Friends

What is one thing we as parents long for our children to have?  Well, I know there are a lot of things we long for them to have, but tonight, I am thinking about friends.  I want Ellie to have friends...meaningful, genuine, lifetime friends.  

I can remember in the first days after receiving Ellie's diagnosis, David and I had a million thoughts run through our heads.  I can remember just crying at the drop of a hat, thinking about the "what ifs."  I can also, remember David looking at me, with tears in his eyes, "Do you think she will make friends?"  We just held each other.  "Yes, I said.  I know she will."  It is such a raw, sinking feeling when doctors give you a diagnosis.  It is like everything is taken away from you, and things you never dreamed you would be worried about, creep to the surface.  Will my child make friends?  Will she relate to others?  Will she thrive socially?  Will she be accepted?

Ellie, without a doubt is a social little girl.  She never meets a stranger, and has this infectious personality that draws you in.  I love seeing her interact with other people, and couldn't be more proud and happy of her.  From an early age, she has been in therapy 4-5 times a week, so she interacts with others...that in itself is so beneficial for her.  Also, I make every effort to get her around lots of different people.  I can tell, she is just a people person and to some extent, I think she is like me, she is energized around people.  She's like her daddy too...she captivates people's attention, and one day, I think she will be a super storyteller like he is...who knows, maybe even a drummer.  I can only hope she gets his rhythm and not mine!

Watching her interact with other children has been the most precious thing.  It has really helped her language to soar, and she is so interested in others, and loves, loves, loves learning and saying their names.  That makes me so proud, because I strive to remember people's names...it is just so important.  

Ellie has the unique blessing of making some amazing friends in the PWS community.  Each time we get together with a family that has a child with PWS, it gives me chills to see Ellie and that child interact, hug one another, and instantly love each other.  These friends are so important because they "get one another" and will be able to provide support to each other in the years to come.  She has older friends with PWS, that will look out for her, like Ayden Jane, Hannah, Peyton, Madison, Trey, Riden, Adrian, Aubrey, and Meagan.  And she has friends closer to her own age, like Haven, Mila, Gracie, Le'Bron, Ella, Jack, Jener, Leah, Sadie, Kate, Jentry, Joseph, Brooklyn, and Kylar (the list could go on and on) that she will get to grow up together with, and spend lots of time together playing.  The awesome thing about these friends, is that some of them are close by, and others are all over the United States!  I am so excited to see how her friendships form throughout our awesome PWS community.  Heck, she might even marry one of them!

Friends...Ellie will most definitely make them...

And as her parents, we can't wait to help her cultivate these relationships, and celebrate the goodness and joy they bring to her life and ours.