The last three months have been quite the ride. Let me share some of our highlights and low lights.
Ernest started out January like a champ! His sleeping was getting so so good. He would consistently go to sleep between 5-6pm and sleep till 12am or 2am. Then he would have one other feeding in the early morning 4-5am. Then he was up sometime between 7-8am. A few nights we only had one wake up at 4am! Life was bliss and I could almost taste a full night of sleep. He was also getting good at his naps. By mid-January I started doing some sleep training. At this young, all that meant for him is that instead of laying him down dead alseep after nursing him, I would nurse him first, then swaddle, and lay him in his bed for a story and song. The kid was getting pretty good at falling alseep within a few minutes. He never really cries in his bed, he just grunts. If he did cry, it usually meant his binky fell out and I would run up stick in his mouth and he would be out fairly quick. Not all attempts went this smoothly, but the kid really is independent and since cuddling is NOT his thing he really took to falling alseep on his own.
If I am remembering correctly, January was also when he first rolled over. He has only rolled over a handful of times, mostly because he just doesn't seem interested to do it again. And because he gets frustrated and rubs...which I will get into in a minute.
He has always loved chewing on things...especially our fingers and at four months he was all about chewing on our hands. They were his favorite toys! He also loves silky textures. So tags on blankets and he has a parrot with a silk beak.
As you may remember, Ernest has always had super super dry skin. And the creases in his skin (knees, ankles, etc) would get red, he also had a little red on his cheeks. Maybe it was the beginnings of his ezcema. Towards the end of January it began to flare up and by mid February it was full force here. His cradle cap had intensified and was cracked, red, and weeping. His cheeks were bright red, and at times he would wake up looking close to a tomato. Then at other times he would look better, but still not good. He at times would also have a weeping sore on both or one if his cheeks. He constantly wanted to scratch his eyes, forehead, head, and chest, which really slowed down the healing process. He would wiggle out of his swaddle at night and scratch away. One time I went in to get him in the middle of the night only to find that he had scratched his head so bad and had blood all over his face and head. His sleeping habits were horrible and I ended up bed sharing with him a lot at night and for his naps so that he would get his sleep. I got serious about a swaddle blanket that would contain him, and we now refer to my creation as the straight jacket.
Mid-February I took him in to the Pediatrician, and of course he had just had a flare up. The pediatrician was really nervous that he might have a staph infection and prescribed us an antibiotic and a steroid cream. I was hesitant to give him an antibiotic, especially this young, so I took him to a pediatric dermatologist to get a second opinion. In the meantime we did every natural procedure we could think of and I can't even tell you how many lotions and creams I have bought. The dermatologist was ok with no antibiotic but we did start the steroid cream to help his wounds close up and not weep any more.
It was around this time that I had also heard of food allergies being a trigger for ezcema. The dermatologist told me that ezcema was genetic and he would more likely have food allergies and asthma. He said certain things would cause a flare up and I should avoid those things. But there was no way to know for sure what things would trigger a flare up! I took Ernest to a NAET doctor to see if we could identify anything he was sensitive to (NAET is an eastern way of testing for food sensitivities in someone through muscle testing). He immediately came up sensitive for Dairy and Soy. I stopped eating those immediately and continued for 5 weeks. A couple weeks after that test, I rubbed a little milk on his leg and he immediately broke out in hives. However during those 5 weeks we really didn't see much improvement in his skin. But I was hesitant to add it back into my diet because of the hives. The only thing that seemed to help his cheeks was the steroid cream, and as soon as we stopped using it his cheeks went back to how they were before the cream had been applied. The dermatologist just said it was a long flare up and to keep using the cream.
I hated using the cream on his face. Steroids aren't good for you! Let alone a baby! But I didn't know what else to do for him. Mind you that through all of this we were trying every possible lotion, oil, etc we could think of. The next thing I tried was a probiotic. I am not sure how much that is helping his skin, but it's helping his runny poop that he had had for about 2 weeks. Probiotics can't really be bad for you and we bought him a special infant formula.
The dermatologist also recommended head and shoulders for his scalp. I finally decided to try it, so that I could at least report back to them what happened. Well...his head and face broke out! At that point I really had no idea what to do. I quickly scheduled two more doctors appointment for the next two days. The first one was with a family practice for his 6 month well-ness appointment about a month late. The clinic is called Alpine Clinic in Lehi, and they are more natural minded. They try not to prescribe antibiotics unless necessary, and will give you some natural remedies to try as well. I love it! The day I called they had a cancellation so I was able to take him that day (apparently they are pretty busy, maybe that kind of clinic is in demand and more should open up). He recommended cod liver oil. Sounds gross, but I had had some friends also suggest that, so i went ahead a bought it. I also asked him if a yeast infection could be a possibility (I had another friend suggest that) and he prescribed me an anti-fungal cream to put on his cheeks to see if it helped. He also recommended coconut oil for his scalp, no shampoo, and just rub a washcloth on it in the bath (with only water) and then put more coconut oil on it.
The next doctor I went to specializes in allergies. He is an MD and even though Ernest is too young to check for allergies with modern medicine this MD uses the same theory as NAET except he somehow tests electronically through a computer. Yeah I don't really understand it, but whatever! He came up sensitive to a few different random foods like banana, mushroom, and green pepper. He was also sensitive to dairy, soy, and gluten. I also asked him about the possibility of a yeast infection and he prescribed me an oral anti-fungal medicine and told me to use both and see if it helps. Two doctors saying that yeast infections is a possibility tells me it really is (I was kinda hesitant to go there).
Today is Friday. We started the yeast creams Thursday. His skin is improving! This is the only thing other than the steroid cream that has helped! I am hopeful! And that my friends feels good. The coconut oil (everyone kept telling me to put tea tree oil with it and I did, but that was irritating his skin) on his head is also helping! It's not perfect by any means. He still has dry skin, he still rubs his eyes and head at times (although he has learned to rub with the back of his hands so he doesn't scratch himself), he is still red in his creases, and his cheeks are still red too. BUT it's only been a few days and I haven't seen this big of an improvement in a long time.
The most helpful thing the dermatologist said to me was that caring for ezcema can be like caring for someone with diabetes, in the sense that it is so time consuming. Amen! Seriously! Every second Ernest is awake I am somehow caring for him and his skin (okay maybe I feed him too, but almost every second). Here's the rundown of his day. We wake up around 7:30am, I feed him and then put lotion on his face. We come downstairs and he gets to try to eat some finger food after he takes his fish oil and probiotic. Then he either gets a bath or a rinse off. He then gets lathered down, diaper changed, dressed, swaddles, and nursed to go to sleep and goes down for his first nap around 9am. This is my time to get my 'chores' done. I throw laundry in, sweep the house, clean up our breakfast mess and put the clean dishes away. I also usually try to get some project done if he takes a longer nap. Recently it has been painting baseboards and doors. Then when he wakes up he gets more lotion on his face, we nurse and head downstairs to eat lunch. During this wakeful period we get a little more down time and he gets to play some. Unfortunately I watch him like a hawk during this time to make sure he doesn't rub his face raw. At some point we usually walk outside, get the mail, and sit on the steps and sort it. Ernest enjoys watching the cars and eating any paper or plastic he can get his hands on. Then we repeat the lather, swaddle, nurse and sleep. During this next nap I get to get ready for the day, prep dinner, and continue with whatever projects I have going on. Sometimes I fold or iron laundry. The most stressful part of my day is dinner time. My goal is to have Ernest nursed and dinner ready to serve at 5:30. We try to eat together for dinner, but lots of days Marshall is late getting home or Ernest is headed of to bed too early. But lots of days it works out. We get to eat dinner, I will bathe him if he needs it or just rinse him, he gets lathered down again, supplements again, and somewhere in the mix he gets to play with Dad. Then off to nurse and off to bed. Then I spend time cleaning the kitchen while Marshall begins his projects on the house. Ernest will wake up anywhere from 0-3 times before 11pm. Needless to say by the time I crawl into bed I am pretty pooped.
But I digress this post is about Ernest...
He loves patty cake, he will put his hands on the outside of my hands and clap with me as I sing. And the other day, after doing it once with me and once with Marshall, he put one hand on my hand and one on Marshall's and had us do it together. So cute. Melt my heart. He loves the Eensy Weensy Spider and is ticklish on his tummy and back. He still loves to jump and stand! And because he gets limited tummy time due to rubbing his face, he is no where close to crawling. Which is ok with me. He loves D'mar's hair and is always trying to touch and grab it. He loves to blow bubbles and will get entranced with the different ways I can move my lips and the noises I can make. He wants to put anything that he grabs into his mouth. He still rubs his face and head, but it is nice to know that he has learned scratching those hurts. He will put his right hand all the way behind his back and scratch his own back. Silly boy. He loves people, people watching and is so so observant. I have had to nurse him a few times while waiting for the Doctor to come in. As soon as he hears another voice he pops off and has to look at this new person and new voice. While he is still not a cuddler, the other day Grandma Paxson had him and was nuzzling the back of his neck, and he rested his cheek on her shoulder. So cute. He can get pretty loud when he talks and usually does that the most when people are around...so church can get pretty noisy with him.
Recently we started giving him finger foods to chew on. He has pretty much liked them all, except it did take a time or two to get used to avocado, but he is a fan after all. So far he has had soft carrots and sweet potatoes, avocado, banana (which he may be reacting to, so no more for him), apples, oatmeal, strawberries, and a few tastes of a green smoothies I made, which he LOVED! He doesn't really get a lot in his mouth, or he spits it out if he does. But it is fun to see him experiment. And I think after a month of it, he is starting to get the idea of what mealtime is all about. He does the same grunting when he sees that we are getting ready to feed him in the kitchen as when I am getting ready to nurse him in his room.
All in all, the kid is awesome. Such a pleasure to be around. We are so lucky to have him! And even though I am sure he has just been so miserable with the skin stuff, he is still pretty darn happy! We are so lucky to have him! And love him so much! And here are the pictures you have all been waiting for! When his face really flares up I tend to shy away from pictures...how's that for a disclaimer?
4 months old playing with Dad. This is before the ezcema made it's appearance.
He loves to chew on fingers!
5 months. Ezcema has arrived, but this is a good day and a good angle.
First food at 6 months. We are doing baby led weaning and his first food was carrots!
At 6 1/2 months this is the closest thing to a cuddle we can get!
He loves cucumbers too!
And while it took him a minute to warm up to avocados, it was lots of fun seeing the mess he made!
Check out some other posts to see other pictures in this age range!
