Swing Away.

Batters up! That’s correct, right out of left field, G is now playing ball!

For us, who would have thought? Todays story is about his first baseball game, specifically his first :49 seconds in the game.

Perhaps if you don’t know his story, don’t know how many bases he’s already stolen, how many strikeouts he’s already had, and how many home runs he’s already smashed… (metaphorically of course) it just won’t hit you the same way it does us – and that’s totally okay!

G all of a sudden wanted to play baseball when we haven’t even TOUCHED a baseball in this household. Now, shame on me perhaps. It’s kind of the single most traditional father/son thing to do right? Toss a baseball around. 🤷🏻‍♂️. It definitely takes a ton of repetition to build muscle memory for both throwing/catching a ball, and certainly hitting the ball, let alone all the nuances of any game.

It’s also absolutely relevant to mention one’s natural physical ability. We ALL have different strengths and weaknesses, both mentally and physically. For G, physical awareness, generating power, anticipation, instinct for the game… well those things just aren’t there – naturally. He has to work very hard to get there.

This is NOT me having doubt. This is NOT me setting the bar low. This is NOT me being too afraid for him. It’s just the reality. And that is totally okay. He has our support, day in and day out, just like his brother Grant – and all those other kids out on the field with him. ❤️

We are starting to get to the age though, where WANTING to play isn’t going to be enough. At some point, performance will outweigh desire. So physically he needs to catch up to his desire if he wants to keep playing, and that can be a little scary and heartbreaking at the thought of it all. Regardless, we LOVE his desire, and believe that at least one of these sports will stick – and he can be a contributor on the team for years to come.

So, when it comes to sports, he researches, he studies, he immerses himself into these sports. Almost every single night he asks permission to go out into the driveway so he can STIM for a little while. (Stimming – the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalizations, as a form of behavior by persons with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions; self-stimulation. This behavior is thought to serve a variety of functions, such as calming and expression of feelings – in his case it seems to show itself most when he is excited about something – i.e. the thought of any sport).

You know why he is stimming? Because he is straight up replaying sequences from his favorite sports clips, whether that be football, baseball, college sports etc. He takes his favorite trophy out with him so he can shake it in the corner of his eye, helping to fill up sensory input he is looking for visually. I assume this is related to a sensory processing disorder – as he craves this input quite regularly still.

But I digress… let’s move on to his first baseball game!

They have had numerous practices, in which he has been fully committed. It honestly has been very fun to watch him grow so quickly within a few short weeks.

Last night was his first game and I unfortunately missed it, as I was at work. Luckily Erin captured some video, and really, this entire post is about that first :49 second video she sent me – and what I saw.

Swing batta batta!!!!

First Pitch. Strike 1. Video starts off with a foul ball – decent swing – little off balance. I honestly was like woah, that was a pretty damn fast pitch too! 💨. Like whaaaaaattttt?!!! He proceeds to take some practice swings – legit looking like a pro baseball player at home plate. When she sent me the video though, it didn’t come with a description, so I just assumed he was at bat. But didn’t know for sure. And I thought to myself, “Man, that kid at bat looks like a ball player – I hope that’s him!”. Now, in a way, that’s kind of brutal – but you know me – it is what it is. I’m proud of him no matter the outcome, or appearance, or public opinion. But, the kid at bat looked good, and I was hoping it was him.

Second Pitch. Ball. Pitch comes inside, G hops out of the way, perhaps because it was legitimately close to him, perhaps also for effect hoping to get that call. 😂. Good instincts G!

Third pitch. Ball 2. Pitch comes outside, G watching it all the way in. Excellent focus.

Fourth pitch. It’s a HIT! The clank off the bat is music to my ears, G tossed the bat and takes off running! Now within a split second, G is aware it is going right towards the first baseman, who makes a nice play and tags the base. He’s out.

And this is where I get a bit emotional. He has struggled massively with anything that isn’t a positive play in anything he does. So I expected foot stomping, or giving up on the play. Instead, he runs through first base, keeping strong body language, circles around and high fives the first base coach, then straight back to the dugout – seemingly moving on to the next play. 🤯

I’m not kidding you. What a BEAUTIFUL :49 seconds. 9 years of hard work – since he was 20 months old is what has lead to those :49 seconds. 9 years. This is something the whole world needs right now. We need to realize life is a grind, and instant gratification/reward is a terrible thing. Working hard for the small stuff is special.

Here is the video:

And just like that, my story is over. He finished 1 for 3. Played second base. Most of all, he had FUN. Totally awesome!

I’ll probably need to pick up some peanuts and Cracker Jack for the next game… or maybe some big league chew!

Who knows that the future holds, but this kid continues to swing away. ⚾️

We fear.

We care.

We hope.

We hurt.

And we love.

We will continue to evaluate who we are as his parents, and make sure that he always has the best chance to be whoever HE wants to be.