Another One Bites The Dust!

Zachary lost another tooth! They are seriously dropping like flies! This is the fourth tooth to fall out, and his third since June 10th. He has been losing one a month for the past three months!

His toothless grin is stinkin' adorable and I cannot get over the little lisp he has developed with the loss of his front teeth. Every once in a while he whistles when he talks...and it is the cutest thing ever!

Man, I love this little boy! He definitlely has me wrapped around his little finger. When he smiles at me, it melts my heart. It is so great to see him reaching all of these milestones...but it makes me a tiny bit sad that my little guy is growing up! 

Toothless

Zachary has had a loose tooth for a couple of weeks...and today it finally fell out! I went into his room, this morning, to wake him up and as he stretched, his tooth popped out and landed in his bed. His little tooth is so tiny...I am glad that he could find it.

He is so excited and cannot wait to put it under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy! He immediately wanted to wake up Elizabeth to show her, but since it was only 5:15am, I made him wait so she could sleep.

 

My little Zachary is growing up. This is just another milestone that reminds me that he is not a baby anymore! I love him so much and I am so grateful that I have him in my life. Even though he is growing into a little boy, he will always be MY baby!

Library Card

One of the things on our "Summer Bucket List" is to visit the library each week. Elizabeth worked really hard on learning to read this past school year and absolutely loves to read. As a reward for learning to read, Elizabeth was able to get her very own library card. She could not be more excited!

Since it is her first time checking books out on her own, she was able to pick 5 books this week. However, the librarian told her that if she takes really good care of the books and brings them back on time, from next week on she can have up to 50 books out at a time. Elizabeth about fell over!

We are grateful for the opportunity to borrow so many amazing books. We love the library!

Days of the Week

Zachary loves going to preschool and is working so hard at learning his alphabet, shapes, numbers, and a bunch of other things. Today, as we were hanging out at home, Zachary started reciting the days of the week...

Monday...Tuesday...Wednesday...Thursday...Friday...Saturday...one day.

So cute!

Another Lost Tooth

So...Elizabeth lost her second tooth last night, while she was eating, and she didn't realize it...so she swallowed it. When she realized what had happened, she broke down in tears. Seriously, the poor girl was completely traumatized. She exclaimed, as she was bawling, "now I cannot give it to the tooth fairy until I poop it out!"

Oh my...the drama!

We are happy to report that the tooth fairy delivered a one dollar bill during the night. Needless to say, Elizabeth is thrilled!

Close Enough

Each and every day I am amazed with how well Zachary speaks. He clearly says most things and can speak in long, detailed sentences. Most of the time, even strangers can understand him and I have to "translate" very little.

There is one sentence that he says, that makes me laugh every time. He doesn't quite get it right...but he is close enough. Instead of saying, "What the heck is that?", Zachary says, "What is that, the heck?"

So funny. Man...I love that kid!

Divwiff

It amazes me that Zachary can name each and every superhero perfectly; however, when it comes to his sister's name, he cannot pronounce "Elizabeth". For some reason, whenever Zachary tries to say Elizabeth...it comes out as "Divwiff".

Zachary's Toddler Bed

Our little Zachary is growing up! Today we converted his crib into a toddler bed. As soon as we told him we were going to do it, he exclaimed, "Come on Daddy, Come on!" and ran to his room to get the toy tool set he got for Christmas. It was adorable to watch Zachary hammer and drill on his bed as Matt used real tools to get the job done.

Zachary had a huge grin on his face as we all made a big deal about what a big boy he is! He loved all of the attention as he climbed in and out of the bed a dozen or more times. It was so cute to see him laying on his pillow, covered by his warm, snuggly quilt.

I am so glad that Zachary loves his new bed! Now we just have to hope he will stay in it!

7...8...7...8...7...8

Zachary is seriously the cutest little kid. He is tries to copy Elizabeth on everything that she does. He repeats everything she says. He even tries to jump and twirl and spin just like her too! My favorite though is when he tries to count. Currently, he can count to 8...

He starts out right and then goes a little off course. He begins 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...7...8...7...8 and continues to repeat 7...8 for quite a while.

What a little cutie!

What Doin'?

Zachary is growing and changing so much. Each day I am reminded that he is not a little baby anymore...he is a little boy!

One of my favorite new things that he just recently started is, he'll walk up to you and say,
"What doin?"

Too Cute! 

Elizabeth's 5-Year Wellness Check-Up

Today, Elizabeth and I headed to Wasatch Pediatrics for Elizabeth's five-year wellness check-up. She was excited to go because she wanted to know if she was healthy and strong so that she could go to Kindergarten. I love going because I like to know how big Elizabeth is and to know that she is developing properly. 

The nurse checked Elizabeth's blood pressure, which was 107/71. She also measured Elizabeth's height and weight and completed a vision and hearing test. Elizabeth weighed in at 37 pounds 8 ounces, which is the 25th percentile. She measured 41 inches tall, which is also the 25th percentile. Her pulse was 116. Elizabeth passed the vision test and was listed as 20/30 vision in both eyes. She did great with the hearing test as well.

Once Dr. Broadbent arrived, he checked her eye sight, reflexes, ears, lungs, stomach, heart, throat, teeth, and her overall skin appearance. He had her balance on one leg and follow simple commands like "Can you put this piece of paper under that chair?" and "Can you place this pencil behind you?". Elizabeth followed all of the commands (why can't she listen to me like that?) and did great. I am so happy to hear that Elizabeth is doing well. 

Elizabeth had to get 4 shots today. Needless to say, she was not a happy girl. She cried, and screamed, as the nursed hurried to stick Elizabeth with all of the needles. Elizabeth cried for quite some time after and even had me carry her to the car. She started feeling a little better once I she had some Tylenol and laid down for a little nap. Poor thing!

We have had one concern with Elizabeth and I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss my concerns with Dr. Broadbent. It is great to have a doctor that really listens to you and really seems to want the best for my little ones and our family as a whole. After describing Elizabeth's symptoms, Dr. Broadbent ordered lab work to test for Celiac Disease. We'll know more once we get the test results, so for now we just wait and see.

I am so grateful for the marvels of modern medicine. I love going to the doctor and hearing that my little ones are doing well. I am so happy to know that Elizabeth is developing properly and that she is healthy.

If all goes as planned, we will not need to see Dr. Broadbent again until Elizabeth's 6-year wellness check-up!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

My Elizabeth is now five years old! She has grown so much and has learned so much since her last birthday. We have had some amazing times this year and I have loved spending my days with her. She is quite the little character and has quite the personality. I love that she is outgoing, wild, fun-loving, and fearless! I've said it before and I will say it again, she definitely keeps me on my toes...but I wouldn't trade her for the world!

Here are a few things about Elizabeth...

She is a good big sister and loves Zachary.

She is good at sharing and helping Zachary...most of the time!

She has a generous personality and usually shares her snacks and candy.

She loves anything pink and girly.

She is obsessed with princesses.

She love to dress-up and play house.

She get dressed herself and picks very interesting color and pattern combinations to wear.

She loves to draw, especially pictures of rainbows and our family.

She is very opinionated and says exactly what she thinks.

She loves school and is great at counting and recognizing her letters. 

She loves to go in and play with Zachary in the morning. I love this because it allows for a few more minutes of rest before I have to get up and get him.

She would eat candy 24/7 if we would let her.

She wants to grow her hair out until it is as long as Rapunzel's.

She still loves to bargain and will argue something to death.

She is a very picky eater and will hardly ever try something new.

She does not like kissing on the lips but will gladly give you a kiss on the cheek. 

She is obsessed with TV and movies. She loves any princess movie but also enjoys The Simpson, Sponge Bob Square Pants and Spider-Man.

She love to turn on music and dance. She kicks her legs and runs around. I am seriously considering putting her into a dance class.

She still hates green beans (she tells me they are for babies), meat (she tells me she needs to get bigger before she can eat it), and chocolate milk.

She attends preschool at Miss Krista's preschool and looks forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday.

She is convinced that she is going to marry one of her little friends named Zander. When asked why she wants to marry him, she says, "Because he is so handsome. Plus he doesn't laugh at me when I fall down!"

She enjoys playing with Squinkies and with her doll house. It is fun to listen to all of the little conversations she comes up with and all of the situations that she creates.

She is getting less sassy! We still have our days but they are fewer and don't come as often.

She lives life to the fullest and is constantly in motion. She loves to run, jump, and climb. She does not sit down for five seconds...unless she's watching a movie. We signed her up for soccer and I am interested to see if she likes it.

She has grown quite a bit this year. She currently wears 4T clothing and even has a couple of 4/5 outfits.

She is constantly talking. I mean, constantly. She does not let anyone get a word in and wants to make sure that she is heard. I always have to remind her that she does not need to shout! We are working on this but I can tell it's going to be a long time before we can get this under control.

She is in the CTR 4 class and loves seeing all her friends at church. She informed me recently that she does not like going to church because her teachers are always telling her she needs to be quiet. She does love the Book of Mormon and happily brings her copy to church each week.

She adores her Papa and would go to his house every day. She always tells me that she wants to move into a big house where "Mommy, Daddy, Me and Zachary can live with Grandma, Papa, Meme, and Uncle Bill".

She can entertain herself for hours. I love that she can disappear into her room and each time I check on her she is still playing with her toys. The one down-side to all of this play is that her room is usually a disaster!

She still happily goes to bed without any fussing. Her bedtime is 9:00pm and she usually sleeps until about 8:30am.

She loves to sing...and usually sings songs that she has made up.

Elizabeth...I love you. You are such a joy in my life. I love experiencing things through your eyes. You are filled with such happiness and love. You are an amazing little girl and I am privileged to be your mommy. You have a desire to do what is right and you make me so happy.

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Elizabeth!

Where He's Going...

Today we moved Zachary into a forward-facing car seat...and he LOVES it. He seems to really enjoy car rides now. He stretches out his legs and gets so excited when he sees things out the window. I think he loves seeing where he's going...instead of where he's been!

My little boy is growing up way too fast!

18 Month Wellness Check-Up

Zachary had his 18 month wellness check today. I always look forward to these appointments because I get to find out how Zachary is doing...and I get my concerns addressed. As Dr. Broadbent entered the room, he immediately noticed Zachary's red feet. This has been one of my concerns because we have not been able to get any improvement on these rashes. My poor little Zachary is constantly scratching the tops of his feet and his ankles and I have been at a loss about what to do for him. Dr. Broadbent suggested that we lather his feet with Aquaphor multiple times throughout the day. Also, he mentioned that we should constantly keep Zachary in cotton socks. Additionally, we will be talking to the Allergist tomorrow to see what else we can try.

We learned that Zachary weighs 20 pounds 8 ounces (less than 0 percentile) and is 30 and 3/8 inches tall (7th percentile). His head measured 18 and 3/8 inches (20th percentile). I was concerned to see that Zachary was still below the charts for his weight but Dr. Broadbent reassured me that Zachary's rate of growth is normal but since he started out off the charts...he remains off the charts. The doctor mentioned that Zachary has gained 2 pounds in the past three months, which is a normal weight gain. I am a little bit more encouraged but will talk with the Allergist, and possibly a Nutritionist about how to "fatten up" my little guy.

We went over the MCHAT (evaluation for Autism) and Zachary did great. There are no indications, at this point, that Zachary will be Autistic. This was great news!

Dr. Broadbent was happy to hear that Zachary is speaking a couple of words, walking without assistance, and that he can follow simple commands. After checking his ears, eyes, nose, mouth, chest, heart, etc...we are happy to report that Zachary is doing great. The only issue that we are still dealing with is Zachary's skin. Unfortunately, Zachary's eczema is still flared up. Dr. Broadbent wants me to work with our Allergist to see if we can figure out why. Dr. Broadbent thinks that Zachary is still being exposed to his allergens...or maybe he has another allergy that we are not aware of yet. Luckily, we have an appointment with the Allergist tomorrow!

Zachary was all caught up with his immunizations and we have to do the flu shot at the Allergist's office, so Zachary did not have to endure any shots today!

One thing that I mentioned, and that Dr. Broadbent noticed, is that Zachary is very attached to me. I let the doctor know that Zachary wants me and only me to hold him...when he can see me. Dr. Broadbent mentioned that stranger anxiety is pretty normal during this age...but thought is was interesting that Zachary would not go to his dad or grandparents. The doctor was encouraged that Zachary is fine once I leave...that it is only the initial separation that sends Zachary into a tizzy. In an effort to help Zachary with his separation anxiety, Dr. Broadbent wants me to leave Zachary with others a little more often and let Matt do some of the normal activities that I usually do. We need to let Zachary know that he is fine without me and that others can do things that mommy usually does. We'll see how this goes!

Except for a weight check in about three months, we don't need to come back again until Zachary's 24 month wellness check. Hooray!

Zachary's Allergist Appointment

I have been looking forward to today for quite some time now. Zachary and I met with his Allergist, Jan Berhisel-Broadbent, to discuss how Zachary has been doing and to talk about introducing new foods to his diet. We are excited to be able to offer Zachary a more varied diet but want to make sure that we go about it the right way!

Today we re-tested Zachary and learned that we are okay to go ahead with introducing soy into his diet. This is a big relief because we will be able to ease Zachary into soy milk. Over the next three months, we will be taking baby steps towards dependency on soy milk instead of nursing. For the next few weeks, we will be introducing soy formula by baking it into muffins, breads, and cakes. Once tolerated, we will move into cooking with soy formula in foods like pancakes and waffles. If that goes well, we will be able to offer him soy formula (Gerber Good Start Soy Plus). We will start with smaller amounts mixed with mother's milk until he is able to tolerate a full serving of soy formula. After a few weeks on Gerber Good Start Soy Plus, we will be able to transition to Gerber Good Start 2 Soy Plus. Once he is able to handle this formula designed for older children, we can ease into soy milk as we see fit. We will also be able to add soy cheese and soy yogurt to his diet as well. Although it is going to take some time to complete, I am so glad that we are able to start this transition. If all goes well, he should be on Gerber Good Start 2 Soy Plus by the end of June!

Since we were in the office, Dr. Broadbent wanted to test Zachary for bananas and shellfish. In the past, Zachary tested positive for bananas, but it is such an uncommon allergy that Dr. Broadbent wanted to test again. Sure enough, the skin test showed that Zachary is in fact allergic to bananas. Luckily, the test came back negative for shellfish so we are able to add more foods to Zachary's diet!

I have noticed the past few times that we have been at the park, or the zoo, or at Thanksgiving Point, that Zachary's eyes seem to water quite a bit. Dr. Broadbent thinks that Zachary must have an allergy to grass or pollen and suggested that I give him a teaspoon of Zyrtec before heading out for a day outside. She also gave me Pataday (eye drops) which should help as well. We'll keep our eye on it and see how he does.

I also talked to Dr. Broadbent about Zachary's skin. It has been looking great lately but I wanted her opinion on a "trouble spot" on his lower back. After looking at it, Dr. Broadbent says it looks like a "contact reaction". Basically, we need to be more careful about washing our hands after touching items to which he is allergic. Apparently, he is having an allergic reaction with something that is coming in contact with this skin. Poor little guy!

While at the pediatrician earlier this week, I was advised to talk with the allergist about how to boost Zachary's weight. Our little man does not even register on the charts for his weight. Usually, we would be informed to add butter, whole milk, and even cream to his diet...however, this is not an option for us. I spoke with Dr. Broadbent about any options that we do have and was told to add olive oil to anything that I can and to have Zachary drink coconut milk. Apparently, coconut milk is almost 100% fat and will do wonders at fattening up our little man!

As I sit here and type this, I am so overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for my healthy and happy little boy. Gratitude for doctors and nurses who dedicate their time to helping those around them. Gratitude for medical insurance. Gratitude for the ability to go to the doctor for assistance and for having doctor's offices so close. Gratitude for manufacturers that produce alternative foods for those that have dietary restrictions. Gratitude for my body and its' ability to provide nutrition for my sweet baby boy. Gratitude that we have been able to provide what Zachary needs to develop and grow.

My heart is full of gratitude.

12 Month Wellness Check-Up

Zachary had his 12 month wellness check-up this week. I always look forward to meeting with the doctor and confirming that everything is going well with my little ones.

Zachary weighed in at 17 pounds 2 1/2 ounces...which does not even register on the weight charts. Dr. Broadbent listed Zachary as less than 0% for his weight percentile and said that he is a definite "lightweight". When I asked if this was an issue, Dr. Broadbent reassured me by letting me know that Zachary looks alert, healthy, and active. He mentioned that Zachary is destined to be a lightweight right now because of his restricted diet. Dr. Broadbent suggested that I should work with Zachary's allergist to see if there are any weight-boosting foods that I can give him. Other than his weight, all his other percentiles look great. Zachary measured 28 and 7/8 inches long (24th percentile) and his head measured 18 inches (30th percentile).

Zachary is doing great with all of the developmental milestones. He is talking...and even says a couple of words. He can roll, sit on his own, crawl, pull to standing, and cruises while holding onto something. He signs "more" and shakes his head "no". He responds to his name and shows signs of knowing other members of his family. He is handling baby food and table food well and Dr. Broadbent was happy to hear that Zachary loves to eat.

Dr. Broadbent and I briefly discussed Zachary's allergies. However, since we have an appointment with the Allergist at the end of this week, we did not talk about it too much. Dr. Broadbent confirmed that we are reading all food labels and that we are carrying an epi-pen everywhere we go. We are to continue to avoid milk, eggs, bananas, sweet potatoes, and all nuts.

Dr. Broadbent mentioned that Zachary's skin looks great, other than a small rash on Zachary's back, and that we should continue exactly what we are currently doing. I guess we will be lathering Zachary with Aquaphor and Hydrocortisone twice a day. Hey...whatever works! As for the rash on Zachary's back, Dr. Broadbent mentioned that it looks like a "contact rash", which means that we need to do a better job of washing our hands after touching any of Zachary's allergens.

At this time, Zachary is just not big enough to transition to a forward-facing car seat. We will keep Zachary in his current car seat until he reaches the maximum height and/or weight restrictions, then we'll go from there.

I am so happy that we are now able to add meats to Zachary's diet. He loves to eat so it will be fun to see him experience these new tastes and textures. Dr. Broadbent also suggested that we skip the bottle and transition Zachary straight to a sippy cup. Right now we should not give Zachary juice or water. We need to make sure that all of his liquid intake is full of nutrition and calories.

I confirmed with Dr Broadbent that Zachary should have 1/2 teaspoon of Benadryl, unless he is having an allergic reaction. For Zyrtec, we should give Zachary a 1/2 teaspoon, for Infant's Tylenol, he should have 1 dropper (0.8ml) and for Children's Liquid Tylenol he should have a 1/2 teaspoon.

I am so grateful that we were able to meet with the pediatrician. I love the reassurance that my little ones are doing well. I am so happy to know that Zachary is healthy, strong, and developing properly.

Elizabeth's Wellness Check-Up

This week, Elizabeth had her four year wellness check-up. Although, she wasn't very excited about going, I was looking forward to seeing how she is doing. I like to be reassured that everything is going well and that she is developing properly.

The doctor checked her eye sight, blood pressure, reflexes, ears, lungs, stomach, heart, throat, and teeth. I feel so blessed to have a happy, healthy little girl!

Elizabeth weighed in at 34 pounds 1/4 ounce, which is the 45th percentile. She is 39 inches tall, which is the 40th percentile. Her blood pressure is 111/71 with her pulse being 108.

Elizabeth was very brave and did a great job of listening to the doctor. She let Dr. Broadbent listen to her heart and lungs, check her reflexes, and even push on her tummy. She sat still while he looked in her ears, mouth, nose, and eyes. I was very proud of how well she behaved for all of the tests.

At this point, Elizabeth is not big enough to transfer to a booster seat, so we will be keeping her in her car seat for a while longer. She needs to gain about 10 more pounds and a few more inches before she is able to be in a booster. She only gained 5 pounds in the past year, so it looks as though I may be driving her to kindergarten, and possibly first grade, in her car seat!

I was grateful for the opportunity to talk with Dr. Broadbent about Elizabeth's development and progress. I am so happy that she is doing well and that her development is right on mark...if not a little ahead in some respects. Dr. Broadbent was pleased with her progress and says she is a healthy, normal four year old. We are truly blessed!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

My little Elizabeth turned four years old today! It is amazing to me how much she has grown and developed since her last birthday. I love her so much and I am so blessed to be her mommy. We have had some wonderful experiences this year, as well as some trying times. Elizabeth is definitely an opinionated girl that likes things her way! I am so happy that she is strong, confident and independent. She is one amazing little girl!

Here are a few things about Elizabeth...

She is a big helper and loves to do anything to help with Zachary.

She is very generous and loves to share her food, snacks, and candy. Now toys...that's another story!

She loves puzzles and building blocks.

She is very opinionated and will tell you exactly what is on her mind.

She can count to twenty all by herself.

She loves to sing songs and most of the time makes up her own songs to sing.

She is a wonderful big sister. She loves to hold Zachary and to play with him. She gives him great snuggles and kisses and always runs to his aid when he cries.

She loves to bargain. When she asks for candy, and you tell her that she can have one, she'll hold up to fingers and say, "can I have two candies?"

She is a very finicky eater and survives on chicken nuggets and applesauce.

She still hates green beans (she tells me they are for babies), meat (she tells me she needs to get bigger before she can eat it), and chocolate milk.

She loves to give out kisses and snuggles.

She definitely loves her TV and movies. She would watch movies all day long, if I would let her. She loves Tangled, Tinkerbell, and Toy Story. Her favorite TV shows are Curious George, Word World, Dinosaur Train and American Idol.

She still loves to dance and has learned some cute dance moves throughout the year.

She attends preschool and absolutely loves it. She looks forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday. Her favorite day at preschool is Show-and-Tell day. She has learned some really cute songs and is much better at her colors and shapes.

She likes dressing up and playing with costume jewelry. She wears one of her many princess dresses and tiaras every day and loves to dance, twirl, and spin.

She is quite the little sassy girl. She thinks that she is the boss and gets upset when she doesn't get her way. We have worked on this throughout the year and she is starting to get better.

She is energetic and full of life. She loves to run, jump, and climb...and doesn't sit still for five seconds. She is always on the move and wants to be included in everything that we do.

She is still small for her age, but is slowly catching up. She currently wears 3T shirts and 2T pants (unless they have an adjustable waistband, then she wears a 3T).

She does not "shut up". From the minute she wakes up, until the time she goes to bed...she does not stop talking. She will not let anyone else get a word in...and goes to great lengths to make sure that we are all paying attention to her. This is something that we are definitely still working on!

She loves going to church and asks if we can go every time we pass our ward building. She started Primary in January and LOVES it. She is a Sunbeam and totally loves going to her class. She recently got her very own Book of Mormon and loves to say prayers. She volunteers to bless the food at every family activity we attend.

She adores her Papa and wants to go to his house every day.

She loves candy and would eat it non-stop until she got sick, if I would let her. She loves tootsie rolls, gummy bears, cotton candy, and suckers.

She has a tender-heart and really gets concerned when she sees people sad. She does everything she can think of to make the person feel better. She is such a sweet, loving girl.

She loves toys and is starting to be able to entertain herself. She loves Snap 'n Style dolls, blocks, puzzles, My Little Ponies, and Littlest Pet Shops. Her favorite is still Soft Baby. She sleeps with her every night and always has to know where she is.

She is great at going to bed. She always asks me to snuggle her for a couple minutes. We talk about the day and say prayers. She usually goes to bed at 9:00pm and sleeps until about 8:00am.

She loves to sing songs...and even makes up some of her own!

She is so much fun and quite a handful. She is a happy girl who loves to be the center-of-attention. She has to be where everyone else is and always wants to know what we are doing. She is energetic and happy, which makes me so glad. I love to hear her laugh and to see her smile from ear-to-ear.

Elizabeth...I love you so much. You keep me on my toes and make each day different and exciting. I never know what you are going to come up with. I love learning more about you every day. I am so happy that you are my little girl. It makes my heart so happy to be able to spend my days with you. I am so blessed to be your mommy.

Nine Month Wellness Check-Up

Zachary had his 9 month wellness check-up today. I have been looking forward to this appointment for quite some time because I want Dr. Broadbent's confirmation that everything is going well and that Zachary is developing normally.

Well, we received great news. Dr. Broadbent says that Zachary is doing great. He was happy with Zachary's progress with rolling, sitting up on his own, standing and crawling. Dr. Broadbent said that it is great that Zachary can pick up small objects and pass objects from one hand to the other. We have introduced solids and are working on getting Zachary to feed himself some finger foods.

Zachary weighed in at 16 pounds 12 ounces (4th percentile) and measured 28 inches long (48th percentile). His head measured 17 and 1/2 inches (26th percentile).

There were a couple of concerns that I was happy to be able to discuss with Dr. Broadbent. I am not very confident with feeding Zachary solids because he has been having some skin reactions after he eats certain foods. Dr. Broadbent recommended that I try Beech-Nut foods and to stay away from the things that cause the rashes. We are meeting with another Allergist on February 3rd so I will just play it safe until then. At this point I will be avoiding milk, eggs, bananas, sweet potatoes, all nuts and shellfish. I know, I know...Is that all!

Dr. Broadbent gave me some additional things to try to help with Zachary's itchy rashes. I will continue to lather Zachary in Aquaphor morning and night. Additionally, I will be giving Zachary his Zyrtec in the morning, instead of at night like I have been. Dr. Broadbent also suggested Aveeno soap because it has an anti-itch property. We are going to dress him only in cotton and pre-wash everything that he wears in Dreft. I hope that this helps!

I really enjoyed today's visit. It made me feel better to know that Zachary is doing well and that I seem to be doing things correctly. It's nice to get confirmation that you are doing everything that you can for your little one's.

Zachary's First Solid Food

All I can say is My Baby Loves to Eat!

We have been working with all of Zachary's doctors to decide on the perfect time to introduce solids. We wanted to make sure that all of his rashes were gone and that his skin was clear so that we could tell if he was having a reaction to something we fed him. He has been doing really good lately so we finally got to feed him his first solid food!


We went with something basic...rice cereal. As we put Zachary in his highchair, and placed the bib around his neck, he looked totally confused as to what we were doing. But, as soon as we placed the first spoonful of food in his mouth...he was hooked. My little man loves to eat!


I could not shovel the food into his mouth fast enough. As I put the spoon into the bowl, Zachary would bend down trying to reach his mouth to the spoon. He would stick out his tongue, trying to lick the food off of the spoon.


It was so fun to watch him reach this new milestone. He sat there with such concentration. He would open his mouth, gnaw on the spoon until he got the food into his mouth, then he would roll the food around in his mouth until he could figure out how to swallow it.


After he would swallow, his "little birdie mouth" would open again...ready for more. If I didn't get the food into his mouth fast enough, tears would ensue. What an impatient little guy...and what a sad little face!


If you look really close, you can see Zachary's first little tooth. He is growing up way too fast!


Once Zachary finished the first bowl of rice cereal, I made another batch. The second batch I made a little thicker, just to see if he could handle it.

He tried it...


...but didn't like it. Oh well. Guess we'll have to ease into that in the future.


All-in-all, Zachary did great. I am so glad that we are finally going to be able to expose him to new tastes and textures!