My Sweet Jackson

Jack's going through some harder times. I haven't posted it because it's scary to write about, but he's having a lot of trouble dealing with frustrations. He's been this way since birth - and I mean that literally. He was the colicky baby who turned into the hitting and kicking toddler who turned into the tantrum-prone preschooler. We work on it ALL THE TIME. In fun ways and in serious talks and in everything in-between. Mostly I think it's the friends he has at school right now, and those friends are moving on to a different school this fall for kindergarten. For that, I'm eternally grateful. But one friend talks about hurting himself and death and all of these tremendously adult topics. And Jack is mimicking that. And he's getting a reaction out of me. I know that's a shocker to you all, right?!

Anyway, he is doing okay and he's going to be fine and we'll talk to the pediatrician about it. And he's constantly talking about happy things and things that he wants to do and wants to learn and wants to work on.

And I need to take this moment to share how sweet he really is, and how kind his heart is.

When I picked him up from school yesterday I told him we were going to CJ's birthday party (the eldest of the Hayes children). He asked if we had a present and I said that no, we didn't have one but that it was okay. He pondered that for awhile. Then he told me that he would give CJ one of his toys. "I'll give him one of my toys, I don't care." He said it so sweetly. So we got home and he decided he wanted to give CJ the pop-up book he's been working on.

The pop-up book, just so you know, is not something that we have ever talked about. He decided to do that himself this last weekend. He stapled a few sheets of small legal paper together. Then he used construction paper to make a house with a roof. He cut out a window and a door and then another window but left enough paper in that window upon which to draw a person. Then he stapled the bottom of that house to an inside sheet of the legal paper book. So when you flipped into the book, you could then flip the house up. Hence the pop-up book. It was brilliant.

So Jack wanted to give that to CJ. He ran around the house asking us how to spell different words so he could write into it. We took it over there and when it was time for CJ to open presents there was his book, amidst the baseball gloves and games. Chuck and I were hiding in the back of the yard because we were scared Jack would get made fun of. (Have I mentioned my total fear of kids being disappointed or made fun of or kids not coming to other kids' birthday parties?)

Before CJ got to Jack's card, Jack brought it to me and told me that he needed to write his name on it. So we went inside and got a pencil and Jack sat down to write his name on the front. It was the first time I got a look at his book up close. At the top of the cover page he had written "Jacks wig". And no, I didn't type that wrong. He doesn't know how to use apostrophes. And "wig" is the newest word he has learned how to spell. Under "Jacks wig" he wrote "CJ" and under that he was adding "Jackson".

I said "that is really sweet Jack. Do you want CJ to open it now, or later?" He said now. I said that CJ might ask what it meant, and he said "well, YOU can tell him..." I said "well yes, except I'm not really sure what it means. Why did you write 'Jacks wig'?" and he goes "I couldn't think of anything else to write so I just wrote that."

Good answer. So we went back outside and he handed it to Payten, who was handing presents over to CJ. I stood on the stairs and hoped it would go well. CJ opened it and read it and did so amazingly well with it. He was confused, of course, but spent a sec with it, looking at it and reading it and said thank you. It was adorable. I am SO thankful that CJ was so kind about it. And Jack sat there looking immensely proud and sort of blushing.

And later Nicki and I got a hold of the card and saw what he did on the inside. He had written "Jackson has so much fun with wig."

Of course. What else would you write there?