In Loving Memory of Aussie Bear Benshoof

It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of our beloved companion, Aussie Bear. We finally made the painful decision to have him put down. We could no longer sit back and watch him suffer. He was in so much pain and was no longer the happy spunky puppy he used to be. He had such a big heart; he desperately tried to continue being the ever playful pup, but his poor little body just couldn't keep up. I will forever remember him as the dog who loved to play tug of war, especially with trees, chase the ripples in water, obsessively clean Quigley's ears, and who completely devoted himself to being a faithful and loving companion. He was supposed to be Shawn's Christmas present in 1999, but he quickly became my dog. He was so much my dog. When we first brought him home, he was my shadow. He followed me wherever I went. He was so cute, he looked just like a little bear cub. I remember thinking he was such a chubby puppy, but when I went to pick him up for the first time, my hands just sank into massive fur. I would spend the next ten years complaining about that fur being left all around my house. What I wouldn't give to have that hair floating around my house again. I love you Aussie Bear and I miss you so much. Rest in peace sweet puppy.
Aussie Bear Benshoof
9/22/1999 - 9/30/2009

What's New?

Well, what's new with the Benshoof family? Garrett's on the move, and he is fast. Zach is fully recovered from his surgery. Kelly's been busy with her cakes. Shawn's been busy with work. Time is just flying by. We're getting ready to start planning Garrett's first birthday. We can't believe its almost been a year already. He's already climbing stairs. Zach will be starting school again soon, in just a couple of weeks. He's also starting his OT appointments once a week now. He doesn't have a diagnosis as of yet, but it seems to be a sensory processing disorder of some type. He still has to undergo more assessments. We're hoping the weekly therapy sessions will help him learn to organize himself so that he is able to sit and focus on the given task. As it is now, he will only sit and do a structured task for 5 minutes; then he needs to run around and crash himself. He's constantly crashing himself and making himself fall on the floor. This is typical behavior for children with sensory disorders. Their neurological system is craving input large motor input, and this is often how they get it. He needs to do these events so that he can sit and focus. It sounds odd to me, I don't quite understand it. But, that is who Zach is. We just want to get him the help he needs so that he has every opportunity to be a successful student.

On to the exciting news. We've decided to take a family vacation to California in October. We'll be going to LegoLand in Carlsbad. But we are also hoping to make a trip to DisneyLand and Knotts Berry Farm. We can't wait to go. Zach loves his Legos. Okay, let's be honest, Shawn loves them too. And, I surely don't mind playing with them. But only when I can find the pieces I need to make what Zach wants so he doesn't throw a tantrum. Hopefully it will be a great trip. I am concerned that Garrett is a little too young for such a trip. He'll only be 13 months when we go, so it could be too much on the little guy. But, we're going to try anyway. Wish us luck. I can't wait to get the planning started: flights, hotels, rental cars, oh my!

On the Move

Well, it's now coming to be a very busy time in the Benshoof house. Garrett is crawling!!!! The little guy is fast. He just started crawling one day, out of the blue. He hadn't even been up on his hands and knees yet, and all of sudden he did it all in one day. He's so cute at it. It isn't a full hands and knees crawl. It's the sort of crawl that he's on his hands and one knee and then pushes with his right foot. The other scary thing is that he's already learned to climb the stairs. He's not super stable on them, so he has fallen backwards a couple of times. Thankfully I was there to catch him, but it scares me that one day I might not be. Having kids is exhausting and stressful, but I wouldn't change any of it.

Zach is fully recovered from his surgery. This was probably the best thing we could have ever done for him. He used to breathe so loudly, snore so violently, and was a terrible sleeper. Now, we can't even tell that he's fallen asleep because he breathes so quietly now. There were even times before the surgery when we would assume he fell asleep because we would hear snoring, but then when we would turn to look at him he was awake. Poor little guy, his breathing was so strained that he would snore when awake. But now, he sleeps all the way through the night and doesn't make a sound. I feel so much better but also guilty that we didn't mention it to the doc sooner. He's displaying a much better temperament during the day as well; he's waking up happier and isn't so crabby during the day.

Zach's Recovery

Well, it's day 6 after Zach's surgery. He's been doing pretty well, with the occasional fits. He's drinking a lot, but getting him to eat is nearly impossible. Poor guy is skinny enough as it is. The docs said most kids will lose around 5 pounds with this surgery, but will quickly gain it back when he's better. He's not sleeping through the night. For the past two nights he's come running into our room screaming. I have no idea how Garrett sleeps through it, but we are thankful that he does. He hates to take his medicine, but we force it upon him. When we don't, he ends up crying in more pain. The docs say that day 7-10 is usually the most uncomfortable because that is when the scabs start to fall off and there is bleeding. So, I'm not looking forward to that, considering Shawn will be at work and I will be home alone to tend to Zach and the baby.

Speaking of the baby, Garrett is all over the place now. He has figured out how to crawl. He is kind of doing the one knee push with the other leg type of crawl. And he's fast at it. Now the tough part begins, keeping him safe. He loves the vertical hanging blinds on the back door. He has so much fun just playing in them. As exhausting as it is, I am truly enjoying being a mother and experiencing all the joys (and fears) of watching them grow and discover.

First Blog

This is my first blog. I've never really been a blogger, or ever seen the point of blogging before. But, after reading a few of my friends blogs, I realize that it can be a really enjoyable experience. Maybe this will turn into a routine occurrence, or perhaps it will be an infrequent event. I've attempted several hobbies before (sewing, scrapbooking, stamping, etc) but none of them really ever took a hold of me, except cake decorating, I really enjoy that. The only true passion I have in life is being a wife and mother. I find there is nothing more rewarding than watching the life you created grow and flourish and accomplish, knowing that you played an important role in that. So, to my friends and family, this is my attempt at keeping a sort of digital scrapbook and keeping you posted on our lives.

Welcome to our family.