Well all is quiet in my house and on the internet today, it is Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas everyone! As many of you know, we celebrate Hanukah not Christmas but irregardless of which holiday you celebrate it is a wonderful time of year and very memorable for both Christmas and Hanukah celebrators.
I have been putting off updating for some time and decided to do it today while all is quiet. As you have read in Nov, we were having some great successes and some problems. I have learned that problems will always accompany the successes when it come to Benjamin and have decided to concentrate on the successes and let the problems be a side bar.
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#1 BIG Success, Ben is going to the potty ALL BY HIMSELF NOW!!!!!! >DANCE< >DANCE< We dont have to tell him to go at all. We are into nearly a month of that. He hasnt had any daytime accidents in 3 weeks, YAHOO!!!!
. He has had 3 night time accidents but that is a whole different other therapy (in the side bar category now). >PEACE<
We were very worried earlier this month. Ben was scheduled to go off Valtrex and when he did, he became very stemmy and within a week his sleeping patterns were disrupted, by that, I mean he started waking up in the middle of the night. He was getting HEAVY INTO STEMMING and not initiating communication, you couldnt distract him without him getting angry and hollering. By the 10th Ben was no longer really sleeping only dozing for an hr or so then up and running around the house. Needless to say non of us slept much in the time period either (Yes, I know your thinking well I would have just given him Benedryl or something so I could sleep, no can do, I want the problem FIXED not covered up!).
So I started him on Cortef on the 14th thinking it might help. By the next Tues I saw no difference and called Dr Stewarts office. They called me back the next day and we put him back on Valtrex and he finally slept that night, not his usual time but at least we all got about 5 hrs of sleep. He is averaging that a night now so it tells me something still isnt right because he isnt completely back in his regular pattern, to bed between 10-11 and up at 9 or 10. This kid likes to sleep when everything is going right (Just cant tell you how excited we are when we hear him get up and go to the restroom first thing in the morning without any of us there! >PEACE< )
Anyway, his communication is turning around now since the 20th (back on Valtrex), his stemming is decreasing (praise God), he is smiling and looking at you more, calmer, more playful, aggrevating, saying Hi and Bye without us having to poke him. He has come up with 2 new words WITH 2 SYLYBLYES; AP---PLE (as he says) and HUR---EEEE. Of course you can see those are words that Bob taught him rofl. Bob makes a really good apple sauce or at least Ben thinks so
, so we use that as a VERY HIGH MOTIVATOR for some language. Anyway, he says it now and Bob pulled off the HUR---EEEE the other day when he wanted to go to the Chiropractor. When we got to the Chiro office one of the girls walked up and said Hi to Ben and he said Hi back and then told her to HUR--EEE UP! It was hilarous, she understood him and told him okay.
So, just so you will know we are very thankful that things are turning back around and we are going back up hill again. I was becoming very nervous watching him rushing back down the hill at full speed past us. I decided I wasnt going to let this happen again, and yanked a tree up and hammered it back in Bens path to catch his parachute strings as he went by. NO NO NO, we arent going backwards, only upwards!!!!
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So, that is my 2007 resolution, ONLY FORWARDS NOTTTTTT BACKWARDSSSSSS.
Make sure when you see us this next year, to visit with Ben, say Hi to him, I bet he will say Hi back. For those of you who never met him you cant understand how far we have come in just a 1yr and a half. Check back I will keep you updated.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year, May the Lord Bless you and keep you, May He shine His face upon you and bring you health, wealth and peace. And, remember, there are many others out there that are having to go through this season without loved ones or away from loved ones, so feel blessed if you have everyone you love around you.
