About Our Circus
We're a family of eight. We have six children, three biological and three adopted from China. All but one of our children, including our bio kids, have special needs. Even my husband and I actually have special needs. We're kind of a funny family like that. So here we are.
The Barker and the Ringmaster (Otherwise known as Amber and Mike): We've been married for nearly 20 years. We were both thin and gorgeous and healthy when we got married. Now we're old and none of those things. But we're still madly in love, because we're both awesome, and why wouldn't someone love us? That's what I thought. Mike (Who shall be henceforth known as 'The Ringmaster', is good at everything. This is not a joke. Seriously. Everything. It's super annoying. He served active duty in the Air Force and now serves in the national guard and works as a civilian for the government. Mike has a rare allergy related autoimmune disorder called 'Eosinophilic Esophagitis' or EoE as it's commonly known. He's allergic to a lot of food and has a lot of crazy autoimmune issues...almost entirely in his esophagus. Yeah, it's weird. Amber (Who shall henceforth be known as The Barker) is a professional author of many novels under many names. She's had many jobs over the years before publishing, and she likes to call those experience and not absentmindedness. She has another, different, rare allergy related autoimmune disorder than Mike called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome which is likely related to her disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. If you have either of these conditions, we feel you, and you have our sympathy. We could have more energy some days, but what we do have is plenty of love for our monkeys to go around.
The Clown: S is our oldest son. He's sixteen, and will be known as the clown. S lives to tell a good joke. His sense of irony and sarcasm is legendary. Seriously, this kid is pure delight if you happen to be very smart and very snarky. S has the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. He has the associated issues of hypermobility, easily damaged joints, and a lot of emotional EDS tag alongs, like anxiety, OCD and 'autism like symptoms'. When he was young he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which was later amended to autism like symptoms, OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and who knows what else. We decided to just stick with 'autism like symptoms' and get it over with. He also has the curse of severe ADHD and a hatred of his meds, which isn't the best combination.
The Lion: J is the lion in our family. At fourteen, J is a grumpy teenager who can't even almost every moment of his life. We are delighted to say that he's the only child we have who can be embarrassed by his parents being silly and we've been waiting for this moment for all of our lives. We like to say that his motto in life is, 'surly to bed, surly to rise.' Though he's an angry elf, he's a much beloved son, adopted from China at age 12 in 2014. J has brain differences and moderate hemiplegic cerebral palsy, left sided. This means his left side is not functional in a number of ways, especially his left upper extremities. China did a number on his self confidence about these physical differences, and we've been trying to fix that every since. Even though he's tall, good looking, athletic, and smart, he thinks he'll never be successful in life because his arm looks different. Please teach your children to be kind as off-hand remarks can have lasting consequences.
The Animal Tamer: E is our thirteen year daughter. I like to call her my assistant momager. She's our only child without special needs. She helps me corral her siblings pretty much every day of her life. E is tender hearted, loving, a born mama figure, and the favorite of literally every one of her siblings. It's a hard life when five voices are always calling your name because they just want to be with you every moment, so we have to rein them in. You can't play with E every moment of every day, y'all. She has to have some time for herself! E loves clothes, glitter, prettiness, and shopping. Basically, she's a beautiful little teenage girl cliche. She's SO tiny. At thirteen, she's only 4'9" and wears only child sized shoes. She has two pictures on her wall that characterize her very well. "Little, but fierce" and "Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins."
The Fire Eater: F came to us from China at the age of six. He's now nine years old. He's not just a fire eater, he's made of fire. There's nothing that can keep this guy down. F has a very serious form of blood transfusion dependent anemia called Beta Thalassemia Major. It's a genetic disease and he received a gene deletion from both of his biological parents which leaves him unable to produce red blood cells that are capable of carrying oxygen. He's had a tough life, and he's a tough kid. He's also a funny, brave, enthusiastic, charming, very very alive kid. He's going to take the world by storm some day, leaving his fire in his wake.
The Acrobat: G is seven and a curious mix of girly girl and adventure junkie. Since she was a very young child, G has been obsessed with adrenaline rushes. She'd get on the back of the couch at a year old and purposefully jump off over and over again. When she was three or four, she let us know that someday, she plans to be a race car driver. At the same time, she'll be doing that with sparkly nails and a tiara. G has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as well. She also has ADHD, again probably as a result of the EDS. We'll call her the acrobat because the EDS allows her a large range of movements that normal folks couldn't do, and she uses it to perform her death defying tricks. At every arcade, her first beeline is for the bumper cars or the bungee cords.
The Contortionist: A is six. She just joined our family less than two months ago from rural China. A is a bundle of energy and joy. Like many people with Down Syndrome, A loves so much. She loves practically everyone. She loves practically everything. Music makes her happy, TV makes her happy, we make her happy. Her joy is contagious. Also like most people with Down Syndrome, A has an incredible ability to bend her body into curious shapes. She might sleep with her legs spread out completely or behind her head. There's no indication she isn't comfortable that way. She has returned the magic of young childhood to our lives. That kind of excitement, enthusiasm, and joy is so powerful. She's a delight.
Welcome to the circus! We're glad you are under our big top!
The Barker
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