News about Ben

I just got an email from Valerie with news about Ben. I'll just post it here.

Ben started Preschool last week at the First United Methodist Church
of Allen. They offer a excellent program, and came recommended by a
friend as well as an online preschool review. I was lucky to get Ben
in, as the day before I called, one of the toddlers had moved and
there was an opening for Ben! He goes just one day a week, which is
just perfect for me right now. His class is Thursdays from 9-2 during
the school year. He is in a special class for toddlers who are 18-23
months from Sept.

I plan on doing no-stop cold calling for work while he is there. I
was doing this when they called about 12:30 last Thursday to inform
me that one of his eyes was swollen almost shut and his face was
covered in hives, I took him to the doc, and she said it was allergy
related, but we are unsure of the exact cause this time. I really
needed not to give him an antihistamine due to allergy testing
scheduled for today. Well the hives went away within an hour and the
puffy eye was back to normal the next day. (he has never had the
puffy eye thing before) The doc also diagnosed him eczema, I got some
hydro cortisone cream and it really helped a lot.

So today we went to the allergist and got poor little Boo all
scratched up on his back with multiple potential allergens. Poor
little guy is allergic to a lot. He has been diagnosed with severe
allergy to peanuts and all nuts, and was given a prescription for a
few EpiPen Jr.'s for emergencies. He rated as Grade 4+++ for peanuts
on a scale from 0-4. Items rated as Grade 2, 3, or 4 (with 4 being
the highest) generally indicate significant clinical sensitivity
(positive evidence of allergy). With Foods, he also rated Grade 4
for Milk and Soybeans; Grade 3 for Egg and Fish Mix; Grade 2 for Nut
Mix and Shellfish Mix. He also rated Grade 3+ for Oak; and Grade 2
for Cedar Mountain and Grass Mix. He rated well for Tree Mix, Weed
Mix, Mold Mix, and Cat with a Grade 1; as well as with Wheat, Rice,
Dog, Dust mite, and Cockroach with a Grade 0; which shows no evidence
of allergy for these items. Poor little Boo, you should have seen
his back. (Richard took a photo if you really want to see) He also
needs to have a more comprehensive blood test done in one month.

Other then that, Ben is doing great! He loves to count everything.
He counts to two ALL the time, and sometimes to three. He loves to
swing on the big kids swings now, and go down the real big slides all
by himself!