Happy Birthday Kennedy!

Kennedy turns 11 next week. And more than ever, I'm seeing signs of her growing up. She's always been mature (thanks to her life experiences), but she's definitely growing up and growing into a very caring young lady. Last weekend, I saw her be an awesome "big sister" to a friend's little boy. She took him under her wing and took care of him instead of being annoyed by little boy antics. This past weekend she made the announcement that she wants to take a Christmas trip instead of Santa visiting this year. The fact that she is picking making memories with her family over asking for material things warms my heart. Today when she noticed that our dog was injured, she dropped everything, squeezed in beside her, and spent the next thirty minutes petting her and talking to her in a soothing voice. In the last few weeks she has started following several kids, via my Facebook, with illnesses or injuries. And she doesn't just read about them and move on...she talks about them, she thinks about them, she revisits their pages regularly, she truly cares about their journey.

Seems like every birthday, we're looking forward to something in the coming year. When she turned two, we looked forward to her growing (kids with her syndrome often have trouble growing in the first year which can lead to more health issues). When she turned three, we looked forward to expanding speech therapy services to give her the powerful tool of speech. When she turned five, we looked forward to saving her life with a titanium rib (okay, maybe not looked forward to it but you get my point). When she turned eight, we looked forward to her going live with her BAHA and hearing natural sound for the first time in her life. We also looked forward to her getting an ear. When she turned nine, we looked forward to her getting an ear (again). When she turned ten, we looked forward to her getting an ear (again, this time a prosthetic ear).

Kennedy is scheduled to receive her new ear on June 20th. So it might seem natural that that's what I'm looking forward to for Kennedy in year 11. But that's not it. Don't get me wrong, that's exciting. And a long-time coming. We're all excited, scared, nervous, proud, eager, and on and on.

But when she turns eleven, I look forward to a year with NO surgeries. I look forward to a year with NO procedures. I look forward to a year with NO major medical decisions. I look forward to a year with few and far between doctor appointments. This year will be like no others.

I look forward to her "graduating" fifth grade, saying goodbye to her elementary school era. I look forward to her embarking on the journey known as middle school. I look forward to her choosing to be who she wants to be. I look forward to her making new friends and to her best friends, becoming a better friend   which only comes with age. I look forward to watching her continue to grow as a person. I look forward to seeing how big her heart is.

I look forward to her being able to just be...