The Best Big Brother Ever

God knew that Teddy couldn't have just any sibling.

He knew that Teddy needed a brother, someone to wrestle with him, fart on his belly and model the way to do things. He knew Teddy's brother needed to have (or develop) incredible patience to handle the challenges encountered daily with Teddy. He knew Teddy needed a brother with attention to detail, someone who would notice when Teddy wanted a drink simply because Teddy stared at a cup on the table. He knew Teddy needed a brother with tolerance, one who could handle when Teddy destroyed his creations, ate his food or invaded personal space that doesn't exist in Teddy's mind. He knew Teddy needed a brother who would be curious, interested in learning more about how to help Teddy and understanding Teddy's diagnosis. He knew Teddy need a brother with acceptance, one who would love his brother unconditionally, even if Teddy occasionally drools on him. (Eww, gross!) He knew Teddy needed a brother who would be selfless, who would often inadvertently not be the center of attention when Teddy's health or challenges forced us to focus primarily on Teddy. He knew Teddy needed a brother with a kind heart, one ready to help his brother with tasks of daily life and special projects to brighten his days.

That's why God gave us AJ as our first child, Teddy's older brother.

We could not be more proud of AJ. He is everything that Teddy needs, except for the rare days that he still head butts Teddy because, well, he's human. There have been a couple things in the past few weeks that show perfectly what a tremendous brother AJ is.

When we went to the MTT track meet a few weeks ago, AJ spent the drive there inventing a camera that would enable Teddy to take pictures. It was essentially the camera app of a tablet except on a camera with a touch screen that you tap to take photos. He had other elements to his design, but I'd hate to ruin his patent before he gets that all finished. AJ was so excited about making a camera that was adapted for Teddy and "other people with diagnoses" to use to take pictures. He was even plotting out who he could consult to help make a prototype of this design, and my brother better watch out the next time AJ sees him.

Then there was World CDG Awareness Day last week. AJ proudly wore his shirt and spent the day quizzing us up with 101 questions about CDGs. He was rather disappointed that none of his classmates asked him about his shirt and that he only got to give a card explaining it to his teacher. He then asked me to ask his teacher if I could come explain CDGs to his class. Given that he's in kindergarten, I suggested a more general approach of how some people have different challenges, how people can communicate without speaking and how all kids want to play with others and have fun. So we're working on that for next week in his class because he wants to help others understand.

So proud. Such a horrible smile for pictures. 

And today he came to visit Teddy during the dreaded 24-hour EEG. Not only did he help me pack a few toys for Teddy, he brought a "treasure chest" that he created for Teddy from a cardboard box filled with more toys. He spent two hours playing with his brother, asking a bunch of questions about EEGs and making Teddy's evening better simply by being there.

Best brothers ever.

We're mighty lucky that God knew what Teddy ... and we ... needed.