Happy First Birthday Dylan!

May 31^st 2014.  Dylan hit the big O-N-E year mark!  How is it that my tiny guy is a full year old?  Boy, time does fly by when you’re raising kids!

One year ago I had never heard of Microcephaly.  I had never even considered the possibility of raising a child with special needs.  One year ago I was a completely different person than I am today.

The past year has been a journey, to say the least.  I have learned more and grown more and been stretched more than I ever thought possible.  I know that there are so many years ahead, years that will be much more challenging and also much more rewarding, but to have made it through the first year with a smile on my face seems like a worthy accomplishment to me.  One year ago I had no idea what Dylan would be like by his first birthday.  I didn’t know if he would be struggling with seizures (thank God he is not!), if he would be able to see, if he would be able to sit or hold up his head.  The milestones that are taken so for granted when raising typically developing children were all thrown out the window when Dylan was 3 weeks old and officially diagnosed with Microcephaly.  From that point on, everything that he has accomplished has been a total surprise and a complete blessing.  I’ve said it before, but I hope I never lose sight of the miracles that take place every day as Dylan overcomes the challenges he was born with. 

But May 31^st 2014 was all about celebrating the amazing gift that Dylan is.  We celebrated with our family and a couple of Dylan’s “friend-babies” (a term coined by my cousin’s sweet 2 ½ year old).  It was about the perfect night.  Dylan was his typical joyful & entertaining self, and loved every minute of being the center of attention.  He watched excitedly as the “big kids” played soccer and basketball in the grass.  He sat contently while Jack and his friends opened the presents and showed them to Dylan one by one.  And the highlight of the night was the most enthusiastic cake smash I’ve seen in a long time.  As it turns out, the kid likes cake!

Dylan’s first birthday celebration is a story much better told with pictures than with words, so I will leave you with a LOT of pictures of the cutest one year old around! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Dylan!  Mom and Dad love you more than you will ever know. 

Enjoy!