Welcome to Armor

What a wonderful day this has been!!

To start, Dylan woke up first and made himself breakfast (allowing me to sleep in).  It’s so hard to watch your children grow up, but there are benefits to be had!  He even cleaned his own mess, which in Dylan World is something that happens as often Ava stands up and runs in circles all by herself.  Needless to say, I was so grateful!

Exactly one hour later, Connor and Ava woke up.  They usually wake up at the same time, but my explanation for it is much different from his. =)  My eyes tell me that Ava wakes up as soon as Connor jumps in her bed, every single morning.  His mouth tells me that they dream together, so of course they wake up at the same time when they are ready to leave their dream land.  I’m so happy they had another “experience” with their dream world last night because I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to post about it.  You will not believe it when you read about it, and I know this because I can hardly believe it myself.  What I do know is that Connor and Ava have a connection unlike any I have ever seen between too children, and because of that (and his imagination), myself and so many people have been exposed to a “real” personality for Ava.  His story telling has made our angel more human and more relatable.  It’s the best gift he could ever give to me.

Here we go!  Connor first began telling me about his dreamland with Ava many, many months ago. Two years ago, actually.  He began by telling me things he and Ava did together that are physically impossible for her, and I laughed it off to myself.  His imagination is beautiful.  He has a writer’s mind.  I can’t wait to see how it develops, and at the time, that’s what I thought was happening.  There was one morning thought when I accidentally let my “laugh” slip, and he heard me, became angry and stormed off.  I tried to console him and told him that I love to hear the stories about his adventures with his sister, but I don’t ever see her walking or talking like he does so it makes me smile to hear him tell me these things.  “Mom,” he explained to me, “She does these things in our dream world.  Well, she can talk to me in real life but it’s very, very quiet.  I’m the only one who can hear her.  She does the rest of those things in our Land.”

He had my attention.

The last few months have been spent very patiently letting Connor reveal to me (and now he is even sharing with many of our family members) the details of his dream world with Ava.  It’s the kind of stuff that gives me chills even now just to remember the first time he told me each thing. 

So far, we’ve learned from Connor that his and Ava’s dream world is named Armor for an obvious reason: Ava is safe there.  Grown-ups aren’t allowed there unless they’re invited (hmm..is my son the next C.S. Lewis?), and the only way to get there is through sleep (of course) and there is a door you have to open after you fall asleep.  The door opens at 8:30 when he and Ava go to bed, and closes in the morning when they are tired of Armor and ready to come back.  In the beginning, Ava didn’t have special powers there, but she was normal, and that’s extraordinary for herself.  She takes a wheelchair to the door, and once she crosses, she can walk, talk, make funny jokes, and pretend to be anything she wants to be, just like Connor.  He tells me things she says, and how she plays.  The entity of Ava he has created for Armor is as witty and wild as he is.  There are separate lands in Armor, one for boys and one for girls.  They run on a line in between and whoever wins the race has to allow the other to play on their side.  They are best friends in Armor.  As time has gone on and his imagination has been growing, super powers have been obtained.  In Armor, Ava knows how to zap things and turn them to dust, and Connor knows how to zap the dust and create something better than it was to begin with.  She doesn’t have to wear diapers in Armor and they get to eat anything they want.  Chocolate milk is everywhere.  I joked with Connor once and told him that Armor sounds like heaven and he respond by saying “It is kind of like heaven, but it’s the kind of heaven that’s after this world and before the REAL heaven. DUH.” =) There are so many more details about Armor that I’ve left out (it would take PAGES of typing!)

Every morning when Connor tells me about their latest adventure, Ava closes her eyes and smiles as if she’s right there in Armor.  I think any good child psychologist would tell you this is how Connor copes with having a severely disabled sister, and that I entertain the idea by letting him tell me stories because that’s how I cope with having a disabled daughter, but I’m telling you…those kids are on to something.  One night a few months ago, Ava was having a really difficult time with seizures so Drew and I stayed up with her for the entire night.  We kept her downstairs in the study next to our room so that she wouldn’t keep the boys awake, and because of that they had no idea she was having a “bad night”.  The next morning, Connor woke up earlier than usual and very ill.  He walked up to Ava, with his eyebrows furrowed, and said “What HAPPENED?” then turned to me and said, “Mom, Abuh didn’t go to our dream land ALL NIGHT!”  My jaw dropped.  Of course she didn’t go, she was awake.  I told him that and he calmed down.  I can’t explain things like that, and I never will be able to, but I am so grateful that God has allowed him to see her in a different light.  Even if it’s his imagination, God’s the one who gave it to him.  Who’s to say he’s not telling the truth? =)

What worries me sometimes is that one day he’ll grow up and the stories will end.  I wonder if he’ll remember any of this?  I record him telling me stories every chance I get.  I hope he never, ever loses this memory.

This morning we had a break through.  “Well, now we have things in our land that change their shape.  They’re not bad guys but they know how to look like bad guys to be funny.  They know how to make themselves into a bridge if we need a bridge.  Abuh always needs bridges because she hates water! And last night Abuh pretended to be a slobber monster.  Well, she’s just trying to be funny like the guys that change shape.  She’s not really a slobber monster. Can you come tonight and bring Cleo cat? I will show you how to get there.”

So there you go – my first official invitation into Armor! See you there, kiddos! Hope Momma  can keep up with the long-legged Aicardi girl who can do anything there. =)