Sisterly love

My girls are a little less than two years and nine months apart. I always dreamed of girls. I didn't want any stinky boys. I just knew my girls would be the best of friends growing up like my sister and I. Boy was I wrong. From day one the jealousy of Emily's older sister was evident. I thought it was a phase that would pass. As they got older I realized that my dream was nothing more than that. A dream. I chalked it up to Emily's autism for a long time and then just accepted the fact that had Emily been typical, their personalities would not have matched and I would have been looking at many years of sibling rivalry anyway. However both are fiercely protective of one another.

It is usually Anna Grace that gets annoyed with Emily. For many reasons that I am sure would annoy most people. Emily thinks Anna Grace hung the moon but tells her frequently she has pimples. Emily does not get jealous much as that's a hard concept for her to grasp. However...when Anna Grace asked me to take her picture in front of the Mariachi Men at a Mexican restaurant, Emily was quite annoyed. Looks like this rarely happen and I was
glad to capture the moment.

My Big Sister by Luke Lawson

My Big Sister by Luke Lawson

 Dressing up with my Big Sister

 Field Trips with my Big Sister

 Comforting my Big Sister at a Restuarant

 Playing at the park with my Big Sister

Coaxing my Big Sister to join me in the water



My Little Sister by Anna Grace Lawson

 My name is Anna Grace and I am 12 years old. I have a sister with Autism. I love her more than anything in the whole wide world; even when she can kind of be annoying. Sometimes, she asks, "What are we going to do after this? Mom, what are we going to after this?" over and over again. I answer sometimes for mom when she is too busy, like focusing on driving and when she is on the phone. But her routine is for mom to answer, not me. I feel like I can sometimes be invisible to her. Some days I think and wonder, "What is her life like in her point of view?Maybe someday I will figure out what goes through her mind when things happen to her.

Emily (my sister) is a really special girl who just has trouble expressing her feelings to people. She is really smart inside, but she doesn't show it because her mind works differently than others. She has to go to therapy. I know it helps her, but some days she has tantrums (as my mom calls them, meltdowns.). Everyone in the waiting room/lobby can hear her scream and cry while my mom goes to calm her down. I feel so embarrased to see people with a look on her face like, What is she crying about!?!?!? When she's done with therapy, it's just like NOTHING happened!

Having Emily as a sister can be a pain in the butt. But recently, I just finished reading a book called Al Capone Does My Shirts. It sort of made me think that I'm not the only girl in the world who has a sister with Autism. I'm really proud to have Emily as a sister because she is really sweet and caring and looks out for me.  She is so nice to everyone and I love her so much.

I love this blog that my mom writes because she tells about Emily's life and how to deal with kids who have Autism. It really speaks out to the world and to me it says "You're not alone". I can't wait to see all of the posts my mom will write in the future and hopefully I will be writing some too.
 -Anna Grace