Image Credit : Copyright ©2009JayJayN.com[/caption]No, no not fourth of July, but Ryu will be four in July!
I cannot believe that is going to be four. I can still remember it like it was just yesterday when he was born. I remember lugging around a giant belly and completely being over it. I wanted him to enter the world as soon as possible, but instead I went through 12 hours of labor and an emergency C-Section.
I remember blogging about his birthday each year and how much he has grown, but I cannot believe that he is already going to be four. It's been four years since Ryu became my son and it still feels surreal to me. I now have a little boy and not a little baby which makes me sad, but at the same time I am so proud of all the obstacles he has overcome. If you have followed my blog before you would know that Ryu went through a phase of not talking and at one point the Dr. told me that he may be autistic. He has been in the program for over a year and it is so refreshing to know that he has greatly improved in his speech. I have considered placing him in preschool, but it's really up to the provider at the school he currently attends. She has to let the school know if Ryu would need further speech therapy which would require him to have an IEP provider side by side with him. Honestly, I think I'll wait another year before placing him in preschool or kindergarten.
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Image Credit: Copyright ©RolandBalansay2010[/caption]This picture was taken by his Godfather Roland on his first birthday. Typically everyone thinks that a child's first birthday party needs to be big. To be honest we went big, but now that I think about it the party was mainly for the adults more than anything. I went with the Pixar movie UP as a theme. It was so much fun and extremely hot at the time. I rented a bouncer and cotton candy machine.
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Image Credit: SeanThompson ©2011[/caption]We took him to Travel Town and this would be the first official birthday that Papa got to spend with us as a family. At the time Ryu loved trains and Sean suggested that Travel Town would be great for his second birthday. We even rode the little tram around and he had a blast!
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Credit Image: ItsAbbyTime ©2012[/caption]For his third birthday I found a mini deal on Groupon for a small animal reserve. It wasn't the greatest place, but it wasn't so bad either. He enjoyed seeing the animals there, but I quickly realized that we have to take him to a zoo! One year later and we still haven't done so. I'm still debating on what we should do for his birthday this year. I was thinking of maybe hosting a birthday party for him in our new home, but I'm still being indecisive about it. All I know is that I'm completely blessed for having this little man in my life. I am also blessed to continuously have Papa Sean in our lives helping us mold Ryu into this respectful young man. I do hope that our family will continue to learn and grow with each other as each year passes us by.
I only wish good things for my family and I can't wait to continue making new memories with Ryu. He has brought so much joy into my life that words can't even explain. I never thought in a million years that I would be a mom in my twenties. He's taught me so much and I only wish to return the favor and teach him morals and manners. Thanks to the family we have I know that he will be loved and taught well from all corners of the world.
