raising a superhero!

This was the day we brought Remington home!

Where does time go? I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the last two years of our crazy life and the only question I have is where does the time go? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in a busy NICU waiting to be released and fearing what I was going to do with this baby that had far to many cords! I can remember crying to Dallen saying"Its not bad enough that we have no idea what we are doing as parents but now we have the oxygen and monitors to worry about too!" I can honestly say I thought we would end up messing it up some how! I was not sure what these people were thinking allowing us to take home this sweet baby and trusting us with keeping him alive! Although I wanted so badly to bring him home, I feared that I was not the mommy to raise him! I feared we would be unable to give him the help he needed to succeed! His future was in our hands! Were we ready?

    WELL...WE DID IT! So far our little Remington has been thriving on life! He has come so far in his almost two years here! I watch him everyday accomplish things that a week earlier I thought were only in my dreams! In the beginning it was hard to get a grasp on what Remington's life would be like and honestly even now I wonder what lies ahead for our little hero! How he will do in school? Will the other children except Remington and allow him to be himself? Will he be able to stand up for himself knowing that he is an amazing person inside and out? Will he play sports? Will he drive? Will he get married(deep down I hope not)? All of these questions are in my head every single day and I don't know the answers to them but is that any different then any other parent? I think not!

 What is different now from when he was first born is that I no longer fear it! I no longer fear the day that Remington figures out he is a little different then his siblings and friends! I know longer fear the hard work it takes each day to get Remington to do things that may come easy to someone else! I know longer fear any of it because I know now the spirit that lies inside of the child I call my son! I now know the many advantages that come along with the responsibility of raising a superhero! So I thought in honor of his second birthday I would share some of my very favorite perks to being a mother of a superhero!
   One of the most amazing things about Remi is his ability to make people happy! I don't know what it is about him but everywhere we go someone is coming up to us and saying how happy Remi makes them! I used to think this was because they knew he had Down Syndrome and they were trying to be nice but more times then not when I tell them he has Down Syndrome they are surprised and had no idea! I have had people come from the other end of the store and tell us that they were having a bad day and saw Remi and it made them happy! I often wonder if this is not his purpose here in this world to bring light to people in dark places! I know he does for me almost every single day!
     In the beginning I was really slow to get involved with other families with children with Down Syndrome! I felt like if the only thing that we had in common was that our children have Down Syndrome then its not going to be that fun! Well I have to say how Wrong I was! I have enjoyed ever minute of getting to know and sharing struggles that we face with my DS mommy's! Remi has two little buddies in particular that both him and I have enjoyed getting to know and I can only hope that our boys will stay close forever! I truly enjoyed the Buddy Walk last year and was humbled by all the support and love so many showed to our little family! We had family and friends come from all over the state to show their love for Remi! I can tell you all that you not only made our day last year but our whole year! I know both Dallen and I were so thankful and felt so blessed by all your love and support! I am also very proud to say that we had the biggest team there! GO REMI'S HEROES!!

Remington's two year picture!

  I know most of you have heard me refer to Remington as my little superhero more then once but I am unsure that I have ever really expressed why he is my superhero! Now I am sure I am not the first mother any of you will ever hear say that their children changed them. Really it would probably be safe to say that every child teaches their parents and helps them to grow just about as much as we help them to grow! So I am not saying I am special by any means but Remington has changed me! He has made me see the beauty within a persons heart and not so much by what they look like on the outside! I always tell Dallen that before Remi we were lost! He is the greatest blessing we have ever received and the only one we did not know we needed(go figure)! Remi has taught both Dallen and I that sometimes in life its okay to slow down and live in the moment and stop getting so wrapped up in the future! That taking baby steps are sometimes much more rewarding then Running! That its okay to stop and remind the people you love just how important they are to you as often as you can! That what truly matters in life can not be bought! Mostly for me though Remi has taught me that what determines a person is not the amount of money they have in their bank account but by how they handle the challenges they face in life! Do we give up the moment that life gets a little bumpy or do we see the bumps coming and speed up! Knowing that no matter how long it takes us and how many cuts and bruises we get. We will make it through this challenge too!
  I want to end this by saying that two years ago we were unsure the road we were headed down and we were both scared out of our minds for the future! The next two years are just as unknown but the past two years have been filled with happy, amazing memories! Through our faith and our love we have made this journey one for the record books and I can not wait for yet another year full of crazy Butterfield adventures! I have to say thank you to our little Superhero for all the laughter and love he has brought into our lives and tell him how proud we are of everything he is and everything he will become! Happy Birthday little man your mommies everything! Also thank you to all of our family and friends for everything you do for our family we love you all!
love
Remi's mommy!