Savouring the Little Things

Yesterday my post was filled with negativity.  I am not a negative person.  I don't want negativity to eat up any more of my life than is absolutely necessary.

So, today, I choose to relish and share, but a mere moment of the blessing I call Jacob.

Two days ago it was spaghetti night.  Spaghetti is one of Jacob's favorite foods of all times.  Bar none.  It's always a treat to watch him eat spaghetti.  Not because he makes a ridiculous mess (because he does), or because he refuses to use a fork (which is also true), but by the sheer revelry he displays when savoring every last bite of his meal.

We're not talking a pile of spaghetti the size of an egg.  No way!  Jacob eats as much spaghetti as I, a full grown adult, eat.  I understand that lots of kids with Ds don't have an 'off' switch with food.  And we have yet to determine if Jake is that way yet - basically because all the rest of his siblings are athletes (and GIANT athletes at that - Elisha is 5'10" and Nathan is 6'2 - at age 15) and eat more than a football team combined when they're home.  So I have nothing to gauge his eating habits off of yet.

Anyway, I digress.  Back to Jake and his spaghetti fetish.

So we sat him down with his rather large serving of spaghetti.  As the rest of the family finished their meal, I looked over to watch Jake who had been unusually quiet.  He took one strand of spaghetti between his thumb and pointer finger (great fine motor skill practice, by the way!) and slowly pulled the noodle from the plate.  Pulling...pulling...pulling until the twelve inch string was lifted as high as his stubby little arm would go, dangling just above his mouth, enticing him to bite.

After a few seconds of watching the noodle wiggle in the air, he slowly lowered the very tip into his mouth and bit down with his lips - not his teeth.  Don't want to break the noodle, after all.  Then, he sucked, slowly drawing it into his mouth, until only a few inches remained.   As he sucked, his eyes rolled back into his skull in absolute bliss, then he closed his eyelids, half smiling at the taste of his favorite food. Then he pulled the noodle out again, sans the sauce.

Next, he repeated step 1, however, this time, he sucked harder, letting go of the noodle with his hand, and allowing the strand to flip and flop around his mouth as it got shorter and shorter, and disappeared.  Smack!  All gone.

He took a moment to chew the soft pasta and swallow, then looked at his plate and half smiled again before rooting around for another perfect noodle to repeat the process.

As I watched Jake eating his spaghetti, I was struck by how important the little things are - not only to him - but to all of us.  If we continue to get caught up in all the big stuff - then how can we appreciate the little things?

If I continue to worry about making sure all of the bills are paid on time, or keeping the house spotless (which it is NOT) how can I appreciate the fact that my husband works DANG HARD to make sure that I have the opportunity to stay at home with our little ones full time? I get to make sure they know their alphabet, hold them when they wake up from their nightmares crying, laugh with them when they run circles in the living room chasing one another, teach them to be kind to others and to take responsibility for their actions, and raise them to be productive parts of society.  This is especially true with Jake because he needs just a smidgen more time than his siblings.  And I'm blessed with the opportunity to be that kind of mom because my husband makes it so.


 I am blessed to be able to watch Jake savor his spaghetti, or run around pretending to be a robot from Megamind, or run in circles when the music comes on, or drive Courtney to school and pick her up, and volunteer at her school once a week.  I'm blessed to be there when Nathan gets home every day and to be able to ask him about his day, and tease him about girls.

Ah, what a tremendously blessed life I have.  Thank you, Jacob.  For showing me it's the little things in life worth enjoying.  All those little things begin to add up into one great big - giant even - epiphany of happiness.   Life is good.

He Reminds Me of Calvin & Hobbes

This week we decided it's time to update our pictures in the Living Room.  And, in homage to one of our favorite cartoon characters, Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, we took these:

We had so much fun sorting through the hundreds of photos we've accumulated of Jacob in the first 3 1/2 years of his life.

Even though I've spent the 12 years prior to his birth around persons with disabilities, I guess living with a child who has Down syndrome is different.  Or, maybe we're just really really REALLY lucky.  Although I doubt it. 

Jake has already taught me so much about never underestimating the spirit of an individual, and to never judge them by their 'label'.

Jacob has been surprisingly intelligent, resourceful beyond belief, and his expressions mimic those of Calvin's. 

Every morning I wake up to see a twinkle in his eye that grows brighter as his discovery of life increases.

Day after day, I notice the frustration he feels, evident in his rare outbursts - not because his mind doesn't comprehend, but because his body won't cooperate with what he's trying to get it to do.

I see pride reflected on his face when he accomplishes a task he has worked hard to achieve.

Then there's the mischievousness.  Oh, my sweet, naughty, little rascal!  He has a special look on his face and inflection in his giggle when he teases me or tries to get away with something he knows he shouldn't.

Then there's the calm patience he exudes.  I often experience this emotion on one of his many sick days.  Although a relatively health child, I think his medical issues early in life diminished his immune system.  It seems as if he brings home virtually every cough, cold, or bug possible from school or church.  Sickness generally means I get to have a precious few moments of quite as I cuddle with my rarely-still son.

When he isn't sick, Jacob is usually HUNGRY!  That means he spends a LOT of time trying to manipulate me into giving him more food.  He takes his time eating, spending several minutes well after the rest of the family has left the dinner table savoring his food.  It's not unusual for my little boy to ask for 2 breakfasts, and snacks before lunch.  "Please, sir.  May I have another?"

Outgoing.  Jake LOVES to get his picture taken.  And if I don't do it, he will!  Thus, one of his first selfies!

Contemplative.  This is one of those emotions he shows that I really didn't expect to see from Jacob.  Especially as a child. But on occasion, I will catch him sitting still, seeming to contemplate the world's troubles and how to fix them.  Before long, he will get up from his little chair and go about his business fixing whatever it is that's been weighing on his mind - usually with one of the above mentioned emotions.

Competitive.  Another delightful emotion I've seen as of late has been Jake's competitive nature.  His big sister is only 18 months older than he, which allows for many opportunities to compete.  His favorite thing is to play basketball and catch, or running (which often results in him catching up to, and tackling his sister - with perfect form, I might add!)

Aside from his endless love and compassion, I must say that my favorite emotion I see Jacob exude is his imagination.  This little boy is no vacuous space housed by a shell of a body.  Oh, no no no no no!  Little Jacob is this treasure-trove of thoughts and emotions wrapped up inside a firecracker of a boy.  Every day I will, after hours of playing with friends or his sister,  find him playing by himself perfectly content playing a game of make-believe that only he understands, or hiding under the hamper in his own private island of mystery.   

Yes, life is good with little Jacob around.  All he needs is a toy tiger to carry with him everywhere he goes!