Jack

Gary got up early one morning a few Sundays ago, sorta just spontaneously decided to do it, driving all alone over to Florissant, over by where he works.  Not his favorite drive in the world, I can tell you. 

He wanted to run a 5K there.  No one was there that he knew.  None of us were there to see him or cheer him across the finish.  He just wanted to do it.

This is the shirt and medal he brought home… for Jack. 

He got second in his age class. 

I was very proud of him.

This was taken the morning before Jack got his braces banded on last week.  He has since also gotten a hair cut, thankyouverymuch. 

His smile already looks good in my eyes, but there are some alignment issues with the molars so whatever.  I overheard Jack telling someone, “It’s ok.  It’s only going to be for 18 months.”

Only 18 months.  He’s a trooper, folks. 

 

This is from the day, within the past couple of weeks, that he wore his scout uniform to school, in the midst of all the middle school peer pressure you know exists, kids wanting to come off as cool and all that. 

He was hand-selected by school personnel and asked to participate in a flag ceremony in front of the school of approaching a thousand students, for, I think, Constitution Day.  I didn’t know we had Constitution Day.  Still, I was quite proud.

And can I tell you how incredibly heavy this backpack is!  He doesn’t complain about the half-mile walk he has to/from the bus stop every day with this thing.  And sometimes, he adds in a trumpet.  Thank gah, he’s not lugging the tuba. 

Sometimes I think I forget he is just a kid.  He’s just twelve years old.  A boy.

This was the evening his middle school band marched with the high school band at the big Friday night football game.  It was last Friday night.  I’m thinking this is just the start of more nights like this.  And that makes me happy. 

He’s in there, behind that first row kinda-centered saxophone, just can’t see much of him, ‘cept the hair.   It was looking really long that night.  Next day, we got around to getting it cut, finally.

Then this week, he was awarded two rank advancements in Boy Scouts based on his achievements.  The whole family went for the ceremony.   He and Gary were recognized for that week they spent at camp in July.    

So… yesterday was Jack’s diabetes clinic at Children’s.  It went fine.  He had grown two stinkin inches (yes, clearly beyond me now) and gained eleven pounds since the previous visit three months earlier. 

No wonder we are having issues with getting his insulin doses matched up with what his body needs.  

His evaluation showed he’s doing fine, but he just has so much to deal with. 

No wonder I forget he just turned twelve years old.  No wonder that I forget he’s still just a kid.