eSpecially Ben

As a parent and a person who prides herself in setting goals, I have looked forward to one of my boys looking oh so cute and adorable with a tooth or two missing. Both Ben and Logan have lost teeth, but the adult ones were already there waiting impatiently for their own place in the limelight. Finally Ben lost a tooth without another one already there. Goal accomplished! I can sleep easy now.

What a difference one week can make. The baseball game was more fun for me, and I am hoping for Ben too. His buddy was a University of North Carolina at Charlotte Baseball Player and he seemed very comfortable with Ben. Ben used his wheelchair and we were able to curtail some of his shenanigans. While in the outfield, Ben spent most of the time trying to get at his Buddy's baseball cap. When Ben was going crazy grabbing at anything around him, I noticed his Buddy give him a quick shoulder rub which seemed to focus him. An OT might have called it deep compression . Whatever it was - it worked to get Ben to turn around and pay attention. During the week Logan commented that Ben's baseball game was not about winning, but about the players' talents. At 10pm, the night before the game, Sean came rushing into my room with an idea: He just heard a song with the words, "I'm a boy, I'm a boy, I'm proud to be me. I'm a girl, I'm a girl, I'm prou

After Ben's big baseball game on Saturday, we drove to the mountains to pick apples at  Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, NC. It was one of the most perfect days for it - blue skies, not too hot, not too cool. As soon as Ben was out of the car, he found a seat on the grass overlooking the playground and orchards and enjoyed the view. A few times he moved closer to where kids were playing, but for the most part he was content to sit and watch. A man who was there with his three grandchildren came and sat right next to Ben in the grass. He asked Ben his name. Ben leaned over to this man, named David, and gave him the most tremendous hug, lasting at least a minute. David's grandchildren walked slowly by, staring, and the man said to them, "When you walk by someone without saying hello, you never know what you might miss out on." Thanks David for the lesson.