Colin's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Colin's first day of Kindergarten at Herbertsville Elementary School and the excitement and anxieties for this day have been building for a really long time now.  Ever since we had the opportunity to take Colin to visit his school and meet some of the people he would be working with, we have spent a lot of time talking about it.  The excitement started to build even more when Kailey started at her school on Tuesday and Colin wanted to do the same.  

 

 

For Chris and I, this was a really big moment.  While I was laying in bed last night thinking about today, my mind also wandered back to those moments after Colin was born when the diagnosis of Down Syndrome was confirmed.  I thought about how Chris and I felt and all of the tears that came those few days while we wondered what the future would bring for Colin.  However, at that time we made a choice; we decided that we wanted what everyone else wants for their children and chose to raise him just like anyone else would raise their children.  We believed that Colin had a very important place in this world and believed that he deserved the same things that everyone else did, even if it was a little bit more difficult for him.  

 

 

We have been pushing Colin every day since to do the very best that he can do and have found that there are so many possibilities and that he is capable of many things.  He has even proved us wrong at times when we thought that maybe he wasn't ready for something or wasn't able to accomplish it at that time. 

 

The road to get to this day hasn't been easy and we've faced a good amount of resistance along the way but we believe that Colin is where he belongs and we are looking at all of the ways we will see him grow and flourish this year.  I couldn't help but break down and cry as I watched my independent little boy get on the bus all by himself, very happily, and head off to his new adventures at his new school.  

 

 

There were some fears and trepidations as well but I know that as each challenge presents itself, we will find ways to overcome them. 

 

For now, we are going to bask in the fact we had a really good first day (he even came home in the same underwear!) and hope for many more to come.  We are SO PROUD of our little boy and will continue to push him to be the very best he can be.  

 

 

We love you Colin!