We are exhausted. I've fought back tears literally all day and had a very hard time focusing and getting things packed and ready.
Thank goodness my best friend is in town to rescue me. Before Belle and I woke this morning, she and Mady had already left the house, bought donuts, coffee and flowers. It was a great start to the day but very quickly escalated to stress once Annabelle found out we had to go to the doctors for her Pre-op appointment. She cried with the most heartbreaking crocodile tears I've ever seen, pleading not to go to the doctors. I think she knows the time has arrived. She's realized that tomorrow is the day of the party and she knows the following day = hospital. She panicked .. She panicked harder than I even knew a 3yo could panic. She was hysterical that I could hardly hold her or contain her. Like a terrible tantrum but out of complete fear - her body trembled as she dry heaved begging not to go to cincinnati. If she is this heartbroken now, I cannot imagine what Sunday morning will look like as we board the plane :'(
Annabelle calmed down once we got to the doctors office. The first question our doctor had was "what's that smell?!" ..... Sadly, it's Annabelle's breath and her overall odor. Her body smells like orange juice or syrup, while her breath and mouth smells like pure stool Bc of her failing GI system. Her doctor dropped her head in dispair and we began our conversation of all our hopes and wishes for Cincinnati Ohio.
After lunch, we took the girls to paint their fingernails purple and Andi suggested that we drop them off with AK at the house so I could get out and exhale while we did some last minute shopping.
It was a great idea Bc a few hours later, I found myself sitting in my closet trying to pack with tears filling my eyes. I am a walking basket case but refuse to let a tear fall. I pray tomorrow isn't that day!!!
Which brings me to the purpose behind this post, I wanted to share just a few things before the event tomorrow.. Some courtesy reminders and a lot of gratitude to everyone who makes the trip out to see us.
- Remember, Annabelle suffers from an auto-immune disease. If you're sick or have recently been sick, please blow kisses from a distance at the party ;) no smooches! Wash hands as much as you can. We will have bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere so help yourself.
- Do not feed the animal... Errr... Child. Please, please, I cannot stress enough - do NOT offer Annabelle absolutely anything to eat.
- If you do pick her up and snuggle her, be mindful of the tubey in her tummy. She guards it pretty closely, but the excitement may be distracting and no one wants booboos at a party!
- Take a minute to thank the Guilty Ones for all their hard work and commitment to this event and Annabelle. Without them, there is no way a party like this could happen.
- Respect the property and church that is so gracious to host the event. The lobby will be open for restrooms and to entertain if the weather is too bad. Please do not litter or disrespect any of the property or church.
- Bring cash. There will be many fun events going on during the day, merchandise, raffles, tournaments etc that I know you'll want to participate in. Remember .. Every single penny goes towards trip to Cincinnati. Our current bill is at $13,000 ... We have no idea what the final total will be until we return. Every penny to help this burden is appreciated so we can continue to provide for Annabelle with all her other nerds. (Meds, appointments, care, supplies, etc)
Most importantly, Rain or Shine, have a wonderful time and know how much we appreciate and love each and every one of you for coming out! Make sure you find me for a hug... we do hugs and not hand shakes in our family ;)
Xoxo
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