Angie

My sister is the light of my world. She doesn't talk except to sort of say "Pop" or "Wow" yet she understands so much more. Like "can you get me a soda?" which to her means a can of whatever she can find in the refrigerator - Mtn Dew, Coke, Busch Light, etc..

She likes to play with hair and this frequently endears her to her female caretakers either at 'school' or where she gets on the bus. Angie the hairdresser. She developed a habit a long time ago of chewing on her fingers so her hands are calloused and we often moisturize them. She had that little habit down pat. She can get the lotion on - it won't be spread evenly or thoroughly but it will be on. She loves having her fingernails done and usually on Fridays the Day program she goes to puts on whatever color Angie chooses. Lets just say if she's not color blind, she apparently is a flamboyant gay man.

She loves me, loves my mom, loves my aunt and cousin. She tolerates our brother John and the dogs although she has been known to cuddle Betsy. She mimics me a lot and unfortunately picked up my habit of disrobing when I enter the privacy of my house. That's a habit I can't quite shake her out of. Oops!

She's always been my little sister and yet she's the middle child. She's higher functioning than John even though he speaks more words. She modifies her own sign language - she can say Milk and Cake and Dance and Please. She makes her bed better than I do and she will fix John's blanket and pillow when he gets off his couch to go to the bathroom. She's usually very gentle but occasionally, for reasons we can't always predict, she'll use her hand to smack our leg or the dog when we walk by. Sometimes we think its to get our attention; other times because she is agitated.

Angie is comparatively very 'easy' compared to John so we have to make sure we go out of our way to give her the proper amount of attention. She has a later bedtime, she can eat independently and she gets a longer bathtime. She likes to cuddle but will also let you know when she's done by getting up and moving. I'm also her favorite.