A Decade of Delights

All pictures by Alyssa Maisano Photography

Wow! Ten years ago we welcomed our tiny little bundle of joy into the world around 1 a.m. on a cold Canadian night. Miss Emma Lane is our sweet sunshine, our sassy, spunky sister, our sugar-coated Spicer. No one in our family can quite believe that she is ten years old. It seems only yesterday we started our journey with Emma and with Down syndrome. How the years have flown!!

I couldn't possibly list all the wonderfulness of Emma Lane. She is such a sheer joy to have around. One thing we all like is the way she says her name: Emma Wayne. So do we, now. While she is quite capable of saying it correctly, I think she keeps saying Emma Wayne because she knows we (especially her beloved cousin Andrea) love it.

I love the way Emma has been carrying around a bedraggled, lined notebook for her homework. She pretends to write lines and lines of cursive in it, or perhaps practices some letters, or writes her name over and over again. I love it when she comes up and asks for her homework. "Mommy, homework please."

I love her confidence. She thinks nothing of walking into a room and announcing herself. She thinks nothing of sticking up for herself in a large family: No way, Luke! Stop it, Vera!

I love her confidence in herself as a valuable person. She is quite sure that everyone wants to listen to her sing (at top volume) or watch her dance (she has some MOVES). If you were to ask her why we should listen or watch she would clearly answer: I'm Emma! (And she'd probably roll her eyes...just a bit)

I love her hope for the future. She is going to marry Nick Jonas. She is 100% sure of that. One time, her daddy actually met the Jonas brothers and called home to tell her about it. She decided that meant her daddy was bringing Nick home as a present to her. She put down the phone and immediately started setting the dining room table for four: Mommy, Daddy, Emma and Nick, of course. While I loved that she wanted to double date with us, I was devastated to have to tell her Nick wasn't coming. It's a terrible thing to disappoint that loving, trusting, smiling girl.

I love the way Emma poses for pictures, just like the pictures here. She LOVES to have her picture made. Of course, if I were such a beauty I would like it, too.

I love, love, love the way she tells me: Mommy, I miss you. She invariably says it when we've been together all day, not when I've been away. I think it means she loves me and doesn't want me to leave, that she likes it much better when we're together. Me, too, Emmy.

I also love another of her frequent utterances: Mommy, come snug me. She wants me to drop whatever I'm doing and sit with her on the couch, or hold her in my arms, or anything else that involves close contact with Emma and her mommy.

I love to listen to her pray. She's been known to have some long prayers. She always asks God to bring Daddy home safely. Most famously, she was mid-prayer one night at dinner and prayed for Daddy to come home now and at just that moment the door opened and it was Daddy! I think God was showing off for His sweet girl.

I love the way she plays with blocks. Not only does she like to build but she likes to organize by type. She can be very thoughtful in her play.

I love the way we can always bring her back to a smile. She gets mad, she cries, she pouts, she is stubborn, but her default setting is happy and smiling and it usually doesn't take much effort at all to get her reset. After she cried about Nick, for instance, she didn't dwell on it or fall into despair. She went on with her day, happy as a lark. It's a great attribute.

I can't believe ten years have come and gone so quickly with my baby girl. She was the one I thought would stay young forever but she didn't. And that's good. I have loved all her stages and look forward to those we have yet to see. She's an amazing blessing and I love her more than I could ever express.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA LANE!!!

All pictures by Alyssa Maisano Photography