Wednesday, October 10, 2012

My Shelby Sue


16 years ago, my little brother burst into my room, annoyed that he had to go through the bathroom because I had locked the door leading into the hallway.  Oops.  I remember him saying something, but he woke me up... so more than anything I was annoyed with him.

Shocking.

He told me mom was having contractions and that we needed to get up and get ready to go to a friends house to spend the rest of the night.  It was 4:30am.

And it was the same day that my stepmom had a scheduled C-Section.

I was about to have two sisters born on the same day.

For years I teased them that since they were both half-sisters, they equaled a whole sister.  Neither Shelby Sue nor Tay Tay thought that was funny.

Honestly, they were just sisters.  Who weren't related to each other... and who caused massive confusion in my friends and even some family members.  And CERTAINLY with each other.

I'll write another post about Taylor next, but this post is about Shelby.  My mom and stepdad's kiddo.

Shelby was really REALLY pink.  I remember holding her for the first time in the hospital and she was just very very PINK.  Which was fitting since she was a girl.  She also had a lot of hair.  She was pretty quiet and I rocked her back and forth, back and forth on the little glider in the hospital room.

I babysat her ALL THE TIME that summer.  Tay and Shelby were born in March and by June I was watching Shelby a couple of times a week.  Mostly she would sleep, but sometimes I would put her in her exersaucer (even when she was a little too small for it...) or put her on her tummy in front of blocks.

As she got older I would show her pictures in magazines and try to teach her the names of Luke SKY-walker and HAN SO-lo.

We would take walks up and down the street in her stroller.  I remember specifically the time that I found out if you hit a bump in the rode, she would startle and make the funniest face!  I may have done that a few times more to laugh at her... (sorry Mom).

She liked pacis.  Which we called her "suck-sucks."  The only ones she would take were the yellow ones.  And when she slept, she would suck on one and clench the other one in her hand.  We didn't have any trouble weaning her of her suck-sucks though... she accidentally bit a hole through one of them at about 2 years old, and announced, "It's broke" to my mom, stepdad, and I and then promptly put herself to bed.

Yeah, she was that kind of kid.

She was Mary (ya know, MOTHER OF JESUS) in her school program.  Of course she was...

To this DAY when she cries she looks like a turtle.

When I went home for college after Christmas break my freshman year, we both cried.  It was awful.

As she's gotten older, she has developed a great sense of humor.  She doesn't cry often and never cries without a really good reason to cry.  She is sweet and sassy and sarcastic.  She loves to organize.

And in April of this year, a month after she stood by my side as I got married, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

I hate cancer.

She has been so incredibly brave through all of this.  She is pretty calm and continues to just be "Shelby."  I am so blessed by her all the time.  I love that little girl a whole lot.  And if I could take her place I wouldn't even think about it, I would do it.

October 21st, the teens and I are all going to walk in the Light the Night Walk in honor of Shelby.  If you feel led to walk, we would love to see you there!  If you feel led to give, it would be such a blessing to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Information on our team can be found here: Light the Night Walk Fort Worth- Pirate Hats for Shelby Team

Love you, Shelby Sue!

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