Sisters!

Avery is 6 months old now! Time sure flies when you are having fun and we are having lots of fun. It has been such a different experience for us. It almost seems like Avery is growing twice as fast. We were convinced at her 6 month visit this week that the doctor would tell us we have a big girl on our hands. Avery has cheeks you can't resist, chubby little legs and is already wearing clothes Ella wore at 18 months (I should note they are 6 mo. clothes). She is growing perfect and on a nice curve, but still petite. She is 14.8 lbs and 25.5 inches tall.

Now that Avery is starting to sit up and loves to play, Ella has taken a greater interest in her sister. She is the only one who can consistently get Avery to crack up with a deep belly laugh. There are some afternoons that the two of them can not stop laughing. It is the BEST thing to hear.

My sister Erin and me.

They are both too young to understand it, but I tell them every day how luck they are to have a sister. I am the oldest of two girls. My sister is my best friend. I talk to her every day (usually multiple times a day). She is my confidant, sometimes my boss, my harshest critic and my biggest supporter. She holds a master's degree (2 actually) in education and special ed and has been a tremendous help in navigating the waters when it comes to getting the best services possible for Ella. She is really good at being the person to calm me down when I am upset/sad/mad/frustrated. She even reminds me often (all the time actually) that she was the one to encourage me to write about our life and raising Ella and now Avery. I am so grateful I took her advice. The support I have had since I started blogging has been tremendous.

Ella and Avery watching morning
Tinkerbell. Aves looks skeptical!

I hope that Ella and Avery can have this kind of relationship. I often wonder how Ella's diagnosis will effect Avery's life. We have no idea what the future will hold. We don't know what kind of support Ella will need throughout school. All we can do is live in the moment and continue to be so grateful that Ella is doing very well. What I DO know and I can help mold is how both girls treat others. I like to believe that having a sister that has to deal with challenges many other kids are not faced with will make Avery a more compassionate person. In turn, I have already seen how Avery motivates Ella. She wants to help out all the time. She loves to help feed Avery and she thinks its hysterical to copy her whether it's making raspberry noises or rolling around. When the stroller comes out, my little assistant is right there to push her sister along!

 I hope that they can help each other throughout life -- the good and the bad, and be as good of friends as Erin and me.

   "For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to etch one it one goes astray, to life one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands." - Christina Rossetti