Race Weekends are the Best!

A year ago was Teddy's first race with myTEAM Triumph (MTT). Since then, he's crossed the finish line 5 times with angels by his side, including the Fox Cities 5k this weekend. Although he was still plenty distracted by the cheering crowds of people, it's amazing to me how much his walking has improved throughout the past year. He also has become well known among MTT where so many people know him. He can get away with just about anything because he has them wrapped around  his finger.

Case in point, there were three big motorcycles by the MTT group that immediately caught Teddy's eye. When I told him that they weren't his motorcycles and that he couldn't ride them, one manly biker said, "Oh, yes he can. He can ride on the gray one." So Teddy (and AJ) spent some quality time driving a motorcycle both before and after the race.

Teddy and AJ both enjoyed riding the chopper.

As much as I loved that, I loved even more that three rough and tough bikers were angels for a first-time captain who couldn't communicate verbally and needed assistance drinking her juice. They took amazing care of her and made sure she had an awesome time, including getting the local police department to flip on the lights and sirens for her. One of them said, "We may be fat and we may be slow, but we sure know how to have fun!" Those type of moments are what make MTT so special for everyone.

Team Teddy is all smiles at the Fox Cities 5K!

Another example of Teddy having people wrapped around his fingers it that not only did he get to explore the back of the MTT truck, which he loves, he also got to "drive" the truck. He honked the horn with his head when he was trying to press on the gas ... that child!

Teddy is ready to drive the MTT transport truck!

Teddy crossed the finish line with his Aunt Lindsay and Uncle John (who ran despite the heat and injuries). He also had an angel named Kevin, who jumped in at the last minute when more angels were needed. Kevin was a great sport keeping our pace and causing my brother to tell him there were support groups to help people like him ... because he's already ran marathons in 18 different states. One of the neat things was we discovered Kevin had been in a costume the night before at the kid's run ... and we have AJ's picture with him!
 

Kevin & AJ from the Kid's Run, which Teddy also did.

Kevin also was volunteering on the half marathon course the next day and told us he'd be wearing a T-rex costume. I guided Kevin across the group of runners, so my MTT team could get our picture with Kevin in costume. So Kevin was a key part of our weekend whether in or out of costume.

Kevin with Team Tom for the half marathon.

I always say I don't know how the next race will be able to top the previous with MTT because it seems like each race is so special in its own way. All I know is that I'm so grateful our family is a part of this organization!

We Have The Best Sitters

We've had our share of really bad experiences with daycare, but we've also found some of the most amazing people to spend time with our children. Yesterday, I was reminded of that because of texts from 4 different sitters for our boys. (Hey, it takes a village to raise a child like Teddy!)

The first was in response to me sending a thank you text to our newest sitter. On her third day with us, she searched under our cabinets to find our cleaning supplies and scrubbed our kitchen sink. Without being asked. When I thanked her, her reply text was, "Of course! If there's anything you want me to clean just let me know! Or write a list because I'm more than willing to. :-)"

She's pure gold. She's not allowed to graduate next May.

The next series came from the sitter who was watching Teddy at the moment. He had woken up at 4:45 a.m. and was pretty tired, so she tried twice to put him down for a nap. She said it was mostly quiet, so she thought he was at least resting. I checked the camera in his room and discovered him playing with a frog in his closet and sent her the picture. She said she counted that as a win for the morning (I would, too!) and followed it up with this:

I think play time with Mr. Frog made everything better.

This is someone who graduated and works full time as a nurse, yet still watches the boys on some of her days off. I'm so glad she's willing and able to continue that relationship with the boys and will take it as long as we can.

The third text came from Teddy's first (and AJ's second sitter) in Green Bay. We had mailed her pictures of the boys, and she thanked me for the pictures and said how much she misses them. This is the sitter who we'd still be using if we hadn't moved to Oshkosh, but she's helped us out many times and will text me to see when she can watch the boys.

The last texts came from the other student who had the nerve to graduate and move to a different town to work as a nurse after being with us for 2 years. She's going to be back in town this weekend and wanted to know if we'd be around to visit with the boys. Once again, I'm grateful she wants to continue to be a part of their lives.

We kissed our share of toads, but we found 4 princes. Wait, that makes no sense ...

Through the Eyes of Other Children

In the last couple days, the neighborhood kids discovered that we have the "coolest basement ever!" That's their description, not mine. This means that we've had the neighborhood children constantly in our house or backyard or all the children playing in the cul de sac.

That also means that today alone I had conversations with two different children regarding Teddy. The 9-year-old boy asked me if Teddy was learning to talk yet. My response was he didn't have words yet, but that he has his own ways to let us know what he wants. I gave the example of Teddy coming by us meaning he wants to play with us and be included ... and then the conversation ended as I chased Teddy in the opposite direction.

Then the 6-year-old girl was swinging on our tire swing with Teddy. She told me she has a lazy boy in her class who's just like Teddy. I asked if that boy talked, and she said he didn't talk at all. She said she didn't know why he didn't talk. I explained that some things were easy for some people and hard for other people. I said we're all good at different things and said Teddy's really good at climbing.

It's interesting to hear their perceptions and their questions, and I try my best to answer honestly but positively because Teddy does have so many strengths. And I know adults have the same questions ... two of our adult neighbors have asked in the last month or so if Teddy will ever learn to talk. My response the first time was, "That's hard to say ..." and followed that up with a more detailed explanation that some of the children with his diagnosis use communication devices, a few words and some signs.

The reality is it is hard to say because I believe Teddy will never have the full range of communication that I would love for him to have. As a communication major, newspaper editor and someone who finds great comfort and clarity in writing, I have a child who fits the label of non-verbal currently. I have no doubt he will continue to find ways to express himself, but I'll never know all that roams through that mind of his. He's 4 ... and I've never heard Teddy speak the words "I love you." Don't get me wrong, I've seen Teddy say I love you. He says it with his smile, the way he lights up when there's that connection and the (often painful) dive into you. But part of me still wants to hear those words.

And as much as I want to hear those words, I want to be able to understand him. I want to know what he knows. I want him to have a voice to express himself.

Until then, I'll do my best to interpret and speak for Teddy. And AJ will continue to speak for Teddy using his "Teddy voice."

The footnote I have to add, as I sit here in tears, is remembering what happened when Teddy and I were in the neighbor's driveway as the kids played together in the cul de sac. The little girl who turns 5 next week awkwardly was trying to ride our Ziggle while pulling a tricycle behind her. I chuckled at the sight, and her dad asked what she was doing. Her response, "I'm bringing Teddy his tricycle." Although the children often get caught up in their play and forget to wait, include or allow Teddy to play with them, she very intentionally dragged a tricycle all the way over to include Teddy. 

Runs, Parks and Tired Children

Teddy's spent more time running with me in the past couple weeks than he probably had the past couple years (at least outside of myTEAM Triumph training runs and events). I've realized that when I only have Teddy that we can sneak in quick runs. Well, not necessarily quick but shorter ones, around 3 miles or so. We've been making the most of this time before school rather than simply counting down the minutes until the bus arrives (me) or destroying everything in sight (Teddy). On a related note, guess which 4-year-old is tall enough to reach our microwave ... that's up on the shelf above our counter.

This morning we headed out for a run at Menominee Park. It was a gorgeous, foggy morning to run. We cut the route a bit shorter because the peninsula had a bus full of children on it, so we opted to skip it this time. Teddy threw his partially eaten apple on the ground, which I then stepped on and left in the parking lot where it was smashed. We saw plenty of geese, ducks and people walking dogs. Some random guy on a his bicycle told me I was doing great after passing me (and Teddy stopped complaining because he had a bicycle to watch).

He was pretty excited, despite having the park to himself at first.

Our run ended at the playground, where Teddy had a blast wandering around checking out things at his pace. It amazes me how much he can explore and do that he couldn't a year ago.

This is how Teddy tried to climb up to the slide. Perfectly safe.

After some fun in the park, we headed home where he refused to nap (yet again) and was tired and crabby until I took him outside. He took off running toward the bus when he saw it coming down the road because he was so excited to go to school. (I know that feeling. I'm really excited for him, too.)

And why tired children, not child? Oh, that would be because AJ was up at 4:03 a.m. (I checked my watch.) He was too excited to finish building his LEGO set he got yesterday as an early birthday present from his running buddy. He managed to wait until 5 a.m. before coming back to tell me that he really couldn't fall asleep ... after thumping around in the bathroom, playing and getting dressed.

First Day of 4K

Tuesday was Teddy's first day in 4K. He's in the Intentional 4K class, which means he's with 5 other children with significant needs. His class is right across the hall from a traditional 4K class, so Teddy and his classmates will be integrated as appropriate into the traditional classroom. Teddy loved his meet and greet with his teacher and speech therapist, who happens to be Teddy's first male teacher/therapist. (His PT and OT haven't been assigned yet.) He was extremely eager to go explore his school on the first day of school, willingly taking his teacher's hand and walking off to see what fun he could find.

Hey, Mom, there's people over there!

It makes it easier for me that he's so excited for school. I told his morning bus driver and aide that they'd be hard pressed to find someone more excited to see them than Teddy will be every day because they drive the bus, which he loves. I think he's already won over both sets of bus drivers and aides ... and hasn't had the screaming episodes (yet) that happened last year.

This couldn't have happened  last year. He's made so much progress!

He's had a great first week, despite being tired each morning and exhausted most evenings. Hopefully he'll figure out to either take a nap in the morning, which he did one day, or to enjoy sleeping in since his bus doesn't come until 11:40.

Look how fun it is inside there!

The only downside to Teddy's first day of school, aside from the bus fiascos, was that I learned that evening that someone made fun of Teddy. Now, I recognize all children will be picked on ... but that's still not fun as a parent. As a child with special needs, I know it will happen more often to Teddy than other children. The extremely positive aspect is that one of Teddy's friends (and my goddaughter) goes to the same school, and she stood up for Teddy when the other child made fun of him. That's not an easy thing for a 4th grader to do, especially when it was another friend of hers doing the teasing. I'm extremely proud of her, and I also love that she gave Teddy a hug on his first day of school.

Now, once our new sitter starts Monday, my anxiety levels should go back to normal ... as if I'm normal.