My kid is cool...

...well, actually they both are cool. But every once in a while, there is an anecdote that bears repeating. Tomorrow is their 6th birthday - that is, 6 years since that fateful night when they cut my kids out of my stomach. It's been an amazing adventure - not easy of course, but parenthood isn't supposed to be easy. But 21 surgeries, 4 shunts, visual impairment, blindness and seizures in foreign countries all add up to some pretty thick skin but also some very good life lessons.

Creed and Zelda are now in Kindergarten. They miss their beloved Ecole of 3 years and their friends that they made there, but are adapting very well to Kindergarten. They have dedicated and attentive teachers and classrooms full of new friends. But with a birthday at the start of a new school in a new school year, it's a bit difficult to put together that list of invitees for the Birthday Extravaganza at Kiddies Acres. Of course, we'll invite their old "amis" from Ecole as we try to sift through 22 kids in each of their new classes and find out who each of the twins calls a friend in only week #2 of school.

With Zelda, it's always a bit difficult to figure out who she likes. Everyone seems to love Zelda, as they call out her name each morning and cheerfully say "Hi Zelda." She, on the other hand, seems quite indifferent to almost everyone except for the teachers.
But with Creed, we try to pull information out of him. Creed had already decided on 2 friends that he wanted to invite.
Joey is his new best buddy - they met the first day of school - and Creed mentions him everyday. So, then I asked Creed, "Who else besides Joey would you like to invite from your class?"
His answer: "Mom, I want to invite Zachy. I know that he'll need extra help but I really want him to come to my party."
Zachy is in a wheelchair. He doesn't walk or speak. He was in Zelda's PPCD class last year (Public Preschool for Children with Disabilities) so we have passed the year with smiles and knowing looks between us and his parents and his sister is in Zelda's Kindergarten. Of all of the kids, Creed wanted to invite Zachy. I love that in him. I wish every kid would feel that way for Zachy, for Zelda, for Fin, for all those kids that are loved from afar but are not always included...I wish for every kid, parent, family and otherwise to have that kind of compassion.

Happy, happy birthday to my twins - I am so glad that they are not "normal"....I love you, C & Z!