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.

A change of plans...

OK. No water therapy today. Ben has decided to have a cold instead. Woke up with lots of gooey goo in his nose and a little gagging cough. Should be a fun day!!

Ben Ben Ben

Not too much really happening lately. Ben's just plugging along on every front. Knock on wood, he's been quite healthy and happy.

He is getting closer and closer to crawling... but he LOVES to walk now (obviously with me holding his hands). He'll do it all day long if he can wrangle someone into helping him. He's improving at his steps and balance, so that's also positive.

Increasingly, he is getting very frustrated when he can't communicate his wants and needs. When this happens, he just screams. I mean, he just SCREAMS. It can be frustrating, heartbreaking, or terrifying, depending on the moment. I'm really hoping that the speech therapy will provide us some resources to improve this.

So, anyway, we're off to pool-based therapy today. Splish splash.

Another bump in the road

Just a few short hours after my last happy post, Ben unleashed with gushy pukies and poopies all afternoon. I think it's just a common kind of illness, and nothing related to Ben's particular medical issues. I hope that's the case... and I hope it passes quickly. Mommy needs her rest.

Growing, growing, growing.

By following all the doctors' recommendations about Ben's allergies and his swallowing problems, Ben has been eating like an Olympian for the past month. He has gained just about two pounds in two months, and is getting stronger with every pound! Learning how to cook foods that are allergen-free and which also puree easily has not been too bad, and the benefits are well worth the work. It is time-consuming, of course... but I'm learning how to fit everything in my daily routine.

With the vomiting completely stopped, Ben has been SO much happier and his eczema has been very well-controlled as a bonus. What a relief!

Now, we will just continue to plug along with the therapy and get this boy crawling. He wants to be independent so badly... and my back wants him to be independent, too.

Just another day

Today was just a typical day around here. Sarah had school and dance class. Ben had speech therapy. Nothing new. Nothing scary. Good day, I guess.