Bouncing up and down and chattering, 2-year-old Fiona wielded her popsicle like a staff and climbed atop her mother’s lap until she felt tall enough to command the attention of the room.
Once settled, she sang, crooning nonsensically to her sister laying on the rug.
Noticing her sister’s glasses had fallen askew, Fiona zoomed to the rescue, knowing 4-year-old Elliot can’t adjust the frames herself. Well-meaning but not yet gentle, as most 2-year-olds, Fiona picked up the glasses only to be swooped up by her mother, who then hugged her daughters and helped Elliot stand.
To the Ashe family, almost nothing is as they expected; they’ve adjusted to a “new normal,” meeting each chaotic moment with a laugh and hug.