Sucker Punched

In other health related news, Monday morning Sebby woke up with a red and swollen eye. I thought maybe he had scratched himself in his sleep but when it wasn't any better by evening, we decided to get it checked out.

The doctor took one look at his eye and said it was conjunctivitis (pink eye). He said it would likely clear up in two weeks or less but cautioned us that it was quite contagious. He said that Sebby would likely get it in the other eye and if we weren't careful, we'd get it too.

So far, Darren and I have been spared but yesterday morning Sebby woke up with another red and swollen eye. So frustrating, just as thhe first eye was starting to get better, his second eye has become infected.

I think and hope that he's on the mend. He hasn't been sleeping well and Darren thinks he looks like he was sucked punched.  (Haven't taken any pictures of him like this).

Rice Milk Lattes Aren't So Tasty...

Poor Sebby!

We've been experimenting with different creams and strategies to deal with his eczema for a few months now but nothing has helped. I know it's super itchy because I catch him trying to rub and scratch it, especially at night and in the morning.

I've been talking to different friends and health care professionals about eczema and have learned that it is often food related. I wanted to try as many things as possible before starting to cut things out of my diet so last weekend we got him a hazelwood necklace. Some people report relief in as little as 24 hours after wearing one, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping Sebby yet.

Finally, after a flare up on Tuesday evening where his cheeks were glowing red and hot to the touch, I bit the bullet and decided to made some changes to my diet! As of Wednesday, I'm avoiding both dairy and soy (our doctor told us that soy is more of an allergin than dairy so if I were to begin eating more soy, I may not find his skin any better). I'm thankful for friends who have given me so many cooking tips to ease myself into this new way of eating.

Rice milk lattes sure don't taste great but avoiding the dairy products that I love is a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means Sebby's skin will feel better without having to use steroid creams.

Sure hope it helps!

Sebby's Fifth Month

Sebby will be five months in a few days and he has had an exciting month of growth (he now weighs just over 15 lbs) and development!

Strength

Sebby is a lot more comfortable with rolling and really seems to have mastered that skill over the past few weeks.

He is continuing to build upper body strength and now actually enjoys being on his tummy!

Seb has been practicing sitting up this month and he has sat unassisted for up to a minute before toppling sideways or forward.

Sleep

After lots of researching and some trial and error, we've had HUGE improvements in the area of sleep over the past month! Some of the changes include:

- Seb went from almost never napping in his crib to napping almost all of his naps in his crib.

- He went from needing to nurse or go for a walk in the carrier to fall asleep to being able to fall asleep in his crib within minutes.

- He went from needing to be swaddled to sleep to being able to sleep in a sleep sack.

- He went from waking almost hourly some nights to sleeping a four hour stretch most nights.

Speech

Seb seems to LOVE to hear his own voice! He is making many different noises and really enjoys making noises when he eats. He makes noises that sound like real words and although they make us want to thing that our little guy is super intelligent, we know that its just coincidence.

Play

Sebby still loves peek a boo and reaching for the "baby" in the mirror. He is just beginning to discover his toes and he reaches for them while we're changing his diaper.

He has also developed more of an interest in grabbing at and manipulating objects.

Sebby has also enjoyed playing with his baby friends this month. Here he is playing with his friend Vlade and Vlade's toy monkey. So cute!

Grrr

I wrote a post about Sebby's sleep & now it has disappeared! So annoyed! Makes me want to switch to Wordpress...

Seb's Fourth Month

Looking back, this past month has been the most difficult for me although this month has been very exciting for Sebby in terms of development...

Strength

Sebby's neck is becoming increasingly strong, he now holds it up without a problem. I can even carry him on my hip!

He rolled from belly to back several times this month and has been doing what looks like a "v sit," pulling his head and chest forward while sitting. Seems like he is getting ready to sit on his own next.

He is doing much better with tummy time, even hanging out and resting on his arms like in this picture.

Sleep

We've had a rough month when it comes to sleep. Seb got his first set of vaccinations and developed a fever, which kept him up at night a lot for several nights. Since his fever, he has not slept more than 4 consecutive hours. Unfortunately, most nights over the past month involved hourly awakenings. Thankfully, we figured out and resolved some issues complicating his sleep and now we are likely mostly dealing with a habit of night wakings. We will be taking steps to increase the length of Sebby's sleep over the next few weeks and praying that we see huge improvements in this area!

Speech


Sebby has become much more vocal over the past few weeks and has learned to make many interesting sounds.

He now takes breaks from eating to tell momma long stories but his favourite person to talk to is his tiger, while sitting in his chair, he will chat with Mr Tiger for up to an hour.




Giggles

We heard Sebby's first giggle about two weeks ago. He was hanging out in our room one morning, chattering happily and then all of a sudden, he giggled. So cute! When Daddy plays airplane, peek a boo and other games with Sebby, he giggles with excitement.

We're having so much fun with our little big boy and learning lots along the way. We look forward to what his fifth month has in store.

Sebby's First Snowman

Gotta love the Alberta climate!

Tuesday I wore sandals for the first time this spring but Thursday morning we woke up to 25cms of snow. Fortunately, by afternoon on Thursday the sun was shining and almost all of the snow was gone. Wanting to enjoy the sunshine, Sebby & I went for a walk. It was so beautiful that I still wasn't ready to go inside when we arrived home so we shovelled the deck then made a snowman.

 

Well I made the snowman, Sebby was asleep in the carrier the whole time. I thought I'd make a snowman and show it to him when he woke up. Unfortunately, I looked out the window 15 minutes later and...

the snowman was gone!

"I Wesr My Sunglasses At Night"

One of the great things about the Alberta weather is the beautiful sun. As the weather has been getting warmer, Seb and I have enjoyed getting out every day for a walk, a drive to run errands or at least to shovel the snow in our yard. Seb has enjoyed these outings but did seem bothered by the bright sun that was often shining in his eyes.

In the car, we tried a sticky window shade but the suction cups kept coming off the window. While walking, I covered Sebby's face with my scarf but that really limits his view. We wanted to try another solution...

SUNGLASSES!

We looked in a few stores last week and they were all sold out of baby sizes but Darren found a pair this week. Even the smallest size only fits if worn like ski goggles over his winter hat. So cute!

Hope his head grows by summer cause we won't be able to keep dressing him in this fleece hat.