Baby James Heart

08/31/2025

💙 Seven Years of Strength: James’ Story 💙

Seven years ago today, my son James came into this world and immediately began a fight most people can’t even imagine.

At just 13 days old, James had open-heart surgery. He was born with something called Shone’s Complex — a combination of serious heart defects that meant his very first breaths were already a battle. He’s lived his whole life with a heart that needs extra help: holes, narrowed valves, smaller structures, and the reality that more surgeries are still ahead.

But James’ journey didn’t stop there. On top of his heart condition, he was also diagnosed with epilepsy, autism (level 2), and a SHOX gene mutation that affects his growth. Life has handed him so many challenges, one stacked on top of another. Things most kids never have to think about, James faces every single day.

And yet — he laughs. He loves big. He finds joy in the little things. He has a way of making people smile even when he’s struggling himself. He’s brave in a way that inspires me constantly, because he has no choice but to be.

Today, James is 7 years old. Seven years of fighting, seven years of doctor visits and hospital stays, seven years of proving the odds wrong. But also seven years of love, laughter, silly moments, and resilience.

After everything this boy has endured in his short life, he deserves to be celebrated. He deserves an extra special day.

So, if you’d like to help me make James’ birthday sweeter, I’m leaving this here: $GinGipson88 (CashApp). Even the thought of someone sending him a donut or a little treat would light up his whole world.

This isn’t about asking for much — it’s about honoring a little boy who has already lived through more than most adults ever will. James deserves to feel the love around him today. 💙

Happy 7th Birthday, my sweet warrior. You are my hero.

08/19/2025

All my handsome first day of school pics all in one cute collage! I'm so ready to tackle 2nd grade!

08/18/2025

📚✨ First day of 2nd grade homeschool for James! He picked out his Mario shirt this morning (no surprise there 😂) and insisted on sharpening every pencil before we even opened the books.

He’s already asked me twice if “recess” can include video games… so I think we’re off to a very James start. 💙

A lot of you have asked about his birthday coming up, and his Amazon wishlist is live here:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/9Z9LM28YRKII?ref_=wl_share

Even the smallest surprise makes him light up. If you’d like to help sprinkle a little birthday magic his way, it would mean the world to him (and to us).

Thank you for loving our heart warrior as much as we do. 💖

08/17/2025

08/13/2025

Team meeting this afternoon was a win! 🦁⚾ James got to meet all the new freshman and transfer players, plus see the teammates and coaches he already knows and loves. Coach Scali even introduced James to the guys before they all settled in to fill out team paperwork — and yes, James filled his out right alongside them like one of the crew.

He did get a little extra James a few times (loud voices, rolling around on the floor mid-meeting 🤦‍♀️😂), so I pulled him to the back for a quick calm-down. Once he had my phone, he marched right back to the team and wowed them with his Mario art skills. 🎨🍄

All in all, it was a great afternoon. We’re feeling excited and hopeful for an awesome season ahead! 💛🦁

08/13/2025

💙 Our Heart Warrior Turns 7 💙

In just two weeks, James will celebrate his 7th birthday. Seven whole years with this brave, funny, incredible boy — something we never take for granted.

James was born with complex congenital heart defects. In his first days of life, he faced open-heart surgery, and since then he’s endured procedures, therapies, and countless doctor visits. He lives with medical challenges that would overwhelm most adults — yet he meets the world with a smile, a silly joke, and a heart full of love.

Crowds and big parties aren’t his thing, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make his day magical. This year, I want to surround him with things that bring him joy and comfort — little reminders that he’s celebrated, loved, and cherished exactly as he is.

If you’d like to help make his birthday extra special, we’ve made a wishlist here:
📦 https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/9Z9LM28YRKII?ref_=wl_share

Every surprise, big or small, will help make this milestone one to remember. Thank you for loving our heart warrior and being part of his journey. 💛

08/06/2025

💙 James Health Update – The Mystery Solved 💙

Hey everyone, just wanted to update all of you who love and follow James on what’s been going on the past week. It’s been a whirlwind, and we’re finally catching our breath.

Last week, James started acting… off. Not his usual self. He was sleeping more, eating less, and just didn’t have his spark. As his mom, I know his baseline—and this wasn’t it. We ended up seeing the pediatrician twice, and then landed in the ER at Children’s Hospital when things still didn’t feel right.

Cardiology ran a full workup—including an echo—and while his heart defects always warrant concern, the echo actually looked stable. That was both a relief and a puzzle. Labs were drawn, monitors were hooked up, and everyone agreed: something was going on. But what?

The answer came in the bloodwork: James had Mono.

We believe he had it a week or two ago and is now in recovery. His body did its job and fought it off without the classic symptoms—no sore throat, no swollen tonsils—just fatigue and low appetite. His Mono count was at 8, which means his system is still clearing it, and it could take a couple more weeks for him to feel 100% again.

The pediatrician has been amazing. She’s checking on him closely, and we’ll have follow-ups as he recovers. She’s also helping us make sure there’s not anything else going on—because when you’re dealing with congenital heart disease, epilepsy, autism, and a rare gene mutation, “off” can mean a dozen things.

But for now, we’re focusing on rest, hydration, and gentle days at home. No school, no stress, just healing.

Thank you so much for always caring about James and our family. Please continue sending him good energy—he’s one tough kid, but even superheroes need a little help from their village.

💛
—Gin

07/19/2025

Long time, no update. 💙

We’ve shared pieces of James’ journey here over the years—sometimes in the big moments, and sometimes just when I needed a place to process what it means to parent a kid with a mended heart and a beautifully complex brain.

Lately, I’ve felt that pull again.
Not because of any single scary thing—there’s no emergency, no looming surgery date—but because I can feel things shifting a little. And if you’re a heart parent, or a medical mom in general, you know: sometimes your gut knows before the chart does.

So here we are again. Checking in.

James is 6 now, but he'll be 7 next month! He’s hilarious and stubborn and bright and full of opinions. He’s obsessed with Mario in all forms—games, plushies, character voices, you name it. He still wants “just a nibble” of whatever I’m eating, and he surprises us daily with how deeply and uniquely he experiences the world.

He’s also autistic, and he has temporal lobe epilepsy—though we’re incredibly thankful to say he’s been seizure free for over two years now. That alone feels like a chapter worth celebrating.

Physically, we’re starting to notice more challenges again. His legs hurt often. He tires out more quickly than other kids. His cardiology team is still monitoring things closely—it’s been a slow progression over the last couple years, but his heart function is under extra watch now.

Nothing urgent.
Nothing scheduled.
Just… a mom watching the puzzle pieces shift and feeling like something new might be ahead.

We’re also learning more about how his SHOX gene mutation might be affecting more than just his height. There’s growing evidence that it could be playing a role in his joint pain, endurance issues, and maybe even how his heart and muscles work together. It’s complex, but it’s starting to make more sense—like the big tangled web is slowly connecting in ways we didn’t expect when he was little.

So this update isn’t a red flag—it’s more of a yellow light.
Not a warning, just a heads-up.
Not bad news—just news, from a mama who knows her boy.

We’ll keep sharing as we learn more.
For now, James is doing what James always does: living his very best Mario-loving, snack-stealing, weird-little-genius life. And we’re so lucky to be the ones beside him.

Thanks for being here. Thanks for sticking around. And thanks for loving him—even quietly—from wherever you are.
💙
—Team James