Food Sensitivity

So, I am finding that as I start Elijah on solids, there is much more to consider due to his food sensitivity issue. Because he is still breastfeeding, whenever I am introducing new food in his diet, I have to make sure that I don't eat something new either. For example, I started him on sweet potatoes. However, today, I had toast with jam (berries) and chicken salami. Right before I fed him the sweet potatoes, I breastfed him. I noticed that after I finished giving him sweet potatoes (which he didn't seem to like that much), he had a rash on his back. Now, the question is, is he sensitivity to sweet potatoes or is he sensitive to the jam or the salami from breastmilk? I'll try again tomorrow and make sure I just have plain toast and a banana, then see what happens after I give him the sweet potatoes...

Arghhh... honestly, it is starting to get a little frustrating for me. Ever since I have completely cut out soy, eggs, dairy, citrus, and nuts, his skin has been mostly free of rashes. I tried yogurt once and he was gassy that whole day. I actually think he might be lactose intolerant and but not allergic to dairy.... Thank goodness that he is not sensitive to wheat! I've been living on lentils and rice (with vegetable and chicken) and spaghetti, but besides that I can't venture out too much. Going out to eat is more work. A couple of times I had other kinds of Indian food, he woke up multiple times crying at night time and developed small rash.... as I reflected back on each of the incidents, I had peas.... I wonder if he is sensitive to peas too (which is in the same family as peanuts). He's been wheezing since we have been in India (I'm not sure if it's due to the dogs, the environment, or food) and some days it seems worse.I am praying for healing for him and that he would outgrow this issue.... If this continues, I think I want to have him get tested for food allergies after he turns one. Nevertheless, he continues to be a happy, cheerful little guy, and for that I am thankful.

I can move, well kind of..sort of..

Here's a video of Elijah scooting himself on the bed....Oh my, once he gets moving, I think he is going to keep us really busy!!

6 Months Old

Half a Year Old....Already?!!

Elijah is six months old today. Can't believe he is half a year old already....

Here is Elijah in our laundry bucket.


I finally managed to take a photo of his teeth--yes, teeth, because he has another tooth coming out!!

Two Big Milestones

Today, Elijah had his first "solid" meal - rice cereal. He did wonderfully. He liked it, opened up his mouth, swallowed, and seemed to enjoy the process. He also got to drink water from his sippy cup and from an adult cup. We had given him cups to play with the last couple of days as we needed something different from his toys to keep him entertained. He actually got to drink out of it and was he thrilled! I can't believe how quickly our baby is growing....it makes me want to enjoy every moment of it....
We think he is going to crawl any day now.... he has the physical strength, but he has not quite figured out how to get moving faster. He lifts his butt up and gets his legs in toward his chest and pushes himself. Today, he semi-crawled across the bed as Paul cheered him on. When he starts, I know that he is going to keep me busy. Tomorrow, I'll try posting a video of his first "bites."

I was enjoying my warm bath....

reflecting on the day and thinking about what is for dinner. But, the paparazzi caught me off guard and interrupted my peaceful moment!

Developmental Leaps

He is growing by leaps and bounce!!

• Now he is able to sit up on his own for longer periods of time. He still falls over but I think we're almost there to sitting up independently.
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• He has a tooth out. I can't figure out a way to take a photo of it though.
  
• He continues to love reading. It has been fun to see him respond and interact with certain books that were of no interest to him before.

• He is much more independent--he knows what he wants, reaches out and grabs for them, can play on his own or with us for longer stretches of time (less sleep), is much more interested in exploring the world around him rather than interacting with us, and he now expresses his frustration or discontentment with this particular expression on his face.

We will start solids in a week. I can tell he is ready because he is now trying to grab our food and intently looks at us as we eat. We have been using the spoon to give him his medicine for acid reflux and he seems to do okay (although I'm thinking of using my hand initially to feed him, like the locals.) He seems to be doing better with acid reflux. I am going to try reintroducing dairy in my diet and see how it affects him. If I can eat dairy, it will allow for more variety in my diet for sure!!