Monday, February 24, 2014

Carson {3 months}

Carson, you are 3 months old!


Weight/Height/Head Circumference:

Last Tuesday, when we went to the GI doctor, you weighed 12 pounds, 4 ounces, and you were 24 inches long. They measured your head circumference, but you were so wiggly that I can't remember what she said it was! ;o)  

Clothing Size:

You are still wearing 0-3 months, but you can wear a few 3-6 months pieces. I am going to try & go through your 3-6 months clothes bins this week, because I can tell it won't be too long until you will be in those. 

Diapers:

You are still wearing a size 1 diaper. Since you came off of the Nutramigen, we have had no issues with diaper rash, so we finished out our packs of Target brand diapers, and we have stuck with Pampers Swaddlers since then. 

Feeding:

Well, what a month we have had with your feeding issues! We stopped giving you the Nutramigen on January 29 because your spit-up was out of control, not to mention the horrible diaper rash it gave you. We started Gerber Soothe & Prevacid, still no change...then, we switched to Enfamil AR. It constipated you, so we added the Enfamil Gentlease to it. The constipation went away, but you were still very, very cranky, & your spit-up continued to be pretty bad. We ended up scheduling an appointment with GI for Kids on February 5. Dr. Al-Tawil put you on Enfamil Puramino, took you off of Zantac & Prevacid, and put you on Carafate to coat your esophagus. You also had to have blood drawn, and that was NO fun at all! Here you are with your battle scars (& a wet diaper!) when we got home.

 We were seeing no change with the Puramino, so we went back to the doctor on Tuesday, February 18. He upped your dose of Carafate and put you on Neocate. Both of these formulas (Puramino & Neocate) were amino acid based formulas, and both of their first ingredients were corn syrup solids (which 90% of all formulas are, I have learned). You had not gained any weight since your last visit, so Dr. Al-Tawil also scheduled you for an abdomen ultrasound & upper GI study, which we did on Thursday. We still haven't heard the results from these tests, but they told me no news is good news, & we will find out for sure what the results are at your next appointment on March 7. You did fine for the ultrasound, but the upper GI study was so painful to watch! You had to be NPO for 4 hours, which made you really mad in the first place, but then, you had to be strapped down to a little table in order for them to feed you barium & take pictures. It made mama & daddy so sad. :o(
 Watching The Lion King with daddy after your ultrasound
Right before your upper GI study. You were about to eat daddy's thumb off because you were so hungry!

By Friday, I could tell that the Neocate was just going to be a continuation of the Puramino, so I called & spoke with the dietitian at the office. She & I both agreed that you may have a corn allergy. She suggested trying the Similac Alimentum ready-to-feed again because it is the only formula on the market without corn as a filler. The first ingredient in it is water (87%), which sounded better to me! So far, it is working much, much better than before. We're giving you 4 oz. every 3 hours & 5 oz. at bedtime. The first two days, your spit-up had not changed much, but by the third day, it was 75% better and has continued to improve. I'm thinking that upping the Carafate dose might be helping, too.


Hair/Eyes:

Your hair is still a dirty blonde color, and you have started to develop a little bald spot in the back from where you sleep! ;o) Your eyes are still blue!

Sleeping:

You continue to do amazing at night! Last night, you slept from 8:35 p.m.-6:15 a.m.! Last week, there was only one night when you woke up in the middle of the night to eat (& you busted out of your swaddle). Mama & daddy are so grateful for your sleep! You are still not a great napper during the day, but you don't cry as much when you're awake now, so it's ok! You typically take about four 30 minute naps a day. One of those may be an hour and a half, but it just depends on how you're doing that day. 

Other Stuff:

You still LOVE bath time, and you're used to afterwards now! You love for me to put lotion on you, but after we're all done, you let me know that you're ready for your bedtime bottle!

You rolled over from your back to your belly when you were 11 weeks, 6 days old!

Granny Deb got you this piano for Valentine's Day, and you LOVE it! It can occupy you for quite a while!
Your eczema took a turn for the worse last week. It was SO sad! I know you were miserable, and we tried everything to soothe it. Finally, I stopped using all washes/lotions by Johnson & Johnson. I started only using body wash & lotion by The Honest Co. For your face, we started using Mustela Stelatopia Lipid-replenishing Balm. What a miracle this combo is. Seriously, within 24 hours, your face completely cleared up. Praise the Lord!

Before:

After:

You are starting to grab things. You love grabbing this Dr. Brown's teether & any kind of toy that hangs.


You have started to make the funniest sound with the back of your throat. It kind of sounds like you are growling, and it is so funny!

We are loving watching you grow & learn. Everyday is different, and it seems like you are always learning something new!

You went to your first basketball game on Saturday to watch Aunt J play! You really seemed to love it!


You are really starting to drool a TON! I started putting a bib on you yesterday because if I don't, your outfit ends up being soaked in drool! You love chewing on your hands, too, so I am just waiting for a tooth to appear soon! ;o)

You started smiling so much more this month! I will never get enough of your smiles! :o)

And just because I want to remember it...here was our schedule today:

6:15-awake for the day, eat
6:45-play
7:45-nap (1 hour)
8:50-eat
9:15-play
10:10-nap (2 hours)
12:20-eat
12:45-play
2:00-nap (30 minutes)
3:00-eat
3:30-play
4:10-nap (30 minutes, awake, then down again for an hour and half)
6:00-eat (suppertime bottle)
7:00-nap (an hour and a half)
8:30-bath
8:50-eat (bedtime bottle)
9:20-bedtime!

Pictures from your 3rd month:






















Products we love @ 3 months:

Mustela Stelatopia Lipid-replenishing Balm
This is the only product that has treated your eczema and kept it away!

The Honest Co. Shampoo & Body Wash

The Honest Co. Body Lotion

Similac Alimentum

So far, so great, on this formula! :o) truly praying that this is our final answer when it comes to choosing a formula!

Arm & Hammer Diaper Bag Dispensers

I keep one of these hooked to the diaper bag, and they really come in handy for dirty diapers or wet clothes when we're out!

Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water
No other brand...this is the best, hands down better than gas drops, and it's like magic in a bottle!

Jack Tickle Books



Carson's Aunt J got him these two books at her school's book fair, and they are by far his favorite because of the pictures, & they make noises!