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Dear TJ,
Eight years ago, you were born at 12:22 pm. You weighed only 6 lb 2 oz, and you were only 18.5 inches long. Today, you are in the vicinity of 60 pounds, and you can go on the rides where you must be 48 inches tall. (But not the rides for 52 inches and up.)
Today, we are celebrating your birthday at Universal Orlando Resort on the last day of the Family Forward Retreat. We have made so many memories here, and watching the joy on your face has been worth every penny we spent on this trip.
I want to look back at the last year…
You know some basic multiplication tables, even though they weren’t part of your second grade curriculum. You love reading books about volcanoes and other natural disasters, space, animals, and Pokemon manga – the kind that you have to read back to front because of the way they formatted it in the original Japanese. You love Pokemon, Harry Potter, Ben 10, and Phineas and Ferb. Your favorite superhero is The Flash, and your second favorite superhero is Spider-man. I think you are more confident in your own beliefs than I am in mine. You have a blankie, even though you don’t call it that. You sleep with your entire body under the covers every night, rarely with your head on the pillow, and sometimes completely upside down! You prefer to wear your hair long, but you were willing to see things pragmatically and get it cut shorter to say cooler in the summer.
I love you so much, buddy. I can’t wait to see what the next eight years bring!
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
