Major cuteness with a side of fussiness

Ben is absolutely adorable these days.

The Prilosec has done the trick.  This video was taken when he was on the Zantac(warning turn volume down):

He was having those crying episode 2-4 times an hour and wanted to just be held and walked around.  Now that he is back on the Prilosec, we only get that type of crankiness from about 3-7pm.  Four hours of that is much better than 16 + hours of it.  I still look forward to a day where he doesn't cry for seemingly no reason.  I know he is crying due to pain, as he has a very different cry when he is tantruming or when he is angry with Liam.

These days Ben is truly a toddler and no longer a baby. He runs and climbs and has even started the dreaded tantrums.  He has Wiggles dances memorized and participates in all the dances at Gymboree.  His hair has otten longer and does this adorable flip by his ears and curls in the back:

He brings toys to you all day and won't leave until you take it from him.  He then says "thank you" giggles and runs to get another toy. He even shares with Murray.

Sleep remains unrelenting awful.  He has taken to staying awake for 2-3 hours a niht about 3-4 days a week.  On a good night, like last night, he wakes twice, but goes right back to sleep.  For naps, he sometimes does not nap at all, sometimes naps 10-20 minutes, and about 2-3 times a week graces us with a 60-90 minute nap.  We have tried everything imainable to get more sleep, but it just isn't happening. Unfortunately, he DOES need more sleep as he often is tired and cranky from lack of sleep.

His saving grace is his big personality and his cuteness.....

Early Intervention success

Liam first met with the developmental pediatrician on November 3, 2009.  He had already been doing Early Intervention for 2 months and was 26 months old. At that time, the developmental pediatrician estimated his receptive language to be that of a 16 month old (about a 10 month delay) and his expressive  language skills to be that of a 24 month old (about an 4 month delay).  Early Intervention was providing services monthly, thouh within a month of that visit, Alabama declared he was "so improved" he only needed to be seen twice a month.  In November, the developmental pediatrician dianosed Liam with PDD-NOS and suggested we start weekly OT and speech therapy 2-3 times a week, in addition to beginning ABA.

So we followed the doctor's orders.  Dave was deployed, so I fought the paperwork battle alone, and then started at the bottom of the waitlist.  Liam gets therapy out of the house 3 days a week, in the house 2 days a week, and gets additional ABA at school.  This schedule has meant sacrificing Ben's naps, and giving up playdates for time in waiting rooms.

The developmental pediatrician wanted to followed up with Liam in 6-9 months.  It has been 8 months, and I was curious to hear what he'd think about Liam's progress.  We brought notes from his ABA tutor.  She said that Liam can answer yes/no questions about 70% of the time and still requires prompting to reciprocate social greetings. She wrote that he is using full sentences more often and able to sit still for longer periods of time.  His OT also sent us with notes.  She said that his transitions without difficulty and has infrequent behavioral outbursts of low intensity and is easily directed.  His OT noted that he still struggles with pincer grasp and is showing marked improvement in sensory integration.

Today the developmental pediatrician was able to confirm that Liam is a success story with early intervention.  His receptive language skills improved 14-16 months in the 8 month span and now are only 4-6 months delayed.  His expresssive language skills are at age level.  His fine motor skills are still ahead at 3.5 years, though obviously he needs to work on his pincer grasp. The developmental pediatrician basically said keep doing what you are doing. 

He was concerned about Liam's hyperactivity.  In the last 6 months, Liam has developed a sensory seeking behavior of running and crashing, and the doctor suspects that Liam will require medication to keep him calm in a school setting.  This crushed me as I didn't see this possibility coming, though I agree Liam's energy is way beyond what I can manage daily.

So we'll keep up the therapy and hope for continued improvement.

Milestones you never hear about

except within the autism spectrum community.  I see why as Ben grows; things come so easily for him, while Liam struggles to internalize certain social behaviors.

Milestone #1:  Liam made a friend.  I don't mean that Liam plays well with a playgroup friend, who he is with because I am friends with the mom.  No, Liam made a friend at school.  They have been in class since September together, but over the last month, they have become inseperable at school.  When I pick up Liam, W runs after him saying "good-bye" and when I remind Liam to say "bye" to his friend, they embrace in a bear hug. W's mom actually told me that W talks about Liam at home and asks repeatedly for Liam to come over to swim.  We are headed to their house after school this afternoon (he doesn't nap anyway, so we might as well go on a playdate). 

Milestone #2:  Liam has begun to spontaneously say "I love you."  He has been saying it as part of routine and/or delayed echolalia as part of the bedtime routine for months now. About two weeks ao, he was playing with Ben and burst out with "Awwwwww, I love you, baby Ben!"  The next day mid-day, he told me "I love you Mommy!"  Then this last weekend,he told Daddy he loved him too.  There was a time I doubted whether Liam would ever be able to tell me how he feels, and everytime he says those words spontaneously, I tear up, realizing how far we have come and how lucky I am.

Milestone #3:  Liam has finally started to look at the camera sometimes, which means I can get some more pictures of his sweet smile, gorgeous blue eyes, and handsome face.  He more often than not says "cheese" and looks away from the camera, but he is beginning to understand more the point of picture taking.

He is also trying to drink from open cups more, though he demands we all say "cheers" first and he drinks from a wine glass, like Mommy and Daddy (blush).

He is really into Thomas the train these days, but still loves his stuffed animals.

We head back to the Developmental Pediatrician next week, and I'll give an update on therapy after that appointment.

We are 0 for 2 with healthy ears and 1 for 2 with adenoids

Liam ot ear tubes in January to help drain the persistent clear fluid he had.  He didn't get many infections, but everyone thought the fluid was impacting his speech.  I didn't see a chane in Liam's speech, but his vestibular system was impacted by the fluid.

Since May, Ben had 3 ear infections.  We saw the ENT last week and he suggested an adenoidectomy to help with Ben's snoring, mouth breathing, and poor sleep.

Ben had surgery this morning.  I was  worried about how he'd manage last night with no nursing after midnight.  He woke at 11:20pm to sneak in one last session, and then let Dave rock him to sleepat 4am.  He was in good spirits at the surgery center, charming everyone in the waiting room.  He did okay getting checked in and looked so tiny in his hospital gown.

Then he got bored, so the nurses got him a wagon.  He was so happy in it, they took him away for surgery still in it!

The surgery was longer than Liam's ear tubes, and it was harder to leave Ben since he is so little.  The ENT said his adenoids were VERY enlarged.  Adenoid size is graded 0 to 4 with 0 being the size of healthy adenoids.  Ben's were a size 3 and would have kept growing until age 5.  In his case, surgery was essential.  When he woke, he had an awful bleeding from his nose. He initially woke from anesthesia upset, but consolable....but the bleeding freaked him out.  He wouldn't nurse and wouldn't calm down and got blood everywhere.  He cried until we got home and I put him in a mei tai.

When he woke, he was calm enough to nurse and drink some yogurt.  He took a bath, played a little, and ot exhausted again.  He is napping as I type.

I am crossing my fingers that his sleep will improve now that Ben can breathe easier without his adenoids obstructing his airway.  I am hopeful that we are done with ear infections for now.

Special needs program gets mixed reviews - Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

This article basically outlines every issue I had getting Liam enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member's Program (EFMP) while Dave was deployed.

Special needs program gets mixed reviews - Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

No one could tell me what happened to the EFMP paperwork after it was filed, and no one could confirm that Liam was successfully enrolled. No one cared that I was completing the paperwork whilemy husband was in Afghanistan and no one took responsibility to inform me when he was enrolled so I could start the ECHO process (a seperate proram so Liam could start ABA). When I contacted the patient advocate at Maxwell, she didn't even know what the EFMP program was and had to call another base to find out how I could confirm that Liam was successfully enrolled.

According to the article, the Air Force lags behind the other branches when it comes to meeting the needs of special needs families.

When we get to Alaska, it looks like there is a non-profit group with parent advocates, and I am looking forward to their help.

Beach vacation continued

So what do you do at the beach with one toddler who loves the beach and one that hates it?  You schedule lots of activities.

Monday we hit the outlets in Sandestin where I bought the boys cord pants, long sleeve shirts, and other Alaska appropriate attire.  Buying winter clothes in Florida in June means very cheap prices.

Tuesday we went on a dolphin cruise.  I am not designed for rough water and there was a red flag that day.  Liam, thankfully, seems to have his father's stomach and cheered louder the more the boat rolled.  Poor Ben kept crying and telling me "all done!"  When we were in the Destin harbor though, the water was smooth and I loved just cruising along.  We saw dolphin's though we have no photo proof.  The captain also shared the neat fact that dolphins have a 30-40 year life span but nurse for the first 2 years to get all the ood immunities a mama dolphin's milk provides. Some photos from the dolphin cruise:

(Ben was sound asleep it was his best defense against the seasickness)

Wednesday we met up with a friend and former co-worker (of mine) from England at Destin Commons.  Steph has a son who is about 9 months younger than Liam and 9 months older than Ben.  All 3 boys had a blast playing at the playground, water feature, and in the air conditioned Bass Pro Shop.  Ben especially loved the water:

On Thursday, we went to the Gulfarium to see dolphins and sea lions perform.  Ben was pretty miserable anytime he got hot as this picture shows:

Friday we went to Baytowne Wharf where Ben rode his first merry-go-round ride, and he didn't like that either.  Liam was in heaven, and insisted on riding a 2nd time:

Saturday, Dave's sister watched the boys so we could o to a very needed dinner out.  We went to Seaar's where we had a luxurious dinner, which included tableside bananas foster, which Seagar's comped for us to thank Dave for his service.