Binky goes bye-bye, scapes, bruises, and bumps

It's been a rough couple of days for my baby boy. We took the Binky away and it's put Ben a bit out of sorts. Thankfully, he's going to sleep (and staying asleep) quite well, but we can tell that his sleep is restless and he isn't sleeping as long. Each day, before his nap and before bedtime, he talks about the Binky ~ he says a dozen times, "Binky go bye-bye?" and then "what do?" ~ meaning, what should we do now? Also, he wakes up saying "Binky go bye-bye" ~ it's very sad to me even though he seems to be coping relatively well. He is also more crabby during the day ~ perhaps because he is subconsciously missing the Binky or because he isn't getting a good nights sleep.

Then, if losing your security item isn't enough, he has been getting all kinds of bumps, bruises, and scrapes. First, Ben tried to do a hand-stand on the driveway ~ for some reason he lifted his hands and bonk...fell right on his head. He didn't cry, but he had a huge goose-egg on his forehead that has now turned a nasty green color. He scrapped his leg climbing out of the pool, slammed his finger in the closet door, bonked his head on the T.V. shelf, fell while running in the house and bonked his head on the hardwood floors, I zipped his skin in a zipper (oops ~ I felt horrible!), and he pulled a small terracotta flower pot down on his head. Then, he fell on the rocks outside and cut his toe ~ again, didn't cry but just said "ow". I didn't know he even hurt himself until I saw his toe bleeding. Then, a few days ago, he tripped over the curb and skidded on the pavement, causing a bleeding scrap on his forehead, top of his nose, under his nose, and a fat lip. THEN, yesterday he was standing on our kitchen banquette on a step stool, watching me do dishes (which he has done dozens of times). The step stool broke and he went falling off the banquette, scraping his back, and bonking his head (again!). He also has bruises all over his legs and arms from God only knows what...geez!!! I swear we are not neglecting this child ~ if you have seen him, you can attest that Ben goes a hundred miles an hour and doesn't pay attention to where or what he is doing!!! He is SOO different from Cailey ~ such a little boy!!!! He looks like he lost a boxing fight...I think I will wrap him in bubble wrap soon...or put a helmet on him. :o) :o)

Ben's update

Well, we finally had Ben's evaluation with the speech therapist and occupational therapist yesterday. It was, well, trying ~ to say the least. I was more than a little sad by the time we left the evaluation. The bottom line is that Ben does qualify for the speech therapy and is, in fact, delayed in his speech. It's what we expected going in ~ but, it's still hard to hear it out loud and all laid out in front of me. I know we are doing the right thing with the early intervention, but it still makes me sad that Ben will have to work so hard to catch up. The good news is that we are confident that by his third birthday he will be caught up and will be right on track for his age.

These are the details for anyone that wasn't aware:
Ben has had multiple ear infections and sinus infection since he was eight months old. Last year we had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed (he had a 90% blockage ~ he could barely breath through his nose!) We seemed to be okay through the summer but then winter hit and he was again bombarded with infection after infection. His pediatrician advised us to remove him from daycare because his immune system wasn't able to recover after each infection and he was just more susceptible to another infection. So, as of April 1, I took a leave of absence from work and I have been home with him ever since ~ I must note that he hasn't had an infection since he's been home! His ears look healthy so we are not going to need another round of tubes (thank goodness!), but the damage is done and the ear infections caused Ben to develop mild hearing loss which, in turn, has caused his speech to be delayed ~ he just wasn't hearing the words correctly. The low down from the speech therapist is:

1. Ben will receive speech therapy with a speech therapist twice a month in our home. The therapist didn't feel that we needed to be as aggressive as once a week and that twice a month should do the trick.
2. Ben is in the 5th percentile for speech development ~ the normal range is 16 percentile - 75 percentile. We figure that Ben knows about 75-100 words ~ the bottom of the normal range for boys should be around 150 word...he's almost there, but not quite ~ girls have a higher number of words ~ but, we already knew girls talk a lot more :o) :o) :o)
3. Ben has poor muscle tone in his mouth and tongue. A contributing factor is the pacifier, which Ben still uses when he is sleeping ~ the speech therapist informed us that the pacifier must go immediately because it is training his tongue to stay in the down position which is contributing to the poor muscle development. The Binky went "bye-bye" last night ~ Ben did really well last night and today at nap without it!!! A small victory!!!!
4. We need to cut back on the background noise ~ T.V. should stay off as much as possible! Scott did not like this point :o) :o)
5. We need to do "mirror work" with Ben as much as possible ~ have him copy us making funny faces, sticking out our tongue, moving our tongue around in silly ways ~ this will help to build up his muscle tone in his face and tongue.
6. Ben should drink through a straw as much as possible and preferably thick liquids that would make him work at sucking it through the straw...did I hear milk shake, anyone!!!! Darn, I have to go to Dairy Queen because Ben needs therapy ~ HA HA HA HA HA :o) :o)
7. Ben's speech delay is a result of the hearing loss and poor muscle tone and does not appear to be cognitive or caused by some deeper learning disability ~ small victories!!! He understands speech and language ~ understands it, follows directions, etc. ~ he's just hearing the words muffled (like you have water in your ears) and can't repeat the sounds back correctly.
8. The occupational therapist does not see anything wrong with his motor skills or reasoning skills!! Yeah!

So, there it is. We will be doing speech therapy for as long as it takes to get him into the normal range for his age. We are working with a great program (Child Find and Developmental Pathways) through the school district and we are confident that he will "graduate" from the program in a relatively short amount of time!

More swimming

Today Cailey's Girl Scout troop met at the Apex Center in Arvada. We have never been there, but it was really nice and the kids had so much fun. As usual, I chased Ben from one end of the place to the other. We even went down the BIG water slide ~ no joke...he's fearless and we went down a dozen times!!! Of course, Cailey went down the water slides by herself!!! She absolutely loved having her friends around to hang with ~ she didn't even get bored!!! :o) The Apex Center also had an indoor play thing that the kids played on just before we went home. Ben fell asleep in the car on the way home and then slept in his crib for another two hours after we got home!!! He was SO tired!!! Me, too ~ but I didn't get a nap :\ More pictures!!

Ben ~ say "cheese"!

Cailey and her BFF, Jacqueline:

Alyssa C., Jacqueline, and Cailey:

Rock on!!!

Cailey girl in a calm moment (more like, a calm second):

Playing in the Apex Clubhouse:

Introducing...

Abby The Hamster!!!

Our newest family member. For Cailey's weekly chore reward we agreed to get her a new pet. We figure this is the next step in pet ownership ~ our Beta fish is very low maintenance ~ and the hamster doesn't require as much care or attention as a cat or dog :o) The hamster belongs to Cailey ~ she picked her out, she named her, she picked out the cage (pink ~ in true Cailey fashion), the hamster lives in Cailey's bedroom, and Cailey has to keep her fed, watered, and clean the cage :o)...we'll see how long that lasts.

The cage ~ see, it's truly Cailey's pet :o) :o)

Welcome Dane Robert

Welcome Dane Robert!!!! Congratulations to Robert, Juli and big sister, Lily. Our newest nephew was born 7-17-07. I don't have any of the "official" information, yet. I attached the picture of Lily saying goodbye at the hospital yesterday ~ so cute ~ and pictures of the newest little man. He is SO cute (look at those perfect little lips!) ~ we can't wait to meet him!!!

Life and the cup of coffee

A friend sent this to my email ~ I thought it was worth sharing:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, THAT is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and then began eyeing each other's cups."

Now consider this: Life is the coffee. . . and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups . . . enjoy your coffee. Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect; It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections. Drink up.

Okay, I am done with the philosophical stuff :o) :o) Enjoy your day!!!

This is our Friday night

You know you are a mom and your life is nothing like it was when you were a DINK (double income, no kids) when this is how you spend a Friday night ~ and you LOVE it this way. I went to get ready for bed (10pm and I am exhausted!) and found Scott in Ben's room...crashed in the rocking chair...both asleep...both snoring. The harder they play, the harder they crash!!! :o) :o) Funny thing is ~ I don't want to spend Friday night any other way :o) My two boys look too cute sleeping like this!!! Good night ~ don't let the bed bugs bite :o) :o)

Flight of the Butterfly

Today's adventure...The Butterfly Pavilion. Kevin and Kian joined us for a trip to the Butterfly Pavilion. We got to spend the whole day with Kevin and Kian and Raemi (when she got home from work ~ poor working suckers :o)). On a high note, their cat, Mudd Puddle, finally warmed up to Ben and I enough to come out of hiding and get a good scratch from my nails ~ although he was still a bit skittish around Ben...smart cat. They cooked us dinner (yummy buffalo burgers) and Cailey and Kian were able to play outside with the neighbor kids most of the afternoon. We love it when we get to spend time with family!

Kian holding Rosie the tarantula:
Ben checking out a butterfly up close:
Cailey, Ben, and Kian putting up with having their picture taken :o):
Chasing the turtle...what happen to "slow" turtles? This one was fast!:

Catching butterflies:

Santa's Workshop

Another day, another adventure. I am trying to take advantage of the many attractions Colorado has to offer while I can and before Cailey goes back to school...and while Ben still gets free admission. I had another coupon (go figure) for Santa's Workshop in North Pole, Colorado (how cute is that!), so we decided to go today. It was a blast and we had tons of fun with Grandma Sunny. Cailey rode every single ride and Ben rode all but a few (he didn't ride the last few only because Mommy was getting a little motion sick and couldn't go with him :o\)

Ben has no fear of the rides and loved the little roller coaster ~ he said, "WEEEEE" the whole time. Grandpa Rich says Scott was the same way ~ uh, oh! Ben loved the Ferris wheel and gave me a big, unsolicited kiss in the line waiting to get on ~ I, on the other hand, hate the Ferris wheel. I am afraid of heights...actually, I am not afraid of heights, per se...I am afraid of plummeting to the earth at a high rate of speed of which I would not survive ~ so, to ride this ride was yet another show of unsurpassed love for my children ;o) I do love that Ben's fearlessness allows him to enjoy these adventures with us!!! I know he won't remember them, but that's why we take so many pictures!!

Also, CONGRATULATIONS ROMEROS and welcome Ryan Paul (born 7-7-07...now that's a cool birthday...and a lucky one!). Can't wait to see the little handsom guy!!!

Pictures from Santa's Workshop:

Singn' in the rain

Tonight we walked down the street to the little ice cream shop and got ice cream for the kids. The kids rode in the wagon ~ always a treat. Grandma Sunny walked with us and it was a warm, gorgeous evening. As soon as we got back the sky opened up and we had a beautiful, short little rain storm. Cailey and Ben decided to dance in the rain. How cute. We love rain storms. I was able to catch some of it on video, too. I will try to figure out how to post video to this site...hhhhmmm...we'll see.

LOOK AT THIS PICTURE BELOW! I didn't know this picture was on the memory card until I went to post these pictures! I had to call Scott and Cailey in from the other room to look at it. It's, hands down, the freakiest picture I have ever seen. At a closer look ~ which I couldn't capture on this blog ~ she has red eyes and it's really creepy. I did not doctor the photo at all ~ this is totally Exorcist looking ~ WEIRD ~ SPOOKY ~ CREEPY!!!! We said she could be a little devil ~ now we have proof :o) :o) :o) :o) :o) :o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

Today I was feeling very nostalgic and a little weepy ~ maybe it's because Ben is two today and he is growing so fast...or maybe it's because I know we won't have anymore kids and it feels like time is slipping away...or maybe it's just the lack of sleep from a late night and an early morning...yeah that's probably it :o) In any case, this morning at approximately 9:30am (Ben's arrival) I started to reflect on our lives and how, in just two short years, things have changed...we have changed...and how fast time goes by. I decided to pull out some pictures of Ben from his birth day two years ago, from one year ago today, and today ~ to see just how much Ben has grown. Then, I figured this was a great thing to post here to mark Ben's 2nd birthday. Here's to another birthday for Ben!

On another note, we took Ben to get his pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. The photographer commented on how big Ben was and I responded with my usual, "I know! Can you believe he was 4 1/2 weeks pre-mature?" The response is always the same..."Really! You wouldn't know by looking at him now!" I am still deciding whether that is a compliment to his growth or a dig to his size :o) :o)

Two years ago ~ 4 1/2 weeks early and in respiratory distress in the NICU...but still 7 lbs. 3 oz! My poor angel:

One year later ~ look at me grow! Not yet walking, but already a handful :o):

Today!!! I AM TWO YEARS OLD!:

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

We had a fabulous time this July 4th. We decided to celebrate July 4th and Ben's 2nd birthday at the same time. We reserved the little BBQ shelter at the park just across the street from where the fireworks display happens. We had prime seats for the fireworks and the kids enjoyed playing in the water/fountains and the playground. The weather was absolutely perfect ~ a nice change from last year when it rained. I think this was the best birthday we could have had for Ben ~ friends, family, playground, water, food, fireworks, new toys, and doughnuts (instead of cake)!!! All his favorite things!!!! I am so happy we could do this for Ben and, since July 4th is my personal all-time favorite holiday, I am happy we were able to celebrate in such a fantastic way! Thanks to my sis, Holly, we have SOOOOO many pictures to share ~ 300 were taken...no joke! Thank you Bergs, Grandma Sunny, Uncle Rich and Anna, Grandma Kathryn, the Heldts (Mike, Rachel, Aubrey, and Ainsley), the Emersons (Terra, Todd, Lauren, and Hailey), the Parentes (Stephany, Madisyn, and MaKayla), and Chris for making it out to share our celebration and for all your help with the BBQ ~ we had such a blast and it was fun to get together. We didn't get pictures of everyone because some of you left before we got the chance...Boo :o( Also, we want to let everyone that couldn't make it know that we were thinking of you and we missed you...we hope you can join us next year!!!

I love my babies! As I tell Cailey...they will always be my "babies"!!!:

Playing in the fountain and stream ~ look how much fun they are having!:

Weeeeee ~ our friend, Hailey:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!! Ben likes doughnuts so much that we decided to get Krispy Kreme instead of a cake ~ Yum!:Grandma K. enjoying herself the best way she knows how :o):
Love you Grandma! Ben was upset that Papop didn't come out with Grandma ~ but, we understand that you needed to stay home...but, we missed you Papop...especially Ben :o\ Random pictures from our fantastic day:

Ben's new tractor from our friends, the Heldts ~ sorry, Mike, he really likes it so you can't have it back!:

Da' Bergs:Stephany, Madisyn, and MaKayla with sparklers: OOOHHH....AHHHHH ~ bring on the fireworks!!!!!:

It doesn't get much cuter than this ~ this is Cailey and Madisyn waiting for the fireworks to start. Cailey and Madisyn have become good friends and I think this picture captures it perfectly. This picture makes me think of years-gone-by ~ when being a little girl in summertime meant no school, carefree days, bare feet in the grass, hanging with your best friends, the smell of sun screen, the refreshing feel of swimming for hours under the hot sun, being able to stay out until just before dark when you could just begin to feel a hot days air turn to a cool summer night on your skin ~ this picture evokes such a warm feeling for me. Thanks, girls!: