Thursday, January 31, 2013

Visiting friends

Callie and I went to have lunch and visit some friends in Poway. Callie has been doing so much better in the car and she didn't fuss or cry the whole drive either way!
Doris's daughter Isla is just 8 weeks older than Callie and Amy's baby Bryce is only 8 weeks old! Callie and Isla had a love hate relationship. They wanted to play with each other but also we stealing toys from each other and not sharing. Guess that's what happens to only children who don't go to day care. We need more play dates to work on their social skills. They also were too rough with each other but neither cried and they still had fun.
It amazes me how Callie can be so amazed by other people's toys and houses. She just loves new spaces and things to explore!
Thanks for a fun lunch date girls. We will be practicing gentle and be easy with the dogs in the meantime.







Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Getting into trouble

Callie really likes to explore now and can get herself in more trouble. She can be found escaping out the door to the deck, getting into cupboards, etc. sometimes she thinks she is helping except she only knows how to take out and not to put in or help clean up. Here she is "helping" and getting into trouble.

Today we went back to the allergist for more testing. She did well. She passed on almost all the tests. The only one that was questionable was salmon which had a minuscule amount. All other fish, pork, navy beans, citrus fruits, and I can't remember what else were negative. So that's the good news. The bad news was they didn't have bell pepper which was what we wanted her tested for from her last reaction. They only had black pepper which is totally different so I didn't bother with that one. They suggested trying to rub red bell pepper on her skin and see if she has a reaction to start. I may just avoid them. Still haven't decided. But still overall a good happy visit :)













Tuesday, January 29, 2013

9 month check up and first word

I got so busy last night I totally forgot to write a post! Oops.
Yesterday Callie had her 9 month check up. She is 20 lbs 13 oz and remains in the 85th percentile. Her head has grown and that is now 95th percentile. Her little body however hasn't really grown... Just 25th percentile, down from 50 last time. I think she will grow taller eventually but I don't expect her to be in the top half of the curve.
The pediatrician tried to make me feel better about not knowing about her food allergies younger and giving her the different medicine but it didn't really work. I mean there wasn't much she could say really but that it's a learning experience and if she sees a similar kid with eczema, reflux and fussiness she will refer to allergy at the same time as GI. In my book she is still ok so we will keep her around although I am toying with the idea of taking Callie to see a naturopath pediatrician, however our insurance won't pay for it.
Other than that not much to write home about. She had her iron levels checked and they were fine.
Of course right after I finished telling the doctor she didn't know any words to identify things (just lots of sounds and babbling that don't mean much), she goes and uses her first word! Ma Ma! It was perfectly clear twice in a row as she looked and reached for me. She was finishing dinner and wanted out of her chair, she reached up for me and said MaMa. Juan was there as my witness, she definitely knew what she was saying. Since yesterday she hasn't said it again but I'm counting it as her first word!
She has also been trying to stand up at different surfaces. Here she is trying to climb up the water jug. She almost did it! Notice that beautiful half kneel position she assumed all by herself. I work hours with kids at work trying to teach them to get into this position. Oh the beauty if normal development, it's a pleasure to watch her figure these things out all by herself.
Tomorrow we go for more allergy testing. Last night I was doing more research into common allergens or patterns so I could decide what I want them to test her for in addition to the questionable items. Hoping its all negative tomorrow and we don't add any new allergies...





Sunday, January 27, 2013

Madeline

Do you know the children's book series about Madeline? She's a cute little girl who I always remember wearing a fancy jacket. It was cold out today so Callie got to wear her fancy jacket grandma bought her. It even had a matching hat which made me think it looked even more like Madeline. She didn't like the hat and only wore it for 2 minutes.
We took her out for lunch at Panera. A nice lady stopped when she was walking by and speaking in Spanish said "Hola muñeca" which grandma always says to her. It was like she thought she was family because she put her arms up in the air, like pick me up! Friendly Callie who would go with almost any stranger.
She had another rough night last night and cried a lot even though I was up with her 3 times. I really think that her teeth are bothering her because she keeps putting her finger in the back of her mouth. Se cried so much last night when she finally fell asleep at 5:15 she was tired and slept until 7:15, the latest in months! Of course this threw off her whole nap schedule and she had a tough time going to bed tonight as she wasn't tired yet.
Tomorrow is her 9 month check up with the pediatrician.









Saturday, January 26, 2013

Crazy hair on a lazy day

Today was a lazy day. It was lousy rainy weather still and I was beat. I had a long week, worked my full 40 hours, which I hate, have been battling a cold and was up 3 times for a total of 2 hours with Callie last night. Im not sure what's bugging her but she was so fussy and just wants me to hold her. I don't think she has a cold but maybe slightly and I just don't see symptoms, or maybe it's her teeth as she has everything in her mouth lately. Either way I couldn't keep her that distracted so she wasn't fussy. Juan watched her after her morning nap so I could get some rest and I took a 2.5 hr nap but I'm still tired!
I did accomplish lowering her crib mattress today, washing all her bedding and folding her clothes, but besides that I wore sweats and didn't leave the house.
Callie had some crazy hair today. Maybe the rain makes it curlier with humidity or because I combed it with my fingers which had some residual lotion last night. Either way it was crazy all day, I still think it looks cute :)
Off to bed, hoping for more rest and to feel better tomorrow.







Friday, January 25, 2013

Rainy Day

Today was a very rainy day. Abnormally rainy. I try not to complain because rain is good for our plants and we always need it. Also the weather here of rainy and 60 is so much better than subzero in CT. Back when Callie was really little GiGi bought her a rain coat. I laughed and said when will we use this in SD? But what do you know today I needed it. Callie was so cute in her raincoat and she wore it twice today because it was still raining when we went home.
Yesterday the allergist called me back to discuss Callie's test results. She was very nice and spent a lot of time talking with me. Callie has moderate allergies confirmed by blood tests to eggs and peanuts and these need to be avoided at all costs. She had such a minimal reaction to wheat it's not considered significant. I was very surprised as I told the dr that she has changed so much and improved a lot with no wheat in her diet. The dr said it is very common for blood work to be less sensitive than a skin test in young infants and if she is doing much better wheat needs to stay out of her diet. At one year old we will retest to see if her levels have changed. She said that 80% of kids outgrow egg allergy but very few outgrow a peanut allergy. Also kids who are allergic to eggs are more likely to be allergic to peanuts. Also she will not eat beef until she is 1 and it will be in the allergy office to be sure it's safe and there is no reaction.
I told her all about her more recent episode and she is concerned it could have been the fish. So we go back Wednesday for more allergy testing. We will test 3 different categories of fish as well as bell peppers and any other concerns I have. I am so glad to have this wonderful supportive team at allergy and immunology. It's nice to feel like we are finally where we belong. They are good listeners and don't think I am the crazy, overbearing, know it all (I'm just a PT not a dr!) mom. I feel like we were blown off when I have said there is something wrong with my child and then she was just drugged for 8 months. Finally this group really listens, tells me I know my kid best, and supports me in her care. I think they deserve a thank you :) ill put it on my todo list.
She has a follow up with her regular pediatrician on Monday for her 9 month check up. I'm interested in seeing what she says about what we have discovered. Her reaction depends on if she will remain our pediatrician.



Did you notice I got new glasses?









Monday, January 21, 2013

Time to lower the crib?

Callie can't get into standing in her crib by herself yet but she sure enjoys standing in there if you help her up. For now I think it's low enough she couldn't fall out but pretty soon it's going to be time to lower the mattress level. Maybe over the weekend, better early than too late...
This morning when I went to get her from her bed she had pulled all the stuffed animals and blankets from the attached changing table into the crib and was playing with them. Boy was she proud of herself, that little rascal!



Callie and the keys

Callie is obsessed with the car keys. She has two sets of baby keys but those are not as fun as mommys keys. She wants them any time she sees the and gets somatic you take them away.
Here she is playing with the keys and I forced the dogs to squeeze in there too.

She had a big flare up of her eczema today :( I am not positive from what but my only guess is the fish we have her for dinner was cooked in a marinade and with bell peppers. I don't know what exactly but she has it bad on her arms and a little on her legs today. We gave her more Benadryl before bed so hopefully she feels better tomorrow. Poor baby. I am starting a food diary for her so that we can keep track of everything more closely. I am also going to call the allergist tomorrow since they still haven't called back an it's been over 2 weeks now.













Callie and her Elmo guitar

Callie LOVES her Elmo guitar that she got for Christmas from Mike & Norma. She looks for it and then plays the music and dances, it is so cute. This little girl just loves music and dancing.

Also I made a makeshift hair bow holder that matches her room out of a tree branch and ribbon. I bought her 20 new bows on etsy since she didn't have matching ones for some outfits and her hair is too long to go without a bow. Looks pretty cute if you ask me and hopefully we will lose less bows this way since they have a home.



9 months!

Today Callie is 9 months old!
This month has been a huge turning point for Miss Callie. This month we discovered she has real food allergies which were likely contributing to her overall fussiness, poor sleeping habits, reflux, and eczema. Eliminating all wheat and egg containing foods has made a HUGE difference for her. She only rarely spits up (once every other day), no longer is taking any medications, and is drinking dairy based formula. Also her skin has finally cleared up and is smooth and soft. Turns out dairy was not the problem. I'm still feeling pretty bad we didn't discover the wheat allergy sooner and she could have been a happier baby but there is nothing I can do now about the past. We are moving forward from here on out and couldn't be happier with the outcome. She is really like a different kid. This comes with challenges in food choices and preparation as well as Benadryl and an epipen on hand at all times in case of an emergency, but I am learning to adapt already. I made my first gluten free bread and some awesome chocolate chip cookies that are wheat free, dairy free, egg free!
Also this month Callie learned how to stand holding on, stand for a few seconds without support, climb the bottom step, pull to stand in the bathtub,and just today she learned to walk with the wood push toy walker! I was trying to take a photo of her standing with the baby walker and she just took off! She actually is very good with it, except turning but the wheels are locked unidirectional. I caught her on video as soon as she started doing it since I was there with my camera. With a little practice she was even better by the afternoon, but I didn't retake the video.
She is an incredible eater and wants anything you are eating, but we have to be very careful when sharing with her since some things are a big no no now. Callie wants to feed herself like a big girl and has been refusing to eat puréed foods except at breakfast with oatmeal. I have been preparing real food for her so she can finger feed everything. She can eat A LOT too.
Callie has quite a repertoire of sounds, but no real words. I have heard da da da everyday lately but she hasn't really put that word to use yet. Still she sure knows how to tell you what she wants. Her two favorite things right now are sneaker with shoelaces and keys. You can see in the photos how happy she is with the shoe. She can sit and entertain herself with a shoe for about an hour. The keys are about as good. Today I left her sitting outside the shower with the keys while I got ready and she was happy until I was dressed. The only problem with shoes and keys is that sometimes I need them and cannot let her play with them and she throws a fit if I take them away.
It's a little shocking how fast they grow up. I have to say though that I enjoy her at this age and size. She still needs me and snuggles but is more independent, happier, and able to play more. She thinks peek a boo is pretty funny and laughs at all the crazy things I do. We play chase around the furniture and she crawls to chase me. Callie also laughs when you tickle her and that is just too cute. She has 6 adorable teeth in her mouth when she smiles big you can see them all.
This is the end of single digit months and I feel like the end of having a little baby. She is already getting so big and pretty soon she will be walking around! Happy 9 months to you Miss Callie! I love you!