from the corner of my couch: Happy Birthday Emmie!

Dear Emmie,

Happy 11th Birthday sweet girl. I'm not quite sure how you're already 11 but here we are!

This year has been a wild, strange year full of lots of change. This year we moved, switched to virtual school and are in the middle of a pandemic! Whew! Never would have predicted the craziness of this year. I have been absolutely blown away by how you have handled all the change. In the course of 2 years you have gone from a child who was so anxious you wouldn't get out of the car at school some day to a child who faced a year of big changes, many of which were very sudden, and met them head on. When school went to virtual in March you handled it like a champ. Literally overnight our day to day lives changed drastically. We went from busy busy busy to home all the time. You transitioned so easily to e learning and rolled with the new normal. You had moments where you were sad and missed seeing your friends and teachers but you did amazingly well with the change.

When we moved you once again did great. In true Emmie fashion you have quickly made new friends. We were so glad that you were still able to zoom with your best friends in Columbia as that really helped with the transition. We have lots of kids in our neighborhood and I am so glad that you have been able to quickly make some wonderful friends. I have loved watchin you experience the type of childhood I had where there were friends right down the street! With the move you also got your own room. I laugh because you love having your own space that you can keep organized and clean but almost every night one of your siblings ends up sleeping in your room with you because you don't really like to be alone at night. It reminds me of when Ellie was a baby and you used to go sleep in the chair in her room after she fell asleep so that you weren't alone.

When we made the decision to do virtual school this year I wasn't sure how you would do. It was so new and so different on top of all the other changes you had already dealt with this year. But Emmie you have blown me away. Virtual school has been so good for you. I have LOVED watching you grow as a student. I have loved watching you master things that were hard for you. Most of all I have loved watching you persevere even when things are hard. You are SUCH a good student. There are days you are working an hour or more past your siblings but you rarely complain. You just keep plugging along. Your work ethic at such a young age makes me so proud of you.

This fall, in the spirit of change, you took a break from dance and tried out soccer. I was nervous about it since you were on the older side for a beginner but you did great. You had really great girls on your team who helped you out when you didn't know what to do and you learned so much. We had to work pretty hard on teaching you to be aggressive...you were so sweet and usually stood back to let the other player get the ball, even if they were on the other team! But you learned a lot and did pretty well and most of all you had a lot of fun! You say you want to play again in the spring and I am looking forward to seeing you improve even more.

This year wasn't all weird and full of change. We also took a fun trip to Disney World! It was up in the air for so long as to whether or not we would be able to go but we went and had a blast! You were pretty brave about riding new rides and you had a great time. The last time we went to Disney World you were having lots of seizures and you were terrified to let go of my hand. You had fun but it was overwhelming and you felt out of it a lot of the time. I loved how much fun you had this time.

Speaking of seizures, we finally have you on a medicine that is working and doesn't seem to have any major side effects. I am so thankful that you are back to your normal self. I am thankful that you had a 4th grade teacher that poured so much love into you and helped calm your anxiety and restore your confidence. This year your teacher is virtual but she has been such a wonderful cheerleader for you. It is a joy to see you back to your normal self and feeling good physically and mentally. You battled hard for many years and I am so thankful for a reprieve from those hard years. Next week you go for an EEG to see if you have outgrown your seizures. We are so hopeful that you have and it would be such an answer to prayer but if you still have them then I am so thankful that we have found a medicine that works for you. It has been hard but it has helped shaped you into the beautiful person you are.

Over this year I have loved seeing your personality grow and change. I am incredibly proud of the person you are. I could write for days about my love or you and my dreams and hopes for you. Not to say you don't have "tween moments" but overall you are a delight. You love people and strive to make others happy. You are helpful. You are kind. I love you to the moon and back.

Love,

Mom