Halloween for the Boo

Well, this is my first installment for Halloween '08 at the house of the Boo. Thinking on it it's likely this will be my only installment TODAY but I'm willing to bet there will be another soon with pics from Halloween night and the wonderful and joy filled chaos, mayhem, and bedlam.

Ben had his "Book Character Parade" at school today. He went as Tigger! He really wanted to go as Spiderman but we didn't have any Spidey costumes that fit him and the one old one we did find was horribly stained so we decided it was time to "retire" it. He didn't seem too happy about being Tigger last night and screamed hysterics when we put him in his costume to try it out... so I had my reservations about how it would go at school today. I sent him in with a note saying that last night he had cried and cried and that if he didn't want to wear it to please not force him and just let him march in his every day clothes and he could go as "Jackie Paper" from "Puff the Magic Dragon!" LOL!

Much to our complete joy though we saw Ben come around the bend at school with the other children decked out in his Tigger costume and smiling as he held Miss Gail's hand :) He looked really excited and proud of himself and when he saw his Daddy, baby sister, and I gave us a big old smile and waved. He walked along with Miss Gail as happy as could be and even stopped for a moment and gave Mommy a big hug and a kiss. I was nervous he would cry as they went into the building but he just waved and went along with his class completely happy.

So Ben had his first Halloween parade with his class and he did great. We're so proud of him and he looked beautiful and like he had a wonderful time.

I'm hoping that over all this will bode well for tonight dressing up and going Trick or Treating! Not sure if he's going to want to stick with the Tigger costume or pick another out of our three HUGE boxes of old Halloween costumes but either way I think once he gets the hang of it this evening and realizes that he's getting CANDY at every door he's gonna be ALL IN!!! LOL!

Shmoes... pronounced "Shm-Oh-z"

Did you ever watch Toy Story II? In the beginning Buzz tells Woody that in no time at all they'll be making "piping hot shmoes" to which Woody responds "it's SMORES, Buzz." So it's "shmOz" not to be confused with a "shmoe" which the dictionary defines as a noun meaning "a foolish, boring, or stupid person; a jerk." Got it?

Well, we have shmoes in our house, or as Ben calls them "Mo's." They're Ben's SMO's/AFO's. Just what we like to call them, I dunno... it's more "homey" maybe. Makes them a little less foreign and intimidating... and Ben can say "Mo's" -- so that's all good. :)

He's been wearing them for 5 days now and he's doing okay. He's NOT a fan that much is for sure but he's adjusting. He doesn't walk quite as much like Frankenstein as he used to. He cries when we put them on and yells at us and tells us "NO!! OFF!!" and is upset but he lets us put them on him now. I've also made the deal that every time we put them on him he gets ONE Lifesaver. Yeah, not the best mom move in the world I know that but I kind of feel it's the sweet in his life to make up for the bitter of the Mo's he so despises and being a good boy and letting us put them on him without kicking and making it very difficult. If that makes me a so bad then so be it.

In good news once he's had them on for 10 or 15 minutes he rarely seems to notice them much... and I will admit I think that he's tripping less often... and you can actually see the difference when he's walking in his legs and how straight they are and not bent at an awkward angle because of the severity of his pronation. So they are helping... as much as it pains me to say it because I think I would be just as happy, if not more so, to see them go as Ben would be.

So, 5 days into this, so far so good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue to go well and he'll just become more accustomed and they will help him the way they are intended to. Hey the best case scenario they help him avoid painful ankle and knee surgery. A mom can hope right?

LTNS - long update

I really want to start using this blog for Ben much more often. I'm going to try to be much more diligent about updating at a minimum of once a month, and hopefully more often. Just to kind of let people know where Ben is and how he's doing.

It's been a full year since I last posted. Ben's "trifecta" surgeries (tonsils, adenoids, tubes) last November went really well. He recuperated like a trouper and did great. As soon as he was healed he started eating like a horse and put on several pounds in short order, which was great news as his weight had been stagnant for quite a long while. He got some meat on his little bones and his face rounded out and went from about 25 - 26 lbs. (up and down depending on sickness) up to 31 lbs. where he has been staying for a while now. We're really happy about that. He also STOPPED snoring almost completely. It used to be that Ben would snore so loud you could actually hear him in our bedroom from his down the hallway (although our rooms do share a common wall). Once the swelling went down and the healing was well on its way Ben started sleeping SILENTLY! OMG it was unreal. I actually found it incredibly disconcerting because I could always hear Ben as he slept and it was kind of this little reassurance that he was okay... because I could hear him. When he completely stopped snoring for a few weeks I was getting up and checking on him several times a night. I know it sounds crazy but it was such a weird experience to hear NOTHING from the monitor when he had snored ever since he was a tiny little baby.

Six months after his surgery he had another sleep study and his apnea events dropped by about half! This was great news. He still has apnea events but at this point they are almost all "central nervous system" (CNS) related and not "obstructive" like in the past. The other good news was that now that Ben was getting good oxygen levels all night even his CNS apnea's decreased! YAY!! So all in all it was great news.

In February of this year we started with the testing for Ben to qualify him for the states special needs (SN) program for our town. He had to see an OT, PT, and ST, and talk to the SN teacher at the school where he would attend. It was a pretty long drawn out process, and as we already knew Ben more than qualified as a SN child and was admitted. He was eligible to receive PT, OT, and both kinds of ST (both reception and expressive) three times a week and would be attending SN class at the local elementary school Tuesday - Friday every week from the day after his 3rd birthday.

So in March we had a small party for Ben and the next day he started school. The first day was pretty rough and he cried quite a bit. The second day he took the bus and that made him much happier. He still wasn't thrilled about it at that point but honestly he adjusted amazingly fast, IMO, and did great. Within two weeks he was actually excited on his school days and would wake up and tell us "Bus!! kool!!" (Ben for "school"). We didn't really see a lot of improvement in him to be honest, but we figured he was getting the therapies he needed and that in time we would see some kind of change in him.

The rest of the school year passed relatively quietly and calmly with no major goings ons. The kids were all well, Ben was doing well albeit fairly stagnant developmentally and life was okay. He was actually sleeping well for the first time in his life too (thank you trifecta surgery!) and I think that helped a lot with his overall disposition.

Summer came and Ben LOVED being outdoors as much as he could. I kept him coral led on the deck most of the time but he was out on the deck A LOT and playing with toys and water and his new teeter-totter that he and Patch got as a gift for their birthdays. He loved swimming in the big pool when he was able but was also more than happy to entertain himself playing in the baby pool on the deck with Kit. It was all good. Ben had several weeks off and then started the summer SN program that the town offers. He went T & Th from 9am until noon and while I don't think he liked it as much as his "regular school" I think he had fun and he was happy enough to go off on the bus in the mornings. He would come home exhausted and covered in sweat but happy and trying in his way to communicate with us about his day. He was still getting PT, OT, and ST twice a week so it was good for him. He was also actually learning a lot more signs over the summer and was using them regularly at home. His new favorites were -- wait, dirty, sorry, shoes, and he learned how to sign his own name by making the sign for the letter "B" and brushing it up against his cheek! He was SAYING HIS NAME for the first time ever!!!! We thought that was just totally cool.

Kit's birthday rolled around in August, the day after mine of course, and it was a really nice time. The weather was wonderful, the kids were all happy and carefree, Ed took some time off of work for our birthdays and we spent time as a family. For my birthday Ed had pictures of the kids taken which was the BEST present EVER! This is the best one of the bunch, IMO, to the left. I love this pic. Big looks so big and grown up to me. We took the little ones to Build-A-Bear so they could have stuffed animals with the same birthday as their baby sister. We got pictures of Kit done. We all went out to lunch and that was really nice and a huge treat since we so rarely actually go to a restaurant to eat. All in all it was just lovely. Oh and Kit started walking at 11 months old in July and truth be told Ben was NOT very happy about that. For several weeks every time the baby stood up and walked Ben would go over and push her down and yell "NO!!" at her as he waggled his little fingers her way. I think he didn't want her walking and "catching up" to him in that way and he was trying to make it very clear to that cheeky little girl that she is the BABY and he is the toddler and to just get over herself and STOP that! LOL! After a bit he adjusted though and in truth I think he loves that she walks now because they've kind of become little buddies since then. She's not just a little tiny baby that can't do anything anymore and they are having more fun playing together. He's still very possessive over certain toys of his that he doesn't like to share, but then there are toys that he's okay with sharing... so it all works out in the end.

School started up again in late August and Ben seemed ready to go back. We went to the open house the day before school started and Ben seemed absolutely THRILLED to see his old classroom and old teachers again. He was absolutely BEAMING when we walked in and immediately took off like a shot away from us (yes OUR Ben!) and ran to start playing with the blocks and trucks. He was in heaven and since Ed and I were there he was actually TALKING to us... much to his amazed teachers who tried to hide behind us so that they could actually hear Ben talk, since he almost never does in the classroom. They were all amazed at his vocabulary and his ability to talk. Mind you Ben still was speaking in only one word utterances but he has/had a lot of words and would talk to us and use words and signs together to communicate. His teachers were really impressed :) The next day he happily got on the bus and he was off.

School this year has made a big difference for Ben that we can finally see. Well, I think it's school and the fact that Ed and I have decided to make some changes in Ben's routines to help him along. Like we started becoming much more vigilant about reading to him EVERY single day and while in the beginning we kind of had to force him to sit through an entire book he now LOVES reading every day. We even enlisted the children to help in this new reading project with us and the big kids all read to Ben almost every day too. Then one day in September his ST send home a list with Ben of probably about 300 words or so and asked us to circle all the words that Ben could say and write in exactly how Ben says them. So I went through the list carefully doing that and when I was done I realized he had circled probably 80% of the words on the page. Then I also listed other words not on the list that he can and does say with regularity. I mentioned that he can say the names of ALL of his brothers and sisters, and several other miscellaneous words that he uses. His ST was really impressed with the list and that day in ST she sat down with him and started talking to him about his brothers and sisters and she got him to say ALL of their names for her. Then she showed up cards with pictures of animals and Ben named five of them for her! After that she let him pick a toy out of their little "treat bin" and Ben picked a little yellow ball. He walked with his ST back to his classroom and showed ALL three of his teachers his new treasure and told them in a loud confident voice "BALL!!!" That very same day as they put Ben on the bus to come home he turned to look at them after climbing the stairs and waved and said "Bye-bye!" This was absolutely positively ENORMOUS for us. Ed and I read the note from his teachers with tears running down our faces. It was a huge step forward for Ben... and it was only the beginning.

Around mid-September or so we saw another huge development for Ben that had us so over the moon happy we could hardly contain ourselves. Ben started out, hesitantly at first, putting two words together for the first time in his life. He started saying things like "oes (shoes) off" and "me too" and "mama come" and all sorts of things. It was incredible. Over the course of a few weeks it went from something he did sporadically and not often to something that at this point is happening many times a day every day. Last week for the first time EVER he actually put three words together! He said "Daddy hit head" -- he was telling Daddy that he had hit his head on the wall. We were all so excited that we just started hooting and hollering... Ben was pretty proud of himself and beamed his beautiful smile at us.

In other big news our Benjamin-Boo started sleeping in a big boy Ben in early October! We moved Patch up to the top bunk in his room and tried to get Ben to sleep on the bottom but he didn't like that idea. So Daddy asked Ben if he'd like it if we made his bed into a "big crib" and he got the old railing from the girls bunk bed that they don't use anymore and put it on the lower bunk. Ben was SOLD at that point and started calling it HIS bed right away. He slept like an angel all night in his bed that first night and has slept there ever since without ever looking back. He is also very proud of himself and will tell people "big bed" and then he'll say "Pash up, up, up" which is Ben for "Patch sleeps up above me!" LOL!

In more verbal leaps forward Ben just last weekend went from calling us "mama" and "dada" to saying "Mommy" and "Daddy." He has always called us mama and dada from the time he was little and we have always refer to Mommy and Daddy when we talk to him, and that's what the other kids call us. Well last Friday it was still mama and dada but by Monday morning he had switched completely over to Mommy and Daddy! More totally awesome news. Not only is it a cognitive understanding that that's what we call ourselves and that's what the other kids call us (well, Kit still says mama and dada of course) but it's a leap in his verbal skills because now he's not merely repeating the same sound to make a word, he's using different sounds to form a two syllable word! It's BIG!!! We could not be more happy. Oh... well... and I guess I should mention that this weekend also came Ben deciding to refer to Daddy as "Ed" occasionally. Now he'll be standing in the family room and holler "ED!!!" into the kitchen. It cracks ALL of us up. Cognitively that's also big though because now if you ask Ben "what is Daddy's name?" he'll tell you "Ed!" very excitedly. It's realizing that Daddy has TWO names, one that Mommy calls him and then what the kids call him. He still says that my name is "Mommy" but that's okay with me! LOL!

That brings us to now. Just this Monday Ben got new SMO's (special molded orthotics) for the first time in about 18 months. We had tried to see how he would do without them but he was basically slowly destroying his ankles and knees so the physiatrist said it was time to give up the ghost and get him some new ones. Ben was an absolute trouper picking them up and getting them on for the first time. He didn't cry and he was very good about letting Gordon put them on... but he had his little "nervous smile" on and when we put him on his feet he was pretty scared. He took some tentative little tiny steps and fought tears off as best he could as he shuffled slowly around the room. Just as we were getting ready to go I saw that "I'm going to cry right now" look pass over his face and I scooped him up and held him and told him it would all be okay. He seemed so relieved to be in my arms, it was so sweet and yet so heartbreaking all at the same time. I held him while we got ready to leave and then put him down to walk once we were out of the office and in the hall and he actually seemed okay with it all. Still walking a bit like Frankenstein and looking "worried" but all in all he seemed good. We picked up his oldest brother and sister at the bus and decided to go to McDonald's for a little treat for Ben for having such a big emotional day. If it had been any of our other children we would have gone for ice cream but Ben doesn't eat ice cream!!! So we went for french fries instead :) Ben did great and walked around and had fries and was pretty happy. He and Kit wandered around a little and it was all good. Everyone was happy... until we got home. The minute we walked through the door Ben started crying "oes off!!!" over and over. I took them off and his feet were all sweaty from the plastic and red from the pressure but nothing too bad.

Ben is still not overly thrilled about the SMO's and usually cries when we put them on him. Yesterday he cried for about 45 minutes while begging for me to take them off. It broke my heart into a million pieces but I kept telling him no, that he had to wear them. It was hard. I mean really hard. I was to the point that I was wondering if we should call the physiatrist and just tell him that we had to do something else because this was never going to work. Finally Ben got distracted and started playing and then he went on to wear them for almost 3 hours without complaining again. I was so proud of him.

This morning we put them on for him to wear to school for the first time and while he was again unhappy about putting them on he didn't really cry as much and he adjusted quickly and went off to school with them for the first time. His teachers say he did well with them and his PT says that she thinks that they are doing a great job of keeping his ankles in alignment and correcting his pronation. He DOES need longer socks now though because his SMO's go above the socks and they cut into his little calves a little bit. Still I think he's doing great and tomorrow I'm going to go out and buy some socks and hopefully all will be well and he'll adjust to them and they will help him with his coordination and stamina (since he won't have to work so hard to maintain balance now). We have our fingers crossed.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention... Ben has started art therapy at the local art studio in town. The wonderful and amazing people that own the studio gave Ben a scholarship and he started last week... and he LOVES it! I mean he really really really loves it. He was so happy and was so overjoyed. I swear he had this look of complete bliss on his face like I have never seen. I think that between the art therapy, which he did clay his first week, and having Mommy all to himself he was just on cloud 9. I have to admit, I think it did wonders for me too because I had a truly wonderful time working with Ben and his teacher and being with just him without the other kids to worry about. It was a little slice of heaven for the two of us. Can't wait for next week when he goes again!! To the left is a picture of Ben having just gotten back from his first art therapy class! You can see it all over his face how much he loved it! LOL!

So basically Ben seems to be in a developmental explosion. He's talking more. He's sleeping in his own big Ben. He's playing independently more and is more interested in things like coloring and play-doh. He's just changing. He's not so much the little fella that we need to baby so much and he's wanting to do more and be more and be his own person. He wants to gain some independence and find ways of communicating better with us. It's an amazing time to be Ben.

Then I just wanted to throw this picture in because I couldn't resist. This is Ben's "nervous smile" and I just love it. He is such a beautiful boy.

I know, I know... I don't post enough. Sorry.

Ben is gearing up for surgery again. I hate this. I really do. This isn't as big a deal as the surgery last year. Last year he was out for more than 2 hours, this time it should be around 30 to 45 minutes they tell me. Routine surgery, he's getting his tonsils and adenoids out and getting tubes in. Routine, except that it's Ben... it's my son... my hypotonic son. I really just hate this. That we have to put him through this and he has to go through it and deal with the pain and the recovery. Blech. Still it's for the best when it comes to Ben. I know that. Ed knows that too. Still doesn't make it easy, for any of us.

In other news in the past year Ben has learned how to walk, he's talking more (still way behind though), he was into and out of SMO's for his severe pronation, he's started "school" two mornings a week for 2 hours a day, and he's become a big brother. Big goings on for my little fella. He likes school okay. Little weirdo won't say a word while he's there but he likes it okay. He loves his teacher, Joy, just to pieces. The SMO's went over okay at first and then just a mess and he refused to wear them. I would get them on him and he would shake his feet and scream "OFF!!!" and cry. Over the summer, while I was VERY VERY pregnant, I just gave up the fight with him cause I didn't have it in me anymore. As it turns out the Physiatrist is okay with that and says that's fine cause he has really great ortho shoes he wears. We do need to get "cookies" to go in his shoes but even without them the shoes are good for him and help him a lot. So that's all good too. I mean over all Ben's had a good year I think. He's still one tough little nut but that's sort of to be expected... all things considered I guess.

Here's my favorite fairly recent pic of Ben! I took that in late July not too long before having the baby. He just looks SO big in this picture. Momma's big boy.

Some pics that I had trouble posting in the last post... these go along with THAT blog.

sitting in the waiting room as we prepared to leave for home.

eating fries on our way home!
Bad Mommy!

Tubby time! 8 days later!
Such a happy guy :)

Belly, 8 days post op

It's Over and Done!

The anxiety and worry leading up to Ben's surgery was nearly overpowering at times. I know it was for me at least. I know Ed was worried too, but he doesn't worry the way I do... we're just built different. In the weeks leading up to the surgery I was pretty much a total wreck... it wasn't pretty.

The day of the surgery was VERY long and exhausting in every way imaginable. Ben's surgery ended up being delayed for more than 3 hours due to the baby before Ben having some major complications during his surgery -- not really the thing you want to hear right before YOUR baby goes into surgery! Ben was an absolute trouper though and didn't complain once about the lack of food or drink. I was honestly amazed he handled it so well. We kept him busy and entertained and he played and had a great time. He absolutely loved the toys, especially the cars they had to play with, and had a blast. I was amazed and much relieved that he could at least have fun and play. He had no idea what was coming or that he should be nervous or scared. Isn't THAT nice? Wish I could have been so blissfully ignorant. Then again I would have taken his pain on ten fold to spare him the pain, but nobody offered me that option. So we waited, Ben played and also napped a little on Daddy's chest... until a screamer came in and woke him up . At least he got a little bit of a nap though.

Finally at about 1pm we finally talked to the surgeon and the anesthesiologist. We got to discuss our feelings on what we would prefer and on Ben's somewhat unique situation with his hypotonia and other issue's. We asked the surgeon to please come discuss options with us once they we in and we knew what we were up against so that we could make an informed choice with how to proceed and the Dr. was more than happy to do that. They finally came to take him into surgery at 1:10pm. It had been a very long morning and it was finally time. They carried him away and the new waiting game began - the even harder part.

Ed went and got us a very nasty sandwich from the cafeteria that neither of us were very interested in. Ed read and I tried listening to music, reading, and watching a movie and couldn't concentrate on anything. We got word from the desk nurse after about 45 minutes or so that things were "going well" but really... what does that tell you? It tells you almost nothing! I mean okay he wasn't having complications like the baby before him and that's ALL good and we were grateful for that but not knowing what's happening while your baby is in surgery is undoubtedly one of the hardest things to handle. Finally after 90 minutes the surgeon came out and told us what they had found. The teste WAS there but it was very high in the abdomen, higher than they like to descend them from he told us. It was also VERY small, about half the size of his normal teste. The blood vessels attached to the teste weren't QUITE long enough to reach all the way to the scrotum (they could reach but not as "far in" as the Dr. would have liked). Also with the teste being so small there would be a significant chance for it to "pop up into the abdomen again." In addition the Dr. would have to cut some of the blood vessels and there was the chance that the teste wouldn't even survive the surgery if that was done - it was possible but certainly not a gaurentee. All things considered it just seemed the better part of wisdom to have it removed. Having it removed also saved Ben from a much more invasive surgery with larger incisions and a considerably longer time in surgery. Removing it they could do all laproscopically from the 3 incisions they already had and Ben would be out of surgery much more quickly. So we told the Dr. to remove it and he told us he thought that was a good idea too. So he went back into the OR telling us it would be another 30 minutes or so. Almost exactly 30 minutes later the Dr. came out and told us that it had all gone very well and that they were "doing the packing" (whatever that means) as he left. He said that Ben would be in recovery in 20 minutes or so and we would be able to see him soon.

We called parents and waiting anxiously for word, this time was the hardest for me, on when we could see Ben and finally a nurse called out "Benjamin's parents" and we practically raced down the hall toward our baby. Finally we came upon his stretcher and there he was. His little head of dark hair, his pink little face, his still body under the blankets and all the wires and machines beeping and pulsing and doing their thing. It was eerily reminiscent of the NICU and I got a shiver up my spine... but there he was. We were told not to touch him and to just let him sleep. They said that he would most likely sleep about 45 minutes, but possibly longer because of his hypo. So Ed and I pulled chairs up next to the bed and just watched him - his chest rising and falling, his little puckered dry looking lips, his red little cheeks, his long brown eyelashes resting on those same cheeks... it was soothing being close to him again. We still had reason for concern but just being near him helped ease the fear and anxiety.

After about 10 minutes Ben started rousing. He started moving around and I realized he was going to wake up so I slapped Ed's arm and whispered "GO GET THE NURSE!" The nurse came over just as Ben rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. She told me to go ahead and pick him up but I was so afraid of hurting him I was scared to pick him up. With her help we managed to get him up and settled against me. He was miserable and unhappy and started vomitting which was upsetting but soon he settled again and slept. He nodded in and out of sleep and vomitted a few more times until the nurse finally gave him some Zofran (good stuff!) and that seemed to abate the nausea and he calmed down. After that he didn't really sleep anymore but he stayed quietly in my arms and took in the world around him. All the beeping and machines and strange noises and unusual things to look at. He was quiet but alert and aware... YAY!!!! Time passed and he got pain meds via IV and then later some oral pain meds and we waited. Waited to see how he would do and if he would vomit more and how he was feeling.

We were ALL amazed by him once he came around and wanted to do more. I lied him on the bed and let him look around and he liked that. He was looking at everything and watching people and responding to our voices and doing wonderfully. He even SAT UP before we ever got out of recovery for just a few seconds while we put his clothes on! The nurse and I were both flabbergasted! So we packed him up, got our instructions and were on our way home! In the waiting room while Dad made a pit stop Ben insisted on sitting in a chair... by himself. I had my doubts but he was so insistent I put him down and let him sit. He was obviously very groggy but he did it! I was just in shock.

So home we came to our waiting and rejoicing family. On the drive home while Ben was supposed to have only clear fluids he managed to eat 10 french fries, half a cup of apple juice and then slept a deep sleep the rest of the car ride! Poor kid was STARVING! It had been more than 24 hours since the last time he'd had any FOOD! I couldn't blame him. We got home and there was much merry making :)

Ben's recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. Twelve hours after surgery he was CRAWLING all over the place, pulling himself to standing and cruising! You'd never know he just had major abdominal surgery! We were just totally blown away! The only indication that he wasn't 100% was that he slept a lot that first day after, but beyond that no indications he'd just had surgery. Ben's PT and pediatrician were both just amazed!

Now, a week later, Ben's biggest problem is that he's teething and it seems to be bothering him! Go figure!! He's had his first tub bath, where he pulled off the steri-strips (oops!) and his incisions look like they're healing nicely. You can't even see his belly button incision at all and the incision on his right side is very small. It looks like the left incision is going to leave something of a scar but all things considered... not bad!

Through all of this Ben is reaching milestones and making strides. He's talking more. He's communicating more. He's using more signs and saying more words and seems to be trying harder to make himself known and his desires. He's learned what his nose, teeth, feet, socks, shoes, and ears are! He's playing games with us more and more. He is truly our little miracle man. I'm just so glad that this chapter is behind us and we can move forward now :)

Getting so big!

Ben is doing so great lately! We are just amazed every day with the progress he has been making.

This week he got new SHOES! I had to get him the old traditional high ankled walking shoes but then these were on sale for $6... how could I say no? He looked so big this day with his overalls and his shoes, I had to get a picture! Isn't he looking great? I have to admit he doesn't love his shoes but if he see's me pull them out he holds his feet up... he knows where they go and what they are for. He's good with them for a while but then he starts pulling at them with his hands and if you say "shoes off" he laughs like it's the best joke he's ever heard! LOL! He likes his socks off too! Just like his Momma!

He's crusing all over the place now. He can walk around the couch and the coffee table and chairs. He's doing so well. He can even turn himself around and then FLING himself headlong at Ed or I - knowing full well we will always catch him and protect him.

He got another tooth so he's up to THREE now! With his new tooth has come a new interest in regular food! He's eating shredded wheat now. He likes grilled cheese crusts. He'll eat PB&J if you cut it into strip for him. He ate part of a bagel with butter the other day! He LOVES cookies! Big surprise there huh? A kid that loves cookies? Go figure! LOL! He even ate a brownie the other day. He'll also eat small veggies (corn, peas, and such) that we put on his tray. Still no luck with meat of ANY kind though. We've tried all different kinds and he's just not interested at all. Still he IS eating more regular foods and he is more interested in what people are eating and interested in trying things! That alone is wonderful.

We're gearing up for the big surgery this week. Trying to hold it together until then. Ben started with a cough last night so tomorrow first thing we see the Ped cause they won't operate if he's sick! We have to try to get him well QUICK!!!

Pray and think good thoughts for us this week and in the weeks to come during his recouperation!

Testing

Testing Ben's new blog