Jacob's Little Adventure

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – to search for your child only to discover he isn’t where he should be. To realize your child is…missing.

Last Wednesday morning started out like a million other mornings have at the Duncan house. Heath is typically the first one of us to get up. He has to leave the house fairly early if he wants to make it to work on time. Once he is up, I’m close behind. On weekday mornings, Jacob usually stumbles out of bed a little before 7:00, giving him just enough time to tell his Daddy goodbye before Heath walks out the door. On this particular morning, however, Jacob slept late. It’s happened before. I didn’t think anything of it. Before I jumped in the shower, I walked down the hall to check on him. Jacob was sound asleep in his bed. He was curled up in a ball with his bottom in the air. He had a pillow over his head and another covering his feet. I lifted the top pillow to allow him a little more air to breathe. He didn’t wake up. So, I ran back down the hall to the shower.

By the end of my shower, something told me to go check on Jacob again. I had heard noises and thought he might be dragging the kitchen chairs around the kitchen or pulling his little blue table through the house. After all, chairs and little tables make terrific stepladders and can help three year olds reach ANYTHING. He’s done this several times before and the noises I heard would have me believe he was doing it again. I peeked in the living room and kitchen. Not a sound. Not a chair or table out of place. I called his name. No answer. I walked into his room. His bed was empty, except for the sea of stuffed animals he insists on sleeping with every night. I called his name again and peeked into Annabelle’s room. She was sound asleep in her crib, curled up in a ball the same way her brother had been. Still no Jacob. I walked into the living room and saw that the front door was open. Mr. Monkey’s cousin (Jacob’s cherished monkey blanket) was lying on the floor beside the door. My heart sank a little. I kept calling Jacob and searched the house, including the closets and pantry (He plays in the pantry sometimes. For some reason, he likes it in there). No Jacob. My heart sank a lot. I opened all the blinds in the house, looking through every window. Nothing. I ran outside and looked around the house. I looked towards the neighborhood playground which is just a few houses down from ours. Nothing. My heart sank to the bottom of my feet. I started to panic. Jacob was missing and I didn’t know what to do. I was completely hysterical and not thinking clearly at all. I called Heath, then dialed 911.

The 911 operator stayed on the phone with me until an officer arrived. I paced the house as I answered her questions: “How old is he?” “How tall is he?” “How much does he weigh?” “What color is his hair?” “And eyes?” “What was he wearing when you last saw him?” I pictured him standing there in his little blue monkey pajamas and prayed that he was safe. I told the operator I was very concerned because his monkey blanket was on the floor by the front door. He doesn’t go ANYWHERE without that blanket. By the time the officer arrived, I was a complete wreck. I hung up with the 911 operator and opened the door to greet the policeman. “We found him,” he said. “You did?!?!” I replied. “Where is he??????” He told me a lady had found him up the street by the stop sign. She picked him up, took him to her house and called the police. He was safe. I started to cry even harder, this time because I was sooooo happy and relieved that he was ok. I thanked God for answering my prayers. The officer said, “So…this has never happened to you before???” I immediately responded, “NO!” I was thinking, “What? Has this happened to me before? What kind of question is that? Is this really a common occurrence?” I’ve since been told it is common…just not common to me.

Within a couple more minutes, another officer pulled up in front of my house. Jacob was sitting in the front seat of her car. The officer opened Jacob’s door and brought him to me. I recognized her. She had pulled us over for speeding one Sunday afternoon coming home from church. She was nice and only gave us a warning. Now, here she was bringing my precious Jacob back to me. I like her. :)

I’ve never been so happy in all my life. I thanked the officers several times and walked back inside to call Heath and let him know Jacob was safe and back at home. When I called him earlier, he immediately turned his car around to drive back to our house. He got home just a few minutes after Jacob.

So how did this happen? Well, Jacob usually wakes up before Heath leaves for work. He tells his Daddy goodbye, then typically watches Playhouse Disney while I get ready. There have been several mornings, though, when he has slept in a little later and hasn’t gotten out of bed before Heath leaves. On these mornings, if I am in the shower when he wakes up, he’ll walk into the bathroom and announce himself with a big “HEH-YOOO! (Hello)!” Then he either gets into our bed or lays somewhere on the bedroom floor until I am finished. That’s just what he has ALWAYS done.

Last Wednesday morning, when he woke up, I guess he had it in his head that he wanted to tell his Daddy something. Jacob told me, “I was screaming so hard, ‘I hafta tell Daddy something! I hafta tell Daddy something!’” Jacob has never been able to unlock the storm door. I have seen him unlock the front door, but when he reached the storm door, no such luck. The lock can be really difficult to turn sometimes, even for me. Not last Wednesday, apparently. I imagine, when Jacob was able to unlock the storm door, he was beside himself with excitement and shock. I’m thinking it was a moment similar to the freedom cry of Braveheart. Jacob dropped Mr. Monkey’s cousin to the floor and just ran. He had opened that door and he was going to find his daddy!

Throughout the remainder of the day, Jacob gave me his side of the story in bits and pieces. He rode in a police car and one of the lights didn’t work. A lady picked him up in a red car. There were two little boys with her. The boys shared a blanket with him and they all watched Clifford on TV. According to Jacob, one of the boys said, “Do you go to school?” Jacob replied, “No, I go to church!” Jacob said the boy kept saying, “No, you go to school!” Jacob kept saying, “NO! I GO TO CHURCH!” I picture Jacob sitting there watching TV with his new friends asking, “Hey, do you have any snacks?” To him, this was an adventure. It was fun. Later that night, Heath said to Jacob, “What were you doing out there? You could have been hit by a car!” Jacob’s response? He put his hand up like he was giving a stop signal. “No….cars stop for me!” he said. I had wondered if he was walking down the street or on the sidewalk. That gave me my answer and it wasn’t the one I wanted to hear.

The police officers gave me the address of the lady who saved Jacob that day and I was anxious to talk to her. I wanted to thank her and fill in the gaps of Jacob’s story. The next day, I drove to her house, which turned out to be just around the corner from ours. Twice, I drove over, and twice, she wasn’t at home. Later that night, around 7:00, she showed up at our house. She wanted to check on Jacob and make sure he was ok.

She had originally seen Jacob close to the stop sign at the corner of our street and hers. She and her kids were getting in the car. By the time they drove out, Jacob was running at full speed and was already close to the neighborhood entrance. That is a pretty good distance from our house. He was alone, barefooted, running down the middle of the street in his pajamas and it was thirty-seven degrees. She said she was surprised at the number of cars that were passing and going around him. No one stopped. She rolled down her window and yelled to him, “Stop running!” Jacob kept truckin’. She yelled again and finally got his attention. He stopped running and looked at her. She got him to get in the car with her.

Now, as parents, we teach our children not to talk to strangers and to NEVER, under any circumstances, get into a car with a stranger. But this situation was different. I don’t even like to think about what could have happened to him if he hadn’t gotten into the car with this lady. A couple more seconds of running and he would have been out on the busy main road. I believe GOD placed HER there at that exact moment in time. Things could have also turned out differently had it been someone else who picked him up and not her. I really don’t want to think about that either.

Anyway, she asked Jacob what he was doing and he told her he had to tell his Daddy something. She told him she would help him find his Daddy. She called the police and they drove back to her house. When they got there, she put a pair of socks on him to warm up his cold little feet. Then, Jacob and her kids sat down together to watch Clifford. She has a little girl (5) and a little boy (3). Soon after, the police called to say he was reported missing, so they waited on the officer to arrive. She said Jacob didn’t really seem scared until the police got there. Like I said, I picture him at their house, making himself at home asking if he can have a snack. The police officer told him she was going to take him back to his mommy. Jacob willingly got into the car and they drove away.

I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Jacob is home and unharmed. I know God had his hand on him the whole time. There are so many “could have” “would have” should haves” that I just can’t think about it anymore. All I can do is thank God for keeping Jacob safe and for placing that lady, who is brand new to the neighborhood, at that specific moment in time to see Jacob and pick him up. God is so, so good. And, boy, that’s an understatement, huh?

For Jacob, I believe this incident was an exciting adventure – the police car, the police lights, watching Clifford with some new friends, etc…. For me, it was the most horrifying experience of my life. It is one story I could definitely live without. But, that being said, you better believe we’ll be pulling this story out one day…you know, like at the rehearsal dinner before his wedding or something. It’ll be good for that, right? :)

Merry Christmas...again!

For the past few years, we've had Christmas with my family in January. It just happens to be a more convenient time for everyone. I don't mind it at all. In fact, it's nice to have a little more shopping time, not to mention, I save a ton of money with all the after Christmas sales! I do love a bargain!

Ever since Christmas, Jacob has been a little jealous of the chair Santa brought for Annabelle. He sits in it all the time and says, "I forgot to tell Santa I wanted a chair!" After hearing this for the fiftieth time, I told my sister about it and she decided she would grant his request and get him a chair of his very own. Jacob could not be happier. He loves his chair. It's just the cutest thing to see him and his sister sitting side by side in their chairs. Sorry...no pictures yet. I'll work on that for a future post.

Annabelle...errrrr....Princess Annabelle loves her new tiara and bracelets. She's not even 15 months old yet and already a huge fan of jewelry. She's easy to please right now, though. Even a cookie cutter will suffice as a bracelet. She pulls them out of the kitchen cabinet everyday (and I mean EVERYDAY) and wears them around the house until I make her put them away. Now, she has real bracelets...except I think Jacob has hidden several of them underneath the refrigerator. I'm not sure if they'll ever again see the light of day.

The slinky was another big hit with Jacob...and all the adults!

As soon as Annabelle unwrapped the duck pillow, she laughed, smiled, and gave it a hug.

Ummm...will someone please pick up this trash?

So....I thought this cookie cake would be fairly simple. I mean, all you do is make the cake batter, pour it in the pan, bake it, then slap some icing in the middle for the filling. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, here's the kicker: before you pour in the cake batter, you have to prepare the pan. This cookie pan has LOTS of little designs on the top, as well as scalloped edging. I meticulously greased both pans for no less than an hour, making sure I had every little detail sufficiently covered. I even used a q-tip to get all the tiny places. I made the batter, poured it in the pans, baked it just as instructed, then waited a few minutes for it to cool. With the amount of time I spent preparing the pans, I had no worries at all about the cake sticking to them. I was overly confident. Both layers stuck. I was so disappointed. Oh well. I'll be the first to admit, I'm no Cake Boss. The cake wasn't exactly pretty, but it still tasted good. And I guess, when it comes down to it, "taste" is what really matters, right?

More Conversations With Jacob

You know that old saying, "Kids say the darndest things"? Well, they do. Jacob is living proof. a conversation with Jacob is quite an adventure. An adventure where you don't know where you're going or what will happen next. It's fun, entertaining, and always good for a laugh...or several.

On the way home from church last Wednesday night:

Jacob: Know what, Mommy?

Me: What, Jacob?

Jacob: Gwacie helped me take off my coat because I couldn't do it by myself.

Me: Well, that was very nice of her, wasn't it?

Jacob: Yes. It was. I couldn't do it by myself and I was getting too hot.

Me: I'm glad she helped you. Did you play with Gracie and Wayne tonight?

Jacob: Yes....but Wayne threw a toy at my face.

Me: Oh, no! Was it an accident?

Jacob: Yes. It was. But he threw a toy at my face and it hurt and I was sad, but then I put a smile on my face and I was happy!
Me: You put a smile on your face?

Jacob: Yes. I did. I put a smile on my face and then I was so happy!

Me: I'm glad you were happy.

A couple minutes later, we pulled up to the Chik-Fil-A drive-thru menu to order....

Jacob: Hey...do you want a number one hamburger?

Me: No, Chik-Fil-A doesn't have hamburgers. Only chicken.

Jacob: Oh. Do you know what I can't get enough of?

Me: No. What?

Jacob: Chicken nuggets!!! I want more, but I just can't get enough! Do you know what my favorite food is at Chik-Fil-A?

Me: What is your favorite food?

Jacob: A fwuit cup!

For a snack today, I gave him a little bag of rice chex cereal mixed with some craisins. He's always loved craisins. Apparently, that love has dwindled. As he and Annabelle sat on the kitchen floor eating their snacks together, this is what I heard:

Jacob: "Ooooooh! A yummy chex! (crunching sound) Oooooooh! A yucky craisin.....here, Annabelle."

I'm not sure how long this had been going on, but it was long enough for Annabelle to have a mouth full of "yucky craisins."

Yesterday, he was playing in the living room when all of a sudden, he ran up to me.

Jacob: Know what? We're gonna have a birthday party for Annabelle!

Me: We are? But it's not her birthday.

Jacob: Yes it is...do you wanna have a dance party and a music party?

Me: Sure! That sounds like fun!

Jacob: Ok! Let's dance and listen to lots of Christmas music! This will be the best birthday party ever!

Then, he played the demo music on his grand piano and began to dance away. He tried to get Annabelle to dance with him, but she preferred to dance alone. She let him know by screaming at him and slapping his head. Not very ladylike, I know, but it did the trick.

Bump....bump....bump

And the word of the week is.....bump. Our little munchkin is getting pretty fast on her feet. Now, if she could just get the hang of that balance thing. She has bumped her head so many times this week, I have lost count. Let's see..... She fell backwards on the tile floor in the bathroom. Bump. She fell backwards on the tile floor in the kitchen. Bump. She fell and hit her face on her toy piano. Bump...and bruise. She fell face forward into the corner edge of her crib. Bump...and another bruise. She fell into the corner edge of the wall. Bump. She fell backwards into the wooden foot on the couch. Bump. She fell forward into the side of the play yard gate. Bump. She fell into the dresser. Bump. How many bumps can a tiny, little 14 month old girl take? About a million, apparently, because I guarantee you, they will continue tomorrow. Poor thing. Between her bumping her head on her own and her big brother climbing all over her or knocking her down when she's grabbed one of his toys, I'm convinced Annabelle will grow up to be one tough cookie.

With all those bumps and bruises, only one thing could make her feel better -- a nice pair of designer jeans. She is quite the little fashionista, you know. Ha ha. I have to say, I'm a tad bit jealous. Even I don't have any designer jeans. But, thanks to her Aunt JoBeth, who apparently believes all baby girls (or at least her niece, anyway) should have a pair, Annabelle is rockin' those True Religions. They're still a little big, but thanks to an adjustable waistband, she'll be able to wear them for quite a while. She actually got these for her birthday, but never wore them until this week.

So, while Annabelle was wearing her new jeans and working on her supermodel runway walk (must...not...fall....and bump....my head....), Jacob was busy being a rockstar for Jesus.

The other day, he was playing his piano and listening to all the demo songs. When Old MacDonald began to play, he looked up at me and said, "We don't sing songs like this. We only sing Lord Jesus songs." Not sure what he meant by this, I asked, "What? You can't sing Old MacDonald?" Jacob replied,"No. Just Lord Jesus songs." I'm still clueless about what Jacob deems as a "Lord Jesus" song. Jesus Loves Me, perhaps? That is one of his favorites. Anyway, he told me Lord Jesus had a band. "Someone plays the piano. Someone plays the drums. And someone plays the guitar," he said. And he must have added a tambourine and jingle bells because he wanted me to play those instruments during band practice. Yes, I am in the band. :) All I know is, that kid cracks me up. I think part of his sunday school lesson last Sunday was about musical instruments and playing music for Jesus, so maybe he picked up something there.

Jacob wants Annabelle in the band too. Looks like she'll be the lead singer (or at least a backup)...if she can stop licking the microphone.

Being a supermodel and a rockstar sure does make a person hungry. Just ask these two. Snack time is definitely one of the highlights of their day.

Yum! Thanks Mom!

Wait a minute. What's he eating?

This is totally NOT fair. You get fruit snacks and I get a crummy organic rice cracker???

Let's negotiate.

Jacob's answer?

He was obviously not willing to negotiate. It was nice of him to be so polite, though, don't you think? :)

Christmas Morning

On a typical day, Jacob usually wakes up just before 7:00 AM. Christmas morning, we knew we needed to be up before him or all the presents would be opened before we even opened our eyes. So, Heath, my parents and I all got up just after 6:00AM. We positioned ourselves in the living room, cameras in hand, to capture the moment as Jacob walked into the room and saw what Santa had brought. We waited and waited and waited...and waited. With the stormy conditions outside, Jacob's room stayed dark longer than usual. It was close to 9:00 before he woke up. Can you believe that?!? If only we had known. We all could have used a couple extra hours of sleep!!!!!

When Jacob saw the tree and the presents, he remained totally calm, as I knew he would. He walked up to his Handy Manny workbench and whispered, "Wow." He was also very concerned about Annabelle and searched for the gifts Santa brought for her. Then, it was stocking time. Anytime Jacob pulled out a tiny toy, he said, "Annabelle can really choke on this." So thoughtful -- always thinking of his sister. Well, for that moment anyway.

Once his stocking was sufficiently emptied, all the way down to the toe, he wanted to go get his sister out of bed. He grabbed a little pig Santa left for her and ran down the hall to her room to wake her up.

Annabelle was a little startled by the abrupt wake up call, but when Jacob handed her the pig, she smiled and gave it a big hug. She loves stuffed animals and baby dolls - a girl after my own heart. :) Then it was stocking time for Annabelle. Stockings are so much fun. Going through my stocking has always been my favorite part of Christmas morning. You just never know what kinds of things you will find stufffed down in there.

Once Annabelle found Puffs, it was all over. She was concerned with nothing else except figuring out how to get into that container.
I realize she may be holding Hershey's Kisses, but let me assure you, Santa did not leave those in her stocking. :)

After the stocking, Annabelle moved on to her presents. She absolutely loves her new little chair.

And Jacob loves his Handy Manny workbench.

The rest of the morning is kind of a blur. All I know is that it ended with a sea of wrapping paper and boxes and we had used up a pack of 24 AA batteries and had started on a second pack. EVERY toy takes batteries these days, and lots of them.

When Annabelle walked into the room, the puppet theatre caught her eye and she got really excited.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man....Sing us a song tonight.....

Jacob's new piano even has a microphone attached. I'm pretty certain he's going to be the next Billy Joel. :)

Leave it to Annabelle to notice Santa left a few crumbs on his cookie plate. "Not to worry, Santa," Annabelle said, "I'll take care of these for ya." And she did.

Conclusion: Between Santa, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and Mommy and Daddy, I'd say Jacob and Annabelle are totally spoiled. And we still have another Christmas to celebrate in January with my sister. Now....I realize Christmas is over, but Santa, with all these toys, I have a request of my own: A bigger house!!!!!!