May has been a busy, typical month. In consistent weather, as usual has marked our Canadian spring. Some days as warm at +27 then we will have a week of +5 and rain. But as the month comes to an end the weather is warming, flowers are blooming and gardens are being planted. Of course not MY garden, oh no, it would not be a typical spring if I wasn't a good 2 weeks behind everyone else getting their garden in!
May has been a month of hair raising events as we have learned the hard way that Jackson is to adventurous for his own good. The first event took place one day when I had the boys in the backyard. I had latched the gate and ran back inside to grab my phone from the living room. All week I had an unexplainable nagging anxiety about Jackson getting out of the backyard and making his way to our street. I couldn't explain why I felt that way, as our backyard gate has a high lock on it that I was certain he was safe back there. As I was in the living room, grabbing my phone, for some reason I looked up and out my front window onto our street. And I couldn't believe my eyes when I say my itty bitty Jack walking down our street in his blue and red rubber boots. My heart stopped, I screamed "JACKSON!" and sprinted through the front door, across the yard and scooped him up. I couldn't figure out how he got out of the yard. I was pretty shaken up, as we live on a some what busy street and right near a corner that is very busy. I definitely shed some tears as I held him that night whispering prayers of thanksgiving to God for his hand of protection on my little Jack. (after the incident, I put Jack into the backyard and hid to see if he had let himself out or if one of the kids I had been watching forgot to latch the gate. To my amazement Jack did not waste anytime climbing the bottom part of the fence, reaching as tall as he could go and successfully unhooking the latch. We have since move the latch higher, much to Jack's disapointment.)
The second incident took place at Chapters a few nights later. I was watching both boys, as Stephen and I take turns going and looking at books that interest us. I had taken my eyes off of Jack for no more than 3 seconds to make sure Linc was still playing ok and when I turned around, Jack was gone. I have had boys wonder off before, but usually are not far. But this time as I quickly checked the rows of books that were closest to Jack and realized he was not in any of them, my anxiety grew. I continued to make my circle of search larger and larger, dragging Lincoln along with me with an undeniable look of panic on my face in my movement. A wonderful grandmother who had her grandchildren there noticed my panic and simply said "Can you find him?" I said "No." And she began to search with me. Thankfully Stephen returned and I told him panicky, "I can't find Jack." He took off up the main aisle. As I turned around to expand my search further, my mind taking me to worse and worse scenarios as every second ticks by, I glance up and see Jackson trailing behind a chapters working who was saying, "is your mom back here?". I ran to him and grabbed him whispering "Im sorry." She told me she had found him at the front of the store. The kids section was at the back. Once again, his guardian angels were working over time.
The final incident that happened was only a few days after the Chapters incident. Jack has discovered how to let himself out of the backdoor at Stephen's parents house. He had let himself out, but Stephen's dad and brother were sitting on the patio so they were watching him. They were unaware that Jack is, what we lovingly call, a runner, and so stopped watching him for a minute or two. When Stephen's dad realized Jack was no where to be seen, he started the search. He found Jack had walked down the hill, through the garden, over the dirt road that leads to the paintball (and it was a sunday, so a busy day at paintball) and was walking down the hill that leads to the the highway. THE HIGHWAY.
I have learned 2 things during that time period. 1. Jackson is extremely adventurous and we now watch him like a hawk, and even have this cute frog backpack he likes to wear that has a leash on the back. 2. God has BIG plans for Jacksons life, for the amount that he has spared him in just that short week, it is exciting. But I am sure I have shortened my life my several days, if not years, with the amount of stress I have experienced with him. Lincoln was never like that, always cautious, always aware, always satisfied to explore with us.
