“Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of ‘you’ to the world.”

Quote by Unknown Author

I have to say that over the years birthday parties have been less than exciting when anxiety becomes an uninvited guest. On Sydney’s first birthday we marked the event with a little party and the usual gathering around a princess cake singing “Happy Birthday”. After all we are marking a very special day for a very special little girl. But as the years went by the singing came to an end as it just made the celebration worse and the celebration itself was toned down to just immediate family.

Family and friends couldn’t understand why we just didn’t sing to her and have the festivities as usual but in our minds it wasn’t worth the upset. We acknowledged it but it was very subduded and under the radar. Even last year, Ehren was so happy to stick a candle in a banana muffin and sing her “Happy Birthday” and it was met with her cringing on the couch telling him to stop. It’s such a hard place as a parent because you want more than anything to celebrate your child, you want to be able to acknowledge and appreciate their accomplishments.

But this year was so different. We had four cousins over for a party, she requested the company, she picked out the loot bag gifts, she helped me to make the cupcakes and she even picked out her birthday cupcake with a candle. She greeted her cousins and before we finished getting everyone in the door the kids were off and running. When it came to presents and cake time she sat in the chair and had us all sing her “Happy Birthday” and when the candle blew out because of wind she asked for it to be relit so she could blow it out. With 12 people watching over her she gently unwrapped her gifts and even said thank you aloud to everyone. It’s these small steps, these moments that take your breath away and make you realize that it’s all worth it in the end and that some days we do find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. To be able to see the happiness in her eyes was a priceless moment that I will cherish forever.