Anyway we were there a while, Marcelo started getting a bit irritable as it was getting close to his 2:30 feeding. He started the irate demonstration right when they were going to do the skin test. I'm not normally that comfortable with the whole public nursing thing, but I wasn't going to let him cry hysterically during the whole procedure not to mention, he can develop a full body rash just from angry crying and then we'd never know the difference anyway. So I asserted myself and told the assistant I was going to nurse him first. She decided to test his arm as that was the only small area of skin without some degree of redness to it already. So, he didn't even notice anything was being done to him as he was blissfully nursing the whole time.
They tested him for milk, dog, cat, soy, and wheat allergies, plus the positive and negative controls. Much to my surprise he is not allergic to cats as I am. At least his eyeballs won't be turning into hard boiled pointy eggs, but he is allergic to MILK and DOGS. Well, that explains a lot since he lives off of MILK and we have two furry rodent dogs in the house. His unusual for his age allergy to dogs and the milk allergy prompted the doctor to also ban him from future consumption of eggs and nuts as a "he's most likely allergic to these as well" type of precaution.
Cutting out milk, dairy, eggs, and nuts out of my diet would pretty much leave me with nothing but water to eat seeing as I currently hold the record for most pickiest eater on the planet. Really, I got a stack of handouts with endless lists of what ingredients constitute milk including anything "butter flavored". I always thought "butter flavored" was the opposite of butter, like melted yellow plastic or something. Anyway, it looks like I'm going to be weaning him off to a hypoallergenic formula called Nutramigen which has the advantage of already being partially digested. Umm, doesn't that sound yummy. We got some samples and he refused the first couple bottles of it Ray tried to give him straight, despite the doctor's advise to mix it in gradually because HE'S NOT GOING TO LIKE IT. I haven't checked to see how much this formula costs but I would venture to guess it's the most expensive one out there as it is marketed for colicky babies with digestion problems. So I'm guessing I may be able to exchange gold for it.
Anyway, we've yet to determine what to do with the dogs as Ray would probably rather cut off his right foot than get rid of the dogs. My guess is he'd get rid of the dogs in a second if they were causing him to gauge his head full of wholes every night. But for now I guess we have to vacuum a lot more often, probably get rid of the carpet in his room, get a hepa filter and all those crazy things that sensitive allergy people have to do. It's hard to know how much of a role the dog allergy plays in his eczema anyway although the welt on his arm from dog seemed more severe than the one for the milk. We did get some more potions, a prescription for Zyrtec (we've already tried Benadryl and Atarax), some other lotiony thing and an Epipen Jr in case Sofia decides to feed him a peanut butter egg sandwich with milk and dog hair. (I'm secretly glad to have the Epipen because I've never had a bee sting and, because my reaction to mosquito bites is ridiculous and last for weeks, I'm afraid to know what will happen if I do. Although I might have a hard time jabbing myself in the leg, much less Marcelo, with a needle that's designed to go through your pants.).
It's strange how somehow I had him pegged to be this way. Maybe that's why I vacuumed like crazy, washed everything in our house, and demanded that Ray have the dogs properly bathed at PetsMart (which we never do) a couple of days before he was born. Sadly, I don't think the dogs have been bathed since. If we want to keep them, we'll probably have to hire a cleaning service and someone to come bathe them every week.
Poor little guy. I wish I could just dunk him in some magical potion and make him feel better.
This picture was taken several hours after the skin test was done so the allergic reaction had already calmed itself, but Sofia noticed immediately that someone had "drawn on Marcelo's arm with crayon" and she was very concerned about it when she alerted us to this as though some impostor had somehow caught him unattended and written all over him.
Among other accomplishments, you grew hair. I'm proud to say goodbye to the 
You've started eating baby food, rice cereal and bananas this past week. Once we added the bananas to the mix, you're enthusiasm for food definitely improved. And an added bonus, only one poop in 24 hours! I think that's a record for you. Sadly, your poopies had finally gotten to a point where they didn't really smell like a toxic waste dump explosion in my sinus cavity. Kind of like they were supposed to be all along because you're breastfed. So, I'm bracing myself for the moment where enough baby food has gone through your system and a new, more mature poop smell develops. This is usually the point where the diaper champ becomes utterly ineffective and I'll probably just start throwing the diapers out the window of your second floor room like baseballs in to the neighbors security spotlights that light up your entire room at night. I guess they think if a burglar tries to breach their compound, he will surely be coming from the roof of our house. ... Anyway.
Health Watch - you've been to the pediatrician's office every week this month: ear infection, Hand Foot Mouth Decease, Fifth's Decease, another potential ear infection and runny nose & coughing throughout. The only other person I know that gets sick as much as you is your daddy. If in ten years from now, the medical community comes to the realization that the current emphasis on the superiority of breast milk to formula in building babies' immune systems, lower incidence of eczema, ear infections, vomiting, etc. etc. is completely unfounded, I'm going to be really pissed off. This is probably the only thing I have done in my life based on faith alone. So far, I can't say I'm seeing the benefits except for less bottles to wash ... and being close to you. I'm just saying, it would be nice to have some degree of validation that this is actually good for you and not possibly giving you eczema, diarrhea and a puny body. Thank god, you don't have to breastfeed for 18 years or something, that would suck (no pun intended).
Sofia can't wait for you to grow up. You're really not much use to her if you cannot stand up to her rough play. I hope you're tough and not too much of a cry baby (I'm sorry I know you're a baby and you cry, but you know what I mean) because I have a feeling you are going to be the subject of many experiments in torture and unless you learn how to bite back like Lolo, you are not going to do well. Sometimes while I'm holding you, she pulls on your limbs like she's pulling on one of her stuffed guys and I explain to her that you're a real boy and that hurts you but I think she still has a ways before she really understands that ... or, maybe she never will. Sorry, I just can't really make any promises there. Maybe it's because you almost never cry when she tries to squeeze the life out of you that she doesn't really understand the effect. She still manages to envoke complete happyness and excitement in you with her crazy antics.
By the way, right now you weigh 15 lbs 10 oz.
