18 years

Today is Skylers 18th birthday. I tried several times to come up with something special for a post, something that would be poetic and deep. Alas, I am neither poetic or deep. So what you will have to sit though is a photographic journey through the years.

So grab something good to drink, sit back and relax, and please - no wagering.



Our story starts with a premature birth. Kathy's water broke at 24 weeks, 3 months early. Skyler was born at 1 pound 15 ounces. Somewhere in utero or at the emergency C-Section delivery, he had a brain hemmorage. This is what caused his Cerebral Palsy. He would spend 3 months in the Neonatal Intensive care Unit (NICU) and come home at 5 pounds, just a few days after his original due date.



Rambo and Aspen weren't quite sure what to make of the new addition to the family.


Even at 3 months, he was still quite small.



This is our first trip away from home to a cabin at grand lake.


Skyler spent a couple of years doing Hippotherapy (riding on horseback) until he needed surgery on his hips. It became too painful for him to keep riding.



Through the years, there have been struggles with school, and great accomplishments at school. Teachers were always apprehensive about having him in their class, but for the most part they found that the classroom was a more forgiving, better place than it might have been otherwise. They learned from Skyler as much as he learned from them.



There have been friends along the way, but too few. Some have come and gone, others have been with him the whole time. You have to be strong in your own skin to be Skylers friend when your other friends are growing up and drifting away. It isn't always cool to be friends with the special needs kid. My unending love and appreciation goes out to the ones who have stayed around.




There have been too many surgeries along the way to count, and you have been such a brave trooper through them all. My wish is for all of these to be over with, and for a long, healthy stretch.




Who would have thought you would have turned out to be a ski bum?



Or been in theater and talent shows!



You are also quite the hiker, bouncing along and never complaining.







Somewhere along the way, you decided that kid stuff wasn't for you. That's when you became a News junkie, going on tours, and stalking pretty women Meteorologists!





You are a swimmer, and a great running partner for me. I really should have kept track of the miles we did together over the years.



You won an award from the Mayor for overcoming great odds.



And you are a computer geek!







You have a lot of special people in your life that care about you a lot.




But mostly, you are a great kid, and my buddy. I love you so much Skyler, thank you for 18 great years!