Maxwell turns 2- part 2

A certain little guy turned 2 last week, a milestone which was celebrated over 2 big days and subsequently, 2 blog posts. If you missed part 1, you can read it here
The second celebration, saw us hitting the road and trekking over to the other side of the city, to a country town called 'Emerald'. This is where a century old steam locomotive called 'Puffing Billy' runs from. Except, on this particular day, the train was being pulled by *drum roll*...... Thomas the Tank Engine! Max is such a boy, he loves planes, boats, cars, motorbikes, diggers, tractors (etc) and trains. I was (cautiously) certain that a day out with Thomas would make up for the previous day.




The look on his face, when he saw the real life Thomas, was priceless. I've never seen him run so fast.







There were photo opportunities...




An animal farm...




In the Goose's defense, Max started it

A jumping castle....




And (of course), a big long train!







You come here often?


Just hangin' out with my Great Grandpa Maxwell Senior

Max was so over-awed when the train ride started, he promptly burst into tears. It didn't take him long though, to fall in love with the entire experience....



















My parents had arrived early that day, so they 'reserved' us the best picnic table in the park. It was perfect, on one side of the table there was a playground and on the other side, the trains. I'm not sure if Max ate much of his lunch, because he was simply too busy!










We sang Happy Birthday (again), he looked bewildered (again), and threw his cake (again). Max had 3 birthday cakes over the weekend and he didn't have a single bite of one. (Note: next year it'll be gruel and water)










By the time we'd finished lunch, Max was getting grouchy, so it was time to leave.




One last snuggle with Pa



Goodbye Thomas, you did a great job!

We were only a few minutes down the road, when I turned around and saw.....





Fast asleep, after having the perfect birthday celebration, I'd dreamed of. I'm now the proud 'owner' of a two year old and Birthday celebration version 2.0 was a success. Now, I've had a few words with him about growing up too quickly and he's assured me, he won't turn 3 until I'm ready. About 10 years outta do it.

Maxwell turns 2- part 1

It's official. My baby is 2 years old. A few days ago, amidst just a little fanfare, Max celebrated his 2nd Birthday. This year, I felt none of the sadness I felt on his first birthday, it was all pure, unadulterated excitement. Of course, the day didn't quite go as I planned, but a few vodkas at the end of the day, solved that. Allow me to share with you, some highlights.....

A few days before Max's birthday, we went through his presents to remove all of the ties securing toy to box. Anyone who's ever tried to separate a toy from it's packaging can attest to how challenging it is, especially when your child is nagging/whining/screaming. We have learnt the hard way (like most parents I suspect) to remove all cable ties in advance. We had made a pact, we wouldn't go overboard with the presents......


                                                                        Yeah....um....

We also completed a battery inventory and made sure we had stocked up before the big day. The night before his birthday, we filled the loungeroom with balloons, streamers and presents after he had gone to bed. His reaction the next morning was more of bewilderment, than excitement.....
                                                    I'm sure he's thinking, "what the.....?"


                                                               This one first Mamma?


I wanted to make him a really special birthday breakfast, but I totally suck in the cooking department, so I bought 'shaker' pancake mix. Usually, my pancakes turn out rubbery, crispy or raw, so I googled 'how to make the perfect pancakes' and followed every instruction to the letter. I was so proud of my fluffy little stack....
        He SCREAMED when I served them up and pointed at the toaster. He wanted toast.

His birthday lunch was scheduled for 1230 at our favourite cafe in Melbourne- Cheeky Chinos. Herein laid a slight dilemma. Max usually goes down for a nap around half 12, and that was the only time I could schedule lunch. I had two choices (1) Take him to his usual music class in the morning and pray like hell, he'd sleep in the car; or (2) Have a quiet morning at home and pray like hell, he'd last until 3pm without a nap. I knew whichever option I chose, it'd be the wrong one. I changed my mind a gazillion times until finally (at the 11th hour), I decided to take him to music.

He had a great time at music. He played with his friends, he danced, he did his first Easter Egg Hunt and everyone sang Happy Birthday to him....


He was exhausted by the end of the class and I was reasonably confident, he'd nap on the way to lunch. He didn't. By the time we got to Cheeky Chinos, he was a screaming, highly agitated mess (Note: next time let someone else make these decisions so Mumma doesn't beat herself up)

It's always a little disappointing when you've put some effort into organizing something, but it goes nothing like you planned. I'll admit, I felt totally deflated and couldn't enjoy myself, whilst he was so miserable. I think his facial expression says it all in this pic....


                                                          Glares angrily from the sidelines

This is probably the best photo of him, from the entire party....

                                                 It's my party and I'll sleep if I want to

The cupcakes I'd ordered from Burnt Butter, looked and tasted phenomenal!




But, this is what Max thought of them.....


                                                                 Ungrateful sod

We finished off the afternoon, with a visit to Max's cousins Kate and Shevaun. The girls are so lovely with him, he adores them and I think this picture says it all....
                                                          I nap here, on my cousin

At some point on the drive home, I managed to get one decent photo of my birthday boy.....




It was an early night for Mister Maxwell and I got my 734pm cuddle, the exact time he entered the world, 2 years ago.

I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped us celebrate Max's birthday, as well as everyone who sent cards and birthday messages. We are blessed and humbled to have so many people on 'Team Max'.
                                   Happy Birthday Maxwell Hendrix, you are my everything.

(The very next day, I found my first grey hair. Coincidence?)

Dear Stroke

Dear Stroke,

I know you're probably busy, disrupting people's lives, so I'll keep this brief.

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for not taking my sons life. You gave it a damn good shot, but slipped up by choosing a respiratory arrest, rather than a cardiac. Thanks for shutting his little body down so much, they couldn't insert an IV. The doctors had to drill into his shin, the screams were so piercing, a part of me died right there. I thank you for the perspective this moment gave me. I will never be fazed by grazed knees and bumped heads.

Thank you for ruining any chance I had of being a 'normal' mother with 'normal' problems. Thank you for destroying so many motherhood rites of passage. I could've been stressing about Tizzie Halls sleep schedules, but instead, I was watching my son slowly & painfully wake from a coma. Thanks for that. I now know, I have the strength to keep going even when my heart is breaking.

Thank you for taking me to the most terrifying place on earth. The place where the reality of losing your child, haunts every thought. And thanks for the hours I spent fearing my son would never walk, talk or live an independent life. You taught me to appreciate the simplest of things.

Why did you choose a 10 week old boy? Why did you choose my baby? Despite all the therapy in the universe, he'll never regain the full function of his right arm. You took that away from him, when he was only a precious, little baby. I'll make peace with that eventually but I'll always despise you.

But here's the thing Stroke. My son is not a victim and neither am I. Despite everything you took from us on June 2nd, you haven't won. You might see me cry, you might hear me thinking how much I hate you. You might even hear me say "I quit" but I'll never stop fighting. I'll fight for my son and I'll fight against you. Because you're the big, dumb bully in the playground, picking on people who never stood a chance. Not all strokes are preventable, and sometimes the cause isn't even known. So, let me tell you one more thing Stroke, SCREW YOU, I'm gunna kick your ass.

Yours Sincerly,
Faith


**** You can learn more about how to fight stroke by checking out the National Stroke Foundations Website, here ****