Little Matthew is going through some big changes too! At his doctor's appointment on April 30th, we learned that he is 23 lbs and 30 1/4 inches. Since children are supposed to triple their birth weight in a year, he is apparently considered quite hefty. I still think he's just a little thing, but the doctor said his head is a bit big for his body still, but that's okay. I just kept staring at him as she said his weight is in the 93% and his height 95%. Really? Because he still doesn't look all that big to me. Maybe it's his baby face. Or maybe it's because the only other infant I have spent extensive time with was GINORMOUS (ahem, Eric!). Oh well. Hes still my little cuddly pumpkin head, no matter what the charts say!
Regarding his skin condition, whatever that may be - allergies, eczema, a thorn in our sides - we are doing our best to get it under control. The doctor did diagnose it as eczema and directed me to use Cetaphil and a certain brand of lotion to help. She also prescribed Zyrtec since I had concerns about him seeming to react to a lot of environmental factors. She asked if I had tested him for food allergies and I said no. She asked if I wanted to have him tested and I hesitated, since I knew that involved him being stuck a whole lot. She said it could be a dairy allergy. She told me to give soy milk a try along with the other 100 things and we could have him tested in June if I wanted. I did wait on switching the formula because I didn't want to change EVERYTHING at once and not know which method was making him better if any. As you all know, he reacted to that cheese, so I have since switched the formula. If it IS a dairy allergy, I'm just confused by the whole thing (I must mention, I haven't noticed a big change yet). One, there is no history of food allergies in the family that I am aware of. I'm not even sure that is a factor, I would just assume it to be as everything else is. Two, I had a child in pre-school who had a dairy allergy. It involved explosive diapers when he got a hold of any dairy - which he did his BEST to get a hold of from other kids' lunches everyday. I guess I was once again wrong in assuming that if he HAD a food allergy, it would have involved vomiting and diarrhea. As it is, I think if Matthew is just to ingest dairy of any kind, there is no reaction that I see. But if it touches his SKIN, there's a harsh reaction. I just don't understand that. Everything is trial and error and it's frustrating to not see a huge change. It's under control enough that he's not scratching himself open, but he still has those red itchy blotches of skin and the overall dryness. I will have him tested next month to see what we can find. I am hoping this is something he grows out of. I am a bit afraid to find the results of the allergen test. Dairy is not the only ting his skin seems to have reacted to. His little fingers have gotten quite red and blotchy from several different foods, though I never associated it with a food allergy - just yet another reaction to something "foreign" touching his skin.
He is a highly experienced crawler at this point. I know that walking is right around the corner. He LOVES the freedom and is much happier that he is not "stuck" in one place. I, on the other hand, am pulling my hair out trying to keep him out of things. So much so, that "no-no" has become his 3rd word. Oops. He's a stubborn little monkey and will try the same thing over, but he's very sensitive and does not like to be fussed at. It breaks my heart to watch his face drop, the bottom lip come out and the tears stream down, simply from firmly saying no. As if that weren't heart-wrenching enough, he follows it up by crawling over to me, wanting to be held, and repeating "ma-ma" through his tears. I hope he keeps that sweet sensitive spirit, but I know it will be battling that stubborn streak he has!
He has got to be one of the most playful babies I've ever known. If he can make it into a game, he will. He loves to play "drop the pacifier", "pacifier kisses" (where we put the handle end in our mouths and he grabs the other end with his mouth), "patty-cake", "peek-a-boo", and "I'm gonna get you". He has learned to clap, dance, and sing and this amuses us to no end. All we have to do is say, "Dance, Matthew" and he begins shaking his head side to side. Sometimes his body follows, sometimes it doesn't. Can't wait to capture that on video!
He's also learned to squeal. LOUDLY. Sometimes I think all I do is listen to screaming (whether for fun or out of anger) all. day. long. It's exhausting. Speaking of which, I think it's nap time. :)
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