The Many Faces of Tobin

Body language is a powerful thing--particularly facial expressions. It's amazing how much can be understood through the means of non-verbal communication; and in the case of Tobin, it's a very good thing because the boy just doesn't talk much. He can say some words; but in reality, his communication through them is very limited. That doesn't mean, however, that he doesn't communicate! Unfortunately, his recent method of conversation has involved some screaming, especially when we don't understand what he's trying to express...or when we do understand it but aren't doing what he wants us to anyway. But fortunately there are other much more pleasant ways that he uses to "talk" to us.

The fallen leaves presented a photo opportunity that was too good to pass up this afternoon so David and Tobin and I traipsed outside to play and photograph (while Josiah and Shav slept indoors). Tonight as I looked through the many pictures I took of Tobin, I was struck by how varied his expressions were...and how I could tell what he was thinking simply by the look on his face. I love knowing him to that degree; I love studying him and figuring out what's going on in that brain of his. I love the faces he makes and how even something as small as the movement of his eyebrows can indicate a whole new thought pattern for him.

Here are some of his faces (at least, according to my interpretation of them!):

~ the "I'm scooting" look

~ the "I'm really going to listen and concentrate on what this person (in this case, David) is saying because I want to understand them" look - the furrowed eyebrows show his concentration in this picture

~ the "here's something interesting" look, which is followed by the "what can I do to this object?" set of actions - I knew, as soon as he picked up this leaf, that he would soon start tearing it to pieces - he did that exactly

~ the "hey, there's Grandma!" look

~ the "I'm watching Grandma and trying to do what she does with her hands" look

~ the "these are MY hands; aren't they cool?" look

~ the "oh, look, there's something going on over there!" look - I notice also that he still has adorable little dimples at the base of each finger, and that his right hand is automatically searching for his belly button...he uses that outstretched right index finger to poke and pull his belly button...such a classic Tobin habit these days, but in this picture, his jacket is preventing him from doing it...I have to be careful what I dress him in these days so that I don't frustrate the tar out of him by making it too difficult to reach his belly button!

~ the "I'm standing and carefully walking" look

~ the "yippee! somebody noticed me standing and walking!" look

~ and my favorite, the "I'm a happy Tobin Bear" look

My heart is so full of love for this boy! "Could I love him any more?" I wonder. But tomorrow I will, and the day after that will bring even more love...and on and on and on. It's a good thing that hearts are expandable because, if they weren't, mine would surely burst.