Awards Season

I know it's been a while since I've blogged. Is been struggling to fit it into my schedule. I feel like I'm either on my way to a therapy appointment, at a therapy appointment or talking about a therapy appointment. It's all good and my boys are making great progress. Meanwhile, I'm physically and emotionally spent almost all the time. 

But I had to share this. 

Tonight was AWANA. I wrote last August about our inaspicious beginning at AWANA. Since then, things have improved but Jeremy has still struggled. It got to the point where Brian and I were ready to pull him from it. 

That wasn't an easy decision to make. I grew up being told you never quit anything. Even if I was miserable, I finished the season (sports or otherwise). 

The truth was, though, that Jeremy was miserable and it was heinous to convince him to go. Today I told him that Brian and I had decided he could quit if he wanted to. 

I was flabbergasted when he told me he wanted to go. "Even if you can't wear your hat," I asked as we walked away from the school. "Yes," he replied, without skipping a beat. 

The hat is tricky for Jeremy. He loves his hat. He wears his hat at all moments outside of school and the bathtub. It's really more of a security blanket than a hat. 

He has grown accustomed to not wearing his hat at school. He doesn't fight it. He even yesterday agreed to wear a winter hat under his "table hat" (his words for his baseball cap) so that his ears wouldn't be cold. AWANA is tricky because it's towards bedtime (which is when he starts to unravel). It's also after he's taken a break from it for school. 

Two weeks ago, he really struggled at AWANA. Last week we kept him home because he had three nosebleeds at school. Seriously, this kid is kind of a mess. 

So it was huge that he a) wanted to attend and b) was agreeable about not wearing his hat. I let him lead and off we went. 

I had a great conversation about him with the commander, Deb. She let me know that they are trying to find him a special friend, someone to give him a nudge or refocus him from time to time. 

It was so cool to see God show up like that. It is tough to explain Jeremy to people who don't know him. I feel like I tried to help everyone understand him, but now they really do get him. And even more, they want to meet him where he is. 

I love it. It's fantastic. It makes my heart so happy that they want to accommodate him. 

So now the picture. They did AWANA Olympics tonight. Everyone got a medal. I have no idea and don't care what any of the rest of them said. There is no prouder momma than I right now. Most improved is really, in my opinion, the best award they could have handed out. 

I am not proud because I don't feel like I had anything to do with it. I am joyful because they could have kicked him out but didn't. I know some places do that. I am grateful that they have taken the time to get to know him. I am grateful that I didn't let him quit before the miracle happened. 

(Please note, he still had a meltdown tonight but it was only one and it didn't halt the whole evening. Progress not perfection.)