First for Lila:
- The big news is Lila turned one! I can't believe a year has already passed. We had a big family birthday for her. She did great, and did quite a number on her smash cake. She wasn't quite as eager as I thought she would be, but once she got into it, she definitely made a mess. Her favorite gifts were her stroller and her riding toy.
- She is taking 6 or 7 steps at a time. That just started happening in the last couple of days. All she lacks is confidence. Dr. Harris said at her one month check up that as soon as she gains confidence, she won't walk, she'll run! If I hold her hand, she can walk right along with me.
- Lila has turned into the toddler that I was rumored to be. Her nickname is now officially Jill Jr. She will kiss you when she loves you and head butt you when she's mad. She's already mastered the tantrum, an art Ben has never even attempted. She arches that back, double kicks her feet, and screams like she's possessed. She has got quite the temper. But it's really hard to discipline because it's so stinkin cute. Her fuse is nonexistent. She goes from 0-60 in .5 seconds. But that same crazy child, will cuddle up with me and give me lots of kisses, something this Jill was not willing to do with my mama. She's got a smile that lights up a room and she smiles most of the time. She laughs a lot of the time. But when she chooses to get mad, watch out! One thing's for sure, she's got her mama's strong will, which I have a feeling will be her greatest strength/weakness in the long run! It's so neat to see her personality emerge, even if it's a little scary. It shows me what a determined and intelligent girl she is. She's been good at this for quite some time, but I don't think I've mentioned it. She can communicate nonverbally so well. She will let you know exactly what she wants. She points. She pulls. Whatever it takes. Very rarely can I not figure out what she wants. It's so nice not to have to guess.
Now for Ben:
- The past month has been tough with Ben. He has been having severe stomach pains, several times a day. We've had urine tests, blood tests, xray, ultrasound, and nothing. No answers. Yesterday, we had the church pray over him, something we should have done a long time ago. He seemed to have a better day today. Right now, he's on reflux medicine, miralax, a probiotic, and milicon as needed. Since other things have been ruled out, she thinks it's a motility issue. I didn't even know what that word meant until Friday. It basically means the rate that his intestines move food through them. So, instead of being constipated, sometimes he has pain from working it through his intestines, slower or more difficult that it should be. The Miralax is supposed to help with that. We have him on Nexium just in case his reflux is back, contributing to the problem, but I don' think that's it. We already took him off milk for a week to see if he was Lactor intolerant. Found out he wasn't, but it was a tough week for Ben. He loves milk, but hates all other forms of it. It's so pitiful. He hurts so bad that my son who typically refuses to take medicine is asking for it. It's very hard as a mom to see your little boy in pain and not be able to fix it. I'm praying this regimen of medicine is the answer for now. If it doesn't significantly reduce the problem in the next week, we're going in for a CT scan to rule out appendicitis and other more severe things. Praying we don't have to go there. He's handled it like a trooper though. He's a tough kid. You see him hurting far more than you hear him complain. He told Angela that there are ghosts in his tummy trying to come out. Poor baby is just trying to find an answer like we are!
- His eating has gotten even worse. Now he won't eat fried chicken (unless its from mcdonalds). Not a fan of grapes anymore. He likes waffles, pizza (without sauce), donuts, ice cream and corn dogs, oh and barbeque chips. Yep, that's about it. Everything else is a battle. No vegetable. No fruit. Very little meat. And with his intestinal issues, it's a battle we've been having to fight even more than usual. I'm so praying that this changes over time. We're giving him V8 fusion again so he can get his serving of fruit and vegetables, along with a multivitamin.
- He's a fish again. It's summer time, and it took a couple of weeks, but Ben's back in the water, swimming like a fish. This summer, we really want to teach him to take a breath while swimming, but we might have to get some instructor help to make that happen. Lila's still not to sure about the whole swimming thing, but she will be soon enough!
- Sonny Lawing, the tic tac man, died today. He was so good to Ben. He will be missed. I'll tell Ben for years to come about his sweet relationship with the tic tac man!
