Swinging Along

This is a wonderful video for me. When we bought the swing Benji could not sit on it at all. We bought the swing last fall and every once and awhile he would try but more times than not he would fall off.

So here is Benji swinging!

(Benji has hypotonia. Low muscle tone in his core muscles. That is why this is such a big deal!)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Mom, Can I have some Pop Tarts?

Nature's Path Toaster Pastries

As we started changing Benji's diet to be healthier and not have HFCS or red 40 (food coloring) and to limit all cows milk, we realized that he could no longer have his 'pop tarts'. So, we went to our Kroger and I about danced in the aisle when I found an organic version.

There in about 6 different flavors were organic toaster pastries. I checked the ingredients... No HFCS, no Red 40, it does have whey protein but it is very low on the list and we don't notice the digestive problems we see with milk.

So, we tried the flavors that our Kroger had. There was Blueberry, Strawberry, Cherry Pomegranate, Chocolate, Acai Berry, Apple Cinnamon, and I think one more.

They are a hit! Benji loves them for a quick breakfast on days we don't have time to 'make' breakfast. I love them because I know that it is natural food I am feeding my child instead of all the chemicals in other foods.

The negative? At our Kroger regular price is $3.59 a box. A box has 3 packages. 6 tarts total.

Nature's Path Toaster Pastries

The above link goes to the Amazon Grocery Site where they have many of the available flavors. The boxes are in bulk, and from my figures, it's a better deal than going to Kroger to buy the individual boxes.

To find out more about Nature's Path, I invite you to visit their website www.naturespath.com.

I rate this product at 4 stars. If it were just the taste it would be 5 stars. It's a little pricey at our local store though.

Summer Infant Sure and Secure Extra Tall Walk-Thru Gate

We received this gate, or the older version, when our 5 1/2 year old was born. At the time we were living in a small 2 bedroom house and he made kid #3 that was living with us. This gate was and is a godsend. It took the girls quite a long time to figure out how to open it and it is definitely tall enough to keep the kiddo in.

The gate is 36 inches tall and will fit door ways 28" to 47.5" wide. There are some doorways however that the gate will fit into but is not a good match. This gate has worked wonderfully for us.

We still use the gate, even today. We have it in the doorway between the kitchen and the mudroom/laundry room. In fact, when we moved we lost some of the installation parts and all we had to do was call Summer and they sent us what we needed for free!

It has taken the abuse of 6 kids, 2 dogs and a cat. Which for pet lovers, even our 10 year old cat loves the gate. She can jump over it and get away from the dogs if need be.

Roller Coaster

We been going through a roller coaster (little one) for the last couple of weeks. I was so excited when Benji's pediatrician finally saw what we were talking about with Benji that I lost my mind. Okay, maybe not completely... but I did forget to follow up with the developmental pediatrician.

I found myself a week after the appointments, with no follow ups scheduled. So of course, I had to start emails and phone calls.

Benji goes to the Food Allergist on April 16th. It's in Franklin, but I figure if we can get answers it will be good. It would be great to know if he is outright allergic to things. We know the digestive problems with cows milk. We know the hyperactive reaction to anything with red 40. We avoid high fructose corn syrup due to his hypoglycemia, we also try to limit other sweeteners. I still have pages to fill out for that appointment. (I love paper work, at least I make copies after I feel things out now.)

Finally got the call back yesterday about developmental testing.. It won't be until June 16th. That has it's pluses and minuses.... I am suppose to have his teacher fill out a questionnaire on him close to the test date. We get out of school at the end of May... hopefully it will be good enough.

I believe Benji is about to hit a growth spurt, his moods are erratic and he is sleeping alot more than normal these last couple days. He just got off of antibiotics too... He had strep. Little guy always keeps us busy.