I said it before, I'll say it again...

We are so blessed to have the friends and family that we do in our lives. I love seeing the smile on Boogie's face every morning. I know he feels so loved. This past weekend, we went to the cottage and saw our Wertz Warriors friends. They gave him a T-shirt to wear at the Summer games for Special Olympics next weekend. They are the 'Hank's Drew Crew' and if you missed my previous post about Hank's, it is a wonderful restaurant/bar near our cottage. Everyone at Hank's, especially the staff, has made us feel welcome, even in the 'tough years'...when Drew just screamed and cried and had meltdowns all the time. Chris and I felt okay and comfortable there. It was, and still is, a blessing. Drew has grown to absolutely LOVE Hank's. The food is great, the atmosphere is better, and he loves the attention he gets. If you ever find yourself on M-76, between exit 195 and 202 off of 1-75, stop in!

So, the shirt is custom made for Boogie...signed by the patrons and Wertz Warriors supporters. I know he will make them proud. :)

Also, tonight he had his second practice for 'The Wizard of Oz'. Aunt Joan took him, and he did a great job. He recognized the songs from last week, and they did some dance moves as well. He did such a great job that Aunt Joan took him to Boston's for Ice Cream and to meet up with Erin and Tommy. Judging by the smiles and giggles when he got home...he had a blast.

The play is in mid-July. I for sure will keep you all posted. I hope this post finds you all happy, & healthy. Peace.

Munchkin

Today was Drew's first rehearsal with the Sterling Civic Theater for The Wizard of Oz. He is a munchkin, along with about 100 other kids. Tonight, we practiced a song that the munchkins will sing. He loved every second of it. He loved the activity of it; patiently listened to the director and others talk about what is expected of them, and took a short walk in the halls of Stevenson High School with Aunt Joanie while I took notes before practice.

This is a class-act all the way, so far. The people in charge talked about a zero tolerance policy for bullying, cyber or otherwise. They will only accept acceptance of every member of the cast and crew. They stressed the importance of taking ownership in the play, being on time, and committing to the success of the production. This will be a very cool experience for us, and I bet it will be the first of many. These people seem to have an organized, well-run, and inclusive program. I appreciate the fact that they welcome diversity and are creating a fun environment where anyone can be involved in theater. Best line of the night was, after they handed out the sheet music with the lyrics and music and we ran thru it a few times...a little girl raised her hand and said 'excuse me...but I can't read!' At which time a 'Drama Mama' (volunteer mom) helped her remember the lyrics. She doesn't have to read--kids have a great memory!

The play will be in July. There are some fundraisers to help offset the cost of insurance and other things, so I am warning you now that I will probably hit you up. :) Thanks for checking in!!

Bionics, Olympics, and the Yellow Brick Road

Weird title, I know. But there are a few exciting things in our near future. Currently, Drew is breaking in a schedule for 'Wearable Therapy' from Axiobionics.

It is electrical stimulation pads sewn into a custom made garment (left and right arm sleeves) to control his spastic tone and try to re-educate the brain to lessen the abnormal tone patterns. It is pretty cool, and he tolerates the e-stim pretty well. It cycles and alternates the current to the spots on his arms that work against him, when he is trying to have purposeful movements of his arms and hands. We are hopeful that this will lessen his tone so he can learn how to make his arms and hands work like he wants them to!
Drew also got chosen for the Summer Games of MI Special Olympics. He will be competing in swimming and another event. The best thing is, he is going with his BFF Maddie! They get to stay (with the teachers that are taking them) in the dorms at CMU! They will travel together, do the events together, and sleep in the dorms. He will feel sooooooo independent! I will be close by, watching and cheering them on in their adventure!! I am excited, but know as it gets closer I will be a wreck! He and Maddie will have a ball tho. They love fun!
The other cool thing is that Drew's Aunt Joanie found a posting in the paper about the Sterling Civic Theater welcoming people with special needs for their summer production of 'Wizard of Oz'. They are open auditions for anyone, but they want our kids involved. I thought that was so cool. We took Drew for the audition on Wednesday and he loved it! He loved the dancing part more than the singing...we will see where he fits in. He got so excited, and he just loves to be involved in anything. I will keep you all updated on the Olympics and how the auditions are coming!
Peace!!