Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2008! What a year 2007 was for us... sad to say, but I'm glad it's over and looking forward to 2008 being a great year for the Staffords! The last few months have been a bit of a blur, between Brandy having foot surgery and Ben having a colonoscopy/endoscopy/pill-camera done in Austin. We have really stacked up the medical bills! :) Most of you know that Ben had the scopes done, to investigate his ongoing tummy problem. He did so great! The facility we went to in Austin was fantastic- Ryan and I actually went into the operating room with him and helped put him under anesthesia- this was by far the worst part and hard for us parents to watch, but he was quickly asleep and the rest was pretty easy. The GI doctor is one of the most well-known in the country in terms of the autism world, so we were in good hands. He inserted a pill camera into Ben's belly, and Ben wore a recording device around his waist that recorded the pill cam for 8 hours. Very cool technology- of course Ryan was loving that! Everything looked great except for one area that had some "bumps"- they call that lymphoid nodular hyperplasia- it's really common in kids with autism- we are awaiting the results of the biopsy and results of the pill camera before determining treatment- probably medication. We are praying that this will clear up his tummy issues and possibly even address some of the autism symptoms as well. O how I pray...
We had a great Christmas- spending time with both families. Ben enjoyed Christmas, I think, it was a little overwhelming at times. He wasn't really that interested in presents, as we expected, but is enjoying them now. Lately we have been dealing with some behavior issues, mainly listening, minding, discipline, just getting his darn attention!!! Sometimes I forget that he's 3 and not 2! We are trying to find someone that can help us with some of these issues- if nothing else- help us with how to deal with him better- he can be a real handful!
It has come to our recent attention that Ben probably has ADHD along with autism. Ahhh... fun stuff. What's weird, is how similar they are. This is my next topic of research.

Now for the good stuff.... Ben has been talking up a storm!! He has been showing us stuff, sometimes even wanting our attention or help, and asking questions. I promise I will NEVER get tired of "What's that, mama?". It's like music to my ears. Yesterday he picked up a new toothbrush in the package on my bathroom counter and said, "This is a new toothbrush. We got it at Wal-Mart!" Yep, Ben, you're right! The other day, he drew a house on his easel, and told me he wanted me to draw "colored christmas lights" on the house. He is also close to writing his name and sounding out words. Now that's pretty cool!

Until next time!