Adapting - Week of June 13th

"For most of us, technology makes things easier.  For a person with a disability, it makes things possible." ~Judy Heumann

Adaptive is a common word in the Weatherford household.  Whenever we have an outing, activity or event, we need to determine if we can adapt or if it's best to forgo.  And there are specific things that are set up to be adaptive in the first place.  Mary Free Bed (MFB) offers multiple "Adaptive Sports Clinics" aimed at inclusion for all kids and adults focusing on different areas.  We had signed up for the MFB Adaptive Kayaking Clinic, having tried it out the previous year.  Ms. Amanda and Jane headed out with Cam after an early lunch on Wednesday.  

The kayaking is popular and there were quite a few people we knew.  Recently, Millennium Park had an adaptive canoe/kayak launch installed on the end of their dock.  It provides a stabilizer for the boat while others are loaded in.  Cam made certain we read through the instructions so we knew what to expect. It took a bit of adjusting, but we were able to load our kayaker in and he was off.  While Jane and Amanda enjoyed sitting on the end of the dock with their feet in the water, Cam was cruising around Millennium Park on a very warm day.  

Luckily, there was a nice breeze that made light ripples on the water.  It turns out that getting in is easier than getting out.  Now that Cam is taller, it's definitely more of a challenge for maneuvering.  Fortunately for us, a local water patrol sheriff had just docked his boat and came over asking if we needed assistance.  We gladly accepted his offer.  Deputy Tilson then proceeded to help the other families.  We were able to find an online form to thank him for his act of kindness.  His lieutenant reached out to Jane in email indicating it would be a part of his personnel record.  Deputy Tilson himself sent an email as well, thanking us.  After all of that kayaking work, tropical smoothies were picked up on the drive home.

Friday early evening marked Brody's birthday celebration.  He invited 5 friends, including Cam, to Celebration Cinema movie theater to see the new movie, "Lightyear" which is the prequel to the Buzz Lightyear character appearing in the Toy Story movies.  Jane and her son enjoyed the movie and the Buffalo Wild Wings dinner afterwards!  Cam's exact review of the flick: "It was a little intense, but overall I really liked it."

On Sunday, we celebrated Chris for Father's Day.  Cam decided, all on his own, that he wanted to give his dad tickets to a Whitecaps Baseball Game for our whole family!  Cam's dad was pretty surprised and impressed to see the tickets for late July all printed and ready to go.  After a quick lunch, we headed to the cottage to enjoy some time on the beach.  Although the lake isn't quite warm enough to swim yet, the sand felt good on our feet.  It was the first ride of the year for the Cam-mobile.  Even though Cam continues to grow, the last one he and his dad made still functions for this summer.  We were all entertained by cousin Calla, intent on gathering items from the beach.  Our thanks to Oma and Opa for providing most of our dinner to celebrate all of the dads: Chris, Opa and Max.  The feast of grilled steak, smoked sausage, asparagus, salad, bread and fresh fruit hit the spot.  Coco made her delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Now that Cam can drive his powerchair right into the Haroldson cottage, it makes for a longer, more relaxing stay for him.  And although we didn't go swimming on Sunday, we know those days aren't too far away...

Camology Quotes:

Cam certainly keeps a mental calendar and is always reminding his parents of things that need to be done. He's also aware of when something goes wrong once, it is best to be on the lookout for the next time.  Our family has an upcoming trip planned with a three-night hotel stay.  Cam kept telling his mom she needed to call and verify everything was all set.  Jane kept putting it off and finally called on Tuesday.  Sure enough, the accessible room was coded incorrectly and we were scheduled for a hearing-impaired room versus a larger room for accessibility.  Luckily, we were speaking with a manager who was able to correct our reservation!

"Cam, we would've been in big trouble if you hadn't reminded me to call the hotel."

"We always need to check, Mom!  Especially because the last hotel didn't have it right either!"