Happy Birthday Ruthie

Dear Ruthie, Oh my sweet Ruthie. We had no clue how much our lives would change when you were born. You have always had a sparkle in your eye. You've always wanted nothing more than to be a part of whatever your big sisters are doing. You are a ball of energy. You are a 3rd born who thinks she's a 1st born. You have always been tiny but you have a huge personality. You have zero filter. You are rough and tumble. You aren't scared of much but when you are worried about something you commit to being 100% terrified which always throws me for a loop because its so out of character for you. You are a wonderful big sister and you are pretty sure you aren't a "little" sister. You love roller skating and baby dolls and basketball and being girly. You have strong opinions and aren't afraid to voice them. You are an amazing advocate for yourself. You are fiesty and snuggly. You give big hugs when you're happy (and we're all really glad you no longer bite people when you're happy!). You fall apart when you're tired. You still suck 2 of the fingers on your left hand and drag "pillow" around everywhere you go. You like to be in charge. You love arts and crafts. You are capable of handling whatever problem arises. You are fiercly independent. You are perfectly you and I wouldn't want you to be any other way. This year you finished virtual school and went back to brick and mortar. You got glasses and your reading skills took off! I am so glad you love to read now. You have loved being back in regular school. You have made some sweet friends and really like your teacher. This year you were on big swim team for the first time (you were on mini team when we were in Columbia) and you rocked it! I was so proud of all that you learned this year. You made some great friends and worked so hard on your strokes. This year you got to go to Roper Mountain camp for the first time. You did the farm camp and had so much fun. This year we learned you were allergic to cats and shellfish. We were all shocked by the shellfish allergy. When you had a reaction we thought it was an environmental allergy you were reacting to but you were positive it was the shrimp. Because apparently you had issues with shrimp for a while so you just stopped eating it. Because Ruthie can handle it by herself! As of now you have been in OIT maintenance for your peanut allergy for 2.5 years and I am so proud of how well you handle your daily dosing and I also love how much you love all things peanut/peanut butter! This year you went skiing for the first time and loved it. You are looking forward to going again this year. We also went to the beach, Dollywood, and Washington DC. Ruthie I absolutely love you and your mix of sweet and fiesty. You are a force to be reckoned with. You are an incredible blessing in our lives and I am so thankful that I get to be your mom and watch you every step of your journey. I can't wait to see where life takes you! Love, Mom

Dear Emerson

Dear Emerson (because this year you decided to be Emerson instead of Emmie), Happy Birthday sweet girl! There is no way that 12 years ago I could have predicted what life would look like now. Actually, now is not far off from what I would have pictured. It was the in between years that I would never have guessed. Those really hard years...long before we got to the years that are supposed to be hard. But now I feel like we're finally on the other side. And I know there will probably be some more hard years (I mean we haven't even gotten to teenage years yet!) but there is a feeling of empowerment and confidence that comes with making it to the other side of really hard things. I hope yoou feel that confidence. A part of me hopes that you don't remember much of the hard years when you were having seizures and on strong medication. But another part of me hopes you remember those years and remember that you fought through and you made it to the other side and that you are stronger because of it. A year ago I could not have predicted what life would look like now for you. I had hopes and dreams but I didn't even dare to hope too much. A year ago you were getting ready to have an EEG to see if you had outgrown your seizures, you were doing virtual charter school, and you had just switched from dance to soccer. This year you are seizure free and off off all your medications, you are back in in person school and this fall you finished your 3rd season of soccer and constantly ask me when it's time to start back! Back at the beginning of the year you had your EEG and we were told that you could come off of your seizure medications. I think we held our breath for many months afterwards waiting for the other shoe to drop but I am so happy to say that you have continued to be seizure free. There has been such a difference in your processing and brain clairty now that you are off meds and not having seizures and it makes me so happy for you. At the end of this past school year we talked a lot about you staying with the virtual charter school for 6th grade. You were adament that you wanted to go to in person middle school so off you went! I was very nervous and the beginning of the school year was definitely really, really hard. But we got things figured out and now you are rocking it. You always have worked SO hard in school and in general you would work and work and work and still struggle and feel like you weren't good enough. But this year all your hard work is really paying off. I love the smile on your face when you get in the car and tell me that you made a good grade on a math test (your hardest subject), or that you got to do something extra because you were all caught up on your work. I have seen your confidence soar this year and it makes me so happy. I was so worried that you would be overwhelmed and have major struggles when you not only went back to regular school but also started middle school at the same time but you have adjusted so well! I am proud of you Emerson Jane...you can conquer anything if you put your mind to it and I know you are going to do BIG things! Just over a year ago you decided to take up soccer. You have loved it from day 1. It has definitely taken some time for my sweet little dancer to get some competitive spirit but you have finally figured out that if you want to win you can't stand back and nicely let the player from the other team have the ball..lol! You ended up on a great team with great coaches and you have learned so much and really grown as a player. I am so happy that soccer brings you joy! I don't know how far you will go with soccer or how long you will play but it has been a great activity for where you are in life right now. This year you also went skiing and really enjoyed it, went to Dollywood and confirmed that you don't like roller coasters, started babysitting some, played volleyball on a team for the first time, did summer swim team in Greenville for the first time (and learned to dive, flip turn, and you swam every event over the course of the season), and got braces. The January that Ruthie got tubes in her ears, after a whole year of ear infections and other illnesses, I told the pediatrican that it was going to be the "year of Ruthie". Well this past year was the "year of Emerson". You have absolutely thrived this year! I can't wait to see what next year has in store for you. You are such a fun kid. You are kind and happy and caring and funny and I am so thankful that I get to be your mom and walk through life with you. I love you Emerson Jane! Love, Mom