Brotherly love

Today I found out just how much Cole adores his brother. They share a bond that is so strong. I have no doubt they were hand picked for one another. Connor is by far Cole's best friend in the world. If it were up to Cole, he would spend every waking spare moment with Connor. 

From the moment Cole gets up in the morning, which is always way before Connor, he wants to wake up Connor. He wants to know what he's doing, where he is and just loves to be around him. Most of the time, it is something we treasure. On the other end of the spectrum, it can make it very hard to function, especially on Saturdays. Every Saturday, Connor has gymnastics from 11-1. Each Saturday morning Connor and I go to the YMCA and then I take him to gymnastics. Every week Cole is sad and anxiety-filled when we go to leave. Lately we've been propping the door open, leaving the garage door up and preparing for our "escape". Pat plays with Cole in a far corner of our house. Connor and I quickly run out of the house and zoom away in the truck. Pat is unfortunately left to deal with Cole's frustration and anger when he realizes his mommy and best buddy have left him.

Today was no exception. Connor and I got ready on the sly and ran out of the house when the coast was clear. Cole had been asking all morning to go to the mall, to the zoo, Children's Museum and Chuck E Cheese. He had grand plans for us today. He didn't care if I wanted to work out or if Connor had gymnastics. To top it off, Connor and I had plans to go to the Children's Theater after gymnastics. It was going to be at least 4pm before Cole would get reunited with his buddy. 

I called Pat after we left to see how Cole was doing. It wasn't good. Cole was very sad and upset. Each time I called, he was watching out the window, waiting for Connor and I to get home. After I dropped off Connor, I came home to spend time with Cole before the play. He seemed to calm down and we promised to take him to the Mall of America later on. Thankfully Cole calmed down and Pat was able to spend a few nice hours with him in the afternoon. They played outside and made eggs.... Cole's favorite! After the play, Pat and Cole left to meet us at the Mall of America. Cole was SO excited!!

We got to the mall and it was crazy, insane busy. I've been to the mall a lot and I've never seen it like this. Pat called my cell and said it took him 15 minutes to find a place to park. When Connor and I saw the mobs of people inside, I was filled with anxiety and questioning how we were going to keep Cole safe. We couldn't turn back now.

Finally we all met up. Cole was so excited to see us. He did a great job. He held hands with Connor the whole time. They waited in line and Cole was so patient. Instead of getting frustrated, Cole talked about the kids that were screaming on the rides, he told me about the guy at the ride who talks into the microphone and he took it upon himself to love up on Connor. It was precious. He even waved to Pat and I and said, "Hi mommy" when he was riding the truck ride....oh how rewarding progress is!! :-)

I was so relieved to see how well Cole did. It helped that he has taken countless trips to the MOA with his PCAs. I know the previous trips made ours a success. We have wonderful people who work with Cole and they have done an amazing job at developing his community and life skills. We are incredibly thankful for each of them. I felt Cole was pretty much indistinguishable amongst the other kids today. He fit right in and was as excited and happy as the next child. He stopped when we said his name and he was so patient and well behaved. We were so proud of him. 

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day. My three boys each gave me cards and a dozen roses. I loved all of those things, but the best part was spending the day with the three men I love most in this world.