My Reysito

Aunt Banana with her boy Etienne in Lubbock Tx. December 30 2011

He belongs to my brother Joey and his wife Danielle. Danielle is French Canadian and she is teaching Etienne how to speak Spanish, English and French. He is my little hero. It was discovered early on that he had some motor skill issues along with some oral language skills which became much more obvious by the time he was two.

My family noticed Etienne was having problems stringing words together. He would not directly look in to your eyes but rather, would speak to you as he turned his face away from you. He grunted quite a bit but I think he may have gotten that from my mother! Our first thoughts were; autism. He is now six years old and doing so well developmentally. He rides horses which puts him in touch with his social and motor skills. He loves it when his physical therapist places him in a swing and slowly swings him in different directions. My sister in-law has always posted videos of our boy on You Tube so that we can see his progress as the months go by. I love this boy so much.

The reason he is my hero? His laugh can erase any heartache, his snuggles (rubbing his nose with yours) wipe away any tears that threaten to fall from your eyes, his hug (he will try and hug you from the widest part of your body - your hips) can make your heart sing. When I hear him say "Tia (aunt) Banana" I melt. He bestows his love on us when we see him and when those little skinny arms are outstretched in my direction, I hold him until he's had enough. He has no clue about the happiness he brings us everyday. He just knows that we love him for him. Because he's ours. Our Reysito (little King). Our Etienne.

Te quiero mucho mi Reysito

Tia Banana