Mashed potatoes are a new favorite....

As I said in my last blog I have been blasting some praise music as I drive in my mans truck! It feels so good to praise Him from the top of my lungs! I have started to read a new book called The Prayer That Changes Everything-The Hidden Power of Praising God. Not even finishing the first chapter I have learned so much. One statement that has already hit me is, "worshipping God is the way that He can pry is loose from ourselves and make us stop holding on to the world and start holding on to Him. God intends worship to restore us, fill us, motivate us, bless us, adn fulfill us in ways we never dreamed possible. There are certain blessings that He wants to give us that will only come into our lives as we worship Him!" Don't know if I could word it any better because this is so what Jesus is doing in my heart and life! As I praise my Jesus He is faithful to be right beside me, restore my heart, bless us and fill me in so many ways that only He can do for me!
I have not lost hope and faith that God will heal Ben! We pray for it and believe it! God will do it but I trust Him for His timing! Some days are hard to see it but those days are usually the days when I am not trusting Jesus...He is my rock and fortress!
On to my man Ben!!
It seems as if he is settling in and proving that he is still in there yet trapped inside that body!
Monday - PT - Ben was put on his stomach for tummy time. It is a great stretch for him because he spends most times in his chair and in bed. His PT said that Ben really helped when rolling over and used alot more trunk muscles! Ben also did alot of sitting up on the side of the mat with wedges around him.
OT - Ben stood at a standing table for about 15 min with support, rang some doorbell buttons, and played catch with some squissy frogs which helps with getting use of his arm muscles.
ST - answered a ton of questions by raising his eyebrows only if the answer was true. Some of those questions were: is it hotter in the summer than winter, is an elephant bigger then a mouse, do you have a dog....all of these seem simple to us but to Ben and getting them ALL correct and raising his eyebrows only when it was true shows that he is comprehending and understanding!
My therapies for Ben - he gave me tons of hugs and kisses, had quite prayer time with him and what was so great is that Ben ate 3/4 bowl of mashed potatoes! This is the first time that Ben has had any warm food since the accident! Ben put those potatoes away and when I asked him if he liked them he could not get that one finger for yes fast enough!

Tuesday - PT - Ben did some of the same things that he did yesterday and did them quite well. OT - more time in the standing frame and he drew 3/4 of a heart for me and attempted to write his name! He did good on both...could def see that he was trying so hard! Rec Therapy - Biggest event of the day!! We took Ben in a van in his wheelchair to a park down the road! There was a small lake there, dogs, ducks and mass kids! Ben loved it and stayed awake the whole time! The van ride was good and Ben was looking all over the place and taking it all in! It was so good to see him outside and get him away from the hospital! Awwww it was so nice!

Wednesday - we had a conference today with the whole treatment team. It went well and they are going to start Ben on a new stimulant to see if it will help him focus, concentrate and stay awake longer. They also are upping his muscle meds to see if they will loosen up any! PT - lots of working on head control and truck stability. OT - standing frame and using colored cones and asking Ben to point to the colors that they called out to him. ST - more food! Peaches were on the menu today. They are a bit more textured so Ben coughed a few times on them. They are one of Ben's favorite foods so I am sure he was in heaven!
My therapies - more mashed potatoes, ice chips and juice! More quite times and reading of the Word. Psalm 40 has been on my heart! Ben's favorite show Man vs Wild was on all night so he was plugged into that and was pretty much ignoring me...I was ok with it as long as he gave me my kisses!

Prayer Points -
1. Head control is huge for Ben right now. He trys so hard to hold it up but Ben can only do it for so long. I compare it to a babies head....but Ben needs that support to support his trunk muscles, and for so many activities.
2. Mobility in is muscles! Ben wants to do so much more and you can see him trying but his muscles won't let him do it!
3. Rise up and walk!
4. Voice and speech!!
5. Rest for me! I am pooped out! I am taking Friday off and my mom (bless her) is going to go and be with Ben for a bit!

Points 3 & 4 reminds me of the scripture that says, "he went walking and leaping and praising God!!" I so want this for Ben..and yes, his first words can be praising God!