So My Question Is:

Ben had his first little accident today. Now that he really rolls everywhere, he is hard to keep an eye on. We keep him blocked in with toys during his feeds so he can't pull his IV pole down... but during his feeding breaks, we let him roam free. He usually doesn't explore too much, but today he was rather adventurous. He rolled from our family room into our kitchen, traveled across the kitchen by rolling on the tile (a first for Ben), maneuvered his way around the island and rolled right up to the doors to our deck. Quite a trip!

Well later in the day, I decided to take Ben for a walk. I was getting his stroller out of the car and left the front door open so I could peek in and see him (because of the trach, Ben needs a set of eyes on him 24-7). I was only going to be outside for a minute. During the few seconds my back was turned to pull the stroller out of the trunk, Ben actually ROLLED out of our front door (over the raised door jam) and dropped onto the welcome mat (it is a step down from our door to the mat too). Thank goodness the mat was there to break his fall. Ben was VERY upset. I looked him over and he looked good - no scratches or anything. I think he scared himself more than anything. I just couldn't believe it. He's never done that before!!! He doesn't even get close to the front door. I've learned my lesson though and I'm going to have to figure out another way to get his stuff ready for the walk (I hate to close the door when I'm out because I'm afraid Ben might pull his trach out/stop breathing/etc. and I won't be able to see him until I physically come back inside). Could it be time to buy some baby gates?
So my question is:
Was this Ben's first attempt at running away from home? Or was he just so excited to go on a walk that he decided to meet me half way? Or even better, did he miss me so much in that one minute I was gone that he had to come and find me?

Proof is in the Picture

Ben's Gramma Mo sent me this picture of Ben's daddy when he was a little boy. I love it! As you can see, this knee bending starts early for those Russo boys. Even Mike's right arm is in the same position as Ben's. If it wasn't for the bottle, these pictures would be identical!

Like Father, Like Son

Ben is showing more and more of his daddy's traits. The other night, when Ben feel asleep he did something I've never seen him do before. He was sleeping with his legs propped up. Mike does this EVERY night and I can't understand how he sleeps like that. To see Ben doing it was just the funniest thing ever. I took a picture and had to share. I guess Ben must think it's pretty comfortable too.

PS. Yes, Ben sleeps with his eyes open - this is due to his facial palsy and he gets frequent eye drops and eye ointment to protect his eyes because of this. However, I like to tell people that he sleeps with eyes open because he doesn't want to miss a thing.

Still Finding Time for FUN!

Yes, Ben's still been finding time for fun. He has learned to balance things on his forehead - it cracks me up! He sits toys or his pacifier on top of his head, pulls he hands down and is like TADAA!! He concentrates so hard while he is doing this. I love it!

Test Results

I got a call from the GI doctor's office this afternoon and they have a final reading on Ben's PH/Impedance Probe. His nissen is still intact and he is doing absolutely no refluxing up from his stomach (the doctor's were surprised to see this - I wasn't because I didn't think that was causing airway damage and was skeptical when they even brought it up). Anything the probe measured came from Ben's mouth down (saliva) - so we have been instructed to do ABSOLUTELY NO ORAL TASTES OF ANY SORT. GI just wants to follow-up with Ben in a few months, but there is nothing surgically or test wise for them to do at this point. Check GI issues off the list.

Now we just need to see what ENT has to say. GI contacted them and discussed the results. Everyone was so sure reflux of some sort (acid reflux, silent reflux, etc) was causing Ben's major airway damage. ENT said once GI got a handle on those issues and fixed them, they would step in. Well, change in plans - any airway issues Ben has is now something ENT needs to address. Personally, I think it is all due to his constant aspiration of saliva. Hopefully this drool procedures fixes that. We have noticed a slight improvement in Ben's secretions (and I do mean slight). We have a follow-up appointment with ENT in a week and a half.

Our Super Star

On a positive note, here is Ben being our little super star. It's hard to stay sad for long when you have this little cutie showing off some of his great skills. We've waited a year and a half to have our baby hear noises. The fact that he now knows his name AND respond to it makes my heart jump every time! Giving Ben sound is the best gift I've ever received. His cochlear implant is a blessing and the best decision we've ever made.

Old photos of Ben

I came across these older photos of Ben scooting around our family room. I thought they were so funny and they show his "unique" method of getting places.