Adaptive Skiing - An Incredible Success

Last fall, after talking with another special needs' mom about her son's experience with adaptive skiing, I asked Dave what he thought about me signing Teddy up for adaptive skiing. He responded with 2 things:

1. I want nothing to do with it. (This is less about Dave not skiing than about not wanting anything to do with a risky sport that could result in broken bones.)
2. There's someone at my work who does this. Do you want me to get more information from her?

That's about as much of a green light for this project as I'd get, so I ran with it. Kelsey volunteers with SouthEastern Wisconsin Adaptive Ski Progam (SEWASP). She was incredibly helpful, and I worked through the process to sign Teddy up for adaptive skiing. I requested what's called a bi-ski, where Teddy would sit and be skied down the hill by volunteers. This is most similar to his waterskiing experience, and it seemed like the safest, easiest option considering Teddy's intellectual disabilities and the fact that his listening ears are often broken.

However, SEWASP wanted to assess Teddy for stand-up skiing based on his physical capabilities and had an opportunity to partner with a new ski hill that happens to be the closest to our home. That ski hill, Nordic Mountain, is working to fully build out their adaptive skiing lessons into a full program. So Teddy's assessment and lesson would benefit Teddy and serve as a training opportunity for the team at Nordic. 

I'm not going to lie. I was nervous. I don't want Teddy to get injured because that requires a tremendous amount more effort to care for him. I also was concerned about Teddy following directions and being able to do what was expected. And then there's the wildcard with Teddy that some things simply freak the heck out of him, and he shuts down. I thought between skis, magic carpet rides and/or lifts that there was a high risk of him shutting down or getting freaked out.

We did our best to prepare for the day thanks to YouTube. Teddy does really well watching simple videos on YouTube to help prepare for new experiences or things that are harder for him (like the dentist). My dad came over for morale and physical support for the Ted-venture, and we headed to the ski hill this morning, bright and early (with Teddy unnecessarily up for the day at 4:30 a.m.) and chilly (temps at 0 when we started). 

And, my fears were promptly reality as Teddy immediately wanted back in the vehicle and refused to even walk to the buildings to get started. I headed up to tell the team that we were working on convincing him, but he was anxious. They came over, friendly faces and encouraging welcomes. Their approach helped me convince Teddy to go check out the warming yurt at least. We spent the first 30 minutes or so with them assessing Teddy's walking, getting to know him and working our way into ski gear. The level of skill in their assessment, what they see and how it translates to how they'll help him learn to ski is nothing short of amazing. Dave and Terri with SEWASP are experts at what they do (with Kelsey being a great support). The team from Nordic (Kyle and Eric) were eager to learn and also not without experience in working with adaptive skiing. It's exciting to hear about the program they're developing and what is to come in the next year.

As we worked through each step, I made sure to capture pictures because getting ski boots on was a milestone in itself. (Seriously, have you ever tried to walk in ski boots?!?!) We headed outside to practice sliding and introduce the skis themselves. By the time we got to ski boots, Teddy was all ready to go and excited for the process. 

The team started him with a pole for balance, which they quickly transitioned away from to less invasive methods of support. They are intentional about making it a good, safe experience but in encouraging as much independence to build good habits as possible. The amount of analysis, awareness of Teddy's abilities and fatigue levels and potential options to support him with both equipment and technique were amazing to hear and see. 

If you've ever skied, you likely know about pizza and french fries, the American way to teach people how to ski with straight skis and to wedge to slow down. They decided Teddy is not a candidate for pizza because he'll always try to pizza and end up with crossed skis, so the alternative is to focus on learning gradual turns to slow down. They helped model that, physically turning his skis for him to kinesthetically feel the turn and had him working on assisted turning his last couple runs. 

My expectations for today were pretty low and realistic. I didn't know if he'd even make it on the ski hill and had fully expected him to have hands on support and/or be strapped into a harness to support him. They see so much capability in Teddy, not his disability, and helped him successfully ski down the (very tiny) beginner hill partially with no hands-on assistance. The range of techniques they used, the way the instructor Eric "fell" right alongside Teddy and cheered him for doing such a great job falling to make it fun and easy to get back up again (as easy as it is on skis) and the enthusiasm and positivity from the entire team made this morning downright magical. 

It was also clear from the smile on Teddy's face, the way he immediately started heading back to the magic carpet and his frequent asks to go on the chair lift (wish not granted this time) that Teddy loved the experience!

I never would have guessed before I saw it with my own eyes today that Teddy is capable of this. His listening ears were on point, his focus and his effort were all nothing short of amazing. We could see the signs of fatigue, so we called it a day after a little more than 2 hours. As we were getting ready to leave, Teddy was ready to put his ski boots back on and go out on the hill again! Though his body was tired, he still wanted to go. 

I'm so excited to take Teddy back to the ski hill for him to have more lessons and continue this! 

So happy as he finished his first run!

For the life of me, I wish I could share the videos, but I can't get videos to upload lately to my blog. 

Final Days of Fifth Grade

Franklin Elementary School has been home to Teddy for the past 6 years. After spending his 3K and 4K years at two different schools, we were excited to settle into Franklin Elementary School for the foreseeable future. Though I was disappointed at the time (OK, I recall sobbing hysterically) to learn that Teddy wouldn't be at the same school as his older brother, Teddy was meant for Franklin.

This little guy started kindergarten wrapped in love and support.

As I searched back in time to find pictures of the early years, I was reminded of so many memories and milestones. Though I'm sure I'll miss some important events or notes, here's some of the highlights:

1. Teddy's first field trip (and all the subsequent ones). His kindergarten teacher set the bar high for inclusion, and I loved witnessing Teddy with his friends. (I also loved when I realized the school would send paraprofessionals with Teddy, so I didn't have to chaperone every field trip. Sorry not sorry for letting them attend plays with Teddy instead of me!)
2. Birthday party invitations and the chance to hang out with friends outside of school. Teddy made his first close friend on the bus, followed by others. Now Teddy's friend Brad is his only friend who will be at his new middle school. The two of them are wonderful friends, and it's so fun to see them hang out together.
3. The power of advocacy. I witnessed that in his kindergarten year when I shared my feelings on this blog, only to have them read by others in the school and then I heard from the principal. I learned valuable lessons about channeling my advocacy first to the appropriate channels and then determining how much I shared here. But I did learn that asking and advocating will open doors like the next one.
4. Teddy's first concert. He wasn't included his kindergarten year, so we engaged his team to make sure he was included every other year. In fact, he even played the ukelele at his final concert this year!
5. Elopement. This experience was surreal (particularly the circumstances unfolding when I heard firsthand what happened the next day) and is irrefutable proof that Teddy has a whole team of guardian angels (who apparently all took a break at the same moment). We got darn lucky this day, and I don't think it's something his team will ever forget. While it still didn't get 1:1 support for Teddy, it did put in place 1:1 support when outside of the school building in a safety plan. Though that safety plan never got tested fully right away because ...
6. A global pandemic shut down all schools for the remainder of the school year. And then we did a modified school year for two entire school years. (Holy cow ... I can't believe we lasted 2 years with that child in a bubble to protect him.) His teacher wore full PPE for that first year (mask, gown, gloves and face shield ... which is just insane to consider now but was so appreciated at the time.
7. A paraprofessional who asked in January or February 2020 whether we ever would be interested in childcare for Teddy, and I answered yes before she finished her question. Because of the global pandemic, she actually stepped in sooner than intended for childcare, moved in with us for a period of time, spent holidays in quarantine with us and became a part of our family. It's weird to know that this wouldn't be the case if Teddy went to any other school.
8. Beautiful art projects, including some of my favorite Christmas ornaments and homemade gifts. It's so wonderful that his team helps him to create these little masterpieces because he is truly proud of the work he brings home. 
9. Fantastic bus drivers and aides. We've made a lifelong friend who commandeered a bus to bring to Teddy during the COVID years to give him his bus fix. These ladies have always watched out for Teddy, and I've always rested easy when Teddy was in their care.
10. A DARE and 5th grade graduation ceremony where he scampered up to get his DARE certificate ... and then tried to run away in the opposite direction. After a break from sitting (riding on his chariot of a bike), he came back for the 5th grade promotion. Yet he was very particular about the magnetic toys and organizing them back in the box, so his teacher had to physically redirect him to get his certificate. Yet afterward, his teacher commented twice on how good Teddy did. Not only did that make me chuckle, it also makes me wonder what most school days look like.

Now he's a big 5th grader celebrating graduation with his amazing teacher.

This school has been home to Teddy for 6 years. While we're so excited for the opportunities in middle school and think it'll be amazing for him, it's bittersweet to say goodbye to Franklin Elementary. As I mentioned above, only one of his classmates will be joining him at his new middle school (the downfall of not being placed at our home school that feeds into our home middle school). This is one of the bitter parts because all the kids at Franklin, every grade, know Teddy by name, and most are excited to see him. I watched the kids at graduation cheer extra loud and give extra high fives to the kids like Teddy and the ones who need a bit more love (like the little boy who immigrated this year from Africa knowing no English ... funny story, Teddy's universal language of gestures and smiles convinced this kid to join him on the carpet when everyone was supposed to be sitting at their desks ... still makes me chuckle.)

This week will be a hard one for me, as mom, to let go of the elementary years. Right now it's less about the uncertainty of middle school and more about the sadness of leaving behind the friends, teachers and support staff who have embraced Teddy fully for who he is, helped him be his best and loved him (most moments at least when he wasn't testing those boundaries). 

Fine Motor Finess

 Ya'll, I had no idea my child could do this.

I came upstairs to grab my lunch as Teddy was getting ready for therapy. I watched in amazement as Teddy put on his first brace. Then I pulled out my phone and videoed him putting on his second brace. If you've never put on SMOs before, they're a bit tricky for someone with typical fine motor skills. 

And I didn't capture it on video, but then he did put on his one shoe my himself. He has Billy shoes now, so he can actually zip them up entirely by himself with just a little bit of assistance if he gets stuck. He made me put on his first shoe for him because apparently I'm his servant. That's what he's led me to believe that he couldn't put on his braces and shoes, yet he very clearly can do it on his own with some verbal prompts and minor assistance.

I wonder what other secrets he's keeping from me ...

Teddy is Bilingual

We're actually hoping to have Teddy become trilingual as we reintroduce a communication device. We're waiting to work through the insurance or funding process for that, so it'll be a few months. In the meantime, though, Teddy is able to comprehend and speak in essentially two different languages.

Although he cannot communicate verbally, he understands spoken words. Whether he chooses to follow directions or requests is much less a matter of comprehension than his desire to do the task at hand. Most times, I'm certain he understands us and simply chooses not to do what we're asking. That's proven time and time again when he can follow directions and listen quite well when he's motivated. Just yesterday, in fact, he listened to my request that he go back and shut the door to the house before he took off down the driveway. I was quite impressed.

Teddy's main method of communicating, beyond physically directing you to do his bidding, is modified sign language. I say modified because his signs aren't clear to those who don't know him. They're a bit sloppy at best as he works on his fine motor skills, but he understands he needs to replicate some motion to make requests or communicate.

What I found really cool the other week was that Teddy understands at least some signs when they aren't verbally spoken. Most often, we speak and sign at the same time. However, the other night, Dave simply signed to Teddy to sit when Teddy was waiting at the counter to grab his dinner plate. Teddy immediately went to the table and sat down. It was noteworthy to me because it is clear that he understands both the sign and the spoken word that accompanies it. We can use either with him, or we can use both to reinforce ideas. 

It might seem like Teddy isn't as intelligent as others because he cannot express himself verbally. But when you take a minute to think about it, you'll realize how amazing it is that any person can understand spoken words, use sign language and/or use an adaptive communication device. That's far more language skills than the multitude of Americans who only speak a single language.

Tracing Triangles

When I daydreamed about having children before we were blessed with our boys, I never could have fathomed what our reality would be. It's messy. It's chaotic. It's stressful. It's fun. It's unexpected. It's incredibly blessed. 

I never imagined Teddy and all that he brings to our lives. (It's pretty tough to picture something you never knew existed, at least when you're a concrete thinker like me.) Last week I was working on some school activities with Teddy, writing with dry erase markers on tracing patterns. I did hand-over-hand, guiding his hand along the lines and making fun sounds to keep him engaged. Then I asked him to trace the triangle on his own. I pointed to a corner and said, "Start here." I then pointed to the next corner and said, "Draw to here." We repeated that for the three sides and ended up with this.

The triangle was traced in purple, amid all the pink scribbles that are the norm.

Now, that might not look like anything remarkable to you. In fact, you might struggle to consider that a legitimate tracing of a triangle. In my eyes, though, that was an incredible accomplishment. It was the best tracing I've seen Teddy do with only verbal cues. He focused on the entire task and made something recognizable to me as a triangle. 

As I praised him, I cleaned the sheet to try again. The next time he did even better.

Look at that pretty pink triangle!

I could not believe his triangle. Teddy got hugs and high fives for a fantastic tracing job. I quickly snapped a picture before it was scribbled over or erased. First I text it to Dave. Then I shared it on Facebook. Then I e-mailed his OT and his teacher. Do you get the picture of how proud of him I was? 

The love and support for Teddy came through on Facebook and in replies from the messages I sent. We're so blessed to have so many in our lives rooting for Teddy and celebrating his accomplishments when they occur, regardless of when others achieve those same milestones. I know that tracing a triangle, when you're 7 years old, is not typically worth a second thought. But life without Teddy isn't typical. It's unexpected. It's a journey to discover what he knows, what he can do and, sometimes this is the kicker, what he's willing to do. That little boy can do so much more than we give him credit for because more often than not we can't coax it out of him. 

It's oh so frustrating to be Teddy's mom at times (and that's a feeling I get most days, at least for a few moments). But there's unlimited joy inside him, and that radiates out to others. There's also moments like this that we can see for the gifts they are: a reminder of how far we've come, an accomplishment to celebrate in the moment and hope for what will come. 

Counting Capabilities

The other night Teddy was impatiently waiting for supper (aka lying on the floor crying because he wanted to eat right that minute). We checked the pizza and set a timer for 4 more minutes. I asked Teddy if he could count to 4 and held up four fingers. He seemed interested, so I started counting. As I said 1, he touched my first finger. As I said 2, he moved to touch my second finger. He moved to the next finger for the number 3, and he finished by touching my last finger when I said 4. 

I was amazed that Teddy actually counted along. I know I didn't imagine it because our sitter witnessed it as well. He's demonstrated some interest when I've asked if he could count when we set timers, but this is the first time I've actually seen him count. I know that he can identify numbers 1 through 10, and this takes it a step further. 

These are the little things that might not even register for others, but it's a huge accomplishment for Teddy. That boy knows so much more than we give him credit for because we need to catch the moments he's actually willing to follow directions to show off his skills. Now, we'll have to see if we can repeat this as well as see how high he can count. 

Mickey Mouse

 Apparently, Teddy's ambition in life is to be Mickey Mouse. A couple weeks ago, I found his Mickey ears lying on his floor. I thought it was odd, perhaps Dave and him had played with them, and put them back up on his shelf. They stay up there since they're a lovely embroidered pair from his running buddy that would be trashed if Teddy had his way with them for any amount of time.

Then, about a week later, I was trying to juggle work calls, AJ's school, housework and keep Teddy out of trouble. Let's just say that after Teddy thought we should turn the kitchen into a water park that I determined he needed a bit of a time out. I put him in his room to finish the dishes and decided I'd tackle a bit of school with AJ afterward when Teddy was quietly playing in his room. As AJ and I were reviewing his assignment, a clatter arose from Teddy's room. I flew in there, swear words perhaps a bit uncensored, to discover him standing on top of his 4-foot tall dresser holding onto his shelf that he had just ripped out of the wall ... right next to the shelf with the Mickey ears.

AJ helped me clean up the immediate mess since Teddy had disassembled a tractor figurine, and I had a shelf holding on barely with two screws. That incident made it clear that Teddy could scale his dresser, but we were perplexed how it happened because his dresser is out of view from his camera. I presumed he was hooking his leg on his window ledge to boost himself up, similar to how he scales the back of the Tahoe using the rear windshield wiper. (It's a miracle that hasn't broken yet.)

We determined we needed to figure out how to reconfigure his room because the dresser is important not only to hold his clothes but also to keep the wires to the camera and night light secure from his grasp. But before we could figure that out, I found him with Mickey ears on his floor again. Dave adjusted his camera, so the dresser was in full view. And a few days later, Dave saw him in the early morning hours amble to his dresser and do this:

I still can't believe he was using the tiny handles, that stick out less than an inch, to scale his dresser. That kid needs to try rock climbing when he's safely hooked into a harness. I bet he'd have a blast.

And Dave created a wooden box that is secured to his dresser, preventing him from getting a solid grip on the top ... at least for another year or two. In the one day that box didn't have a top on it, Teddy filled it with every toy in his room and was playing with an empty toy tote when I went in his room.

Never a dull moment with him. Ever.

A Milestone Marked by String Cheese

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that someone opening a string cheese would be notable, certainly not seen as a significant accomplishment. I couldn't have imagined how excited I would be, even to the point that I'd tell the world about it a week later while still grinning. 

But here I am, about to tell you the story. It's not an exciting story. It's actually quite unremarkable. I was preparing Teddy's lunch, and he helped himself to a string cheese from the refrigerator. I told him to give it to me to open, but instead he headed to the table by himself. 

It's not unusual for Teddy to self-serve food from the fridge. If it's mandarin oranges, he squishes them while clenching them tightly, not realizing we need to assist him in peeling them. If it's frozen waffles or pancakes, he runs off with the entire bag as frozen breakfast items are a staple in his diet ... still frozen, of course. If it's string cheese, he sometimes tries to bite it through the plastic and other times asks for assistance. 

This time, however, he sat down and proceeded to work on opening it by himself. He used a pincher grasp to hold each piece of the plastic and started to pull them apart. He got about 1/3 of the way done and then held it to me to finish. I told him he was doing great and to keep going. He continued pulling the plastic apart until he had it all the way done. Then he pried out the string cheese and promptly ate it in about 3 bites, par for the course for Teddy. 

I was amazed at his focus, his pincher grasp, his persistence to finish the task rather than ripping out the cheese as soon as the plastic was partly undone. All such simple things, but all combined to a big moment for him. 

And he did it while rocking his dad's stocking cap because that's how he rolls. 

Mr. Independent managed to open his own string cheese. 

Winter Wonderland

My favorite snowstorms are the ones that happen on a weekend when we have no plans. We get to take our time to shovel and remove the snow and play along the way. (Oh yeah, let me add in there weekends when the temps are reasonable.) We had one of those weekends.

Teddy loves to play with shovels and brooms, so he wanders around when them in tow. He also loves to help snowblow with Dave, which is safer than him wandering in front of it unpredictably. As long as our neighbors' garage doors aren't open, we're usually pretty good about Teddy staying in the driveway ... or at least a neighbor's driveway or the cul de sac, which is perfectly fine in my book. Line of sight and closest enough to chase him when needed.

We spent about an hour outside shoveling in the morning, headed inside for lunch and a few projects. Then we went out to enjoy the snow with sledding and tubing. We have just enough of a hill to sled nothing too exciting but enough for the boys. As an added bonus, it's not that tough to walk back up the hill. Heck, even once Teddy walked all the way back up carrying his own tube!

The neighbor boys sledded with us a bit and then brought out their snowboard. I got to try it out, successfully making a few runs. Then Teddy indicated he wanted to try it, so I helped to get his feet in place and ran down the hill alongside him. He balanced really well until we got going too fast and tripped before he biffed it. He loved it, and we did it one more time where Dave got a video.

This made him happy, and it made me so darn happy. I was able to help give him an opportunity that normally wouldn't happen, something he wouldn't be able to do otherwise. 

And, this, my friends, is why I live in Wisconsin. 

Can't Stop The Feeling!

Teddy loves music, as long as it's catchy enough to grab his attention. When he hears the infamous "Baby Shark," he immediately stops what he's doing to find the music. When a song starts playing during movies or television shows, he often stops everything else and starts dancing.

Dancing for Teddy looks a lot like jumping, which is one of my favorite things. A few years ago, jumping seemed so far out of reach for him because of his balance and coordination, but now he jumps to show his excitement, to dance, and to convey all the joy inside his not-so-little body.

We discovered a few Christmas seasons ago that Teddy really enjoyed those annoying toys/characters that play music. So now we have a collection of about a half dozen that play various songs. When we first pulled them out of storage, Teddy couldn't contain himself as we loaded them with batteries and started the songs. It's been two weeks now, so they're not the constant obsession anymore, but they're still high on his list of likes.

I'm sharing both videos because they're just so fun!

Teddy's First Concert

If you've ever had the privilege to attend an elementary school concert, you know those performances aren't about the lovely singing (or shouting) qualities of the students. It's about how adorable they are while giving their best efforts and showing off their hard work. That's why it makes sense to include all children who are willing and able to participate, regardless of how well they sing ... or if they sing at all.

Teddy is non-verbal. That means he doesn't talk, and honestly doesn't make a lot of vocalizations aside from grunting when he wants something and laughing. He'll occasionally babble, but he's a rather quiet child unless he's supposed to be quiet and then somehow the non-verbal child is the loudest he could possibly be. But that doesn't mean he couldn't or shouldn't participate in his school's holiday concert.

This year was the first year that Teddy had the opportunity to participate in the concert. His teacher and the music teacher (and quite frankly all his support staff) worked with him the last several months, so he could practice the actions for the songs as well as work on the appropriate skills for a concert. His music teacher sent us the motions for all their songs, so we could have Teddy practice at music therapy as well. He spent a lot of time and effort practicing.

The night of the concert, he was extremely excited. I think he knew something special was happening, and he was wired when we got into the auditorium. Then again, so were a couple hundred other children who were bouncing off the walls. It was wonderful to see Teddy start bouncing up and down when he saw one friend in particular who's always sweet and kind to him. It was more wonderful to see her bouncing in her seat and trying to get Teddy to notice. She was mirroring his way of communicating with her, which was so neat to see.

Teddy was super excited for his concert! And super cute!

Teddy's teacher and aide were both there and excited to see him. His aide wasn't working with him that evening as she was supporting another classmate. Teddy's teacher was on stage with him, right beside him, to help him with the motions and make sure he stayed in place. Teddy used the walker he uses at school, not so much for stability as much as to create boundaries and the expectation to stay where he was. Teddy did an amazing job of staying where he was supposed to instead of wander the stage or making a mad dash to go crowd surfing.

Teddy may have been the only child who spent part of the performance watching the rest of his peers and clapping for them, but he was clearly loving being a part of the show. He did some of the motions on his own and many with the help of his teacher. There was even an entire song that the class only did motions rather than singing. The intention was to focus on rhythm, but it was so nice for a non-verbal child.

After the concert, Teddy came running down the hall (dragging his walker). He was so excited and happy, as were we. AJ insisted that we buy Teddy and his teacher both treats at the bake sale because both his teacher and Teddy did such a great job. AJ said that he almost cried happy tears because he was so proud and happy.

Mr. Skaaland is Teddy's amazing teacher!

There wasn't anything extraordinary about Teddy's performance. He didn't have a special part to play. He just got to participate in the fun, like any other first grader. And that was extraordinary.

Double the Art, Double the Fun

When I picked Teddy up from school Friday, I had the chance to talk to his para who is working in the classroom all November. I asked how his day was, and she said he got art twice that day. He went with the first grader students, stayed for about 15 minutes to complete his project and then left while the rest of them finished class. He also went to his adapted art class with the other students in his special needs classroom. (It's weird, I'm not sure what to call his class ...)

She also mentioned that on Wednesday he went to all of gym class with the first graders. She said they ran for 7 minutes, and that Teddy ran with them the entire time. He was tired after gym class, but it was so wonderful to hear that he had the opportunity to participate for all gym class. See, I watched Teddy's adapted physical education class once, and it was like watching a room of ping pong balls bouncing around the gym because each child needed essentially 1:1 support to successfully follow the instructions for the activity. So I fully understand the effort it takes to include Teddy in a gym class with 20 other first grade students, but I feel it's so critical to his development, acceptance, learning and social inclusion.

The thing that really gets me about that gym class is that this is the child who we wondered and worried for the first nearly three years of his life whether he would ever walk independently. This same child ran with his friends for the entire 7 minutes of running in gym class. Now, that is beyond amazing.

This inclusion with his first grade peers takes effort, no doubt. It also takes a lot of coordination with his teachers, both in his classroom and the first grade teacher. It takes the principal listening to my concerns and the director of special education as well. It takes a whole team of people to make sure the supports are there, so Teddy can run with the other kids. It's something relatively simple that makes me so happy.

And, in case you wonder why we doubted whether he'd ever walk, here's the link to his first independent steps caught on camera. Our little drunk monkey has sobered up through the years, but he still walks like he's had a few too many. Maybe that's why he feels so little pain ...

A Hiking We Will Go

Hiking is one of my favorite things. Before children, Dave and I hiked and backpacked across the entirety of Isle Royale as well as the length of Pictured Rocks. Carrying those heavy backpacks was merely training for carrying children when we continued hiking after having children. AJ is more than capable of hiking on his own and alternates between doing remarkably well and complaining remarkably well. Teddy, on the other hand, has always been carried despite the fact that he is now 6 years old and weighs more than 50 pounds.

I recognize that my years of carrying Teddy for any distance are greatly limited, but I will continue to carry him as long as I'm able to in order to give our family the ability to truly experience the great outdoors. There's so much to be seen that can't be reached in even the sturdiest of wheelchairs.

Teddy is capable of walking, running even and climbing darn near anything. (Seriously, the other day I walked in the garage to see him perched on the back bumper of the Chevy Equinox holding onto the rear windshield wiper and attempted to use that to brace his knee to climb up the back side of the vehicle.) However, he falls constantly. So much, in fact, that we don't even pay attention to him falling most of the time because it's such an ordinary part of every day. He also lacks any sense of safety awareness and seems to gravitate to ditches and ravines because they're more fun.

So he's had very few opportunities to attempt hiking on an actual trail, but he's continuing to improve his balance and want more independence. On Friday I wanted to take the boys hiking at High Cliff State Park for one last summer memory that would be an excuse to eat ice cream for lunch. I decided to give Teddy a hiking stick and see what happened. He was extremely excited and took off in the opposite direction, so I turned him around and steered him past all the vehicles because I didn't want him to scratch one with that weapon of his. Yeah, a hiking stick isn't for balance. It's for swinging wildly, jabbing and poking. It's way more fun that way.

Teddy set off with an excited pace!

We made it onto the trail with Teddy leading the way part of the time. He is easily distracted by other people, so I had to redirect his attention to follow AJ. He thought the big rocks were really fun to poke, touch and inspect. He also liked tapping different trees with his stick and whacking all the foliage along the trail with it. The trail turned uphill and got much steeper, narrower and rockier. The steepness and narrowness were fine for Teddy, but the rocks got to be too much that he kept falling every few feet.

4 cars in the entire parking lot, and he nearly ran into them.

 So, I loaded him up, and we continued on our hike in our usual fashion with me as Sherpa for Teddy. But I was impressed that he made it 4/10ths of a mile on his own two feet, especially with a portion of that being rougher trail. I think that if we stayed on the more level trail that he'd have been able and interested in going further. It's something we'll have to continue to practice and try because he's interested in it, and I'm interested in not carrying a squirming 6-year-old for the entire hike always. (It's much easier to carry the same weight as Teddy that isn't trying to escape and flail and steal my hiking stick and stab me with the stolen hiking stick.)

I was surprised by some of the comments when others heard of our adventure about being a great mom and giving Teddy this opportunity, but it's really self serving. Hiking is one of my absolute favorite things to do, and I want to share that love with both my children. I want to continue to do it as Teddy grows older, even if our pace is slower and we have to poke every rock and tree. Nature soothes the soul ... and we all need that.

Kindergarten Graduation

Today's the big day. Teddy celebrates his last day of kindergarten with his peers. Next year, he'll be in the same classroom with a new teacher as well as brand new first grade teacher and mix of first grade peers with whom he'll integrate and spend portions of his day.

This year Teddy has grown so much, both physically and developmentally. He's been welcomed into his school with open arms, and it's his version of Cheers. (Remember, the old TV sitcom?) Everyone knows his name.

He's had so much fun on his bus rides this year, with his beloved Ms. Lori taking him safely to school and bringing him home. She makes his bus rides so much fun that he usually pushes me away each morning, so he can get to the fun part instead of mom talking. She gave us a family fun pack for summer memories with spray chalk and squirt guns, along with the sweetest note. I think we might have to work out a park or ice cream date with her this summer because both boys adore her, and quite frankly, so do I.

I think I'll cry when Ms. Lori is no longer our bus driver for Teddy.

Teddy had a graduation ceremony this afternoon with all the rest of his kindergarten friends. I think my heart was so full it eeked tears out my eyes. It's been an absolutely amazing school year, and I'll leave you with these photos. The best is the video, though, showing off his skills, moves, his amazing para and the moment when he found me in the audience.

Teddy's teacher could barely manage a picture through her tears ... not of joy!

Teddy rocked his graduation with his kindergarten teacher!

All smiles for graduation! So much pride in those three smiles. 

A Stack of Cans Brings A Smile

I never would have thought that watching Teddy pull canned goods out of the cupboard would bring me so much happiness. Yet I stand in awe to watch him pull out the cans one by one and stack them. He's done this now a few times on the floor, but recently he moved them all to our island to create his stacking masterpiece. He does it with such concentration and focus, and it seems so effortless when we've spent hours of OT sessions unsuccessfully attempting to stack objects.

Check out that masterpiece!

I know the heavier cans, particularly with the rimmed lids that nestle into each other, make stacking much easier. But it's still so cool to see. It continues to make me smile every time because it's progress. It's all that hard work Teddy's put in for years coming to fruition.

Check out that form!

And then I shake my head and put him in time out when he pushes all the cans onto the floor at once because, well, he's Teddy.

See the concentration? And the exhaustion from the flu?