My baby just can't catch a break.

The poor little guy.  Thank goodness he is the happiest little kid, because for some this crap could really get you down in the dumps!  Over a month ago Owen had a virus and broke out in a tiny bumpy little rash.  It wasn't too big of a deal, but what the rash did was.  It gave him a full on excema flare up.  He had big dry, itchy patches of it all over his body. I did everything I could to get ride of it.  We tried the prescribed steroid cream, which helped for a while but the itchy excema would come right back. I would try the cream again and again it would work for a few days and then come right back.  I couldn't keep using the steroids on his little 15 month old body so lotion and lots of it was our next course of action.

Everyone in this house has sensitive skin so nothing but Cetephil for lotions and body washes and for laundry detergents it was free and clear all the way.  No pretty lavenders or fresh mountian air in our house...  It couldn't possibly be topical- but then again who knows.

Owen was happy, just super duper dry and itchy.

And then yesterday came.  I got him out of his crib to start the day, lay him down to change his diaper and Holy Moly! My boy was covered in bright red spots!  It looked like measles, but of course I knew it wasn't that.  It looked similar to when he had an allergic reaction to the flu shot, only this time the bumps were raised.  They were very itchy and you could tell he was just uncomfortable.  They were mostly on his belly and moving up his chest.  By the afternoon his entire truck was covered and they were moving around to his back.  By this morning his whole head, face, neck, belly, back and arms are covered in these itchy, raised red bumps.

Back to the doctors office we go.  Yes, they ALL know us by name now.  This is getting ridiculous.

Dr. Drazdik believes that he has a food allergy.  This was something I suspected but really, really hoped wasn't the case.  But add in him being affected by the flu shot.  Then the case of excema flare up that wouldn't go away and now this head to toe rash. The location of the rash indicates that it is most likely something he ate, not topical.  So guess what.  Owen is now off milk (and dairy), eggs, peanuts and strawberries until he visits an allergist.  The poor little guy needs to get an allergy test done.  I am so sad.  I know how uncomfortable those can be.

He also has a yeast infection, and is teething.  All in all he isn't a happy camper.

So much has been happening to my little boy in his short life already!  Thank you Lord that none of it has been life threatening, or all that serious.  But it still puts stress on his body and on his worrisome parents.

So now I ask all of you out there that deal with these particular allergies, any suggestions for alternative food products (so far he has taken to Soy Milk in place of the Whole Cows Milk).  Places for good, and yummy recipes, etc?  This will be a whole new way of me cooking for him so any advice will be helpful!  What are some good dairy free  substitutions that still taste good?  He LOVES his yogurt, I feel so bad that he can't have it anymore.  Or are there soy or dairy free ones?  Blah.  None of this is for sure until his allergy test, but I figure it won't hurt for me to start looking around.

The Sick.

What in the world? I thought we all shook this thing a week ago, but it is back. I have had a horrible stomach ache and nausea since yesterday afternoon, but had to quickly forget about it so I could take care Jackson. The poor little guy has been throwing up all night long- just about every hour or if lucky, two. This was the first time I ever had to spend the night sleeping on his floor so I could help him. Watching my baby wreathe in pain with dry heaves is not something I ever want to see again. His tiny little body shaking from the violent heaves his stomach was throwing on him. And each time, in a little voice he would say to me "Mommy, I don't like this. Why do I have to be sick?"  I wish I had a good enough answer for you my sweet boy.  Instead I would rub his back, kiss his forehead, and give him sips of water.

It was a night of constant bedding changes....over and over and over- unfortunately the bathroom is so far away from his bedroom he would never make it in time.  So puking on his bed was the best option.  Yuck, I know.  But I got a system of towels, that made it not nearly as bad.

And after the hard work his body put him through, he was back to sleep in minutes.  I on the other hand laid on the floor, in my makeshift bed and tried to quiet the thoughts in my head.  I would pray, sing praise songs, and just try and get my eyes to sleep for I knew in just a short time we would be doing it all over again.  19 times to be exact.  Wow, what a long night and now a long day for a mommy needing to care for a sick little boy, myself and a baby.

At 6 am it seemed impossible. I am embarrassed that I was crying to Scott about him leaving me for work.  I asked (ok, maybe begged for him to stay home).  At that hour after being up all night, I couldn't imagine being able to care for my Littles, plus do all the cleaning and disinfecting my household needed, and get the sleep my body desperately craved.  But of course it was an important work day full of meetings for the hubby, so I was on my own.  Jackson was already in a deep sleep so I moved to my own bed and luckily was able to get another hour and a half of hard, hard sleep before everyone awoke.

And surprisingly Jackson seems to be doing much better.  The worst seems to be past him and I am feeling brighter and more positive.  I still have a yucky stomach, but I pray that it doesn't get any worse- and most importantly, that little Owen doesn't get it.

This is the song that kept me company last night.  I heard it last week and now can't seem to get it out of my head.  I have already ordered it from the library so I can listen to it on repeat as often as I like :)  I have a strong feeling this is an album I will be purchasing for sure.  LOVE.

Cutest. Patient. EVER.

Last Thursday Owen went in to have surgery on his left tear duct to finally get the goop all cleared up.  The poor little guy was born with both tear ducts completely blocked.  After a sinus infection around 7 months the right side cleared up on its own, but this left side has remained pesky.  At his 1 year doctor's appointment they strongly suggested we have it taken care of.  She said that they don't like them to persist after one year of age because it can lead to further issues down the road.  Boo.  The thought of my little baby being put under was a scary one.  But we braved it together and now he is goop free!  Yay!

The surgery itself was crazy fast.  When they were taking him away from me for surgery, the nurse told me to go have a cup of coffee.  By the time I was done, he would be too.  And she was right!  Wow!  They warned me ahead of time that children, especially babies when they come out of anesthesia, they will cry and be pretty hysterical. It is normal and not to worry.  They will calm down as it wears off.  Sure enough when they called me back to see him after surgery a nurse was holding him and he was crying like I never heard him before.  They handed him over to me and I thought to myself- Oh my goodness, what did I do to my baby.  His eye was completely swollen shut.  It looked as though he was hit in the eye with a baseball.  I did NOT expect to see that, and the tears came to my eyes.  But I knew that wouldn't help anything and pulled myself together.  I had a baby that needed me.  So I just held him tight, rocking and singing Jesus Loves Me, You are My Sunshine and Trust in the Lord over and over again in between kisses, just so he knew he wasn't alone.

After a bit, when I noticed he was starting to settle down a bit and I was able to start seeing his eye through the puffiness I remembered I brought my laptop along.  The nurses said it was OK, so I put on his beloved Elmo and all was alright with the world.  He started to giggle more then cry, and his thrashes turned into snuggles.  We were able to get him to nibble on a few graham crackers and he had a few sips of juice.  Pretty soon the nurse told me that I could get him dressed that he was ready to go home.  I was shocked.  The entire thing took less then 2 hours!  The doctor assured me that his swelling would go down and that he would look and act more himself by later in the day if not by tomorrow.  I was a little doubtful, but OK.

Sure enough, by evening the swelling was almost all gone and we had to stop him from wrestling with Jackson.  The following day there was zero swelling, only the under of his eye was a bit red.  It looked as though he may have bumped it on something while playing.  By Saturday, only 2 days after surgery he looked 100% like himself.  No swelling, no redness, no nothing.  Just a runny nose and a cough from all the drainage of fluids they had to pump into his eye and nasal cavity to clear out the blockages.  Amazing.  I am so, so, so happy it went as well as it did.  I seriously had my doubts, especially after seeing him immediately after surgery.  But he is a tough little guy and came right through with no problems.  Thank you Lord.

I just love that cute little diaper butt hanging out the back of the gown :)

Oh how afraid I was.  I felt so helpless and scared that something terrible was going to happen to my baby.  So I decided to hand it over to God and to trust in Him to hold my baby when I couldn't.  I asked all the Prayer Warriors I knew of to keep Owen lifted up (and for a brave mommy too.)  Thank you to everyone who prayed with us that day and the days leading up to his surgery.  I truly felt your comforting prayers! As scared as I was, I knew God was in control.  Oh how Great He Is!

This is the song that played in the car on the way to the hospital. No way was this an accident. 




Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? -Luke 12:25 


 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6