Thursday, February 13, 2014

The best Valentine's card ever ever ever


Sabrina and I were at CVS this weekend, browsing the Valentine's Day cards. She was thinking of getting one for a friend. Suddenly she said, "Mommy, look!" She picked up a Lightning McQueen card.

Lightning McQueen is Max's Valentine. He has eyes for nobody but Lightning. Suzanne from Special Needs Mom told me about these printable Lighting McQueen Valentines, and we'll be doing those tomorrow (yet another snow day). (Our sixth.) (But who's counting.)

"Mommy, I'm giving this to Max!" Sabrina said.

She was so genuinely excited. And that made me seriously happy.

Something's changed between Sabrina and Max in recent months. They play together more. They laugh together more. He calls for her when he needs help. She goes out of her way to come to his aid—like if he's struggling to pick up something, she'll do it for him. At night, she wants to kiss him good night after I do and sometimes, she lies down next to him till he falls asleep. I've overheard her telling him, "Max, you're so cute!"




Maturity? Has she secretly been reading this blog? I don't know.

Of course, they are not totally copacetic, because they are siblings of the human variety. "Mommy! He's annoying me!" Sabrina will complain. Or, "Ewww, he got drool on me!" Max roars when she teases him. Half the time, I have no idea what the heck they're fighting about.

But they are mostly getting along. They're even in cahoots together. Last night, I plucked Max's iPad out of his hands because he needed to go to sleep. I plopped it behind a pillow in my room, then ducked into the bathroom. When I came out, the iPad was gone. Sabrina had given it back to Max. The two of them were snickering.

Max is going to squeal when she hands him this card.

Me, I'm already swooning.

Happy Valentine's Day to your sweeties.


13 comments:

  1. aw!! love the picture of the two of them in bed so much.

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  2. Ellen....
    "Sabrina and I were at CVS this weekend, browsing the Valentine's Day cards. She was thinking of getting one for a friend. Suddenly she said, 'Mommy, look!' She picked up a Lightning McQueen card. Lightning McQueen is Max's Valentine. He has eyes for nobody but Lightning. 'Mommy, I'm giving this to Max!' Sabrina said. She was so genuinely excited. And that made me seriously happy.". What a thoughtful girl you are raising!! ;)
    Sweet!! I am so happy that Max and Sabrina are learning how to lovingly get along with each other!! ;-D
    --Raelyn

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  3. Ellen, this is not related but I saw this post on the Daily Mail (hey, no judging here on the source, I tell myself I balance this out by reading the NYTimes on the weekend) and you are probably already familiar with this, but in case you aren't, this was about having a fashion designer cast role models rather than swimsuit models in her show. Thought you'd be interested -- Emily (a reader of your blog) : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2558672/Its-time-start-including-people-disabilities-New-York-Fashion-Week-puts-wheelchair-bound-model-runway.html

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    1. Thanks for sharing, very cool! No judgment—they have some good stuff on the Daily Mail. Though they repeatedly refer to people with disability in a victimizing way, e.g., "wheelchair bound" and "suffers from autism/cerebral palsy/etc."

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    2. Ellen....
      You do not like the term "wheelchair bound"? Explain why. And I will be careful from here on forth in not saying/writing that phrase. {Guilty as charged!!} ;-}
      No judgment over here, either!! However. May I just add something? The Daily Mail WRONGLY spread word that Robert Downey Jr.'s oldest son, Indio, struggled with pain killer issues awhile back {They never said "addiction"} which got its source from The National Inquirer, an unreliable newspaper. And Indio--although not perfect, as nobody is--seems like a good, well-raised kid!! He never struggled with drugs. His Dad did. And this was just people digging up "old bones" if you know what I mean. Completely unnecessary!! Sorry. I am done!! ;)
      --Raelyn
      PS. I do still read Daily Mail articles. Hey, if the story catches my attention.... ;-D

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    3. "Wheelchair bound" makes the person in the wheelchair sound like a prisoner of their wheelchair, a victim. "Wheelchair user" is a neutral, non-loaded term. Hey, I didn't say I trust The Daily Mail, but yes, their stories catch my eye.

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    4. You guys are totally right. The quality of the reporting, particularly if you're depending on the National Enquirer as a source, is pretty low. And reading it just feeds the paparazzi machine. But, I clearly still visit the page! Thanks for asking the question about being wheelchair bound, Raelyn, and for the thoughtful answer, Ellen. I agree that the way they depicted it was not fabulous, but I thought that the designer using role models was an nice touch, and that one had clearly more different abilities was also a step in the right direction. It reminded me of an article you wrote, Ellen, about including kids with all abilities in advertisements. Thanks for all you do on this blog. It helps me think through a lot of the thornier issues (and remember to celebrate the less thorny) of having a kid with different/dis abilities. --Emily

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    5. Ellen....
      "Wheelchair user". I love that term!! You possess a valid point that "wheelchair bound" does sound victimizing!! I never even thought through such a perspective!! Thanks!! ;-D
      Emily....
      "The quality of the reporting, particularly if you're depending on the National Enquirer as a source, is pretty low. ". You are absolutely correct!! See, I did not realize that their "news" source came from the National Enquirer until reading it. And I never even read that story!! Because. I knew immediately how untrue its words were heedless of their "news" source!! ;)
      --Raelyn

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  4. Lovely. Max is lucky to have such a beautiful sister and friend as Sabrina... And, Sabrina's lucky to have Max in her life! Happy Valentine's Day!

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  5. Sibling teamwork. :D

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  6. Ellem....I am dying, DYING, to know what Max's reaction was to the fabulous Valentine from his sister?

    Christy Cruz

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  7. Oh the sweet sibling love and cute photos...
    This has given me a sudden urge to hug my own little sister.

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Thanks for sharing!