S'mores

Teddy has never liked s'mores. He has attempted them and handed them back to us, made faces and refused them. 

So, we've adapted and given him deconstructed s'mores minus the marshmallows, which were clearly the culprit because the kid devours chocolate, graham crackers and peanut butter. (Hey, peanut butter is a s'more staple in our household.)

It's not that he's entirely against marshmallows. He's eaten them on occasion plain, and he definitely loves rice crispy bars. I think it's a texture thing with melty marshmallow, so we've just adapted and it's worked just fine ...

... until the other weekend when he kept trying to make a s'more. Since Teddy doesn't talk, there's always a little bit of trying to understand if our interpretation is correct. At first I thought he wanted a deconstructed s'more, but he clearly wanted to cook a marshmallow. So we did that and made a s'more. 

And he shocked me by eating it. (He still kept holding out his hand to have me wipe off the extra marshmallow stuck to him, so I think there's still a texture thing he's not completely loving.) Then he proceeded to make a second s'more and eat it.

His first-ever s'more that he actually ate!

He repeated this the following weekend, so it's safe to say he now enjoys s'mores. 

We joked it was peer pressure because we had a friend along the first weekend devouring s'mores. It's neat, though, to see him enjoy something in a new way and be a full part of the campfire experience.

Guess Who's Back?

... in school, that is.

Teddy's back, tell a friend. Oh wait, his best friend is in his class and rides his bus, so his friend already knows. 😉

All smiles for the first day of school!

Teddy is in 7th grade (ummm, how is that possible) and loves being back in school. He was so darn excited about the prospect of:

1. Going back to school
2. Seeing all his friends
3. Specifically seeing his best friend Mikey every day
4. Riding the bus
5. Going back to his after-school programming

And as I type this, I hear endless giggles as he works with his new at-home provider we have 2 days a week. So that either means that's going great or he's being silly doing things he shouldn't (or both, because that's also a valid possibility.)

Thus far communication from school has been good, which is so refreshing because we've worked hard last year to get into a good routine. The bussing has been a challenge, with him being picked up late every day (and therefore arriving late to school), and today he magically arrived home 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. So unfortunately we're the squeaky wheel calling the bus company every morning after the bus is more than 10 minutes late and calling the special education office who coordinates the bussing. While we don't like to be the pain, we also know how hard it is for Teddy to wait for the bus and how disruptive it is for him (and us) when he's picked up late. 

Aside from that hiccup, the one thing that's been on my mind last week is the inherent value we bring as humans to the world. It was on my mind as Teddy headed back to school, and so many people were so genuinely happy and excited to see him again. It's not because Teddy is a star student, super helpful in the classroom, leading by example with class participation, excelling at academics, etc. In terms of what society often values in productivity (being a productive member of society), Teddy doesn't check those boxes. But he is inherently valuable as a human being for who he is. He is enough (and if I'm being honest, some days more than enough). 

It's something I'm trying to convey to AJ, who struggles with his self-worth being tied in his grades, productivity, etc. It's something I think most of us struggle with, but it's so easy to see in Teddy. His presence, who he is, is what people value in him. It's why they're excited to see him. It's a pretty cool thing and yet another way I learn from life with Teddy.