eSpecially Ben

We are in week three of Ben's dairy free diet. There are mostly positive results with constipation being relieved by the addition of a daily probiotic and the spinach and chia seeds added to his smoothie. Ben seems to be eating more solid foods because he is not filled up with milk.  My skepticism about milk affecting Ben's sleeping and hyperactivity in the evenings is still there. I am tracking it and will be able to see patterns after a few more weeks.  I do not intend on adding dairy back into his diet at the four week mark. I think more time is needed to make a decision about dairy being connected to his sleep and craziness at night.  It has been easy to make these changes in diet. Most stores, even the ones not known for their organic and expensive products, like Target, Aldi and Food Lion carry almond milk. The coconut yogurt (yogurt made from coconuts) and chia seeds is available at a grocery store that carries a large variety of food choices. Spinach is available

Rainbow Camp is an annual camp sponsored by a local church.  This is a photo with Ben's counselor and buddy on the very first day. The buddy is Ally and she is the same age as Ben. The counselor, Jacob, is a member of the youth group at the church. He participated in a week long training before serving as Ben's buddy. I will share more as the week goes on. 

In late spring, I purchased a new pair of running shoes. While at the store, I noticed a flyer publicizing an upcoming running series. Each Tuesday during the month of June, at a nearby high school, this running company sponsored 50 meter, 100 meter, 400 meter, 400 meter relay and 1 mile races.  Thinking this may be a fun way to introduce Logan to running, we agreed to go the first night and check it out. As a last minute thought, I called the running store that afternoon and asked if they would allow a wheelchair runner. The woman who answered the phone thought it would be fine. Juliana is one of Ben's direct care providers, and I did not tell her about our plans beforehand. She is a go-with-the-flow kind of person and I was not sure what to expect, so when she arrived at our house in running attire, I knew something in the cosmic sphere was working in our favor. Juliana, in the year and a half she has worked with our family, has never showed up in running clothes. When I fille