January and February: A Winter in Isolation

It's been quite a bit since I last posted, but its with good reason.  We have been in full on hibernation mode due to the terrible cold and flu season that is afoot outside our snug little house.  With the exception of a couple doctor's appointments and regular therapy sessions we have barely set foot outside the house.  Our winter has been filled with lazy days playing with Benton in his basement play room and eating way too much mac and cheese. :)

Riding Paya with Benton

A few updates on Benton's medical stuff:

• Opthamology- Benton's eyes are still doing well and there is no ROP any more.  There is still a chance he may need glasses in the future but not yet.  Benton also has a small dermoid tumor (benign) above his eyebrow and at some point it will need to be removed but we are waiting as long as we can because we don't want to do surgery unless we have to.
• GI - Benton's most recent checkup at GI went well and he is going to get a toddler formula soon.  We were cleared to give him some water by mouth and that is going well.  
• Feeding Therapy - Benton is doing better feeding by mouth but still has trouble eating large volumes of food.  Right now he is at about 1/2 oz max at a time.  To give you a sense a normal baby food jar is about 4 oz.  Benton is no longer spitting food out though and actually opens his mouth for food so its definitely upward progress.
• Physical Therapy - Benton is crawling!!!!!! Benton is also working on pulling up and climbing stairs and we are guessing he will be doing both by the end of the month.
• Pulmonology- We have been able to slowly wean his oxygen and are at 1 liter consistently again after months at 1.5 liters.

Fun with Food

Eating his feet and pushing away his high chair tray

Each day with Benton is more fun than the last.  It seems like overnight Benton has developed a personality and a drive to make his own decisions.  Now that Benton is crawling he just picks himself up and goes off to find the toys he wants.  He is now obsessed with his rocking horse Paya (a hand-me down from his momma) and duplos.  He also loves to play with his walker and xylophone. In addition, Benton has now discovered the joy of reading a book.  He loves to pick out books for us to read to him and his favorites are Little Blue Truck, Hands Hands Fingers Thumb and Curious George.

BOOKS!!!!!!!

Fun in Grandpappy's Boots

We feel incredibly lucky we get to watch Benton grow and become his own independent little person.  While this winter isolation has been rough, it is totally worth it if we can keep him safe and healthy.  We are definitely looking forward to spring and have many plans for fun adventures once it's warm.  Until then though we are content in our little row house taking it day by day.

Playtime with Daddy

Fun in his ball pit!

We continue to pray for Benton's development and health.  We hope that one day soon he will be able to come off oxygen and that he will start eating enough by mouth so that we can take out his gtube, but we are patient and know that it will happen one day soon enough :)

Such a cutie!

Loving a Snow Day!

Out for a walk and a visit from Grandpappy!