Spa day and other things

Jackson spent the night with me recently, and although it was cold and rainy outside, my big cuddle buddy with his warm heart and exuberant smile kept me feeling cozy. He often repeated "Nana's house" to let me know he was where he wanted to be. Jackson also kept repeating his knock-knock joke, which goes like this:

Him: "Knock, knock."
Me: "Who's there?"
Him: "Jackson who?"
Me: "Jackson Davis."
Him: "Yeah!"

As usual, he spent hours on the computer. Several times when I checked in on him, Jackson was listening to songs by Linkin Park while watching videos about planes and cars or while looking at pictures of colorful glass beads. As soon as I stood next to him, Jackson would motion for me to scratch his back.

He watched NFL football with me and his poppy in the living room, then later, cartoons in the bedroom. At one point during the football game, Jackson went to get my back scratcher. Instead of returning to the rocking recliner that he loves, he sat beside me on the couch. Then he pulled the long sleeve of his knit shirt over his hand and had me lightly scratch the back of his hand for at least a full quarter of the game.

Jackson loves to have his hands and feet rubbed with a menagerie of items, including tomatoes, balls, and solid-stick deodorant, but this was the first time he wanted me to use the back scratcher. What an interesting boy he is.

The next morning, he was so sweet to let me sleep as long as I wanted. Jackson was sitting next to me on the bed, and when he saw my eyes open, he beamed and applauded, then clasped his hands together and shook them in a "hip-hip-hooray" kind of way. (Note to husband: How about a little more enthusiasm when you see me in the mornings?)

It was spa day. Jackson has always hated getting his nails clipped, and it's a constant struggle at home. They have several nail clippers because Jackson hides them. Angy once opened the drawer where the clippers are kept to find that they had all been disassembled. I don't know how that boy managed to do it, but he made sure they were unusable.

The last time he was over, however, I discovered that Jackson will let me clip his nails by making it part of a special spa day. So for his manicure, I set out with the clippers a travel-size stick of his favorite Dove deodorant, cucumber-and-green-tea scented. After he lets me clip one nail, I reward Jackson by stroking just that finger with the deodorant several times. I repeat the process for each finger, then massage in the deodorant when we're done. No struggle at all.

For his pedicure, I have his feet soaking in a little tub of warm sudsy water while he watches cartoons and gets a shoulder massage. Then I clip his nails as quickly as possible. The only time he makes his "angry hand" is when I do the corners of his big toes, so I save those for last. Afterward, I use a gentle exfoliator that he seems to enjoy, probably because it's another thing being rubbed on his feet.

Finally, I clean Jackson's face with my Neutrogena astringent while he reads the bottle, and then I comb his hair. I love grooming my big doll.

Speaking of hair ... Jackson spent a lot of time as usual playing with mine. He tousles it around, smooths it down, grabs it at the crown and holds it taut, and sometimes says what sounds like "lar, lar, lar." It's just another one of his things.

Jackson playing with my hair when he was 7

I had a lot of laundry to do, which was good news for Jackson. His lifelong obsession with washing machines is still going strong. He accompanied me to the garage for every wash cycle and dry cycle. I would explain my choice of settings for each load, and Jackson's job was to spray the lint trap with the water bottle so I could easily pull off the lint. It was a good time.

Jackson playing with my mom's washing machine when he was 6

For a while that afternoon, we had the TV on the Today's Country music channel. When the song "Sunny and 75" came on, Jackson and I got up and danced. He didn't make the full song, though, deciding instead to stand behind me and play with my hair while I made subtle little dance moves.

Then he sat down and watched me dance to a Toby Keith song. Although Jackson's amazing ear for music gives him no tolerance for bad singing (he slapped me when he was a toddler as his way of telling me to stop), he's apparently okay with bad dancing. He smiled the whole time, either because he likes dancing of any kind or he was amused by how ridiculous I looked.

Being with Jackson lets me forgo the trivialities of life that I stay so busy with and just relax—just enjoy the moment. He's a gift in so many ways.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth. (Psalm 127:3–4)

And may I add, the grandchildren of one's old age.

PS: Big news from September
It was time for Jackson to start senior high school, but Angy was apprehensive about it. First, to attend the school with his required curriculum, Jackson would have a 45-minute bus ride each way.

More importantly, in a school that large, with kids that age, and with Jackson less isolated, there would be a greater possibility of him being mistreated. And with his communication disabilities, he wouldn't be able to express it if something did happen.

So now that Angy is for the first time ever a stay-at-home mom, she decided to start home schooling Jackson. The curriculum is basic life skills anyway, so it's not like she has to learn algebra.

Besides, Jackson has been going to school since he was 3, which means that he's already put in 12 years. And for the last two years, he has absolutely hated going to school. Jackson was thrilled when Angy told him he didn't have to go back!

He seems happier than ever these days. And it pleased him to hear Angy say that he's a grown-up now. Jackson even had her repeat it to Darrell when he got home that day.

Thank God for working out the details, including Angy getting laid off. The Lord knows what's best for us and prepares the path. We just need to follow it, and we need His Word to know how.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)