Myles' BirthDAY!

Myles' birthday fell on a Thursday this year, which is typically a work day for me, but I took it off to spend it with just him. We dropped Sydney and Ryker off at preschool first thing in the morning, made a quick stop at the grocery store, and then went to see the movie Planes, Fire and Rescue. I was planning to take Myles to Pirate's Cove, a water park near our house, but the cold, rainy weather squashed those plans. If he can't be busy running around outside, Myles is most likely asking to watch a movie, so going to the theater was a good second choice. Typically on work days Myles attends a summer camp through his elementary school, and coincidentally, his summer camp program was at the same movie we went to. It was fun to have all the leaders and kids wish Myles a happy birthday.

Myles fell asleep on the way home from the movie because he was really tired from getting up super early (before 5!), which is a bit of an issue for us. I was hoping to get him down for a nap once we got home, but of course he fought it and refused to sleep. If I'm being honest, this is the point in the day that I had a bit of a breakdown. I was so tired, it had been raining for two days (I need sunshine!), and Myles was being difficult - even on his own birthday. After we received Myles' diagnosis of Down syndrome, I read a lot. The more information I had, the easier it was for me to process it. In so much of the literature, it talked about the grief process in initially accepting the diagnosis, but then also talked about how, when you least expect it, a wave of fresh emotions may come. I didn't quite get it at the time, but completely understand it now. Every milestone is bittersweet. I'm proud of Myles, how hard he works, and how far he has come, but for me, big events put a spotlight on his delays. I was particularly sad yesterday about his struggles with expressive speech, and some frustrations and subsequent behaviors that we were battling that morning. After some encouraging text messages from Gilby (I'm so grateful for a supportive spouse!), and a good lunch for both of us, Myles and I had a much better afternoon.

 

The rain stopped and the sun came out, so Myles and I walked down to the park - a happy place for both of us. He helped me make his cake, and we went to pick up Ryker and Sydney. All the kiddos played together, we had a family dinner, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream. I let the kids help me decorate the cake, and we decided on his Monsters Inc. guys for the topper. I thought it came out especially cute!

Our boy felt celebrated and loved, and that made for a good day. Happy 6th birthday, sweet Myles. We love you.