Annie has a twin brother named Buck. They were born pre-maturely, at 31 weeks gestation. Both came into the world very small, but as they grew, a disparity became apparent between the two in terms of their rate of development. At the age of 3, Annie was diagnosed as having the DDX3X gene mutation. While it has been enormously insightful to connect with other girls and their families upon receiving this diagnosis, we are well aware that as of now there is not a medical cure for what Annie has. Our main focus continues to be helping Annie gain strength and confidence in the abilities she does have, and to love and cherish the special glow that she brings into our family.  Annie gets such enjoyment out of life. She takes great pleasure in interacting with animals, people, and she adores any type of water play!  As the youngest of 8 children, Annie has a very strong and supportive family unit along with her on her journey.  She is the blessing that our family didn’t know we needed.