My "Carousel of Progress" From Birth, NICU, Home, & Beyond

“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome! ……. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.”
-Walter Elias Disney

This is the first entry in what we hope to be a grand adventure. The birth of Elias Allen marks the beginning of his “carousel of progress.” This theme was carefully chosen for many reasons, but it can best be summed up in this quote by Walt Disney: "I love the nostalgic myself. I hope we never lose some of the things of the past." There are many challenges that await Elias. Many of them will be unveiled in the next few weeks. He is blessed to be a part of such a large and loving family that is truly rooted in the traditional family values. As each day passes each of us will have unique memories and experiences to cherish. We wish to preserve as many of them as possible and as the quote states never lose some of the things of the past. Everyday Elias will make progress both medically and with simple milestones, hence his own “carousel of progress.”

Many of you know that from the very beginning we found a positive mantra to stand by: "Happiness is a state of mind; it's according to how you look at things." Well, going forward Elias’ mantra will as well be positive; “There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, Shining at the end of everyday, There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away.” To us this means that no matter what each new day brings he will always have the next beautiful day to experience. For this we are extremely grateful. This is the value we hope to instill with him. We hope that you will take a few moments as well to read the section on How to Share your Stories, Thoughts, & Experiences of Elias’ Progress. We are truly excited at the unique opportunity everyone has to contribute and make this whole experience that much richer. Now it’s off to our “thoughtful spots” as we get set to celebrate and enjoy this wonderful new life.
To close this initial entry we wish to leave you with the following thought by whom else, but Walt Disney. This is something we hope to support and ensure Elias is able to do regardless of the obstacles or challenges he must face, starting with the simplest of accomplishments and following through his entire life; “A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.”