Saturday, May 29, 2010

"Can I have some alone time with Jacob?"


Watching friends' children interact with their siblings made me realize that my daughters don't have the same relationship with their brother that most kids have with their brothers or sisters. That fact wasn't really surprising to me but it did make me sad. Jacob's sisters don't run to hug him when he gets home from school and they have to be coaxed to say good morning when he's wheeled out of his bedroom at the start of the day.

But things are starting to change. It may be that Sierra and Jamie are getting older, or maybe because they see how many 'princesses' love spending time with him, or they are simply learning how to 'play' with him.

A few nights ago, as I was getting her ready for bed, Sierra looked at me and asked "can I have some alone time with Jacob?" She wanted to play with him by herself, something she has never done before. She asked that she be the only one in his room with him and wanted me to wait in the hall. She requested 4 minutes with him. My heart nearly burst with happiness as she walked into his room and asked him if she could play with him by herself. He smiled and I left the room.

Not to be outdone by her sister, Jamie asked for some time with him as well. A short while later, Jamie was running down the hall, pushing Jacob in his chair and making him squeal in delight. He was loving their games and his sisters were enjoying playing with their brother.

My daughters may not have the same type of relationship with their older brother that most kids have with their older siblings but they are developing a special bond with Jacob that was evident when he saw them enter his classroom at school and laughed so loudly that everyone in the room heard him.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Jacob's birthday parties


Jacob is 8 and had many great parties to celebrate.

His sisters, Jamie and Sierra, spent an afternoon with him in his class at school. Together they frosted cupcakes and he watched them eat their work. Sierra and Jamie were given the responsibility of handing out the carefully packaged loot bags to each child in the class. Jacob loves when his sisters join him at school and his squeals of excitement are heard down the hall when he sees them.

We had a family party at our home so that his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins could celebrate with him. For the first time in his 8 years, he seemed to enjoy a family get-together. Most people took turns reading to him, talking to him and playing with him. It was the first time he was comfortable at a large family get together and we loved watching him so happy.

The best part of his birthday celebration was the party with his friends. Unlike most eight year old boys, Jacob doesn't have many friends his own age. He has tons of friends but they are mostly teenage girls, affectionately referred to as Jacob's princesses since they always wear long skirts. On Sunday night, the weekend before his birthday, we invited his friends over to celebrate. He was the center of attention (as always!) and the girls kept jostling each other to hold and talk with Jake. He was loving every minute of it.

And this weekend, we had the fourth party for Jacob. It was a joint birthday celebration for Jacob and his girlfriend of almost 3 years, Taryn. Jacob is 10 days older than Taryn so they get together in between their birthdays each year. As they do every time they get together, Taryn kissed Jacob's eyeballs and he laughed.

Without a doubt, it was his best birthday ever!