9 Month Basti

Basti turned 9 months old this week.  YEY!  And he had his 9 month well-baby check-up:
- Weight: 18 pounds 11.5 ounces
- Length: 27 inches, which is shorter than a few weeks ago.  Very unlikely he shrank.
- Head circumference: 45 cm

Basti's poop consistency changed about a month ago.  He doesn't get the bubbly explosions anymore.  Now his face turns red or he cries out as he produces little quenelles.  They are stinkier, but at least not explosive and runny.  Also, when he does poop he often gets a bit of diaper rash between his butt cheeks, irritation from the new foods going through his system.  Doc said to give Basti water with his meals to make sure his poop stays soft.  And definitely up the water intake a bit on hot days, of which we have had several.

Of course, we discussed ECZEMA.  I told the Doc I had been on the elimination diet for 3 weeks with no visible improvement on Basti's rash.  So Doc said, "Ok, you tried it, now you can eat normal again."  From his experience, Basti's eczema is very mild and doesn't seem to bother him much.  It doesn't bother me either, but it does drive me nuts when other people comment on the rash and feel sorry for him.

A week or so ago, I asked a doctor friend to send me medical articles on baby eczema.  After sifting through the many many articles he sent, I found that there have been studies done with breastfeeding moms doing elimination diets and resulting in insignificant improvement on baby eczema.

SO...  I ate TWO chocolate chip cookies today.  And WOW were they good.

Basti's top two front teeth are about to make their appearance...  can see the white just a bit.

Of course, as soon as we leave the doctor's office, Basti starts coughing.  At first I thought it was just random coughing.  But then it was more frequent and forceful by night time.  Oy.  Is it the dry heat?  Friday morning he was at school and I asked his teacher if she noticed any coughing but she said no.  Hmmm...  but he has been coughing quite a bit all day, and it sometimes wakes him from sleep.  Continue to monitor the situation.

This morning when I went to get Basti out of his crib from his nap, I was SHOCKed to see him sitting!  He has figured out how to sit up on his own.  WOW!  During the day he showed us his new skill several times.

And this afternoon, Poppy was playing with Basti and got him to stand up!  WHAT?!?  Basti stood up on his own holding on to Poppy's shirt.   So many new developments!

Signed up Basti for Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) class, starting second week of June.  Yey fun!  Already got his swim diapers on order too.

It's allergy season...  which means runny nose, itchy eyes, and crazy sneezing for me.  And this year I've had massive nose bleeds, sometimes at 4 am when Basti wakes up.  And my nose is very dry and irritated.  Got a saline nose spray but doesn't seem to be doing much.  Tomorrow the temps are expected to cool off, with potential rain on Monday...  keeping my fingers crossed!

Pollito Debut

Embracing country living, I signed up Basti for the Cutest Little Chick contest at the Butter and Eggs Festival this weekend.  Took me a while to make Basti's chick costume, gluing feathers to a onesie.  There were about 70 contestants!  It was nuts.  Some had store bought costumes, others home made, and then some with props and all.  It was fun, but I don't think I'll do it again.  Been there, done that.

Spring has sprung and warm weather is rolling in.  Last week we got a few days of heat, making it a tad uncomfortable for us at home.  Fortunately it cools off nicely at night, but since the sun sets on Basti's side of the house his room gets the warmest between 6 and 7 which is when he goes to sleep.  So then I am not sure how to dress him to sleep knowing it will cool off later and he might get cold in the middle of the night.  Surprisingly he managed to sleep through the night twice in that week.  TWICE!  Expecting warm temps to return by end of this week...  will he sleep through the night again?

Haven't noticed any real improvement on the eczema front since I started elimination diet 2 weeks ago.  At least it hasn't gotten horribly bad like that one time.  I'm thinking I will continue with the diet for another week, and if nothing happens, then I will eliminate wheat from my diet.  Oh gosh, not looking forward to that but so be it.

Oh, warm weather means Basti can eat naked!  YEY!  Washing skin is way easier than trying to get food stains out of his clothes (which I usually don't bother doing).

Basti has accumulated a list of nicknames too:

- Basti

- Basti Boy

- Basti Baby

- Basti Peos

- Basti Bear

- Basti Pooh

- Chochi

- Chochito

- Pollito

- Monkey

Mommy Update

I am always hungry.  Sometimes even after I eat a full meal...  15 minutes later I'm scavenging for something to munch on.  And I'm always thirsty.  So chug chug chugging water and peeing are what I do most.

Basti is heavy...  so my back is hurting.  My neck and right shoulder are pretty stiff, from looking down at Basti while he is nursing (or slouching while I pump).  And the little bugger often wants to be walked while he is nursing...  sometimes even when giving him a bottle which is no easy task balancing baby and bottle and walking.  Arms start to give out after 10 minutes.  But as soon as I sit down, he unlatches.  Strange habit.  So I carry him around the house checking out whatever there is to see.

I took advantage of the time Popo was in town, and treated myself to a couple of massages with my preferred miracle worker to loosen up my stiff shoulder.  And I also joined a crossfit gym downtown.  Wowsa.  Yeah, I'm crazy.  I was a little scared going into the first class...  given I'm completely out of shape (my only exercise in the last 8 months being carrying around a continuously increasing baby weight).  And then I found out one of the instructors has a 4 month old baby and she looks fantastic.  Oh gosh.  So I gave it my all and did sit ups, squats, sprinting, rowing, jump rope, AGH.  I survived, but stumbled out nauseous and hoping I wouldn't barf on the street or in my car.  I was terribly sore the next day, but ok.  So far I have been to 4 classes, there are 6 beginner classes to practice all the techniques and exercises, I hear the 6th one is the hardest.  I just need to figure out how to schedule in 3 classes a week, working around Basti's unpredictability.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Last week Wednesday, Basti's eczema rash on his cheeks took a turn to bad.  During his feeding in the wee hours of the morning, I noticed his cheeks were wet and shiny...  ooze?  Yikes.  At actual wake up time, it was clear...  his rash was oozing clear discharge, and he'd scratched a bit so it was bleeding too.  There were blood smears on his sleep sack.  AGH!  So decided to keep him home from school to watch the situation carefully.  By mid-morning I called the pediatrician's office and decided to take him in for a check up.  Basti weighed in at 18# 9.5oz, and measured about 28 inches in length.  Nurse A prescribed a double strength prescription cortisone to be used twice a day for up to one week.  And smear with Aquaphor ointment in between as needed.  I noted that the rash was localized to where his cheeks and chin press up against me when he is nursing. So giving him more bottles during the day (even when home), and when he does nurse I have to be mindful that his cheeks and chin are not touching me...  !?!  Not so easy given his cheeks are so big.

Within a day the rash already looked better.  Phew.  But knowing this is only a temporary solution...  what to do?  So down the rabbit hole goes Mommy...  I am on the elimination diet to see if it'll help.  From an online search this is the list I came up with:
- No dairy (milk, butter, cheese)
- No soy (drink, tofu, edamame, soy sauce, soy lecithin [which is in tons of store bought products like bread, cookies, etc])
- No peanuts (I'd been surviving on peanut butter sandwiches and peanut/chocolate bars as quick breakfast and snacks)
- No chocolate
- No coffee (this one I'm not so sure is necessary)

If this does do anything...  it may take 2-3 weeks for improvement of eczema.

Eggs and wheat are also on the list but I know Basti is not allergic to eggs (he had the flu shot with no adverse reaction) and I'm not ready to give up wheat.  I will reconsider when all else fails.

Yesterday took him back to the doctor for a follow-up visit.  Basti weighed in at 18# 12oz.  All eczema spots were pretty much healed.  However, Nurse A warned that this will come and go.  Use the prescription cortisone only when it gets really bad, and wait 2-3 weeks in between uses.  I mentioned I'm on the elimination diet and she said that has worked for some and not for others so it's all trial and error.

Basti LOVES the crinkly paper on the examination table at the doctor's office.

Over the weekend I turned 33.  Double digits yo!  We all went out to brunch and dinner, Basti got some bread to munch on at the table.

Popo stayed with us for a month.  So Basti got lots of time at home with us.  Surely he enjoyed being the center of attention and always having a pair of arms to hold him.  I hope he does ok adjusting to going to school more regularly.  

Puppy Love

Little Maja will be 22 months old in 2 weeks.  WOW!  Time does fly...  It seems it was just yesterday we took her to the pet store for the first time to get supplier and a lady asked me how many nicknames I had for Maja.  Nicknames?  We call her Maja, that's her name.  And she warned me that with time I'd have lots of nicknames...  and oh boy was she right!

1. Maja

2. Maja Bear

3. Maja Papaya

4. Majita

5. Majita Papita

6. Bubu

7. Bubu Bear

8. Bubusita

There's lots of other random names we call her.  She answers mainly to Maja and Bubu.

5 things I didn't know about puppies:
1. They lose their puppy teeth!
2. They bark (muffled bark) in their sleep.
3. They snore.
4. They sleep so much!
5. They need their teeth brushed, ideally every day (I try to brush every other day, at least she doesn't mind it and likes the toothpaste).

5 features I love about Maja:

1. Her fluffy ears and antennas

2. The lightning bolt pattern on her tail

3. Two Swirls on her butt

4. Her puppy prance

5. She looks like a cute fluffy teddy bear

6. She loves to cuddle in the morning
7. When she gets REALLY excited about seeing someone (especially her Poppy), she gets crazy wiggle butt and bounces all over the place.  And then she'll make this low growl to let you know she wants attention (in case you're saying hi to someone else).

Maja goes most everywhere with me, Philipp, or us.  Unfortunately she is not allowed everywhere with us, and she patiently waits for us in the car...  usually curled up on the drivers seat napping.  We're lucky she doesn't bark her head off in the car at anything that goes by.

On work days, she comes to the office with us, where she is spoiled by everybody.  Lots of laps to lay on and hands to pet her.  Or sometimes she will snooze on my chair (or Philipp's)...  at which point I sit on the edge of the chair so as not to disturb her.  Ha ha.

And it's great Maja loves her little brother.  She'd lick him all over if we'd let her...  one time she did manage to get to his face, but then his face got all red.  We found online that some people get an allergic reaction to some dogs licking their face.  Nothing major, fortunately.  Maja is very good about distinguishing between her toys and Basti's toys.  Sometimes she'll be curious about a new toy Basti gets, but we let her know it is not for her and she'll leave it alone.  The tough one now is keeping her away from the mess Basti makes during his play meal times.  If I'm really watchful and remind her, Maja will respect Basti's eating area.  But sometimes my attention is fully on Basti and I may miss something.  Work in progress.

Breaking News...

A tooth has made its appearance in Basti's lower gums!  WOW!  Pops saw a glimpse of it this evening, and I lept in the air in celebration.  My little baby is growing up!  WWWHHHAAA...  Time for arroz con leche!  But I can't have milk...  hmmm.

Basti's face eczema gets better and worse, and just keeps fluctuating.  So we deal with it as it comes.

Little Basti Wabbit likes lettuce!  I know, zero nutritional value...  but great play value!  It's crisp, fresh, breaks, mushes, Yey!  So much fun.  

8 Month Basti

Basti turned 8 months over the weekend.  To celebrate, we gave him a super haircut:  trimmed the sides with clippers and a 1 inch comb.  I tried scissor cutting the top, but it was all over the place and Basti was getting restless.

We also sang happy birthday with a mini chocolate cake...  I was tempted to give him a taste, but better not, too much sugar.  Maybe next time.

Popo and Cuncun are visiting, and having lots of fun feeding Basti.  Little boy likes beef...  I  made him a little beef stew and he stuffed his mouth with little chunks of beef and just sucked on the pieces.  I had to fish them out as he wouldn't spit them out and couldn't swallow them.  Introduced Os (like Cheerios) to him yesterday, and although they are tasteless he seemed to like them, picking out one by one and getting it to his mouth.  O's mush up with saliva making them easy to swallow.

Basti has been going to school 3 mornings a week during the parental visit...  so he keeps the "routine" of going to school and doesn't forget his teacher and friends.  Doesn't seem he's quite adjusted though.  He's very tired when we get home and sometimes takes 2 naps in the afternoon.

We hosted Easter brunch.  Since Poppy said no to me getting bunny ears for Basti, I dressed him in orange to match his Pio Pio hat.  But then Uncle T said he looked like a Reeses peanut butter cup.

Poppy is off on a Eurotrip for 10 days.  Van with 5 dudes driving all over France and then to Switzerland.  Sometimes I think I miss the crazy work trips...  and then I realize it's much better at home with my babies.  It's great this long trip is overlapping with parental visit...  reduces the amount of cooking and dish washing I have to do.  However, I have bottle washing duty which I'm really not a fan of (Philipp usually takes care of those).

One of the ladies from my Mommy group reached out requesting breastmilk donations as she is unable to pump enough for her baby.  Having gone through a low production period and being very stressed out about not being able to have enough milk for Basti...  I checked out my frozen stash and decided to give some to a fellow mommy in need.  For now this was a one-time contribution.  I will check the level of my stash on a weekly basis to see how it goes.