We were awoken this morning by the shouts of a young child in the living room. I jumped out of bed all disoriented and ran to see what the commotion was all about. It was Emma (not Ben like I had suspected - further proof that they sound exactly the same to me more and more every day) playing with the "Talking Ben" (obnoxious dog) app on the iPad. She was hollering all sorts of crazy stuff at the dog, and he repeats it back at her in his cranky voice. Once I realized she was not being tormented by mystery aliens I laughed because, really, it was a sight to see. She was all sweetly curled up into the corner of the comfy couch with her blankie wrapped around her, her hair cousin it style, yelling at the computer screen.
And, it was 7:25am.
Wait, where was Ben? STILL SLEEPING. Wait, didn't he pass out at, like, 5:45 last night? YEP. The kid was going on 14 hours of sleep. I, being a mother, immediately got worried, rushed into his room only to find the sweetest most content sleeping face ever, he was breathing normal, no coughs, no fever.
15 minutes later he wandered into the living room, "Hi, Mom!" no sign of the previous days illness whatsoever. Nuttn' like a good night's sleep to cure an ailment. Hooray!
And so began OPT Ben day 5. Today was the day I wanted to fully clothe him and see what happens. Well, it was also the day we needed to be out and about all morning test driving cars, and I didn't think society would smile at my naked OPT skills, so clothes it was! (We tested a 2010 Hyundai Elantra and a 2004 Acura with only 40K, in primo condition for a great price.) By the time we got home it was 11:50, Ben was still dry and Mama was super happy. I pulled his pants down to give him a chance to pee on the kiddie potty and all I got was a "Nope!" and "Pants on, Mom." Ten minutes later he came walking up to me bull legged, "Ew, Mom. Socks all wet. Pants all wet." Trying to be light and cheery but stern, "Benjamin, what happened? Pee goes on the potty!" I stripped him down, rinsed out the clothes, and had him try one more time over the potty. "Nope!" was his reply. "Mom, pants on?" "Sorry, buddy. Your pants are all wet! You pee peed on them. Pee goes in the potty." (Please don't tell him he has 10 other pairs in the dresser...) and he spent the afternoon unclothed again.
BUT A DARN GOOD THING HE DID because, we had some pals over from 1-3:00 and at one point Ben said, "Mom, pee pee in my butt," (he has to poop) and I requested he sit on the potty. "Nope!" (his favorite word - drives me insane!!) At about 2:30 I was one the phone and our playdate pal, Christopher, comes running up to me, "He pooped in the little kid potty. Ewwww!" Huh? What? Who?
IT WAS BEN! BEN POOPED ON THE POTTY! When no one was looking. All by himself. HE GETS IT! HE GETS IT! (Me, still on the phone with a car dealership, "Hey, Daddy, can you wipe Ben and clean out the potty?") Can you imagine what they were thinking on the other end of the line? All the hooting and hollering they no doubt heard about the giant turd in the froggy potty.
Soooooo, now the challenge is really to get him to do what we all know he can do while encumbered with underwear and pants.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What day is it?
When one is potty training the days tend to blend together. I had to ask myself at least five times today, "What day is it?" Ben crawled into bed with us at about 5:45am. It was super cute, he never just crawls in, he usually demands I change his diaper or get him some milk, but today he hoisted himself up the foot of the bed and snuggled right in between Daddy and me. I could tell he wasn't feeling good because he laid there quietly - usually he's squirming and chatting away.
Finally at 6:15 he got up and wandered into the living room to play. I followed him out about 15 min later and got him some milk. He was slightly feverish and really coughing and lots of runny nose action so I deliberated continuing the whole OPT Ben for the day. Not wanting to send mixed signals, I decided to strip him down and start our day. Am, wow, am I glad I did. He peed though his sneezes on the potty and was a super stud until about 9:20 when he told me he had "a pee in his butt." I knew he meant he had to poop and encouraged him to sit on the potty. He did and nothing. He stood up and played for a bit and I saw him making a funny squat and again grabbed him and sat him on the potty. He sat for a minute and nothing. We played for a bit longer and all of a sudden he raced down the hall into the living room with me one second behind, squatted and pooped - 70% on the floor and the rest into the potty I shoved underneath him. I cheered him on and tried not to get to disgusted during the cleanup (thank you again Bissel steamer) hoping that he now 'gets it' and will get the #2s into the potty from here on out.
By 11:30 when we left to pick up Em from preK he was looking miserable. I tossed a diaper on him over his underwear just in case, and I am glad I did because he napped for two hours!! Wait, the diaper was unnecessary because the rock star woke up dry and immediately peed on the potty when he got up.
He definitely had a fever so I finally called the pediatrician and got him in to see her. Ears were good, throat good, temp 101.5, but no sign of anything special - she even swabbed him for strep - negative. So he must just have a virus that we will keep our eyeballs on. If he doesn't improve by Saturday, they want me to bring him back for blood work. Fingers crossed he will kick this thing tonight.
He didn't eat much dinner and was asleep by 6pm, but that is obviously what his little body needs and it gives me some one on one time with the big sister. : )
Ben-ism of the day: "Mommy, can we play arps and craps?" (Meaning he is following in big sister's foot steps and wants to be an artist... Arts and crafts!)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
OPT Ben, Day 3
It's only 6:13 and Ben is already asleep in bed. This potty training thing is really wearing him out. Oh, yeah, and that dang fever is back. He woke up perfectly happy go lucky, was a super stud all day, got bleary eyed around dinner (but he did eat!), and asked to go to bed at 5:45pm. I told him lets take a bath first to see if he would get his second wind - nope, he had his usual blast in the tub, but as soon as we were done he specifically said, "New diaper, Mom? and Monkey jammies? Go night night, Mom, go night night."
Whatsamatter with my boy?
He did great with the potty training. My favorite part of the day was just before lunch when without a word he walked over to the potty with purpose, peed a whole bunch, and looked at me like, "Not bad, eh?" Not bad at all, Benjiboogleheimer, not bad at all.
Now, we just need to make the transition from no clothes from the waste down to big boy underpants and see if he can 'git 'er done that way, too.
No poops today either... Interesting. He didn't eat much yesterday, though.
As much as I planned to be home all week to champion the OPT Ben, life has gotten in the way and every afternoon we have been forced to go out. This afternoon I took the suggestion of a friend and put him in big boy underwear with a diaper over the top. That way if he has an accident he feels the wetness but doesn't leak all over anything. Good thing I did, because our quick trip out turned into 30 minutes at the auto body shop, and an hour at DMV.
Yes, the DMV. My beloved Matrix that Daddy took over driving for the past four years had a snowy encounter with a guardrail on Saturday. Our insurance ended up totaling the car because the damage is more than the car is worth. Daddy is driving a super sweet rental (Explorer) while we figure out what to replace the Matrix with... Something compact, good on fuel, 2010 or so is what I have been researching. Any suggestions? For a car and for what this dumb reoccurring fever of Ben's may be would be greatly appreciated. : )
Whatsamatter with my boy?
He did great with the potty training. My favorite part of the day was just before lunch when without a word he walked over to the potty with purpose, peed a whole bunch, and looked at me like, "Not bad, eh?" Not bad at all, Benjiboogleheimer, not bad at all.
Now, we just need to make the transition from no clothes from the waste down to big boy underpants and see if he can 'git 'er done that way, too.
No poops today either... Interesting. He didn't eat much yesterday, though.
As much as I planned to be home all week to champion the OPT Ben, life has gotten in the way and every afternoon we have been forced to go out. This afternoon I took the suggestion of a friend and put him in big boy underwear with a diaper over the top. That way if he has an accident he feels the wetness but doesn't leak all over anything. Good thing I did, because our quick trip out turned into 30 minutes at the auto body shop, and an hour at DMV.
Yes, the DMV. My beloved Matrix that Daddy took over driving for the past four years had a snowy encounter with a guardrail on Saturday. Our insurance ended up totaling the car because the damage is more than the car is worth. Daddy is driving a super sweet rental (Explorer) while we figure out what to replace the Matrix with... Something compact, good on fuel, 2010 or so is what I have been researching. Any suggestions? For a car and for what this dumb reoccurring fever of Ben's may be would be greatly appreciated. : )
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Chronicles of OPT Ben, day 2
7:00am Ben comes into our room and demands, "Mom, change my diaper!"
7:01 I am confronted with a giant poopy diaper.
7:03 Ben is all cleaned up and ready to start Day 2 of OPT Ben. (If you have no clue what I am talking about, scroll down and read first.)
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the poopy diaper. I was really hoping to get the chance to challenge him to do his #2 business on the potty today. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Oh, and the next day. Oh, and the rest of his life! (Hopefully it won't take THAT long!)
The good news is he was a super potty pee-er all day! He even told us a few times, "Go pee pee. Go pee pee on potty." Then would run over to the kiddie potty and stand over it. (Now if we could just work on his aim... Needless to say the Bissel steamer is standing by!)
I am still keeping him pants/underwear-less around the house. I truly think that is the key. When we went to pick up Em from school I took a chance and did NOT put a pull up on him for the 15 minute time away from the house. He did great, no accidents!
Then around 2pm I noticed his cough was getting a bit heartier and his nose was starting to run pretty bad. By 3:30, his eyes were glazing over and I felt his head - yep, a fever, so I diapered him up for the hour that we would be at Em's ballet class. He fell asleep in the car and stayed that way the entire class. When we got home I could tell he was miserable. I changed a wet diaper and asked him if he needed to use the potty. He got very upset and asked for a new diaper - I obliged knowing how crappy he was feeling with a 101 fever. He didn't want any dinner, but did drink a big milk before bed. I Vick's-ed his feet and he is sleeping soundly now. Fingers crossed whatever is attacking his immune system will be outed by the morning and we can start OPT Ben Day 3 fresh and ready!
Ben-ism of the day: Ben sneezed twice. I only said, "Bless you," once. Ben chastises me with, "NEEDS 2 BLESS YOU, MOMMY!"
Emma-ism of the other day: This elephant girl never forgets. Whenever we visit Grandpop in FL, he always tells her he is going to buy her a car when she is 16. Randomly while driving home from school the other day, she announced, "When I grow up, Grandpop is going to buy me a car. A red one. With 4 doors." Hope you are saving your pennies, Grandpop!!
7:01 I am confronted with a giant poopy diaper.
7:03 Ben is all cleaned up and ready to start Day 2 of OPT Ben. (If you have no clue what I am talking about, scroll down and read first.)
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the poopy diaper. I was really hoping to get the chance to challenge him to do his #2 business on the potty today. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Oh, and the next day. Oh, and the rest of his life! (Hopefully it won't take THAT long!)
The good news is he was a super potty pee-er all day! He even told us a few times, "Go pee pee. Go pee pee on potty." Then would run over to the kiddie potty and stand over it. (Now if we could just work on his aim... Needless to say the Bissel steamer is standing by!)
I am still keeping him pants/underwear-less around the house. I truly think that is the key. When we went to pick up Em from school I took a chance and did NOT put a pull up on him for the 15 minute time away from the house. He did great, no accidents!
Then around 2pm I noticed his cough was getting a bit heartier and his nose was starting to run pretty bad. By 3:30, his eyes were glazing over and I felt his head - yep, a fever, so I diapered him up for the hour that we would be at Em's ballet class. He fell asleep in the car and stayed that way the entire class. When we got home I could tell he was miserable. I changed a wet diaper and asked him if he needed to use the potty. He got very upset and asked for a new diaper - I obliged knowing how crappy he was feeling with a 101 fever. He didn't want any dinner, but did drink a big milk before bed. I Vick's-ed his feet and he is sleeping soundly now. Fingers crossed whatever is attacking his immune system will be outed by the morning and we can start OPT Ben Day 3 fresh and ready!
Ben-ism of the day: Ben sneezed twice. I only said, "Bless you," once. Ben chastises me with, "NEEDS 2 BLESS YOU, MOMMY!"
Emma-ism of the other day: This elephant girl never forgets. Whenever we visit Grandpop in FL, he always tells her he is going to buy her a car when she is 16. Randomly while driving home from school the other day, she announced, "When I grow up, Grandpop is going to buy me a car. A red one. With 4 doors." Hope you are saving your pennies, Grandpop!!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Chronicles of OPT Ben, Day 1
6:17 wake up, change diaper because it too early and mama not ready to focus
8:45 mama remembers it's OPT day and strips down the kid. She promptly departs for BJs deserting Daddy to take the first shift.
10:00 Mama home, no pee yet.
11:00 Ben commands Daddy to go in the living room leaving him alone in his bedroom (translated: he needs to poop). Daddy does not leave.
11:05 Ben sneaks into our bedroom for a split second and craps on the floor and pees on a tshirt left on the floor. He then steps in it and tracks it into the living room. The cleanup begins.
2:30 He dribbles a bit of pee pee so we encourage him to sit on kiddie potty. He sits, but cannot pee anymore.
2:47 He finally lets loose a giant stream that he has been holding all day. I dive at him to catch some in the kiddie potty. We all hoot and holler like we just won the lottery. He takes the creation and dumps it in the big toilet, flushes, and gets a piece of chocolate. Mama cleans what didn't make it in.
Fingers crossed we can catch the next one faster! :)
UPDATE: 3:50 Ben dances. Mama has him try to pee. He actually tries without a fuss (!!!) but no go.
4:00 He squirts the tiniest pee but stops himself. Mama grabs the potty and places it in front of him. He goes pee on command! Woohoo! Commence Lottery Dance!
4:29 Ben agains pees into potty on command! (Happy happy Mama!!)
5:49 Pees on command before bath!
6:08 Pees on floor but pinches it after a screech from Mommy, finishes into kiddie potty.
6:38 Dribbles on the couch while playing with leapster, but catches himself and runs over to kiddie potty to finish up. (It's so darn cute! He stands all bull legged over the bowl and practically loses his balance!)
6:53 He pees one last time on command before putting on a diaper for bed.
Today was an absolute success. Please, Universe, let him retain the muscle memory and continue to excel tomorrow! (And, if you don't mind, get him to get the pooh into the toilet and not on my carpet again - I'd be REALLY appreciative!)
8:45 mama remembers it's OPT day and strips down the kid. She promptly departs for BJs deserting Daddy to take the first shift.
10:00 Mama home, no pee yet.
11:00 Ben commands Daddy to go in the living room leaving him alone in his bedroom (translated: he needs to poop). Daddy does not leave.
11:05 Ben sneaks into our bedroom for a split second and craps on the floor and pees on a tshirt left on the floor. He then steps in it and tracks it into the living room. The cleanup begins.
2:30 He dribbles a bit of pee pee so we encourage him to sit on kiddie potty. He sits, but cannot pee anymore.
2:47 He finally lets loose a giant stream that he has been holding all day. I dive at him to catch some in the kiddie potty. We all hoot and holler like we just won the lottery. He takes the creation and dumps it in the big toilet, flushes, and gets a piece of chocolate. Mama cleans what didn't make it in.
Fingers crossed we can catch the next one faster! :)
UPDATE: 3:50 Ben dances. Mama has him try to pee. He actually tries without a fuss (!!!) but no go.
4:00 He squirts the tiniest pee but stops himself. Mama grabs the potty and places it in front of him. He goes pee on command! Woohoo! Commence Lottery Dance!
4:29 Ben agains pees into potty on command! (Happy happy Mama!!)
5:49 Pees on command before bath!
6:08 Pees on floor but pinches it after a screech from Mommy, finishes into kiddie potty.
6:38 Dribbles on the couch while playing with leapster, but catches himself and runs over to kiddie potty to finish up. (It's so darn cute! He stands all bull legged over the bowl and practically loses his balance!)
6:53 He pees one last time on command before putting on a diaper for bed.
Today was an absolute success. Please, Universe, let him retain the muscle memory and continue to excel tomorrow! (And, if you don't mind, get him to get the pooh into the toilet and not on my carpet again - I'd be REALLY appreciative!)
OPT Ben!
OPT (operation potty train) Ben has begun. The kid is naked from the waist down and so far has not yet gone on the potty - sat on it a bunch, but no goods. He did have one lovely accident at 11am. On my bedroom floor. And it was a number 2 that he then stepped in and tracked across the room. I miss hard wood floors!
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| Our view at this time... |
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Dear Ben,
Mommy's turn:
You are three years old today! THREE!
Yesterday, when we asked you, "Ben, how old are you?" You replied, fingers and all, "I'm TWO! I'm a BIG boy!"
Yes, you are, sweet little man. You are a big boy. But you are no longer two. As of 9:08am, you are THREE. 3 years old. 3 whole years of giving Daddy and Emma and I (not to mention every single family member and friend you have ever encountered, strangers, too, for that matter) JOY, PURE JOY.
You, at 3 whole years are:
*NOT potty trained, but we will start tomorrow!! (a whole new fun and exciting reason to check back daily, fair readers!!)
*a lover of all things carbs. Waffles for breakfast, pancakes for lunch and pasta for dinner.
*a drinker of V8 fusion... thankfully you LOVE even the nasty tasting blueberry pomegranate!
*an early riser (6:00-7:00), but these past few days you have bypassed our bedroom, gone straight to the living room, turned on the light all by yourself and started playing with your toys!! - only waking me when your diaper is too full or you were thirsty.
*LOVE "Peep and the Big Wide World on PBS.
*LOVE to dramatize the fake loss of your trains ("Oh, NOOOOO! Where's Thomas, where'd he go?"
*HATE all things dinner. You start every dinner meal with giant tears (as if we serve you gruel) and cries of, "Snuggle hug??"
You are a Mama's boy... and I think I like it. Oops. I know I like it...
Daddy's turn:
Ben! 3! That's just outrageous...I VIVIDLY remember you entering this world, and that HAD to have been like 3 weeks ago right? 3 years?? really?
Ok, enough whining about how fast it goes. This year you became an independent person! you talk, converse freely, and explain the things you're feeling or wanting (although the whole "no" means "yes" thing is kinda funny). The purity of your emotion is refreshing, you're not concerned with what anyone's opinion is - HOLD ON TO THAT!
Today we were playing daddy monster, (you asked for it), and when I cornered you on your bed and told you I love you, you replied "I love you, too, daddy." The sense of gratitude that you and Emma both stoke in my spirit is beyond refreshing; its restorative.
We went sledding today and you ended up with a face full of snow.
We were throwing snowballs outside and you ended up with a face full of snow.
Both times you were excited.
I love that when i leave you say, "Bye Dat!! Seeyoosoon!"
Ben, you are a champion! you and your sister are leaders! Everyday I'm grateful for the privilege of being your father.
Happy Birthday!
You are three years old today! THREE!
Yesterday, when we asked you, "Ben, how old are you?" You replied, fingers and all, "I'm TWO! I'm a BIG boy!"
Yes, you are, sweet little man. You are a big boy. But you are no longer two. As of 9:08am, you are THREE. 3 years old. 3 whole years of giving Daddy and Emma and I (not to mention every single family member and friend you have ever encountered, strangers, too, for that matter) JOY, PURE JOY.
You, at 3 whole years are:
*NOT potty trained, but we will start tomorrow!! (a whole new fun and exciting reason to check back daily, fair readers!!)
*a lover of all things carbs. Waffles for breakfast, pancakes for lunch and pasta for dinner.
*a drinker of V8 fusion... thankfully you LOVE even the nasty tasting blueberry pomegranate!
*an early riser (6:00-7:00), but these past few days you have bypassed our bedroom, gone straight to the living room, turned on the light all by yourself and started playing with your toys!! - only waking me when your diaper is too full or you were thirsty.
*LOVE "Peep and the Big Wide World on PBS.
*LOVE to dramatize the fake loss of your trains ("Oh, NOOOOO! Where's Thomas, where'd he go?"
*HATE all things dinner. You start every dinner meal with giant tears (as if we serve you gruel) and cries of, "Snuggle hug??"
You are a Mama's boy... and I think I like it. Oops. I know I like it...
Daddy's turn:
Ben! 3! That's just outrageous...I VIVIDLY remember you entering this world, and that HAD to have been like 3 weeks ago right? 3 years?? really?
Ok, enough whining about how fast it goes. This year you became an independent person! you talk, converse freely, and explain the things you're feeling or wanting (although the whole "no" means "yes" thing is kinda funny). The purity of your emotion is refreshing, you're not concerned with what anyone's opinion is - HOLD ON TO THAT!
Today we were playing daddy monster, (you asked for it), and when I cornered you on your bed and told you I love you, you replied "I love you, too, daddy." The sense of gratitude that you and Emma both stoke in my spirit is beyond refreshing; its restorative.
We went sledding today and you ended up with a face full of snow.
We were throwing snowballs outside and you ended up with a face full of snow.
Both times you were excited.
I love that when i leave you say, "Bye Dat!! Seeyoosoon!"
Ben, you are a champion! you and your sister are leaders! Everyday I'm grateful for the privilege of being your father.
Happy Birthday!
Presents!
We woke up this morning to a Winter wonderland. It continued to snow most of the day and we ended up with about 6 inches. Emma noticed it first and wanted to get outside to play before she even had breakfast! Ben was nonchalant until Emma mentioned he could go outside and build a "Snow Duck" (imitating a Peep episode), then he wouldn't shut up about going outside either!
The challenge of the morning though was getting our now 3 year old to put on boots and snow pants and a coat and mittens and a hat. He wanted none of it! He kept slapping his chest hollering between tears, "No! No, Mommy! Just shirt, just pants. No coat. No boots. Wear brown shoes!" etc. I finally got them all geared up and outside. The mittens did not last, but at least he kept the hat on!
After lunch, we headed down the street to the high school for a trial run of our new sleds, a Christmas present from Gramma Lou. I am happy to report they work awesomely - both kids were going down the hill solo by the end of our session. (He even kept his mittens on for this event!) After every run Ben would yell, "I did it! It was fun!"
We had an early dinner of our favorite pizza - something I knew he would actually eat before gorging himself on cake - and gorging he did!! (click to enlarge:)
If you have 63 seconds and want to watch him in action, I uploaded a short video to my youtube account: http://youtu.be/hxrRg6cmPLA
The challenge of the morning though was getting our now 3 year old to put on boots and snow pants and a coat and mittens and a hat. He wanted none of it! He kept slapping his chest hollering between tears, "No! No, Mommy! Just shirt, just pants. No coat. No boots. Wear brown shoes!" etc. I finally got them all geared up and outside. The mittens did not last, but at least he kept the hat on!
After lunch, we headed down the street to the high school for a trial run of our new sleds, a Christmas present from Gramma Lou. I am happy to report they work awesomely - both kids were going down the hill solo by the end of our session. (He even kept his mittens on for this event!) After every run Ben would yell, "I did it! It was fun!"
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| Happiness is... |
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| Forks schmorks! |
Friday, January 20, 2012
Goodbyes
We had our last speech therapy session yesterday at the library. We were supposed to participate in a library class, but Ben wanted nothing to do with it and tantrummed for about 10 minutes. In his defense, the class was in the room we go to every Friday morning to play with TRAINS. He was expecting trains. He got puppets. As fun as the puppets looked, they certainly did not interest Ben so we ended up back upstairs in the children's library doing puzzles.
He was super cute and very well spoken during the tantrum. Through his hysterical tears and thrashing about on the floor he made it very clear what he wanted. "No! No play puppets. Play trains. Come on, Mom. Open the door (the trains are stored in a closed that he knows very well as he participates in the "clean up" every Friday). It's locked, Mom! Open it. Open it, pleeeeeeeeease!!"
It was actually pretty emotional to say goodbye to the therapist. Ben, obviously, had no clue he would never see her again, but I knew, and I also know how much she means to Ben and how excited he gets when he knows she is coming over. I am curious to see if he will ask for her next week or down the line.
I also know how much she adores Ben - she mentioned on many occasions how much she looked forward to the sessions with him and after 20 years of doing this kind of work she said she never laughed as much as she does in a session with Ben (he has quite the funny bone).
So we close out another chapter in our lives. Ben has not only achieved the goals we set out for him at the beginning of the sessions, he has far surpassed them and excelled in so many ways with his communication. Thank you, Miss Kathy for all that you did. We will miss you.
He was super cute and very well spoken during the tantrum. Through his hysterical tears and thrashing about on the floor he made it very clear what he wanted. "No! No play puppets. Play trains. Come on, Mom. Open the door (the trains are stored in a closed that he knows very well as he participates in the "clean up" every Friday). It's locked, Mom! Open it. Open it, pleeeeeeeeease!!"
It was actually pretty emotional to say goodbye to the therapist. Ben, obviously, had no clue he would never see her again, but I knew, and I also know how much she means to Ben and how excited he gets when he knows she is coming over. I am curious to see if he will ask for her next week or down the line.
I also know how much she adores Ben - she mentioned on many occasions how much she looked forward to the sessions with him and after 20 years of doing this kind of work she said she never laughed as much as she does in a session with Ben (he has quite the funny bone).
So we close out another chapter in our lives. Ben has not only achieved the goals we set out for him at the beginning of the sessions, he has far surpassed them and excelled in so many ways with his communication. Thank you, Miss Kathy for all that you did. We will miss you.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Birthday party 1 of 3
Gramma Lou was in town this past weekend so we had an early Birthday party for Ben. When we brought the Quack cake (from Peep and the Big Wide World) out, Ben was super excited. He even started singing the first line of the song. When he realized everyone was looking at him, he suddenly got all self conscious and tried to run away! I snatched him up and he blew out the candle announcing, "I DID IT!"
The Tinkertoys he received were a hit, with Emma - not him so much yet, unless you consider him bashing into Emma's creations with his McQueen car a hit...
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| Why, yes, I did make the cake from scratch - well from a box, but the design was freehand! |
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| Typical mess in the Penthouse. |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The THUD heard around the world.
As a parent there is no worse sound than a THUD from another room. And, not just any THUD. But a THUD that shakes the house and is followed by - not crying - but whimpering. And not your dog "I need to pee" whimper, but your Benjiboogleheimer I just took a header off your precious new bunk beds making you wonder if you made the right decision in buying them while your children are still so young.
Guess where we ended up?
After the Great THUD of 2012 at 4:50pm today, I rushed into the kids bedroom to find Emma completely frozen on the ladder of the bunk beds staring at Ben who was face down on the floor. He was squirming around in pain, but it looked as though all limbs and neck were in tact so I stood him up and he whimpered, "Hurt head. Benny fall down. Hurt head." I held him close and rubbed his back and then the real tears kicked in (which I am told is a GOOD sign). I picked him up and took him into the living room. Emma followed me and answered questions as best as possible about the fall. (She didn't see how it happened, just saw the aftermath, "He landed on his belly with his arms and legs out to the side!") As I held Benny on my lap I observed his behavior - he was looking a bit drunk but the crying was slowing down and he was babbling a bit about his head. I then did what any self respecting parent would do, I grabbed the phone and called my Mommy.
Now, just to remind you, my Mommy happens to be a nurse so I figured she was better than 911 to call because she actually went to school and the 911 callers just have on the job phone training...
I told her what happened and she said the whole "he looks drunk" indicates he may have a concussion and I should probably bring him to the ER. I agreed and hung up the phone. I grabbed the iPad to play an episode of Peep and the Big Wide World to keep Ben's spirits up while I got the diaper bag together. As I was loading up my wallet and some sippy cups and snacks, Ben was watching his show and laughing at his usual spots and starting to look like his normal self, so I paused in my rush to get him to the hospital and thought, "Okay, let me make some dinner and I'll keep an eye on him and see how it goes."
Well, 20 minutes later he was weaving back and forth in his seat looking as though he was going to pass out and drooling. My heart squeezed tight in a slight panic attack. I again picked up the phone this time calling my good fireman friend whose 4 year old son is recovering from a concussion. I told him what happened and he said, "Take him to Stony Brook Pediatric ER. They are the best. You'll be in and out in an hour."
Never one to disobey a man in uniform, I got shoes and coats on the kids and them into the minivan in about two minutes flat and we were off to the hospital about a 12 minute drive away. Ben was lethargic and sleepy the whole drive. I reached back at every red light to give him a good shake awake. Emma was an absolute super star, behaving like a perfect angel - obviously worried about her baby brother.
We made it to the ER in good time, valet parked the car (how freakin' awesome is free valet parking for ER patients??), scooped a now comatose Ben out of his seat, and went into the Pediatric ER. We were in with the triage nurse within 5 minutes and it was next to impossible for her to get any vitals out of the kid because he was so flopsy. She then printed out a hospital bracelet with Ben's info on it and proceeded to wrap it around the kid's left wrist.
I don't know what kind of ink they use to print those bracelets or maybe it is the plastic of the bracelet itself, but IT HEALED BEN. I swear!! The nurse finished attaching the bracelet and the kid snapped out of whatever alternate universe he was in, woke up and drunkenly said, "No! Take it off. Put it in trash! Put it in trash." The nurse led us to a triage room, and there we waited for about 5 minutes before the ER doctor came in. In that five minutes, Benjamin went from drunken frat boy to his normal technophile boy, "Mommy, play Moody Monster on Ben's iPad?" (Of course I packed the iPad!! I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to entertain the 4 year old!)
The doctor came in, Ben totally let her check him out, she explained to me that he is a textbook example of a kid with a head injury that is not serious - no concussion presented - he was simply "stunned" for an hour and is now over it and back to himself. The "spot" on his forehead that took the brunt of the fall didn't even swell into a goose egg, just kind of looks like rug burn... He left the hospital running and jumping and singing the Peep theme song, his usual happy go lucky self.
So, WOOHOO! for hospital bracelets. And little boys who recover quickly. And Mommy's who are nurses. And friends who are fireman. And Pediatric ERs who get families in and out in less than an hour... And Trader Joe's Dark chocolate. I certainly needed a lot of the latter after the kids went to bed tonight...
We have so much to be grateful for this evening.
Guess where we ended up?
 |
| Can you say, "Pediatric ER at Stony Brook University?" |
Now, just to remind you, my Mommy happens to be a nurse so I figured she was better than 911 to call because she actually went to school and the 911 callers just have on the job phone training...
I told her what happened and she said the whole "he looks drunk" indicates he may have a concussion and I should probably bring him to the ER. I agreed and hung up the phone. I grabbed the iPad to play an episode of Peep and the Big Wide World to keep Ben's spirits up while I got the diaper bag together. As I was loading up my wallet and some sippy cups and snacks, Ben was watching his show and laughing at his usual spots and starting to look like his normal self, so I paused in my rush to get him to the hospital and thought, "Okay, let me make some dinner and I'll keep an eye on him and see how it goes."
Well, 20 minutes later he was weaving back and forth in his seat looking as though he was going to pass out and drooling. My heart squeezed tight in a slight panic attack. I again picked up the phone this time calling my good fireman friend whose 4 year old son is recovering from a concussion. I told him what happened and he said, "Take him to Stony Brook Pediatric ER. They are the best. You'll be in and out in an hour."
Never one to disobey a man in uniform, I got shoes and coats on the kids and them into the minivan in about two minutes flat and we were off to the hospital about a 12 minute drive away. Ben was lethargic and sleepy the whole drive. I reached back at every red light to give him a good shake awake. Emma was an absolute super star, behaving like a perfect angel - obviously worried about her baby brother.
We made it to the ER in good time, valet parked the car (how freakin' awesome is free valet parking for ER patients??), scooped a now comatose Ben out of his seat, and went into the Pediatric ER. We were in with the triage nurse within 5 minutes and it was next to impossible for her to get any vitals out of the kid because he was so flopsy. She then printed out a hospital bracelet with Ben's info on it and proceeded to wrap it around the kid's left wrist.
I don't know what kind of ink they use to print those bracelets or maybe it is the plastic of the bracelet itself, but IT HEALED BEN. I swear!! The nurse finished attaching the bracelet and the kid snapped out of whatever alternate universe he was in, woke up and drunkenly said, "No! Take it off. Put it in trash! Put it in trash." The nurse led us to a triage room, and there we waited for about 5 minutes before the ER doctor came in. In that five minutes, Benjamin went from drunken frat boy to his normal technophile boy, "Mommy, play Moody Monster on Ben's iPad?" (Of course I packed the iPad!! I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to entertain the 4 year old!)
The doctor came in, Ben totally let her check him out, she explained to me that he is a textbook example of a kid with a head injury that is not serious - no concussion presented - he was simply "stunned" for an hour and is now over it and back to himself. The "spot" on his forehead that took the brunt of the fall didn't even swell into a goose egg, just kind of looks like rug burn... He left the hospital running and jumping and singing the Peep theme song, his usual happy go lucky self.
So, WOOHOO! for hospital bracelets. And little boys who recover quickly. And Mommy's who are nurses. And friends who are fireman. And Pediatric ERs who get families in and out in less than an hour... And Trader Joe's Dark chocolate. I certainly needed a lot of the latter after the kids went to bed tonight...
We have so much to be grateful for this evening.
Friday, January 6, 2012
LET IT BE KNOWN:
Tonight I had my first "real" conversation with Benjamin. No, let me fix that. Tonight, I had my first real conversation with Benjamin. I am removing the quotation marks because I want you to know WE HAD A REAL CONVERSATION.
We had an untraditional evening... Usually the kids go to bed at the same time around 7:15pm. Tonight Em was enjoying one of the movies Santa brought her and because she had behaved so very well today I figured, hey why not let the kid stay up until 8pm when the movie was over.
Ben, who woke up at 6:15am was getting quite sleepy looking by 7pm so I took him into their room and got him snuggled into his bunk bed. Instead of reading him a book, I opted for chatting with him about a recap of our very busy day. Much to my surprise, being solo - no sister to interrupt - HE RESPONDED IN FULL SENTENCES TO MY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DAY!!!
Me: "Wow, buddy, we had a very busy day today. Kathy came by this morning and we played some fun games! What games did we play?"
Ben: "The duck game."
Me: "That's right! We played the duck game!! What color was the Daddy duckie?"
Silence.
Me: "The Daddy duckie was blue! What color was the Mommy duckie?"
Ben: "The Mommy duckie was yellow."
Me, stunned that he actually answered me and wanting this to continue, "That's right, Ben!! The Mommy duckie was yellow! And where were the ducks swimming?"
Ben: silence.
Me: "Were the ducks swimming in the big pond and the little pond?"
Ben: "Yep."
Me, encouraged, "And they were playing in the sandbox..."
Ben, "And they had a picnic!"
Me thinking HOLY CRAP this kid is recapping our speech therapy session, "That's right! They had a picnic! Then what did they do?"
Ben, "They crossed the bridge."
Me, "Ben, they did! They crossed the bridge! Then what happened?"
Ben with a giant big remembering grin on his face, "They fell off the bridge. Oh NOOOOO!" he replied with great theatrics. (Ben loves to makes his toys "fall" or "crash" with a the "Oh, noooo!" voice effect.)
We went on for another 5 minutes talking ever so casually about the day as if this was something we did every evening before bed. The give and take was easy breezy and I fell even more madly deeply in love with my kid than ever before. (Is this even possible?)
We hosted an 8 kid playdate in the penthouse this afternoon. I am happy to report all the kiddos got along great and the parents enjoyed some good conversation. Today was truly a great day. *heart swelling*
We had an untraditional evening... Usually the kids go to bed at the same time around 7:15pm. Tonight Em was enjoying one of the movies Santa brought her and because she had behaved so very well today I figured, hey why not let the kid stay up until 8pm when the movie was over.
Ben, who woke up at 6:15am was getting quite sleepy looking by 7pm so I took him into their room and got him snuggled into his bunk bed. Instead of reading him a book, I opted for chatting with him about a recap of our very busy day. Much to my surprise, being solo - no sister to interrupt - HE RESPONDED IN FULL SENTENCES TO MY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DAY!!!
Me: "Wow, buddy, we had a very busy day today. Kathy came by this morning and we played some fun games! What games did we play?"
Ben: "The duck game."
Me: "That's right! We played the duck game!! What color was the Daddy duckie?"
Silence.
Me: "The Daddy duckie was blue! What color was the Mommy duckie?"
Ben: "The Mommy duckie was yellow."
Me, stunned that he actually answered me and wanting this to continue, "That's right, Ben!! The Mommy duckie was yellow! And where were the ducks swimming?"
Ben: silence.
Me: "Were the ducks swimming in the big pond and the little pond?"
Ben: "Yep."
Me, encouraged, "And they were playing in the sandbox..."
Ben, "And they had a picnic!"
Me thinking HOLY CRAP this kid is recapping our speech therapy session, "That's right! They had a picnic! Then what did they do?"
Ben, "They crossed the bridge."
Me, "Ben, they did! They crossed the bridge! Then what happened?"
Ben with a giant big remembering grin on his face, "They fell off the bridge. Oh NOOOOO!" he replied with great theatrics. (Ben loves to makes his toys "fall" or "crash" with a the "Oh, noooo!" voice effect.)
We went on for another 5 minutes talking ever so casually about the day as if this was something we did every evening before bed. The give and take was easy breezy and I fell even more madly deeply in love with my kid than ever before. (Is this even possible?)
We hosted an 8 kid playdate in the penthouse this afternoon. I am happy to report all the kiddos got along great and the parents enjoyed some good conversation. Today was truly a great day. *heart swelling*
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
SPEAK to me
Ben only has 6 sessions left before his "Speech Therapy Prescription" expires. We probably could have renewed and milked the State for another 5 months, but honestly a) the State is broke and that is dishonest, and b) the little stud is a jibber jabber jaw now. Today we met his therapist, Kathy, at the library. When Ben saw her across the way, he yelled, "Kathy!!" and ran to give her a giant big hug. I know how much he adores her and he is really going to miss her. I will miss her, too, she has showed (reminded?) me lots of great ideas for helping him along - things I already knew and did with Emma that somehow got lost in my tired 40 year old brain somewhere. What I won't miss is my OCD need to have my house CLEAN before she arrives twice a week. That will actually give me more time to focus on Benny one on one while big sister is in school instead of flipping on Sesame Street while I scrub the toilet. Oi!
Today at the library five minutes into the session, Kathy suggested Ben try a certain activity. Ben wasn't interested in the activity and said, "Nope. Bye, Kathy. Go home now!" We convinced him to stay for a bit and play. He discovered the shelves of holiday dvd animations and removed them one by one talking about each of the covers. At one point Kathy reached over to look at one of the DVDs and Ben said sharply, "No, Kathy, no! Don't touch it! It's Ben's!" Kathy got a kick out of that and replied, "Ben, I will only obey because you are talking so good these days." Bossy little magoo...
Our arts and crafts afternoons continue. Today we made princess crowns complete with 'jewels' and cupcake wrappers. One of these days I'll remember to take a picture of the crafts and post them for you all to admire. ;)
Today at the library five minutes into the session, Kathy suggested Ben try a certain activity. Ben wasn't interested in the activity and said, "Nope. Bye, Kathy. Go home now!" We convinced him to stay for a bit and play. He discovered the shelves of holiday dvd animations and removed them one by one talking about each of the covers. At one point Kathy reached over to look at one of the DVDs and Ben said sharply, "No, Kathy, no! Don't touch it! It's Ben's!" Kathy got a kick out of that and replied, "Ben, I will only obey because you are talking so good these days." Bossy little magoo...
Our arts and crafts afternoons continue. Today we made princess crowns complete with 'jewels' and cupcake wrappers. One of these days I'll remember to take a picture of the crafts and post them for you all to admire. ;)
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012, Hello!
Happy New Year!! The kids and I crashed by 10pm New Year's Eve. Daddy made it to midnight but had gotten sucked into a documentary and missed the ball drop - not so necessary to see when all your peeps have gone to bed and there is no one to smooch!
I am happy to report the bunk beds are working out fine. The switch of the kids to the little room is working out more than fine. You see, the little room has a giant sliding glass door out to our deck and lets in a ton of light by day. The kids have actually spent hours the past few days in their room playing together nicely!! (mostly nicely - Ben likes to climb up to the top bunk and launch things down. He nailed Em square on the noggin with a wooden train that resulted in some big tears. But other than a few episodes like that...) The sliding glass door is ridiculously heavy - I mean give me a hernia every time I try to open it heavy, so I am not worried about them getting out onto the deck without me knowing. They hardly ever played in their room when they were in the master - now I am guessing it is because it was so dim in there! Awesome bonus for the parents!! I LOVE having my own large uncluttered space. It has truly soothed my soul. Can't explain it well, but I am very happy.
We have spent many afternoons around the penthouse burning through all the arts and crafts projects that Santa left us. "Alex Little Hands" is my new best friend. The weather here has actually been nice and sunny - not too cold, 40s˚ to 50s˚, so we've been getting outside for long walks around our complex. Ben has his "hike" that he likes to take, down to bldg 3, he circles it two or three times, then walks up the tree line behind bldg 4 all the way over to Emma's "private rock garden" where we pick rocks for art projects and get "lost" in the jungle at the fork in the road. (We live in a very exotic sounding development, no?) Today I had to dig out my magic mirror in order to find Emma - she had been taken by a mean monkey and held captive... (Her imagination - Ben's, too - is flourishing!! It's fun to watch.)
Have y'all heard of the Poingo book series? I picked them up over a year ago and forgot about them. The kids discovered them when we rearranged the rooms and are having a blast with them. Who knew?
I am happy to report the bunk beds are working out fine. The switch of the kids to the little room is working out more than fine. You see, the little room has a giant sliding glass door out to our deck and lets in a ton of light by day. The kids have actually spent hours the past few days in their room playing together nicely!! (mostly nicely - Ben likes to climb up to the top bunk and launch things down. He nailed Em square on the noggin with a wooden train that resulted in some big tears. But other than a few episodes like that...) The sliding glass door is ridiculously heavy - I mean give me a hernia every time I try to open it heavy, so I am not worried about them getting out onto the deck without me knowing. They hardly ever played in their room when they were in the master - now I am guessing it is because it was so dim in there! Awesome bonus for the parents!! I LOVE having my own large uncluttered space. It has truly soothed my soul. Can't explain it well, but I am very happy.
We have spent many afternoons around the penthouse burning through all the arts and crafts projects that Santa left us. "Alex Little Hands" is my new best friend. The weather here has actually been nice and sunny - not too cold, 40s˚ to 50s˚, so we've been getting outside for long walks around our complex. Ben has his "hike" that he likes to take, down to bldg 3, he circles it two or three times, then walks up the tree line behind bldg 4 all the way over to Emma's "private rock garden" where we pick rocks for art projects and get "lost" in the jungle at the fork in the road. (We live in a very exotic sounding development, no?) Today I had to dig out my magic mirror in order to find Emma - she had been taken by a mean monkey and held captive... (Her imagination - Ben's, too - is flourishing!! It's fun to watch.)
Have y'all heard of the Poingo book series? I picked them up over a year ago and forgot about them. The kids discovered them when we rearranged the rooms and are having a blast with them. Who knew?
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