Last year I took Caeden to the North Pole with some friends of ours. It's a children's amusement park (Christmas themed, as you might guess). We drove down to Colorado Springs and spent a warm afternoon walking around and riding rides. It's amazing how fast time has gone by - this time last year all the kids were in strollers and had napping routines. This year, Caeden doesn't nap (oh how I miss those naps...) and wouldn't be caught in a stroller (otherwise, how would he run away and play hide and seek...?)
I've been meaning to take him back there before the cold weather sets in but just haven't been able to make it happen. I was looking through old pictures and came across these ... I think they are so special to me because this was the day I saw a new side of Caeden.
Caeden was always a very timid child and new situations scare him. He has been timid and somewhat sensory-sensitive since he was itty bitty. When things are loud (music, traffic, people talking ... anything) he shuts down. So, I was afraid we'd get there and he would want to go home (the zoo, the children's museum, and the aquarium are all examples of this happening).
Instead, he completely surprised me and came out of his shell to have the most amazing time. He rode rides by himself, ran to the next ride and stood in line, SQUEALED in delight at rides that were making me ill. He'd say, "Faster! Faster!"
Anyway, that day was such a wonderful day because he really enjoyed himself, and for one of the first times, I got to see him experience wonder and excitement at things that were completely foreign. In those moments, I began to stop worrying if something was wrong and began to relax. He was shy, not suffering from any of the spectrum disorders I could recite in my sleep...and secretly worried about.
It was such a fantastic day.
And now, a year later, I look back and remember him like that. How little he was, how unsure I was of how the day would go. How he came out of his shell and never went back.
Don't you love photos if only to be reminded of progress? (I have several hair styles that fit very well here.)
Remember that post about using old clocks to display children's exact birth times? Well, well, well. Look what 9.99 will buy you. :)
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