the creek. We'll have to go back soon. Then we had a picnic lunch and the boys compared muscles. It was a great morning retreat and we were back home by noon for a good nap!! We are also excited to announce a new niece. James' little sister Susan had her 3rd daughter last night. She was one week over due and 8lb 10oz. She is Emma Riley and she is beautiful just like her two big sisters.

Do I look sick to you???

We have to just keep reminding ourselves so we can keep reminding Taylor that he only had heart surgery 11 days ago!!

The star patient...

Our precious boy laying in his hospital bed
A nice lady brought this horse....I mean dog, to
visit the kids and we were making a run for
the room to avoid the slobber showers he was
giving.

At home recovering...really likes his wagon bed.

I would say that 'star patient' describes Taylor. He has just amazed his mommy and daddy after this surgery. I think we expected him to look a little frail and maybe lose a little weight and be slow for more than a couple of days. I would say that Saturday or Sunday which was 5 and 6 days post-op he was very close to normal. Mon and Tues he is almost completely normal. We just have to remind ourselves that our child just had heart surgery 9 days ago and we still have to be careful to keep him healthy. His dermabond(they used a glue type stuff instead of stitches) is starting to flake away and this morning I got a little glimpse under it and he has healed so well. It's going to be a tiny thin scar. He is still taking lasix, although I wish we could go ahead and wean that before our next appt on Aug 6th. It tastes really bad so Taylor just cries when he sees it coming.



Well, we broke down and got a computer. We are price shoppers and so we have been watching and saving and we found a "deal" this week. We got a emachine package and I think for us it is probably more than we need and hopefully will be a good computer.


Taylor is now loving Pirates, because he got to see the first Pirate movie on t.v. and loved it and now he asks for Pirate (pie-whut). He of course still loves cars and now motorcycles...we wonder if he dreams about cars in his sleep. He loves swinging the bat and hitting balls, although that is one of the things he is restricted from doing for a few more weeks. He is constantly telling you "I want ____", or "I don't want ____", or momma see (with a "th" sound). Oh yeah he also has a thing for trains. Boys!!

We're Home

Yesterday (Thursday) we had just went down to the playroom to let Taylor get out of his room and James come down to the playroom and says Taylor we gotta go back to your room, their discharging us! We were so surprised. We hadn't seen the doctor that day, Taylor hadn't pooped since we had been there, and he had thrown up that day. All of that sounds bad, but other than that he had been a star patient and so they let us come home. So once we got home and Taylor had food he was used to, he ate like a pig, pooped on the potty, played a little and then went to sleep and slept for 10 hours. It is true, there is no place like home and maybe the best medicine was to be at home. James and I both slept like logs!! It was wonderful.

So now might be the harder part. We are supposed to watch his play to make sure he doesn't hurt himself for about 3 weeks!! Everyday that will get harder and harder as he will feel better and better. We had to hide all tricycles, riding toys, his punching bag, etc. He is also not supposed to swing the bat, which he loves to pretend things are bats and hit balls with it.

Taylor is doing so good! It's amazing how tough kids are. If you didn't know what he had been through, you would be surprised. Because when you look at him and see him smiling and walking around you wouldn't know he had just been through heart surgery 5 days ago.

Thanks for all the prayers!! Our prayers, once again, have definately been answered.