Happy Birthday, Wyatt!!

January 25, 2010 after many hours of labor, Wyatt Joseph entered the world. A beautiful 9lbs 4oz baby boy that made me a mom and made us a family of three. I was over the moon with happiness and couldn't believe that this baby was mine!! I also really wanted to hold him, damn c-section! 

Wyatt was such an awesome baby. He was very happy, easy going little guy. As a toddler, he was the kid I could leave in the room and he never got into anything. His big blue eyes started melting hearts very early on!

At almost two years old, the Wyatt I knew starting to change. He stopped answering to his name, stopped talking, and stopped interacting with others. He started doing repetitive things (stimming), started having seizures, and started to become a different little boy. The world was crashing around me. I wanted/needed answers and most importantly I wanted to get him the therapy he needed (which at the time I had no earthly idea what that even was). There were many hours of crying and thinking there was no way I was the right mom for him, crying because damn it it wasn't fair.

Today, Wyatt is 7 years old. The parenting a child with special needs got a whole lot less scary and I actually think I am doing a decent job. In honor of Wyatt's birthday, here are some of my favorite things about him:

•  He doesn't care about materialistic things, he is just as happy playing with a stick as he is with a brand new toy. .
• He loves to play in the rain, mouth wide open trying to catch all the raindrops with pure bliss on his face!
• I often say I wish I had Wyatt's "I don't give a shit" attitude. He doesn't want something, he throws it to the ground and walks away. He doesn't want to talk to the person speaking to him, he just keeps walking. If he wants to be silly, he is silly. If he wants the chip my friend is eating, he will take it right from their hand. He doesn't want to wear his shirt or pants, guess what...
• He is incredibly sweet, loving, gentle, and kind. He has never purposefully hurt another person. 
• He never fights with his brother...I mean never! 
• He has helped young adults, who have been around him, decide that they want a career working with kiddos who have special needs.
• His love for Blaze. Their bond is getting stronger and stronger. 
• He has a way of making people feel super special, he is so genuine with his feelings.
• He is happy like 98.9% of the time. Always laughing and smiling. 
• When he doesn't want something (like getting his teeth cleaned, brushing his teeth, blood work, or his routine EEGs), he fights like hell and NEVER gives up. 
• He has never lied about anything. Or spoken mean about anyone or thing. 
• He works and tries so hard, every day, at things we take for granted. 
• He is so very strong!
• His appreciation of music, he can make music out of almost everything.
• He has more energy than anyone I have seen. 
• I love how he watches tv...like 2 inches from the screen, jumping up and down, and flapping his hands in delight.
• For a kid who is nonverbal, he says so much without words.
• He has amazing people instincts. He knows when someone is comfortable/uncomfortable with him and he plays them appropriately.
• He is incredibly unique and owns it. Never changes for anyone. 

I believe that all of us who are parents can say that we have learned something from our children. With Wyatt I joined this whole other world and starting became a person I never was before. How being Wyatt's mom has changed me:

• I have learned so much about things I knew very little about...Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Seizures, PICA, Service Dogs. 
• I have made so many new friends; therapist, special education teachers, doctors, and other special needs parents.
• Before Wyatt's dx, I never knew what it meant to fight for something I believed in. 
• I have tried so many new things...being a dog handler, raising money for Blaze, writing a blog, etc.
• I love watching other people love my son! I love when his therapist and teacher get so excited to tell me about something awesome he did that day! I love when my friends fight over who gets the most kisses from him.
• I had to learn that people judge and making inappropriate comments. That I can't fight every single battle. I can educate and advocate.
• I have learned what a difference service dogs can make in a persons life. 
• I have learned how to represent my son's needs in an IEP.
• I have learned what it feels like to feel my heartbeat outside of my body (okay, I stole this line from someone else...but its so true).
• Hope, I have learned to have so much hope. 

Happy 7th Birthday, Wyatt! You make me very proud and I am forever grateful that you are mine. If you know Wyatt and would like to share your favorite thing/things about him I would love it!

Now it's time to go celebrate a 7th birthday. I think seven will be a huge year for him!
Till next time...