It’s here. It’s now.
I gaze past my computer at the field outside the living room window. My sister’s living room window. A moment I had always rooted for but was never certain would be possible. I was soaking it all in, preparing to write about the magnitude of the moment, when I realized that Leah had been in her room, making her bed, for over 30 minutes. I smile. Some things never change.
Growing up, Leah’s room was always the cleanest, most organized in the entire house. That said, the girl can spend hours doing tasks that should average 3-5 minutes to complete.
“You doin’ okay in there Leah?” I peek my head into her bedroom.
“Yesssss. Yes. I’m almost done. I’m just making my bed. I think I’m fully awake from when I got out of bed, it’s been like 35-40 minutes. I was awake at 8:30 and then tried to get up for like 20-30 minutes. I got out of bed at 8:53.”
Capturing Life with Leah is difficult for me to put into words. All of my best friends and family members will agree. You just have to experience it.
So how has the first month gone?
As we begin our series on the road to Leah’s front door, we wanted to first post about where we are now and how it has been going for the first month.
My opinion is always biased when it comes to Leah, but this lady has dominated independent living like I wish my 18-year-old self would have when I moved into the dorms at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2007. But enough from me, Leah did not fall short on words when talking about her first month.
Two writers in our happy place – Panera, of course.
At first I want to say that I like, no I love and I like the way that I can take my time to wake up in the morning and take time to getting ready for bed at night by myself on my own. I like that I can check in and text my Mom and my Dad to see how I been doing with it and get into a schedule. I like to take my time to be fully awake in the morning on my own. I don’t feel like I am rushed.
Waking up on her own, getting ready for the day, and doing her own grocery shopping have been huge moments of independence that Leah is loving.
When there is something going on like an event at Sheltering Tree or I have class at Ollie Webb Center I text my mom what is the weather going to be like in the day and in the night too, I want to text to my mom before I go to the common area with the people to make sure that I will be safe with the weather.
When I go out in the common area the thing that I love is to hang out with the people. And the RA and now I am starting to meet new friends and people there. And I like that. Some of the friends I remember from Ollie Webb and from the past too.
Most of the time I sleep okay, but I do text mom and want to know if there is bad weather. Right before I get ready for bed it helps that they let me know when it is time to stop texting and get ready for bed at night. I love when they check in before I get ready for bed.
I sleep good when there is four night lights on in my apartment. There is one in the living room that is outside of my bedroom. Two in my bedroom. And one in my bathroom. I like to know where I am at. I don’t want to be into the dark at night. I keep myself warm by using my heating pad. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to turn on a fan if I am hot too. And then I tell myself what I’m doing to help cool down and why I’m doing it and then I go back to sleep.
It feels cozy at my apartment. When I watch TV in the middle of the day I see that I have light from outside. When it is late at night I make sure that I have light in my apartment. I put the light on underneath my microwave in the morning and in the night. I also have a lamp that I turn on in my living room.
I don’t know if I need to say this, but I don’t want to be in the dark. I don’t want to fall down. That happened one time, I had a stomach attack in the night and I had something in my hand and I fall down. Then my Dad opened the door and came down and see me that I fall down and then he helped me. I spill my glass because there was no light. So now in my apartment I want light.
My dad help me to put the glass on my kitchen table and to stand up in that moment. It was the house with the steps that looked like piano keys. That is where that happened. I can’t remember the neighborhood or the street where that house was but I remember the steps that looked like piano keys.
At the very beginning and at first for a while Mom and Dad come over and we have a sleepover with me at my apartment. They stay with me a couple nights. We try not to feel different there in my new apartment. It’s still a little bit different because I been living at the house with my Mom and my Dad for a long time. It was my whole life. For a long time.
I just want to say that for a while right at first I was starting like to kind of feel a little bit different to be in another place at first that I didn’t know. I didn’t know where I am at for a while at first. After a little bit more while it started to feel comfortable to be there. But that takes time and a while to get there.
I am happy to have my dream in my very own apartment at Sheltering Tree. It is kind of like a big transition I want to say that. But it makes me happy and I say to myself, “wow, I did it. I really did it to have my own apartment.”
Leah’s first month on her own has been packed with lessons, and they will only continue. Here are a few highlights that I took from her first month reflection:
- Waking up on your own terms is a huge confidence builder.
- The weather plays a bigger role in our lives than we realize.
- Sometimes you really just have to text your mamma.
- One moment can make a big impact and being scared of the dark is a real thing.
- Change is tough, but it stretches you and makes you stronger.
Our upcoming posts will go back in time to the moments where Leah’s dream to have her own apartment is rooted. We’ll re-visit the 15-year journey, starting with Leah’s graduation from High school and ending right here, right now; with me writing on my laptop in my sister’s living room and Leah so meticulously making her bed in her bedroom.
Here’s to turning our minds Upside Down.
What a beautiful post. It’s so encouraging to witness this determined human spirit make her dream come true. How are your folks doing with the change? Bet that’s an upcoming blog 😉
❤❤❤
I’m so happy Leah is enjoying her new apartment. It has been a joy to work with her and her family. This update makes my heart happy!