Missing the Holidays Already

It was back to school for Jessie and her classmates today. Ben should have been at school but we've done a good job of mixing up his days and nights over the past two weeks. We'll make a better attempt tonight to make sure he's in bed on time and ready for sleep.

It was interesting meeting up with the other parents who walk their kids home most days. I've gotten to know some of the other mommies and even some dads a little bit better by escorting Jessie home on non-rainy days. Not one parent said they were ready for school to start back! I truly find that unusual.

Of course most wanted to know how Ben fared given his past. It was indeed a pleasure to report how well he is doing. It goes way beyond just being at home with us for a change. In fact Ben blurted out another word just today that we've never heard him say. I was watching Nurse Lisa helping Ben put together a Floam turtle. Floam is basically a liquid Styrofoam that you can shape into objects. It's like Play dough but more gross and sticky, plus it comes in fluorescent bright colors. Ben loves the stuff.

At one point Lisa asked Ben if he wanted to use blue. Ben shook his head indicating no (which he's been able to do for several years now). She then asked whether he wanted green or yellow? The little booger without hesitation said "yellow!" This has happened a number of times over the past three weeks and we do have a theory.

Joan and I talked a long time last night about how much Ben has progressed since he got his new wheelchair. We agree that it is no coincidence that his latest "awakening" occurred after that chair was delivered to us. Why? We have no idea. We know that he is more comfortable sitting up now and that he can use his peripheral vision better. He also has gained a great deal of confidence. Does he tie his identity to that piece of equipment that has become so important to him? We won't know until he can communicate with us a little bit better. But that won't be long if he continues to progress like he has the past month!

Here's a short list of words Ben has used without hardly any encouragement over the past week or so: yellow, animal, more, turtle, Graham (name of his cousin), Elmo, and Sponge Bob.