Updates and Some Superhero Sized Milestones
Since my last post man this kid has moved mountains in terms of maturing and doing some things all on his own. Some things, well, we are still working out the kinks but Ben is amazingly resilient! I know most moms say this about all their kids but I just know in my heart this kid is going to do big things in his lifetime, syndrome or not!
We had a few appointments this last spring and summer and things are looking good in terms of overall health. He graduated out of peds cardiology and they don't want to see him back unless his pediatrician warrants it necessary meaning his murmur has subsided enough/isn't audible anymore. WOOHOO! He's also been seen by endocrinology and they believe he's on track for the time being. Possible hormone replacement may be a possibility once he hits the pre-puberty age (around 9/10). That part comes with the syndrome in boys especially from what his endocrinologist has stated. So for now a thumbs up from them and we will keep trying to introduce healthy foods (to the pickiest eater out there), adequate sleep and vitamins to hopefully keep him growing stronger than ever.
He was seen by Blank Psychiatry and had his IQ analyzed. Yeah, apparently they can test a five year old on that, because they've reached peak intelligence by then <insert forehead slap here and sarcasm there> This was very subjective to me as his mom since I know sticking him in a room with a complete stanger and asking him to perform at his highest intellectual ability was just kind of like asking a person from the street to try out brain surgery. I didn't really want it done in the first place but good old insurance and intellectual disability stipends said otherwise. So he did it, we got our results and he scored 2 points higher than what one of the ID stipends considered intellectually disabled so we got dropped from it but overall he is still scoring significantly under the general population of five year olds tested. Super frustrating from an insurance standpoint as the parent but I am also proud he scored what he did because the little dude tried his best, had a few melt downs in the midst of it but made it through and that's all I can ask of him, after all he's FIVE!
We also had our annual check with our favorite Dr ever, our developmental specialist. This guy was put on this earth to treat kids with ID. When I tell you he gets down on their level I literally mean he ran in our room, plopped down next to Ben and started making machine gun noises with the superhero toys he was playing with. He instantly had Ben laughing and joking with him all while assessing him head to toe. What a blessing he is, I could go on and on about him but I won't. Anyways, we got some highly motivating potty training tips from him. Ben has been potty trained for #1 for more than a year now but #2 has been extremely hard for him to comprehend. So we have been using those tips and tricks and are seeing success for the most part...still learning as we go. Dr. said he wants to see him back same time next year or before if he starts having troubles with school(attention, behaviors etc.).
This summer overall was good, I was off work and home with both boys which was so so nice for, I would say, 70% of it but patience was tested with tantrums and meltdowns (not just Ben, his very headstrong and wild two year old brother played just as much of a roll as him) at times leaving me needing some personal time away to recharge (thank goodness for TJMaxx and Target am I right moms?) We explored several parks and splash pads, had picnics on the deck, went camping with some extended family, went to the zoo, the Clive Aquatic center was a 2nd home for several afternoons and we got to get back up to good old Lake Michigan for a family vacation with Adam's whole family and man, that felt amazing!
Ben's swimming abilities have improved so much from all of it and he loves to "do it myself" in his words. He is going to be jumping in on his own before we know it!
So biggest milestone to date...drumroll please...Ben is a Kindergartener!!!!! He did the 2 days of Jump Start, rocked it, loved it, couldn't be more proud of himself and now has rocked the first couple full days of school with his teachers emailing us and praising him for being so joyful and fun to be around.
I am so incredibly proud of him for finding his stride with school. I'm sure the newness may ware off but for now I am going to run with the happy times!
Ben has made so many great strides with communicating this summer as well. He's forming some sentences, still loves to quote shows and songs he hears and his "jargon/babbling" has decreased some as well, still thick at times but over all not as much. Some of his favorite phrases right now are "aww give me my hug" when he wants some love, "hey Mr. Mommy, where are you?" (he no longer calls me 'my mom', I'm now Mr. Mommy and Adam is Mr. Daddy because we call him Mr. Benny 😁) and last but not least the infamous "Hey Everybody!" when we enter a new place.
He's working with some great teachers/aides/pathologists in his school so we can only hope he keeps making those strides. Until next time guys, superhero Ben is up, up and away!
