So his birthday was Tuesday. We started out the day by his opening his bedroom door to streamers and balloons "blocking" him in. He quickly figured out a way to crawl underneath so as not to ruin the balloons. He loves balloons. Next he walked down the stairs to his first present at the bottom of the stairs. (He is wearing his Batman over his pajamas, well, because he loves Batman. Doesn't everyone??
Next he had his favorite breakfast, a birthday pancake with candles. (He likes Superman too!)
Then we surprised him with a trip to a Game Ranch to pet some animals. (His absolute favorite thing to do.) Here we are on our way there. Look at that smile - how could you NOT fall in love with that cute face?
Here we are at the zoo! I think his little brother had as much fun as he did.
When we got home, he got to open another present and then we sat down to spaghetti dinner (his favorite).
Then on Saturday, he got to have a birthday party with his friends (Mike the Knight style). Last year, he chose not to have a party. Parties are hard for him, especially when he is the center of attention. He goes into sensory overload even before the party starts and its is really, really hard for him to recover. There are a lot of "triggers" at a party that are hard on SPD kiddos, the smells, the sounds, the Happy Birthday Song is a HUGE one, the attention, the emotions, the change of schedule and the list goes on and on. But this year, he said that he wanted one. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not, but I wanted him to try if he thought he could do it. So we tweaked it a little. I asked him before hand what he wanted and he was able to clearly tell me "NO happy birthday song" so we just blew out the candles instead. That also triggered him, however, and he and I spent some time together in the floor in the bedroom with mommy holding him while he sobbed and mommy tried really hard not to! It didn't seem he would recover so I asked him if he wanted me to bring his food and cake into the room and he and I could have a picnic in the quiet while everyone else ate their food. Then, just like that, he gave me one more hug, asked me for a blanket (his soother), I gave it to him and he marched right back out to the party and within a few minutes was laughing and playing with his friends. I can't even begin to express how proud of him I was. He SELF-regulated. That's an OT term for he was able to UNDERSTAND what was wrong and even though he couldn't put it in words, he was able to tell me what he needed in order to calm down. THEN he didn't give up, even though it was hard, he got up and rejoined the party. AMAZING. Thank you , God, for how far You have brought him. UNBELIEVABLE! Then I was equally amazed (and humbled) when at the end of the party one of his friends asked him why he cried and he was able to tell her that he just needed his mommy. Oh my heart. Oh sweet boy, I am here for you!
I have to say here that we are so thankful for some awesome parent friends around us that accept Aiden and all the special exceptions that are made to make him more comfortable. SO if you are reading, those of you that were at the party, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for loving my boy and doing SO much to make him comfortable and to not feel "different" at his party yesterday. You loved him and when he melted, you helped me more than you know in bringing him back around. You rock and on Aiden's behalf, we are SO thankful for you!!!
Back to the party, so all the kids dressed up for this party. Boys were knights and girls were princesses. Here is my Knight (the kid that a year ago would never wear any kind of costume).
We had a Knight table and a princess table.
They had a great time playing.
I intended to get a picture of him with all his friends but somehow that didn't happen! We had lots of knights here too but somehow we didn't get those pics either.
Aiden enjoyed playing with his friends the most. He said that was the best part of the day! We ended the day after all his friends had gone home by having a water fight in the driveway with some water balloons that a friend gave him for his birthday!
After a week of celebrations, we still had Mother's Day to go! I have reflected today on my first Mother's Day, 5 years ago, when they had just placed a tiny baby in my arms a couple of days before and I got a sweet note from Aiden's birthmom telling me "Happy Mother's Day." I couldn't even begin to put into words how grateful I was/am to her for entrusting his sweet life to me. I think about her and where she is and how proud she would be of him if she knew all he had overcome in his short life and what an impact he makes on those who love him. I think about my sweet Ethan's birth family on Mother's Day. I wonder if they are able to think of their sweet boy, so many miles away, with a little less pain in their hearts than the day they handed him to me. I think about how proud I think they would be of him and how he can bring a smile to anyone around him.I wonder if they know how much joy he brings to our family. I wonder if both mothers wonder how much they have grown and changed and if they are safe and healthy.
Then I think about how grateful I am that GOD allowed me to parent 2 special boys. How I got to be the mother of the two cutest, sweetest, most loving boys in the entire world. The WHOLE world. I get to do this. I don't deserve them but I get to do this! I get to do birthday parties and zoo trips and diapers and potty training and art work and crumbs on the floor and big boy beds and toddler beds and dance parties and first steps and first words and hearing "I love you" for the first time and well as "Mommy" and spaghetti dinners and favorite snacks and holding them through the tears and the laughs and the joys. I get to teach them lessons and even on the hard days, it is awesome. I would walk through fire for them in a second. In.a. Second. I get to watch them every day as they grow their wings. I get to help them do it. One day, I'll get to watch them fly away. They are gonna fly high. I know it!
I got to celebrate Mother's Day at my mom's house tonight with my family. It was nice, the gifts, the food, the celebrating, the nice words but what I was thinking, though, is that there could be no greater gift that just the gift of my children. They are more than I could have ever imagined and experiencing their love and the love God has given me for them is enough for me!
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