Gratituesday: Thankful J and Days Like These

Photo property of Dottie's Life at Home

He's known as J, J Man, and Baby Bear. He's the reason for much of the joy and the frustration that I blog about. This handsome (if I do say so myself) young man in dire need of a hair cut is my son. Nearly 20 years ago I gave birth to him three days after his dad came home on leave. The past twenty years have gone by so quickly! 

  Eye contact is something he still doesn't want to give very often, but he will for family and close friends. J's favorite things these days include terrorizing the cats, listening to music (faves include hymns, the Beatles and Michael Jackson, but he listens quite avidly to many genres), and eating. He also likes helping out around the house a little. Mostly he just enjoys life. 

    J has a winning smile and he is a delight when he's in a good mood.He has meltdowns of course, which goes hand in hand with autism, and they take a toll on everyone's nerves, including his. But truly, for the most part he's a happy young man. 

   We've gotten into a routine lately, listening to music each day after Dad leaves for work. J isn't about to let me slack on that! Each session starts with Yellow Submarine. That seems to be his all time favorite song. He likes it when I sing along. I don't sing very well, but he doesn't mind. 

  This evening after I thought he'd gone to bed, he came quietly into the living room to be with me. He gave great eye contact and appropriately signed "eat". No loud shrieks to get my attention. No sneaking to get what he wanted (although I did later see teeth marks on a kiwi). He even led me to the kitchen.  Now, who could resist that? He got the cheese he wanted and went on to bed. Granted, he's not asleep yet as I write this. I can hear him in his room talking. That's his normal routine. He'll talk and sing, and sometimes giggle uproariously until he's ready to sleep. As for me, I'll stay up, listening to him until he falls asleep or I just can't stay awake any longer, whichever comes first. Usually by the time I'm ready for bed, Dad is home from work and will be happy to be up with him for as long as it takes. 

   This Wednesday we will celebrate his birthday, most likely by taking him out to dinner. If we go in one direction we'll be heading to Bible study at our home church. If we are in the other direction, we'll pop in for Bible study with family and friends. He will be happy either way I think. 

  And as you can tell, this week I am thankful for my young man, and thankful that the last few days have been nothing like the rough patch we had last week. I'm very thankful to have been blessed with our J Man.

  What are you thankful for today? If you have a blog,         Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers! Even if you don't, leave a comment here. I love hearing from you! And take some time to read the posts from Heavenly Homemakers, and the other blogs linked up today.

Photo property of Dottie's Life at Home

He's known as J, J Man, and Baby Bear. He's the reason for much of the joy and the frustration that I blog about. This handsome (if I do say so myself) young man in dire need of a hair cut is my son. Nearly 20 years ago I gave birth to him three days after his dad came home on leave. The past twenty years have gone by so quickly! 

  Eye contact is something he still doesn't want to give very often, but he will for family and close friends. J's favorite things these days include terrorizing the cats, listening to music (faves include hymns, the Beatles and Michael Jackson, but he listens quite avidly to many genres), and eating. He also likes helping out around the house a little. Mostly he just enjoys life. 

    J has a winning smile and he is a delight when he's in a good mood.He has meltdowns of course, which goes hand in hand with autism, and they take a toll on everyone's nerves, including his. But truly, for the most part he's a happy young man. 

   We've gotten into a routine lately, listening to music each day after Dad leaves for work. J isn't about to let me slack on that! Each session starts with Yellow Submarine. That seems to be his all time favorite song. He likes it when I sing along. I don't sing very well, but he doesn't mind. 

  This evening after I thought he'd gone to bed, he came quietly into the living room to be with me. He gave great eye contact and appropriately signed "eat". No loud shrieks to get my attention. No sneaking to get what he wanted (although I did later see teeth marks on a kiwi). He even led me to the kitchen.  Now, who could resist that? He got the cheese he wanted and went on to bed. Granted, he's not asleep yet as I write this. I can hear him in his room talking. That's his normal routine. He'll talk and sing, and sometimes giggle uproariously until he's ready to sleep. As for me, I'll stay up, listening to him until he falls asleep or I just can't stay awake any longer, whichever comes first. Usually by the time I'm ready for bed, Dad is home from work and will be happy to be up with him for as long as it takes. 

   This Wednesday we will celebrate his birthday, most likely by taking him out to dinner. If we go in one direction we'll be heading to Bible study at our home church. If we are in the other direction, we'll pop in for Bible study with family and friends. He will be happy either way I think. 

  And as you can tell, this week I am thankful for my young man, and thankful that the last few days have been nothing like the rough patch we had last week. I'm very thankful to have been blessed with our J Man.

  What are you thankful for today? If you have a blog,         Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers! Even if you don't, leave a comment here. I love hearing from you! And take some time to read the posts from Heavenly Homemakers, and the other blogs linked up today.