Jake is 4.7 years old and has never had a chocolate bunny in his Easter basket because of his nut allergy and dairy intolerance. My baby, however, loves this sweet treat and savors the moments when he gets to indulge in the only store-bought chocolate he can have – tiny chocolate chips from Enjoy Life. Because Jake has such a love for chocolate, I was on a mission this year to give him his first chocolate bunny.
Surprisingly enough, it was easier than I thought and after a Google search, I found the perfect Easter treats.
Can you even believe it? Premium Chocolatiers allergy-friendly bunny of the year is named Jake! What are the chances of that? Happy tears flowed out of my eyes as I snatched up “Jake” and some chocolate eggs in my online shopping cart. I literally wanted to jump up and down with excitement because of this blessing!
After I ordered the bunny and had it safely hid away in the top of my closet, I asked Jake, “Do you think you’ll get a chocolate bunny in your Easter basket this year?” A sad look swept over his face and he quickly looked down at his lap, replying in a tiny voice, “No.” My heart melted for him. “Well, maybe the Easter Bunny knows that you have food allergies and this year he’ll bring you a special chocolate bunny.” A hopeful smile crept up slowly as he digested my words. “Maybe,” he said.
Blessings = Simple Conversations
I have never seen a boy so excited to dive into his basket on Easter morning! I love the extreme gratitude that has been naturally instilled in him because he has always had to do without. I hope if he outgrows his allergies, his appreciation for the little things in life remain.
What do siblings take away from having a sister or brother with special needs?
Before Jake’s 9-year-old brother inspected his own Easter basket, he was empathetic enough to go through Jake’s basket to make sure everything in there was “safe.” The chocolate bunny was marked with an allergy-safe label, but the eggs were not and it concerned L.
“Mama, I just don’t know if Jake should eat these,” he said. After I explained that I felt it was safe because the Easter Bunny wouldn’t bring Jake anything that would hurt his brother, his mood lightened and he said, “Wow, the Easter Bunny really hooked Jake up this year!”
Lessons like these and the character that is built as a result, can only be learned from exposure. This is not something a parent can teach; it is something that is gained from on-the-job experience.
The relationship that my two boys have reminds me of what Nicholas Sparks shared about his own two sons, Ryan and Miles, in the book “Three Weeks with My Brother.” (Ryan had Central Auditory Processing Disorder as a child and Miles is neutrotypical).
“I tell Ryan that God gave him a brother like Miles so that Ryan could learn that anything is possible and that he can be good at anything. And I tell Miles that God gave him Ryan so that Miles could learn patience and persistence and how to overcome challenges.”
I love these words of wisdom from one of my favorite authors.
To wrap up, I leave you with a photo of the gorgeous eggs that my boys colored last Saturday night. We have not dyed eggs since Jake was born because of his egg allergy. The simple fizz of the color tablet in the vinegar, the flimsy metal egg holder that you use to take the eggs out of the dye, and all of the other aspects that go along with creating Easter eggs, made my boys beyond excited. This event was a long time coming.
Jake's Journey with Apraxia 
It’s great that Jake got to have special chocolate for Easter. I bet seeing his smile on Easter morning was worth everything. It’s sweet that his older siblings look out for him. My 5 year old now understands that his little brother has special needs and he always look out for him at pre-school. He even tries to work on Kaufman card with him:)