I often find myself like most parents wishing time would slow down. But lately, this feeling has been overwhelming. Last week we took Porter to Kindergarten night and never have I wanted to step into a time machine more than at that moment.
He's not ready. I'm not ready.
I remember when we first got Porter's autism diagnosis, I thought .... well he is still only 2, we can work really hard and maybe he will catch up by the time he gets to Kindergarten.... you read these stories all the time. They give you hope and punch you in the gut at the same time.
But I'm learning. I'm learning not to compare. It really is never a good idea in general. But when you have a child with special needs, it can be extra hard. You see all the other kids and everything they are doing and a familiar lump creeps up in your throat and can make you feel like you are getting the diagnosis all over again.
But when I don't compare him to anyone else but his magnificent self, I am filled with gratefulness and pride. It wasn't that long ago that I was sitting on my kitchen floor with my dear friend Heather
( who happens to be a behavioral analyst who works with children with autism in Ontario ) and we must have worked for 2 hours trying to get him to sign "freezie". That is the thing about autism, without even knowing it, it makes you celebrate moments that are ordinary for everyone else, but extraordinary to you. ( he did it by the way:)
So my boy turned 5.
He has come so far. I am so very proud of him.
We celebrated his birthday with family and this year, we had a special guest. Porter's IBI tutor who we are so blessed to have in his life. She does photography on the side and agreed to come and take some pictures of his special day. She captured him perfectly. She shared a sneak peek with us, but unfortunately they won't load up here , I'm guessing it is because I don't technically "own" the rights to these pictures yet. If you are on my FB, you can go to my profile and have a look.
In the meantime, my sister captured a few great shots with her phone. We were fortunate it was a nice day, remember that weekend when you didn't need a winter coat?
Porter loves his swing!
My personal favorite.....
Ruby doo was having a great time too!
Happy birthday my beautiful boy. I am so proud of you and can't wait to see everything you will learn in Kindergarten! You will be in the very best of hands :)
