Hayes just goes with the flow!

He's pretty much up for anything.....

even if it does involve a very big High Chair and a toy he can't reach or play with due the annoying socks on his little hands..

and even though he wasn't thrilled with the taste of the mushy, cold rice cereal his mommy kept forcing on top of his little tongue, he gave it a shot...

and he didn't complain...

and he always finishes up with a smile! What a happy little man!

The allergist has asked me to try one type of food at a time for a full week each and to keep a diary of these little baby steps. This means no mixing foods or trying to sweeten up rice cereal with bananas or prunes, but instead trying one type of food at a time so that we can be confident which foods he may or may not be allergic to. How sad! So far we have tried rice, which he absolutely hates, and oatmeal. He seemed to like the oatmeal a little better yesterday, and today will be attempt #2. Addie never liked the rice cereal either. They seem to have similar tastes! Tim and I are hoping the solids will fill up his little tummy more and maybe he will sleep more at night????

Our 1st Movie Night!

Let the fun begin...

Addie and I watched "Beauty and the Beast" this past Saturday night together. She is just starting to get that age where we can enjoy things like that. Actually, her attention span only lasted about 30 minutes, but we still enjoyed this special time together. Her Daddy popped us popcorn and made bagel bites for us and sat with Hayes while we enjoyed the movie. She is really starting to like princesses now, so "Belle" is now her favorite! I am so enjoying being a mommy.....

Atleast we know...right?

Today I learned that my little man has more in common with his big sister than I originally had thought. He too is going to struggle with food allergies. He is highly allergic to peanuts, milk, and eggs, just like Addie. I filled another prescription for one of those dreadful epipens today, and I wasn't smiling while I did it. I have actually been feeling quite sorry for myself and sorry for my babies today when I know that I should instead be counting my blessings and feeling thankful that we are finally starting to get some answers.

Hayes was such a trooper today as they poked and prodded him with allergy tests and all sorts of creams and ointments. He truly is such a good sport. I hope today is just the beginning of many more comfortable, happy times for him. He deserves it!

What happened?

This cute little boy used to be such a good sleeper. I think he gave me 8 hours in a row right around 12 weeks old. It was such a blessing.





He has not been sleeping well at night at all these days. He gets up several times a night and wants to eat. I am pretty sure he is really uncomfortable and wakes up itching a lot too. Last night he got out of his little swaddle and pulled the socks off of his hands. By the time I heard him screaming, he had scraped up his head and his little hands were a bloody mess! You should see his little head today. It looks like he made a kitty cat really angry! Poor little guy! His sleeping habits have made me a pretty tired mommy these days, and this cold I am fighting just seems to linger without much rest to help it go away! I am very eager to start Hayes on some solids as soon as I get the go ahead from the allergist. I think this may help with the nighttime hunger. He is almost 15 1/2 lbs you know- a growing boy! He wants some food, and I want some sleep!

Stayin' warm!

It is a rare moment when I can get them both up in my lap for a little lovin' without one of them squirming or screaming for somethin' or another. I love and cherish those rare moments.

Love is...

reading the "Duck book" over and over and over again! Hayes looks thrilled to be reading this book again too, doesn't he? Happy Valentines Day to the one's I love...

Hayes goes to the Allergist today!

After a minor (ok, ok...major) breakdown on the secretary of the allergy office yesterday afternoon, she magically found me an appointment for Hayes this morning at 10:00 AM. I wasn't suppose to get in until March 16th, and his eczema has been really bad here lately. She must have heard the panic in my voice, or perhaps it was the way I was hyperventilating into the phone after she told me "no, a nurse cannot call you back because you have not actually been seen in our office yet". It was after this statement that I lost it. I cannot even describe to you how alone I have felt when dealing with his skin problems. It just seems as if it just isn't "bad enough" for the medical specialists to really do anything. However, it is just "bad enough" to make him lose all of his hair from rubbing at his itchy, dry scalp and to keep him from sleeping more than 3 hours at a time at night. It's "bad enough" that he is 5 months old and I still have to put socks on his little hands to keep him from scratching himself to the point of bleeding. Anyways, I had just about had enough of people basically telling me to "deal with it". So, when that secretary told me that I could not get a return call from a nurse, I had my meltdown. Thus, an appointment was found. I was able to calm down, thank the woman a million times, and then hang up to feel just a little silly over my dramatic interpretation of a worried mommy.

We are home now from our appointment. As usual, Hayes was such a trooper. The doctor is concerned that his eczema could be the result of either a milk allergy or an environmental allergen. However, because I gave him some benadryl on Tuesday when he was so miserable, we were unable to perform any skin tests until the antihistamine is completely out of his system-BOOOOOOOO! I knew that was going to be a problem, but still wanted to get into see someone to get the ball rollin'. We will go back in a week and a half to have the skin tests performed to determine if he has any allergies or if this eczema is purely a topical issue. Either way, he is getting some help. I can breathe a little easier now, and I don't feel so "alone". I am thankful that we were able to be seen and prayerful that he is on the road to becoming healthier!We'll keep you posted...Thanks for thinking of us!

(Oh...and thanks to Dan and Christen for the Seahawks gear! It's Tim's favorite jammies of course!)

Snowy day...Part II

Addie, the Diva, wouldn't want to get her little toes wet and cold from walking in the snow, so Daddy pulled her through the snow-covered streets in her little red wagon.

It didn't take long for Addie to warm up to being outside in the snow with Daddy. Unfortunately, snow angels and sledding were not on the top of her list of things to do. Bubbles, however, were exactly what she wanted to do on the first snow of the decade! Check out that cool beanie her Daddy let her borrow....Where is mommy when I need her?

Luckily, I am here for most of the "firsts" in my babies' lives...and I cannot express how blessed that makes me feel. So, I suppose Tim deserves to see some "firsts" too...He loved playing in the snow with Addie and I'm glad that they had such a good time together. Now- bring on the warm weather!

While I was away...the SNOW came to play!

After waiting and wishing for several years to have my very own snow storm here in our hometown, wouldn't ya know it came the weekend I made my getaway to New York. That's okay....Tim took plenty of pictures for me and it seems as if I didn't miss too terribly much since Addie wasn't all that impressed. We got quite a bit of snow here that weekend too. Then it snowed again Saturday night and is suppose to snow again this Tuesday night.....YUCK! It is very pretty, but we are ready to enjoy some warm weather around here.

She's not too sure what to think about all this...

And why is Daddy taking so many pictures of me?

I'm not very happy...and I'm cold....

Actually....I'm downright miserable....I want to go inside!

Snowy Day....to be continued....

"Just Like Me" Doll

I bought Addie a "Just Like Me" doll last week while on my trip. I was going to put it up and give it to her on her birthday this summer, but I just couldn't help myself. So, the spoiled, often "bratty" little girl, got her doll immediately apon my arrival. She loves it...for now.

(Grandma Julie.....you sent this "butterfly" outfit to Addie at Christmastime, and she loves it too!)

Notice the doll is also posing on "Henry" the horse too ( I tried very hard to get her to name the horse Nelly-after my bouncing horse I had when I was her age, but no...she liked "Henry"). Sorry...I digress... I am ashamed to admit how long I had to save my money to purchase this doll at the American Girl Store in New York last week. She currently has exactly 12 dolls in her bed beside her that "sleep" with her each night, and most of those beloved dolls cost approximately a quarter each at a yard sale. She doesn't know the difference...but I do...and I am constantly picking this doll, whom she so lovingly named "Jaima" up off the floor and brushing her ratty hair to keep her looking pretty and new! I know...I'm crazy!

FASGOT

Last night I attended my first meeting/lecture for the "Food Allergy Support Group of Tidewater". The lecture was given by a doctor from the National Jewish Hospital that specializes in Asthma and Allergies in Denver. She knows her stuff! I learned a lot of big terms and was a little overwhelmed at all that is involved in an allergic response that takes place in the body. If my daily baths, hourly rub-downs with one cream or another, weekly visits to the dermatologist, and countless tears and anxiety over Hayes' eczema are not making a difference, then atleast I can become more educated on what is actually happening in his little body. That way, when one of his doctors explains his prognosis or develops a new regimen for treatment, I will know what they are talking about and will be on top of the situation instead of trying to dig myself out of a pile of medical terms that seem like a foreign language to a stay-at-home mommy or former high school teacher.
Don't worry though.....Hayes is still my happy boy! He doesn't let it get him down.

His smiles make it all that much easier for me as he coos and giggles when I apply cream and ointments to his body. I melt when he looks up at me with his big goofy grin as I cover his little fists with his sister's socks.

He is truly one of the happiest souls I have ever encountered!

It was very comforting to be in a room with other parents who know exactly what it is like to deal with eczema and food allergies on a daily basis. It made me feel less alone. I walked away feeling blessed and thankful that my babies are healthy and happy. Parenting is not an easy job. It happens to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life...much harder than microbiology with Dr. Wayne Tinnell, much more difficult than working with an evil department head in a school filled with spoiled, hard-headed teenagers...I like to say that parenting is one big judgement call after the other. I just pray that I am making the right calls and doing all that I can to help them. Hopefully, FASGOT will help me to be a better mommy when it comes to their allergies. I am thankful to have found this group of special people.

Everyday...

this little girl gets sweeter...

and sweeter!

I think she is pretty cute too! Wish you all could see how good she is with Hayes...it makes me a very proud mama these days...

Donut anyone?

My family LOVES some Krispy Kreme donuts! When Tim and I see that "Hot N Now" light on at our local shop, we get really, really excited! So, it made me pretty proud to see that the Jessee side of my family share this same connection to the little, sugary pieces of heaven.

We also enjoy a good challenge, and this puzzle was that exactly. I found it in the back of my Memaw's closet and got to work on it the very night I arrived. It was a tough one, with lots of blacks and purples and shadows in the picture. I recruited lots of help though. (Can you tell how excited Uncle Ed is about the puzzle....and boy was he tons of help!)

Unfortunately, we never did finish the entire thing. Julie wasn't too shy to brush it all off the table and back into the box once we realized all that was left was black and purple pieces! I was sad to see all of my hard work come apart and fall back into the box, but relieved at the same time since it was starting to make me crazy!!!!

I love spending time with my family - it truly is one of my favorite things to do!