The Kronicles of Kai: September 2017

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Team Tri for Kai!

Last weekend I completed my 4th triathlon! A triathlon is a swimming, biking, and running race. We do sprint distance races- usually a 1/4 mile swim, 10-15 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.

This year we had a few changes to our race. First of all, we decided to do The Pilgrimman Triathlon in Plymouth. It is at Myles Standish State Park, so we got to camp for the weekend too. Another change is that my Dad got to participate with us- he did the biking this time. The last change was the AMAZING piece of equipment we borrowed from Hoyt Running Chairs. Here are some pics of our adventure!

Waiting at College Pond to start the triathlon!

We made cool tshirts for our team- Tri for Kai!

Liam was practicing his dance moves by the DJ!

Liam found a rock shaped like a heart before the race!

Our new friend Abby raced with her Dad too. We hung out in our boats before the race.


Team Tri for Kai before the race

Here we go! Ready to swim!

Here are Dad and I starting out on the bike!

Dad has LOTS of hills ahead of him!

Dad and I riding on the course!

Some new friends who were doing it as a team too- Friends of Abby Mac!

Our return from the 12.8 mi bike!

Mom pushed me on the run here I am crossing the finish line!

I WIN!

Our relay team got 3rd place! (There were only 3 teams;-)

Here we are with our medals

It was a fun day! I love to go fast on the bike especially, and sometimes I like when I get splashed by my mom's kicks during the swim- but the BEST part is crossing the finish line and having people cheer for me! My Dad is excited to do a race again with me next year!

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Hi, my name is Kai

Hello 3rd grade class! You might not believe this- but Mr. Kliment and I have known each other for many years. I have been lucky enough to be in his classroom 4 times now! We are thinking of creating our own handshake since I've been around so long! I am really actually in 6th grade. It's a long story- but I'm at EHB for one more year before I move onto the high school. Yep- high school!

So, some of you may be wondering about me, because I'm a little different from other people you know. To see what I told my class last year, click here. It talks about my condition, called CP.

Let me introduce you to my family...

My brother Liam is in 3rd grade. He thinks he's a ninja.

My sister Addy is in 2nd grade and she LOVES anything with sugar in it!

My dog Ed is a rescue from Texas. He loves to dig holes in the sand and then lay in them! And...he REALLY loves my Mom!

My Mom is a Calmer Choice teacher and works for a marketing and endurance events company. She used to be a 4th grade teacher back in the day.

My Dad sells boats to the military. He retired from the Coast Guard a few years ago.

If you read my post from last year, you will know a little bit about my condition. My family likes to do lots of fun things- they try to have me participate in whatever we do. You can read about my summer here.

Something else important to know is that you might hear the word "ADAPTIVE" when people talk about me, or when I share about the things I do. Adaptive just means that we change they way we do things to help me be able to participate in regular activities since I am not able to use my body the same way as everyone else. I am very lucky that there are very talented and creative people in the world who want to see people like me be able to have fun like everyone else. I bet if you tried to think of an activity I couldn't do (but that other people can do)- someone has probably thought of a way to help me do it. Let me know if you think of anything and I will do some research!

Some adaptive activities that I have tried:
- Adaptive downhill skiing
- Adaptive rock climbing
- Adaptive Cycling
- Adaptive triathlon
- Adaptive hiking
- Adaptive zip-lining
- Adaptive horseback riding

Another "adaptive" activity I am going to try this year is adaptive communication. Pretty soon I am going to get a computer device that I will be able to use to communicate. You will probably be able to see it when I am working on it at school. It is going to be a lot of hard work and take awhile for me to get the hang of it.

I hope we have a fun year getting to know each other. Here is a picture of Mr. Kliment and some friends from last year.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

2017 Summer Happenings

We took it easy this summer on Cape Cod! Ha ha- just kidding- do you know my Mom? There is no "taking it easy" with her! Even though we didn't take many trips off Cape, we certainly kept busy around Chatham!

I enjoyed riding on my adaptive car- until the battery decided to give out. Hopefully we can get a new one soon!

I got to swing on the new adaptive swing at the Community Center- until the straps were taken off :-(

We went to visit the Pilgrim Monument in PTown...but

I didn't get to climb it. Luckily my brother didn't want to go up- so he hung out with me.

We went to the Chatham 4th of July Parade with our neighbors!

Mom and Me watching the parade

Of course we spent LOTS of time at the beach!

We went to the Kidz Bop Concert at the Melody Tent- holy cow it was AWESOME!

My mom, brother, and sister went to the concert!

Here I am- Mom and I got Rock Star seats! (Wheelchair perk;-)

My grandma, auntie and cousin came and we went to the Chatham Band Concert!

I even got to help my brother and Dad do DUMP DUTY! We have to separate all the bottles and cans. It's really gross. I supervise.

I got to be a Ninja at Liam's birthday party!

Beach time with friends

Hot Tub time with friends

Adaptive Cycling with Mom

Is that a cool set up or what?!?

Of course my most fun time of the summer is going to Camp Jabberwocky for family camp. Camp Jabberwocky is on Martha's Vineyard and is an amazing camp for kids with disabilities. We have SO much fun! Here is a glimpse!