It’s been exactly one week since my kids big 18th birthday bash.
Over the course of the last week there have been plenty of compliments and positive vibes given, but the mention we got the most of was of how healthy Amber was.
I guess it didn’t really occur to me because I never really thought that much into it, but with her microcephaly Amber’s life expectancy is lower than the average; her life expectancy is 18.
I figured she would never see 80, but 18? I’ve been caring for her since I was 11. I used to resent having her because her not being normal meant I couldn’t be normal; I couldn’t go out and “mallrat” like the rest, I couldn’t go to birthday parties and sleepovers, and I couldn’t go out to bars and come home at the early hours of the day whenever I felt like it. But fuck, 18?! If I didn’t have her today, right now, my heart would be so broken I wouldn’t want to go out and do any of those things anyway. I’m sorry it took me so long to appreciate what she’s given and taught me over the years.
So here’s to us and the next 20, 30, 40 years. Here’s to buying you as many $2 cheap necklaces as you want. Here’s to taking you to Disneyland and only riding all the baby rides because we’re scaredy cats together. Here’s to buying you an indoor heated swimming pool because you love to go swimming even if it’s in the middle of winter. Here’s to always making you laugh and “RAWR” in my face whenever you’re upset. Here’s to your amazing memory that you focus basely on memorizing Disney movie quotes and songs because whenever I quoted Lilo from Lilo and Stitch when she was trapped and scared telling Stitch not to leave her, you know exactly what it means and exactly how it feels because you squeeze my hand and respond with “okay”
Here’s to forever together kid
