Cale's Birthday!!!

Saturday was Cale's 2nd birthday...it's amazing how fast two years go by.  We initially were not going to have a party for him (I know, I know - cruel, right?) but birthdays are kind of emotional for us since it's just ANOTHER reminder of how different he is from other kids his age.  BUT, we buckled under the pressure and went above and beyond our hopes for it.  We rented a huge inflatable slide and had his party up at our church.  Cale is in love with slides and even though it was rather expensive, seeing his smile and hearing him giggle was worth EVERY penny!  Alex was a good sport and spent almost the entire two hours taking him down it again and again and again....

My mom and sister drove up and were a huge help in helping organize everything.  I usually try and go over the top when it comes to hosting events but this time I decided to make everything as simple as possible: Papa Murphy's pizza, chips and dip, water, a homemade cake, and balloons.  Pretty simple, right?  The church had a kitchen and every appliance you could possibly need and so we pretty much had everything at our disposal.  The pizzas were the ones you bake yourself and since the church had two ovens we decided to bake them there.  Three adults were in charge of watching the timers...THREE!  That's plenty, right?  Well, we all got so wrapped up in watching the kids go down the slide that we completely forgot about the pizzas.  NOTE: pizzas do not need to cook for 45 minutes.  That's the last time I try and do something simple.  All in all, though, I think everyone had a good time.  I know Cale did and I guess that's all that matters.  

Even though Cale's two and not doing what most two-year olds can do, a nice man reminded me that it's quite amazing how far he's come in the two years he's been with us.  I remember his first birthday and thinking he would NEVER be able to sit up on his own.  Now, although he's not walking yet, I don't set any limits for him because he has proven to me and to everyone that he is capable of overcoming any obstacle set in front of him.  From the day he was only three pounds and fighting for his life, he has continued to fight for everything he can now do to this day. I don't see that stopping anytime soon.  The sky is the limit for my little guy!

Having to dream new dreams is actually a blessing for me - I've been able to dream things for him that I would have never dreamed before.