Biking with my Boys

We absolutely love the chairs used by myTEAM Triumph that are made by Adaptive Star. We've used them with the group since Teddy was 2. (He turned 3 by race day, but he had a few practice runs as a 2-year old.) The chairs push wonderfully for running and are so adaptable. It's easier to push Teddy because he's relatively small, but it's feasible to push adults with relative ease. 

Last year we were fortunate to work with Teddy's case worker to get our very own chair that we could use any time for running and biking. That was such a Godsend as it arrived right at the start of the pandemic. Teddy and I ran most weeks last summer, with AJ often tagging along on his bike. We went for family bike rides, and it was safe and enjoyable for everyone. 

Teddy's chair will grow with him for years to come!

The only downside of the chair is that it is so large that it's tough to take it to our land for a weekend with all the rest of the stuff we need. So at the land we haven't had anything beyond his Kimba Kruze, which has served us well. However, he's so tall that he can drag his feet and scoot himself all over the place (or just try to snap his ankles, I swear!). That chair also isn't quite designed for all the adventures we've used it for through the years, so it's a little tough on the trails and rougher terrain at the land.

So Dave ordered a custom-designed chair specifically for the land using our HSA (as it's a medical device for Teddy). This beauty of a chair has bigger tires for easier pushing over rough terrain, an extended carriage underneath to catch all the things Teddy drops (accidently and on purpose) and a higher clearance for going over bumps and hills. 

Let's just say the first weekend we had it at the land we had extreme flooding. So we gave it a thorough test by wandering through the flooded fields that still had standing water, mud and the likes. And it pushed through without getting stuck, so we all got to enjoy the mud while checking out the flooding.  

We've also been able to go for several bike rides, both around our land as well as at a really cool trail that's within an hour of our land. We've been to the Elroy-Sparta bike trail twice, as the boys really love the biking and the old train tunnels. 

Teddy loves the dark, rainy tunnels with all the water dripping.

We need to work with Adaptive Star to adjust it a bit as the wheels rub on the side of the frame, but we're so looking forward to the adventures this chair will allow our family to enjoy!

Amusement Park for All Abilities

Last night we had the opportunity to visit a local amusement park, courtesy of the Green Bay Preble Optimist Club. This was a unique opportunity because the park was closed to the general public. The Optimist Club rented out the park and invited families with a child with a disability to attend. This enabled families to avoid the chaos and commotion that is often too much for families to navigate with their child(ren)'s disabilities. 

It was amazing to see so many wheelchairs (with ride attendants wheeling them right up to the rides to assist), visually impaired individuals and others with visible and invisible disabilities. For one thing, Teddy fits into this environment. He's not different because everyone is different. Second, it was truly heartwarming getting to see the joy that everyone got the opportunity to experience.

Check out the amazing view from the Ferris Wheel.

We've taken our boys to this amusement park in the past, with at least one adult dedicated to Teddy. They even have a disability access pass that we used once, which definitely helped when I was there solo with Teddy. But due to COVID, we've avoided the park the last two seasons because it would be way too people-y for us to be comfortable with Teddy, even outdoors and with masks. However, we knew this evening would be few people since it was limited to families with disabilities. 

Dave was going to be late getting home from work, so unfortunately he was left beyond. No worries, though, because I had plenty of help (with AJ, Sigrid and Bri). We got to enjoy the 8 rides that were open, which included Teddy's two favorites: the train ride and the carousel. There's also a fantastic Ferris wheel with stunning views, especially at dusk. We mildly traumatized Teddy with the drop ride. He was rather quick to run away from that ride and was skittish about getting on the next one. However, he settled down and transitioned back to happy Ted about halfway through the Ferris wheel. 

I will admit the Tilt-o-Whirl followed by the Scrambler had me mighty grateful for additional support. I came way too close to losing my supper. I blame my children because before kids I was up for any ride. Now my equilibrium protests, and that combo nearly did me in. 

But all in all, we had an amazing evening. It was wonderful to get to enjoy the amusement park rides, the acceptance and make some special memories. 

Back to School Part 2

Today was Teddy's first day back to school, although school started September 1. The reason is he's doing a modified program again this year due to COVID. Essentially he's doing homebound education due to the fact that he cannot wear a mask for an entire day, he puts everything into his mouth to chomp on it and licks random things and has a propensity for seizures when he's ill (and licking things, putting other people's stuff into your mouth and improper mask wearing are all great ways to get ill particularly with COVID making a resurgence). 

Teddy's already a third grader!

So his school program looks similar to last year where he will have 30-minute blocks of time 1:1 with his teacher twice a week for academics. Do we wish it was more time? Absolutely! Is an hour of 1:1 instruction a week a really good starting point for Teddy? Yes. His childcare provider supplements that education with activities at home, either ones provided by school or ones we create. Truly any sort of play with Teddy can incorporate the concepts he'd work on in the school setting, and she has the time to do that when she's alone with him for the day.

Although this is another weird academic year for Teddy, honestly every year is weird for him. He changes grades without changing teachers or rooms, aside from the classroom where he integrates. (And right now, that's non-existent with his hybrid education last year and this.) It's always weird, but in some ways it's easier because we have the same teacher and similar structure. But it never quite feels like he's advancing a grade the way it does for AJ.

Additionally, rather than try to coordinate with all his school therapists, we are continuing with outpatient services for occupational, speech and physical therapy. We trust their protocols and know he's getting quality therapy and more of it than he would in the school setting, so it works for right now. He's also doing music therapy, which he enjoys (most days) and builds on all his goals. 

New this year is adapted physical education. At Teddy's IEP last month, we met his new adapted PE teacher. They discussed the activities sent home last year, which we never did because they weren't quite adapted to Teddy and frankly were overwhelmed with everything else for at-home learning. During that discussion, we brainstormed the idea of Teddy attending his adapted PE classes as a way to begin reintegrating. It's one of his favorite things, so we knew he'd love it. It's also a setting where the kids are in a big room, and there's plenty of adults to assist Teddy in keeping his distance for things like stretching and wearing a mask properly. It's a short enough time (less than 30 minutes) that Teddy can, for the most part, successfully stay masked. 

Today was his first day for his 1:1 instruction with his teacher, as well as his adapted PE class. Trust me, the PE class is as much for reintegrating Teddy to prepare him for returning completely once he's vaccinated as it is for us as parents. We both have some anxiety because we know the vaccine won't provide Teddy the same measure of protection as it provides others. Given his diagnosis, the vaccine will still be effective to some degree, but it's hard to say how much protection it will provide. That certainly makes us uneasy, yet we realize at some point we need to find the balance if COVID never goes away completely. 

Let's just say today was a success for adapted PE. He was super excited to attend today and may have tried to drag his teacher back to the gym when it was over. I'm still waiting to hear if he tried to drag his teacher to the gym when he returned later in the day for his 1:1 instruction.

Back to School Part 1

Our school district began fall classes September 1. For the first time since March 2020, AJ returned to in-person learning. He was extremely excited to be back with his classmates for 4th grade instead of virtual learning. He had a great first day back and is settling into his routine. 

We joked that we had two 4th graders this year because our "adopted" daughter Sigrid began teaching 4th grade at another school in the district. She's actually at Teddy's school, and he'll be so excited to see Ms. Sigrid when he returns to in-person school.

Don't mind the photo bomb of our 4th graders.

Since Teddy's ability to wear a mask is limited (short duration with redirection) and none of his classmates are able to mask, we're keeping Teddy in a hybrid model until he's fully vaccinated. So I'll share an update next week when he has his first day at school.

For now, we celebrate AJ (and Sigrid)!

He's so excited for school & his backpack!