Each and Every Moment

On Saturday, January 21st, Colin's Aunt Beth organized our annual Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebees to raise money for team CAT Crew's participation in the Special Olympics of NJ Polar Bear Plunge.  Although the weather deterred some people from coming out (understandably so), it was a great success as always.  While I was there, I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have been forced to slow my life down and enjoy every moment.  

Lots of advice that one constantly receives as a parent is to "enjoy every moment because it goes by so fast".  I DO agree that time flies by, but this is not something Chris and I need to be reminded of.  One gift we have been given from Colin IS to slow down and look at and enjoy every moment because that is how so many things in our house are broken down.  Instead of one day Colin sitting up, we pushed and helped and strengthened in order to see every piece of the puzzle and have him sit up.  Instead of watching Colin pick himself up one day in order to crawl around the room, we pushed and helped and strengthened in order to see him learn each individual step in order to learn how to crawl.  And although we have struggled when it comes to feeding making time feel like it was stagnant, we can still look back and see how far we have come.  

...and although we have been waiting a solid year and 9 months with the hopes that Colin would one day start walking around the room, we have witnessed every.single.step to ultimately get where we are today.  

So yes, we DO enjoy every moment.  

On Friday when I got to school, I was already flustered from my school day and because Colin was being stubborn and wouldn't walk and hold my hand to leave school (carrying both of them at the same time is become increasingly challenging).  I carried him until we got away from the areas he likes to crawl to and then put him down and told him he needed to hold my hand and walk.  However, to my surprise, Colin let go of my hand, and walked down the short hallway, waved good-bye to his friends in the office, blew them a kiss, and continued to walk out the double doors to the sidewalk outside.  I cried.  It was ONE moment in my life that I was in and wasn't letting pass me by.  

When we first created our team CAT Crew for the Special Olympics, I was so happy that our money raised was going to such a great cause.  However, it was that more meaningful this year because Colin participates in the programs and directly benefits from this money raised.  

...that first year at the breakfast, he was 9 months old and sat in his high chair like he was king of the world.  

...the next year he was 1 and 9 months, and crawled around showing off his newly mobile self.

...and this year?  He just decided that he was going to GO and walked LAPS around the entire restaurant chasing after his friend Kaia.

Maybe time moves quickly, and maybe every single moment is not the most enjoyable, but we don't let any of it go by unnoticed.

We are SO PROUD of our little boy and LOVE hearing the little pitter patter of his steps around the house. We have been waiting a LONG time to say that...