31 days of surprises and the top of my list? She is just one of the kids.
Tonight we went trick-or-treating with the cousins. House to house through the neighborhood they went, collecting treats galore. At each house, they all said “Trick or Treat” (or I want treat! or Do these have peanuts?) and then “thank you.” After a marathon of stops, they ate pizza on the living room floor and watched Black Day.
And Tessa was just one of the kids.
It’s like that around here. Sure, there are some differences. For example, thanks to low muscle tone, her “I’m done trick-or-treating” looks like this:
And, she may or may not have been given some extra candy on occasion due to her extra chromie. (Who can resist a child who so innocently asks for “more please?”)
(One neighbor told her to pick two and she sweetly looked up and said “how ’bout… four??” They said ok, but while I cheered inside because yay speech!!, made her stick to the two.)
The reality is that out and about, we saw friends from her swim classes and school. All the kids that said hello treated her like just one of the crowd. So while the fear of sticking out like a sore thumb had filled me for years, tonight she was just another little girl in a Frozen costume.
Will every moment always be like this? This shining example of community inclusion? Of course not. There are many battles to come. But now, on this Halloween Night, I am savoring the joy of a little girl, more alike than different, who brings so much light to this crazy world.
Thanks for spending this month with us. ❤️
Yo soy La Lay 
Thank YOU!! It has been a pleasure and an honor.
Thanks for a month of heartwarming reads! Love your family!