This is a short and sweet post about the joy it was to be with Dex as he turned seven this week, it was a crazy week, two birthdays for two of our boys Dex and Oscar, two days apart and they both partied to the absolute max.
Every birthday for any child should be a big deal, its a mile stone to be celebrated and we've always gone all out for all of our children. This last year when Dexter turned 6 in the middle of treatment, it just felt bitter sweet, a day to enjoy but he didn't look like himself, we couldn't give him a party with friends due to covid and we just hopped that the following birthday we could give him everything he deserved, so this year, Dexters party was a real celebration.
The build up of the week was a little more emotional than I could have anticipated, I feel so happy that he's looking so well and doing so well in comparison to the previous year, it feels too lucky. As a parent, you never feel too far from the cold tingling fear of the return of the Rhabdo, but nobody else sees that, feels the, they just think your through the worst, enjoy your life and that you try, this is what these moments of celebration is all about but in the quiet moment as I'm knotting the hundredth balloon around my poor chapped fingers for another ballon arch to frame a beautiful moment of the day, my mind drifts, praying that he'll have the best time, I must provide the best time, he deserves nothing but the best time because I'm never too sure if there's an expiration date hanging over all the fun for us to be had.
Dex slept in till nine on the day, his cousins from Leicester came to stay and excitedly they crowed round him, watching with excitable joy as he opened his gifts. Everyone ready for party day, they all dressed up and got ready for the private cinema showing in the morning, followed by the festival garden party we were throwing him in the afternoon.
The bonbon boys packaged up a sweet sensation for the kids to enjoy at the movies and the disco bouncy party was ready inflated in the morning for the children to return. Unfortunately Covid had scuppered some of our plans, big brother Ethan had been isolating in his room after his return from Boardmasters, his first fun weekend as a teenager in two years thanks to both Covid and cancer and i'm sure it was worth the ten days he's been locked away gaming in his room. My mum was in the tail end of covid, so she couldn't attend either but for those of us that did attend, it was the summer party we all needed.
I had made the foolish decision to purchase a nerf gun for all the children in attendance, these went down a treat, their was no organised teams, their was a free for all - the kids were wild, it was like a scene from board of the flies, the face painter avoiding the flying pellets as she delicately painted glitter, flowers, dragons and superheroes on to the faces of eager children wanting to get into the game.
It was brilliant, the whole day was filled with moments that Jack and I had dreamed we'd get too. It had a brief family moment, there's always someone who's disgruntled, but to be honest, it was our day with our family and nothing could touch our happiness, the last 20 months of hardship had led us to this day with our friends and family, celebrating Dexters life, seven years despite the odds, and its given me a new hope, he felt just like everyone else, yeah he was tired out the next day because he had lived his birthday to the max. Jumping and playing, eating and playing with his bestie, Herbie till nine at night.
I truly feel now he's like this, how could it every come back and defeat him, he's such a tower of strength and I'm just easing into the thought that his future may be as accessional as I'd always dreamed for him. I'm not jinxing anything, I know deep down were not out of the woods, but the 18th of August 2021 was a great day, a big day of the summer holidays, the festival flags were flying, the smiles and happiness was everywhere and it was just a joy to arrange something that everyone loved.
Dexters birthday wasn't just for him, it was to a well earned dose of fun for all the kids, our whole family, every friend and little person that had supported Dexter and us as a family, it was amazing and I wish you could have all been their with us.
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