My sister Melanie came out the same week that Jamey and Sara came. Melanie is amazing. She has five kids of her own, three she had in three years, just like my boys. Her kids are models of what good parenting is and I absolutely adore her. Melanie always makes me feel like my dumb stories are interesting, that my rants aren’t disturbing and that maybe I’m funny.

Melanie is also one of those people who can say something I can do or change or whatever without making me feel like I’m not a good parent. I call her the autism whisperer because she came up with ideas for Casey, things so simple that have really helped us. She just has this amazing ability to figure Casey out. Maybe it’s because she has a degree in Special Education, but mostly I think it’s because she’s so close to the Spirit, and so is Casey. When we first were trying to figure out what was wrong with Casey, Melanie never said anything negative about us getting him diagnosed, and a lot of people did. She didn’t fight our judgment. Instead, she read then sent me book after book about autism. She talked to people. She learned so much about it. I love her for that. What a remarkable way to show someone your support. When I’m having a tough time with Casey, or just a tough time in general, I call Melanie. She knows when to give advise, or when to just listen and commiserate. She’s a fantastic mother. A few months ago, the doctor told Melanie that she was worried that her youngest daughter, Lizzy, had down syndrome. The genetic test proved otherwise, but the time between that and finding out was hard. But I knew very well that if she was, (she doesn’t even look like it) she was born to the best family who would love and cherish her.

I’m getting all mushy. Ew.