Parker

So it is no secret that Parker has been a bit of a pill for oh I don’t know his whole 2 years and 5 months of life!  Just in every aspect of life, it seems like a struggle with him. This past January he started getting eczema really bad. David and Maggie both had this as babies, but nothing compared to Parker’s.  His arms, legs and face would break out in a horrible rash all the time and would just never go away.  We tried every prescription medicine for him that the doctor could think of, but it seemed like everything made it worse. The poor kid has had to wear socks and/or footed pajamas everyday all day for the past 8 months to help him not scratch.  We finally took him to an allergy specialist and had him tested to see what all he was allergic to.  So we took him to get his blood drawn and the results came back. The poor child is allergic to so much stuff. He is allergic to shell fish, milk, eggs, dogs, cats, and a few other things on a low percentage like wheat, almonds, peanuts. So we have started giving him soy milk and egg whites only. That seems to help a lot. We also got a lot of air purifiers for our house and we give him allergy medicine everyday.  We also have cortisone that we put all over his body every morning and afternoon. We can also only use a specific soap for his bath and for cleaning his clothes.  If we miss one day for his medicine his poor little body breaks out all over again. It is so sad.  The doctor said that he will most likely outgrow most of these things in a couple of years.  Until about a month and a half ago, he was having at least 5 poopies a day and his poor little bottom was just raw and was always infected. After taking milk and eggs out of his diet he is like a normal 2 year old with just one or 2 dirty diapers a day. I remember for a while it was not unusual to have to change him seriously 12 times a day at least. He was going through more diapers then Lizzy was using.  This past month or 2 he has had such a drastic change and has been happier.  He is so good at taking his medicines too.  He takes it willingly every night before bedtime.  I think he even notices the difference, when he doesn’t have the medicine.  He still is going through the terrible 2’s for sure, but at least he isn’t in constant discomfort.

He loves helping whenever he can and runs to do something to beat David or Maggie, if we ask them instead of him.  He knows his colors.  He can count to 3. He is very athletic and has a great arm.  He is still just an entertainer and loves to make us laugh.  He has no fear of heights or jumping or leaping off of things.  He loves dressing up with Maggie in her dress up stuff, so to put an end to him in dresses, we ordered him a knight’s costume that he just loves.  He loves singing “Twinkle, Twinkle little Star” and we sing it every night before he goes to bed. It is so cute. He loves singing other songs and doing the hand motions with us.  He is great at saying prayers.  He loves giving hugs and kisses, but usually only after he roars at you.  He is getting to be a better kid and is definitely fun to have around.

Elizabeth 4 months

Oh how time flies! Lizzy is 4 months already.  She is just a sweet little baby girl.  We had her check up and she is a big girl! She is 16 pounds 2 ounces, which is in the 95th percentile and 25 inches, which is about the 55th percentile.  The doctor was very impressed.  She is getting better at sitting on her own. She can sit unsupported for quite a bit. She is very close to rolling over. She can get to her side, but can’t get over that arm of hers.  She had her first taste of rice cereal and did really well with it.  She likes it quite a bit.  She loves sitting up and watching everyone. As soon as someone talks to her, she just lights up.  She is just such a happy little girl and I love seeing her smile.  She giggles when you tickle her neck or if I sing silly songs to her, but she doesn’t laugh for just anything.  She loves sleeping in her crib. She sleeps in our room still and I am in no rush to move her.  She isn’t sleeping as well as she was last month, but still not horrible. She usually wakes up about 1 or 2 times. She is drooling like crazy and anything that comes close to her mouth is expected to be put in her mouth. She loves to suck on her thumb (what is it with my girls?) and will usually be able to cry herself to sleep after about a minute or 2 and by cry I mean just talk about it.  She will start turning her head from side to side, when she is tired and then she will just be out in no time.  She likes to snuggle and will let you hug her all you want, but she also enjoys her alone time, so she can stretch out. She loves David, Maggie and Parker and just lights up, when any of them talk to her.  She loves being in the car and loves her carrier toy. As soon as I turn on the music for it, she just smiles from ear to ear and won’t take her eyes off of it.  She loves bath time and just splashes around. She took her first bath with Parker a few days ago and she just loved it. She had the cutest look on her face of concentration and she was just so proud of her self for kicking so much. It was adorable.  She is just such a sweet and easy going baby and I love watching her grow! Happy 4 months Lizzy!