Our community just created a division of Challenger Baseball for adults; a fun, inclusive baseball league for adults with disabilities. Each player has a buddy to help and cheer them on, run the bases, hit the ball, and enjoy the game in a relaxed, supportive environment. The focus is all on fun, teamwork, and smiles!

Josiah played Challenger Baseball when he was much younger.  He ‘played’ and I use that term loosely, for 4 years.  He didn’t really enjoy it.

I just looked back at a blog post I wrote in 2015.  Here’s what I said then:

One year ago, Josiah was an active participant in our town’s Challenger Baseball League, willing to step up to the plate each week and knock one out (okay, more like graze one off of the tee) for his team, the Heroes.  It only took us 4 years to get him to that point.

The first year mostly he just cried. The second year we bribed him with beads. The third year he tolerated it with lots of encouragement, plenty of praise and a little bit of bead bribery. This year we can’t get the boy to put on his uniform; not the shirt, not the pants, not the socks and most certainly not the shoes.

It only seems fitting then, without a moment’s hesitation, I signed Josiah up for this new league the instant I learned about it.

I signed up to be the Team Mom.

Here’s the thing. I’ve been trying as best I can not to sign Josiah up for all the things.  He doesn’t really enjoy them.  Change is a challenge and transitions are very difficult for him.  He seems content with his life as it is and doesn’t seek adventure.

I’m the one that wants to do all the things.  I’m the one that wants Josiah to want to do all the things too.  So, I took a leap of faith and now I’m asking everyone and their brother to pray it all goes well.

It’s been 11 years since Josiah ‘endured’ Challenger Baseball.  What was I thinking?

To reintroduce Josiah to all things Baseball,  his amazing caregiver and I took him to the ball field today.  On the way, we talked about his past experiences with baseball.  We talked about the Savannah Bananas and how we hope to create just as much fun and excitement on the field for everyone as they do.  We told him he’d have a buddy to help him hit the ball off the tee.  We told him his buddy would run with him around the bases.

Once there, we walked on the grass, galloped (Josiah’s form of running) around the bases and entered the dug out.  I took videos and pictures of of everything.  I plan to make a social story all about the joys of Challenger Baseball and show it to him 5,000 times before Saturday.

All went well on the field, until the dug out part.  I’m not sure what it was, but something freaked him out about that dug out.  Josiah didn’t make it more than a foot inside the gate.  He spun around, lunged for his caregiver and clung to her tightly, shaking.

Maybe it was the fence surrounding the dug out and the feeling of being trapped inside.  I’m not really sure.  We walked/ran/galloped around the bases one more time, then his amazing caregiver went in the dug out by herself.  She closed the gate and sat on the bench.

With Josiah by my side, I hollered over to her and asked if she was okay in there and able to get out if she wanted to.  She smiled and responded that she could get out anytime she wanted.  She stood up, opened the gate and walked up to Josiah to show him all was well.

Tomorrow we plan to go back to the park and eat a snack in the dug out.  I have my doubts that we will actually get Josiah into the dug out tomorrow, even with a favorite snack as a motivator.

This is all supposed to be an enjoyable experience.  There shouldn’t be any terror or shaking involved.

If 5,000 social story viewings in the next 2 days doesn’t do the trick, we’re sunk.

Did I mention that Saturday is Opening Day?  There will be hundreds of people in the park.  We arrive at 8:15 am. There will be a parade at 9 am, an Opening Ceremony at 11:30 am, Challenger Showcase Games at 1 pm and a Bounce House Carnival and Vendors from 12 – 4 pm.  That’s an almost 8 hour day!

Josiah lasted exactly 13 minutes at the ball field today including a quick detour to show him the bathroom, which is precisely why I’m asking for a boatload of prayers.

But all of this is the least of my concerns.  For the past many months, Josiah has frequently enjoyed pulling off his shorts and underwear in one fell swoop, without any warning whatsoever.  It doesn’t matter where he is, a park, the mall, the driveway, standing in front of the house, riding in the car.  You get the picture. It’s something we’ve been working diligently to remedy.

So Saturday may either be a total meltdown… or the most entertaining Opening Day this league has ever seen.