by This girl here? She doesn’t get nearly the credit she deserves.
Last weekend someone was amazing enough to gift Averie and I a night out. We had dinner at the quarter barrel and then went to Theatre Cedar Rapids to see Annie. She loved every second of playing pinball, getting some actual 1:1 time and attention, and the play itself was amazing. She was signing songs on the way home. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity, and so is she. 💕
She really is an amazing big sister. We know we can count on her to check on her brother when he’s beeping, and to reconnect his oxygen after he’s pulled it off for the hundredth time. She lectures him like any big sister would lecture their little brother, and helps encourage him to do the hard things that his therapists want him to work on. Tonight they were both crawling on all fours down the hallway.
On top of all that? She’s still doing well at school. She gets herself ready and there most mornings on her own (it’s an incredibly short walk for those who don’t know). Her report card was wonderful, and teachers had nothing but good things to say about her at conference time.
Being known by a lot of people as “AJs mom/dad/sister” is hard sometimes even for us adults. It’s harder for an 8 year old who was used to being an only child and the sole focus of our attention before he came along. Especially when one on one / Personal Time and patience are both often in very short supply. But she takes it better than I could have ever imagined.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a sassy, emotional, know-it-all typical, acting out 8 year old in many ways. But in many others? She’s more amazing than anyone I’ve ever known and I’m proud to be able to call her my kid. 💕
