Happy Birthday Andrea! A Day Full of Emotions and Events

Today is full of raw emotion. So many milestones, changes in events.

Andrea is turning 3 years old. But this isn’t just “another birthday” for my little girl.

One year ago, Andrea was speechless, in a world of her own and did not know how to interact with the world around her.

I can’t even describe the last year to you because of everything that has happened, has gone so quickly and I’m sitting here not even sure what to feel or think. I’m almost numb.

Today, I have a beautiful little girl who is so full of personality that she can walk into a room and make everyone swoon over her sweet little voice and laugh over her silly and funny antics.

Between my two children, we have been in the First Steps (early intervention) program for the last five years. This is a huge chunk of my life and all that my family has known. Now that Andrea is turning 3 years old, she is graduating from the program and our family’s therapists will no longer be coming into our home 4-5 days a week. Andrea’s therapists are not just “therapists” to us, my children love them and they truly have become apart of the family.

How can you just walk away from that?

Andrea has gone from no words, no interaction and no eye contact, to a vocabulary that is beyond a counted number, a personality that lights up the entire room, she has just grown beyond words and I’m so proud of her.

So what happens next?

Now that Andrea is turning 3 years old, she is graduating to the early childhood center. There, she will continue speech therapy at school and be in a classroom preschool setting for 4 days a week.

How do I comprehend losing my little girl for 4 (4 hour days) days a week, at only 3 years old?

This birthday is a lot for a mother to take in.

I know our next journey is going to be so great for Andrea, she really is ready for a classroom setting. We have all hit that point of knowing that Andrea has reached her max capacity in a one-on-one therapy session environment.

So today is her third birthday and we are celebrating at a gourmet cupcake shop, Andrea’s most favorite thing in the world. She doesn’t comprehend what I told her last night about our celebration, but I know that when she sees a special cupcake just for her it will be heaven.

Today’s changes in a nutshell.

• Andrea is turning 3
• Andrea is graduating from First Steps
• She went to bed last night with Cupcake jammies on, not even realizing what a birthday is or what is coming for her celebration
• Maybe she does comprehend and we just don’t know it?
• Our next door neighbor is having her 2nd child today on Andrea’s birthday, sharing such a special day with a new baby
• Today, for the first time, I heard Andrea sing Happy Birthday
• Next week, Andrea starts school for the first time
• Rides the school bus for the first time

It’s a whirlwind of emotions when life makes such a sharp turn, but these changes are welcomed. It means my baby is growing up, she is progressing from a point of not knowing what would happen to her, she is learning, talking and I’m really excited to see what this brings to our family and to Andrea.

Just for a little fun flashback. Here is a glimsp of Andrea’s progress:

28 Months old –

and 33 months old –

And finally… a video of her singing Happy Birthday :)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=672218206139915

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. Your mommy loves you so much!