Second Birthday - Creating a Party for our Special Warrior that works for him!

William is medically fragile and complex. We learned from his first birthday that traditional did not fit him in any definition of the word. Lessons learnt meant we had to think differently. We made his second birthday celebration something that fit him and fit us perfectly. Here are some highlights:

Theme: Elmo and his Sesame Street Friends - this began as a result of William's CVI (Cortical Vision Impairment) where he prefers strong vibrant colours and therefore reacts well to Elmo since he is a solid red. It took a life of its own once I began planning food and realized I needed many more characters than were found in Elmo's world - so the sesame street friends joined in the fun!

Format: Open House - The joy of this flexible schedule meant that people could flow through as they wanted and it wasn't overwhelming for William or any of us. It also allowed us to open it up to anyone who wanted to attend and it was fabulous. (Photo is of proud big brother with his gift for his little brother - all the balloons for all the kids attending the party)

Timing: All afternoon. We planned for William to nap during the course of the party and true to form when it was the busiest he fell asleep (pretty sure the constant sound of voices reminds him of hospital life). This worked well because there was no structure to the party. There were goody bags and balloons for the kids and they simply got them when they were ready for them. People wandered through and his wheelchair was in the midst of everything. The atmosphere was very chill and relaxed, just like the birthday boy.

Birthday Cake?: touchy subject! What do you do for a child who can not have anything orally? Do you have cake for everyone else? I loved it when one friend shared how since her child is tube fed they buy individual cake slice boxes that the birthday boy decorates and the cake is given as a gift to go. Such a fun idea we will use one day in the future. This time though we chose a dessert table at the end of the buffet. Help yourself - just save some of Abby Cadabby's Fairy Pretzel Chocolate Covered Wands for me (kudos to William's cousin and aunt - they were a hit, so lucky to have sister in laws who are both awesome bakers!!) We had a photo for everyone to sign too instead of one moment for singing Happy Birthday. A great memento to always treasure.

Gifts: Not Needed. We just said it was a toonie two birthday - so bring your love, well wishes and a toonie and we were happy! Our family and friends blew us away with their generosity and fun, creative gifts, and the love they brought them was seriously amazing.

Messages from around the world mean new decorations for his nursery. We had friends reaching out from all the way in China and England and all over Canada. Our friends drove from hours away to spend time with us. It was a joy to have the house filled with such incredible people and so much support. We have a global village and each member is a very valued part of the Warrior William Tribe!

End of the Party: Chilling out. The nicest part was just letting the party end when it wanted to end. By planning lots of food for the buffet there was tons of food for those who wanted to stay. (Seriously cooking hot dogs in a slow cooker has changed my life!) William even decided to show off his new milestone of using his legs - I will give you a photo as a tease... but I think I will have you wait until my article of AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthotics) to see the video. Trust me it is worth the wait.

Lesson for next year: TAKE MORE PHOTOS! I know I, the girl who loves photos, forgot to charge her camera and kept putting her phone down, so next year I am going to ask everyone to make sure they take at least 3 photos (he will be turning 3 of course) during the party to send us after they go home! Be prepared everyone!!