Category Archives: dance

Party Crasher

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We promise Jack simply walked in the front door. No broken skylights.

Last night Jack crashed a party. Although he wasn’t on the guest list, he didn’t seem nervous as he walked in the front door. That’s the way to do it – just walk in and own the room. He nonchalantly gave out a bunch of high-fives and hugs before hitting the dance floor.

We are blessed with having several people in our lives who are able to care for Jack when Dan and I want to sneak away. We call them his “other mothers” (he has “another father” too – we love you Peter). Rarely can we NOT find one of them to help out, but last night was one of those nights.

When we realized that we were without a caregiver, my first reaction was to call the hosts and express our regrets, but this party is one of our favorite parties of the year — I said to Dan, “Maybe we should just bring Jack”. 

We grabbed Jack’s diaper bag and put him in the car, hoping we weren’t committing an unforgivable party foul.

Not only was Jack welcomed with open arms by the gracious hosts, but Jack had a ball. Watching him walk around the party and cut a rug on the dance floor was great. AND, watching people’s reaction to the unexpected party crasher was wonderful. Our community is amazing — people who didn’t even know Jack seemed unfazed by our 21 year-old silent boy. Not by his dance moves and not even when he gave them an inappropriate grab or lick. Having him there also made Dan and I be a little more responsible about making an early exit (we woke up so easily today;-). 

As we got in the car to head home last night, we agreed we might need to make a habit of bringing Jack as a hostess gift. So much more fun than a candle or a bottle of wine.

Have a great Sunday and be warned that when you invite us to a party, we may be RSVPing for three.

Love, Jess

 

The Dancing Flamingo

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Those who have witnessed The Dancing Flamingo are always captivated. It’s not just unusual, it’s rather remarkable— considering the performer. For a child that can’t walk unassisted down a staircase (for fear of falling), I can’t explain how he manages a dance that requires so much flexibility, balance and coordination.

He starts by stretching tall. Getting so high on his toes that he looks like a ballerina. One leg suddenly bends (the knee goes higher than seems possible) and then he bounces. The dance is always paired with an electric smile and eyes that open wide and shine. The more excited he is, the higher the knee and the longer the dance. One Direction playing can set him into the routine within the first few beats of a song, and a visit from an old friend always gets him going – proving his memory is never at a loss. Anyone who has spent time with Jack since he choreographed his dance knows exactly what we’re talking about when we say, “The Dancing Flamingo”. There is no other suitable name.

On Tuesday evening, Anna arrived. As her and the Mackays (thanks for the visit and bringing her to us) pulled up the driveway, Jack was ushered from the cottage. He seemed excited, but when Anna got out of the car that leg bent higher than I’ve ever scene. And then he bounced and bounced as his sister ran up to hug him. Jack has been bouncing ever since.

Two weeks without our Banana was hard for all of us. One week at home going through the motions of real life and then a week here on beautiful Block Island. I thought that all the distractions of island living would soften the feeling that we were missing our family’s core, but it didn’t. Jack was definitely running a slower than usual and every time I mentioned Anna’s name he answered with question in his eyes.

When Anna arrived, she was full of so much love and so many stories. Outward Bound proved to be everything their web-site promised. I know that it’s time to start letting go of our girl, but our family is just too quiet without our heart. Now that she is back, I feel the blood flowing in our veins and we are ready to start our family vacation. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of our flamingo friend this summer.

Love, Jess