Five years ago today... I had planned a Spring Break Tea Party for Lamb (who was 4 at the time). We had a special, Fancy Nancy-inspired menu...
gem-enhanced silverware...
and friends coming over in their princess-wear finest.
Five years ago today... I still had three weeks left until my due date.
Five years ago today... I decided to get a few last things for Easter baskets. I took my kids to my parents' house before making a quick run to Target... and then my mom noticed (sly detective that she is) that I was having pretty hard contractions about every 7-8 minutes, so she thought maybe she should come with me.
Five years ago today... I woke up looking like this...
(Well, more or less... This was taken about 6 weeks earlier in Vegas... but when your baby comes by surprise, you don't have much time to get those last-minute baby belly shots!)
and ended the day like this...
Five years ago today... I had no idea what a wild and crazy and absolutely wonderful ride I was about to take.
Today... I shake my head at the wonder of it all.
Today... I thank God that He loves me enough to entrust me with this boy (and his big brother and sister).
Today... I celebrate 5 years with this incredible boy.
It is day 2 of "The Week of Roo", and this morning I just want to share a few pictures from The Big Day.
We'll be celebrating with our extended family over the weekend, but tonight the grandparents--my folks and my mother-in-law--came out for dinner and a mini-party.
If you saw the video I posted yesterday, you may have guessed that my little guy enjoys the birthday song. And that he knows what to do at the end. Months ago, he started "blowing out the candles" at the end of the song, but this was his first time to do it for real. (Well, technically it was his FOURTH time to do it for real, but this was the first time since he started singing the song and pretending to do it.) I wasn't sure if he would really understand what to do. He did.
He also knew what to do after the candles were done.
Earlier in the day, Roo and I had run to the grocery store, and he saw the balloons. And one even said, "Happy Birthday!" What were the chances? It was like a sign. I had to buy it, right?
It was quite possibly the best $4 purchase in the history of ever. He.was.THRILLED.
And what is a birthday celebration without presents?
He had no trouble knowing what to do with those, either!
He immediately needed to read his new books. And Nana was happy to oblige.
It was a fun night. And then it was bedtime. For everyone. :-)
Thanks for indulging me a little with all of the photos for the past couple of days. Tomorrow, more of a real update on Roo. :-)
Four years ago today, I embarked on the most incredible journey of my life. And I didn't even know it.
Four years ago today, our family was joined by a teeny tiny miracle. Just 4 pounds, 2 ounces.
I didn't know that this was an extra special miracle. I thought it was your run-of-the-mill miracle--amazing, but no different than the miracles that all moms and dads bring home from the hospital.
We didn't find out for almost three months. That our baby Roo had, in that tiny little body, an extra chromosome in every single cell.
But here's the crazy part: we thought it was bad news. We didn't really get it. We cried and mourned.
We prayed for a miracle. And it was already right there in front of us.
We watched Roo grow and change, and we began to accept Down syndrome as a part of our lives. We knew we would be OK.
We saw Roo learn new things, and we celebrated. Every milestone--no matter how small--was a joy.
We worked relentlessly with Roo on things--life skills, stuff we thought was important. How to sit up, stand, walk. How to hold objects, feed himself, drink from a cup.
We learned that the harder you work for something, the sweeter the victory.
And then there were the things that Roo didn't need to work for, things that came naturally to him.
We realized that Roo had the uncanny ability to light up a room when he entered. The absolute joy that he emits (along with a hearty dose of orneriness) draws people in.
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We saw him go out of his way to bring a smile to someone's face when they were upset.
We observed him tackle each new challenge willingly, but without desperation or fear. He wasn't upset or worried when he couldn't do something. He just kept trying.
We began to understand that we could relax. We stopped worrying so much about the outcome and began to embrace the journey.
And somewhere along the way, we realized that we had changed, too.
We no longer simply accepted Down syndrome. We became thankful for it.
Because no matter how much we teach Roo, he teaches us more.
When you reach the proper age I will teach you to read and you can turn the pages How to dress and tie your shoes Your one plus ones, and your two times two's And you'll teach me Of hearts and dreams And all the most important things And all that I have lost along the way And I can't wait
--Sara Groves, "I Can't Wait"
Because if you were this boy... on this day... you would be SEVEN. Today.
Yep, yesterday he was 6. (Actually, according to him, he was "6 and 3 quarters and 2 dimes." He's his father's son, what can I say?) But today... he's SEVEN.
Happy birthday, Monkey!
Thank you, Lord, for every second of laughter with this boy ("You are the best mommy ever--and the second best parent!"), every tender hug, every moment of thoughtfulness ("Mommy, I'll tell you about that later. I want to hear about your day right now.")--for every rock and stick and blade of grass that he brings me as a present. You really outdid yourself when you made this one, God. And then you saw fit to give him to me--I am crazy blessed.
