My little handy man

I am staring out the window at a clear blue sky and there is a spring feeling in the air. I played with Anika outside for a little bit this morning... almost felt like a normal day. Taking in some fresh air was far more needed than I realized, not only for me, but for Anika, too.

Yesterday, we managed to get in early to see the allergy specialist. Ethan weighed in at 15lbs 15oz. He gained nearly a whole pound in twelve days. Just goes to show how many calories he was losing from writhing, squirming, crying and not being able to sleep. I am telling you, that one week of his healing was a gift straight from God! Part of me feels guilty asking for more but man, would it ever be nice!

Due to Ethan's eczema getting worse over this past week, the allergy specialist increased his antihistamine dosage, prescribed a stronger hydrocortizone cream and a slightly stronger bactroban cream. This is my concern... that he continues to grow immune to whatever dosages & strengths we send his way until eventually his eczema is so out of control, NOTHING will help him. BUT, we will continue this protocol for a little while longer. I would like to breastfeed him for another couple of months. I have a feeling we'll see a significant decrease in his eczema when he is off milk completely (meaning my own).

Speaking of milk, we got our naturopath IgE & IgG blood test back. Of the 95 foods tested, he came back moderately to significantly allergic to 18 foods. I'll scan the results when we get a better copy on Friday (that's when we see the naturopath). You'll be able to click on it and read the results for yourself, but to sum up in order of most allergic to least...
Significant - off the charts:
Dairy-casein
Dairy-Lactalbumin
Dairy-American, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss cheeses

Significant - but not off the charts:
Dairy-Cottage cheese
Dairy-Cow's milk
Dairy-Goat's milk
Nuts-Almond
Grains-Gluten

Moderate:
Grains-Wheat
Nuts-Peanuts
Meats-Egg White
Grains-Gliadin (wheat protein)
Grains-Rye
Grains-Barley
Grains-Malt

I am SOOOOOO relieved that I went with my gut instinct regarding a gluten-free diet. I have actually been suspicious that Ethan may have Celiac Disease. Apparently there is a blood test I can request next time we see the pediatrician.

One instinct I didn't have a hunch about was the almonds... here I was avoiding peanuts but eating almonds and almond butter in lieu of peanut butter. And yet, my poor little guy is so allergic to it!

Speaking of my little guy, just before I laid him down prior to typing this, he was laying on his play mat, pulled his mitts off and was playing & grabbing toys to his heart's content. It breaks my heart to see the way he inspects his hands as though he's never seen them before. Even I find myself staring at his hands as he plays because we see them so rarely. While he plays mitten-less, someone always has to be watching diligently because in a split second, he can massacre his face, neck and head! He's even become strategic with his feet! He gets one foot between two button snaps at the base of his sleeper leg and snaps it open, frees his foot, does the same with the other side and goes to town scraping the backs of his legs using the opposite freed foot. What a monkey doodle! Actually, what discomfort he must be in that he is willing to scrape his skin off. Sheesh!

Anyways, it was mostly the moment of watching his beautiful little hands playing freely that inspired me to share it with you. This experience is such a roller coaster ride: within an hour, he can go from being fine to writhing in pain with red blotches all over his body. Glad to know you're all out there embarking on this journey with me. I hope that wherever you are as you read this, the sun is shining with as much promise as is pouring through my office window at this very moment. God bless!