4 already?

Carson will be 4 in 10 days!!! I can't believe it! It seems like we just brought him home from the hospital! The last 4 years have been the most fulfilling but challenging years of my life! I never would have thought MY child would have autism but he does. It's 1 in 88 and he is the 1! Autism has taught me to appreciate the little things in life and not take those things for granted. 4 years ago I was pregnant and excitedly waiting the arrival of my first child. When I thought of the little boy I hadn't met yet I pictured him going to football games with his daddy and being mommy's little boy. I never imagined him with autism. That doesn't mean our dreams for him can't one day happen but it just means we will have to work a little harder to get there. 4 years ago autism never crossed my mind but 4 years later it is very close to my heart. However Carson is so much more than autism. Autism is just a characteristic like blue eyes. It's apart of who he is but it doesn't define him. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this. He is still the same little boy we brought home 4 years ago. Our bundle of joy!!!