My views of our life: Isaac - the baby

Isaac was born on October 24th 1996, one month before his sister Carrissa would be 1 year old. His daddy picked out his name. He said since all of the other kids' names began with 'C' and this would be our last baby, his name should end with a 'C'. We searched through the Bible to see if there were any names we liked and Isaac was the name we agreed on. Isaac means laughter and from the beginning he provided much of that.

He was born in Lafayette, Indiana. Before his first birthday we moved to Lincoln, IL to attend college. As a toddler, Isaac had the longest curly locks and was the most cuddly boy ever. He is the only child to this day that I can say honestly LOVED naps. This has not changed much to date.
From a very young age he wanted a sports ball in his hands. He did not care what kind but he had a genuine love for basketball. We bought a Fisher Price Grow With Me Basketball Hoop and he would play ball from sun up to sun down if we let him. He loved to play ball.
Gene, his dad, had an accident at work when Isaac was 4 years old. He had been playing basketball and landed wrong from a rebound and ended up with a double compound fracture, several surgeries and a lot of time laying flat on his back. This created a huge fear for Isaac. He became very worried about playing basketball. We were able to get him signed up with Tae Kwon Do to help with his free time and extra energy but the basketball hoop scared him.

About 1 year after Gene's accident he was still having some issues regarding his leg. The doctors in Illinois referred him to a surgeon in Indiana. Since we were originally from Indiana we decided we would move our family back there. As soon as we returned we saw advertisements for Little League Baseball Signups. We asked the kids if they wanted to play and CJ and Isaac said yes.
At the first practice Isaac was watching the catcher. He seemed as though he really wanted to try that position. The catcher that the coach had playing was struggling with the heat so Isaac asked if he could try. That day Isaac found a new love. He seemed to be a natural at baseball. He loved playing any position and had an uncanny ability to tell what kind of a pitch was coming and how to hit it. It was a lot of fun to watch him play. He made the all star team that year and has been an avid player since.

Isaac still really loves baseball. Sometimes its been hard for us to watch because he hasn't always been given credit for his talent. For example, he is left handed and even at this age he is still an amazing catcher, he is not allowed to catch any more because, "there is no such thing as a left handed catcher." He has always been able to make up for the little disadvantages that come with being left handed. He has resigned to playing that position now. He loves to play center field. He is able to run fast enough to back up the right fielder, left fielder and the infield and seems to know exactly where the ball is going. His 8th grade year he went until the very last game before he struck out. He is truly a great player.

The day his brother, Corey, passed away Isaac's team had a home game and he decided he wanted to play in it. Several of our friends and their families took him to the game. Isaac's coach said he actually played the best game he had ever played. He has a true love for baseball.

When we moved back to Indianapolis the church we were attending had UpWord Basketball program, we were able to talk Isaac into playing. He successfully participated in that program for several years. When he was in 3rd grade his older brother started wrestling. Isaac watched him for a year and was his "wrestling dummy" at home, where he learned a lot. The next year Isaac started wrestling. One thing we've learned about Isaac through these experiences is that he can be successful at anything he puts his mind to. He is a very talented athlete.

Isaac enjoys his family and friends. He likes to have fun. Sometimes he is misunderstood because he has very high standards for himself and gets very mad when he doesn't meet them. People see this as disrespectful rather than what it really is. He is very sensitive and gets his feelings hurt, people see this as a him being cocky or too sure of himself. He presents very self assured emotionally yet is not.
Isaac took the death of his oldest brother very hard. He had been home with Corey during the last big snow and they had a snow ball fight in the house. They would frequently listen to music on the computer together and I could hear them both singing to the music in perfect harmony from the other room. The last song I heard them sing together was the day before Corey died. They were singing, Learning to be the Light by Newworldson and White Flag by Chris Tomlin. When Isaac spoke at Corey's funeral he discussed these times that he shared with Corey.
Isaac has a special relationship with his other 2 siblings also. Because they are all so close in age they have been good friends from the beginning. Isaac and CJ share a lot of the same interest: Music, Computers, Sports, etc. They have always been close to the same size, until this year, so they have always been able to be partners when at wrestling practices or meets. They are always in each other's corner, literally.
Isaac and Carrissa have become a lot closer since CJ left for college. They have always shared a special bond but it has strengthened in the past several months.
Isaac has been a joy to parent. We can not always meet every desire he has. Sometimes I feel bad because I think he could be further along in a given area if we had more resources. But he has always overcome and over compensated. Isaac wants to be a chiropractor and plans to study pre-med along with following his baseball aspirations. He is a very intelligent young man and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.