8 months

This past month has been the allergy alert month. Almost every other thought in my head is about your allergies and are you potentially allergic to this or to that. And, how do I make sure you never come in to contact with this substance or that material. Then I start feeling like an obsessed germ-aphobe because there's just no way to avoid breathing in dirt and pollen and coming into contact with dog hair/dander, so I try to relax about it and then what happens? You get a giant rash all over your face and neck because I put you down on the floor in your room to play for two seconds while I went to wipe Sofia's butt. But I didn't just put you directly on the evil, dog-skin festered carpet, I put a clean blanket down first to protect you and handed you a soft fabric block from a bin that I thought was clean, because I obsessively wash everything you come into contact with and yell left and right anytime someone puts anything on the floor. Apparently this block that you, of course, decided to rub all over your face had been compromised with DOG. These incidents make it clear that the dogs need to go but other forces at work don't agree. I washed all the dog beds and the dogs and we're trying to train them --ha!, did I just say "train them". We're trying to scold them into not coming into your room. I bought the "Furminator", a $50 comb to de-shed the dogs and spend several hours working on them yesterday (outside). I will probably spend a small fortune buying the whole Furminator line of products. I'm still doing extensive research on Hepa Air Filters being as it appears that most of them don't do anything at all.

Apparently, your palate disapproves of stage 2 finger foods.

As part of the fight against allergies and other bad things, we've been giving you more baby food (1-2 meals a day) and a cocktail of breast milk, regular formula, and the hypoallergenic, MSG laden Nutramigen formula. Plus your new Zyrtec prescription, 1/4 tsp. each night. I've also found some new cheap BPA free bottles for you at none other than, what I am forced to reluctantly admit may be our second favorite store, Walmart. Yes, I said it, Walmart. The store I once hated so much that I walked out cursing every time swearing never to return. What is it about having children that naturally draws you to this store and wanting a mini van with doors that open and close by themselves? These bottles are the Walmart brand, Parent's Choice, they come in an ugly three pack of green, yellow, and orange tones with markings that can only be read with an ultraviolet light and nipples that drip. The pros - they are BPA free plastic, they cost something around $3.76/3 pk. plus the cost of the fast flow nipples $3.76/6 pk., it could be my imagination but they appear to have a similar air releasing design on the cap like Avent bottles, and you'll drink from them. The colors are even starting to grow on me and just a couple of days ago, you started grasping the bottle with your two hands. It's about time, because all the not so fun aspects of bottle feeding are rapidly coming back to me, like holding the bottle (yes, I'm lazy), preparing the bottle, warming the bottle, washing the bottle, always remembering to bring a bottle, and of course the worst part about formula feeding -- the smell: the smell of the formula, the smell of the spit up, the smell of the burps, the smell of the farts, the smell of the sweat, and the smell of the POOP!


In general, everyone comments about how big you're getting and how good you look, referring to your eczema wrought skin. Your skin has been looking better, even before we went to the allergist we noticed and uptrend but you still scratch violently; looks are deceiving. I've also noticed that you tend to rash up very quickly when you come into contact with some offending material. Last week, you came down with your regularly scheduled cold and managed to get another ear infection (antibiotic round #2, still Amoxicillin). You had a fever for several days and somehow managed to get a nasty rash on the backs of your knees that took several days to clear up with the steroid ointment. We have now gone through one whole tube of steroid ointment. Don't worry, the tube is very small. You insisted on being held 24/7 for several days and used my chest to rub off your snot and slobber on.

But enough about the eczema and allergies lest we forget there's much more to your darling little personality than your ailments. This month you cut your first tooth on the bottom left and about a week later I noticed the one right next to it trying to come up too. I see you too have an affinity for symmetry in life. You've been drooling like crazy but it's starting to taper off now that your tooth is more exposed. You also got several blisters on the fingers on your right hand but I think they are from you biting yourself not from external allergens. I don't think you've grown much, but your last few trips to the doctor, you were around 16 lbs. I'm feeling the weight because you share Sofia's affliction -lazy leg syndrome which apparently prevents you from the normal monkey latch on position most children take when you carry them on your hip. If I only use one arm to hold you, you literally start sliding right down my leg without a care in the world. By this point I'm usually struggling to maintain a grip on the back of your onesie.

You really enjoy splashing in the bath and sometimes express your disappointment when I take you out. Getting dressed is just a bother to you now, so I have to give you something interesting to hold while I change you to prevent you from rebelling. As soon as I sit you on the changing table, you reach your little grabber right over to the basket with lotions and potions. Your hands are like Velcro, as soon as they make contact with something, I pull you away and the object comes along with you. This is usually the entire wire basket containing lotion, petroleum jelly, cotton balls, thermometer, nose sucker, nail clippers and other inappropriate and sharp objects.


I've started reading you a night time book this month and you enjoy this a lot. It can be a bit of a struggle as I fight with your grabber for the pages, but your face lights up and you are very interested. Sometimes if you're crabby, I show you the Meomi poster on your wall and you get so happy like you just want to jump in it and be part of it. I think you've figured out you can't actually grab the little critters out of the picture but you still like to touch them with a petting motion. It gives me much joy and satisfaction to see your appreciation for art that I thoughtfully picked out for you. A sense that often escapes adults as one person said to me when I was considering another to-me-inexpensive illustration, "why would you waste money on that? you're crazy." I love that it makes you so happy and I will no doubt be very sad when you someday replace it with a poster of a car, rock band, or worse, a Victoria's Secret model.

Yesterday, we had to lower your crib mattress because you've shown signs of wanting to do things with your legs. A lot of times we sit you in the middle of the crib, your small fortress of dog-free space, while putting clothes away or doing things in your room. You usually play with your ugly monster doll or your mirror or mostly your feet. But this time, Sofia was clowning around in your room and you had to get closer to the action, so you grabbed on to the side of the crib with one grabber and then with the other and pulled yourself over to peek over the edge. You got yourself into a kneeling position and pushed yourself up. The best part is the look on your face, you act like you've just done the neatest thing ever. It's soooo cute.


Lately, you've been grunting, squealing, and making a lot of noise in general. You still like to say "a-da-da". You like to be near Sofia. You like to put EVERYTHING in your mouth. And you like to be tickled and have the same sort of choked up laugh that Sofia did. It's a short outburst that suddenly gets muted as if all the outward energy gets abruptly cut off by a paralyzing excitement. You are such a cute little boy. Everyone loves your big flirty eyes and your infectious smile.