Love is Inclusive

I know I'm late to share this since Valentine's Day was nearly 2 weeks ago, but it'll be worth the wait. 

Teddy was invited to a Valentine's Day party, as was his entire class, at a local venue that's pretty darn classy. One of the local high schools coordinated this dance for all the middle and high school students to give them the opportunity to shine, as many of them aren't able to enjoy the traditional middle school dances or high school dances like prom, homecoming, etc. for various reasons. So this was a dance designed to let them enjoy music, dancing, food, friendship and fun ... and it was a huge success.

I'm so proud of one of our childcare providers, who happens to be one of the two teachers who coordinated this event. They reached out for various donations and were able to provide this event at no cost to students (except for if they wanted unlimited soda). Kwik Trip, a local gas station that's a Wisconsin staple, donated all the pizzas. The venue was donated, and a local bakery that I know quite well (OK, my bakery Nonesuch Bakery, donated paint your own cookies for all the goodie bags.) It was heartwarming to see the community come together for these kids.

Teddy and all the students had a blast! We got to see so many pictures of Teddy dancing and hanging out with his friends. Because all the schools in the district were included, he got to see one of his good friends from last year who's at a different school now. He was so excited to see our childcare provider, who teaches at the high school. He also knows her boyfriend quite well from family dinners at our house, so he was stoked to see Jake and drag him everywhere. 

"No, over there!"

It often feels, as parents of a child with disabilities, that we have to advocate, fight and ask for everything. And that's often the case. So when others go out of their way and make it easy for our children to be included and accepted for who they are, that means the world to us. 

Look at that joy!

So that's my takeaway for everyone who doesn't have a child with unique needs-look for the little ways to include others who may be different. When you open the door for us and invite us in, it makes our lives so much easier. 

Final Elementary Concert

Tonight was Teddy's last elementary school concert. We have come so far in his elementary years in so many ways. Here's just a few:

1. Teddy wasn't included in the school concert his kindergarten year. It was one of those awkward questions of whether we should be coming to the concert as we hadn't heard anything. When we saw his kindergarten graduation and how he loved participating in the 3 songs at the program, we immediately decided there's no reason he couldn't join for every future concert. After conversations with his team, he was included in every single concert since. 
2. In the early years, Teddy needed someone right by his side for every moment. Each year, it seems like we've celebrated in whispers of, "Oh, look! He stood where he was supposed to by himself for 10 seconds ... 30 seconds ... a minute." That time has increased, and he's gotten much better focus.
3. His dance moves now include his para joining in. This year he made her clap, dance and readjusted her because she wasn't standing correctly, according to the world of Ted. And through it all, she was smiling and happy to support him. This was actually the first year he didn't have his main teacher Mr. Skaaland supporting him (that I recall) because he was helping another student. 
4. He's learned to play the ukelele. Well, that might be a stretch, but he got to play the ukelele this year. He was sooooo darn proud. We've been talking about this for more than a week, and he was so excited about his concert and especially playing the ukelele.
5. Everyone knows Teddy and roots for him. He literally got nearly a standing ovation from the 4th graders taught by Sigrid (our childcare provider who also happens to teach at Teddy's school). He had so many people come up to him afterward and tell him what a good job he did. He had friends come up and say hi.
   

The timing is a bit coincidental because yesterday I got a voicemail inquiring which elective Teddy was taking next year: orchestra, choir or band. I chuckled as I called his soon-to-be new middle school back. My answer was along the line of, "Well, Teddy is non-speaking, so I think choir isn't the best fit. I don't trust him anywhere near a stringed instrument, so that rules out orchestra. He does love music, though, so he'd absolutely love band if he could play some sort of percussion. I'm not sure the band teacher would love that, though." 

Apparently I was wrong because, clearly, he did play a stringed instrument tonight. But it didn't have a bow (aka a weapon), and I think they give him the ukelele that's already been loved the most. We'll have the more serious conversation about middle school and electives and integration opportunities starting at his IEP next week. Now to prepare for that while watching ukelele videos ...

Grateful for Graceful Wakes

Oh my goodness! Today was the perfect summer day thanks to Graceful Wakes. This amazing organization partners with local water ski clubs (in this case the Rock Aqua Jays down in Janesville) to host accessible water skiing clinics for people of all abilities.

Teddy participated in this program last year for the first time and had a great day despite pretty crummy weather. This year our entire family went for the day of fun and enjoyed perfect summer weather and sunshine.

Teddy got to ski 3 times and was so excited each time. The last time he even was waving as he came back to shore. The skiers sit in a chair mounted on a ski, so even people who cannot walk can have a go at water skiing. They have side skiers on either side of the chair to hold and support the individual skiing in the chair.

It’s incredible the amount of volunteers who make these clinics happen. Picture almost 25 people getting up to 3 turns skiing, assisted by 2 buddies each time, plus another couple people in the water assisting with getting into the chair and catching when the skiers return, plus boat drivers, announcers and photographers. We’re so grateful they chose to give their time and talents to allow our family to enjoy today.

Teddy also got to hang out on the pontoon boat. We missed the few rides they did, but we asked if we could sit on the boat earlier in the day and were welcomed aboard. That was great since Teddy is obsessed with pontoons, and that’s all he wanted in the moment.

Just call him Captain Teddy. That's what he thinks at least.

He also got to enjoy a tubing ride with AJ, and AJ managed to sneak in a second tube ride. It’s such a fun treat for our kiddos since this isn’t something we normally have access to do.

The boys enjoyed their tube ride ... a lot!

It was extra cool to have one of our MTT friends Raymond and his family there as well, so we got to visit with them. Plus one of my running buddies now lives in the Janesville area, so she and her family joined us as well to watch Teddy’s first run.

Then on our way home, we had to stop at the World’s largest Culvers (a Wisconsin custard and fast food restaurant). The real treat was we walked into the restaurant right ahead of my aunt and cousins from Mississippi—they were headed home from a week at my parent’s farm. We hadn’t planned it, yet our paths spontaneously crossed.

Such a serendipitous moment!

This goes into the memory bank as a fantastic summer fun day—we’re so grateful for these types of opportunities. Sometimes we have to fight for things for Teddy, and these types of gifts of accessibility and inclusion are even sweeter than the best custard in the world.

Fourth Grade Finished!

Teddy's officially a fifth grader. I can't believe next year will be his last year at Franklin Elementary School. I won't lie. I was devastated when he went to Franklin because I had envisioned both my boys at the same school. I desperately wanted AJ to be there to advocate for Teddy, to share about the snippets of his days and just to be a familiar face.

Fast forward to now, and I know I'll be devastated when Teddy leaves Franklin. He has so many who advocate for him at his school, so many who include him and welcome him with open arms (until perhaps he starts rolling up in their blanket fort and chewing on their blankets, which is understandable), so many friends who say hi to him randomly in the community and invite him to fun parties and so many who share snippets of his days. I swear just about everyone at Franklin, kid or staff, knows Teddy. 

This 5th grader is ready for a summer of baseball fun!

At the end of the school year, we asked his team to sign a book for him. I think he came home with 6 or 7 new notes. The most common theme was Teddy's smile, how much joy it brings and how he makes others smile. The second most common phrase was "keep me on my toes." Both are so true of Teddy.

We're so grateful for an incredible team that includes so many people:

• His teacher
• His 4th grade teacher
• His OT and her assistant
• His PT
• His speech therapist
• His nurse
• His nurse assistant, who administered his meds daily
• The incredible group of paraprofessionals
• The student teacher (Teddy taught her well I imagine)
• The tech person who supports his device
• And all the others who keep him safe and include him

It's been a good year, and now we're ready for summer! But where's my team to keep him safe for summer?!?!? (More on that to come in a future post - it's been an adventurous first week of summer.)

Adaptive Motor Skills Class

We're fortunate to live in a community with a university that has strong nursing, social work and education programs. We've gotten a number of our caregivers, particularly through the nursing program, though we've benefited from all those programs for our childcare providers.

We've also benefited from the education program because there is an adaptive physical education class that serves as instructors for an adaptive swim class and new this year is an adaptive motor skills class that partners college students with kids like Teddy for 1.5 hours of phy ed fun. The college students work on lesson plans, adapting lessons and learning a wide range of skills, abilities and personalities. And the participants simply get to enjoy the physical activities.

Given that Teddy loves gym and being on the go, it was a no-brainer to sign him up for the class. He really enjoyed it fall semester, so he's participating again this spring. It's also nice that it's long enough that we can sneak back to eat dinner as a family in peace, or get some alone time with AJ, etc. since we don't have to be present for the class.

It's a great resource to have in our community, and I'm grateful for those who run the program and volunteer, like one of Teddy's paraprofessional staff. In fact, the night this picture was taken, she informed me Teddy felt she was bored at work and needed him to dump out all the book bins ... repeatedly ... for her to have a bit more work to do. 

At least he's cute ...

Clearly, he loves this!

Inclusion - It's the Little Things

Teddy spends part of his time in an intentional classroom where he focuses on educational goals in his Individualized Education Plan (IEP) because he's nowhere near his typical peers in terms of typical classroom comprehension and skills. He spends a portion of his time, though, with his typical peers in 4th grade. We're beyond blessed that his 4th grade classroom teacher happens to be someone we've unofficially adopted into our family who knows him extremely well, cares deeply about him and understands how to help him be as successful as he can be in the classroom along with his typical and atypical peers. 

I got a message from his teacher today sharing that Teddy had a turn reading poetry today in her classroom. She indicated that another classmate called on Teddy to take a turn, and he was very excited to head to the front of the class, sit in the teacher stool and have his paraprofessional assist in reading poetry.

He may have been so excited by the experience that after he returned to his seat, he felt like he should have another turn sitting in that cool seat as the center of attention. 

Still, I love that he got this opportunity. My favorite part is that a 4th grader in his class simply called on Teddy, a non-verbal child, to take a turn reading poetry simply because he raised his hand to volunteer. (He's figured out that when other kids raise their hands for turns, he should raise his hand, too.) This, to me, is proof of the power of inclusion in the ordinary, everyday moments. 

A completely unrelated photo that illustrates that interactions with Teddy may look a little different.

I've seen adults with limited experience with people with disabilities unsure of how to interact, uncertain what to say or do. Teddy's classmates interact daily with 3 peers who are very different than them in their educational skills, how they communicate and how they interact. Yet they have learned to simply treat their peers as peers, to include them and to lend a helping hand where needed. They know it takes a bit more patience sometimes and that things might not go quite as expected, but that's true of this journey called life. 

My Mets Star

It's an exciting day, folks! Today is Teddy's first game with Miracle League, which is an amazing organization that gives kids with all abilities the opportunity to play baseball. The league plays on an adapted field, which is completely wheelchair accessible, as many players use wheelchairs or have mobility issues. Each player is matched with a buddy who assists them with batting, fielding and hangs out with them during the games, so that parents and families can truly be spectators. 

We've heard nothing but good things about this program and finally decided to sign Teddy up because he loves being around people, and he gets a huge kick out of running around baseball diamonds. He was so excited to sit in the bleachers last week when we picked up his gear and met his coaches. It was amazing to see all the different kids who are going to play ball this summer, who all get to be included and participate in a way that works for each of them. 

I can't wait to share his baseball adventures with you!

Can you tell how excited Teddy was to meet his coaches?!?

Birthday Bash

Teddy has been invited to one or two birthday parties for friends in the past, but it hasn't worked out for him to attend them. He was invited to a birthday party this week at Monkey Joe's, which is a bouncy house indoor activity place. Teddy's been there a couple times and had a blast, and it's such a great physical therapy workout for him! (It's also where AJ attended his first friend's birthday party ... and got stuck inside one of the bouncy obstacles for 10 minutes sobbing hysterically.)

Our wonderful nanny Bri agreed to take Teddy because it was right after his therapy appointment. At first Teddy was perplexed why he was there and uncertain whether he could actually play. But once he realized he could jump, bounce, climb and slide to his heart's content with his friends from school, he was ecstatic. He couldn't even be bothered to eat the pizza, although he did manage to stop long enough to eat a cupcake. 

No mask can hide his excitement!

I'm so glad Teddy had this opportunity!

Spring Concert

It was such a big deal to us when Teddy was included in his school's concert the first time. His second-ever performance was this month, and it was an equally big deal. Teddy absolutely loves music. He will spontaneously burst into dancing when music catches his attention, whether on the radio in the car or a commercial on TV. He dances like nobody's watching, and yet his moves ensure everybody is watching. He loves music with such joy that it's contagious, which you'll see in this post.

I know it takes effort to include children with different needs in mainstream concerts. It requires coordination with the music teacher, the traditional 4th grade teacher and Teddy's amazingly patient and calm special education teacher. It allows others in his class the opportunity to step up and help everyone be successful, whether that's redirecting away from the microphone when it's not their turn or being a partner for a song that includes rhythmic stick whacking (for lack of a better term). 

Might as well dress to impress when you know all eyes will be on you.

But the effort yields amazing results. It gives Teddy the sheer joy of being included, dancing and being with his peers. It gives us as parents and family such joy and pride in what Teddy can do. (It may not seem like much, but Teddy remained in his place for almost a full minute without any physical redirection. That's a minor miracle, especially with so much exciting activity.) It provides the opportunity for the community to experience the joy and abilities of all the children. It allows Teddy and his peers to practice appropriate social skills. 

Perhaps the most amazing thing, though, is that it normalizes Teddy and his peers with different needs in the eyes of their classmates. There were a few of Teddy's classmates who wanted to grab the mic to get more applause because they were doing such a great job (I mean, they were right). Teddy tried to take center stage to show off his dance moves. There were kids who's singing is non-existent aside from excited noises, like Teddy, and others whose dance moves rival Teddy's yet don't quite align to the program. Yet, despite all these differences, the other students weren't phased. They know their classmates and their unique qualities and embrace them for who they are. There was one little boy whom I was so darn proud of for intentionally partnering with someone who needed some extra help and being such a great helper, and I made sure his mom heard that. 

When we include everyone, it doesn't make the concert more perfect. It would be less distracting without children like Teddy. But we're all perfectly imperfect, and our differences make life what it is. I'm so glad that Teddy's classmates are learning to embrace and include from early on, as it's not the case for all children. It was clear which classes have children with different abilities who integrate and which ones don't because it looks strange and weird to those who don't see Teddy's excitement on a regular basis. (I swear I didn't speed up the video. Teddy really was moving his arms that fast because he was that excited.) Inclusion normalizes our differences and quirks ... because we all have them.

Inclusion is a beautiful thing. It doesn't take away from anyone, yet adds to the enjoyment for all. 

Inclusion by Invitation

One of the positives of having an "adopted daughter" who works at Teddy's school is that we get to hear more about Teddy's school life. His teacher does a great job with communication, but she has some insights that we wouldn't hear otherwise. 

For example, we heard about Teddy's classmate who burst into tears when he saw Teddy's picture because he misses Teddy. That prompted an entire 3rd-grade class discussion about why Teddy wasn't in school right now and how much everyone missed Teddy and wanted him back in the classroom. That was heartwarming to hear.

Then, an invitation to a birthday party came home last week. This is Teddy's second invite to a party. Of course we won't send him because of COVID, but were it not COVID, I'd consider sucking it up to attend with him because I think he'd have such a great time. I know this little boy and his mom somewhat from our interactions, and his mom has an idea of Teddy's abilities, so I'd be comfortable that we wouldn't completely make a scene.

So, this time around, we'll send a present to school with our connection to give to the boy's mom. That way, he'll have something to remember Teddy by until he sees Teddy back at school. (This wasn't the boy who was distraught that Teddy wasn't in school, just as an FYI.)

I love that Teddy's classmates and friends remember him, miss him and want him to rejoin them at school. I want the same ... 

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.

Fun Winter Run

Teddy and I joined in a fun run this morning. It was a 3-mile run at his school designed to be a fundraiser for new playground equipment. That's certainly a cause Teddy would be willing to support since he loves recess and climbing everything. We hadn't planned to attend, though, until his teacher reached out and asked if we would be running. He shared that he was leading the race on his bike, so agreed to participate.

Just about as soon as I committed, I regretted it because our plans for garage building at the land were greatly delayed. That meant I left Viroqua at 5:05 this morning to drive in the dark, snow and slush back to Oshkosh to run the 9 a.m. race with Teddy. That's right. 5:05 in the morning. Snow and slush on November 2. This was also the third time it's snowed this week. That's way too much snow way too early in the year, even for Wisconsin standards.

Anyways, I picked up Teddy from my awesome mom who's been helping a lot with the boys while we've trekked to build the garage. I also loaded a race chair that we borrowed from myTEAM Triumph into my vehicle. Teddy was super excited to see a race chair in our own vehicle.

Teddy and his teacher were both excited to see each other. I think the weather scared off quite a few o the runners and walkers, but Teddy enjoyed himself all the same. And so did I. It was beautiful weather for running, and it was fun to get out with Teddy outside of the usual MTT training runs. It'll be so nice to have a chair of his own that we can use whenever we want.

Teddy and his fearless teacher. Fearless Teddy and his teacher. One of the two.

It's one of those little things, that offer to join from his teacher, that prompted us to join the fun. It was a great way to show others different ways Teddy can be included and participate in activities. Running is also one of the few times Teddy is content to sit still, so I'll take that even if it requires me to be in constant motion instead of him.

Happy Dance

Today we got this e-mail from Teddy's case worker:

Hello Kerry,   Great News. The Family Support Team approved long term support funding for the Axiom Race Chair!   Everyone wants to see a picture of you and Teddy in action after you receive the chair  J  I will talk with Adaptive Star next week. 

And then I proceeded to do my happy dance. This means that we'll have a way to go biking next summer as a family because there's no way that Teddy would still fit in our pull-behind carrier because it was a squish to get him in there this year. This means that Teddy and I can go for a run on the weekend together or join the local running groups who do evening runs. We tried a few times this summer, but the running stroller I have is not meant for a large 6-year-old. It barely worked until the last run we did, which was our last run with the stroller, because Teddy learned that it makes a cool sound when he drags his foot on the ground. It also feels neat ... until he breaks his foot or ankle.

The Axiom Race Chair is essentially the same chair Teddy uses when he races with myTEAM Triumph. We can (and will) order a chair large enough that it should last Teddy for years to come because he's ridden in all different sized race chairs. The same chair can be used for racing as well as being pulled behind a regular bicycle.

This is such a blessing for our family!

Field Trip Fun

Field trips are a mixed bag of emotions for me.

I love to see Teddy included and have the opportunity for fun learning, just like any other child. I tend to resent, though, that one of us as parents have to take off work to accompany him on his field trips because there's not adequate staff to have someone accompany him. (I get that's an issue I should be able to resolve through the school, and I will address it through his IEP once we're done with some additional testing for him next month.)

Teddy made friends with the bus driver, who let him open/shut the doors.

I love to see his classmates who interact wonderfully with him, from the girl who holds his hand and pats his arm when he's upset that he has to wait and not freely explore everything to the little boy who sat next to him digging for dinosaur bones praising his digging and taking turns with Teddy. I don't like to hear that Teddy's not in the first grade classroom that often (per a kid's perception, of course) because he needs a staff to support him to be integrated. I know it's early in the year, and I know there's kids in any class who are a handful for the teacher to manage and that it's tough to add Teddy to the mix. But he learns so much from others, and the gaps between him and his peers will only widen each year. Now is the time to invest in the staffing to have him spend as much time as possible mainstream. (Clearly, you can see what's on my mind. Again, I have plans to address this properly through the school rather than just complain about it here.)

Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan is definitely worth a visit with lots to explore. 

I love the kids who say that Teddy's their friend. I both love and hate the questions they ask because they're curious about Teddy. I will always answer any questions to help others understand Teddy because I'm Teddy's voice. It still hurts most times I answer why Teddy can't talk like others and how he can communicate instead. But there are now several kids in his class who know that clapping is how Teddy says, "I want." And there's also kids in his class who probably have ideas on other signs they can teach him. That's all wonderful, but it still hurts to spend a whole day watching Teddy and his peers who aren't his peers ... and to realize that his intentional classroom's wonderful circus of a gym class is where his peers are. Field trips are really only hard because I haven't fully mastered the art, skill or whatever you want to call it of acceptance.

Like I said, it's a mixed bag of emotions. 

DreamDrive

We live in Wisconsin, which prides itself in the Green Bay Packers. There's tremendous support for the team, and the team makes itself a part of the community in various ways. I'm not sure how many other football teams have their fans come out to watch practice, lining up the entire way from the locker rooms to the practice field to cheer for them, wish them well, snap pictures and hope for an autograph ... oh, and loan them a bike. That's right. It's a tradition that kids line up with their bikes, no parents allowed inside the gates, hoping to have a player ride their bike across the street to the practice field. Kids ride along, run along and sometimes have really creative bikes designed for two people. It's a really cool experience that you won't find anywhere else.

Now, Teddy could care less about football because he has minimal interest in television, but he really likes people. AJ is a Packers fan, and we happened to have a connection who knows Teddy participates in myTEAM Triumph. I say connection because her husband works for the Packers organization, and he was willing to work with us to arrange a rider for Teddy's adapted bicycle.

Teddy thought Wes was pretty darn cool. I tend to agree. 

We had arrangements made for today, and we got a specific time to arrive to avoid having to wait in the heat. This was the only way we'd even attempt this because something like this would either be amazing with Teddy or an absolute disaster. There's absolutely no way we'd have been able to line up early with all the other hopeful kids and wait on the chance that someone would ride with Teddy. He wouldn't have lasted more than 15 minutes, much less the hour or more that we'd have needed to wait. We were able to hang outside the gate instead and sneak Teddy inside right before the staff closed it for all the players to come out (and trust me, even that 5 minutes was tough for Teddy to wait).

Teddy and AJ with our new favorite Packers player, Danny Vitale.

Danny Vitale is a fullback who's been making quite the impression at training camp this year. Today he made quite the impression on our family because he strode right up to Teddy, introduced himself and guided Teddy's bike down DreamDrive to training camp with AJ riding right next to them. I chased along snapping pictures as best as I could with an idiotic grin on my face because it was really cool, especially when I heard other fans saying things like, "Oh, look at that. That's awesome!"

Teddy loved the attention. And didn't look where he was going. 

See, Teddy doesn't care about the Packers. He doesn't get the concept of sports or professional athletes. As a family, we cheer for the Pack, so this was cool in that regard. Teddy likes people, so he made a few new friends today. But it was as much about creating visibility of kiddos who are different like Teddy who are still very much a part of our community. He's the kid with the knee-high braces that Mom made him wear today in case he was running or walking a lot to be part of this experience. He's the one who has the bike that costs more than probably any other kid's bike because it's an adapted bike that holds his feet into place, supports his core, theoretically allows him to steer and has a jousting stick for when he's driving like a crazy kid. And he's also one of only two kids who showed up wearing bike helmets because apparently bike safety is not a key factor in this experience. At least he has a really cool bike helmet that makes him look like the rough and ready kid he is. Poor AJ just looked like a dork. Whoops. At least he was a safe dork. (Gosh, I'm going to be in trouble when AJ reads this blog post. Sorry AJ.)

There's a cool picture of Teddy on the Packers web site from the DreamDrive today. You can check it out as number 16 of 17 pictures in this gallery.

Today was a really cool experience for all those reasons. I ducked out of work for an hour and got to witness an incredible experience for my kiddos. I'm extremely grateful for our connection, her husband who was so nice and for Danny being willing to work with us. And today wouldn't have happened without our amazing sitter Bri who is probably the only person outside of Dave or I who would be willing and able to wrangle two kids and two bikes to a very crowded Packers practice.

I'd be lost without Bri. She's amazing. 

We're pretty darn lucky.

#runlikeangels #mttambassador

Taking Flight with MTT

Sheesh, it's been a while since I posted here, but we've been busy this summer. I need to catch up on Teddy's birthday adventures and medical mishap, but I first want to share our most recent adventures this weekend.

Oshkosh holds a week-long air show every year that attracts more than 500,000 visitors. The past two years, Teddy and I did the 5k run on the runway. This year I convinced a couple of my friends from Moms Run This Town (MRTT) to join me in racing with Teddy with MyTEAM Triumph (MTT). Making friends is not an easy thing for me, but I now have quite a few running friends from MRTT who are amazing ladies who not only run the miles and share the stories with me but are friends beyond the running ... at least as much as we have time outside of our busy lives.

This was the second race this year where I convinced MRTT friends to run with Teddy and I, and there's something special about combining my friends with Teddy. Heck, there's something special about running with MTT. I loved seeing my friends post that this race wasn't about the time but was about spending time with Captain Teddy.

Minda and Maureen with Captain Teddy. 

For his part, Teddy likes the EAA run because there's lots of cool things to see with planes literally lining both sides of the course. As exciting as that is, there's so many golf carts! Teddy ran across the finish line with my friend Minda and I while my friend Maureen captured video, and it was such a special moment to share with friends. But then I had to convince Teddy to walk back to his race chair, which was quite the feat with all those tempting golf carts. He'd throw himself to the ground when I wouldn't let him get on golf carts, and I'd try to explain that we couldn't ride those golf carts.

That was so rough that Maureen went to get Teddy's chair for him, and I told Teddy yet again that we couldn't ride that golf cart. And the man driving it said, "Why not? He can ride." That man was Teddy's best friend (and mine, honestly) for the time it took to drive us the 20 feet to his race chair. I love that he was willing to do something so small that was something so huge for Teddy and me.

When it was time to get off, Teddy practically sat in the nice guy's lap to avoid me. 

I thought that would have been the highlight of Teddy's race adventures, but that was topped by one of the other MTT parents offering Teddy a ride in his brother's Jeep. I thought we were only going about a block to the parking area, but instead we got to ride all the way to town with Teddy absolutely thrilled about the wind blowing in his hair in this cool Jeep with no doors. It was hard to tell if Teddy or Don, the parent, was enjoying the ride more. That ride was the highlight of Teddy's adventures at EAA, and Don said the exact same thing when I talked to him at the training run tonight.

Teddy thought he was pretty darn cool. Let's be honest. He was.

There's something incredible about other people just embracing your children. It's something we take for granted with our typical children, that they're welcome to sleepovers, to play at friend's houses and to go on excursions because it's a normal part of life for them. With a child like Teddy, it takes extra effort to do excursions, to play at friend's houses and, well, he doesn't sleep that well in the first place. MTT is such an incredible organization because it gives us so many opportunities ... from someone at MTT telling us to go get the VIP tour of the firetruck (which oddly freaked Teddy out) to Don giving Teddy the Jeep ride to Don taking Teddy tonight at the training run and playing at the park with him halfway through the run. MTT isn't about running. It's that, but it's so much more. It's the inclusion into real life. It's the relationships that have meaning for angels, captains and their families.

Heck, the only downside to Don taking Teddy tonight was that I volunteered to push an angel other than Teddy. And I realized quickly what I already knew. Teddy's a lightweight compared to an older captain. Or I'm a wimp.

#runlikeangels #mttambassador

Get in Line

I'm glad my mom was in town last night. She popped over for a quick, purely social visit instead of me abandoning her to watch our boys, which is usually the case. She arrived in time to head to the weekly MyTEAM Triumph training run with Teddy and me. My mom's been at two of Teddy's races, so she's familiar with MTT. Last night gave her the opportunity to witness firsthand how amazing this group of people is.

Teddy's angels are the folks in the neon green and bright blue shirts.

I was planning to run with Teddy, which is usually the case. Instead he ran with two of his angels from the Oshkosh 5k, a husband and wife duo. That gave me the opportunity to (nearly die because my co-angel flies faster than me) spend time with another captain. We were the first team back, so I got to watch Teddy's angels run him back to the meeting area. I heard the woman say that she got to hold his hand for half the run because he kept putting his hands on the wheels. It wasn't a complaint. It wasn't "I had to hold his hand. He's really not safe." It was, "I got to hold his hand."

Then, after Teddy's angels complimented Teddy's smile and his personality, they asked if he already has all his angels for the Bellin Run, the next run he's doing. I explained that his running buddy from Michigan from I Run 4 is coming to be his angel, along with her husband. Someone else joked that they'd need to get in line.

After I shot them down on that opportunity, they asked if he liked bike rides. They said they'd love to take him for a bike event if we thought he'd enjoy that. Unfortunately, the bike event they had in mind is when we're on vacation this summer, but how amazing to want to include Teddy in something that isn't even a MTT event!

The icing on the cake was when I finally pulled Teddy away from the large truck that stores all the race chairs. (Well, that was the worst part of the night for Teddy. His highlight was when I finally let him explore the truck after the training run.) When Teddy's angels saw how much he liked the truck, the guy asked if he liked all big trucks, including fire trucks. He said that when his work does their open house this fall, we could see about getting Teddy to come through if it worked for all our schedules.

Me blocking Teddy from the truck. He was determined.

This is exactly what MTT is about. It's not just racing and competing and giving our captains the opportunity to fly. It's about building relationships with others and helping those with disabilities become more fully included in their communities.

But if you want a shot with Teddy, I guess you have to get in line. He's a pretty popular dude.

Except when I need someone to watch him while I'm working or out of town. Then my mom somehow gets that first-in-line spot. ;-) Thanks, Mom!