Bringing Home Jace...: 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Gift of Jace

I journal tonight with a grateful heart and a smile on my face. You see, today when Jace came home from school, there was a special package wrapped inside of his backpack. As I pulled out a small, brown paper bag embellished with red and green glittered Christmas stickers, I thought maybe it was a gift to Jace from his teachers. But instead, as I unwrapped pretty red striped tissue I realized that it was a homemade dough Christmas ornament with a tiny handprint. Not just any handprint. That beautiful ornament is a special one, in that it is the sign for "I Love You"~~That handprint belongs to my Jace. My gift from the Lord. And what a gift he is!

Jace continues to learn sign as quickly as I can teach him. I can even sign sentences to him and he understands. Even down to telling him that he must '...first eat his dinner, then he may have a treat...', or that '...we must pay for that before we can open it..."~~ What a gift he is!

Jace's siblings embrace him, deaf or otherwise. They too are learning sign very quickly. There isn't a hint of communication frustration in our home. Nope. Jace can understand gestures if we don't know a specific sign. If you are reading this, then you too could get to know Jace without learning any sign at all. He is used to coping-used to improvising...He's never angry if others don't understand. He simply puts his hand into yours and pulls you to whatever he is talking about. He is a testimony in himself~~What a gift he is!

This is another ornament he made--also wrapped in red striped tissue. It is a star smelling of gingerbread--precious yes, but not like that tiny hand sign. I love that handprint! I love that God designed it, formed it, brought it into this world-then sent it to ME!! Oh, what a gift he is!!

So proud was he when I opened that gift and dropped to my knees to hug him, tears filling my eyes and kissing him madly! His face lit up when I signed 'beautiful' over and over again! When I signed 'thank you, Jace!', His smiling eyes shown the love he has for me...That memory will be etched into my mind forever...What a GIFT he is!!!!!

More pictures of the past week for you to enjoy: