My boy forty-one, how can it be? Today is his birthday. Whoopeee!!
Unwrapping the gift is present enough. Sometimes that’s more fun, than all the ‘stuff’.
He is often slow to embrace anything new, More of the same can be the right thing to do.
Music and batteries make him a happy guy. The question now, is what to buy.
He is most mesmerized by a burning candle. But the constant supervision is too much to handle.
Cheese and chocolate are favorite foods to eat. A gift that includes one or both of those can’t be beat.
His birthday celebration started days ago, Lot of singing and special treats, his pleasure did show.
For many years, his approaching birthday made me sad. Not any more. That is history. And, my heart is glad!
Happy Birthday Jacob! I love you so very, very much. Thank you God for this gift, wrapped in your special touch.
His birthday celebration started four days early, with some aunts, uncles, and cousins over for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (with M & Ms and sprinkles) and Rainbow Ice Cream. He had to get close to get a good whiff of the chocolate and his Uncle Randy followed suit.
Jacob had oral surgery three days before (notice slight swelling in his right jaw), so I’m studying him when he starts to eat. He loved everyone singing to him! It was perfect.
The following morning (yes, Jacob slept in the shirt he had on from the previous night), Jacob was looking for his cookie cake. It wasn’t where he thought it should be, so he handed me the next best thing – a candle! Sweet fella, wanted me to light the candle and sing Happy Birthday to him again. Of course I did and it started his day off with a smile.
The next day I decided to cook Chocolate Chip Pancakes (yes, notice a theme of chocolate chips!) for his breakfast. Burning candle and singing were included at no additional charge. Again, he loved it. And I sang Happy Birthday over and over again while he ate almost 5 pancakes. He appears to be contemplating his next move. Trying to decide if he’s had enough. Melted chocolate on both hands and his face were signs he happily enjoyed his breakfast.
Yesterday, it was a jumbo bowl of mac and cheese for lunch. With a candle and song:
Mesmerized by the flame but waiting for a song!
He loves to watch the smoke when the flame is extinguished. Look closely and you can see it, too.
Being home so much now, has allowed for daily celebrations the past week. I don’t know when we’ve lit so many candles and sang Happy Birthday so many times. It’s been great!! He’s already gotten cards in the mail and a couple of gifts. Stay tuned as I’ll blog about the rest of the Birthday Boy’s day, very soon.
One of the more frustrating aspects of Jacob’s personality is patience. Or the fact that he has a short supply.
I’m not good with being patient. I don’t want to wait. That time I’m waiting could be used for something else.
Author unknown, but I’m pretty sure Jacob has thought it. And I might have, too.
Definition of wait: to stay in a place until an expected event happens, until someone arrives, until it is your turn to do something, etc. : to not do something until something else happens. : to remain in a state in which you expect or hope that something will happen soon.
I really love it when I do catch him in the act:
We aren’t born with it are we? Children are like that. “I want it.” “I want it NOW!” Hopefully, their parents, teachers, and families are able to show them they don’t always get what they want. That they can’t always get what they want. The Rolling Stones said it like this:
No, you can’t always gt what you want.
You can’t always get what you want.
You can’t always get what you want.
But if you try sometime, you find,
You get what you need.
Songwriters: Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
Somehow we have not been successful in teaching Jacob how to wait. I’m not sure what I could have done differently to help him learn. But I hope and pray we are giving him what he needs.
I have been very frustrated lately about Jacob’s demanding nature. Very, VERY. The world revolves around him. He expects us and is counting on us, to help it spin smoothly.
In all honesty, who enjoys waiting? We have been known to take an alternate route to avoid waiting at a railroad crossing. What about scheduling a doctor’s appointment with the shortest wait time in mind? Or paying for Amazon Prime because we want it in two days instead of waiting (gasp) seven???
There are hundreds of verses on waiting in the Bible. Last week, I was reading about waiting on the Lord. And I realized, actually was reminded, that I am often demanding, too. Oh, how impatient my patience can be. Jacob has taught me a lot and one of them is wait on God. He will give me what I need, when I need it. His timing is perfect. Mine isn’t.
The saying, good things come to those that wait, isn’t a specific Bible verse. But, it does summarize what I need more of – to just wait.
In the late 80s, Mike and I attended a Discipline Them, Love Them conference. The author, Betty N. Chase, spoke from a book she had written with proven steps to help parents use Biblical principles in helping grow self-esteem in their children while teaching life-long skills and learning lessons. With better parent-child relationships the goal.
We signed up for the conference with our boys in mind. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. She spoke about games and chores and spanking. Consequences and time-out and boundaries, plus a lot more. During a break I had the opportunity to meet her and ask a question that seemed unique to me, “we have two boys. The oldest is non-verbal and very low functioning. The other is ‘normal’. How do I use the strategies on both boys?” Her answer wasn’t profound but helped me tremendously. “Your boys may be as different as night and day but so are most siblings. Find what works for each and put that in your toolbox.” She gave me permission to parent them differently and not pressure myself to compare Jacob and Josh.
Josh was easy to discipline. I felt like he tried to be the ‘perfect’ child because he saw the constant challenges with his brother. Of course, he wasn’t perfect but he understood consequences clearly. It seemed with Jacob that the ‘if you do this, that will happen’ worked occasionally. But more often, no matter the consequence, he wasn’t phased.
Discipline with Jacob is just different. He hasn’t told a lie. Or, stayed out past his curfew. The thing that gets him in the most trouble would be his expectations. And the behavior that occurs when things are not going his way. Those times when he slams the laptop shut when I’m in the middle of something. Grabs my arm when I’m slicing vegetables. Pulls me from a phone meeting to his room. His demands of ‘drop whatever you are doing’ and ‘do what I want right now’, often lead to time out. I know, Time Out? He’s forty years old, how could time out possibly be the chosen tool?
Some kids do well with time out. Almost a welcomed respite to slow their minds and bodies down. Screenshot below is a prime example of him chilling when he was having trouble regulating his behavior.
Over 30 years ago we were at a family gathering and my niece, Natalie, got in trouble and was told to ‘go stand in the corner’. That was time-out before parents called it such. As she pouted and tried her best to cry crocodile tears, her great-grandmother thought she looked so cute that she wanted to take her picture. Yes, she did. “Natalie, turn around and smile!” That time-out sort of lost its effectiveness!!
Another time in more recent years, our youngest granddaughter was staying with us. Her parents had suggested a time-out if she didn’t obey. I don’t recall the offense but needed her to understand she had to do as asked. I placed a small children’s chair in the hallway, explained the why, and told her she had to sit there until I came back. In less than 5 seconds, “NANNIE, you have really hurt my feelings!” “NANNIE, I don’t like it here.” “NAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIEE!” It was super hard to let time-out play out like it was supposed to for that little angel!
Time-out has worked fairly well for Jacob. Sad to say, we have to use it more often than I like because his skill of waiting doesn’t exist. I can be stirring spaghetti sauce, replying to a text, watching TV, or doing a thousand other things and he will come and get me to do something for him. It is often something that may have already been done multiple times that day. Demanding I drop whatever I’m doing is his M.O. Demanding as in, will not leave me alone until I am complying with his command. Sometimes I can, sometimes I cannot. Sometimes I don’t want to because I already have!
Unfortunately, sometimes it means he has to go to his room, find something else to do, so his focus shifts and he lets up. When his patience has run out and mine has run thin. That is often when a time-out is next.
I’ve not escorted him to his room and said, “Jacob, turn around and smile!” I’m not joking around and he isn’t either. Actually, he is mad! It’s hard to admit, but sometimes, my heart, my feelings, and even my arms are bruised in the process. I am bothered that I have to enforce and he is bothered that he isn’t getting his way. Probably, his feelings have been hurt in the heat of the ‘battle’ as well.
But, I know for a fact, he likes it in his room. Loves it. He just doesn’t love that I didn’t respond appropriately to his, “I want it NOW!” When kids that don’t get their way, well they fuss. And he can certainly put up a fuss to rival the pros.
Being home for getting close to four months, translates to more demands with more time-outs. Some days I get bummed about it and frustrated that he can’t practice patience.
And here he is this past Monday. He could not figure out what he wanted to eat or to watch or listen to, etc. He was most irritable and unhappy. I let him get the best of me. Exasperated, his relentless demands called for the two of us to be separated!!
Then I heard him in his room singing and realized it was actually what he needed.
And what I needed, too. Somebody, please put me in time-out!!
There is no solid cure for autism. There are methods, tools, programs, resources, medicines, etc. to make the life of a person living with autism, better for them and their family. As with everything, what works for one, may or may not work for another.
When you have a non-verbal child, you are desperate for a way to improve communication. In 1992 (going way back), all evaluations listed Jacob as extremely low functioning with an expressive language of a five month old (approximately). He would communicate by bringing an object such as a cup, video, or a book OR by taking you to a item such as the refrigerator, pantry, or car. We attempted sign language with little success.
That year, when Jacob was 12 years old, we heard of a tool called Facilitated Communication.
We made a crude letter board that Jacob used to communicate. Lightweight and easy to manage, we actually had two styles:
These are some of the conversations I documented in the spring of 1992 before the above article was written. The capital letters show when he pointed to a letter on his board. Otherwise, he pointed to a word or phrase on the board.
Mike (M): “Jacob, what do you want?” Jacob (J): G E T V I D E O M: “which video?’ J: S E S A M E S T R E E T M: “which Sesame Street?’ J: no answer M: “Is it Four Exciting Adventures?” J: Yes M: “type it” J: F O U R E X C I T E A D V E N T
Terri (T): “Jacob, what do you want?” J: I want D A D D Y S T A Y A Z G H Y T: “Jacob, I didn’t understand the last word, tell me again.” J: I want S E S A M E S T R E E T
M: “Jacob, Papaw is in heaven and someday I will be and you will be, too. In your mind, do you want to give your life to the Lord?’ J: Yes M: “Do you love Jesus?” J: Yes M: “Does Jesus love you?” J: Yes M: ”What do you think about this?” J: E X C I T E E X C I T E A D V E N T U R E
M: “Tell me what you want? J: I want eat M: “What do you want to eat?” J: I don’t know M: “Try to think of something and I’ll get it.” J: C H E E S E S A N D W Josh (Jo): “He wants a cheese sandwich!”
T: “Jacob, tomorrow is Sunday. Where do we go on Sunday?” J: C H U R C H T: “What do you talk about at church? J: F R I E N D G O D C H U R C H
Jacob had torn a book and was chewing paper. I turned off his TV and told him no video for 15 minutes. Later, he brought me a video.
T: “Jacob, what were you doing that made me have to turn to TV off?” J: C H E W P A P E R T: “That’s right, are you going to chew paper again? J: I don’t know
T: “What’s wrong, why are you biting your hands?” J: I don’t know T: “Are you sad?” J: S A D T: “Is is because you have to go to school today” J: S C H O O L
At bedtime, I pointed to the letterboard and spelled, I love Jacob.
J: I L O V E M O M
T: “Jacob, what do you want to talk about?” J: G R A N N Y T: “Where does Granny live? J: C A M H OU S E T: “Who else lives at the camphouse?” J: G R A N D A D D Y T: “What do you like to do at the camphouse?” J: G O L F C A R T
T: “I love you” (I pointed to the letters as I said it.) J: I L O V E D A D D Y M: “Who else do you love?” J: T E R R I M: “who else? J: I L O V E J O S H
These were over a two week period. Were there more? Yes! A lot more. What did this do for us? It opened our eyes to how much Jacob understood. To how much he paid attention. That he had a larger vocabulary than we imagined or had been indicated during an evaluation.
Leading up to our trip to the Facilitated Communication conference, we had friends and family from far and wide praying for us. For Jacob to be receptive, for us to have open minds to see and learn how we could help. I cannot count all the groups who had us on their prayer list. It was a phenomenal display of support.
Did Jacob continue to communicate in this manner? No. At one point, he rebelled. Got tired of the letterboard and refused. Jacob has his own language and good or bad, he prefers it. There have been some other tools we used and currently use. That’s a post for another day.
A while back I slipped into our church and sat by a friend. In conversation he asked, “how’s Jacob doing these days?” I explained that he was home with a sitter and updated him briefly about day to day life. He leaned in and said, “when I think about Jacob, I think about the whole church celebrating him saying, ‘I love you’.”
He was referring to the Wednesday night reaction of the church’s congregation as they were updated on this very answer to prayer. A congregation made up of dear friends, some acquaintances, and others that had never met us. Celebrating our boy and our joy! THAT, my friends is what support looks and feels like.
I was 18 years old when I found out that my nephew, Jacob, was diagnosed with autism. I remember feeling terribly devastated for my sister and her husband, Mike. And, for our entire family. Back then, autism was a foreign word. I had never heard of it and I’m not sure my sister had either. All we knew was that this sweet baby boy wasn’t going to have a normal life. The hopes and dreams that my sister and brother in-law had for their first born son were changed in an instant with a diagnosis that seemed hopeless.
I found this hard to deal with as a young adult. I was scared of the unknown. I didn’t understand autism and I definitely didn’t understand what having a child with autism would be like. I very seldom kept Jacob. Mainly because he was non-verbal and I was terrified of not knowing what he wanted or needed. It was a struggle to have a ‘relationship’ with him because he didn’t show any signs of affection and didn’t make eye contact. I loved Jacob but didn’t really know how to show him or how to love on him.
Over the years, Terri and Mike have had sitters to keep him for them to be able to have a life outside of autism. They had planned a trip to visit their other son, Josh, and his family. When at the last hour they found out their sitter was sick and couldn’t help with Jacob, as planned.
My sister reached out, asking if I would be willing to stay with Jacob that particular weekend. My first thought was ‘oh gosh, I don’t think I can do this’. However, I immediately felt, in my spirit, that God was telling me, yes, I want you to do this. My hesitancy was not because I didn’t want to stay. But, that I was nervous about being responsible for making sure Jacob was happy and felt secure.
One of the characteristics of autism is routine and structure. Jacob doesn’t like crowds, loud noises, and any changes in his everyday life. He can get very upset when he’s frustrated. Being non-verbal, he can’t tell you what he wants. And, frankly, it can be quite scary not knowing what to do when he is upset. I knew I had to be obedient to God leading me to do this and I knew that I could trust God to be with Jacob and me every moment of the weekend.
I arrived at their home and Terri had written out a step by step guide with instructions and great details for any possible scenario. It was meant to, hopefully, provide me an answer to every question and give me the confidence that I’d need to take care of Jacob.
One of the instructions was to make sure I removed Jacob’s sound machine every morning once he woke up. He loved to hide it from his caregivers so he could be entertained as they frantically looked high and low for this machine that he HAD to have to be able to sleep.
On the last day of staying with Jacob, I woke up early and peeked in to check on him. He was fine and content. I made my way to the kitchen to make him breakfast. All of a sudden it hit me! I had not put the sound machine away! I made a mad dash back to Jacob’s room to find him sitting on his bed acting as if nothing had happened.
The missing sound machine was later found in the top of his closet!
But it had ……the sound machine was NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! I panicked looking high and low and everywhere in between to find this valuable object. I knew that my sister would be back that afternoon. Knowing that they would be faced with a search to find where he hid the machine, well, it stressed me out……. I looked and looked and looked some more to no avail.
When Terri and Mike returned home, I had to confess that, indeed, Jacob found the opportunity to hide the machine and it was nowhere to be found! Luckily, they had played that game before and, yes, it is obviously a game to Jacob. He enjoys watching us play hide and seek with whatever he has decided to hide! In his little solemn face behind those deep blue-green eyes, I believe Jacob was laughing! Because he was able to ‘pull one over on us’!
Another part of his daily routine noted in the instructions, was for one or both of his parents to say prayers with him at night. My eyes fill with tears as I recall this special memory with Jacob.
I had gotten him ready for bed and told him it was time to go to sleep. And then crawled in his bed to say a bedtime prayer. Out of the blue, Jacob reached over and grabbed my hand. With tears, I whispered a prayer thanking God for the opportunity he had given me to spend the weekend with Jacob.
You see…… my intention was to help Mike and Terri by keeping Jacob so they could go out of town. But in an instant, I saw clearly that it wasn’t just about staying with Jacob for a few days. God gave me the opportunity to see that although Jacob was born with a disorder called autism, and at times it seems he doesn’t understand or relate to everyday things, he showed me, with a little gesture, that he loved me being there. That he felt comfortable with me staying with him. But more importantly, he showed me that he knew the beauty of the moment….talking to our Heavenly Father, our maker and creator.
This happened over 10 years ago and it will always be one of my most favorite memories of Jacob.
But, I have to share one more blessing that happened this year. Jacob was visiting his grandparent’s house and I went back in his room to tell him hello. As I leaned over to talk to him, he leaned in and kissed me on the lips! THIS absolutely thrilled my soul.
As I stated earlier, at times Jacob doesn’t show emotion and he doesn’t like hugs. Ordinarily, one really doesn’t know if he even knows you are there. But this one time, THIS time, he decided to kiss me! My heart was so blessed!
Thank you Shellie for sharing these unexpected blessings! Your story will bless others.
My heart has been heavy this week. I’m not the only one. So much hurting. So much pain. So much hate. So much apathy. So much violence. So much fear. It’s all too much.
I usually have a couple of posts in the cue waiting to go live. I didn’t this week. I’ve had a lot of projects, a lot of work, a lot of mom tasks. But mainly, I was unmotivated. Seems whatever I said could be construed as focusing on us rather than the state of our country.
Two songs have been playing in my mind. You know this tune:
What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No not just for some but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another mountain, There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb There are oceans and rivers enough to cross, Enough to last till the end of time. What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone. Lord, we don’t need another meadow There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine Oh listen, lord, if you want to know. What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone. No, not just for some, oh, but just for everyone.
—Songwriters: Burt F. Bacharach / Hal David
Oh, how we need love.
The other has simple lyrics but speaks volumes:
Jesus loves the little children All the children of the world Red, brown, yellow Black and white They are precious in His sight Jesus loves the little children Of the world Jesus died for all the children All the children of the world Red, brown, yellow Black and white They are precious in His sight Jesus died for all the children Of the world. Jesus rose for all the children All the children of the world Red, brown, yellow Black and white They are precious in His sight Jesus rose for all the children Of the world
—Songwriters: Donna J. Krieger / George F. Root
Oh, how we have love!
I’m thankful I can count on that! It doesn’t matter who you are and what you’ve done, Jesus loves you and is for you!
Since this blog is about Jacob I’m going to wrap this up with him. Because of autism, I dare say, we have met more people of different races than we would have otherwise. They’ve brought sincere love to our family. They are our family. Their skin is not the same color but their heart beats, breaks, and bleeds like mine. The world, our world is better having them in it. Like a Mama Bear that roars when someone hurts her child. That’s how I feel about these family members. They matter to me. A lot.
We need love and we have it, if we look in the right place. Share the love of God with those around you. He is our greatest need.
Today marks twelve weeks since Jacob has been home. His day program didn’t close until nine weeks ago. But, I kept him home initially because he was struggling with the time change. And then just knowing he couldn’t abide by social distancing and washing his hands appropriately was reason enough to keep him in.
There’s a reason we don’t know the future. Agree? If someone had said, ‘listen, the state is about to shut down. Schools will close. There’ll be travel restrictions. No movie theaters, eating out, etc.’, would I have kept Jacob home starting the 5th of March? Probably. Though there has never been a time, before, when Jacob was basically home-bound for three months! And in the current situation, we are, for the most part, home-bound with him. There wasn’t really anywhere to go anyway so it worked out fine.
Here’s the deal though, Jacob has been a champion! In the first few weeks, sweet friends would reach out, “how are y’all managing? Is Jacob doing okay?” “I know this is hard, what can we do for y’all?” Jacob was made for this! In the April 9th blog post #stayhomeflattenthecurve, I mentioned how his anti-social temperament is working to his advantage right now. And what helps him, helps us.
What does he do all day everyday? If you’ve followed this blog long, you probably know the answer to that. Keyboard, MP3 player, musical toys, videos, television, snack, eat, and snack some more. Often, I’ll check him on the video monitor and he will be bouncing on his bed! He has been most content. When he is content, so are we.
There have been a few times when I definitely felt like he was tired of us. And, honestly I’ve been tired of him. But 99% of the time, we have gotten along great. In the first month, there was only togetherness. I got out of the house maybe 2 times for a short period of time. Next month a few more times. In these three months, he has seen a sitter twice, his grandparents from a distance, once; taken a neighborhood stroll, and various scenery from rides to get out of the house. No wonder he is tired of us!
Two weeks ago, I hit a wall. I was spent physically and mentally. It was maybe, maybe the third time in 12 weeks that I had the thought, “I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.” I’ve been doing ‘this’ for 4 decades but not under the current guidelines. I had to allow myself a break. Thankfully Mike has been working from home and we can tag team when needed. It feels odd to schedule a best time for me to run an errand so he can watch Jacob, but hey, at least errands are ‘okay’ at this point in the game.
We have so very much to be thankful for in this uncharted territory: 1) we are not alone. All of our family and friends are also learning a new normal. 2) we have everything we need with food to spare. Our jobs look different but we still have tasks to complete and people who rely on us. 3) technology has enabled good ways to connect that help combat feelings of isolation. I am making it a priority to Zoom with friends and FaceTime with family on a weekly basis. Social media has provided platforms for Bible Study, learning, and needed challenges to stretch and grow us. 4) the slower pace has afforded time to finish projects and learn new skills. I can’t rush Jacob no matter how hard I try and now I haven’t had to! 5) my dear fella has been exactly where he is most happy. His own little space surrounded by things that bring him joy and parents who are making the most of this season in our lives.
This week we went riding two days in a row to deliver some sweet treats to friends. Sometimes on these excursions, he is happy just looking out the windows. Sometimes, he requests a DVD to watch. The first day was literally 3 hours making 9 stops. He watched the DVD, SING, through twice even humming along during parts. It was a great outing that he enjoyed from beginning to end.
The second day we needed to finish what we started. I ask if he wanted to go for a ride and he jumped up and headed for the door. That day we had 4 stops to make. About half way through, I saw him do this:
Bless his heart, he was over going for a ride! We made a point the get him burgers and fries (making it a 5th stop) as he had been a really great sport.
All that to say, I might have freaked out if I had known we would be together for 12 weeks, at home, with little outside activity. I am surprised at how well we’ve managed! We’ve just gotten word that his day program is open and ready when we are. Again, not sure how that will work for Jacob, but I am up for whatever the next 12 weeks bring because that sweetheart son of mine has been better than okay.
strong-arm (strawng-ahrm) Adjective using, involving, or threatening the use of physical force or violence to gain an objective Verb to use violent methods upon, assault to rob by force to coerce by threats or intimidation, bully
–dictionary.com
Once a friend asked if I was afraid Jacob was going to hurt me. A fair question. My answer, “I’m more afraid I’m going to hurt him.”
I clearly remember being in junior high school and not wanting to walk past the special education classroom. I imagine most of you, if you’re honest, would say you had similar feelings, too, at one time or another. They were different from me. I was way more nervous and afraid than I should have been. The not knowing and understanding created uncertainty. Not being around them created unmerited fear.
I KNOW Jacob. I know he isn’t going to rare back and hammer me with his fist. Or throw a chair at me. Yes, he has accidentally hurt me. Once we were practically wrestling trying to get him to stay in the bedroom and go to bed. In the darkness of his room, he reached for me as I was moving toward him and his finger found my eye! I’ll spare you the painful details and not share the creepy picture, but, it hurt like crazy and it looked even worse. Imagine me trying to convince the MEA physician that my adult son had poked me in the eye. And that it was strictly an accident!
I’ve mentioned before about guys and gals that attend his day program being afraid of Jacob. It stings but it is their reality and I definitely get it. He has scared them one too many times by grabbing at them. Not hitting or being aggressive. But it can feel like an attack from a bully and can definitely make anyone uncomfortable.
Jacob isn’t a big fellow. I am continually thankful to God that he isn’t over 6’ tall like his brother. We celebrated when his weight hit 110 pounds. But, no kidding, his strength is deceiving!! Just ask the kind dental staff when he goes for a check up twice a year!!
I have often used the term ‘strong-arming me’ when I’m describing Jacob. Whether it is getting him dressed, shaving his handsome face, brushing his teeth, you name it; he will grab my forearms and lock his and it is really difficult to do a thing! I have had bruises on my arms from the supernatural strength in his fingers. I know. I know. It can’t be that hard to break free. It is. It just is. Remember, I don’t want to turn ninja and hurt him!
One morning I was in his room and sure enough, strong-armed. The TV was on and I don’t know whether it was a news feature or a regular show but it was about a family who had several adopted children with severe physical disabilities. THREE of them had no arms. It was inspiring to see how they had overcome such tremendous hardships. I was convicted right then and there. To be thankful Jacob has arms he can use that serve him well. And that he is strong.
“I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet” .
Helen Keller
Puts things into perspective when you stop and think, right?
I am not afraid of Jacob but am concerned that the reflex of my initial response could injure him. After all, no one wants to have a finger jabbed in their eye. I mainly want to just diffuse a situation to redirect him and make sure neither of us gets hurt.
strong-arm (strông′ärm′) “Leave me alone.” “Don’t straighten my shorts!” “Stop that!” “I don’t want that for breakfast.” “I’m not ready.” “Don’t touch me.”
-Jacob Pigford
He uses what he has to communicate and strong-arming is a language we both understand.
an MP3 player who was well loved and brought great pleasure to its owner. It was loved so constantly and so hard that it couldn’t help but show some wear and tear. And try as it might, it wasn’t strong enough to keep serving it’s master day in and day out.
Because it was this young master’s main source of entertainment, his parents were always on the lookout for the next one. Knowing the day would come when, tragically, the MP3 player would most certainly meet an untimely death.
It’s owner, Jacob, would become very attached and as other things through the years, would struggle a great deal with accepting a replacement. Sometimes even if it was an identical match.
From the moment a new one is placed in his hands, it no longer ‘looks’ new. It will have been taped trying to hold the cover in place. The adapter secured with tape. And, more tape to lock the SC card in it’s slot. Everything taped! And, that’s the first day before it is handed over to our boy.
Often, Jacob will remove a knob and then be extremely frustrated with us when said knob doesn’t perform as before. Or snap the cover off, only to be bewildered when it won’t make music. Even though there is no CD in use, the player will not operate without a cover.
Once a text was received, with this picture, from his sitter:
Yes, it literally looks like the player exploded. Never fear—there was no heat or sparks associated with the damage. It was dropped one too many times and well, you can see the result. The industrious sitter did his best to perform surgery on the player but it was never the same.
I’ve lost count of how many players have been purchased through the years. Whether at a box store, direct website, Ebay, or other online source. Of course, the style he uses, the features that work well for him, are not always easy to find. Like other attachments he’s had that eventually need to be replaced, it gets harder and harder to find what we are looking for. And, like other things, I have a feeling that one day, his focus will shift to a new form of entertainment.
We keep a stash of ‘expired’ MP3 players knowing a spare knob might be needed, or a cover replaced, or perhaps a new handle snapped in until a new one is delivered.
But in the meantime, we will try our best to continue providing the service he expects from Mom and Dad. Time to pull out the next one, tape it up for battle, and go through the adjustment. Even though the player can’t possibly live Happily Ever After, our aim is just that for its master.
Jacob does love him a greeting card. He likes other mail, too, like flyers and catalogs. Anything colorful and bonus points for a slick finish!
His Granny is his #1 provider of mail. She sends him cards a lot!
It’s funny because he isn’t always ready to open it when I show it to him. He enjoys studying the envelope (ignore my feeble attempt to blur info), her writing, their return address, the color, the stamp. He’ll rotate it to different positions to see what everything looks like upside down. (I suppose that is what he is doing. I really don’t know!)
And then, I’ll find cards in random places around the house. He used this one in re-decorating for Easter. Doesn’t every bunny need a card balanced on it’s head?
Under his bed is a favorite place to ‘keep’ cards handy just in case he wants to read one.
It isn’t unusual to have several on a kitchen counter. And, almost always one or more nearby during a meal. Sometimes, he has to hold one while he is eating. Unfortunately, there was a really cute spring card he received from them a couple of weeks ago that he HAD to have in hand while he ate lasagna. Only problem was with each bite, lasagna got on the card. It was such a mess, I had to toss it. (Sorry Granny!)
Sorry for any blurry pictures. I didn’t realize until later but I love the way he’s looking!
With Mother’s Day in a few days, I wanted to focus on one way my Mom has loved Jacob so very well.
Gracie and Lucas are thinking, forget about the card, get back to eating and drop us a bite!
Jacob does not seem to keep tabs on where all his cards are at all times. I think he just knows another one is coming!
Cards can share so many sentiments. I don’t know if Jacob is all that interested in the words printed from the manufacturer.
I do know it makes him happy to have a card signed,
