True Love

This Valentine's Day I find myself reflecting on true love. It is easy to love when life is easy. It is harder when things get hard. A simple though perhaps obvious fact. After 22 years together it is amazing how well Steve and I know each other. That is true love. When you know each others faults but love and stand by each other anyway.

XOXO. Still love you honey. (Glad you shaved the goatee, though.)

At this stage in my life Valentine's Day is just as much for celebrating the love I have for my children. I love all three of them so much! The love I have for Ainsley is special. As special as she is. Caring for such a special child is demanding. But like anything demanding the payoff is great.

Ainsley picked up a cold. Something that would be minor to the rest of us. But when Ainsley gets a cough she is miserable. The cannula hits the trachea and the result is often tracheitis. The irritation causes more coughing and starts a cycle of coughing that is difficult to break. Bloody trach snot splatter is not something to take out into public. So while Steve took Evie and Adrian bowling I am home giving Ainsley TLC.

I put her in her new heart jammies for a jammie day with style. Watching movies only helped a little. 

When things get like this Ainsley always regresses with eating. It's hard to eat while you cough.

True love is feeding your child through a tube because you know they need it even when you know that it will derail all the progress you've worked so hard for. 

Look at her beautiful smiling face even when she feels awful. It's pretty easy to love this girl with all my heart. Today I feel blessed even though this isn't my ideal way to spend Valentine's Day.

Later we will be celebrating with Chinese food (pizza for Adrian). 

We have treats. And will be watching Make Every Day Valentine's Day.

Ainsley wrote "her name" on cards for Evie and Adrian. She did that on all the cards for her classmates and was so proud! They are scratch-n-sniff. My favorite!

Hope your Valentine's Day is sweet!