Three years ago I listened as doctors told me my itty bitty baby boy would never walk. We tickled his feet every time we walked into the NICU just to see him wiggle his toes, in my mind thanking God for that wiggling. Reminding myself that God brings healing. Remembering that through Christ, all things are possible. Those days and weeks following Brenden's birth were filled with so many questions, lots of 'what if's', and wondering what the future would hold. Well I'm starting to live that future....and every day, I am amazed at how far we've come....

Today, I had a moment of that negative thinking we were filled with during those days and weeks following Brenden's birth. For a moment, I thought Brenden wouldn't be able to do something. I always make sure that he stays positive about his abilities. I never let him get away with saying "I can't." If he says it, I make him do whatever he's trying to do, and after he does it, I say, "Now see, you can do it. You just had to work harder." Well my guy proved me wrong and made me feel guilty for having that brief moment of doubting his ability. Just what did Brenden do today?!?!?? He walked blindfolded to play "Pin the Nose on the Clown." And he won. BLINDFOLDED, people. And his steps were perfect. And he won.

As parents, we all have fear. We have an innate desire to protect our children. We want to shield them from hurt. And as a parent of a special needs child, that need to protect goes to a whole new level. I often worry that Brenden will someday be shunned by his peers. That he will feel excluded. I worry about this probably more than I should. For example, Brenden got new AFO's last week. Many of you SB mamas know what new AFO's mean.....the need for new shoes. I typically have luck with Stride Rite, since they come in extra wides. But a bazillion stores and shoes later, I still couldn't find shoes to fit over the brace. And then, by luck, I found a pair of sneakers at Walmart that fit perfectly. The next day as my dad and grandmother were chatting with Brenden about his new shoes, I voiced my disapproval with the shoes, stating that I was still looking for a name brand sneaker because I didn't want generic sneakers to be one more thing kids could tease him about. They told me I was crazy for thinking kids would care that he wasn't donning Nike or Adidas....but I know kids are cruel. To many of you, you may be thinking I'm crazy for worrying about Brenden's shoes. But I think about small things like that and let fear get the best of me. I just feel like there are already enough things kids can potentially tease Brenden about, so if I can eliminate a potential, I will.

Okay, on to happier things. Like, Brenden starts Summer school this week!!! As I type that I'm having a flashback to February/March when the thought of him starting school was enough to send me into an hour long cryfest. Well I've landed that plane and am now one of those parents that posts on Facebook on the first day of Summer vacation, "Is it time for the kids to go back to school yet?" Brenden enjoys school....it gives him structure, socialization, and something to do. He needs that. And boy so do I!! He gets bored at home. We can only do so much Playdoh, coloring, pool time, water table time, Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, flashcards, working on counting, etc, etc, etc. The only thing I'm nervous about this go-round is that he will have different teachers....and ones that probably aren't special-ed teachers or pre-k teachers for that matter. But nonetheless, he's headed back :)

Madelynn is developing a sassy little, shall we say, at-ti-tude. She has become picky about what shoes she will wear....what hair accessory she wears....dress or shorts....and the list goes on, and on, and on. Earlier this week she was called a diva....I'm pretty sure the teen years will be so. much. fun. She continues to climb....she continues to fall....and continues to get back up and do it all over again. Chipped teeth and all. Her two top front teeth have a few chips in them....nothing major, thank goodness they are baby teeth. Still no luck getting her to sleep in the toddler bed. She's climbed up on it I think 3 times now, but won't lay down. I think it will end in a standoff and removal of her crib, leaving her (and us) no option.