Happy Birthday, Liam David!

Hi everyone! I hope the holidays treated you well, ours were happy and healthy! So a very special boy has a birthday coming up! On Friday 1/9/2015 at 2:13 pm Liam David will be TWO years old. I cannot understand how this is possible, the time has gone by so quickly! For some parents a two year old birthday might not seem like that big of a deal.....but for our family Liam's birthday will always be something to celebrate. In the hours after Liam's birth we were faced with the possibility that our baby might not make it, and that if he did his "capacity" would be unknown until a later date. For days on end we prayed our hearts out that our little fighter would come through, and he did in BIG ways. As a parent, these hours and days following Liam's birth made me realize that that I would NEVER take a single moment for granted....and also that I never wanted to be too far away from him for too long : ) Even though it has been 729 days of sheer miracles and triumph...... I still struggle with the weeks and days leading up to my son's birthday, and I believe a part of me always will. For the most part, I have conquered my demons surrounding the scary delivery we experienced, but during this time of year my anger and guilt begin to nag at me. There are several things that should have been different about my son's delivery- but at the end of the day it happened as God intended. No matter what, this is always where I end up...if it takes an hour or a week. Overall, I am just SO relieved that I get to enjoy this little miracle man as much as I do! His laughs and smiles are the light in my darkest of days, my hope when I feel low, and my motivation when I feel weak. There is nothing I wouldn't do to hear this little boy laugh or see his face light up.  I could let hours pass kicking a ball with him or playing with trains or make believe food....nothing in my life has made me as happy as being his mommy, and I am so grateful to see him thriving and doing so well. Liam is talking up a storm, and so physically strong sometimes I worry he is stronger than me! He is starting to communicate about what he wants, what he doesn't want, and even talking in phrases. It is SO funny how the first 6 months of development seemed to take a lifetime, and since then the developmental phases keep getting faster to the point that I cannot even keep up anymore!  He can count to ten in English and Spanish, and can say his ABC's! One of the most frequent words out of his mouth is "mickey!" I am pretty sure my child loves mickey mouse more than chocolate, if this is possible : )  For now we continue with our stim and PT sessions at Good Shepard waiting for some positive results....but if nothing else my husband and I know we have a truly special child that makes this world a better place to live in! Dysphagia and some mild low tone aren't enough to get us down... if anything it has made us a stronger, happier family! We learn to laugh at the little things, not to cry over spilled milk, and keep on keeping on! So happy birthday to a little man who had a rough start, who's first breath left him forever a warrior in our eyes, who continues to show us the beauty of strong will, the strength of a fighting spirit, and remind us how a deep belly laugh can change our entire day, and of course that angels really do watch over us! Liam David you have stolen our hearts, transformed our lives for the better, and continue to make us SO proud everyday! We love you!!! <3