10 Days

We went away for 10 days and when we arrived back home, we were left wondering how our little Sebby could be growing up so quickly. Apparently 2 weeks in the life of an eight month old is huge!

When we left he was figuring out the commando crawl but was relatively stationary. He would get quite upset when we left the room but would just sit there crying. Yesterday when I set him down and left the room, he crawled after me. He came into his bedroom when I was putting his clothes away and climbed into the bottom of his closet.

When we left, we suspected that he would be getting into things soon. Now, we can't leave him unsupervised for even a second because he is into EVERYTHING! At one point, I looked away for 5 seconds and found him with his hands and face covered with his cream...he was eating it! Another time, I found him eating Kleenex. While we were eating, he pulled everything off the bottom of the bookshelf and put every cord in sight in his mouth.

When we left, he loved being held in a standing position. Now, he is pulling himself up to standing on his own and is attempting to climb in and on everything he can reach. He pulls himself up in the tub, on the couch and on his diaper box, balancing quite steadily. Last night he almost fell head first in to his tub as I was filling it with water.

When we left, he wasn't saying much other than mama when he was tired, crying or wanted to nurse. Now, he is babbling throughout the day.

It's amazing to watch Sebby learn new skills so quickly! Wonder what he will learn to do next?

Unsolved Mysteries with Eczema

Sebby's eczema is still an unsolved mystery! Since our visit to the naturopath in June, we have been very careful with both my diet and his but we have not seen his eczema clear up for more than a week before a new flare up starts. A few weeks ago, I cut out cinnamon, garlic and coconut from my diet because I read that they are common allergies in children but he continues to have flare ups every few days.

It's been frustrating to not know what is causing his eczema to flare up, especially because the hypoallergenic diet is difficult to follow and is beginning to feel like a waste of time.

Almost 2 weeks ago, we had a consultation with a herbalist who was experienced in working with children with eczema. She made three recommendations: we give Sebby chamomile tea baths, a herbal tincture and apply starflower cream to his face. She said that we should likely see results within three to six weeks.

So far, although the cough that he'd had  for over a month cleared up within a day or two, he continues to have flare ups every few days! Other advantages of the herbalists recommendations arethat the starflower cream keeps his face well moisturized and he hasn't been too itchy. Plus he can't get enough of the tincture, he LOVES the taste!

But unfortunately, it seems like until we figure out what he is allergic to and stop exposing him to those allergens, no treatment will work.

On to the next experiment...we're planning to see a medical doctor to ask for a referral to a children's allergy clinic. We have heard that in some cases, it is possible in the UK to get blood allergy tests for children under a year old. We know that those allergy tests aren't always reliable at such a young age, however, we thing that its worth a try.

Sebby's Eighth Month

Sebby is quite the little globetrotter! He spent his eighth month traveling from PEI to Iceland, Ireland, Scotland then England. He did remarkably well with all the transition and despite a total lack of routine. We were thankful he was able to go with the flow and nap in the carrier as we were out and about (He is pictured here asleep at the Blue Lagoon).

In PEI, he had an opportunity to hang out with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. All 12 children in my family were able to make it back for one day and we had great fun taking pictures (see below) and catching up!

In Iceland, he experienced the Blue Lagoon and loved it! We were worried the water would be too hot but because it was cold outside, the water temperature was just right. He was one of the only people not sick during our whale watching misadventure.

In Ireland, he saw a few castles, Riverdance and had a taste of the beautiful countryside. He also had two huge milestones in Ireland. He began saying "mama" (his first words, oh, how they warm my heart!) AND his first tooth appeared!

We had just over a week to get settled in Scotland, then we were off to Nottingham, England for a work conference. He was able to really get a handle on the commando crawl and is scampering around more quickly than ever. He also started trying to pull himself up to a standing position, pulling himself up on the set of drawers in our room. He had his eighth month "birthday" here and has already learned some other new skills but I will save them for next time.

Sebby's Seventh Month

Oops, this one is really belated as since we left Onatrio in mid July, I've had only sporadic access to internet. I started drafting this post a eat or two before July 18 and was intending to add a few more details but will just post as is, seeing as another month has passed. The name of the game. This month is mobility!

Sebby has been wiggling non stop and inching his way around the room whenever we put him down. It has become increasingly difficult to diaper and dress our little mover but it sure is cool to see him catch a glimpse of something then use all his energy and concentration to help him get ahold of it. He isn't very quick yet but what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in determination, often digging his forehead into the ground to help push himself forward. We're anticipating needing to childproof as we me in to our flat in Glasgow because by August he will likely be motoring around with more agility.

He also likes to take a few steps while holding on to Daddy's hands but gets tired out fairly quickly. He can sit up very straight but prefers to lounge with at least one foot up in the high chair. On the ground, he rarely stays still for long enough to sit but he does have the ability to sit unassisted.