Well, he did it!

Ben crawled. Yep. He crawled ALL BY HIMSELF. Out of the blue during an ordinary evening, without any encouragment, my husband and I watched Ben get himself up on all fours and crawl toward us. Matt and I both had tears in our eyes. He only made it a few feet, but it was like watching a miracle unfold. We called the Grandparents. Posted the news on Facebook. We hugged both kids and celebrated! Ben's poor little muscles are so weak...yet he keeps trying and trying, and now he's on his way to a new level of independence. I'm so proud of him... and a little humbled by his consistently cheerful nature and unwavering determination.

In other news, we discovered he is also allergic to green peas. Green peas??!! Yes. It's true. We saw him break out in hives after eating some peas. We gave him Benedryl, not fully understanding what he was reacting to. The next evening, we tried peas again, and.... Tah Dah!!! He immediately broke out in an itchy rash again. After researching this online, I found that kids with peanut allergies are often also allergic to peas - another member of the legume family. I'll add that to my list. Before having Ben, I never knew I would someday view my kitchen as a war zone - a dangerous place full of life-threatening land-mines in the form of everyday peas and wheat bread.

Today, though, I'm putting all my worries aside and just soaking in the joy of the moment. Ben has crawled. He will continue to get better and stronger. What a kid. (And what a great big sister he has, as well!)

A tasty tidbit.

The kiddos have been keeping me very busy lately. I've had a hard time finding even a few minutes to blog, but I'm going to try to type quickly this morning.

Ben has been amazing me in the past few weeks. He's been babbling more and more, and now officially says, "MaMa" at least a hundred times a day. His favorite activity right now is playing the piano. He thinks he has a true talent!

Our OT has given the thumbs up to start textured foods again. Ben had a clear allergic reaction to Saltine crackers...so he is OFF the wheat and soy entirely again. The poor little guy has gotten very bored with his mushy diet, and has started refusing to eat a bit. We have been in search of safe and tastey tidbits for him, and came across Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) as a replacement for our beloved peanut butter, and Ben luh-uh-uhvs it! (And so do I) So yesterday, he had spoonful of sunbutter and some rice chex cereal for breakfast. He smiled from EAR to EAR... so glad to be eating real food again.

Other news.... the PT wants Ben to get AFO's (custom made braces for his little feet and ankles).... we're due for another MRI.... we're due for another swallow study.... we're doing all we can to avoid bringing the flu into Ben's world....

It's time for breakfast now... so I'd better go. I'm seeing two hungry children and a mommy who needs more coffee.