Jakob's Journal

Entry for July 5, 2006

Love the laughter...love it, love it, love it. Some have said Jakob's laugh is infectious...I have to agree. He gets going and his smile is ear to ear and the laugh is coming all the way from the bottom of his belly. Really...when I hear it, I melt. I absolutely love the sound of his little voice too. Ya know, I'd never heard it until he starting saying a couple words...like "up"...which is his favorite word. We hear that one the most.

Jakob was so good on our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I swear, he knows how to get there...if I would have taken the wrong exit in Bloomington, he would've been mad. He watched my every move...it cracks me up. He is so good in the car...never slept but was singing and laughing and looking around the whole trip. I would bet that a road trip with Jakob is more enjoyable than a road trip with most typical kids. I am so lucky in that department.

Probably the most pleasant surprise of the weekend was my parents' 40th weddding anniversary party. Jakob stayed in that loud, noisy room for an hour and a half. He did not want to be there but he didn't cry. He didn't even whine...he just stood at the door. I'd lure him away with a cookie or fruit juice snacks (candy) and he'd hang for a little while before he'd go back to the door. He even watched one movie in his portable DVD player...in 4x fast forward...

Much of the credit for Jakob being so good goes to Greyson, my best friends' 6-year-old son. Shawn (his mom) told him to stay with Jakob and try to get him to make eye contact. Sweet little Greyson was dodging back and forth in front of Jakob trying to get him to look him in the eye...what a great kid. I wish more kids could be like Greyson...Greyson tries to understand Jakob. He's an old soul...a very sweet old soul.

The day after the party, Jakob and I were having a moment (I was changing his diaper) and he wanted to play with the buttons on the tv. I asked him a couple of times to wait and he did so happily but he was starting to get flustered after about the third time. He stopped squirming for one second, looked at me and said "pweef" (Jakob's pronunciation for "please"). Needless to say, I let him have whatever he wanted for the rest of the night. "Pweef"...my new favorite word.

Jakob really seems to be having a great summer. Summers are supposed to be great when you're a kid. I have a lot of great memories from my childhood...I want Jakob to have the same. This summer has been his first "fun" summer...I hope there are many more like this one to come.

It's hard to describe in short form the changes we've seen in Jakob the past few weeks. He's happier, he more communicative...verbally and with gestures or signs, he's making more sounds, he's transitioning easier, he's "with us" most of the time. And did I mention that he's happy??? Smiles, giggles and full-blown belly laughs at every turn. It's so cool.

I should probably confess...now that I've had time to reflect...maybe I did go a little crazy for awhile. I still don't regret the way I chose to handle my stresses...I could have made worse choices. All I'm saying is maybe I didn't always make the best choices along the way. Hindsight is always 20/20, right? No dwelling...I'm fixing the damage done. See ya later credit cards and junk food...hello spending freeze and Rocco. Wonderful. Just wonderful.