A new set of eyes...

For the past year Benjamin's ESD teacher kept suggesting we take Benjamin to an eye doctor because she felt like something was a little off. (He had his vision checked a couple years ago at the Casey Eye Institute, but he was pretty little and it was not a fun experience) Our eye insurance only let us go to specific places though and there was no way I was going to take Benjamin to some little place in the mall where the entire building would hear him screaming and the whole experience would be completely traumatic for everybody. Recently, one of Benjamin's therapists suggested we go see Dr. Bruce at Northwest Eye Care: http://www.doctorbruce.net/ and boy are we glad we did! (They were even able to code our appointment as a medical visit... $30.00 co-pay!!)

Now a little background information... Benjamin absolutely HATES anything on his face or head and will completely tantrum (to the point of vomiting or unsafely thrusting his body until the object is removed). So you can see why I was already completely stressed out and anxious about this appointment. It was going to be hard, and loud, and just down right awful. So my mom headed on over, we stopped for Starbucks to gear up for battle, and headed to the appointment. 

The first thing they wanted us to do was put Benjamin's chin and forehead into that strap-like machine that happened to still be out in the waiting area... My mom and I just laughed nervously. After it became quite apparent that was not happening, they checked us into our room and started testing his vision using different tools and lights. Any time Benjamin started getting frustrated or uneasy; they stopped immediately and tried a different method. Benjamin was doing great!! Dr. Bruce finally felt he had a pretty good prescription picked out and wanted to put it up against Benjamin's face. 
"Just warning you... this is not going to be pretty!" I said. Well I was wrong... dead wrong. Dr. Bruce put the prescription lenses up to his face and Benjamin's whole body just relaxed. And he kept leaning forward and putting his head against the device so he could look through the prescription. Dr. Bruce took it away and Benjamin started clapping which means, "More! More!" in his sign language. I couldn't believe it!! My mom and I were definitely crying...it was like we were seeing a small miracle!

Dr. Bruce said that Benjamin is very far-sighted, has astigmatism and could possibly be seeing double... OMG... this little boy of mine! How strong and brave is he! Here he is, can't see anything close up and double and we're trying to make him walk all over the place with his walker and wondering why he won't put puzzle pieces in their place and many other things! Poor Guy! Dr. Bruce thinks Benjamin's new prescription might really change his little life! 

We had to wait several weeks for the glasses and now we're trying to integrate them into his daily life.  Benjamin is doing pretty well. We are trying to keep them on 10-20 minutes for several times a day. He still doesn't love them being on his head (there's a band on the back to keep them on) but I think over time we will be successful! (video below)

And now this cutie pie:

Birthday Miracles...

Benjamin turned 5 on May 13th. Ben and I were pretty bummed because he had to work all day and I was working all night with a therapy appointment and meeting with some specialists so no real fun plans. However, Benjamin ended up having a great day full of first and little miracles and it was awesome!

First off, usually Benjamin waits for me in his room to get up in the morning, or he'll crawl in and then pull to stand at the bottom of my bed. But this morning... this is what I woke up to: (video below-may not play on certain devices)

I guess he knows he is five, and it's time to be a big boy!!

Next, we were headed to our speech therapy appointment where we practice feeding and communication skills. Benjamin walked into his own little table and chair... with a cupcake, balloon and some surprise bubbles! (He's waaay into bubbles right now)

We had some major fun with blowing the candle! (You can see Benjamin doing "happy hands" here. (video below)

Then, the second birthday miracle happened and this one is a big one in our books! Benjamin ATE his cupcake!!!! He's had licks of ice cream and frosting in the past but this is his first birthday eating any cake!!

The bite:

Chewing:

More Chewing:

And then my very happy birthday boy: (video below - this is sooo cute. If you can't see this with your iphone, get on a computer! it's worth it!)

What a great day! Huge milestones for my best buddy!! And Ben is working on a special surprise for his 5th birthday party! That'll come in a later blog I'm sure!!

p.s. still lots happening with upcoming fundraisers and garage sales and ideas for Benjamin's service dog. But if you'd like to make a donation online or by check, you can check out our fundraising page here: http://www.razoo.com/story/4-Paws-For-Benjamin-Button

"How much is that doggie in the window?"

So if you haven't already heard, we have volunteered to raise funds for 4Paws Ability!!! This is a great organization where we volunteer and are actually in a contract to raise $13,000.00 for this company. In return, 4 Paws is making a commitment to place a quality trained dog, picked and trained specifically to meet Benjamin's needs for free! We have talked and researched this for the past couple years, and after Benjamin had another couple seizures... we felt it was time!

I am getting several inquiries about how to donate so here's how you can donate right now!

Make the check out to Paws for Ability and be sure to put Benjamin Silverman on the check. This is how we get volunteer credit towards the fundraising requirement for bringing your donation to 4 Paws. 
Send check to: 253 Dayton Ave, Xenia, Ohio 45385

We have already been humbled and blessed by just people's excitement to join in on the adventure with us!

Here's more about the process:

We are going through a non-profit organization called, 4 Paws for Ability located in Xenia, Ohio.

• At 4 Paws for Ability it costs $22,000 to train and place a service dog with a disabled child.
• However, our families engage in fundraising activities as volunteers for 4 Paws to qualify for a free service dog.
• Each family is asked to help raise at least $13,000                                                                     

The reason they do it like this is so that people can make donations and get a tax deduction.
One of the reasons we liked this organization so much is that they will train Benjamin's dog to be a multipurpose service dog. The dog will be trained to support Benjamin in several different ways:

Mobility Assistance Dog:

• Retrieve dropped items
• Bring the phone
• Turn lights on and off
• Carry items in a dog backpack
• Get a parent in the home
• Open doors in the home
• Hit open doors buttons in public
• Hit the elevator buttons
• Assist with undressing by pulling on clothing
• Open drawers and cabinets
• Provide emotional and spiritual support
• Pulling a wheelchair chair up inclines and ramps, and for short distances

Seizure Alert Dog:

• Alert parents of on-coming seizure
• Provide a measure of comfort for the child
• Provide a distraction during unpleasant medical procedures, such as blood tests
• Be used during a therapy session to enlist the child’s participation
• All Seizure Assistance Dogs at 4 Paws are trained in behavior disruption, which is a skill started in our Autism Program. With behavior disruption, the parents have commands to send the dog in to interact with the child. Seizure medications often cause behavioral issues, and this skill is a great means of helping your child work though them.
  In addition, some seizure medications cause issues with balance and the dogs are trained, if needed, to help the child during these times by walking beside them with a harness they can hold to help stabilize themselves. During the interview and acceptance phase other tasks that may benefit the child may also be identified and trained.
  
  And the last area is Behavior Disruption which is talked about above. When Benjamin has sensory overload or tantrums, we will be able to give a command to have the dog disrupt the behavior and help Benjamin learn to self-regulate better. The dog will also be trained to be harnessed to Benjamin (if we so choose) and keep him from wandering. Why that is not a big issue right now... as he gets better with his walker, yet still lacks communication skills both on the giving and receiving end, we'll be able to tell the dog to sit,stop etc. and Benjamin won't be able to get much further without us.
  
  We are crazy excited about this as we think Benjamin is just going to continue to progress leaps and bounds! Right now we are waiting for the official contract documents from 4 Paws. Our application is in, we've had our over-the -phone interview with the Director and as soon as we get the contract we'll be able to set up all tax deductible donations both online and by check.
  
  I'll have thermometer progress and all that just as soon as we get info from 4 Paws! Again, we are so blessed to have so many lovely people in our lives and thank you a million times for your love and support!
  
  Last but not least, after we've raised the $13K, we'll be sending a video in (this is Ben's big job) to show the trainers everything we can about Benjamin's life. His bad times, good times, seizures, school days, church days, etc. We'll be sure to keep you all in the loop. You can follow this blog by submitting your email on the right hand side or by becoming a follower. I will also post on fb when I put a new blog up. Once we've sent the video in, it will take 11 months to train the dog. They will assign us to a class and we will fly back to Ohio for two weeks for intensive bonding and training!! They will have several dogs ready and they will match the best one to Benjamin. (Personally, I'm praying for a girl, goldendoodle named Nana like the dog on Peter Pan) but that's not how it works really. The dog is matched to the child completely by temperament compatibility and which dog will best fit Benjamin's needs... (but please, God... a goldendoodle! Ben's hoping for a lab!)
  
  Sorry this is sooooo long! Thanks for joining us on this journey! xoxo
  

It's official... I'm a blogger!

I'm doing it... I've jumped into the official blog world. Lord knows if I'll actually have time to keep up on this. But there is soooo much happening in our little world that I definitely want to document as well as share it with our family and friends around us. Because let's face it... We're all so crazy-busy that the best time to catch up is late at night when the kids are in bed and you can finally sit down and see what some of the important people in your life are up to. Plus, with half of my dear friends living across the country... phone talking has become nearly impossible!

Most likely this blog will be all about Benjamin... because let's just get this out in the open... our lives really are all about Benjamin. In fact, every so often I get distracted and think of some great job I'd like to have or some great ministry I'd like to start and God reminds me that the most important job/privilege/calling I have in this life is my little boy. And it's a darn good job/privilege/calling and it's a darn hard one, so much so, that most of the time I feel completely overwhelmed. But I am so thankful that I have the best partner in life to help me be the best parent and wife I can be. I also have an extremely supportive family and some great friends that are gracious and loving and I am so thankful and blessed!!

So here we go... get ready to join in on the adventures of a life time! Get ready to fall in love with our Benjamin Button (everybody does... I mean really fall... you just can't help it) and get ready to see life through a different pair of eyes. What's it like to have a non-verbal, darling little boy... who would love to watch fish all day, and gets so excited he giggles uncontrollably and does "happy hands", gets so mad he makes himself throw up, and gives the best, tightest bear hugs you've ever had? You're about to find out!!